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"Both with the Christmas Boxe may well comply,
It nothing yields till broke; they till they dye."

In Browne's Map of the Microcosme (1642) we read of "a covetous wretch" that he "doth exceed in receiving, but is very deficient in giving; like the Christmas earthen Boxes of apprentices, apt to take in money, but he restores none till hee be broken like a potter's vessell into many shares." And in Mason's Handful of Essaies (1621) we find a similar thought-"Like a swine he never doth good till his death: as an apprentice's box of earth, apt he is to take all, but to restore none till hee be broken."

Aubrey, in the Introduction to his Natural History of the North Division of the County of North Wiltshire, describes a pot in which some Roman Denarii were found, as resembling in appearance “an apprentice's earthen Christmass Box."

The Athenian Oracle affirms that the Christmas Box money originated thus: The Romish priests had masses said for almost everything. If a ship went out to the Indies, the priests had a box in her, under the protection of some saint; and for masses to be said for them to that saint, the poor people had to put something into the priest's box, which was not opened till the ship's return. The mass at that time was called Christmass; and the box was called Christmass Box, or money gathered against that season, so that the priests might supplicate the saints to forgive the people their debaucheries. Thence servants had the liberty to get box money, that they too might be enabled to pay the priest for his masses, well knowing the truth of the proverb "No penny, no Pater Nosters."

In barbers' shops it long was the practice to set up against the wall, what was popularly called, a thrift box; into which every customer put something. Gay, in his Trivia, mentions the Christmas Box

"Some boys are rich by birth beyond all wants,
Belov'd by uncles, and kind, good, old aunts;

When Time comes round a Christmas Box they bear,
And one day makes them rich for all the year.'

Misson writes-" From Christmas Day till after Twelfth Day is a time of Christian rejoicing; a mixture of devotion and pleasure. They give treats, and make it their whole business to drive away melancholy. Whereas little presents from one another are made only on the first day of the year in France, they begin here at Christmas; and they are not so much presents from friend to friend, or from equal to equal (which is less practised in England now than formerly) as from superior to inferior. In the taverns the landlord gives part of what is eaten and drank in his house, that and the two next days; for instance, they reckon you for the wine, and tell you there is nothing to pay for bread, nor for your slice of Westphalia," i.e., ham. He had previously observed "The English and most other Protestant nations are utterly unacquainted with those diversions of the Carnival which are so famous at Venice, and known more or less in all other Roman Catholic countries. The great festival times here are from Christmas to Twelfth Day inclusive, at Easter, and at Whitsuntide.”

Cotgrave's English Treasury of Wit and Language (1655) has—

"Th' are sure fair gamesters use

To pay the Box well, especially at In and In.

Innes of Court Butlers would have but a

Bad Christmass of it else."

In Taylor's Wit and Mirth (1629) it is recorded-"One ask'd a fellow what Westminster Hall was like: Marry, quoth the other, it is like a Butler's Box at Christmas amongst gamesters, for whosoever loseth the box will be sure to be a winner."

The practice, however, of giving presents at Christmas was undoubtedly founded on the Pagan custom of New Year's gifts, with which in these times it is blended. Monsieur de Valois says that the Kings of France gave presents to their soldiers at this season.

SPORTS AND GAMES AT CHRISTMAS.

THE LORD OF MISRULE.

"Upon my life, I am a LORD, indeed;
And not a tinker, nor Christopher Sly.
Well, bring our lady hither to our sight:
And once again, a pot o' the smallest ale."

SHAKESPEARE.

IN his History of English Poetry, Warton tells us that in an original draft of the statutes of Trinity College at Cambridge, founded in 1546, one of the chapters is entitled "De Præfecto Ludorum qui IMPERATOR dicitur;" under whose direction and authority Latin comedies and tragedies were to be exhibited in the hall at Christmas ; as also Sex Spectacula, or as many dialogues.

With regard to the peculiar business and office of imperator, it was directed that one of the Masters of Arts should be placed over the juniors every Christmas, for the regulation of their games and diversions at that season of festivity. His sovereignty was to last during the twelve days of Christmas; and he was to exercise the same power on Candlemas Day. His fee was forty shillings.

The Status Scholæ Etonensis (1560) shows that the scholars used to act plays during the Christmas holidays.

In an audit-book of Trinity College, Oxford, for the year 1559, Warton found a disbursement "Pro prandio Principis NATALICH. A Christmas Prince, or Lord of Misrule, he adds, corresponding to the imperator at Cambridge, was a common temporary magistrate in the Colleges of Oxford.

Wood, in his Athenæ Oxonienses, referring to a manuscript which among other things contains The Description of the Christmas Prince of St John's College, whom the Juniors have annually for the most part elected from the first foundation of the College, writes"The custom was observed not only in that College, but in several other houses, particularly in Merton College, where, from the first foundation, the Fellows annually elected, about St. Edmund's Day, in November, a Christmas Lord, or Lord of Misrule, styled in the

Registers Rex Fabarum and Rex Regni Fabarum; which custom continued till the Reformation of Religion, and then, that producing Puritanism, and Puritanism Presbytery, the profession of it looked upon such laudable and ingenious customs as Popish, diabolical, and antichristian."

Thus far Wood, who gives us also the titles (ludicrous enough) assumed by Thomas Tooker, when he was elected Prince. They will not be thought foreign to our purpose. "The most magnificent and renowned Thomas, by the favour of Fortune, Prince of Alba Fortunata, Lord of St John's, High Regent of the Hall, Duke of St Giles's, Marquis of Magdalen's, Landgrave of the Grove, Count Palatine of the Cloysters, Chief Bailiff of Beaumont, High Ruler of Rome (Rome is a piece of land, so called, near to the end of the walk called non ultra, on the north side of Oxon), Master of the Manor of Walton, Governor of Gloucester Green, sole Commander of all Titles, Tournaments, and Triumphs, Superintendent in all Solemnities whatever." Probably the humour with which this bombast is so parsimoniously seasoned can only be relished by an Oxonian, well acquainted with the topography of that place and its environs.

When the Societies of the Law performed these shows within their own respective refectories, at Christmas, or any other festival, a Christmas prince or revel master was regularly appointed. In the record of a Christmas celebration in the Hall of the Middle Temple in the year 1635, the jurisdiction, privileges, and parade of this mock monarch are circumstantially described. He was attended by a lord keeper, a lord treasurer, with eight white staves, a captain of his band of pensioners, and of his guard; and by two chaplains, who were so seriously impressed with an idea of his regal dignity, that when they preached before him on the preceding Sunday in the Temple Church, on ascending the pulpit they saluted him with three low bows. He dined both in the hall and in his privy chamber, under a cloth of estate. The pole-axes for his gentlemen pensioners were borrowed of Lord Salisbury; Lord Holland, his temporary Justice in Eyre, supplied him with venison, on demand; and the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of London, with wine. On Twelfth Day, on going to church, he received many petitions, which he gave to his Master of Requests: and, like other kings, he had a favourite, whom with others, gentlemen of high quality, he knighted upon returning from church. expenses, defrayed from his own purse, amounted to two thousand pounds. After he was deposed, the king knighted him at Whitehall.

His

George Ferrers of Lincoln's Inn was Lord of Misrule for twelve days, when King Edward VI. kept his Christmas with open house at Greenwich in 1553, to His Majesty's great delight in the diversion. Dugdale, in his Origines, referring to the Fooleries of the Lord of Misrule in the Inner Temple on St Stephen's Day, says: "Supper ended, the Constable-Marshall presented himself with Drums afore him, mounted upon a scaffold born by four men, and goeth three times round about the harthe, crying out aloud,' A Lord, a Lord,' &c. Then he descendeth, and goeth to dance, &c., and after he call th his Court, every one by name, e.g., Sir Randle Rackabite, of RaskallHall in the County of Rake-hell, &c., &c. This done, the Lord of

Misrule addresseth himself to the Banquet: which ended with some Minstralsye, Mirth, and Dancing, every man departeth to rest.” In a Royal Household Account occurs the following article: " From 16 to 18 Nov. 8 Hen. VII. Item, to Walter Alwyn for the Revells at Christenmes xiij1. vj®. viijd.”

In the Northumberland Household Book we read: "Item my Lord useth and accustomyth to gyf yerely when his Lordship is home and hath an ABBOT of Miserewll in Christynmas in his Lordschippis Hous upon New-yers-day in rewarde― xxs."

The following curious passage is from Roper's Life of Sir Tho. More: "He was, by his Father's procurement, received into the House of the right reverend, wise, and learned prelate Cardinall Mourton, where (thoughe hee was yonge of yeares, yet) would he at Christmas Tyd sodenly sometymes stepp in among the Players, and never studinge for the matter, make a parte of his owne there presently amonge them, which made the lookers-on more sport than all the players besid. In whose witt and towardnesse the Cardinall much delightinge, would often say of him unto the Nobles that dyvers tymes dyned with him: "This child here wayting at the Table, who soever shall live to see it, will prove a marveilous man.'"

Langley's Translation of Polydore Vergil mentions "The Christemass Lordes, that be commonly made at the nativitee of our Lorde, to whom all the householde and familie, with the Master himself, must be obedient, began of the equabilitie that the Servauntes had with their Masters in Saturnus Feastes that were called Saturnalia : wherein the Servauntes have like autorite with their Masters duryng the tyme of the sayd Feastes."

Hinde, in his Life of John Bruen, an eminent Puritan, born about the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign, and who died in 1625, censures those gentlemen "who had much rather spend much of their estate in maintaining idle and base persons to serve their owne lusts and satisfie the humour of a rude and profane people as many do their Hors-riders, Faulkeners, Huntsmen, Lords of Misrule, Pipers, and Minstrels, rather to lead them and their followers (both in their publike Assemblies and private Families) a Dance about the Calfe, than such a Dance as David danced before the Arke, with spiritual rejoicing in God's mercies," &c.

Sir Thomas Urquhart, in The Discovery of a most exquisite Jewel found in the Kennel of Worcester Streets, the Day after the Fight (1651), says: "They may be said to use their King as about Christmas we use to do the King of Misrule;* whom we invest with that title to no other end, but to countenance the Bacchanalian riots and preposterous disorders of the Family where he is installed."

Christmas, writes Selden, succeeds the Saturnalia, the same time, the same number of holy days; when the Master waited upon the Servant like the Lord of Misrule.

In the feast of Christmas, says Stow in his Survey, "there was in the King's House, wheresoever he lodged, a Lord of Misrule, or Master

* Dugdale, in the Account of the grand Christmasses held in Lincolne's Inn, mentions the choosing "a king on Christmass Day."

of merry Disports, and the like had ye in the house of every nobleman of honour or good worship, were he spiritual or temporal. The Mayor of London and either of the Sheriffs had their several Lords of Misrule ever contending, without quarrel or offence, who should make the rarest pastime to delight the beholders. These Lords, beginning their rule at Allhallond Eve, continued the same till the morrow after the feast of the Purification, commonly called Candlemas Day; in which space there were fine and subtle disguisings, masks, and mummeries, with playing at Cards for Counters Nayles, and Points in every House, more for pastime than for gaine."

In Stow we read that Serjeant Vawce was Lord of Misrule to John Maynard, one of the Sheriffs of London in 1553.

The keeping a fool in a family to entertain them with his several pleasantries was anciently very common. The following passage is in Lodge's Wits Miserie, or the Devils Incarnate of this Age (1596): "He is like Captain Cloux' Foole of Lyons, that would needs die of the sullens, because his master would entertaine a new Foole besides himselfe."

The annexed is too curious an account of the Lord of Misrule to be omitted here. It is extracted from The Anatomie of Abuses, by Philip Stubbes (1585); who has been already noticed in the Account of May Customs as a rigid Puritan

"Firste, all the wilde heades of the parishe, conventynge together, chuse them a grand Capitaine (of mischeef) whom they innoble with the title of my Lorde of Misserule, and hym they crown with great solemnitie, and adopt for their kyng. This kyng anoynted, chuseth for the twentie, fourtie, three score, or a hundred lustie guttes like to hymself, to waite uppon his lordely majestie, and to guarde his noble persone. Then every one of these his menne he investeth with his liveries, of greene, yellowe, or some other light wanton colour. And as though that were not (baudie) gaudy enough I should saie, they bedecke themselves with scarffes, ribons, and laces, hanged all over with golde rynges, precious stones, and other jewelles: this doen, they tye about either legge twentie or fourtie belles with rich handekercheefes, in their handes, and sometymes laied acrosse over their shoulders and neckes, borrowed for the moste parte of their pretie Mopsies and loovying Bessies for bussyng them in the darcke. Thus thinges sette in order, they have their Hobbie horses, Dragons, and other antiques, together with their baudie Pipers, and thunderyng Drommers, to strike up the Deville's Daunce withall, then marche these Heathen companie towardes the Church and Churche yarde, their Pipers pipyng, Drommers thonderyng, their stumppes dauncyng, their Belles iynglyng, their handkerchefes swyngyng about their heades like madmen, their Hobbie horses, and other Monsters skyrmishyng amongest the throng and in this sorte they goe to the Churche (though the Minister bee at Praier or Preachyng), dauncyng and swingyng their handkercheefes over their heades, in the Churche, like Devilles incarnate, with suche a confused noise, that no man can heare his owne voice. Then the foolishe people, they looke,

:

* He means the morris dance.

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