and here the Lord of Misrule made his appearance in all his altitudes. Cudgel-playing, and morrice-dancing in the court yard*, imitations of animals dancing, &c., were exhibited in all their native vigour.

Mirth predominated till the welcome annunciation of dinner ended, for a season, the revels, and all hastened, with appetites sharpened by exercise, to the ancient hall; here the tables groaned beneath the weight of noble barons, sirloins, and boars entire. The dais, or raised part of the hall, as now existing in our colleges, was appropriated to the nobility and gentry, whilst the inferior tables were crowded by yeomen and other family dependents. The dinner was served up with great pomp and ceremony, each of the household having his part assigned, and the whole being regulated by music, which was continued during the repast. Supper was nearly a repetition of the former scenes; before and after it, there were mimicry, singing and dancing t, hopping the ring, tumbling, gesticulation, masquerading, and other scenic exhibitions, in which all parts of the family indiscriminately united; for in those days of song and hilarity, each person was something of a singer, and ready to take a part in a catch or glee. These customs were not confined to the nobility and commonality alone, but also existed amongst the learned of either university; for Bourne says in his Antiquitates Vulgares, "It was a common Christmas gambol in both our universities, and continued at the end of the 17th century, to be common in other places, to give the name of king or queen to that person whose extraordinary good luck it was, to hit upon that part of a divided cake, which was honoured above others by having a bean in it." And Brand, in his note upon this observation of Bourne, says "On the fifth

* Sebastian Brant in his "Ship of Fools," alludes to this custom in the following lines.

The one hath a visor ugly set on his face,

Another hath on a vile connterfaite vesture,
Or painteth his visage with fume in such case,
That what he is himself is scantily sure.

This rare book was imprinted in London by R. Pynson, 1508. And Milton in his Samson Agonistes, thus enumerates these antic exhibitions:

And again.

Here was a hopper to hop for the ringe.

Heywoode's works printed at London, A. D. 1566.

The plays in those days were little better than common-place dialogués or
Chaucer describes the tragedies of his day in the following words,

simple tales.

"Tragedy is to tel a certayne story,

As olde bokes maken memory

Of them that stode in great prosperite
And be fallen out of hye degree
Into misery, and ended wretchedly.".

of January, the vigil of the Epiphany, the kings of the bean are created, and on the sixth the feast of the king shall be held, and also of the queen, and let the banqueting be continued for many days."

This cannot fail forcibly to remind the reader of the custom at present in vogue of drawing for king and queen on twelfth day. These majestic titles do not indeed in our time command that respect which formerly was paid them, nor is their authority now so extended; it must however be confessed that the prevalence of many of these fooleries tended in some degree to demoralize the national character, for cards, dice, tables, and most other games prohibited by the public statutes at other seasons of the year, were tolerated at the Christmas Holidays, as well as disguisements and mummings. In some parts of England, vestiges of these customs can be found even at this day. Mr. Brand, whom I have before-mentioned, and to whose indefatigable research we are highly indebted for our knowledge of the many curious habits and customs of our ancestors, says, "In the north of England, at Christmas timet, the fool-plough goes about; a pageant that consists of a number of sword dancers dragging a plough about with music, and one, or sometimes two of them, attired in a very antic dress, as the Bessy in the grotesque habit of an old woman, and the fool almost covered with skins, a hairy cap on his head, and the tail of some animal hanging down his back. The duties of one of these characters is to go about rattling a box, or shaking the bells of a tambourine (if they have the fortune to possess one) amongst the open-mouthed spectators to collect their little donations. Plough-Monday, or the first monday after twelfth-day, is still observed in many parts of Norfolk and Suffolk, with various modifications, but the custom which Warton mentions of "threshing the fat‡ hen," has, we believe, entirely ceased, at least, during our residence in these counties, we could never discover the slightest remains of it. When read

* Reges fabis creantur, (old Romish kalendar.)

This custom is also alluded to in a MS. in the Cottonian collection

In nomine regis de Fabâ, &c.

The erudite Selden seems to think that these singular assumptions of dignity bear strong affinity to, if they are not immediately derived from, the ancient Saturnalia, or Feasts of Saturn, when masters waited upon their servants, who on these occasions enjoyed various dignified titles, and assumed the deportment and state of their masters.

†The Yule Plough. It is also called the White Plough, from the white frocks which are commonly worn by the labouring classes, and which on these occasions were ornamented with a profusion of ribbons.

At Shrove Tide, or on Shrove Tuesday, after absolution, the farmer permitted his ploughman to go to the barn blindfolded, and thresh the fat hen, saying, "If you can kill her, then give her to thy men, and go you and dine on fritters and pancakes."

ing the facetious narrative of these periodical carousals we cannot help feeling the wish,

"That all our lives might gilded be

With mirth, and wit, and gaiety."

We feel a regret for the pleasures of days by-gone, when the smooth unruffled current of social feeling was left to pursue its own course, and the fountain of its stream was supplied with freshened waters by a recurrence to the harmless festivities which took place on such memorable occasions as Christmas, All-hallow Eve, and Easter, and influenced by these sentiments, it is impossible not to feel a slight shade of indignation against that unsocial disposition which could denounce one of the most innocent, most enlivening recreations known to mankind, as “The horrible vice of pestiferous dauncing," and could furthermore in succession anathematize every species of relaxation and amusement when undertaken (as he terms it) for the idle purpose of recreation. We cannot, however, take leave of the pious, though unsocial Phillip Stubbes without indulging in one more extract, which will, we doubt not, raise a smile (possibly of contempt) on the face of the modern fox-hunter. "Esau was a great hunter, but a reprobate; Ishmael a great hunter, but a miscreant; Nemrode a great hunter, but yet a reprobate, and a vessel of wrath." Stubbes, poor fellow, looked to the dark side of every question, and studied to collect even the most trifling errors of frail mortality: this may possibly be in a great measure excused by the complexion of the times in which he lived. In spite however of his sour denunciations against every amusement, which" allure much like unto honey," we cannot withold our gratitude for his minute descriptions of the frivolities of his time, which, without his aid, might for ever have been buried in oblivion.

The celebration of church-ales, wakes, feasts, and May-games, as they were indiscriminately called, appears to have declined toward the end of the fifteenth century; for Leland the antiquary in the Appendix to his Collections, has the following extract from Polydore Virgil. "This Christmas, 1489-90, I saw no disguisings at court, and right few playes; but there was an Abbot of Misrule that made much sport, and did right well his office." In the short reign of Edward the Sixth, a man of higher pretensions and greater dignity than his predecessors filled this office; being appointed by the council, he received all his commissions and warrants by the name of "Maistere of the Kinge's Pastimes." This gentleman so well supplied his office," both of shew and sundry sights, and devices of rare invention, and in acts of diverse interludes, and matters of pastime, played by persons, as not only satisfied the common sorte, but also were well liked, and allowed by the council and others of skill in lyke pastimes, but best by the young king himselfe, as appeared by his princely liberalitie

in rewarding that service *." The master of merry disports was not confined to the court and the mansions of the wealthy noblemen, the same spirit of festivity took place among the country gentlemen and their tenants, the scale of entertainments being of course varied according to the opulence and disposition of the parties. In the "Sketch book of Geoffry Crayon," we have some very amusing papers on this subject, wherein he has faithfully and elegantly delineated some of the principal features of these ludicrous exhibitions, and to that highly interesting work on Shakespeare and his times by the celebrated Dr. Drake, we are more immediately indebted, and cannot resist the inclination of here inserting an extract from that very rare and curious pamphlet quoted by the learned Doctor, entitled, "Round about the Coal Fire, or Christmas Entertainments." An English gentlemen at the opening of the great day (i. e. on Christmas-day in the morning) had all his tenants and neighbours to enter the hall by day-break. The strong beer was broached, and the blackjacks went plentifully about, with toast, sugar, and good Cheshire cheese. The hackin (the great sausage) must be broiled by day-break, or else two young men must take the maiden (i. e. the cook) by the arms, and run her round the market-place till she is ashamed of her laziness. In the Christmas holidays, the tables were all spread from the first to the last. The sirloins of beef, the minced pies, the plum porridge, the capons, turkeys, geese, and plum puddings, were all brought upon the board; every one ate heartily, and was welcome, which gave rise to the proverb,

"'Tis merry in the hall

When beards wag all."

Even the inferior franklins and husbandmen strived to exceed each other in projecting merry games, and vied in making their limited means produce the most joyous effects. And, according to "auncient Barclay," the peasantry, at least some portion of them, were far more enlightened than in our own day, and much better able to bear a part in these sports. A shepherd is introduced in his eclogues boasting his powers in the following words:

I can daunce the raye, I can both pipe and singe
If I were mery I can both hurle and slinge;
I runne, I wrestle, I can well throwe the barre,
No shepherd throweth the axletree so farre,
If I were mery, I could well leap and springe,
I were a man mete to serve a prince or kynge.

Most of these accomplishments we think we may pronounce obsolete, being no longer needed, but in the introduction of such characters as the "Hombre Salvagio," (the Savage Man), &c. they were of the greatest importance. Of the games peculiar in a

great measure to this season, the melancholy Burton enumerates the following; cards, tables, dice, shovel-board, chess play, the philosophers game, small trunks, shuttlecock, billiards, music, masks, singing, dancing, ulegames, frolicks, jests, riddles, catches, cross purposes, questions and commands, merry tales of errant knights, queens, lovers, lords, ladies, giants, dwarfs, thieves, cheaters, witches, fairies, goblins, and friars. In the country, all the rustic games that could be played in winter time were in requisition, and hilarity was the order of the day. The bill of fare, indeed, according to Tasser, in his poem on husbandry, was of a nature to excite mirth and bury animosities. "Good drinke, a blazing fire in the hall, brawne, pudding, and souse, and mustarde with all. Beef, mutton, and pork, shred or minced pies of the best; pig, veal, goose, capon, and turkey; cheese, apples, and nuts, with jolie carols." If the enumeration of the abundance of good things which greeted the senses of our forefathers, should alarm the weaker digestions, and more delicate and refined appetites of my modern readers, let them bear in mind that the men for whom these viands were destined, were accustomed to no inconsiderable portion of exercise, and that the leaping, throwing the bar and axletree, and other sports of the country people, the hunting and hawking of the nobility and gentry, often pursued

From morn to noon, from noon to dewy night;

the perpetual dancings of the ladies*, besides archery, and other games played for "tansy cakes," completely hindered our hardy ancestors from experiencing the inconveniences of indigestion, and effectually kept off that "disease of our sickly, indoor, and counting-house times, the night-mare." The only custom peculiar to Christmas, which we retain, I believe I may say, in all its native purity, is the adorning parish churches with evergreens, but even this we have understood is obsolete in many parts; formerly the houses of all good Christians were ornamented in like manner, but now a solitary instance is worthy record, and rarely visible, save in the house of some admiring anti

*This was no mean accomplishment as we find from an old MS. in the Cott. Collection.

The quene yede to the formeste ende
Betweene Launfal and Gauweyn hende
And after her Ladyes bryght,

To daunce they wente alle yn same,
To see them playe hyt was fayr game,
A ladye and a knyght.

They had menstrelles of moche honours,
Fydelers, sytolyrs, and trompetors,

And else hyt were unryght.

This dauncing we are afterwards informed by the poet was continued great

part of the day,