With al his knyghtes everilkane,
Behind leved thar noght ane.
The king kest water on the stane,
The storme rase ful sone onane

membered or retained its original use in village of Kirtlington in Oxfordshire, the following passage of SA MSON Ago- for an annual feast or celebrity at lambNISTES, ver. 1196.

shearing. WHITSON-ALE is the common And in your city held my nuptial feast:

name in the midland counties, for the But your ill-meaning politician lords,

rural sports and feasting at Whitsontide. Under pretence of BRIDAL friends and CLERK-ALE occurs in Aubrey's manu

script History of WiltshirE. “ In the guests, Appointed to await me thirty spies.

Easter holidays was the CLARKES-ALE,

for his private benefit and the solace “Under pretence of friends and guests of the neighbourhood.” MSS. Mus. invited to the BRIDAL. But in Para- Ashm. Oxon. CHURCH-ALE was a feast dise Lost, he speaks of the evening star established for the repair of the church, hastening to light the BRIDAL LAMP, or in honour of the church-saint, &c. which in another part of the same poem In Dodsworth's Manuscripts, there is an he calls the NUPTLAI, TORCH. viii. 520. old indenture, made before the Reforxi. 590. I presume this Saxon BRIDALE mation, which not only shews the design is Bride-Ale, the Feast in honour of the of the Church-ale, but explains this parbride or marriage. Als, simply put, is ticular use and application of the word the feast or the merry-making, as in Ale. The parishioners of Elveston and PIERCE Plowman, fol. xxxii. b. edit. Okebrook, in Derbyshire, agree jointly, 1550. 4to.

"to brew four Ales, and every Ale of And then satten some and songe at the

one quarter of malt, betwixt this and ALE (nale.]

the feast of saint John Baptist next comAgain, fol. xxvi. b.

ing. . And that every inhabitant of the

said town of Okebrook shall be at the I am occupied everie daye, holye daye several Ales. And every husband and and other,

his wife shall pay two pence, every cotWith idle tales at the Als, and other- tager one penny, and all the inhabitants while in churches.

of Elveston shall have and receive all So Chaucer of his FREERE, Urr. p. 87.

the profits and advantages coming of the v. 85.

said Ales, to the use and behoof of the

said church of Elveston, And the inAnd they were only glad to fill his purse, habitants of Elveston shall brew eight And maden him grete festis at the NALE. Ales betwixt this and the feast of saint Nale is ALE. “ They feasted him, or John Baptist, at the which Ales the inentertained him, with particular respect, habitants of Okebrook shall come and at the parish-feast," &c. Again Plows pay as before rehersed. And if he be MAN's Tale, p. 125. v. 2110.

away at one Ale, to pay at the toder

Ale for both," &c. MSS. Bibl. Bodl. At the Wrestling, and at the Wake, And the chief chaunters at the Nale. Canons, given in 1603. Can. 88. The

vol. 148. f. 97. See also our ChurchSee more instances supr. vol. i. 63. application of what is here collected to That Ale is festival, appears from its the word Bridale, is obvious. But sense in composition; as, among others, Mr. Astle has a curious record, about in the words Leet-ale, Lamb-ale, Whit- 1575, which proves the BRIDE-ALE synoson-ale, Clerk-ale, and Church-ale. nymous with the WEDDYN-ALE. During LEET-ALE, in some parts of England, the course of queen Elisabeth's entersignifies the Dinner at a court-leet of a tainments at Kenilworth-castle, in 1575, manor for the jury and customary a BRYDE-ALE was celebrated with a tenants, LAMB-ale is still used at the great variety of shews and sports. Lane

With wikked weders, kene and calde,
Als it was byfore-hand talde.
The king and his men ilkane
Wend tharwith to have bene slane,
So blew it stori with slete and rayne :
And hastily than syr Ywaynek,
Dight him graythly' in his gere,
With nobil shelde, and strong spere:
When he was dight in seker wede,
Than he umstradem a nobil stede:
Him thoght that he was als lyght
Als a fowl es to the flyght.
Unto the Well fast wendes he,
And sone when thai myght him se,
Syr Kay, for he wald noght fayle,
Smertly askes the batayle.
And alsone than said the kyng,

Sir Kay, I grante the thine askyng.
Sir Ywaine is victorious, who discovers himself to king Ar-
thur after the battle.
And sone sir Ywaine

gan

him tell Of al his far how it byfell, ham's LETTER, dated the same year. ulterius in usu sub pæna excommunicafol. xxvi. seq.

What was the nature of tionis majoris.” the merriment of the CHURCH-ALE, we Had the learned author of the Disserlearn from the WITCHES-SONG in Jon- tation on BARLEY Wine been as well son's Masque or Queens at Whitehall acquainted with the British as the Grein 1609, where one of the Witches boasts cian literature, this long note would perto have killed and stole the fat of an in- haps have been unnecessary. fant, begotten by a piper at a CHURCHALE, S. 6.

h wicked is here, accursed. In which Among bishop Tanner's manuscript sense it is used by Shakespeare's Caliban, additions to Cowell's Law-Glossary in TEMP. Act i. Sc. i. the Bodleian library, is the following As Wicked dew as e'er my mother Note, from his own Collections. [Lit.

brush'd V.] “ A.D. 1468. Prior Cant. et Com. With raven's feather, &c. missarii visitationem fecerunt (diocesi Cant. vacante per mortem archiepiscopi) strong. et ibi publicatum erat, quod Potationes * to defend the fountain, the office of factæ in ecclesiis, vulgariter dictæ Ye- the lord of this castle. VEALYS', vel BREDEALYS', non essent | readily.

m bestrode.

8

one.

i

With the knight how that he sped,
And how he had the Lady wed;
And how the Mayden him helpid wele:
Thus tald he to him ilka dele.
Sir kyng, he sayd, I yow byseke,
And al yowr menye milde and meke, ,
That ye wald grante to me that grace,
At" wend with me to my purchace,
And se my Kastel and my Towre,
Than myght ye do me grete honowre.
The kyng granted him ful right
To dwel with him a fowretenyght.
Sir Ywayne thanked him oft sith",
The knyghtes war al glad and blyth,
With sir Ywaine for to wend :
And sone a squier has he send
Unto the kastel, the way he nome,
And warned the Lady of thair come,
And that his Lord come with the kyng.
And when the Lady herd this thing,
It es no lifand man with mowth
That half hir cum forth tel kowth.
Hastily that Lady hende
Cumand al hir men to wende,
And dight tham in thair best aray,
To kepe the king that ilk day:
Thai keped him in riche wede
Rydeand on many a nobil stede;
Thai hailsed p him ful curtaysly,
And also al his cumpany:
Thai said he was worthy to dowt",
That so fele folk led obowt":
Thar was grete joy, I yow bihete',
With clothes spred in ilka strete,
noft-times.

so large a train of knights. waited on. See Tyrwh. Gl. Ch. promise you. Psaluted. to fear.

tapestry spread on the walls.

to.

t

And damysels danceand ful wele,
With trompes, pipes, and with fristele:
The Castel and the Cetee

rang
With mynstralsi and nobil sang.
Thai ordand tham ilkane in fer
To kepe the king on faire maner.
The Lady went withowten towne,
And with her many balde barowne,
Cled in purpure and ermyne,
With girdels al of gold ful fyne.
The Lady made ful meri chere,
Sho was al dight with drewries“ dere;
Abowt hir was ful mekyl thrang,
The puple cried and sayd omang,
Welkum ertou, kyng Arthoure,
Of al this werld thou beres the floure!
Lord kyng of all kynges,
And blessed be he that the brynges !
When the Lady the Kyng saw,
Unto him fast gan sho draw,
To hald his sterap whils he lyght;
Bot sone when he of hir had syght,
With mekyl myrth thai samen met,
With hende wordes sho him gret;
A thousand sithes welkum sho says,
And so es syr Gawayne the curtayse.
The king said, Lady white so flowr,
God gif the joy and mekil honowr,
For thou ert fayr with body gent:
With that he hir in armes hent,
And ful faire he gan hir faldew,
Thar was many to bihalde :
It es no man with tong may tell

The mirth that was tham omell; gallantries, jewels. Davie says, that ANDER, MS. p. 86. Athens is called the in one of Alexander's battles, many a Drywery of the world. ibid. lady lost her drewery. GESTE ALEY together.

w fold.

Of maidens was thar so gude wane",

That ilka knight myght take ane.
The king stays here eight days, entertained with various sports.

And ilk day thai had solace sere
Of huntyng, and als of reverey :
For thar was a ful fayre cuntre,
With wodes and parkes grete plente ;
And castels wroght with lyme and stane,

That Ywayne with his wife had tane. 2 * assembly, [a great many.),

Pur les Escot, e pur les Pis, Y hawking, (for herons, ducks, &c.

Ki destrueient les pays; Park.]

En la terre de Logres' le trououent, 2 There are three old poems on the Mult souent le damagouent : exploits of Gawain, one of the heroes of A la Pentecuste en estè, this romance. There is a fourth in the I aveit li reys sojournè, Scotch dialect, by Clerke of Tranent, A les i dona riches duns, an old Scotch poet. See LAMENT FOR E al cuntes", e al baruns, THE DEATH OF THE MAKKARIS, st. xvii. A ceus de la Table Runde, &c. Clerke of Tranent eke has [death] tane That is, “ HERE BEGINS THE LAY OF That made the Aventers of GawANE. LAUNVAL.- [I will relate to you.] The Anc. Scor. P. 1576.

Adventure of a certain Lay, made of a The two heroes of this romance, gentle yassal, whom in Bretaigne they

called LAUNVAL. The brave and courYwain and GAWAIN, are mentioned jointly in a very old French version of teous king Arthur sojourned at Kardoyl, the British or Armorican LAY OF LAUN- for making war against the Scots and VAL, of which there is a beautiful vellum Picts, who destroyed the country. He

found them in the land of Logres, where manuscript. MSS. Cott. Vespas. B. xiv. (supr. modo citat. )

they committed frequent outrages. The

king was there at the feast of Pentecost, Ensemble od eus GawayNS,

where he gave rich gifts to the counts E sis cosins li beus YWAYNS.

and barons, and the knights of the round This Lay, or Song, like the romance in table,” &c. the text, is opened with a feast celebrated The writing of this manuscript of at Whitsontide by king Arthur at Kar- LAUNVAL seems about 1300. The comdoyl, a French corruption from Carliol, position is undoubtedly much earlier. by which is meant Cairleon in Wales, There is another, MSS. Harl. 978. sometimes in romances confounded with 112. This I have cited in the First Cardiff. (See Geoffr. Monm. ix. 12.] DISSERTATION. From this French LAUN“Jci commence le Lay de LAUNVAL." vaL is translated, but with great addiLaventure de un Lay,

tions, the English Launfall, of which Cum ele avint vus cunteray,

I have given several extracts in the third Fait fu dun gentil vassal,

DISSERTATION prefixed to the first voEn Bretaigne lapelent LAUNVAL: lume. (See also supr. vol. ii. p. 430, A Kardoyl suiornont li reys

NOTE A. Arthur, li prouz, e li curteys,

I presume this romance of Ywain and Logres, or Loegria, from Locrine, was the middle part of Britain.

So in Sir ROBERT OF GLOUCESTER, we have ContAss for countess. On which word his editor Hearne observes, that king James the First used to call a Countess a cuntys. And he quotes one of James's letters, “Come and bring the three Cuntys (for countesses ) with you." Gloss. p. 635. VOL. III.

2 E

1

9

counts.