196 By F. A. Carrington, Esq. 



Sir Jo. Horner, Edward Paulet, William Basset, George Speke, 

 John Windham, Thomas Lutterell, William Walrone, and divers 

 others, ul but before it was presented, King Charles I. on the 18th 

 of October, 1633, published a declaration in which he republished 

 what is commonly known as King James I.'s Book of Sports, in 

 which it is declared that the " King's pleasure is that after the end 

 of Divine Service, his good people be not disturbed, letted, or 

 discouraged from any lawful recreation — such as dauncing, either 

 men or women ; archery for men, leaping, vaulting, or any such 

 harmless recreation, nor from having of May games, Whitsun ales, 

 and Morice dances, and the setting up of Maypoles, and other 

 sports therewith used, so as the same be had in due and convenient 

 time, without impediment or neglect of Divine Service, and that 

 women shall have leave to carry rushes to the church for the de- 

 coring of it according to their old custom ; but withall his Majesty 

 doth here account still as prohibited all unlawful games to be used 

 upon Sundays only, as bear and bull-baitings, interludes, and at all 

 times in the meanner sort of people by law prohibited bowling." 



Mr. Rush worth, the secretary of the Lord General Fairfax, who 

 gives a very full account of these proceedings in his Historical 

 Collections, says — 2 that this declaration " proved a snare to many 

 ministers very conformable to the Church of England because they 

 refused to read the same publicly in the church as was required, for 

 upon this many were suspended and others silenced from preach- 

 ing." 



3. The Scot Ale. 



We are told by the Rev. S. Denne, F.A.S., in a very interesting 

 paper on ales, 3 that Scot ales were maintained by a joint contribution 

 of the resorters to them. In the diocese of Sarum, they were by 

 Bishop Poore forbidden to be published in the church by the laity, 

 and either in or out of the church by the clergy. 



1 Rushworth's Historical Collections, vol. i., part n., p. 191. 



2 Yol., part II., p. 191, where also will be found copies of the judge's order, the 

 king's declaration, and a letter from Archbishop Laud to William Pierce, Bishop 

 of Bath and Wells, on this subject. 



3 Archoeol. vol. xii., p. 10. 



