midday
Morris dancers footed it upon the green , and miracle plays were enacted by wandering troops of mummers . There were booths set up , where a sort of fair was held , and sweetmeats and drink dispensed . An ox was being roasted whole in one place , where dinners were served at midday , and trials of strength and skill went on uninterruptedly in the wide meadows round the city , some being the property of the town , and others of the university . On the whole , however , the spirit of concord prevailed , and there was less fighting and brawling than usual between the two parties ; and when , after the short pause for the midday repast , the students and masters and all interested in the spectacle hastened to the spot where the game of calcio was to be played , great numbers of the townsfolk flocked there also , and were neither hustled nor jeered by the gowned concourse in the inner circle . There was something distinctly sumptuous in the pavilion which had been raised for a certain number of spectators of the better class , and there was quite a buzz and acclamation as the two beautiful sisters were seen to ascend the few steps and take their places on the centre seats , which had something of the aspect of a throne . They were very well known in Oxford , not for their beauty alone , but for their gentleness and charity , being always ready to succour the sick and afflicted , and to visit with their own presence any stricken houses where trouble of any kind had entered . So that not only the gownsmen but the townsmen were ready to welcome them with cheers , and to acclaim them eagerly as the queens of the day .