havings how effaced the ^empry of Thg^ld pagan c e ^ b |i ^ r There !canl§
little donht tbafrJhe drinkhlg party in our engraving VaB^tended^to^gMent
The- festivities winch Recording to Bg jj were held iff|Ms 'monthi|n?vhQpMr
of 'dhetgoddessijust, mentioned^{cui in tB^festa
p. 68jf* The. feasting was probably contiMed^ldrig'after' the? worship'' M b .
go’ddess had been fforgofton.. "Thié. picture is a remarkable illii|tration ‘"of ijthe
manners of the Anglo-Saxónsr: Ofigthe’ieffc ain attendant is filling the drinking-
horn: In the corresponding* dêsigrfih the-other X^ttónian M,§,; anotherSeryant,
standing 'To^fie ^Hght^of^e^waffior'-ii occupied In^lldWi^adiQ^i, |b |lig h a l
%n-*diinking.' r jfh e three-persons -in front,- •fe'lords of the* feast,ihrei^hiMng
from 'OTps bf different forms.. They-are seated on what was calledt|he^du-
benc '(mead-bmeh) ' or ealo-^e^ (afe-^cAybeaatse i f was the jk p id è ^ g a ts
with which their balls were furnished, and which' ’tiie^todc|pied ■Inf'their
~drmking_boutC Benches were the ordinary'seats in <M'
not ’appear to pStin Anglo-Saxon) a word to express ouf domestic chaifi ^jT-he
name .stool fscamel) • andteat ^$1) - were applied;-to* seats of 'cferehiofigll^g as
wë frequently find ini early ifiumiiiated manuscripts occilpied'-h\f-kings ‘
„ Theseats of the. Icelandic chess-men of tihp-fv^fjntcefitu^ d)‘êar ’ a n'earlig|èm-
blance in form to our chairs. The cut given at mg' foot ó f ithtvqjy^cidi rij^|agt;
also represents a throne of state, ~and is taken front a MS. in t3 ^ f e ^ |g a S |te r
at Paris said to be of the 'ninth-century«:: V
’ Hay, when pasture-was T)^g^tawls
with shéep grazing. The Anglo-Saxons marked ®racurility~ and'-prodi^tióiis
of this month | f l giving it the-name fdfe>ry-irfpli.;
Bede says this name was ^vèïf with a literhNheaning^bcc.m=e n f Ma) ,, tjif}
milked their cattle three times a day. ‘ : .
6, The month of June had several names among our- Siixon fefcfatherSj all
descriptive of the season. It was caHed^sfi£a§-ffiaes ' « « j p w
mffritkr- It was also named Midsumer-nfe5^ - d : ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ® |^ r r a
lisa, which meant either the Jfcgt mild month or the first navigation month,
becalfe it was at this period of the year 1
out on their longer voyages. - In our picture thjk monthsi-> inflirafed, at^thc
season for'cutting down timber. The cart is not -unlike
tised by peasantry in fsome parts of France*
two oxen, yoked, ready: to be attached To-the CJJ^^Sr, asf^e'haveWfore
observe^, draught-horses were not used by- our eariy ancestry''i^y^^l®ï>urs
of agriculture. • „ .
The initial letter on.the preceding page is taken from a manuscript uf/the
British Museum, written in the tenth century.