A CUSTOM, says the Spectator, prevails everywhere among us

on the 1st of April, when everybody strives to make as many fools as he can. The wit chiefly consists in sending persons on what are called sleeveless errands,* for the History of Eve's Mother, for Pigeon's Milk, with similar ridiculous absurdities. He takes no notice of the rise of this singular kind of anniversary.

In Poor Robin's Almanack for 1760 is a metrical description of the modern tooleries on the 1st of April, with the open avowal of being ignorant of their origin—

"The first of April, some do say,

Is set apart for All-Fools' Day;
But why the people call it so,
Nor I, nor they themselves do know.
But on this day are people sent

On purpose, for pure merriment;

And though the day is known before,

Yet frequently there is great store

Of these Forgetfuls to be found,

Who're sent to dance Moll Dixon's round;
And having tried each shop and stall,
And disappointed at them all,

* "And one mornyng timely he tooke in hande
To make to my house a sleeveles errande.”

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HEYWOOD.

Skinner guesses this to mean a lifeless errand. His etymon is merely con jectural, and he does not venture to assign any cause for it. This epithet i found in Chaucer. The following passage, which I extract from Whitlock' Zwotomia (1654), seems to explain it : But, secondly, the more subtle (an more hard to sleave a two) silken thred of self-seeking, is that dominion ove consciences," &c. The meaning of the expression to sleave a two" appear plainly to be "to untwist or unfold;" q.d. The silken thread is so subtle d fine that it is very difficult to untwist it. "Sleeveless," then, should seem t mean (as every one knows that "less" final is negation) that which cannot i unfolded or explained; an epithet which perfectly agrees with the errands which we are speaking.

At last some tells them of the cheat
Then they return from the pursuit,
And straightway home with shame they run,
And others laugh at what is done.
But 'tis a thing to be disputed,
Which is the greatest Fool reputed,
The man that innocently went,
Or he that him design'dly sent."

A writer in the World [query, Horace Walpole?] has some pleasant thoughts on the effect the alteration of the style would have on the 1st of April: "The oldest tradition affirms that such an infatuation attends the first day of April, as no foresight can escape, no vigilance can defeat. Deceit is successful on that day out of the mouths of babes and sucklings. Grave citizens have been bit upon it: urers have lent their money on bad security experienced matrons have married very disappointing young fellows mathematicians have missed the longitude: alchemists the philosopher's stone and politicians preferment on that day."-Our pleasant writer goes on: "What confusion will not follow if the great body of the nation are disappointed of their peculiar holiday. This country was formerly disturbed with very fatal quarrels about the celebration of Easter; and no wise man will tell me that it is not as reasonable to fall out for the Observance of April-Fool-Day. Can any benefits arising from a regulated Calendar make amends for an occasion of new sects? How many warm men may resent an attempt to play them off on a false first of April, who would have submitted to the custom of being made Fools on the old computation? If our clergy come to be divided about Folly's anniversary, we may well expect all the mischiefs attendant on religious wars. He then desires his friends to inform him what they observe on that holiday both according to the new and old reckoning. "How often and in what manner they make or are made fools: how they miscarry in attempts to surprize, or baffle any snares laid for them. I do not doubt but it will be found that the balance of folly lies greatly on the side of the old first of April; nay, I much question whether infatuation will have any force on what I call the false April-Fool-Day :" and concludes with requesting an union of endeavours "in decrying and exploding a reformation, which only tends to discountenance good old practices and venerable superstitions." The French too have their All Fools' Day, and call the person imposed upon 'an April Fish," "Poisson d'Avril," whom we term an April Fool. Bellingen, in his Etymology of French Proverbs, endeavours at the following explanation of this custom : the word

* Minshew renders the expression "Poisson d'Avril," a young bawd; a page turned pander; a mackerel. Bellingen confesses his ignorance why the month of April is selected for this purpose, unless, says he, 66 on account of its being the season for catching mackerel, or that men, awaking from the torpidity of the winter season, are particularly influenced by the passions, which suddenly breaking forth from a long slumber, excite them to the pursuit of their wonted pleasures." This may perhaps account for the origin of the word "macquereau" in its obscene sense. The substance of the above remarks is

"poisson," he contends, is corrupted through the ignorance of the people from "passion ;" and length of time has almost totally defaced the original intention, which was as follows: that, as the Passion of our Saviour took place about this time of the year, and as the Jews sent Christ backwards and forwards to mock and torment him, i. e., from Annas to Caiaphas, from Caiaphas to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back again to Pilate, this ridiculous or rather impious custom took its rise thence, by which we send about from one place to another such persons as we think proper objects of our ridicule. Such is Bellingen's explanation.

66

Calling this "All Fools' Day" seems to denote it to be a different day from The Feast of Fools," which was held on the 1st of January, of which a very particular description may be found in Du Cange's learned Glossary, under the word Kalenda. And we are inclined to think the word "All" here is a corruption of our Northern word "auld" for old; because I find in the ancient Romish Calendar mention made of a “Feast of old Fools." It must be granted that this feast stands there on the first day of another month, November; but then it mentions at the same time that it is by a removal: "The Feast of old Fools is removed to this day." Such removals indeed in the very crowded Romish Calendar were often obliged to be made. There is nothing hardly, says the author of the Essay to retrieve the antient Celtic, that will bear a clearer demonstration than that the primitive Christians, by way of conciliating the Pagans to a better worship, humoured their prejudices by yielding to a conformity of names, † and even of customs, where they did not essentially interfere with the fundamentals of the gospel doctrine. This was done in order to quiet their possession, and to secure their tenure: an admirable expedient, and extremely fit in those barbarous times to prevent the people from returning to their old religion. Among these, in imitation of the Roman Saturnalia, was the Festum Fatuorum, wher part of the jollity of the season was a burlesque election of a mock Pope, mock Cardinals, mock Bishops, attended with a thousand

given also in the Nouveau Dictionnaire d'Anecdotes, with an additiona reason not worth transcribing.

A writer in the Gentleman's Magazine for July 1783, conjectures that "th custom of imposing upon and ridiculing people on the first of April may hav an allusion to the mockery of the Saviour of the world by the Jews. Some thing like this, which we call making April Fools, is practised also abroad i Catholic countries on Innocents' Day, on which occasion people run throug all the rooms, making a pretended search in and under the beds, in memory I believe, of the search made by Herod for the discovery and destruction the child Jesus, and his having been imposed upon and deceived by the Wis Men, who, contrary to his orders and expectation, 'returned to their ow country another way.'

Auldborough in Yorkshire is always pronounced Allborough, though th meaning of the first syllable is undoubtedly old.

This writer contends that the ancient Druidical religion of Britain an the Gauls had its Pope, its Cardinals, its Bishops, its Deacons, &c.

ANDREW, says this writer, signifies a head Druid, or Divine.

Hence

was that, when the Christians, by wav f exploding the Druids, turned the

ridiculous and indecent ceremonies, gambols, and antics, such as singing and dancing in the churches, in lewd attitudes, to ludicrous anthems, all allusively to the exploded pretensions of the Druids, whom these sports were calculated to expose to scorn and derision.

This Feast of Fools, continues he, had its designed effect; and contributed, perhaps, more to the extermination of those heathens than all the collateral aids of fire and sword, neither of which was spared in the persecution of them. The continuance of customs (especially droll ones, which suit the gross taste of the multitude) after the original cause of them has ceased, is a great, but no uncommon absurdity.

Our epithet of Old Fools (in the Northern and Old English auld) does not ill accord with the pictures of Druids transmitted to us. The united appearance of age, sanctity, and wisdom, which these ancient priests assumed, doubtiess contributed in no small degree to the deception of the people. The Christian teachers, in their labours to undeceive the fettered multitudes, would probably spare no pains to pull off the masks from these venerable hypocrites, and point out to their converts that age was not always synonymous with wisdom; that youth was not the peculiar period of folly; but that, together with young ones, there were also old (auld) Fools.

Should the above be considered as a forced interpretation, it can be offered in apology that, in joining the scattered fragments that survive the mutilation of ancient customs, we must be forgiven if all the parts are not found closely to agree. Little of the means of into ridicule, in their Feast or Holiday of Fools, one of the buffoon personages was "a Merry Andrew." This name is usually, but erroneously, as it should seem from this writer's explication, derived from the Greek, where it signifies manly or courageous. From the contrarieties in the definitions of etymologists, philology seems but too justly to bear the reproachful title of "eruditio ad libitum;" science that we may twist and turn at our pleasure.

Pennant tells us: "It is very singular that most nations give the name of their favourite dish to the facetious attendant on every mountebank; thus the Dutch call him Pickle Herring; the Italians Macaroni; the French Jean Potage; the Germans Hans Wurst, i.e., Jack Sausage; and we dignify him with the title of Jack Pudding."

Hearne, speaking of the famous Dr Andrew Borde, says: "'Twas from the Doctor's method of using such speeches at markets and fairs, that, in after times, those that imitated the like humorous, jocose language, were styled Merry Andrews, a term much in vogue on our Stages." "Dr Borde was an ingenious man, and knew how to humour and please his patients, readers, and auditors. In his travels and visits he often appeared and spoke in public, and would often frequent markets and fairs, where a conflux of people used to get together, to whom he prescribed, and, to induce them to flock thither the more readily, he would make humorous speeches, couch'd in such language as caused mirth, and wonderfully propagated his fame."

*It seems possible that the obsolete sports of the ancient Hoc-tide, an old Saxon word, said to import "the time of scorning or triumph," which must have been observed about this time of the year, might have degenerated into the April fooleries. But there exists no authority for this supposition. "Fools' Day" could not be more aptly rendered into Latin than by "Dies irrisorius:" and so some of our best antiquaries translate the Saxon pucx dæg.

information has been transmitted to us, and that little can only be eked out by conjecture.

"Whence

In the British Apollo (1708) is the following query: proceeds the custom of making April Fools? Answer-It may not improperly be derived from a memorable transaction happening between the Romans and Sabines, mentioned by Dionysius, which was thus: the Romans, about the infancy of the city, wanting wives, and finding they could not obtain the neighbouring women by their peaceable addresses, resolved to make use of a stratagem; and, accordingly, Romulus institutes certain Games, to be performed in the beginning of April (according to the Roman Calendar), in honour of Neptune. Upon notice thereof, the bordering inhabitants, with their whole families, flocked to Rome to see this mighty celebration; where the Romans seized upon a great number of the Sabine virgins, and ravished them, which imposition we suppose may be the foundation of this foolish custom." This solution is ridiculed in No. 18 of the same work, as follows

"Ye witty Sparks, who make pretence
To answer questions with good sense,
How comes it that your monthly Phoebus
Is made a Fool by Dionysius:
For had the Sabines, as they came,
Departed with their virgin fame,
The Romans had been styl'd dull tools,
And they, poor girls! been April Fools.
Therefore, if this ben't out of season,
Pray think, and give a better reason.'

Dr Pegge, the venerable rector of Whittington in Derbyshire, writing under the anonyme of T. Row, addressed the Gentleman's Magazine in April 1766, thus

It is matter of some difficulty to account for the expression an April Fool,' and the strange custom so universally prevalent throughout this kingdom, of peoples making fools of one another on the first of April, by trying to impose upon each other, and sending one another, upon that day, upon frivolous, ridiculous, and absurd errands. However, something I have to offer on the subject, and I shall here throw it out, if it were only to induce others to give us their sentiments. The custom, no doubt, had an original, and one of a very general nature; and, therefore, one may very reasonably hope that, though one person may not be so happy as to investigate the meaning and occasion of it, yet another possibly may. But I am the more ready to attempt a solution of this difficulty, because I find Mr Bourne, in his Antiquitates Vulgares, has totally omitted it, though it fell so plainly within the compass of his design. I observe, first, that this custom and expression has no connection at all with the Festum Hypodiaconorum, Festum Stultorum, Festum Fatuorum, Festum Innocentium, &c., mentioned in Du Fresne; for these jocular festivals were kept at a very different time of the year. Secondly, that I have found no traces, either of the name or of the custom, in other countries, insomuch that it appears to me to be an indigenal custom of our own.