large/4813/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_04_edwards_64kb_72
large/4813/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_04_edwards_64kb
English
4813
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." It doesn't look quite so heinous to us, this Maypole dancing, as it did to the outraged Puritans. 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 IT DOESN'T LOOK QUITE SO HEENIOUS TO US THIS MAY POLE DANCING AS IT DID TO THE OUTRAGED PURITANS
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. 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.  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 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
large/4813/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_04_edwards_64kb
file
download/librilight/large/4813/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_04_edwards_64kb.flac