A Righte Merrie Christmasse Part 6

In Tegg's _Dictionary of Chronology_, 1530 is given, but no authority for the statement is adduced; Machyn, in his diary, is more definite "[the xij. day of January 1556-7, in Alderman Draper's ward called]

chordwenerstrett ward, a belle man [went about] with a belle at evere lane, and at the ward [end to] gyff warnyng of ffyre and candyll lyght, [and to help the] poure, and pray for the ded." Their cry being, "Take care of your fire and candle, be charitable to the poor, and pray for the dead."

Shakespeare knew him, for in _Macbeth_ (Act II. sc. 2) he says:

It was the owl that shriek'd, the fatal bell man, Which gives the stern'st good night.

And Milton mentions him in _Il Penseroso_:

Or the bellman's drowsy charm, To bless the doors from nightly harm.

Herrick also celebrates _The Bellman_:

From noise of Scare-fires rest ye free, From Murders _Benedicite_.

From all mischances, that may fright Your pleasing slumbers in the night; Mercie secure ye all, and keep The Goblin from ye, while ye sleep.

Past one o'clock, and almost two, My Masters all, _Good day to you_.

On the t.i.tle page of Decker's _Belman of London_ (ed. 1608) we have a woodcut giving a vivid portrait of the Bellman going his nightly rounds with his pike upon his shoulder, a horn lanthorn, with a candle inside, in one hand, and his bell, which is attached by a strap to his girdle, in the other hand, his faithful dog following him in his nightly rounds. In his _Lanthorne and Candle light; or The Bell-man's second Night's walke_, ed. 1608, the t.i.tle page gives us a totally different type of Bellman, carrying both bell and lanthorn, but bearing no pike, nor is he accompanied by a dog. In his _O per se O_, ed. 1612, is another type of Bellman, with lanthorn, bell, and brown bill on his shoulder, but no dog. And in his _Villanies Discovered by Lanthorne and Candle Light_, etc., ed. 1620, we have two more and yet different Bellmen, one with bell, lanthorn, and bill, followed by a dog; the other (a very rough wood cut) does not give him his four-footed friend. This is the heading to the "Belman's Cry":

Men and Children, Maides and Wives, 'Tis not late to mend your lives:

When you heare this ringing Bell, Think it is your latest knell: When I cry, Maide in your Smocke, Doe not take it for a mocke: Well I meane, if well 'tis taken, I would have you still awaken: Foure a Clocke, the c.o.c.k is crowing I must to my home be going: When all other men doe rise, Then must I shut up mine eyes.

He was a person of such importance, that in 1716 Vincent Bourne composed a long Latin poem in praise of one of the fraternity: "Ad Davidem Cook, Westmonasterii Custodem Nocturnum et Vigilantissimum,"

a translation of which runs thus, in the last few lines:

Should you and your dog ever call at my door, You'll be welcome, I promise you, n.o.body more.

May you call at a thousand each year that you live, A shilling, at least, may each householder give; May the "Merry Old Christmas" you wish us, befal, And your self, and your dog, be the merriest of all!

At Christ-tide it was their custom to leave a copy of verses, mostly of Scriptural character, and generally very sorry stuff, at every house on their beat, with a view to receiving a Christmas box; and this was an old custom, for Gay notices it in his _Trivia_ (book ii.) written in 1715:

Behold that narrow street which steep descends, Whose building to the slimy sh.o.r.e extends; Here Arundel's fam'd structure rear'd its frame, The street, alone, retains the empty name; Where t.i.tian's glowing paint the canva.s.s warm'd, And Raphael's fair design, with judgment, charm'd, Now hangs the _bellman's song_, and pasted here The coloured prints of Overton appear.

Another ante-Christmas custom now falling into desuetude is the waits, who originally were musical watchmen, who had to give practical evidence of their vigilance by playing on the hautboy, or flageolet, at stated times during the night. In the household of Edward IV. there is mentioned in the _Liber niger Domus Regis_, "A Wayte, that nightely from Mychelmas to Shreve Thorsdaye, _pipe the watch_ within this courte fowere tymes; in the Somere nightes three tymes, and maketh _bon gayte_ at every chambre doare and offyce, as well for feare of pyckeres and pillers."[25]

[Footnote 25: Pickers and stealers.]

These waits afterwards became bands of musicians, who were ready to play at any festivities, such as weddings, etc., and almost every city and town had its band of waits; the City of London had its Corporation Waits, which played before the Lord Mayor in his inaugural procession, and at banquets and other festivities. They wore blue gowns, red sleeves and caps, and every one had a silver collar about his neck.

Ned Ward thus describes them in his _London Spy_ (1703).

"At last bolted out from the corner of a street, with an _ignis fatuus_ dancing before them, a parcel of strange hobgoblins, covered with long frieze rugs and blankets, hooped round with leather girdles from their cruppers to their shoulders, and their noddles b.u.t.toned up into caps of martial figure, like a Knight Errant at tilt and tournament, with his wooden head locked in an iron helmet; one, armed, as I thought with a l.u.s.ty f.a.ggot-bat, and the rest with strange wooden weapons in their hands, in the shape of clyster pipes, but as long almost as speaking trumpets. Of a sudden they clapped them to their mouths, and made such a frightful yelling that I thought _he_ would have been dissolving, and the terrible sound of the last trumpet to be within an inch of my ears.... 'Why, what,' says he, 'don't you love musick? These are the topping tooters of the town, and have gowns, silver chains and salaries for playing _Lilli-borlero_ to my Lord Mayor's horse through the City.'"

That these Corporation Waits were no mean musicians we have the authority of Morley, who, in dedicating his _Consort Lessons_ to the Lord Mayor and Aldermen in 1599, says:

"As the ancient custom of this most honourable and renowned city hath been ever to retain and maintain excellent and expert musicians to adorn your Honours' favours, feasts and solemn meetings--to these, your Lordships' Wayts, I recommend the same--to your servants' careful and skilful handling."

These concert lessons were arranged for six instruments--viz. two viols (treble and ba.s.s), a flute, a cittern (a kind of guitar, strung with wire), a treble lute, and a pandora, which was a large instrument, similar to a lute, but strung with wire in lieu of catgut.

The following is a description of the York Waits, end of seventeenth century:

In a Winter's morning, Long before the dawning, 'Ere the c.o.c.k did crow, Or stars their light withdraw, Wak'd by a hornpipe pretty, Play'd along York City, By th' help of o'er night's bottle Damon made this ditty....

In a winter's night, By moon or lanthorn light, Through hail, rain, frost, or snow Their rounds the music go; Clad each in frieze or blanket (For either, heav'n be thanked), Lin'd with wine a quart, Or ale a double tankard.

Burglars send away, And, bar guests dare not stay; Of claret, snoring sots Dream o'er their pipes and pots,

Candles, four in the pound, Lead up the jolly Round, While Cornet shrill i' th' middle Marches, and merry fiddle, Curtal with deep hum, hum, Cries we come, come, And theorbo loudly answers, Thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum.

But, their fingers frost-nipt, So many notes are o'erslipt, That you'd take sometimes The Waits for the Minster chimes: Then, Sirs, to hear their musick Would make both me and you sick, And much more to hear a roopy fiddler call (With voice, as Moll would cry, "Come, shrimps, or c.o.c.kles buy").

"Past three, fair frosty morn, Good morrow, my masters all."

With regard to their modern practice of playing during the night-tide, we find the following explanation in an _Essay on the Musical Waits at Christmas_, by John Cleland, 1766. Speaking of the Druids, he says: "But, whatever were their reasons for this preference, it is out of doubt that they generally chose the dead of night for the celebration of their greatest solemnities and festivals. Such a.s.semblies, then, whether of religion, of ceremony, or of mere merriment, were promiscuously called _Wakes_, from their being nocturnal. The master of the _Revels_ (_Reveils_) would, in good old English, be termed the Master of the _Wakes_. In short, such nocturnal meetings are the _Wakes_ of the Britons; the _Reveillons_ of the French; the _Medianoche_ of the Spaniards; and the _Pervigilia_ of the Romans. The Custom of _Wakes_ at burials (_les vigiles des morts_) is at this moment, in many parts, not discontinued.

"But, at the antient _Yule_ (or Christmas time, especially), the dreariness of the weather, the length of the night, would naturally require something extraordinary, to wake and rouse men from their natural inclination to rest, and to a warm bed, at that hour. The summons, then, to the _Wakes_ of that season were given by music, going the rounds of invitation to the mirth or festivals which were awaiting them. In this there was some propriety, some object; but where is there any in such a solemn piece of banter as that of music going the rounds and disturbing people in vain? For, surely, any meditation to be thereby excited on the holiness of the ensuing day could hardly be of great avail, in a bed, between sleeping and waking.

But such is the power of custom to perpetuate absurdities.

"However, the music was called _The Wakeths_, and, by the usual tendency of language to euphony, softened into _Waits_, as _workth_ into _wort_, or _checkths_ into _chess_, etc."

Another authority, Jones, in his _Welsh Bards_, 1794, says: "Waits are musicians of the lower order, who commonly perform on Wind instruments, and they play in most towns under the windows of the chief inhabitants, at midnight, a short time before Christmas; for which they collect a Christmas box, from house to house. They are said to derive their name of _Waits_, for being always in waiting to celebrate weddings and other joyous events happening within their district. There is a building at Newcastle called _Waits' Tower_, which was, formerly, the meeting-house of the town band of musicians."

The town waits certainly existed in Westminster as late as 1822, and they were elected by the Court of Burgesses of that city--_vide_ a magazine cutting of that date: "_Christmas Waits_.--Charles Clapp, Benjamin Jackson, Denis Jelks, and Robert Prinset, were brought to Bow Street Office by O. Bond, the constable, charged with performing on several musical instruments in St. Martin's Lane, at half-past twelve o'clock this morning, by Mr. Munroe, the authorized princ.i.p.al Wait, appointed by the Court of Burgesses for the City and Liberty of Westminster, who alone considers himself ent.i.tled, by his appointment, to apply for Christmas boxes. He also urged that the prisoners, acting as Minstrels, came under the meaning of the Vagrant Act, alluded to in the 17th Geo. II.; however, on reference to the last Vagrant Act of the present king, the word 'minstrels' is omitted; consequently, they are no longer cognizable under that Act of Parliament; and, in addition to that, Mr. Charles Clapp, one of the prisoners, produced his indenture of having served seven years as an apprentice to the profession of a musician to Mr. Clay, who held the same appointment as Mr. Munroe does under the Court of Burgesses. The prisoners were discharged, after receiving an admonition from Mr. Halls, the sitting magistrate, not to collect Christmas boxes."

In an article, "Concerning Christmas," in _Belgravia_ (vol. 6, new series, p. 326), we read: "It may not, perhaps, be generally known that, in the year of grace 1871, 'Waits' are regularly sworn before the Court of Burgesses at Westminster, and act under the authority of a warrant, signed by the clerk, and sealed with the arms of the city and liberty; in addition to which they are bound to provide themselves with a silver badge, also bearing the arms of Westminster."

The modern waits have entirely departed from any pretence of allusion to Christ-tide, and play indifferently the last things out in dance music, operatic airs, or music-hall songs; and they act upon people according to their various temperaments, some liking to "hear the waits," whilst others roundly anathematise them for disturbing their slumbers.

CHAPTER IX

Christ-tide Carols--The days of Yule--A Carol for Christ-tide--"Lullaby"--The Cherry-tree Carol--Dives and Lazarus.

The singing of carols is now confined to Christmas day; but it was not always so, appropriate carols being sung during the Christ-tide preceding the day of the Nativity--such, for instance, as the following examples. The first is taken from Sloane MS. 2593, in the British Museum, and in this one I have preserved the old spelling, which is ascribed to the time of Henry VI. It will be seen that Christ-tide is prolonged till Candlemas day, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is kept on the 2nd of February, on which day all Christ-tide decorations are taken down.

Make we myrth For Crystes byrth, And syng we 3ole[26] tyl Candelmes.

The fyrst day of 3ole have we in mynd, How G.o.d was man born of oure kynd: For he the bondes wold onbynd Of all oure synnes and wykednes.

The secund day we syng of Stevene, That stoned and steyyd up even To G.o.d that he saw stond in hevyn, And crounned was for hys prouesse.

The iij day longeth to sent Johan, That was Cristys darlyng, derer non, Whom he betok, whan he shuld gon, Hys moder der for hyr clennesse,

The iiij day of the chyldren 3ong, That Herowd to deth had do with wrong, And Crist thei coud non tell with tong, But with ther blod bar hym wytnesse.

The v day longeth to sent Thomas,[27]

That as a strong pyller of bras, Held up the chyrch, and sclayn he was, For he sted with ry3twesnesse.