THE

SOCIAL HISTORY

OF

GREAT BRITAIN.

DANCING.

"Man should be called a dancing animal." OLD FLORENTINE.

"THE innate feelings of man, which desires to manifest the sentiment of joy, throws the voice into song, the speech into verse, and our gestures into dance." Simonides defines " poetry an eloquent dance, and dancing silent poetry." With these remarks, I think proper to introduce Dancing, Kissing, Gallantry, and Marriage, each of which, as the reader may have been prepared to expect, underwent great alteration, and much dis

cussion.

and

Dancing met with much opposition from the Puritans, other serious people. Sir T. Elyot, observes, "I am not of that opinion, that all dancing is repugnant unto virtue, although some persons, excellently learned, especially divines, so do affirm it." So late as the time of the "Spectator," (No. 67,) a writer states, "I am of Mr. Cowley's opinion, that so much of dancing at least, as belongs to the behaviour, and an handsome carriage of the body, is extremely useful, if not absolutely

Heutzner (1598) states, "The English excel in dancing." Burton, in his "Anatomy of Melancholy," (1621,) says, "young

"To teach a young man motion and carriage, a drill-serjeant, is preferable to a dancing-master. Those retailers of steps and bows, have no idea of planting the form; they require the toes to be reverted, which causes a feeble position; whereas, the feet in moving, should deviate just so much from parallel lines, as to free the toe from the ankle; should any obstruction incline it from its right direction. The body should not be thrown back, which destroys the balance; it should be nearly erect, but a little inclining forward.” ENSOR.

lasses are never better pleased, than when, upon an holiday, after even-song, they may meet their sweet-hearts, and dance about a May-pole, or on a town green, under a shady elm."

No instance can be produced to prove the love of dancing so strong as "Kemp's Nine Daies Wonder-performed in a daunce from London to Norwich," (1599,) a distance of 108 miles. “This man was a comic actor, of high reputation; he usually played the clown, and was greatly applauded for his buffoonery, his extemporal wit, and his performance of the jig." Printed by the Camden Society, edited by the Rev. A. Dyce. Every day's journey is minutely detailed, and although the dance was performed in nine days; the performer took several long rests from his violent exertions, being altogether twentyfour days on the road. He was detained five days at Bury St. Edmunds, from the snow.

I give the following account of the fifth day, because he then met with both a male and a female partner; 66 sure such a pair was never seen."

"In this towne of Sudbury, there came a lusty tall fellow, a butcher by his profession, that would in a Morice keepe mee company to Bury. I being glad of his friendly offer, gave him my thanks, and forward we did set; but 'ere ever we had measur'd half a mile of our way, he gave me over in the plaine field, protesting, that if he might get a £100, he would not hold out with me; for indeed, my pace in dauncing is not ordinary." "As he and I were parting, a lusty country lasse being among the people, call'd him faint-hearted lout, saying: "If I had begun to daunce, I would have held out one myle, though it had cost my life,' at which wordes many laughed. 'Nay,' saith she'if the dauncer will lend me a leash of his belles, Ile ventur to treade one mile with him my selfe.' I look't upon her, saw mirth in her eies, heard boldness in her wordes, and beheld her ready to tucke up her russet petticoate. I fitted her belles, which she merrily taking, garnish't her thicke short legs, and with a smooth brow, bad the Tabrer begin. The drum strucke; forwarde march't I, with my merry Maydemarian, who shooke her fat sides, and footed it merrily to Melford, being a long myle. There parting with her, I gave her, (besides her skinful of drinke,) an English crowne (5s.) to buy more drinke; for good wench, she was in a piteous heate: my kindness, she requited with dropping some dozen of short courtsies, and bidding God bless the dauncer. I bade her adieu; and to give her her due, she had a good ear. Daunst truly, and wee parted friendly. But 'ere I part with her, a good fellow, my friend, havin writ an odde rime of her. I will make bold to set it downe."

"A country lasse, browne as a berry;
Blithe of blee, in heart as merry;
Cheeks well fed, and sides well larded;
Every bone with fat well guarded:
Meeting merry Kemp by chaunce
Was Marian in his Morice daunce;
Her stump legs with bells were garnish't,
Her browne browes with sweating varnish't;
Her browne hips, when she was lag,
To win her grounde went swig a swag;
Which to see all that came after,
Were replete with mirthful laughter.
Yet shee thump't it on her way
With a sportly hey de gay:

At a mile her daunce she ended,
Kindly paid and well commended."

This amusing old tract tells of many odd customs and fancies; among others, it informs us, that "during the earlier period of the English stage, after the play was concluded, the audience were commonly entertained by a jig. As no piece of this kind is extant, we are unable to understand its nature with precision; but it appears to have been a ludicrous composition, either spoken or sung by the clown, and occasionally accompanied by dancing and playing on the pipe and tabor. More persons than one were sometimes employed in a jig; and there is reason to believe, that the performance was of considerable length, occupying even the space of an hour."

There was a dance, called the Canary dance, which was introduced from that island, thus alluded to in Berner's Froissart, "and therein she entered, and all her copany, with great noyse of trompests and canaryes." Sir John Hawkins, in his. "History of Music," mentions a dance called pavon, from pavo, a peacock. He describes it as a grave and majestic dance ; the method of dancing it anciently, was by gentlemen dressed with caps and swords, by those of the long robe in their gowns, and by the ladies in their gowns with long trains; the motion whereof in dancing, resembles the stateliness of that splendid bird."

There were also country hops, that is, balls, held in some hall or tavern, for the entertainment of the lower classes. Hampstead, a village near London, was famous, or rather an infamous, place for such merry meetings, where the excesses to which they led were so common, that no decent tradesman cared to be seen. (Walk to Islington, 1699.)

Gardiner, in his "Music of Nature," says, "the dancing music in the reign of Charles II., was so uncouth and vulgar, that it is doubtful whether the graces of a ball exceeded those of a village barn at the present day." The French say, "Eng

land has produced many men of genius and talent, but not a good dancing-master." With these remarks, the reader will no doubt conclude, that however much they might be fond of it, this amusement was not, under any circumstances, of a very refined description.

Among the learned persons who approved of it, were the lawyers; indeed, it formed an essential part of their education ; it served to give them exercise, and thus promote mirth and cheerfulness amid their monotonous studies.

The barristers used to dance before the judges, in the reign of James I.; and the judges used to dance at their antique masques and revels at their respective inns. The judges then lived comparatively a life of learned leisure.

Mr. Wynne, in his notes on "Eunomus," mentions a recent case in which the grave and learned judges "tripped it merrily on the light fantastic toe;" the last revel, he says, "which was held in any of the inns of court, was at the Inner Temple, 1722, in honour of Mr. Talbot, when he took leave of that house of which he was a bencher, on having the great seal delivered to him.

After dinner, the master of the revels, who went first, took the lord chancellor by the right hand, and he, with his left, took Mr. Justice Page, who joined to the other judges, sergeants, and benchers present, danced round about the coal fire in the middle of the hall, according to the old ceremony of those times. During which, they were aided in the figure by Mr. T. Cook, the prothonatory, then upward of sixty years old."

KISSING.

"And Jacob kissed Rachel ; and, lifting up his voice, wept." GEN. CH. 29.

FROM dancing, kissing is pretty sure to follow; whether these old judges kissed each other, the historian must remain silent. But where there is a dance of both sexes, there will be kissing, agreeable to the following verse of an amorous old poet, who plaintively asks,

"What fool would dance

If when that dance is done;

He may not have at lady's lip,
That which in dance he'd won ?"

and, with that verse, I beg leave to introduce the reader to some old English kissing, as another peculiar characteristic of our merry forefathers' national customs. And it appears the ladies were by no means coy upon the subject.

The learned Erasmus, in the sixteenth century, paints in

glowing colours the extreme liberality with which our fair country women granted a kiss; he writes, "if you go to any place you are received with a kiss by all, if you depart you are dismissed by a kiss, you are kissed on your return, kisses are exchanged on visits, a kiss the first thing when they leave you, and a kiss all round at last."*

The Italians have a maxim, " a kiss of the mouth often touches not the heart;" but when the heart is really touched,

"The gilliflower, the rose is not so sweet,

As sugar'd kisses are when lovers meet,"

which shows there were kissing comfits to sweeten the breath, which are alluded to by Massinger in one of his plays:

Faith search our pockets, and if you find there

Comfits of ambergrease to help our kisses,
Conclude us faulty."

After the Reformation there was a little change, severer manners prevailed, and it was totally discountenanced by the rigid puritans. John Bunyan, in his "Grace Abounding," gives an amusing account of his scruples about it.

It prevailed as a custom more or less through the reigns of James and Charles. In Lupton's "London, and the Country Carbonaded," 1632, a pretty hostess, or a pretty maid, or a pretty daughter to salute the guests, is represented as an embellished attraction of a country inn. The practice went out at the restoration. The last traces are alluded to in two letters of the "Spectator, No. 240." The writer states he had always been in the habit, even in great assemblies, of saluting all the ladies round; but a town bred gentleman had lately come into the neighbourhood, and introduced his "fine reserved airs;" whenever he came into a room he made a bow, beginning at the first, then to the next, and so on. This is taken for the present fashion, and there is no young gentleman within this place for several miles, who has been kissed ever since his appearance among us.

This indiscriminate kissing, arising from a cold formality, must, I should think, have been rather nauseating as well as tiresome. But when the brilliant eyes and the lively smile,

It was probably this custom which caused him to make this celebrated remark: " England is a paradise for women, but a h--l for horses," which, as a native, I hope will never be reversed.

"But who can view the pointed rays,
That from black eyes scintillant blaze;
Love, on the throne of glory, seems

Encompassed with satellite beams." GREEN.