. The popular history of England : an illustrated history of society and government from the earliest period to our own times . uiry into the condition of all housesof religion appeared only a prelude to their final extinction. The parochialclergy were called upon, in the kings name, no longer to teach that therewas any virtue in relics or images; or that pilgrimages were beneficialexercises of faith. They were also to make known the royal proclamation forthe abolition of many holidays, especially those of the harvest-season. Thereappears some principle of utUity in declaring that the harvest-
. The popular history of England : an illustrated history of society and government from the earliest period to our own times . uiry into the condition of all housesof religion appeared only a prelude to their final extinction. The parochialclergy were called upon, in the kings name, no longer to teach that therewas any virtue in relics or images; or that pilgrimages were beneficialexercises of faith. They were also to make known the royal proclamation forthe abolition of many holidays, especially those of the harvest-season. Thereappears some principle of utUity in declaring that the harvest-time holidayswere much to the hindrance of the gathering in of corn, hay, fruit, and othersuch-Uke necessary and profitable commodities. But even a material goodcannot suddenly be effected, nor ought it to be, when it is revolting to theancient habits of a people. The ecclesiastical reformers saw, in some ofthese holidays, the superstitions of the earlier times of the Church engraftedupon the customs of Roman heathenism. They did not see how they had astill deeper foundation in the natural feelings of the human heart. The. ?»<..^ -_. Tho Hook-Cart. harvest-time was, to tho great body of the people, a time of uncontrollablegladness; for their food became cheap after tho long period of privationwhicli they had to endure, wlien their small stores of barley and rye weroexliausted. Potatoes were tlien unknown. Tlie esculents of the garden werelittle cultivated. Under these circumstances tho labourer was not very likely 1536.] THE UNCOLNSHIllE INSURRECTION. S3S to neglect his reaping to make holiday before the harvest was whollygathered. But in the final ceremony of the hock-cart, when the last load ofcorn was crowned with flowers ; when tlie rude image, derived Irom theclassic Ceres, rode on the wain; when the shouting crowd would bless tliucart, and cross the fiU-horse, and some with greatDevotion stroke the home-borne wheat; * it may readily be imagined that the early reformer
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade188, bookpublisherlondon, bookyear1883
