"A country lasse, browne as a berry; At a mile her daunce she ended, This amusing old tract tells of many odd customs and fan cies; among others, it informs us, that "during the earlier period of the English stage, after the play was concluded, the audience were commonly entertained by a jig. As no piece of this kind is extant, we are unable to understand its nature with precision; but it appears to have been a ludicrous com position, either spoken or sung by the clown, and occasionally accompanied by dancing and playing on the pipe and tabor. More persons than one were sometimes employed in a jig; and there is reason to believe, that the performance was of conside->> rable length, occupying even the space of an hour." There was a dance, called the Canary dance, which was introduced from that island, thus alluded to in Berner's Froissart, "and therein she entered, and all her copany, with great noyse of trompests and canaryes." Sir John Hawkins, in his "History of Music," mentions a dance called pavon, from pavo, a peacock. He describes it as "a grave and majestic dance; the method of dancing it anciently, was by gentlemen dressed with caps and swords, by those of the long robe in their gowns, and by the ladies in their gowns with long trains; the motion whereof in dancing, resembles the stateliness of that splendid bird." There were also country hops, that is, balls, held in some hall or tavern, for the entertainment of the lower classes. Hampstead, a village near London, was famous, or rather an infamous, place for such merry meetings, where the excesses to which they led were so common, that no decent tradesman cared to be seen. (Walk to Islington, 1699.) Gardiner, in his "Music of Nature," says, "the dancing music in the reign of Charles II., was so uncouth and vulgar, that it is doubtful whether the graces of a ball exceeded those of a village barn at the present day." The French say, "Eng land has produced many men of genius and talent, but not a good dancing-master." With these remarks, the reader will no doubt conclude, that however much they might be fond of it, this amusement was not, under any circumstances, of a very refined description. Among the learned persons who approved of it, were the lawyers; indeed, it formed an essential part of their education; it served to give them exercise, and thus promote mirth and cheerfulness amid their monotonous studies. The barristers used to dance before the judges, in the reign of James I.; and the judges used to dance at their antique masques and revels at their respective inns. The judges then lived comparatively a life of learned leisure. Mr. Wynne, in his notes on "Eunomus," mentions a recent case in which the grave and learned judges "tripped it merrily on the light fantastic toe," the last revel, he says, "which was held in any of the inns of court, was at the Inner Temple, 1722, in honour of Mr. Talbot, when he took leave of that house of which he was a bencher, on having the great seal delivered to him. After dinner, the master of the revels, who went first, took the lord chancellor by the right hand, and he, with his left, took Mr. Justice Page, who joined to the other judges, sergeants, and benchers present, danced round about the coal fire in the middle of the hall, according to the old ceremony of those times. During which, they were aided in the figure by Mr. T. Cook, the prothonatory, then upward of sixty years old." KISSING. "And Jacob kissed Rachel; and, lifting up his voice, wept." GEN. CH. 29. 1 silent. FROM dancing, kissing is pretty sure to follow; whether these old judges kissed each other, the historian must remain But where there is a dance of both sexes, there will be kissing, agreeable to the following verse of an amorous old poet, who plaintively asks, "What fool would dance He may not have at lady's lip, If when that dance is done; and, with that verse, I beg leave to introduce the reader to some old English kissing, as another peculiar characteristic of our merry forefathers' national customs. And it appears the ladies. were by no means coy upon the subject, -The learned Erasmus, in the sixteenth century, paints in glowing colours the extreme liberality with which our fair countrywomen granted a kiss; he writes, "if you go to any place you are received with a kiss by all, if you depart you are dismissed by a kiss, you are kissed on your return, kisses are exchanged on visits, a kiss the first thing when they leave you, and a kiss all round at last."* The Italians have a maxim, "a kiss of the mouth often touches not the heart;" but when the heart is really touched, "The gilliflower, the rose is not so sweet, As sugar'd kisses are when lovers meet," which shows there were kissing comfits to sweeten the breath, which are alluded to by Massinger in one of his plays : Faith search our pockets, and if you find there Comfits of ambergrease to help our kisses, After the Reformation there was a little change, severer manners prevailed, and it was totally discountenanced by the rigid puritans. John Bunyan, in his "Grace Abounding," gives an amusing account of his scruples about it. It prevailed as a custom more or less through the reigns of James and Charles. In Lupton's "London, and the Country Carbonaded," 1632, a pretty hostess, or a pretty maid, or a pretty daughter to salute the guests, is represented as an embellished attraction of a country inn. The practice went out at the restoration. The last traces are alluded to in two letters of the "Spectator, No. 240." The writer states he had always been in the habit, even in great assemblies, of saluting all the ladies round; but a town bred gentleman had lately come into the neighbourhood, and introduced his "fine reserved airs;' whenever he came into a room he made a bow, beginning at the first, then to the next, and so on. This is taken for the present fashion, and there is no young gentleman within this place for several miles, who has been kissed ever since his appearance among us. This indiscriminate kissing, arising from a cold formality, must, I should think, have been rather nauseating as well as tiresome. But when the brilliant eyes and the lively smile, It was probably this custom which caused him to make this celebrated remark: "England is a paradise for women, but a h--l for horses," which, as a native, I hope will never be reversed. "But who can view the pointed rays, Encompassed with satellite beams." GREEN. moves the rosy dimpled cheek, and the bewitching lips are put into motion by the utterance of endearing sentiments arising from a warm, an affectionate, and benevolent heart; then irresistibly arises a correspondent feeling, which shows that "man is a pendulum vibrating between a smile and a tear, and it is woman that winds up the moving power," or more poetically, she can 66 -Rule like a wizard the world of the heart, And call up its sunshine, or bring down its showers." This feeling, if not too powerful, (as is sometimes the case,) may express itself as follows: THE LIP OF THE MAID I ADORE. Not the sun, when its brightness begins to unfold, Nor the banquet so luscious, spread on days to regale, Nor the tabor and dance, nor the smiles of the gay. Can equal the thrill, the pulse madd'ning play, Like a kiss from the maid I adore.* The above song has been set to music by Mr. John Willis, and will be found on page 341 in the appendix. GALLANTRY, "I rather hoped-I should no more Hear from you o' th' gallantry score."-HUDIBRASS. THE impression on my mind, delineated by the diarists and other writers of these reigns, is, that for the most part, people married at an age younger than is now the case. But Burns, with the most graphic sweetness, thus describes eyes of another tint : "Sae flaxen were her ringlets, Twa laughing een o' bonny blue." * But the prettiest idea, upon this very pretty subject, was given by an Oxonian, in the shape of an order to the waiter at a tavern, viz: "bring me a glass of brandy and water as strong as woman's passion, and as sweet as her ruby lips;" the beauty of the sentiment, I trust, will excuse my relating it, even should the reader be a member of a temperance society. In the sonnets of Shakspeare, published 1609, which compositions exhibit some of his most thrilling and sweetest sentiments, and which, in the language of Schlegel, “betray an extraordinary deficiency of critical acumen in the commentators of Shakspeare, that none of them, as far as we know," (but this. deficiency has since been supplied,) "have ever thought of availing themselves of his sonnets for tracing the circumstances of his life. These sonnets paint most unequivocally the actual situation and sentiments of the poet; they enable us to become acquainted with the passions of the man: they even contain the most remarkable confessions of his youthful errors. Wordsworth also writes: "Scorn not the sonnet critic; you have frowned One of these exquisite compositions is addressed to his friend, persuading him to marry: "When forty winters shall besiege thy brow, Then being asked where all thy beauty lies; How much more praise deserved thy beauty's use This were to be new made when thou art old, And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold." Shakspeare was a fine describer of the human countenance, he has graphically described the effect of age in the following line: "Thus is his cheek, the map of days out worn." The following lines, in which he invokes Time, are capable of warming the coldest insensibility : "Oh! carve not with thine hours my love's fair brow, Nor draw no lines there with thine antique pen." Well may we apply the following couplet to this wonderful writer : * Lectures on Dramatic Literature, by A. W. Schlegel, The Portuguese have an aphorism, that "the sonnet ought to be shut with a golden key." |