Amongst those peculiar to the season of Easter, are the ceremony of creeping to the cross on Good Friday, and the kindling of the fires and lighting of the paschal on Easter Eve. As these are distinctly mentioned in ancient Norfolk wills, as practised in this cathedral, we may just describe them in connection with our visit to it. It was often customary to leave lands chargeable with the payment of offerings at this season, both at the creeping of the cross, and to furnish new paschals or tapers for lighting at Easter. The creeping to the cross is mentioned in a proclamation, black letter, dated 26th February, 30th Henry VIII., in the first volume of a collection of proclamations in the archives of the Society of Antiquaries, where it is stated, “On Good Friday it shall be declared how creeping to the cross sygnyfyeth an humblynge of oneself to Christ before the cross, and the kyssynge of it a memory of our redemption made upon the cross.” In a letter from Henry to Cranmer, of later date, a command is issued that the practice should be discontinued as idolatrous. The ceremony is described by Davies in his rites of the cathedral church of Durham, where he relates, “that within that church, upon Good Friday, there was a marvellously solemn service, in which service time, after the passion was sung, two of the ancient monks took a goodly large crucifix, all of gold, of the picture of our Saviour Christ nailed upon the cross, laying it upon a cushion, bringing it betwixt them thereupon to the lowest greese or step in the choir, and there did hold the said cross betwixt them. And then one of the monks did rise, and went a pretty space from it, and setting himself upon his knees, with his shoes put off very reverently, _he crept upon his knees_ unto the said cross, and after him the other did likewise, and then they set down again on either side of it. Afterward, the prior came forth from his stall, and in like manner did creep unto the said cross, and all the monks after him in the said manner, in the meantime the whole quire singing a hymn. The service being ended, the two monks carried the cross and the sepulchre with great reverence; kings, queens, and common people, all followed the same custom; it was, however, usual to place a carpet for royal knees to creep upon.” The paschal, or taper as it was called, was lighted from fire struck from a flint on Easter Eve, all previous fires being extinguished. The paschal was often of great size: that of Westminster Abbey, in 1557, weighed three hundred pounds. Many curious records of church disbursements for these and such like things are recorded; in those of St. Mary-at-Hill, in London, stands, “For a quarter of coles for the hallowed fire of Easter Eve, 6_d._; also for two men to watch the sepulchre, from Good Friday to Easter Eve, 14_d._; for a piece of timber to the new paschal, 2_s._; paid for a dish of pewter for the paschal, 8_d_.”