Book Read Free

At Day's Close

Page 54

by A. Roger Ekirch


  of nocturnal labor, 156, 161–63, 174

  poor quality of, 110–11, 127

  at public celebrations, 69

  reading by, 207

  rules for use of, 109–10

  rushlights, 106–7, 111, 162, 207, 295, 336

  as sacrilege against divine order, 72

  wind’s dousing of, 127, 131, 134

  see also candles; lanterns; oil lamps; street lighting

  Ascham, Roger, 232

  Ashmole, Elias, 316

  assaults, 33, 40, 43, 115

  on male intruders in spinning bees, 183

  on nightwatch, 83–84, 224, 249, 250, 253

  on pedestrians, 45, 47, 139, 224, 225

  punishments for, 86–87

  sexual, see rapes

  by youth gangs, 247–49, 250

  Asselijn, Jan, 177

  assemblies, 212–13, 328

  astronomy, Renaissance, 12

  Atheist, The (Otway), 282

  Atkinson, Luke, 306–7

  Aubrey, John, 110, 150–51, 186, 270

  Augustine, Saint, 87

  aurora borealis, 10

  Austen, Jane, 331

  Autumn Harvest (Grape-picking) (Bassano), 169

  Babylon, 4

  Bacchylides, 191

  Bacon, Francis, 120

  badges of shame, 151

  Badrett, Sarah, 190

  Bagbury ghost, 19

  Bagnio, The (Hogarth), 221

  Bailyn, Bernard, 153

  bakers, 52, 158, 161, 175, 278

  Baldwin, William, 163, 301

  Ballard, Martha, 113, 134, 163

  Ballers gang, 225

  Ballet de la Nuit, Le (Benserade), 211

  Bancroft, John, 51

  bandits, 35–36, 137, 143–44

  banshees, 19

  Barbados, 233–34, 248–49, 257

  Barber, Mary, 117

  Barcelona:

  prostitutes in, 65

  public celebrations of, 69

  removal of dead bodies in, 167

  “Barguest of York,” 17

  Bartholomaeus Anglicus, 14, 63

  Bartoli, Daniello, 60, 180, 203

  Bartram, William, 176

  Basil the Great, Saint, 20

  Bassano, Francesco, the Younger, 169

  Bastard, The, 151

  bats, 30

  Bavaria, 45, 92, 164, 167, 235

  Baxter, Margaret, 320

  Baxter, Richard, 264, 280, 302–3, 320

  bears, 30, 171

  Beattie, John, 72

  Beck, David, 118, 160, 205

  communal sleep of, 296

  early winter bedtime of, 265

  sleep disturbance of, 291

  visiting by, 186–87

  writing of, 207–9

  youth gang encountered by, 247–48

  Beck, Roeltje, 208

  Beckford, William, 212, 293

  bedbugs, 269–70, 294–95

  bedding, 271, 274, 276–77, 277

  insects in, 269–70, 288, 294–95

  pillows in, 274, 275

  bed-faggot, 280

  bedfellows, see communal sleep

  beds, 274–79, 275, 286, 289

  communal, see communal sleep

  curtained, 274, 275, 279, 297

  elevated, 274, 275, 276

  functions of, 276

  high value of, 274–76

  of lower classes, 276–79, 287, 296, 297, 299

  sleep disturbed by, 295–96, 297

  straw pallets, 274, 276–77, 287

  trundle, 276

  of urban poor, 278

  of vagabonds, 278

  warming of, 270, 294

  bed-staffs, 94–95

  bedtime rituals, xxvi, 268–73

  alcoholic drinks in, 271

  banking fireplaces in, 270

  bug hunts in, 269–70, 295, 295

  family prayers in, 272

  magic invoked in, 272–73

  nightdress in, 270–71

  servants’ duties in, 271

  soporific medicine in, 271

  warming beds in, 270, 294

  bedtimes, 137, 138, 205, 206, 301, 324, 334

  early, 263–64, 265

  eating before, 271–72

  proverbs about, 264, 266

  reading at, 52, 281, 310

  seasonal variations in, 266

  standard, 265–66

  beer, 25, 156–57, 161, 164, 173–74, 187, 235

  benefits of, 188

  Beerstraten, Jan, 50

  beggars, 65, 231, 237–38, 318

  badges of shame worn by, 151

  beds of, 278

  Behaim, Frederich, 207

  Beham, Hans Sebald, 195

  Behn, Aphra, 153

  Bella, Gabriel, 71

  benandanti cult, 319

  Benedictine order, 302

  Bennet, Agnes, 191

  Benserade, Isaac de, 211, 276

  Beowulf, 20

  Bergerac, Cyrano de, 42

  Berlin Becomes a Metropolis, 334

  Best, Henry, 170, 171, 305

  Beware of the Cat (Baldwin), 163, 301

  Bewick, Thomas, 121–22, 131

  Bibb, Henry, 239

  Biddle, Francis, 175

  Bigot, Trophîme, 108

  Bishe, Thomas, 244

  black dogs, 15, 96

  Black Forest, 55

  Blackmore, Sir Richard, 49

  blacksmiths, 156, 161, 162, 175

  Blackstone, Sir William, 88

  blanket fair, 281

  blindman’s holiday, 155

  boats, 25, 62, 172

  nocturnal excursions by, 137

  nocturnal labor on, 160

  pilfering and, 175

  Boccaccio, Giovanni, 193, 220

  Boccardi, Lorenzo and Giacobo, 172

  boggarts, 18, 140

  bogwood, 108–9

  Boisseau, Jean Jacques de, 181

  Boke of Curtasye, 104

  Bond, Jane, 163

  bonfires, 29, 55, 69

  Boorde, Andrew, 264, 305

  Boothe, Chester, 10

  Borde, Marquis de la, 106

  Boscawen, Fanny and Edward, 134

  Boswell, James, 70, 95, 118–19, 145, 150, 282

  communal sleep of, 280

  disguises worn by, 219–20, 222

  dreams of, 316, 317, 322

  low debauchery enjoyed by, 219–20, 222

  on sleep, 267, 268, 270, 287, 304

  weapons carried by, 142

  Bouchet, Guillaume, 285

  boulster lectures, 283, 283

  Bourne, Henry, 140, 180, 254

  Bovey, James, 310

  Bovier de Fontenelle, Bernard le, 12, 153

  boxing, 190

  Bradbourn, Twisden, 143

  Bradwell, Stephen, 271, 276

  Bräker, Ulrich, 90, 123–24, 145, 176, 202, 290

  Bramer, Leonaert, 231

  Brand, John, 19

  Brannam, Dennes, 36

  “Brave Men at Fires” (Franklin), 115

  Bravos, 44

  Breton, Nicholas, 91, 151, 182, 267, 323

  breweries, 52, 156–57, 161

  Brewerton, Jane, 237

  briganti, 36

  British Magazine, 151

  broken sleep, 300–311, 339

  arti
ficial illumination and, 303–4, 334–35

  Church practices and, 302–3

  class differences in, 304

  in communal sleep, 308

  darkness and, 303–4

  in early classical literature, 303

  “first sleep” in, 300–302, 303, 305, 308, 311–12, 320, 321, 322–23, 335, 337

  in non-Western cultures, 303, 304

  reproductive fertility enhanced by, 308–10

  “second” sleep in, 301, 303, 306

  broken sleep, wakefulness interval in, 300, 301, 303, 305–11, 335

  criminal activities in, 306–7

  dreams and, 322–23, 334–35

  excretory needs in, 305

  magic in, 307

  personal reflection in, 310–11

  prayers in, 307–8

  protection in, 304, 322

  semi-conscious state in, 311

  sexual activity in, 308–10

  work done in, 305–6

  brothels, 218, 220, 226, 244, 245, 253

  homosexual, 230

  Brouwer, Adriaen, 118, 127

  Brown, John, 170

  Brown, Tom, 152

  Browne, Sir Thomas, 261, 286, 312, 313

  brownies, 18

  Buckhurst, Lord, 223

  Bugles gang, 225

  bulkers, 29, 278

  Bullein, William, 272

  bull’s-eye lanterns, 125

  bundling, 197–202

  chaperonage of, 200

  chastity protected in, 199

  conversations in, 200, 202

  enduring popularity of, 201

  functions of, 201–2

  garments removed for, 199

  illegitimacy rates linked to, 200

  parental permission for, 199, 201

  physical contact in, 200–201

  privacy afforded by, 201

  rules of, 199

  sexual activity in, 200–201, 202

  as “sitting up,” 198, 199, 201

  trial period provided by, 202

  bundling boards, 199

  Bundschuh disturbances, 54–55

  bunters, 160

  burglaries, burglars, 36–42, 76, 88, 94, 95, 99, 128

  arson of, 54

  candles as deterrents of, 101

  daytime, 38

  death penalty for, 87

  definition of, 36–37

  ghosts impersonated by, 41

  in large gangs, 37, 38–39

  magic used by, 41, 42

  quick rewards of, 37–38

  rural, 38–39, 39

  seasonal variation in, 39

  smugglers impersonated by, 243

  unusual noises and, 34, 37

  violent, 37, 38, 40

  watchdogs and, 96, 97

  burials, nocturnal, 213, 229, 237

  Burke, Edmund, 3

  Burkitt, William, 157

  Burnap, John, 143

  burning daylight, 109

  Burt, Edward, 92

  Burton, Robert, 289, 292

  Butler, Peter, 172

  Butler, Samuel, 18

  Butzbasch, Johannes, 239

  Byng, John (Viscount Torrington), 137, 270, 295–96

  Byrd, William, II, 109, 298, 317

  caban unnos, 238

  Calfhill, James, 16

  Campbell, Thomas, 18

  Campion, Thomas, 97, 213

  candle coal, 102–3

  candle-lighting, 109, 122, 138

  Candlemas, 69

  candles, 5, 40, 51, 59, 104–7, 105, 109–11, 142, 192–93, 210, 214, 333

  beeswax, 69–70, 104–6

  burglars deterred by, 101

  at Church festivals, 70

  clipping with, 101, 101

  cost of, 106

  fires caused by, 51–52

  in lanterns, 67, 68, 73, 74, 124–25

  magical properties of, 100–101

  for nocturnal labor, 156, 162, 163

  reading by, 207

  servants’ use of, 52, 109–10

  in shrines, 71–72

  in Spanish Holy Week processions, 70

  spermaceti, 104–6

  as street lighting, 68

  tallow, 68, 106, 107, 162, 207, 336

  taxation of, 106

  wasting, 109–10

  windows illuminated by, 63–64, 68–69, 199, 254

  candlewood, 104, 108–9, 162, 236

  Cannon, John, 205–6, 243, 314

  Canterbury Tales, The (Chaucer), 163, 282, 301

  Caraccioli, Marquis de, 314

  Caravaggio, 225

  Carbonnier, Jean, 84, 85

  Cardano, Girolamo, 310, 315

  Carlyle, Alexander, 132

  Carnival, festival of, 152, 249, 254

  carpenters, 157, 161

  Carter, Landon, 113, 170, 236–37, 240, 256

  Carter, William, 40

  Cassiodorous, 75

  Castel of Helthe (Elyot), 265

  Catalonia, 66

  Catholic Church, 61, 69–72, 206, 330

  British recusants of, 229

  canonical hours of, 137

  of Counter Reformation, 70

  dreams as viewed by, 318

  early morning prayer encouraged by, 302–3

  extramarital sex prohibited by, 191

  festivals of, 70–71, 70, 71, 152, 187–88

  heretics vs., 151, 228

  illuminated shrines of, 71–72

  in Ireland, 194

  magic banned by, 64

  night’s darkness as sacred in, 71, 72, 74, 155, 335

  sacraments of, 69–70

  Catlin, John, 245

  Cats, Jacob, 120, 205

  Cavendish, Margaret, Duchess of Newcastle, 214, 220, 316

  cave shelters, 278

  Ceba, Ansaldo, 191

  Cereta, Laura, 202, 208

  cesspools, emptying of, 165–67

  Chagga people, 303

  Chalkers gang, 224

  Chamberlayne, William, 62

  chamberpots, 27–28, 271, 296–97, 305

  Change in the Village (Sturt), 337

  Channel Islands, 242

  Chapman, George, 220–21

  Charivaris, 253–54

  Charke, Charlotte, 95

  Charles I, King of England, 265

  Charles II, King of England, 29, 226, 253

  Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, 219

  Charles VI, King of France, 210, 226

  Charlton, Jasper, 171

  Chateaubriand, François-René, Vicomte de, 207

  Chaucer, Geoffrey, 130, 163, 193, 282, 301, 311

  Chevet, Robin, 180–81

  children, 109, 278, 308–10

  abandoned, 237

  fear of darkness in, 3, 5–6, 119–22

  illegitimate, 149–50, 200, 237, 281

  magic and, 143

  night games for, 122

  nightmares of, 292

  nocturnal excursions of, 118, 119–22, 123–24

  parental intimidation of, 120–21

  phases of the moon learned by, 128–29

  witches’ sabbaths and, 21

  see also infants

  chimneys, 51, 99–100, 101–2, 274, 293

  Chlotar II, King, 75

  Christian II, King of Denmark, 226

  Christian IV, King of Denmark, 226

  Christianity, xxvi, 15, 20, 65,
119, 191, 228

  ghosts in, 18

  God’s creation of light in, 4, 69

  in magic charms, 99, 142–43

  Satan in, 21

  see also Catholic Church; Protestantism

  church bells, 69, 90, 133

  curfew rung by, 77–78

  evil spirits frightened by, 70

  as fire alarms, 79

  Church Fathers, 59

  Churchill, Charles, 217–18, 227–28

  Church of England, 70, 229

  Church of Scotland, 198

  church towers, 138

  lookouts in, 77

  as solitary retreats, 203

  churchyards, 16, 51, 237

  ghosts in, 140

  mishaps in, 24

  sexual activity in, 190

  Cibber, Colley, 297

  circadian rhythms, 14, 174–75, 334

  Clap, Margaret, 230

  Clare, John, 129, 227, 255

  Clarendon Code, 229

  Clay, Samuel, 128

  Clayton, Rev. James, 158

  Clayton, Rev. John, 60

  cleanliness, personal, 135

  Cleaver, Robert, 110

  Clegg, James, 119

  Clifford, Mary, 277

  clipping, 101, 101

  clocks, 138, 264

  close-stools, 275, 297

  “Clothier’s Delight, The,” 162

  cloth workers, 156, 160, 164, 173, 174

  clubs, social, 329

  coal, 102–3

  Coalbrookdale, iron foundry, 327, 327

  coal gas lamps, 331, 332–34, 332, 335, 336–37

  Cobbett, William, 107

  cock-crow, 138, 140

  Cock Lane Ghost, 325

  Cocq, Capt. Frans Banning, 82

  Coe, William, 24, 185

  Cogan, Thomas, 262, 263, 274, 310

  Cokburne, Jon, 301

  Coke, Sir Edward, 36, 92, 241

  Cole, Rev. William, 112

  Collier, Mary, 163, 306

  collieries, 24

  Collinson, Humphrey, 40

  colts, 18

  Columella, 168, 173

  comets, 10, 11, 326

  communal sleep, 278–84

  advantages of, 280–81

  broken sleep in, 308

  designated positions of, 278–79

  fear of darkness allayed by, 280

  guests in, 279, 296

  illnesses spread by, 288

  intimate conversations in, 280, 281

  marital relationship in, 282–84

  proper behavior for, 279–80

  of servants, 281–82

  sleep disturbed by, 296

  solitary sleep vs., 281, 297

  violence in, 282, 283–84

  Compendium Maleficarum (Guazzo), 307

  Complaint, The, or Night Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality (Young), 153, 207

  Complaints of Poverty, The (James), 298

  Compleat Gentleman, The (Peacham), 218

  concoction, 263

 

‹ Prev