eir standards of
primitive simplicity; but the time has gone by, the feeling has
become chilled by habits of gain and traffic, the country apes the
manners and amusements of the town, and little is heard of May Day
at present, except from the lamentations of authors, who sigh after
it from among the brick walls of the city."

The name of the parish of St. Andrew _Undershaft_ records the place
where the city May-pole, or _shaft,_ was erected, and _Shaft Alley_
the place where it lay when it was not required for use.

The proclamation of James I., called the "Book of Sports," which was
renewed by King Charles I., throws some light upon the sports in
vogue during his reign. It was enacted "for his good people's lawful
recreation, after the end of Divine service, that his good people be
not disturbed, or discouraged, from any lawful recreation, such as
dancing for men and women, archery for men, leaping, vaulting, or
any such harmless recreations; nor from having May games, Whitsun
ales, and morris dances, and the setting up of May-poles, and other
sports therewith used, so as the same be had in due and convenient
time, without impediment or neglect of Divine service. And that
women shall have leave to carry rushes to the church for the
decorating of it, according to their old custom. But withal his
Majesty doth hereby account still as prohibited all unlawful games
to be used on Sundays only, as bear and bull-baiting, interludes,
and at all times in the meaner sort of people by law prohibited,
bowling."

Why his Majesty should have been so very severe on the game of bowls,
which is a very ancient pastime, and innocent enough, is not at first
quite clear; but it appears that the numerous bowling-alleys in
London were, in the sixteenth century, the resorts of very bad
company, and the nests of gambling and vice. Hence the severity of
King James' strictures on bowling.

The people of Lancashire in the time of James I. were as devoted to
sports and amusement as they are now; and when the king was making a
progress through Lancashire, "he received a petition from some
servants, labourers, mechanics, and other vulgar persons,
complaining that they were debarred from dancing, playing,
church-ales--in a word, from all recreations on Sundays after Divine
service." King James hated Puritanism and loved recreation; so he
readily granted the petition of the Lancashire folk, and issued a
proclamation encouraging Sunday pastimes, w