9

We find, too, in Herrick's Paftorals, a very preffing invitation to the long flumbering Corinna, to overcome her evident repugnance to early rifing, and abridge the light labours of the toilette, in order "To do obfervance for a morn of May." Hear the impatient fwain how he appeals to the lingering maiden :

Get up, get up, for shame, the blooming morne
Upon her wings presents the god unshorne.

See how Aurora throwes her faire
Fresh-quilted colours through the aire;
Get up, sweet slug-a-bed, and see

The dew bespangling herbe and tree.

Each flower has wept, and bowed towards the east,
Above an hour since, yet you not drest,

Nay! not so much as out of bed;

When all the birds have matteyns seyd,

And sung their thankfull hymnes to Heaven, 'tis sin,

Nay, profanation to keep in,

When as a thousand virgins on this day,

Spring sooner than the lark to fetch in May.

Come, my Corinna, come, and comming marke

How each field turns a street, each street a parke,
Made green and dimmed with trees; see how
Devotion gives each house a bough

Or branch; each porch, each doore, ere this
An arke, a tabernacle is,

Made up of white-thorne neatly enterwove,
As if here were those cooler shades of love.

Can such delights be in the street
And open fields, and we not see't?
Come, we'll abroad, and let's obay
The proclamation made for May:

And sin no more as we have done by staying,
But, my Corinna, come, let's goe a Maying.

с

It was to a scene fuch as Spenfer has thus defcribed, that the ardent lover invited the fair maiden :

Siker this morrow, no longer ago,

I saw a shole of shepheards outgo,

With singing and showting and jolly cheere;
Before them yode a lustie tabrere,

That to the meynie a hornepipe plaid,

Whereto they dauncen eche one with his maide.
To see these folkes make such jovisaunce,
Made my hart after the pipe to daunce.
Tho' to the greene-woode they speeden them all,
To fetchen home May with their musicall:
And home they bringen, on a royall throne,
Crown'd as king; and his queen atone
Was Ladie Flora, on whom did attend

A faire flocke of faeries, and a fresh bend

Of lovely nymphs. O, that I were there,

To helpen the ladies their May-bush to beare.

Even the grave mercers and merchants of London caught fomething of the hilarity of the villagers, for Stowe fays:

"I find also that in the month of May, the citizens of London of all estates, fingly in every parish, or sometimes two or three parishes joining together, had their feveral Mayings and did fetch in May-poles with divers warlike fhowes, with good archers, morris dancers, and other devices for pastime, all the day long, and toward the evening they had stage plays and bonfires in the streets. Of these Mayings, we read in the reign of Henry VI. that the Aldermen and Sheriffs of London being on May-day at the Bishop of London's wood, in the parish of Stebonheath (Stepney), and having there a worshippful dinner for themselves and other com

moners, Lydgate the poet, that was a monk of Bury, fent to them by a pursuivant a joyful commendation of that season, containing fixteen ftaves of metre royal."

A famous place for erecting the May-pole for the citizens was before the church of St. Andrew, in Leadenhall Street, now called in confequence St. Andrew Underfhaft. There was alfo a famous May-pole in the Strand, of which it was faid :

Fairly we marched on, till our approach
Within the spacious passage of the Strand,
Objected to our sight a summer broach

Y'cleap'd a May Pole, which in all our land

No city, town, nor streete can paralell,

Nor can the lofty spire of Clerkenwell,
Although we have the advantage of a rock,

Pearch up more high his turning weather-cock.

This remarkable May-pole was 134 feet in height, and it was erected, as appears from an old tract, * upon the cost of the parishioners there adjacent, and the gracious confent of his facred Majefty, with the illuftrious Prince the Duke of York. This tree was a moft choice and remarkable piece; 'twas made below Bridge, and brought in two parts up to Scotland Yard, near the King's Palace, and from thence it was conveyed, April 14th (1661), to the Strand to be erected. It was brought with a ftreamer flourishing before it; Drums beating all the way, and other fortes of musick; it was fupposed to be fo long, that Landsmen could not possibly raise