The rest oth' Burgers, with a comely grace,
Walked two and two along to th' market-place.
And when the procession arrived at the steps of the cross--
The Clerk was call'd, and he a Bible took,
The hundred and sixt Psalme he out did look;
Two thousand Quoristers their notes did raise
And warbled out the Great Creator's praise!
After this came bonfires and wine and beer, and then the musketeers with
rattling drums and fifes and colours flying, under the "skilfull
Sergeant Corderoy," who fired off a barrel of powder before the
well-known "Antelope Inn."
Abingdon was rather roughly handled during the Civil War, for, in
addition to the "sawing off" of the cross, the horses of the
Parliamentary Army were stabled in St. Helen's Church, an entry being
afterwards made in the churchwardens' book of a sum paid "for nailes and
mending the seats that the soldiers had toorne." The fines recorded
during the Commonwealth were: "For swearing one oath, 3s. 4d.; for
drawing Beere on the Sabboth Day, 10s. 0d.; a Gent for travelling on the
Sabboth, 10s. 0d." Our journey might have been devised on a plan to
evade all such fines, for we did not swear, or drink beer, or travel on
Sundays.
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