It is remarkable and worth your observation, to behold and hear the strange sights and confused noises in the fair. Here a knave in a Fool’s coat, with a trumpet sounding, or on a drum beating, invites you and would fain persuade you to see his puppets; there a Rogue like a Wild Woodman, or in an antick shape like an incubus, desires your company to view his motion; on the other side Hocus Pocus with three yards of tape or ribbon in ’s hand, showing the art of Legerdemain to the admiration and astonishment of a company of cockoloaches. Amongst these you shall see a gray Goose-cap (as wise as the rest) with a What de ye lack? in his mouth, standing on his booth shaking a rattle, or scraping on a fiddle, with which children are so taken, that they presently cry out for these fopperies; And all these together make such a distracted noise, that you would think Babel were not comparable to it. Here there are also your gamesters in action; some turning of a whimsey, others throwing for pewter, who can quickly dissolve a round shilling into a three halfpenny saucer. Long Lane at this time looks very fair, and puts out her best clothes with the wrong side outwards, so turned for their better turning off; and Cloth Fair is now in great request: well fare the alehouses therein; yet better may a man fare (but at a dearer rate) in the Pig market, alias Pasty nook or Pie Corner, where pigs are all hours of the day on the stalls piping hot, and would cry (if they could speak) Come eat me; but they are ... dear and the reckonings for them are ... saucy, &c. &c. It is clear that the glory of the fair is departing—Royal Proclamations notwithstanding. _Political Pamphlets._—1647. It seems to have become the fashion to designate some of the many political pamphlets of this period “Bartholomew Fairings.” One such work appeared this year entitled: “General Massey’s Bartholomew Fayrings to Colonel Poyntz.” This was ascribed to the famous John Lilburne. It was answered in another pamphlet: “Reformados Righted, being an Answer to a paltry piece of Poetry entitled, &c.” There is nothing in either of these throwing any light upon the fair. The same was not quite the case with a quarto pamphlet of the following year: “An Agitator Anatomised.” Here was reference to “a large and beautiful Camel from Grand Cairo in Egypt.” Mr. Morley thinks this may have been the beginning of “wild-beast shows” in the fair. This year the Act was passed against “Stage plays.” It seemed destined to have an influence on the fair. 1648. Evelyn in his “Diary,” under date 28th August this year, notices his coming to London from Say’s Court and seeing the “the celebrated follies of Bartholomew Fair.” The date here seems to indicate some change in the date of the fair.