Of Church-Yards; why the Vulgar are generally afraid of pass- ing through them at Nights: The Original of this Fear; that Of visiting Wells and Fountains: The Original of this Custom: Of Omens: Their Original: The Observation of them sin- 96 Of the Country Conversation in a Winter's Evening: Their Opinions of Spirits and Apparitions: Of the Devil's appear- Of Saturday Afternoon; how observed of old, by the Ancient Christians, the Church of Scotland, and the old Church of Of the Yule-Clog and Christmas-Candle; what they may sig- nifie; their Antiquity; the like Customs in other Places. 172 Of New-Year's Days Ceremonies: The New-Year's Gift an Of St. Paul's-Day: The Observation of the Weather, a Custom of the Heathens, and handed down by the Monks: The Of Valentine-Day; its Ceremonies: What the Council of Trul- 250 Of Shrove-tide; what it signifies: The Custom of the Papists at ir Jar What is meant by the Sun inquiry of rising early on this Day: The great Advantage of it. 267 2. XXIV. Tme of Relaxation from Labour : te tars Ages of Popery: That our Customs as e prung from theirs. CHAP. XXV. - 276 717: ne Custom of going to the Woods the Night ..s the Practice of other Nations: The Original The Unlawfulness. 283 CHAP. XXVI. i Perambulations; their Antiquity; the Benefit and Alvantage of them. CHAP. XXVII. 292 Ci Milisummer-Ere: Of kindling Fires, their Original: That ts Custom formerly was Superstitious; but now may be used with Innocence. CHAP. XXVIII. Of the Feast of Sheep-shearing, an ancient Custom. CHAP. XXIX. 301 313 Of Michaelmass: Guardian Angels the Discourse of the Coun try People at this Time: That it seems rather true, that we protected by a Number of Angels, than by one parti cular Genius. CHAP. XXX. 320 Of the Country Wake: How observed formerly: A Custom of the Heathens, and regulated by Gregory the Great. 329 CHAP. XXXI. Of the Harvest-Supper: A Custom of the Heathens, taken from the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE Common People. CHAP. I. Of the Soul-Bell, its Antiquity, the Reason of its Institution, the Benefit, and Advantage of it, an Exhortation to the Use of it according to its first Institution. THE Ceremony of tolling the Bell at the Time of Death, seems to be as ancient as the having of Bells themselves; we are told, * it was about the seventh Century when Bells were first in the Church, and that venerable Bede is the first that mentions them. If this be true, then it is as true, that the tolling of the Bell was instituted about that time; for *Bingham's Orig. Eccl. Lib. 3. B where where our Countryman mentions the Word Campana, or Bell, there it also is, that we find a Bell made use of for the Dead: * For at the Death of the Abbess St. Hilda, he tells us that one of the Sisters of a distant Monastery, as she was sleeping, thought she heard the well-known Sound of that Bell, which called them to Prayers, when any of them had departed this Life. But be that as it will, it is evident that the Bell was tolled upon this occasion about Bede's Time, and consequently that the Ceremony is as ancient as his Days. The Reason why this custom was instituted, was not, as some seem to imagine, for no other End than to acquaint the Neighbourhood, that such a Person was dead; but chiefly, that whoever heard the Noise of the Bell, should put up their Prayers for the Soul: Thus the Father above mentioned tells us again, + That she who presided in this Monastery, had no sooner heard this, than she raised all the Sis * Hæc, tune in dormitorio sororum pausans, exaudivit subito in aere notum campana sonum, quo ad orationes excitari vel convocari solebant, cum quis eorum de seculo fuisset evocatus. Bed. Eccl. Hist. Lib. 4. Cap. 23. + Quod cum illa audisset, suscitavit cunctas sorores & in ecclesiam convocatas, orationibus & psalmis pro anima matris operam dare monuit. Ibid. ters, |