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Christmas with the Poets :

A COLLECTION OF

SONGS, CAROLS, AND DESCRIPTIVE VERSES,

RELATING TO THE FESTIVAL OF CHRISTMAS,

FROM THE ANGLO-NORMAN PERIOD TO THE PRESENT TIME.

EMBELLISHED

WITH FIFTY-THREE TINTED ILLUSTRATIONS BY BIRKET FOSTER,

AND WITH INITIAL LETTERS AND OTHER ORNAMENTS.

"This Book of Christmas should be a sound and good persuasion for gentlemen, and all wealthy men, to keep a good Christmas."-A Ha! Christmas, 1647.

LONDON:

DAVID BOGUE, 86, FLEET STREET,

MDCCCLII.

280. d. 39.

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OME ingenious critic will probably discover that many of the verses in the present collection are unworthy to take rank as "poems," and will accordingly call the Editor to account for having in his selections departed from the strict letter of the title of his work. Following numerous illustrious examples, the Editor ventures to anticipate criticism--to the extent of pointing out the above inconsistency; excusing himself, however, at the same time, by stating that every Song, Carol, or Descriptive piece in the present collection, which does not merit the higher appellation of Poem, will be found to illustrate in some degree an interesting by-gone custom, or to describe some feature worth preserving, connected with the Christmas celebrations of past or present times. And he feels that, if he could justify all his other shortcomings as readily as he can the one in question, it will be conceded that he has performed his task in a far more perfect manner than he can now venture to lay claim to. The Editor would here desire to state that it cannot but be gratifying to him to find that, in spite of the disadvantages under which the first edition of the present work made its appearance, a second impression has been called for. He believes that this can boast of various improvements; the most important of which are several new designs from the pencil of his talented friend, Mr. Birket Foster.

H. V.

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