accessory to prayer, and is still so used by the Mahommedans, the
American Indians and the Bedos of India, who dance into an ecstasy.

[Illustration: Fig. 29.--Gleemen's dance, 9th century. From Cleopatra,
Cotton MS. C. viii., British Museum.]

It is probable that this sort of mania marked the dancing in Europe
which was suppressed by Pope and Bishop. This _choreomania_ marked a
Flemish sect in 1374 who danced in honour of St. John, and it was so
furious that the disease called St. Vitus' dance takes its name from
this performance.

Christmas carols were originally choric. The performers danced and
sang in a circle.

The illustration (fig. 43) of a dance of angels and religious shows us
that Fra Angelico thought the practice joyful; this dance is almost a
counterpart of that amongst the Greeks (fig. 11). The other dance, by
Sandro Botticelli (fig. 44), is taken from his celebrated "Nativity"
in the National Gallery. Although we have records of performances in
churches, no illustrations of an early date have come to the knowledge
of the writer. [Illustration: Fig. 30.--Dancing to horn and pipe.
From an Anglo-Saxon MS.]

That the original inhabitants of Britain danced--that the Picts,
Danes, Saxons and Romans danced may be taken for granted, but there
seems little doubt that our earliest illustrations of dancing were of
the Roman tradition. We find the attitude, the instruments and the
clapping of hands, all of the same undoubted classic character.
Tacitus informs us that the Teutonic youths danced, with swords and