Old English Sports, Pastimes and Customs Part 7

In the North of England every farmer gave two feasts, one called "the old folks' night," and the other "the young folks' night." The old Squire used to receive his tenants and neighbours at daybreak, when the black-jacks were pa.s.sed round, and woe betide the luckless cook who had overslept herself, and had not boiled the Hackin, or large sausage, ere the day dawned, for then she was seized by the arms and made to run round the market-place, or courtyard, until she was ashamed of her laziness.

And now let us enter the hall of some great baron and see how our ancestors kept a merry Christmas. The panelled walls, and stags'

horns, and gallery at one end of the great room were hung with holly and mistletoe. The Yule-log blazed upon the hearth, and then entered the va.s.sals, tenants, and servants of the lord to share in the Christmas banquet. Rank and ceremony were laid aside: all were deemed equal, whether lords or barons, serfs or peasants--a custom which arose, doubtless, from the remembrance of Him who on the first Christmas Day, "although He was rich, yet for our sakes became poor."

And now on the huge oaken table were placed the various dishes of the feast--a mighty boar's head, decorated with laurel and rosemary, whose approach was often heralded with trumpets as the king of the feast; then came a peac.o.c.k, stuffed with spices and sweet herbs, and adorned with its gay feathers, and then followed a goodly company of geese, capons, sirloins of beef, pheasants, mince-pies, and plum-porridge. A carol was often sung when the boar's head was brought in; here is one from the collection of Wynkyn de Worde:

Caput Apri defero Reddens laudes Domino, The Boar's Head in hand bring I With garlands gay and rosemary; I pray you all sing merrily Qui estis in convivio.

The Boar's Head, I understand, Is the chief service in this land; Look wherever it be fande: Servile c.u.m cantico.

Be glad, lords, both more and la.s.se, For this hath ordained our steward To cheer you all this Christma.s.se, The Boar's Head with mustard.[18]

Neither were the ale and wa.s.sail-bowl forgotten, and they circulated sometimes too often, I fear, and laid the seeds of gout and other evils, from which other generations suffer. But when the prodigious appet.i.tes of the company had been appeased, the maskers and mummers entered the hall and performed strange antics and a curious play, fragments of which have come down to our own time. The youths of the villages of England still come round at Christmas-time and act their mumming-drama, in which "St. George" kills a "Turkish knight," who is raised to life by "Medicine Man," and performs a very important part of the play--pa.s.sing round the money-box. This is a remnant of the mumming of ancient days, and perhaps of some "mystery" play, of which I told you in a previous chapter.

In Berkshire the characters are represented by "Molly," a stalwart man dressed in a woman's gown, shawl, and bonnet, with a besom in his hand, who strives in his dialogue to imitate a woman's voice; King George, a big burly man dressed as a knight, with a wooden sword and a home-made helmet; a French officer, with a c.o.c.ked hat and sword; a Doctor, who wears a pig-tail; Jack Vinny, a jester; Happy Jack, a humorous character dressed in tattered garments, and Old Beelzebub, who appears as Father Christmas. In some parts of the royal county the part of King George is taken by an "Africky king,"

and a Turkish knight instead of the French officer. Very curious are the words of the old play, and very ludicrous the representation when the parts are acted by competent players.

There was also in the baron's hall a great person dressed in a very fantastic garb, who was here, there, and everywhere, directing the mummers, making jokes to amuse the company, and looking after everybody. He was called the "Lord of Misrule." Sometimes his rule was harmless enough, and did good service in directing the revels; but often he was more worthy of his name, and was guilty of all kinds of absurd and mischievous pranks, which did great harm, and were very profane. But these were not part of the Christmas feast, where all was happiness and mirth. Sir Walter Scott says, in his description of the festival--

"England was merry England when Old Christmas brought his sports again; A Christmas gambol oft would cheer A poor man's heart through all the year."

All the old poets sing in praise of the great day which, as Herrick says, "sees December turned to May," and which makes the "chilling winter's morn smile like a field beset with corn." Old carols chant in reverent strains their homage to the infant Saviour: some reflect time-honoured customs and social joys when old age casts aside its solemnity and mingles once more in the light-hearted gaiety of youth, and all unite in chanting the praises of this happy festival.

The poet Withers sings--

"Lo! now is come our joyful'st feast!

Let every man be jolly; Each room with ivy leaves is drest, And every post with holly.

"Now all our neighbours' chimneys smoke, And Christmas blocks are burning; Their ovens they with baked meats choke, And all their spits are turning.

"Without the door let sorrow lie, And if, for cold, it has to die, We'll bury it in Christmas pie, And evermore be merry."

Thus the happy night was spent; and if, like grave elders, we look down upon these frolics of a younger age, and think ourselves so much wiser and better than our forefathers, we should not forget the benefits which come from open-handed hospitality, goodwill, and simple manners, nor scornfully regard honest merriment and light-hearted gaiety. A light heart is generally not far removed from a holy heart.

Yes, England was merry England then; and although there were plenty of troubles in those days, when plagues decimated whole villages, when wars were frequent, food scarce, and oppression common, yet the Christmas festivities, the varieties of sports and pastimes which each season provided, the homely customs and bonds of union between cla.s.s and cla.s.s which these observances strengthened, added brightness to the lives of our simple forefathers, who might otherwise have sunk beneath the burdens of their daily toil. We have seen how many customs and sports, which were at first simple and harmless, degenerated and were abused: we have noticed some of the bad features of these ancient pastimes, such as cruelty to animals and intemperance; and are thankful that there is some improvement manifest in these respects. But it is interesting to witness again in imagination the scenes that once took place in our market-places and on our village greens; and, if it be impossible to restore again the glories of May Day and the brightness of the Christmas feast, we may still find plenty of harmless and innocent recreation, and learn to be merry, and at the same time wise.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: Although the 1st of January was popularly regarded as the beginning of the year from early times, it was not until 1752 A.D. that the legal commencement of the year was changed from March 25th to the former date.]

[Footnote 2: These fires signified our Saviour and the Twelve Apostles. One of the fires, which represented Judas, the traitor, was extinguished soon after it was lighted, and the materials of the fire kicked about.]

[Footnote 3: The distaff was the staff which held the flax or wool in spinning. All maidens were engaged in this occupation, and a "spinster" (_i.e._ one who spins) is still the legal term for an unmarried woman.]

[Footnote 4: St. Blaize (or Blasius) was Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia, and was martyred 316 A.D. His flesh was torn with iron combs, so the wool-staplers have adopted him as their patron saint.]

[Footnote 5: _Shrove-tide_ and _Shrove Tuesday_ derive their names from the ancient practice of confessing one's sins on that day. _To be shriven,_ or _shrove_, means to obtain absolution from one's sin.]

[Footnote 6: It was practised as late as the end of the last century.]

[Footnote 7: So called from the Gospel of the day, which treats of the feeding of the five thousand.--_Cf_. Wheatley on Prayer-book.]

[Footnote 8: The caber is a small tree, or beam, heavier at one end than the other. The performer holds this perpendicularly, with the smaller end downwards, and his object is to toss it so as to make it fall on the other end.]

[Footnote 9: _A Pleasant Grove of New Fancies_, 1637.]

[Footnote 10: Sometimes the May Queen did not consort with morris-dancers, but sat in solitary state under a canopy of boughs.]

[Footnote 11: A Correspondence in _Athenaeum_, Sept. 20, 1890.]

[Footnote 12: The same story is told of Willes, who is supposed by some cricketers to be the inventor of the modern style of delivery.]

[Footnote 13: The word _fair_ is derived from the ecclesiastical term, _feria_, a holiday.]

[Footnote 14: _Cf._ Govett's _King's Book of Sports_, and _Tom Brown's Schooldays,_ to which I am indebted for the above accurate description of back-sword play.]

[Footnote 15: I am indebted for this description to Mr. W. Andrews'

interesting book on the _Curiosities of the Church_.]

[Footnote 16: Cf. _Annals of Winchcombe and Sudeley_, by Mrs.

Dent.]

[Footnote 17: Cf. _Glossary of Berkshire Words and Phrases_, by Major B. Lowsley, R.E.]

[Footnote 18: The custom of bringing in the boar's head is still preserved at Queen's College, Oxford. The story is told of a student of the college who was attacked by a wild boar while he was diligently studying Aristotle during a walk near Shotover Hill. His book was his only means of defence, so he thrust the volume down the animal's throat, exclaiming, "It is Greek!" The boar found Greek very difficult to digest, and died on the spot, and the head was brought home in triumph by the student. Ever since that date, for five hundred years, a boar's head has graced the college table at Christmas.]