againe to prison, and the armed men sent away out of the Citie.*

"On the thirteenth of May, the King came to Westminster-Hall, and with him the Lord Cardinall, the Dukes of Norfolke, and Suffolke, the Earles of Shrewsbery, Essex, Wiltshire, and Surrey, with many Lords and other of the Kings Councell; the Lord Maior of London, Aldermen and other chiefe Citizens, were there in their best liueries, by nine of the clocke in the morning. Then came in the prisoners, bound in ropes in a ranke one after another, in their shirtes, and euery one had a Halter about his necke, being in number 400., men, and eleuen women.

"When they were thus come before the Kings presence, the Cardinall laid sore to the Maior and Aldermen their negligence, and to the prisoners he declared how iustly they had deserued to dye. Then all the prisoners together cryed to the King for mercy, and therewith the Lords besought his grace of pardon: at whose request, the King pardoned them all. The generall pardon beeing pronounced, all the Prisoners shouted at once, and caste their halters towards the roofe of the Hall. The Prysoners being dismissed, the Gallowes were taken downe, and the Citizens tooke more heed to their seruants;

* This act of mercy, according to Stow's "Annals," p. 851, resulted from the solicitation of three Queens; namely, Queen Katharine, the King's consort; and Mary, Queen of France, and Margaret, Queen of Scots, the King's sisters, who were then in London, and "long time on their knees before the King, begged pardon" for the condemned criminals, which, at length, by the persuasion of Cardinal Wolsey, the King "graunted vnto them."

keeping, for ever after, as on that night, a stronge Watch in armour, in remembrance of Euill May-Day."* MAY POLE IN CORNHILL.-FANATICISM OF SIR STEPHEN, CURate of st. CATHARINE CREE CHURCH.

EXECUTION OF THE BAILIFF OF RUMford.

Geoffrey Chaucer speaking, says Stow, of "a vaine boaster," hath these words, in reference to the May Pole, or Shaft, which had long been accustomed to be set up in Cornhill :

"Right well aloft, and high ye beare your head,

The weather-cocke with flying, as he would kill; When ye be stuffed, bet of wine, than bread, Then looke ye, when your wombe doth fill, As ye would beare the great Shaft of Corne-hill. Lord! so merrily crowdeth then your croke, That all the street may heare your body cloke."

After the disturbance mentioned in the preceding article, the May-day pastimes of the Citizens, or as Stow expresses, the "great Mayings and May Games made by the governors and masters of this Citie, with triumphant setting up of the great Shaft, or principal May-pole, in Cornhill," were "not so freely used as before;" and the shaft itself was not "raysed at any time since Evill May-day,-but laid along over the doores and vnder the pentises of one rowe of houses and Alley Gate, called of the Shaft, ShaftAlley (being of the possessions of Rochester Bridge) in the ward of Lime-street.”‡

* Stow's "Survey," pp. 153-157: edit. 1618, Ibid. p. 282.

+ Ibid. p. 158.

Pennant, with his usual inattention, though referring both to Stow's "Survey," and Lord Herbert's "History of Henry VIII.," as authorities, inaccurately states, that this "unfortunate Shaft, or May Pole, gave rise to the insurrection of the apprentises, and the plundering of the foreigners," which gave origin to the name of Evil May Day.-That tumult, however, originated in circumstances altogether independent of the May Pole, as already detailed;-yet was this Shaft the cause of a kind of civil, after dinner, broil, in which it was first "mangled," and afterwards committed to the flames.

The Church of St. Andrew the Apostle, says Stow, in the ward of Aldgate, was known from other Churches of that name, by the addition of Knape, or Vndershaft," because that of old time, euery yeere, on May day in the morning, it was vsed, that an high, or long Shaft, or May-pole, was set up there, in the midst of the streete, before the south dore of the sayd Church; which Shaft, when it was set on end, and fixed in the ground, was higher than the Church steeple."

This Shaft, as mentioned above, was afterwards hung up, upon iron hooks, under "the pentises," of a row of neighbouring houses, where it remained undisturbed till the 3d year of Edward the Sixth, "when the plague of fanaticism began to scandalize the promoters of the Reformed religion,"-and a frantic zealot, called Sir Stephen, (who was curate of St. Catharine Cree, or Christ's Church) made it the subject of a discourse at Paul's Cross.

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He said there," says Stow," that this Shaft was made an Idoll, by naming the Church of St. Andrew, with the addition of vnder that Shaft: hee perswaded therefore, that the names of Churches might be altered: Also, that the names of dayes in the weeke might be changed, the fish dayes to be kept any dayes, except Friday and Saturday, and the Lent any time sauè onely betwixt Shrouetide and Easter. I heard his Sermon at Pauls Crosse, and I saw the effect that followed: for in the after-noone of that present Sunday, the neighbours, and Tenants to the sayd bridge, ouer whose doores the said Shaft had laine, after they had dined, to make themselues strong, gathered more helpe, and with great labour raising the Shaft from the hooks (whereon it had rested two and thirty yeeres) they sawed it in pieces, euerïè man taking for his share, so much as had layne ouer his dore and stall, the length of his house, and they of the Alley, diuided amongst them so much as had laine ouer their Alley gate. Thus was this Idoll (as he, poor man, tearmed it) mangled, and after burned."*

But a much heavier charge than the destruction of a May Pole, is alleged by Stow against this fanatic, whom he had often seen, preaching "out of an high Elme tree," in his own church-yard, and then entering the Church, "forsaking the altar," and singing "high masse, in English, upon a Tombe of the dead, towards the north."

Shortly after the Curate's tirade against the deposed Shaft, violent commotions were excited in many parts of the kingdom, in consequence of "a proclamation

*Stow's "Survey," p. 283.

for inclosures," and "divers parks and houses were pulled down by the common people." This led to the issuing of strict orders for the suppression of rumours, and several persons were executed, by martial law, who had, either inadvertently, or designedly, spoken on the subject," as aiders of the foresaid rebels, or reporters of their doings."*

Among others, "the Bayliffe of Rumford in Essex was one, a man very well beloued: he was early in the Morning of Mary Magdalens day (then kept holy day) brought by the Sheriffes of London, and the Knight Marshall, to the Well within Aldgate, there to be executed vpon a Jibit set vp that morning, where being on the Ladder, hee had words to this effect:

"Good people, I am come hither to dye, but know not for what offence, except for words by me spoken yester night to Sir Stephen, Curate and Preacher of this Parish, which were these. He asked me what newes in the Countrey I answered, Heauy newes. Why, quoth he? It is said, quoth I, that many men bee vp in Essex, but thanks be to God all is in good quiet about vs; an this was all, as God be my Judge, &c. Upon these words of the Prisoner, Sir Stephen to auoide reproach of the people, left the Citie, and was neuer heard of since amongst them to my knowledge. I heard the words of the prisoner, for he was executed vpon the pauement of my doore, where I then kept house."+

Stow's "Annals," p. 1005: edit. 1600.

+ Stow's "Survey," p. 283.-It appears from Hall's "Funebriæ Flora, The Downfall of May Games," published in 1660, that "the rude rabble" had set up a May Pole in Cheapside, giving "the Lord Mayor the trouble of seeing it pulled down."