"All haile to Hymen and his Marriage Day,

Strew Rushes, and quickly come away ;` Strew Rushes, Maides; and ever as you strew,

Think one day, Maides, like will be done for you."

So likewise Browne's "Britannia's Pastorals," p. 50. Every one will call to mind the passage in Shakspeare to this purpose :-"Our Bridal Flowers serve for a buried Corse."

Armin's "History of the Two Maids of Moreclacke," 4to. 1609, opens thus, preparatory to a wedding: "Enter a Maid strewing Flowers, and a Serving-man perfuming the door. The Maid says 'Strew, strew —the man, The Muscadine stays for the Bride at Church.' So in "

Christoph. Brooke's Epithalamium in England's Helicon," Signat. R. 1 b :— "Now busie Maydens strew sweet Flowres."

In "Ram Alley, or Merry Tricks," 4to. Lond. 1636, Signat. H 4, we read: "Enter Adriana, and another strawing hearbes.

"Adr. Come, straw apace: Lord, shall I never live

To walke to Church on flowers? O'tis fine

To see a Bride trip it to Church so lightly,

As if her new Choppines would scorn to bruze

A silly flower."

In "Oxford Drollery," 8vo. Oxford, 1671, p. 118, is a Poem styled "A Supposition," in which the custom of strewing herbs is thus alluded to:

"Suppose the way with fragrant Herbs were strowing,

All things were ready, we to Church were going;

And now suppose the Priest had joyn'd our hands," &c.

""Tis worthy of remark that something like the ancient custom of strewing the threshold of a new-married Couple with Flowers and Greens is, at this day, practised in Holland. Among the Festoons and Foliage, the Laurel

was always most conspicuous: this denoted, no doubt, that the Wedding Day is a day of Triumph." Hymen, or an accurate Description of the Ceremonies used in Marriage in every Nation of the World, 8vo. Lond. 1760, p. 39.

(2) Among the allusions of modern poetry to this practice may be mentioned "Six Pastorals, &c., by George Smith, Landscape Painter at Chichester in Sussex," 4to. Lond. 1770, where, p. 35, we read:

"What do I hear? The country Bells proclaim

Evander's joy and my unhappy flame.
My love continues, tho' there's no redress!
Ah, happy Rival!-Ah, my deep distress!
Now, like the gather'd Flow'rs that strew'd
her way,

Forc'd from my Love, untimely I decay."

So also the Rev. Henry Rowe, in "The Happy Village," (Poems, 8vo. Lond. 1796, vol. i. p. 113,) tells us :

"The Wheaten Ear was scatter'd near the Porch,

The green Bloom blossom'd strew'd the way to Church."

The Bell-ringing, &c., used on these occasions are thus introduced :

"Lo! where the Hamlet's ivy'd Gothic Tow'r

With merry peals salutes the auspicious hour,

With sounds that thro' the chearful village bear

The happy union of some wedded pair;"

"The Wedding Cake now thro' the
Ring was led,

The Stocking thrown across the nuptial
Bed."

-"Now Sunday come, at stated hour of
Prayer,

Or rain or shine, the happy Couple there;
Where Nymphs and Swains, in various
colours dight,

Gave pleasing contrast to the modest
White."

(3) "Now all prepared and ready stand,

With Fans and Posies in their hand."

In Hacket's "Marriage Present," a Wedding Sermon, to be mentioned again pre

It appears from a passage in Stephens's Character of a Plaine Countrey Bride," p. 357, that the Bride gave also, or wore, or carried, on this occasion, gilt Rases of Ginger." "Guilt Rases of Ginger, Rosemary, and Ribbands, be her best magnificence. She will therefore bestow a livery, though she receives back wages."

In a very curious old printed account, b. 1., of "The Receiving of the Queen's Majesty into the City of London, January 14th, 1558," in the possession of Mr. Nichols, Signat. D. 3, is the following passage: "How many Nosegayes did her Grace receyve at poore women's hands? How oftentimes stayed she her chariot when she saw any simple body offer to speake to her Grace? A braunch of Rosemary given to her Grace, with a supplication, by a poor woman about Fleet Bridge, was seene in her chariot till her Grace came to Westminster."

In Strype's edit. of "Stow's Survey," B. i. p. 259, A.D. 1560, at "a wedding of three sisters together," we read: "Fine flowers and rosemary [were] strewed for them coming home: and so to the Father's House, where was a great Dinner prepared for his said three Bride-Daughters, with their Bridegrooms and

Company." In the year 1562, July 20, a wedding at St. Olave's, "a daughter of Mr. Nicholls (who seems to have been the Bridge Master) was married to one Mr. Coke." "At the celebration whereof were present my Lord Mayor, and all the Aldermen, with many Ladies, &c.; and Mr. Becon, an eminent Divine, preached a Wedding Sermon. Then all the Company went home to the Bridge House to Dinner: where was as good cheer as ever was known, with all manner of Musick and Dancing all the remainder of the day; and at night a goodly Supper; and then followed a Masque till midnight. The next day the Wedding was kept at the Bridge House, with great cheer; and after Supper came in Masquers. One was in cloth of gold. The next Masque consisted of Friars, and the third of Nuns. And after, they danced by times : and lastly, the Friars and the Nuns danced together."

In "A perfect Journall, &c. of that memorable Parliament begun at Westminster Nov. 3, 1640," vol. i. p. 8, is the following passage: "Nov. 28.-That Afternoon Master Prin and Master Burton came into London, being met and accompanied with many thousands of Horse and Foot, and rode with Rosemary and Bayes in their Hands and Hats; which is generally esteemed the greatest affront that ever was given to the Courts of Justice in England."

(3) In Dekker's "Wonderfull Yeare," 4to. 1603, Signat. E. 2 b, speaking of a bride who died of the plague on her wedding-day,

he says, "Here is a strange alteration, for the Rosemary that was washt in sweet water to set out the Bridall, is now wet in Teares to furnish her Buriall." And in Beaumont and Fletcher's "Scornful Lady," it is asked:

"Were the Rosemary Branches dipped?"

Stephens, in his character of "A Plaine Country Bridegroome," p. 352, says: "He is the finest fellow in the parish, and hee that misinterprets my definition deserves no Rosemary nor Rose-water." At p. 355 he adds: "He must savour of gallantry a little: though he perfume the table with Rose-cake, or appropriate Bone-lace and Coventry-blew:" and is passing witty in describing the follow