Stukely, and Little John, all proper men and tall,
attired in Lincoln green, like Robin Hood, and similarly
equipped. Like him, too, they were all foresters
of Bowland, owning service to the bow-bearer, Mr.
Parker of Browsholme hall; and the representative of
Little John, who was six feet and a half high, and
stout in proportion, was Lawrence Blackrod, Mr. Parker’s
head keeper. After the foresters came Tom the
Piper, a wandering minstrel, habited for the occasion
in a blue doublet, with sleeves of the same colour,
turned up with yellow, red hose, and brown buskins,
red bonnet, and green surcoat lined with yellow.
Beside the piper was another minstrel, similarly attired,
and provided with a tabor. Lastly came one of
the main features of the pageant, and which, together
with the Fool, contributed most materially to the
amusement of the spectators. This was the Hobby-horse.
The hue of this, spirited charger was a pinkish white,
and his housings were of crimson cloth hanging to
the ground, so as to conceal the rider’s real
legs, though a pair of sham ones dangled at the side.
His bit was of gold, and his bridle red morocco leather,
while his rider was very sumptuously arrayed in a
purple mantle, bordered with gold, with a rich cap
of the same regal hue on his head, encircled with gold,
and having a red feather stuck in it. The hobby-horse
had a plume of nodding feathers on his head, and careered
from side to side, now rearing in front, now kicking
behind, now prancing, now gently ambling, and in short
indulging in playful fancies and vagaries, such as
horse never indulged in before, to the imminent danger,
it seemed, of his rider, and to the huge delight of
the beholders. Nor must it be omitted, as it was
matter of great wonderment to the lookers-on, that
by some legerdemain contrivance the rider of the hobby-horse
had a couple of daggers stuck in his cheeks, while
from his steed’s bridle hung a silver ladle,
which he held now and then to the crowd, and in which,
when he did so, a few coins were sure to rattle.
After the hobby-horse came the May-pole, not the tall
pole so called and which was already planted in the
green, but a stout staff elevated some six feet above
the head of the bearer, with a coronal of flowers
atop, and four long garlands hanging down, each held
by a morris-dancer. Then came the May Queen’s
gentleman usher, a fantastic personage in habiliments
of blue guarded with white, and holding a long willow
wand in his hand. After the usher came the main
troop of morris-dancers—the men attired
in a graceful costume, which set off their light active
figures to advantage, consisting of a slashed-jerkin
of black and white velvet, with cut sleeves left open
so as to reveal the snowy shirt beneath, white hose,
and shoes of black Spanish leather with large roses.
Ribands were every where in their dresses—ribands
and tinsel adorned their caps, ribands crossed their
hose, and ribands were tied round their arms.
In either hand they held a long white handkerchief
knotted with ribands. The female morris-dancers
were habited in white, decorated like the dresses
of the men; they had ribands and wreaths of flowers
round their heads, bows in their hair, and in their
hands long white knotted kerchiefs.