large/4813/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_04_edwards_64kb_62
large/4813/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_04_edwards_64kb
English
4813
It doesn't look quite so heinous to us, this Maypole dancing, as it did to the outraged Puritans. In fact, the story of Morton and Merrymount is one of the few glistening threads in the somber weaving of those early days. IT DOESN'T LOOK QUITE SO HEENIOUS TO US THIS MAY POLE DANCING AS IT DID TO THE OUTRAGED PURITANS IN FACT THE STORY OF MORTON AND MERRIMUNT IS ONE OF THE FEW GLISTENING THREADS IN THE SOMBRE WEAVING OF THOSE EARLY DAYS
 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. 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." Around this famous, or infamous, pole Morton and his band frolicked with the Indians on May Day in 1627. As the indignant historian writes: "Unleashed pagans from the purlieus of the gross court of King James, danced about the Idoll of Merry Mount, joining hands with the lasses in beaver coats, and singing their ribald songs. ING 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 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 AROUND THIS FAMOUS OR INFAMOUS POLE MORTON AND HIS BAND FROLICED WITH THE INDIANS ON MAY DAY IN SIXTEEN TWENTY SEVEN AS THE INDIGNANT HISTORIAN WRITES UNLEASHED PAGANS FROM THE PERILOUS OF THE GROSS COURT OF KING JAMES DANCED ABOUT THE IDOL OF MERRY MOUNT JOINING HANDS WITH THE LASSES AND BEAVER COATS AND SINGING THEIR RIBALD SONGS
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