ad a design upon Ash
Wednesday (as you shall hear), and a mighty desire to see how the old
Domine would behave himself in his cups.

Only the VIGILS were requested to come with their lanterns to light the
gentlefolks home at night.

All the Days came to their day. Covers were provided for three hundred and
sixty-five guests at the principal table; with an occasional knife and
fork at the side-board for the Twenty-Ninth of February.

I should have told you that cards of invitation had been issued. The
carriers were THE HOURS twelve little, merry whirligig foot-pages as
you should desire to see, that went all round, and found out the persons
invited well enough, with the exception of Easter Day, Shrove Tuesday, and
a few such Moveables, who had lately shifted their quarters.

Well, they all met at last, foul Days, fine Days, all sorts of Days,
and a rare din they made of it. There was nothing but, Hail! fellow
Day,--well met--brother Day--sister Day--only LADY DAY kept a little aloof
and seemed somewhat scornful. Yet some said, TWELFTH DAY cut her out and
out, for she came in a tiffany suit, white and gold, like a queen on a
frost-cake, all royal glittering, and Epiphanous.

The rest came, some in green, some in white--but old Lent and his
family were not yet out of mourning.

Rainy Days came in, dripping; and sun-shiny Days helped them to change
their stockings.

Wedding Day was there in his marriage finery, a little the worse for
wear.

Pay Day came late, as he always does; and Doomsday sent word--he might
be expected.

April Fool (as my young lord's jester) took upon himself to marshal the
guests, and wild work he made with it. It would have posed old Erra Pater
to have found out any given Day in the year, to erect a scheme upon good
Days, bad Days were so shuffled together, to the confounding of all sober
horoscopy. He had stuck the Twenty-First of June next to the Twenty-Second
of December, and the former looked like a Maypole siding a marrow-bone.

Ash Wednesday got wedged in (as was concerted) betwixt Christmas & Lord
Mayor's Days. Lord! how he laid about him! Nothing but barons of beef &
turkeys would go down with him to the great greasing & detriment of his
new sackcloth bib and tucker. And still Christmas Day was at his elbow,
plying him with the wassail-bowl, till he roared, & hiccupp'd, &
protested there was no faith in dried ling, a sour, windy, acrimonious,
censorious hy-po-crit-crit-critical mes