The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-11-17
AN OLD. ENGLISH MAY-DAY.


part Of the national daty as the keep.
ing OF any Of the leasts Of the church TO
which one or the other faction belonged.
Wheo the May.poe, instead Of being, ns
now ou exceptional rarity, it not an ano.
maly, was thing of universal providing I;
some village Green in every sinal section.
or some shaded aud verdant eininence in
park or chase Of the nobility. being ol.
ways and everywhere the scene Of rural
festivities which for at least one day,
made happy ninetecn.twentieths OF those
who participated in them leaving the re.
naming small proportion to be the vic
tins Of worse jealousies and notifications
than all the other days Of the year coud
furnish. When the gay old refrain
Come to the May.pole," was seethng in
the brain Of the rural poet to make its
appearance only uine years later, with
the fine descriptive invocation
Come lasses and lals, get leave OF your dads
And away to the May-polo HE;
For every fair has sweetheart there,
And the hdder's standing by.
For Willy shall dance with Jano.
And Johuny has got his Joan
To trip it, trip it, trip il, trip it,
Trip it up aud down.
strike up, says Wat: agreed, says Matt.
And prithce, fiddler, play;
Content, says Hodge and so says Maisc.
For this is n holiday"
1t was then at the close Of the May y.day
OF 1868, that scene was presented, IN
the plcasurance or chase of tiue old res.
idencc in Essex, not for from tho llert.
ford border demanding and deserving
such description as could only have
been given by one Of those witty pens
making amusement at the court Of tn d,
"Merrie Monarch description impo.
siblc today, when the figures can oDl :
move before the eye Of Imagination with
the dimness and uureality gathered around
them through the mists Of more than two
centuries Of oven,ful chaDsr.
The -rrne or these May -duy ir,tiviti.
was one more than ordinarily notable.
apart from anything in the gather or til"
events of the me--ihough 80 much un.
suspected even by the actors in the dru
ma, was involved in a few words and a
few miner actions Of that day. The May.
pole, tall shaft that would have been ii
mast if found in one OF the maritime see
tions. stood wreathed with flowers aud
with long sireamers OF hright.colored
stuti' suggesting the ribbons OF Brobdig.
nag at the top OF gentle turfed rise not
far from the southern edge of the plea.
sauncc, the turf within some dstan,.'
destitute Of shade, except Tor the presence
of one grand old oak. low and broad.
limbed with the branches sweeping half.
way to the ground, standing some twen :
yards northward from the pole. !owaI i
the thick wood OF the park--and one
great codar-of. Lebanon, Scared and broh
en- by centuries. but still vigorous, an'i
throwing out its palm-lika branches hori.
zontally, in literal strata of clu,terin.;
spikes. as it had no doub, done any tim
during the previous FIVE hundred year
since the shoot or It's seed was brou9l
FROM Syria By one Of tho returning Cru
sadcrs From this cedar the rise sweI
away geatly toward the lttlc river ruu
ming at the foot in nnbroken turf, brighi
with the fresh green Of tn" young >clsor
and dotted with buttercupa and daisr.
suggesting sweet. breathed COWS, ros
rilkmaid-, aud all the romance Of th
old pastoral Bright under WESTERN
May sun that had scarcely known Il clou
during the day, the little Lea, not nor
than fifty or sixty feet in width at th;'
| point, flowed gently down between it, loW
green banks; rustic bridge. shown
more strength han grace, spanning it bu
few rods above; while on the opposit,
side of the river stately mansion, ,turrei
ed aud gabled. Of red brick, and showiu.
blending or the Tudor with a style cen
,uries proceeding it, as well as inde6na
bic mouldiuess and symptoms Of decay
iron neglect in the late past locke
over the little river which ran almost un
der It's rear windows, and gave its owp
name OF Bracy's Hope TO the grounds i'm
mediAtely adjoining it and the noble plea
saunce on the other side Of the Lea \
n,ausion Of the nobility, then or at an,
previous time-->n much was eydcn,
but quite A. certainly onc hrlouging
some member Of the .aDded seotry Of f ,
gland, whose descent, aud 1lsrterings, q
simple and untitled squircs. are to.da
held by many OF them as far beyond IT,
reach oi rciguins dynasiies. Soue men
ber Of the Landed gentry-probably
cnrclr,, pnd impoverished one imtibu.
agaiu, that iudetinshle impression Of III
ill.kept aud the haftumbieh down whio
had fortunately. not communicated i,-e.
to the park, through the telling OF au
Of the noble trees within he liur OF vi
ion. or even through any apparent neg
lect l. the hr-yjng
Here it was around tbe May pole, 60
which some Of the wreathed flowers al
ready proclaimed the length of long al.
brigh, day by their witherrd condition
that the tenants Of Bracy's liopr, H.
ueghbUring villagers. their wives, daugh
ters, the lovers, lads and las-ies OF T..
near sections. had been gathered sinc,
long before noOa, enactiug their parts i
that play Of rustic jolity which ha
seemed, until lately, never 10 grow oli
and blending sexes and ages in great,
freedom than any other day ia the yea
could either have witnessed oc permitted
Short. gownei aud srtled, ia the gaye.
colors atiainsble, nearly all the girls hi
most OF the women in the gathering
though here and there vision of great
grace aud beauty flashed out in that spot
less white necessary to give relief to th
brighter coors of the assemblage. Buy
ON, the womanhood, almost without ex
ceptan brown in hair, aud little le
, than nut brown III complexion, hut wi
the rose @. health on lip aud cheek, al
the Saxon strength in face aud igur,
promising well for the motherhood Of
coming race. Of whom more of force wa
TO be demanded than of dviicacy or ultra
= refinement, Fustiau.jsckeicd most G
) the ren, or with short tuuic, Of the sam
or "A ,l,rsn inf material and With fle