201 The ^amral Hijiory 
Vanes majfacre^ which Henry Arch-Deacon of Huntingdon^ ex- 
prefly fays was on the Feaft of St. Brice^ /. e. the 1 3 of Novem- 
ber, That it was formerly obferved on Tuefday^ not only Mr. 
Lamhardy ut fupra^ but Matthew Paris -al^o gives us teilimony, Et 
fo§l Diem Martin qude vulgar iter Hoke -day appellatur^ fa^um efl 
Parliamentum Londini, isrc And yet the fame Matthew Paris in 
another place makes it to fall on the Quinfieme of Eajier^ in Quin- 
dena Pafchde qudi vulgariter Uoke-dd-j appellatur convencrunt Lon- 
dini, isrc ^. which muft needs be Munday ; and the very fame day 
it is obferved here at Oxford in our times. 
27. In fo much that I once thought they might anciently, as . 
wellaswc»', oWiervc two Hock-days^ one for the iri?^???, and an- 
other for the men, but that I find the fame Matthew Parii to men- 
tion the Monday before Hoke-Tuefday^ and not calling it 'd Hock-day 
at all ; vi^^ Anno 1252. where mentioning King Henry the thirds 
taking on him the Crufado^ he fays, he did \t die Luude^ qu<£ ipfum 
diem proxime pr<ecedit quern Hoke-day appellamu^ ^. However it 
were then^ it is mofl certain that now we obfcrve two of them here, 
on Monday ^ov t\\Q women, which is much the more folemn, and 
Tuejday for the men wdiich is very inconfiderable ; and yet nei- 
ther of thefe perhaps was the dies Martls ligatoria^ whatever Sir 
Henry Spelman may think ^, whereon men and women ufe to hind 
one another, that being now celebrated in fome parts of England 
on Shrove Tuefday : Much lefs the fame with the Feaft of St. Blafe^ 
2iS Minjheu^ l\\mks, when Country women went about and made 
good cheer, and if they found any of their Neighbor-women a 
Spinning, fet their diftaf on fire ; that Feaft being celebrated on 
the third of February^ and in all probability upon fome other 
grounds. 
28. Amongft things of this nature, I think we may alfo reckon 
an ancient Cuftom of the Royalty of Enfiam^ where it was former- 
ly allowed to the Towns-people on Whit-monday, to cut down 
and bring away, where-ever the Church-wardens pleafed to mark 
it out, by giving the firft chop, as much Timber as could be drawn 
by mens hands into the Abbey-yard, whence if they could draw it 
out again, notwithftanding all the impediments could be given the 
Cart by the fervants of the Abbty (and fince that by the family 
^ H' P-oriartiTH Liibro G . fub initium. " Matth. Paris in A't-i2''y%- edit- Wat f.fcj6Tj- iJem iv An. 121^'^. 
edit.V/atj:p.<^0-\.. ^ Mttth.Paris edit.Watf.p.Z:!^!)^.. ' Vid. ii^elman Qlojl^riuw m verbo, MiKjh- kyi- 
[iay tii -m,; yXua-auoi, in VSrbO' 
of 
