o abolish the feast by an ordinance; but it was risky to
insist by an ordinance that the English people and English families
should keep the dearest and most sacred of their festivals as a fast.
The rulers knew that such an ordinance would not be obeyed. They
resolved simply to ignore the day, or treat it as any ordinary
Thursday. Doubtless many of the members kept up some sort of
celebration of the old family festival in their own private houses.
But the legislators marched solemnly to the Lower House, and the
'divines' marched as solemnly to the Assembly in the Jerusalem
Chamber, affecting to take no notice of the unusual aspect of the
shops and streets, which everywhere bore witness to the fact that
there was a deep and fundamental estrangement between 'the State' and
'the people,' and that the people were actually keeping the festival
which the 'Synod' had declared to be profane and superstitious, and
which the Parliament to please the Scots, the Nonconformists, and the
Sectaries, had abolished by law. 'Notwithstanding the Ordinance,'
wrote a Member of the House of Commons, the Erastian Whitelock, in his
'Memorials,' 'yet generally this day, in London, the shops were shut
and the day observed.' The Christmas number of the _Mercurius
Academicus_ (December 25 to 31, 1645), states that General Browne, who
was a Presbyterian zealot, 'proclaimed' the abolition of Christmas
Day at Abingdon, and 'sent out his warrants for men to work on
that day especially.' ... The Parliamentary newspaper, _The Weekly
Account_, (LIII. week, 1645), has the bald record: 'Thursday, Decemb.
25. The Commons sate in a Grand Committee concerning the privileges of
members of their House.' The news in the Tuesday paper, _The
Kingdome's Weekly Intelligencer_ (No. 152), is equally thin:
'Thursday, Decemb. 25, vulgarly known by the name of Christmas Day,
both Houses sate. The House of Commons more especially debated some
things in reference to the privileges of that House, and made some
orders therein.' ... The Presbyterian and Independent divines spent
Christmas Day in the 'Synod' of Westminster. December the 25th, 1645,
was entered in their minutes as 'Session 561.' ... The City newspaper
of that period, _Mercurius Civicus, or London's Intelligencer_, in
what we may call its Christmas number (No. 135, December 18 to
December 24, 1645), printed an article explaining to the citizens of
London the absurdity, if not the impiety, of keeping Christmas Day