



Produced by Heather Clark, Emmy and the Online Distributed
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Internet Archive)Music transcribed by Linda Cantoni.







[Transcriber’s Note: Italic text is surrounded by _underscores_ and
superscripted text is preceded by a ^ and surrounded with {curly
braces}. Certain letters in the text were smaller and these letters are
surrounded by ~t~.]


Christmastide.

[Illustration:

James Stephanoff, del. Ashbee & Dangerfield, lith.

PLAY BEFORE QUEEN ELIZABETH.]




CHRISTMASTIDE

its History, Festivities, and Carols.

    BY WILLIAM SANDYS, F.S.A.

    LONDON:
    JOHN RUSSELL SMITH,
    _SOHO SQUARE_.




    LONDON: Printed by E. TUCKER, Perry’s Place, Oxford Street.




    TO

    WYNN ELLIS, ESQUIRE,

    High Sheriff of Hertfordshire,

    THE FOLLOWING WORK

    IS GRATEFULLY INSCRIBED, AS A SMALL TRIBUTE
    OF RESPECT FOR HIS PUBLIC, AND
    ESTEEM FOR HIS PRIVATE
    CHARACTER.




CONTENTS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.


  Lithographs.
                                                               PAGE
  Play before Queen Elizabeth                         _frontispiece_
  Ushering in the Boar’s Head                                    30
  Pageant before Henry the Eighth                                66
  Lord of Misrule, G. Ferrers                                    86
  New Year’s Gifts to Queen Elizabeth                           100
  Temple Revels, temp. Charles the Second                       130
  The Wassail Bowl                                              134
  Old Christmas Festivities                                     142
  The Christmas Tree                                            152


  Vignettes.

  CHAP.
   1 Edward the First’s Offering at the Epiphany                  1
   2 Froissart’s Christmas Log                                   23
   3 Merry Carol                                                 45
   4 Archie returning his Christmas Gift                         63
   5 Teonge’s Twelfth Night at Sea                               85
   6 Charles the Second gambling at Christmas                   103
   7 Pepys’ Wassail Bowl                                        127
   8 Modern Christmas Plays                                     145
   9 Three Kings offering                                       159
  10 Carol Singers of old                                       173
  11 Decorating with Evergreens                                 199
  Carols                                                        215
  A Mock Play                                                   292
  Christmas Play of St. George and the Dragon, as
        represented in the West of England                      298
  Index to Carols                                               303
  Index to principal matters                                    305
  Index of References                                           306


  Music.

  A Virgin most pure                                            313
  A Child this day is born                                      315
  The Lord at first had Adam made                               316
  The first Nowell                                              318
  This New Christmas Carol                                      319
  God rest you, merry gentlemen                                 320
  St. Stephen                                                   321
  God’s dear Son                                                323
  To-morrow shall be my dancing-day                             324
  I saw three ships                                             325
  Joseph was an old man                                         326
  In those twelve days                                          327

[Illustration]




[Illustration]




CHAPTER I.


IT would not be consistent with the proposed character of this
work to enlarge on the Christian dispensation, as connected with
the sacred feast of Christmas; to show Christianity as old as the
Creation; that the fall of man naturally involved his punishment;
and hence the vicarious sacrifice of our Saviour to redeem us from
sin and death. These are subjects to be entered on by those who have
had opportunities, if not of thinking more, at least of reading
more, relative to them, than the writer of these pages, whose
leisure hours are few, and whose endeavour will be to give, in as
popular and interesting a manner as his abilities will enable him,
some information respecting the mode of keeping this Holy Feast,
particularly in England, in the olden times, and in the middle ages.

The Nativity is hailed by Christians of all denominations, as the dawn
of our salvation; the harbinger of the day-spring on high; that promise
of futurity, where care, sin, and sorrow enter not, where friends long
severed shall meet to part no more; no pride, no jealousy, no self
(that besetting sin of the world) intruding. Well, then, may we observe
it with gratitude for the unbounded mercy vouchsafed to us; for the
fulfilment of the promise pronounced in the beginning of the world,
releasing us from the dominion of Satan. A promise which even the
Pagans did not lose sight of, although they confused its import, as a
glimmering of it may be traced through their corrupted traditions and
superstitious ceremonies.

Has the early dream of youth faded away purposeless?—the ambition of
manhood proved vanity of vanities? Have riches made themselves wings
and flown away? or, has fame, just within the grasp, burst like a
bubble? Have the friends, the companions of youth, one by one fallen
off from thy converse; or the prop of advancing age been removed,
leaving thee weak and struggling with the cares of life; or, has “the
desire of thine eyes” been taken from thee at a stroke? Under these and
other trials, the Christian looks to the anniversary of the Nativity
(that rainbow of Christianity) as the commemoration of the birth of
the Blessed Redeemer, who will give rest to the weary, and receive in
his eternal kingdom all those who truly trust in him. And well may His
name be called, “Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace!”

The season of Christmas, however, was not only set apart for sacred
observance, but soon became a season of feasting and revelry;