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ters and servants, rich and poor, humble and lofty, all mingle together without restraint-all cares are forgotten-and each one seems to glory in his own enjoyment and in that of his fellow-creatures. It is pleasant to find ourselves in such society, especially as it is rarely in one's life that such opportunities offer. Cast your eyes towards the side board, and there see that large bowl of punch, which the good wife is inviting her guests to partake of, with apples, oranges, biscuits, and other agreeable eatables in plenty. The hospitable master welcomes us with a smiling countenance and requests us to take seats and join one of the tables.

In due time some one enters to tell the company that supper is waiting in the next room. Thither we adjourn, and find the raised and mince pies, all sorts of tarts, and all cold-except the welcomes and entreaties-with cream, ale, &c., in abundance; in the midst of all a large goose pie, which seems to say come and cut again."

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After supper the party returns to the card room, sit there for two or three hours longer, and afterwards make the best of their way home, to take a good long nap, and prepare for the same scene the next night. At these "feasts" intoxication is entirely out of the question-it never happens.

Such are the innocent amusements of these people; and, hoping that you may some time have an opportunity of visiting this part of the country, and of being present in reality at the scenes I have described, I remain,

Sir, Yours respectfully,
A. W. R.

There is a pleasant little two-shilling volume, entitled "Christmas and the New Year; a masque for the fire side; by Edwin Lees; second edition," printed at Worcester. It contains the following

SIGNS OF CHRISTMAS.

When on the barn's thatch'd roof is seen
The moss in tufts of liveliest green;
When Roger to the wood pile goes,
And, as he turns, his fingers blows;
When all around is cold and drear,
Be sure that CHRISTMAS-TIDE is near.

When up the garden walk in vain
We seek for Flora's lovely train;

When the sweet hawthorn bower is bare,
And bleak and cheerless is the air;
When all seems desolate around,
CHRISTMAS advances o'er the ground.

When Tom at eve comes home from plough,
And brings the misletoe's green bough,
With milk-white berries spotted o'er,
And shakes it the sly maids before,
Then hangs the trophy up on high,
Be sure that CHRISTMAS-TIDE is nigh.
When Hal, the woodman, in his clogs,
Bears home the huge unwieldy logs,
That, hissing on the smould'ring fire,
Flames out at last a quiv'ring spire;
When in his hat the holly stands,
Old CHRISTMAS musters up his bands.
When cluster'd round the fire at night,
Old William talks of ghost and sprite,
And, as a distant out-house gate
Slams by the wind, they fearful wait,
While some each shadowy nook explore,
Then CHRISTMAS pauses at the door.
When Dick comes shiv'ring from the yard,
And says the pond is frozen hard,
While from his hat, all white with snow,
The moisture trickling drops below;
While carols sound, the night to cheer,
Then CHRISTMAS and his train are here.

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25th December, 1676, Sir Matthew Hale died. He was born at Olderlay, in Gloucestershire, the first of November, 1609. On entering life he thought upon seeking his fortune in the army, but was persuaded to relinquish his purpose, and follow the law, by Mr. Serjeant Grenville, who was conducting a suit for him at the time. On the 8th of November, 1629, he was admitted a student at Lincoln's Inn, and, by indefatigable industry and attention, he attained the highest honours of the profession.

Sir Matthew Hale was a judge of great ability and inflexible integrity. Two soldiers were tried before him for murder under the following circumstances. -An inhabitant of Lincoln who had been of the king's party was met with a fowling-piece in his hand, by one of the soldiers. The soldier told him that the protector's orders were that none of the king's party should be allowed to carry arms, and proceeded to force the fowlingpiece from him; they wrestled, till the man threw his opponent, and then walked away. The soldier met a comrade, to whom he related the circumstance, and they set off in search of the man, for the purpose of revenge. They found and attacked him; and, whilst one of the soldiers was struggling to get possession of the arms, the other went behind the stranger, and ran him through the body. The jury found one of the soldiers guilty of manslaughter, and the other of murder. Colonel Whaley, the commander of the garrison, attended in court, and stated that the Lincoln man had been killed in consequence of disobedience to the protector's orders, and therefore the soldier had merely performed his duty. But Hale was neither convinced by the colonel's arguments, nor daunted by his threats he passed sentence of death on the culprit, and ordered speedy execution lest a reprieve might be granted, and the ends of justice defeated.

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1st. That in the administration of justice I am intrusted for God, the king, and my country, and therefore 2ndly., That it be done first, uprightly; secondly, deliberately; thirdly, resolutely.

3rdly. That I rest not on my own understanding and strength, but implore and rest upon the directoin and strength of God.

4thly. That in the execution of justice I carefully lay aside my own passions, and not give way to them however provoked.

5thly. That I be wholly intent upon the business I am about, remitting all

other cares and thoughts as unseasonable interruptions.

6thly. That I suffer not myself to be prepossessed with any judgment at all, till the whole business and both parties be heard.

7thly. That I never engage myself at the beginning of any one cause, but reserve myself unprejudiced, till the whole be heard.

8thly. That in business capital, though my nature prompt me to pity, yet to consider that there is also a pity due to my country.

9thly. That I be not too rigid in matters purely conscientious, where all the harm is diversity of judgment. 10thly. That I be not biassed with compassion to the poor, nor favour for the rich, in points of justice.

11thly. That popular or court applause, or distaste, have no influence in any thing I do in point of distribution of justice.

12thly. Not to be solicitous what men will say or think, so long as I keep myself exactly according to the rules of justice.

13thly. If in criminals it be a measuring

cast, to incline to mercy and acquittal. 14thly. In criminals that consist merely in words, where no harm ensues, moderation is no injustice.

15thly. In criminals of blood, if the fact be evident, severity is justice. 16thly. To abhor all private solicitations, of what kind soever, and by whom soever, in matters depending. 17thly. To charge my servants, 1, not to interpose in any business whatsoever; 2, not to take more than their known fees; 3, not to give any undue precedence to causes; 4, not to recommend counsel.

18thly. To be short and sparing at meals, that I may be the fitter for business.

In Swan's Journal of a Voyage up the Mediterranean, 1826, is the following account of a Greek Christmas.-"Thursday January 6th, this being Christmas day with the Greek Catholics, their churches are adorned in the gayest' manner, I entered one, in which a sort of raree-show had been set up, illumed with a multitude of candles: the subject of it was the birth of Christ, who was represented in the back ground by a little waxen figure wrapped up in embroidery, and reclining

upon an embroidered cushion, which rested upon another of pink satin; this was supposed to be the manger where he was born. Behind the image two paper bulls' heads looked unutterable things. On the right was the virgin Mary, and on the left one of the eastern Magi. Paper clouds, in which the paper heads of numberless cherubs appeared, enveloped the whole; while from a pasteboard cottage stalked a wooden monk, with dogs, and sheep, and camels; goats, lions, and lambs; here walked a maiden upon a stratum of sods and dried earth, and there a shepherd flourishing aloft his pastoral staff. The construction of these august figures was chiefly Dutch: they were intermixed with china images and miserable daubs on paper. In the centre a real fountain, in miniature, squirted forth water to the ineffable delight of crowds of prostrate worshippers."

At Rouen, after the Te Deum, in the nocturnal office or vigil of Christmas, the ecclesiastics celebrated the "office of the shepherds" in the following manner :—

The image of the virgin Mary was placed in a stable prepared behind the altar. A boy from above, before the choir, in the likeness of an angel, announced the nativity to certain canons or vicars who entered as shepherds, through the great door of the choir, clothed in tunicks and amesses. Many boys in the vaults of the church, like angels, then began the

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"gloria in excelsis." The shepherds, hearing this, advanced to the stable, singing "peace, good will," &c. As soon as they entered it, two priests in dalmaticks, as if women (quasi obstetrices) who were stationed at the stable, said "Whom seek ye?" The shepherds answered, according to the angelic annunciation, Our Saviour Christ." The women then opening the curtain exhibited the boy, saying, "The little one is here as the prophet Isaiah said." They then showed the mother, saying, "Behold the Virgin," &c. Upon these exhibitions, they bowed and worshipped the boy, and saluted his mother. The office ended by their returning to the choir, and singing, Alleluia, &c.*

In catholic times, at Christmas, people presented loaves to the priest on the authority of the direction in Leviticus xxii. "You shall offer two loaves to the priest," &c. At feasts a whole boar (whence brawn at this season) was put upon the table, sometimes it was richly gilded.t The custom of bringing in the boar's head is well known, and to this day it is practised with much ceremony at Queen's College, Oxford. The following extract from the "Oxford Sausage" may be relished.

Fosbroke's British Monachism. + Ibid.

SONG.

IN HONOUR OF THE CELEBRATION OF THE BOAR'S HEAD, AT QUEEN'S COLLEGE, OXFORD.

"Tam Marti quam Mercurio."

I sing not of Roman or Grecian mad games,
The Pythian, Olympic, and such like hard names;
Your patience awhile, with submission I beg;

I strive but to honor the feast of Coll. Reg.

Derry down, down, down, derry down.

No Thracian brawls at our rites ere prevail,

We temper our mirth with plain sober mild ale;
The tricks of old Circe deter us from wine;

Though we honor a BOAR, we wont make ourselves swine.

Derry down, &c.

Great Milo was famous for slaying his ox,

Yet he prov'd but an ass in cleaving of blocks;
But we had a hero for all things was fit,

Our motto displays both his valor and wit.

Derry down, &c.

Stout Hercules labor'd, and look'd mighty big,'
When he slew the half-starved Erymanthian pig;
But we can relate such a stratagem taken,

That the stoutest of BOARS could not save his own bacon.

Derry down, &c.

So dreadful this bristle-back'd foe did appear,
You'd have sworn he had got the wrong pig by the ear,
But instead of avoiding the mouth of the beast,
He ramm'd in a volume, and cried-Græcum est.

In this gallant action such fortitude shown is,
As proves him no coward, nor tender Adonis ;
No armour but logic, by which we may find
That logic's the bulwark of body and mind.

Ye 'squires, that fear neither hills nor rough rocks,
And think you're full wise when you out-wit a fox;
Enrich your poor brains and expose them no more,
Learn Greek, and seek glory from hunting the BOAR.

[To Mr. Hone.]

The following is a brief extract concerning the festivities formerly observed on Christmas day at the Inner Temple. Service in the church being ended, the gentlemen presently repaired into the hall and breakfasted on brawn, mustard, and Malmsey. At the first course, at dinner, was served up a fair and large boreshead upon a silver platter, with minstralsye.* This custom is still observed at Queen's College Oxford, and tradition represents this usage as a commemoration of an act of valor performed by a student of the college who while walking in the neighbouring forest of Shotover and reading Aristotle was suddenly attacked by a wild boar. The furious beast came open mouthed upon the youth, who, however, very courageously, and with a happy presence of mind, is said to have rammed in the volume,' and cried Græcum est, fairly choking the savage with the sage.t

While king Richard I. lay before Acre, he was attacked by an ague so grievous that none of the leeches could effect its cure; when owing to the prayers of his loyal army he became convalescent, his first symptom of recovery was a violent

* This paragraph is in the Every-Day Book, but it could hardly have been omitted here without the narration appearing incomplete. J. F. R.

Wade's Walks in Oxford, vol. i. p. 128.

Derry down, &c.

Derry down, &c.

Derry down, &c.

longing for swine's flesh. None could be obtained; the cook therefore at the bidding of an old knight

"Takes a Saracen, young, and fat,
And sodden full hastily
With powdeer and with spicery,
And with saffron of good colour."

valid, who "eat the flesh and gnawed the and made a dainty dish for the royal inbone," and when he had satisfied his longing.

"His chamberlain him wrapped warm, He lay and slept, and swet a stound, And became whole and sound." Presently after Richard hearing with astonishment and indignation the cries of the enemy who seemed making their way to his tent, he flung himself on his steed, and rushing among the Paynims, felled every opponent with his fearful battle-ax. Saladin retreated with loss, and the king returned triumphantly to his camp, and when he had rested awhile, he craved his "soupere even "the head of that ilke swine," which he "of ate." Quoth the cook, "that head I ne have." Then said the king,

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"So God me save. But I see the head of that swine, Forsooth, thou shalt lessen thine !" The cook saw none other might be, He fetch'd the head, and let him see; He fell on knees, and made a cry, "Lo here the head! my lord, mercy!"

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Mr. Ritson, in his Observations on Warton's History of English Poetry, give the following from a MS.

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TEMPLE REVELS.

In the fourth year of the reign of queen Elizabeth, a magnificent Christmas was kept at the Inner Temple in which the lord Robert Dudley, afterwards earl of Leicester, was chief, under the title of Palaphitos, Prince of Sophie, High Constable Marshal of the Knights Templars, and Patron of the honourable order of Pegasus. Christopher Hatton, afterwards lord chancellor of England, was master of the game, with four masters of the revels, besides other officers to conduct the burlesque, and fourscore persons forming a guard. Gerard Leigh, who was present, and created a knight of Pegasus, describes, in his "Accidence of Armorie," the mock solemnity within the hall, and the public firing of double cannons, "in so great a number and so

terrible that it darkened the whole air."

There belonged to the office of the constable marshal a suit of gilt armour with a nest of feathers in the helm, and a fair pole-axe to bear in his hand. Dugdale sets forth the orders for making a Lord of Misrule, with feasting and dancing "round about the coal fire," and hunting in the hall with nine or ten couples of hounds a fox and a cat, both tied at the end of the pole, until they were killed beneath the fire.

In the ninth year of King Charles I. the four inns of court provided a Christmas mask, which cost £2400, and the king invited a hundred and twenty gentlemen of the four inns to a mask at Whitehall on Shrove Teusday following.

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