The king keft water on the ftane,
The ftorme rafe ful fone onane
With wikked weders, kene and calde,
Als it was byfore hand talde.

ale, and Church-ale. LEET-ALE, in fome parts of England, fignifies the Dinner at a court-leet of a manor for the jury and cuftomary tenants. LAMB-ALE is still used at the village of Kirtlington in Oxfordshire, for an annual feaft or celebrity at lambfhearing. WHITSON-ALE, is the common name in the midland counties, for the rural fports and feafting at Whitfontide. CLERK-ALE Occurs in Aubrey's manufcript Hiftory of WILTSHIRE." In the "Eafter holidays was the CLARKES-ALE, "for his private benefit and the folace of "the neighbourhood." MSS. Muf. АSHм. Oxon. CHURCH-ALE, was a feaft eftablished for the repair of the church, or in honour of the church-faint, &c. In Dodfworth's Manufcripts, there is an old indenture, made before the Reformation, which not only fhews the defign of the Church-ale, but explains this particular ufe and application of the word Ale. The parishioners of Elvefton and Okebrook, in Derbyshire, agree jointly, "to brew "four ALES, and every ALE of one quar"ter of malt, betwixt this and the feaft of "faint John Baptift next coming. And "that every inhabitant of the faid town "of Okebrook fhall be at the feveral "ALES. And every husband and his wife "fhall pay two pence, every cottager one

penny, and all the inhabitants of El"veston fhall have and receive all the pro"fits and advantages coming of the faid "ALES, to the ufe and behoof of the faid "church of Elvefton. And the inhabi"tants of Elvefton fhall brew eight ALES "betwixt this and the feaft of faint John "Baptift, at the which ALES the inhabi"tants of Okebrook fhall come and pay "as before reherfed. And if he be away "at one ALE, to pay at the toder ALE "for both, &c." MSS. Bibl. Bodl. vol.

148. f. 97. See alfo our CHURCH-CANONS, given in 1603. CAN. 88. The application of what is here collected to the word BRIDALE, is obvious. But Mr. Astle has a curious record, about 1575, which proves the BRIDE-ALE fynonimous with the WEDDYN ALE. During the courfe of queen Elifabeth's entertainments at Kenilworthcaftle, in 1575, a BRYDE-ALE was celebrated with a great variety of fhews and fports. Laneham's LETTER, dated the fame year. fol. xxvi. feq. What was the nature of the merriment of the CHURCHALE, we learn from the WITCHES-SONG in Jonfon's MASQUE OF QUEENS at Whitehall in 1609, where one of the Witches boafts to have killed and ftole the fat of an infant, begotten by a piper at a CHURCH-ALE. S. 6.

Among bishop Tanner's manufcript additions to Cowell's Law-Glossary in the Bodleian library, is the following Note, from his own Collections. [Lit. V.J“A.D. "1468. Prior Cant. et Commiffarii vifita"tionem fecerunt (diocefi Cant. vacante per mortem archiepifcopi) et ibi publi

66

catum erat, quod Potationes factæ in ec"clefiis, vulgariter dicte YEVEALYS", "vel BREDEALYS, non effent ulterius in "ufu fub pæna excommunicationis majo"ris."

Had the learned author of the Differtation on BARLEY WINE been as well acquainted with the British as the Grecian literature, this long note would perhaps have been unneceffary. • One.

Wicked is here, accurfed. In which fenfe it is ufed by Shakespeare's Caliban, TEMP. A&ti. Sc. ii.

AS WICKED dew as e'er my mother brush'd
With raven's feather, &c.

The king and his men ilkane
Wend tharwith to have bene flane,
So blew it ftore with flete and rayne:
And haftily gain fyr Ywayne *,
Dight him graythly' in his gere,
With nobil fhelde, and ftrong fpere:
When he was dight in feker wede,
Than he umftrade" a nobil stede :
Him thoght that he was als lyght
Als a fowl es to the flyght.
Unto the Well faft wendes he,

And fone when thai myght him se,
Syr Kay, for he wald noght fayle,
Smertly afkes the batayle.
And alfone than faid the kyng,

Sir Kay, I grante thine afkyng.

Sir Ywaine is victorious, who difcovers himself to king Arthur after the battle.

The kyng granted him ful right
To dwel with him a fouretenyght.
Sir Ywayne thanked him oft fith ",
The knyghtes war al glad and blyth,
With fir Ywayne for to wend:
And fone a fquier has he fend
Unto the kaftel, 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 cumforth tel kowth.
Haftily that Lady hende

Cled in purpure and ermyne,

With girdels al of golde 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 fayd omang,
Welcum ertou, kyng Arthoure,

Of al this werld thou beres the floure!
Lord kyng of all kynges,

And bliffed be he that the brynges!
When the Lady the Kyng faw,
Unto him fast gan fho draw,
To hald his fterap whils he lyght;
Bot fone when he of hir had fyght,
With mekyl mirth thai famen met,
With hende wordes fho him gret;
A thousand fithes welkum fho fays,
And fo es fyr Gawayne the curtayse.
The king faid, Lady white fo flowr,
God gif ye joy and mekyl honowr,
For thou ert fayr with body gent:
With that he hir in armes hent,
And ful fayre he gan her falde ",
Thar was many to bihalde :
Et es no man with tong may tell
The mirth that was tham omell;
Of maidens was thar fo gude wane,
That ilka knight myght take ane.

The king stays here eight days, entertained with various fports.

And ilk day thai had folace fere
Of huntyng, and als of revere':

Gallantries. Jewels. Davie fays, that

in one of Alexander's battles, many a lady loft her drewery. GESTE ALEXANDER,

MS. p. 86. Athens is called the Drywery of the world. ibid.

▾ Together. w Ield. * Affembly. Hawking. Riv.

For