large/4813/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_04_edwards_64kb_64
large/4813/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_04_edwards_64kb
English
4813
As Morton explains: "A goodly pine tree of eighty foote was reared up, with a peare of bucks horns nayled on somewhere near to the top of it: where it stood as a faire sea mark for directions how to find out the way to mine host of Ma re mount." AS MORTON EXPLAINS A GOODLY PINE TREE OF EIGHTY FOOT WAS REARED UP WITH A PAIR OF BUCKHORNS NAILED ON SOMEWHERE NEAR THE TOP OF IT WHERE IT STOOD AS A FAIR SEA MARK FOR DIRECTIONS HOW TO FIND OUT THE WAY TO MINE HOST OF MARAMOUNT
 and dubbed it "Ma-re-mount." And then began the pranks which shook the Colony to its foundations. Picture to yourself a band of sworn triflers, dedicated to the wildest philosophy of pleasure, teaching bears to dance, playing blind-man's buff, holding juggling and boxing matches, and dancing. According to Hawthorne, on the eve of Saint John they felled whole acres of forests to make bonfires, and crowned themselves with flowers and threw the blossoms into the flames. At harvest-time they hilariously wasted their scanty store of Indian corn by making an image with the sheaves, and wreathing it with the painted garlands of autumn foliage. They crowned the King of Christmas and bent the knee to the Lord of Misrule! Such fantastic foolery is inconceivable in a Puritan community, and the Maypole which was its emblem was the most inconceivable of all. This "flower-decked abomination," ornamented with white birch bark, banners, and blossoms, was the center of the tipsy jollity of Merrymount. TOOK POSSESSION OF THE PLACE AND DUBBED IT MARAMOUNT AND THEN HE BEGAN THE PRANKS WHICH SHOOK THE COLONY TO ITS FOUNDATION PICTURE TO YOURSELF A BAND OF SWORN TRIFLERS DEDICATED TO THE WILDEST PHILOSOPHY OF PLEASURE TEACHING BEARS TO DANCE PLAYING BLIND MAN'S BLUFF HOLDING JUGGLING AND BOXING MATCHES AND DANCING ACCORDING TO HAWTHORN ON THE EVE OF SAINT JOHN THEY FELT WHOLE ACRES OF FORESTS TO MAKE BONFIRES AND CROWN THEMSELVES WITH FLOWERS AND THREW THE BLOSSOMS INTO THE FLAMES AT HARVEST TIME THEY HILARIOUSLY WASTED THEIR SCANTY STORE OF INDIAN CORN BY MAKING AN IMAGE WITH THE SHEAVES AND WREATHING IT WITH THE PAINTED GARLANDS OF AUTUMN FOLIAGE THEY CROWNED THE KING OF CHRISTMAS AND BENT THE KNEE TO THE LORD OF MISRULE SUCH FANTASTIC FOOLERY IS INCONCEIVABLE IN A PURITAN COMMUNITY AND THE MAY POLE WHICH WAS ITS EMBLEM WAS THE MOST INCONCEIVABLE OF ALL THIS FLOWER DECKED ABOMINATION ORNAMENTED WITH WHITE BIRCH BARK BANNERS AND BLOSSOMS WAS THE CENTRE OF THE TIPSY JOLLITY OF MERRYMOUNT
large/4813/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_04_edwards_64kb
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download/librilight/large/4813/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_04_edwards_64kb.flac