OBSERVATIONS

ON

CHAPTER

TH

XXVIII.

HE Author of the Convivial Antiquities tells us, that the Paftoral Life was antiently accounted an honourable one, particularly amongst the Jews and the Romans*. Mr. Bourne has given us Inftances from the old Teftament of the festive Entertainments of the former on this Occafion; Pliny and Varro may be confulted for the Manner of celebrating this Feaft among the latter.-The washing and fhearing of Sheep was attended among them with great Mirth and Festivity: Indeed the Value of the Covering of this very useful Animal muft have always made the hearing Time, in all pastoral Nations, a Kind of Harvest Home.

** Apud Latinos oves tondere, ut et fementem facere omnino non fuit licitum, priufquam Catulatio, hoc eft, ex Cane facrum fieret: ut Gyraldus teftatur de Diis Gentium. Ex his ergò omnibus conftat illam ovium tonfuram (quam luna decrefcente à veteribus fieri fuiffe folitam M. Varro teftatur: de tempore autem oves lavandi atque tondendi vide Plin. lib. 18. c. 17.) magna cum feftivitate, lætitia atque conviviis fuiffe celebratam; id quod mirum non eft. -Nam in Animalibus primum non fine caufa putant cues affumptas, & propter Utilitatem & propter Placiditatem; Maximè enim hæ natura quietæ & aptiffimæ ad vitam hominum. Ad cibum enim lac, & cafeum adhibitum; ad Corpus veftitum et pelles attulerunt. Itaque cum in illis tot præfertim numero tondendis plurimùm paftoribus atque famulis effet laboris exantlandum, jufta profectò de caufa Patresfamiliâs atque Domini illos conviviali hujufmodi latitia recreare rurfus atque exhilarare voluerunt.

Antiquit. Conviv. p. 62.

There

There is a beautiful Description of this Feftivity in Dyer's Fleece, at the End of the first Book:

"At fhearing Time, along the lively Vales,
"Rural Festivities are often heard:
"Beneath each blooming Arbor all is Joy
"And lufty Merriment: While on the Grafs
"The mingled Youth in gaudy Circles fport,
"We think the golden Age again return'd,
"And all the fabled Dryades in Dance.
"Leering they bound along, with laughing Air,
"To the fhrill Pipe, and deep remurm'ring Cords
"Of th' antient Harp, or Tabor's hollow Sound:
"While th' Old apart, upon a Bank reclin'd,
"Attend the tuneful Carol, foftly mixt
"With ev'ry Murmur of the fliding Wave,
"And ev'ry Warble of the feather'd Choir;
"Mufic of Paradife! which still is heard,
"When the Heart liftens; ftill the Views appear
"Of the first happy Garden, when Content
"To Nature's flow'ry Scenes directs the Sight.
With light fantastic Toe, the Nymphs
"Thither affembled, thither ev'ry Swain;

"And o'er the dimpled Stream a thousand Flow'rs,
"Pale Lilies, Rofes, Violets and Pinks,

"Mixt with the Greens of Burnet, Mint and Thyme,
"And Trefoil, fprinkled with their sportive Arms.
"Such Custom holds along th' irriguous Vales,
"From Wreakin's Brow to rocky Dolvoryn,
"Sabrina's early Haunt.

"The jolly Chear

"Spread on a moffy Bank, untouch'd abides
"Till cease the Rites: And now the moffy Bank
"Is gaily circled, and the jolly Chear

Difpers'd in copious Measure: Early Fruits,

"And those of frugal Store, in Husk or Rind;
Steep'd Grain, and curdled Milk with dulcet Cream
"Soft temper'd, in full Merriment they quaff,
And caft about their Gibes; and fome apace
"Whistle to Roundelays: Their little ones

"Look

"Look on delighted; while the Mountain Woods
"And winding Vallies, with the various Notes
"Of Pipe, Sheep, Kine, and Birds and liquid Brooks
"Unite their Echoes: Near at Hand

"The wide majestic Wave of Severn flowly rolls

Along the deep divided Glebe: The Flood

"And trading Bark with low contracted Sail,

Linger among the Reeds and copfy Banks

"To listen and to view the joyous Scene."

T

Thus alfo of the washing and fhearing Sheep in Thompson's Summer:

"In one diffufive Band

"They drive the troubled Flocks, by many a Dog
"Compell'd, to where the mazy-running Brook
"Forms a deep Pool; this Bank abrupt and high,
"And that fair spreading in a pebbled Shore.

Urg'd to the Giddy Brink, much is the Toil,
"The Clamour much of Men, and Boys and Dogs,
"Ere the foft fearful People to the Flood
"Commit their woolly Sides; and oft the Swain
"On fome impatient seizing, hurls them in:
"Embolden'd then, nor hesitating more,

"Faft, faft, they plunge amid the flashing Wave,
"And panting, labour to the farther Shore.

Repeated this, till deep the well-wash'd Fleece
"Has drunk the Flood, and from his lively Haunt
"The Trout is banish'd by the fordid Stream;
"Heavy and dripping, to the breezy Brow

Slow move the harmless Race; where as they spread
"Their swelling Treafures to the funny Ray,
"Inly difturb'd, and wond'ring what this wild
"Outrageous Tumult means, their loud Complaints
"The Country tell; and tofs'd from Rock to Rock,
"Inceffant Bleatings run around the Hills,
"At laft, of fnowy white, the gather'd Flocks
"Are in the wattled Pen innumerous prefs'd
"Head above Head; and rang'd in lufty Rows
"The Shepherds fit and whet the founding Shears.
"The Housewife waits to roll her fleecy Stores,
"With all her gay dreft Maids attending round.

"One,

"One, Chief, in gracious Dignity inthron'd,
"Shines o'er the reft, the Paft'ral Queen, and rays
"Her Smiles, fweet-beaming on her Shepherd King;
"While the glad Circle round them yield their Souls.
"To feftive Mirth, and Wit that knows no Gall.
"Meantime, their joyous Tafk goes on apace :
"Some mingling ftir the melted Tar, and fome
"Deep on the new-fhorn Vagrant's heaving Side
"To stamp his Master's Cypher ready stand;
"Others th' unwilling Wether drag along:
"And glorying in his Might, the sturdy Boy
"Holds by the twisted Horns th' indignant Ram.
"Behold where bound, and of its Robe bereft,
"By needy Man, that all-depending Lord,

How meek, how patient, the mild Creature lies!
"What Softnefs in its melancholy Face,
"What dumb complaining Innocence appears!
"Fear not, ye gentle Tribes! 'tis not the Knife
"Of horrid Slaughter that is o'er you wav'd;
"No, 'tis the tender Swain's well-guided Shears,
"Who having now, to pay his annual Care,
"Borrow'd your Fleece, to you a cumbrous Load,
"Will send you bounding to your Hills again."

Line 368.

Mr. Bourne's Definition of a "Good Day" in this Chapter is a pleasant one: "He calls, fays he, "the Day it was held on, a good Day; that is, a Day of plentiful Eating and Drinking."

By Parity of Reafoning, the vulgar Ceremony of wishing a good Day to you, is fynonimous with wifhing you a good Dinner!

*This calls to my Remembrance the following curious Paffage in Dr. Morefin: Ebrietati, fays he, et gulæ indulget Papa diebus fuis feftis: nam ampliùs largiufque rei divinæ cauffa invitare fe credebatur fas, unde et μdú inflexum Arift. putat, quod ebrii fierent, pera To Due, id eft, poft Sacrificium: quin dapes et Convivia di&titabant θοινας, ο θεός et οινος, veluti deorum gratia ampplius indulgendum foret. Cæl. lib. 7. cap. 2. ant. lect. P. 52.

CHAP.

CHA P. XXIX.

Of Michaelmass: Guardian Angels the Discourse of Country People at this Time: That it feems rather true, that we are protected by a Number of Angels, than by one particular Genius.

HE Feaft of this Seafon is celebrated in

THE

Commemoration of St. Michael, and all the Oiders of Angels. It is called, The Dedication of St. Michael, because of a Church being dedicated to him on this Day in Mount Garganus.

At this Season of the Year, it is a general Custom to elect the Governors of Towns and Cities, to promote Peace among Men, and guard them against Harm from their malicious Fellow Creatures. Whether this particular Time of the Year has been chofen for electing them, because then is the Feaft of Angels, the Guardians and Protectors of Men, and of their Communities and * Provinces, is not fo certain. It is certainer, that when ever it comes, it brings into the Minds of the People, that old Opinion of Tutelar Angels, that every Man has his Guardian Angel; that is, one particular Angel who attends him from his Coming in, till his Going out of Life,

*Daniel, C. x.

who