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when the people resorted together at their temples1 and tombs; and as the Jews constantly kept their anniversary feast of Dedication, in remembrance of Judas Maccabæus, their deliverer, so it hath been an ancient custom among the Christians of this island to keep a feast every year, upon a certain week or day, in remembrance of the finishing of the building of their parish church, and of the first solemn dedicating of it to the service of God, and committing it to the protection of some guardian saint or angel.2

At the conversion of the Saxons, says Bourne, by Austin, the monk, the heathen Paganalia were continued among the converts, with some regulations, by an order of Pope Gregory the Great, to Mellitus, the abbot, who accompanied Austin in his mission to this island. His words are to this effect: on the day of dedication, or the birthday of holy martyrs, whose relics are there placed, let the people make to themselves booths of the boughs of trees, round about those very churches which had been the temples of idols, and, in a religious way, to observe a feast; that beasts may no longer be slaughtered by way of sacrifice to the devil, but for their own eating and the glory of God; and that when they are satisfied, they may return thanks to Him who is the giver of all good things.3 Such are the foundations of the country Wake.

Bishop Hall, in his Triumphs of Rome, alludes as follows to these convivial entertainments: "What should I speak of our merry Wakes, and May games, and Christmas triumphs, which you have once seen here, and may see still in those under the Roman dition: in all which, put together, you may well say no Greek can be merrier than they." (Triumph of Pleasure, p. 23.) I have a curious sermon, entitled the Religious Revel, preached at Atsuch, a country revel, dedicated to Mr. William Ekins, of the parish of St. Thomas, near Exon, by H. Rosewell, 1711. It is a defence and vindication of Heathens, were of the same "Hæc eadem sunt quæ apud

The Paganalia, or country feasts of the stamp with this of the wake. Spelman says: Ethnicos Paganalia dicebantur."

2 St. Michael, for instance. Of saints it has been observed by antiquaries that few churches or none are anywhere found honoured with the name of St. Barnabas, except one at Rome.

3" Ut die dedicationis, vel natalitiis sanctorum Martyrum, quorum illic reliquiæ ponuntur, tabernacula siba circa easdem ecclesias, quæ ex fanis commutatæ sunt de ramis arborum faciant," &c. (Bed. i. 30.)

keeping the annual feast of the dedication, finishing, and consecration of our churches (constantly kept, and called in the country a Wake or Revel), still supposing and asserting the very great impiety of revellings, properly so called; i. e. lewd and disorderly Revellings, upon any account or occasion. In Collinson's History of Somersetshire, i. 64, speaking of Stocklinch, St. Magdalen parish, the author says: "A Revel is held here on St. Mary Magdalen's day." In Bridge's History of Northamptonshire many instances are recorded of the Wake being still kept on or near to the day of the saint to which the church was dedicated. In Tusser's Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry, under the head of "The Wake Day," are the following lines:

"Fil oven ful of flawnes, Ginnie passe not for sleepe,
To-morrow thy father his wake day will keepe:
Then every wanton may danse at her will,

Both Tomkin with Tomlin, and Jankin with Gil."

Thus explained in Tusser Redivivus, 1744, p. 81: "The Wake day is the day on which the parish church was dedicated, called so because the night before it they were used to watch till morning in the church, and feasted all the next day. Waking in the church was left off, because of some abuses, and we see here it was converted to waking at the oven. The other continued down to our author's days, and in a great many places continues still to be observed with all sorts of rural merriments, such as dancing, wrestling, cudgel-playing, &c.

"This feast was at first regularly kept on that day in every week on which the church was dedicated; but it being observed and complained of, that the number of holidays was excessively increased, to the detriment of civil government and secular affairs; and also that the great irregularities and licentiousness which had crept into these festivities by degrees, especially in the churches, chapels, and churchyards, were found highly injurious to piety, virtue, and good manners; there were therefore both statutes and canons made to regulate and restrain them and by an act of convocation, passed by Henry VIII. 1536,1 their number was in some measure lessened.

This injunction, says Borlase, in his Account of Cornwall. was never universally complied with, custom in this case prevailing against the law of the land.

The feast of the dedication of every church was ordered to be kept upon one and the same day everywhere; that is, on the first Sunday in October; and the Saint's day to which the church was dedicated entirely laid aside. This act is now disregarded; but probably it arose from thence that the feast of Wakes was first put off till the Sunday following the proper day, that the people might not have too many avocations from their necessary and domestic business.

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The following entries occur in the churchwarden's accounts of St. Mary at Hill, in the city of London, 1495: "For bred and wyn and ale to Bowear (a singer) and his and to the Quere on Dedication Even, and on the morrow, is. vjd." 1555. "Of the Sumcyon of our Lady's Day, which is our church holyday, for drinkyng over-night at Mr. Hayward's, at the King's Head, with certen of the parish and certen of the chapel and other singing men, in wyne, pears, and sugar, and other chargis, viiis. jd. For a dynner for our Lady's Day, for all the synging men & syngyng children, il. For a pounde and halfe of sugar at dinner, is. vijd. ob. 1557. For garlands for our Lady's Day & for strawenge yerbes, ijs. ijd. For bryngyng down the images to Rome Land and other things to be burnt." In these accounts, "To singing men and children from the King's chapel and elsewhere, on some of the grand festivals, particularly the parish feast (our Lady's Assumption), a reward in money and a feast is charged in several years.

When an order was made in 1627 and in 1631, at Exeter and in Somersetshire, for the suppression of the Wakes, both the ministers and the people desired their continuance, not only for preserving the memorial of the dedication of their several churches, but for civilizing their parishioners, composing differences by the mediation and meeting of friends, increasing of love and unity by these feasts of charity, and for the relief and comfort of the poor. In King Charles the First's Book of Sports, Oct. 18, 1633, we read: His majesty finds that, under pretence of taking away abuses, there hath been a general forbidding, not only of ordinary meetings, but of the feasts of the dedications of the churches, commonly called Wakes. Now his majesty's express will and pleasure is, that these feasts, with others, shall be observed; and that his jusaces of the peace, in their several divisions, shall look to it,

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both that all disorders there may be prevented or punished, and that all neighbourhood and freedom, with manlike and lawful exercises be used." (See Harris's Life of Charles I. p. 50.)

In the southern parts of this nation, says Bourne, most country villages are wont to observe some Sunday in a more particular manner than the rest; i. e. the Sunday after the day of dedication, or day of the saint to whom their church was dedicated. Then the inhabitants deck themselves in their gaudiest clothes, and have open doors and splendid entertainments, for the reception and treating of their relations and friends, who visit them on that occasion from each neighbouring town. The morning is spent for the most part at church, though not as that morning was wont to be spent, not in commemorating the saint or martyr, or in gratefully remembering the builder and endower. The remaining part of the day is spent in eating and drinking. Thus also they spend a day or two afterwards, in all sorts of rural pastimes and exercises, such as dancing on the green, wrestling, cudgelling, &c.

Carew tells us, in his Survey of Cornwall, p. 69, "The Saint's Feast is kept upon the Dedication Day, by every householder of the parish, within his own dores, each entertaining such forrayne acquaintance as will not fayle, when their like turne cometh about, to requite them with the like kindness." But Borlase informs us that, in his time, it being very inconvenient, especially in harvest time, to observe the parish feast on the Saint's day, they were, by the bishop's special authority, transferred to the following Sunday.

Stubs, in his Anatomie of Abuses, 1585, p. 95, gives us the manner of keeping of Wakesses and Feastes in England. "This is their order therein :-Every towne, parish, and village, some at one time of the yeare, some at another (but so that every one keeps his proper day assigned and appropriate to itselfe, which they call their Wake-day), useth to make great preparation and provision for good cheare, to the which all their friendes and kinsfolkes farre and neere are invited." He adds that there are such doings at them, “insomuch as the poore men that beare the charges of these feastes and wakesses are the poorer, and keep the worser houses a long tyme after. And no marvaile, for many spend more at one of these wakesses than in all the whole yere besides." Stubs has been already mentioned as a Puritan, and conse

quently one who did not duly distinguish between the institution itself and the degenerate abuse of it.

Borlase says, the parish feasts instituted in commemoration of the dedication of parochial churches were highly esteemed among the primitive Christians, and originally kept on the Saint's Day to whose memory the church was dedicated. The generosity of the founder and endower thereof was at the same time celebrated, and a service composed suitable to the occasion. This is still done in the colleges of Oxford, to the memory of the respective founders. On the eve of this day prayers were said and hymns were sung all night in the church; and from these watchings the festivals were styled Wakes; which name still continues in many parts of England, although the vigils have been long abolished. See also Wheatley on the Common Prayer, 1848, p. 89; and Dugd. Warw., p. 515.

Speght, in his Glossary to Chaucer, says: "It was the manner in times past, upon festival evens, called vigiliæ, for parishioners to meet in their church-houses or churchyards, and there to have a drinking-fit for the time. Here they used to end many quarrels between neighbour and neighbour." Hither came the wives in comely manner: and they which were of the better sort had their mantles carried with them, as well for show as to keep them from cold at the table. These mantles also many did use in the church at morrowmasses and other times." In the 28th canon given under King Edgar (preserved in Wheloc's edition of Bede), I find decent behaviour enjoined at these church wakes. The people are commanded to pray devoutly at them, and not to betake themselves to drinking or debauchery.

The following is preserved in the MS. Collections of Aubrey (relating to North Wilts) in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford; dated 1678: "Before the Wake or feast of the dedication of the church, they sat up all night fasting and praying." is, upon the eve of the wake.

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Captain Silas Taylor says, that "in the days of yore, when a church was to be built, they watched and prayed on the vigil of the dedication, and took that point of the horizon where the sun arose for the east, which makes that variation, so that few (churches) stand true except those built between the two equinoxes. I have experimented some churches, and

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