were not infrequent, they have altogether ceased, so that there are not many who now know the meaning of the name, which must soon pass altogether out of remembrance. Under these circumstances, the following description of a Whitsun-ale of the most recent period may be interesting:—
A large barn was fitted up with seats for the company, and called my lord's hall; a portion for the sale of beer, &c., was called my lord's buttery; and another portion, fitted up with branches and flowers, for the sale of cakes and confectionery, was called my lady's bower. Owls were hung about in cages and called my lord's parrots; other songless birds, as the rook, jackdaw, raven, or the like, were called my lady's nightingales; and any one using a name for these and other objects otherwise than that thus given them became liable to a fine, with a ride on the wooden-horse or my lord's charger.
The lord and lady, with their male and female attendants, all gaily dressed and bedecked with ribbons, were free in their offers of flowers or cake, for the acceptance of which the fee was expected.
The wooden-horse, the principal source for amusement, was a stout pole, elevated on four legs to a convenient height, with a small platform on which the lady's chair was fixed, and the man could set his feet as he sat astride the pole. Every man who paid the fine was privileged to mount the horse and be carried round the boundaries, with the lady seated before him, with kisses unlimited. If a female paid forfeit she took the lady's place, and the lord had to mount and do the kissing part. But if a man would not pay in money he had to mount the horse per force and alone, with a practical lesson in rough-riding which he would not readily forget. It was not, however, altogether as a fine that the money was paid, as men and mere boys would intentionally incur the penalty to boast of their ride on the charger and kissing the lady, and many females for mere frolic would follow suit.
There were morris-dancings and other amusements; but enough has been stated to show that, whatever we may think of the Whitsun-ales of olden times, there is not much to regret in their suppression in the later period.
