Christmas: Its Origin and Associations Part 31

THE CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES

Brand says that in "Batt upon Batt," a Poem by a Person of Quality (1694), speaking of Batt's carving knives and other implements, the author asks:--

"Without their help, who can good Christmas keep?

Our teeth would chatter and our eyes would weep; Hunger and dullness would invade our feasts, Did not Batt find us arms against such guests.

He is the cunning engineer, whose skill Makes fools to carve the goose, and shape the quill: Fancy and wit unto our meals supplies: Carols, and not minc'd-meat, make Christmas pies.

'Tis mirth, not dishes, sets a table off; Brutes and Phanaticks eat, and never laugh.

When _brawn, with powdred wig_, comes swaggering in, And mighty serjeant ushers in the Chine, What ought a wise man first to think upon?

Have I my Tools? if not, I am undone: For 'tis a law concerns both saint and sinner, He that hath no knife must have no dinner.

So he falls on; pig, goose, and capon, feel The goodness of his stomach and Batt's steel.

In such fierce frays, alas! there no remorse is; All flesh is gra.s.s, which makes men feed like horses: But when the battle's done, _off goes the hat_, And each man sheaths, with G.o.d-a-mercy Batt.'"

"Batt upon Batt" also gives the following account of the Christmas Gambols in 1694:--

"O mortal man! is eating all you do At Christ-Tide? or the making Sing-songs? No: Our Batt can _dance_, play at _high Jinks with Dice_, At any primitive, orthodoxal Vice.

_Shooing the wild Mare, tumbling the young Wenches, Drinking all Night_, and sleeping on the Benches.

Shew me a man can _shuffle fair and cut_, Yet always _have three Trays in hand at Putt_: Shew me a man can _turn up Noddy_ still, And _deal himself three Fives too_ when he will: Conclude with _one and thirty, and a Pair_, Never fail _Ten in stock_, and yet play fair, If Batt be not that Wight, I lose my aim."

Another enumeration of the festive sports of this season occurs (says Brand) in a poem ent.i.tled Christmas--

"Young Men and Maidens, now At _Feed the Dove_ (with laurel leaf in mouth) Or _Blindman's Buff_, or _Hunt the Slipper_ play, Replete with glee. Some, haply, _Cards_ adopt; Of it to _Forfeits_ they the Sport confine, The happy Folk, adjacent to the fire, Their Stations take; excepting one alone.

(Sometimes the social Mistress of the house) Who sits within the centre of the room, To cry the p.a.w.ns; much is the laughter, now, Of such as can't the Christmas Catch repeat, And who, perchance, are sentenc'd to salute The jetty beauties of the chimney black, Or Lady's shoe: others, more lucky far, By hap or favour, meet a sweeter doom, And on each fair-one's lovely lips imprint The ardent kiss."

_Poor Robin's Almanack_ (1695) thus rejoices at the return of the festival:--

"Now thrice welcome, Christmas, Which brings us good cheer, Minc'd-pies and plumb-porridge, Good ale and strong beer; With pig, goose, and capon, The best that may be, So well doth the weather And our stomachs agree.

Observe how the chimneys Do smoak all about, The cooks are providing For dinner, no doubt; But those on whose tables No victuals appear, O may they keep Lent All the rest of the year!

With holly and ivy So green and so gay; We deck up our houses As fresh as the day, With bays and rosemary, And laurel compleat, And every one now Is a king in conceit.

But as for curmudgeons, Who will not be free, I wish they may die On the three-legged tree."

At Christmastide, 1696, an Act of Attainder was pa.s.sed against Sir John Fenwick, one of the most ardent of the Jacobite conspirators who took part in the plot to a.s.sa.s.sinate the King. He was executed on Tower Hill, January 28, 1697. This was the last instance in English history in which a person was attainted by Act of Parliament, and Hallam's opinion of this Act of Attainder is that "it did not, like some acts of attainder, inflict a punishment beyond the offence, but supplied the deficiency of legal evidence."

Peter the Great, of Russia, kept the Christmas of 1697 in England, residing at Sayes Court, a house of the celebrated John Evelyn, close to Deptford Dockyard.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

CHRISTMAS, 1701.

[From _Poor Robin's Almanack_.]

Now enter Christmas like a man, Armed with spit and dripping-pan, Attended with pasty, plum-pie, Puddings, plum-porridge, furmity; With beef, pork, mutton of each sort More than my pen can make report; Pig, swan, goose, rabbits, partridge, teal, With legs and loins and b.r.e.a.s.t.s of veal: But above all the minced pies Must mention'd be in any wise, Or else my Muse were much to blame, Since they from Christmas take their name.

With these, or any one of these, A man may dine well if he please; Yet this must well be understood,-- Though one of these be singly good, Yet more the merrier is the best As well of dishes as of guest.

But the times are grown so bad Scarce one dish for the poor is had; Good housekeeping is laid aside, And all is spent to maintain pride; Good works are counted popish, and Small charity is in the land.

A man may sooner (truth I tell ye) Break his own neck than fill his belly.

Good G.o.d amend what is amiss And send a remedy to this, That Christmas day again may rise And we enjoy our Christmas pies.

The Christmas customs of this period are thus referred to by the "Bellman, on Christmas Eve":--

"This night (you may my Almanack believe) Is the return of famous Christmas Eve: Ye virgins then your cleanly rooms prepare, And let the windows bays and laurels wear; Your _Rosemary_ preserve to dress your _Beef_, Not forget me, which I advise in chief."

[Ill.u.s.tration]

CHRISTMAS, AT HADDON HALL,

was magnificently kept in the early part of the eighteenth century.

The amount of good cheer that was required for the table may be readily imagined from the magnitude of the culinary furniture in the kitchen--two vast fireplaces, with irons for sustaining a surprising number of spits, and several enormous chopping-blocks--which survived to the nineteenth century. John, the ninth Earl and first Duke of Rutland (created Marquis of Granby and Duke of Rutland in 1703), revived in the ancient spirit the hospitality of Christmastide. He kept sevenscore servants, and his twelve days' feasts at Christmas recalled the bountiful celebrations of the "King of the Peak," Sir George Vernon--the last male heir of the Vernon family in Derbys.h.i.+re who inherited the manor of Haddon, and who died in the seventh year of Queen Elizabeth's reign. "The King of the Peak" was the father of the charming Dorothy Vernon, the fair heiress, whose romantic elopement is thus depicted in "Picturesque Europe":--"In the fullness of time Dorothy loved, but her father did not approve. She determined to elope; and now we must fill, in fancy, the Long Gallery with the splendour of a revel and the stately joy of a great ball in the time of Elizabeth. In the midst of the noise and excitement the fair young daughter of the house steals un.o.bserved away. She issues from _her_ door, and her light feet fly with tremulous speed along the darkling Terrace, flecked with light from the blazing ball-room, till they reach a postern in the wall, which opens upon the void of the night outside dancing Haddon. At that postern some one is waiting eagerly for her; waiting with swift horses. That some one is young Sir John Manners, second son of the House of Rutland, and her own true love.

The anxious lovers mount, and ride rapidly and silently away; and so Dorothy Vernon transfers Haddon to the owners of Belvoir; and the boar's head of Vernon becomes mingled, at Haddon, with the peac.o.c.k of Manners. We fancy with sympathetic pleasure that night-ride and the hurried marriage; and--forgetting that the thing happened 'ages long agone'--we wish, with full hearts, all happiness to the dear and charming Dorothy!"

From the boar's head of Vernon and the peac.o.c.k of Manners, thought pa.s.ses quite naturally to the boar's head and peac.o.c.k, which were princ.i.p.al items of Christmas fare in the olden time.

In her "Collected Writings," Janetta, d.u.c.h.ess of Rutland, gives an interesting account of a revival of some of the ancient glories of Haddon:

"In the winter of 1872 the late Duke entertained the Prince and Princess of Wales in the banqueting hall at luncheon, when the boar's head and peac.o.c.k in pride were carried in, and formed part of the fare, as in olden days: while once more musicians filled the minstrels' gallery, great logs blazed in the huge fireplace, and scarlet hangings were spread over the walls."

[Ill.u.s.tration: AN ANCIENT FIREPLACE.]

On the 20th of February, 1702, King William III. fell from his horse, breaking his collar-bone and sustaining other serious injuries, which terminated fatally on Sunday, the 8th of March. He was succeeded by Queen Anne, who was the second daughter of King James II., and the last of the Stuart sovereigns.

QUEEN ANNE KEPT A ROYAL CHRISTMAS

at Windsor, in 1703, and entertained the new King of Spain, who arrived at Spithead on the 26th of December. "The Queen dispatched the Dukes of Somerset and Marlborough to conduct him to Windsor, and Prince George met him on the way at Petworth, the seat of the Duke of Somerset, and conducted him to Windsor on the 29th. The King was entertained in great state for three days at Windsor, during which time he was politic enough to ingratiate himself with the d.u.c.h.ess of Marlborough. When the d.u.c.h.ess presented the basin and napkin after supper to the Queen for her to wash her hands, the King gallantly took the napkin and held it himself, and on returning it to the Queen's great favourite, he presented her with a superb diamond ring. After three days the King returned to Portsmouth, and on the 4th of January, 1704, he embarked on board the fleet commanded by Sir George Rooke, for Portugal, accompanied by a body of land forces under the Duke of Schomberg. The voyage was, however, a most stormy one, and when the fleet had nearly reached Cape Finisterre, it was compelled to put back to Spithead, where it remained till the middle of February. His next attempt was more successful, and he landed in Lisbon amid much popular demonstration, though the court itself was sunk in sorrow by the death of the Infanta, whom he went to marry."[75]

At the Christmas festivities the following year (1704) there were great rejoicings over the return home of the Duke of Marlborough from the continental wars. "He arrived in England in the middle of December, carrying with him Marshal Tallard and the rest of the distinguished officers, with the standards and other trophies of his victories. He was received with acclaim by all cla.s.ses, except a few Ultra Tories, who threatened to impeach him for his rash march to the Danube. As Parliament had a.s.sembled, Marlborough took his seat in the House of Peers the day after his arrival, where he was complimented on his magnificent success by the Lord Keeper. This was followed by a deputation with a vote of thanks from the Commons, and by similar honours from the City. But perhaps the most palpable triumph of Marlborough was the transferring of the military trophies which he had taken from the Tower, where they were first deposited, to Westminster Hall. This was done by each soldier carrying a standard or other trophy, amid the thunders of artillery and the hurrahs of the people; such a spectacle never having been witnessed since the days of the Spanish Armada. The Royal Manor of Woodstock was granted him, and Blenheim Mansion erected at the cost of the nation."

CHRISTMAS-KEEPING IN THE COUNTRY.

The country squire of three hundred a year, an independent gentleman in the reign of Queen Anne, is described as having "never played at cards but at Christmas, when the family pack was produced from the mantle-piece." "His chief drink the year round was generally ale, except at this season, the 5th of November, or some gala days, when he would make a bowl of strong brandy punch, garnished with a toast and nutmeg. In the corner of his hall, by the fireside, stood a large wooden two-armed chair, with a cus.h.i.+on, and within the chimney corner were a couple of seats. Here, at Christmas, he entertained his tenants, a.s.sembled round a glowing fire, made of the roots of trees, and other great logs, and told and heard the traditionary tales of the village, respecting ghosts and witches, till fear made them afraid to move. In the meantime the jorum of ale was in continual circulation."[76]

"This is Yuletide! Bring the holly boughs, Deck the old mansion with its berries red; Bring in the mistletoe, that lover's vows Be sweetly sealed the while it hangs o'erhead.

Pile on the logs, fresh gathered from the wood, And let the firelight dance upon the walls, The while we tell the stories of the good, The brave, the n.o.ble, that the past recalls."[77]

Many interesting tales respecting the manners and customs of the eighteenth century are given by Steele and Addison in their well-known series of papers ent.i.tled the _Spectator_. Charity and hospitality are conspicuous traits of the typical country gentleman of the period, Sir Roger de Coverley. "Sir Roger," says the _Spectator_, "after the laudable custom of his ancestors, always keeps open house at Christmas. I learned from him, that he had killed eight fat hogs for this season; that he had dealt about his chines very liberally amongst his neighbours; and that in particular he had sent a string of hog's puddings with a pack of cards to every poor family in the parish. 'I have often thought,' says Sir Roger, 'it happens well that Christmas should fall out in the middle of winter. It is the most dead uncomfortable time of the year, when the poor people would suffer very much from their poverty and cold, if they had not good cheer, warm fires, and Christmas gambols to support them. I love to rejoice their poor hearts at this season, and to see the whole village merry in my great hall. I allow a double quant.i.ty of malt to my small beer, and set it running for twelve days to every one that calls for it. I have always a piece of cold beef and a mince-pie upon the table, and am wonderfully pleased to see my tenants pa.s.s away a whole evening in playing their innocent tricks, and s.m.u.tting one another. Our friend Will Wimble is as merry as any of them, and shows a thousand roguish tricks upon these occasions."

Puppet-shows and other scenic exhibitions with moving figures were among the Christmas amus.e.m.e.nts in the reign of Queen Anne. Strutt quotes a description of such an exhibition "by the manager of a show exhibited at the great house in the Strand, over against the Globe Tavern, near Hungerford Market; the best places at one s.h.i.+lling and the others at sixpence each: 'To be seen, the greatest Piece of Curiosity that ever arrived in England, being made by a famous engineer from the camp before Lisle, who, with great labour and industry, has collected into a moving picture the following figures: first, it doth represent the confederate camp, and the army lying intrenched before the town; secondly, the convoys and the mules with Prince Eugene's baggage; thirdly, the English forces commanded by the Duke of Marlborough; likewise, several vessels laden with provisions for the army, which are so artificially done as to seem to drive the water before them. The city and the citadel are very fine, with all its outworks, ravelins, horn-works, counter-scarps, half-moons, and palisades; the French horse marching out at one gate, and the confederate army marching in at the other; the prince's travelling coach with two generals in it, one saluting the company as it pa.s.ses by; then a trumpeter sounds a call as he rides, at the noise whereof a sleeping sentinel starts, and lifts up his head, but, not being espied, lies down to sleep again; beside abundance more admirable curiosities too tedious to be inserted here.' He then modestly adds, 'In short, the whole piece is so contrived by art that it seems to be life and nature.'"