Chap. V. The HISTORY of the PURITANS. 567 may be quite taken away ; but that his majefty Was difpleafed with Ri- K. Charles t. chardfon's behaviour at the two laft affixes, and efpecially the laft ; being 'tr mil ofopinion, that the feafts ought to be kept for the recreation ofthe people, of which he would not have them debarred under any frivolous pretences, to the gratifying of the humourifts, who were very numerous in thofe parts, and united in crying down the feafts ; his grace therefore requires the bifhop to give him a fpeedy account how thefe feafts had been or- dered. Pierce bifhop of Bath and Wells, in anfwer to this letter acquaints the B=/bop of archbifhop `° That the late fuppreffion of the revels was very unacceptable, Weuas zn., " and that the reftitution of them would be very grateful to the gentry, fwer. " clergy andcommon people ; for proof of which he had procured the Cant. Dvemn. " hands of feventy two of his clergy, in whole parifhes thefe feafts are p. 542. " kept ; and he believesthat ifhe had Pent for an hundred morehe fhould " have had the fameanfwer from them all ? but thefe feventy two (lays his " lordfhip) are like the feventy-two interpreters, that agreed fo loon in "-the tranflation of the old Tßament into Greek." He then proceeds to explain the nature of thefe feafts. " There are (lays he) in Sornerfetfhire, Their or;;i_ " not only feafts ofdedication [or revel days] but alto church ales, clerk 'al"daft. " ales, and bidales." " The Feaßs ofdedication are in memory of the dedication of their fe- Feafts of ° veral churches ; thofe churches which are dedicated to the HolyTrinity dedication. " have their feafts on trinity funday ; and fo all the feafts are kept upon " the fundaybefore or after the faint's day to whom the churches are de- " dicated, becaufe the people have not leifure to obferve them on the " week days ; this, Pays his lordthip, is acceptable to the people, who " otherwife go into tipling honks, or elfe to conventicles. " Church Ales are when the people go from afternoon prayers on fun. Church ales, " days to their lawful fports and paftimes in the church yard, or in the " neighbourhood, in fome publick houle, where they drink and make " merry. By the benevolence of the people at thefe paftimes, many poor " parifhes have cart their bells, and beautified their churches, and railed " flocks for the poor ; and there had not been obferved fo much diforder " at them as is commonly at fairs or markets. " Clerk ales [or leffer church ales] are fo called, becaufe they were for Clerk alit; " the better maintenance of the parifh clerk ; and there is great reafon for " them (rays his lordfhip) for in poor country parifhes, where the wages of " ° clerk are but fmall, the people thinking it unfit that the clerk fhould " duly attend at church and not gain by his office, fend him in provifion, " and then come on Sundays and feaft with him, by which means he fells " more ale, and tares more of the liberality of the people, than their " quarterly payment would amount to in many years; and fince thefe " have
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