Syne come thair four and twentie madinis ȝing, All claid in greine of mervelous bewtie, With hair detressit, as threidis of gold did hing, With quhyt hattis all browderit rycht bravelie, Playand on timberallis, and syngand rycht sweitlie; That seimlie sort, in ordour weill besein, Did meit the quein, hir saluand reverentlie: Be blyth and blisfull, burgh of Aberdein. The streittis war all hung with tapestrie, Great was the press of peopill dwelt about, And pleasant padgeanes playit prattelie; The legeiss all did to thair lady loutt, Quha was convoyed with ane royall routt Off gryt barrounes and lustie ladyis [schene]; Welcum, our quein! the commoness gaif ane schout: Be blyth and blisfull, burgh of Aberdein. ABINGDON, BERKSHIRE. Certain ‘jeweis de Abyndon’ were at Court at Xmas 1427 (Appendix E, viii). A seventeenth-century account of the Hospital of Christ says that the fraternity held their feast on May 3 (Holy Cross day), 1445, with ‘pageantes and playes and May games.’ They employed twelve minstrels[756]. APPLEDORE, KENT. Appledore players were at New Romney in 1488. BADDOW, ESSEX. The Chelmsford (q.v.) wardrobe was hired by ‘children of Badow’ during 1564-6. BASSINGBOURNE, CAMBRIDGESHIRE. A play ‘of the holy martyr St. George’ was held in a field at Bassingbourne on the feast of St. Margaret, July 20, 1511. The churchwardens’ accounts for the play show, besides payments for refreshments:— ‘First paid to the garnement man for garnements and propyrts and playbooks, xxˢ. To a minstrel and three waits of Cambridge.... Item ... for setting up the stages. Item to John Beecher for painting of three Fanchoms and four Tormentors. Item to Giles Ashwell for easement of his croft to play in, iˢ. Item to John Hobarde, Brotherhood Priest, for the play book, iiˢ. viiiᵈ.’ Twenty-seven neighbouring villages contributed to these expenses[757]. BATH, SOMERSETSHIRE. The accounts of St. Michael’s, Bath, for 1482, include ‘pro potatione le players in recordacione [‘rehearsing’?] ludorum diversis vicibus,’ with other expenditure on players and properties. As one item is ‘et Iohī Fowler pro cariando le tymbe a cimiterio dicto tempore ludi,’ the play was perhaps a _Quem quaeritis_[758]. Chaucer’s Wife of Bath, in her husband’s absence at London during Lent, would make her ‘visitaciouns’— ‘To pleyes of miracles and mariages[759].’ BETHERSDEN, KENT. The churchwardens’ accounts record _ludi beatae Christinae_, in 1522. St. Christina’s day was July 24[760]. Bethersden players were at New Romney in 1508. BEVERLEY, YORKSHIRE. A thirteenth-century _continuator_ of the _Vita_ of St. John of Beverley records a recent (†1220) miracle done in the Minster:—