But here I interfered and explained it all out to Adrian, much as I hated to go agin my pardner’s words.
Strange doin’s has been done in this old meetin’-house durin’ the long centuries that it has stood here. It almost made my brain reel to think on ’em.
Councils of the church wuz held here, the Bishop of Exeter sought refuge here from a mob—wuz proclaimed a traitor and beheaded. Here Wyckliffe wuz tried for his religious opinions. Here popes sent out their legates. Here kings held their councils, and here men and wimmen sold their goods. And some with stuns and arrers killed the pigeons who made their nests in the ornaments of the walls. Here, too, they played ball and other games. Queer doin’s for meetin’-housen, but it wuz true. But what would the world say if my Josiah and Deacon Bobbett should take to playin’ ball in the Jonesville meetin’-house, or Sister Gowdy and I should play tag round the pulpit? Why, how foreign nations would be all rousted up and sneer at us!
Here the leaders in the War of the Roses acted and carried on. Here Richard, Duke of York, took a solemn oath to uphold Henry VI., and then tried his best to shake him off the throne—lyin’ and actin’ in a meetin’-house. Here the dead body of Henry lay in state.
After the Reformation had begun it wuz desecrated by the very meanest kind of doin’s. All kinds of business wuz carried on, all kinds of amusements. Busybodys and gossips made it their resort, and the Holy Evelyn said—
“It was made a stable of horses and a den of thieves.”
Then, if you’ll believe it, some of the reformers, or them who called themselves sech (queer creeters, I guess), stole the beautiful altar clothes, communion plate, candleabra, etc.—jest carried ’em off under the mantilly of religion they’d put on.
Curous! curous! but, then, that old mantilly covers up lots of stolen things to-day, and meanness of all sorts.
After this the grand old meetin’-house wuz completely burnt down. I should thought it would have expected lightnin’ to strike it, or sunthin’. Anyway, it all burnt down to ashes. The present buildin’ hain’t been misused in that way—the services are carried on decently and in order.
Wall, we hung round there for more’n a half day. Josiah had took the precaution to eat a hearty lunch before we sot out, so he remained considerable quiet till the nawin’s of hunger overtook him agin. And we left at sunset.