The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-05-04 00:00:00

~~~:,~-

Maids are Mny %hen they are Iflliol4.
Rtit the Ay Whet, then are n Ive 4.
and, what is pillar more to on r purr •se, the it is as
impoggible to iliytrrse a crowd,

na tls tu nutke 'cm sleep
On May-tiny 'swelling. which will weer be.
Marlow, iu 1/13 CriChtlitell song ul• the " Pa'sionate
Shepherd,"Sanalies the pleasures a Jlay a grousul of
invitation, as it were, to his mistress.
The shepherd su ain't shell 'lance end sing,
For thy delight etteit din) morning:
If these delights the mind may 'twee,
Then live with me, end ha try lure.
And Mr. Charles Lamb, worthy in all respects to be
classed with the writers of antiquity, has spoken of
the saute thing, in some beautiful litter, addressed to
a child.

Milton talks of May and its beauties, in various
parts of his mighty works. lfe has even written a
sung " On May Mo ring," with which (although it
is pretty well knots it) we shall conclude oar extracts.
he sung is worthy or the day.
Now the bright morning-star, day's harbinger,
Comes doming from the East. and lends with her
The flowery May. who from her green lap throws
The yellow cowslip. mid the pale primrose.
hail bounteous Nlsy ! that dost Inspire
Mirth, and youth. end starts desire;
Woods nni groves are of thy dressing,
Mill and dale cloth hosst thy blessing.
Thus we seiste thee with our early song,
And welcome thee, and wish thee long. _ .

Thus then have the first of May, and the " fiowrie
moods of May," be••n spent by our ancestors, and ce-
lebrated by our poets. Now, there is scarcely a gar-
land to be seen : the song is silent, am! the dance is
over : the revelry has ceased ; and ♦ulgar pursuits
usurp the pla:•r of those uleasant pastimes wh eh seem-
ed a sort of first offering to gentle skies, and were con-
seer.ited by the smiles of the tender year. If we were
dwellers in the country, we would try to revive these
things, for they are worth revival. They are land-
marks of happiness, to which the peasant was went to
look : he enjoyed them in anticipation and remern-
branre ; they stimulated his exertions and rewarded,
his toil. .1 he introduction of these customs wouldi
render lamaries " of little worth" and less desiredml
and might charm back many a spirit to its pure and'
early simplicity. 'I he number of fierce adventures in.
rensmeree and war would br tHminlsifed, because
cess in either would be less an object of ambition. It
is but a had thing, we suspect, when the minds of men
are cooped op all together, either in counting-lioness
or camps.
Not only have the revellers left the revel, but the
very poets, who ought to be free from the alloys of
time, turn their barks on Nature, and their rhymes to
more profitable account. They pen a fiery tale, a sa-
tire, a love-song, a compliment, or a joke : they prise,
and coquet, with imitations of Nature, Itut Nature her-
self is never worshipped, and seldom sought.
We had ivritten thus far, and had forgotten the
only remaining followers of May-day sports. 'I he
chimney-sweepers, with their soot, and shovels, and
brushes, and finery, had absolutely escaped our
thoughts. To them the first of May is still "a gaudy
lday ;" though we fear that their dancing is not alto-
gether spontaneous. However, they are now the sole
" lords of holiday,"—the only sporters and revellers
in the spring. 'I hey are, indeed, splendid instances et
gaiety. They have crowns, and garlands, and merry
looks, and sometimes even pyramids of flowers. They
disdain naan's every-day attire; and come forth in the
morning to run their course, decked out in all Hy
paraphernalia of their order ; their visages, it moot
confessed, are of an indisputable black:
Blurt, het seek as is esteem,
Prince Metnnon's slow might brsrem.
~Ind this sombre colour is relieved by a liberal use