Notes

by Washington Irving

　　NOTE A.

　　The misletoe is still hung up in farmhouses and kitchens atChristmas; and the young men have the privilege of kissing thegirls under it, plucking each time a berry from the bush. When theberries are all plucked, the privilege ceases.

　　NOTE B.

　　The Yule-clog is a great log of wood, sometimes the root of a tree,brought into the house with great ceremony, on Christmas eve, laidin the fireplace, and lighted with the brand of last year's clog.While it lasted there was great drinking, singing, and telling oftales. Sometimes it was accompanied by Christmas candles, but inthe cottages the only light was from the ruddy blaze of the greatwood fire. The Yule-clog was to burn all night; if it went out, itwas considered a sign of ill luck.

　　Herrick mentions it in one of his songs:

　　"Come, bring with a noise My merrie, merrie boyes, The Christmas log to the firing: While my good dame, she Bids ye all be free, And drink to your hearts' desiring."The Yule-clog is still burnt in many farmhouses and kitchens inEngland, particularly in the north, and there are severalsuperstitions connected with it among the peasantry. If asquinting person come to the house while it is burning, or a personbarefooted, it is considered an ill omen. The brand remaining fromthe Yule-clog is carefully put away to light the next year'sChristmas fire.

　　NOTE C.

　　From the Flying Eagle, a small gazette, published December 24,1652: "The House spent much time this day about the business of theNavy, for settling the affairs at sea; and before they rose, werepresented with a terrible remonstrance against Christmas day,grounded upon divine Scriptures, 2 Cor. v. 16; 1 Cor. xv. 14, 17;and in honour of the Lord's Day, grounded upon these Scriptures,John xx. I; Rev. i. 10; Psalm cxviii. 24; Lev. xxiii. 7, 11; Markxvi. 8; Psalm lxxxiv. 10, in which Christmas is called Anti-Christ's masse, and those Mass-mongers and Papists who observe it,etc. In consequence of which Parliament spent some time inconsultation about the abolition of Christmas day, passed orders tothat effect, and resolved to sit on the following day, which wascommonly called Christmas day."

　　NOTE D.

　　An English gentleman at the opening of the great day, i. e. onChristmas day in the morning, had all his tenants and neighboursenter his hall by daybreak. The strong beer was broached, and theblack jacks went plentifully about with toast, sugar, nutmeg, andgood Cheshire cheese. The hackin (the great sausage) must beboiled by daybreak, or else two young men must take the maiden(i.e. the cook) by the arms and run her round the market-place tillshe is shamed of her laziness.--Round about our Sea-coal Fire.

　　NOTE E.

　　The old ceremony of serving up the boar's head on Christmas day isstill observed in the hall of Queen's College, Oxford. I wasfavoured by the parson with a copy of the carol as now sung, and asit may be acceptable to such of my readers as are curious in thesegrave and learned matters, I give it entire.

　　"The boar's head in hand bear I, Bedeck'd with bays and rosemary; And I pray you, my masters, be merry, Quot estia in convivio. Caput apri defero Reddens laudes Domino. "The boar's head, as I understand, Is the rarest dish in all this land, Which thus bedeck'd with a gay garland Let us servire cantico. Caput apri defero, etc. "Our Steward hath provided this In honour of the King of Bliss, Which on this day to be served is In Reginensi Atrio. Caput apri defero," Etc., etc., etc.NOTE F.

　　The peacock was anciently in great demand for statelyentertainments. Sometimes it was made into a pie, at one end ofwhich the head appeared above the crust in all its plumage, withthe beak richly gilt; at the other end the tail was displayed.Such pies were served up at the solemn banquets of chivalry, whenknights-errant pledged themselves to undertake any perilousenterprise; whence came the ancient oath, used by Justice Shallow,"by cock and pie."

　　The peacock was also an important dish for the Christmas feast; andMassinger, in his "City Madam," gives some idea of the extravagancewith which this, as well as other dishes, was prepared for thegorgeous revels of the olden times:

　　"Men may talk of country Christmasses,Their thirty pound butter'd eggs, their pies of carps' tongues:Their pheasants drench'd with ambergris; the carcases of three fatwethers bruised for gravy, to make sauce for a single peacock!"

　　NOTE G.

　　The Wassail Bowl was sometimes composed of ale instead of wine;with nutmeg, sugar, toast, ginger, and roasted crabs; in this waythe nut-brown beverage is still prepared in some old families, andround the hearths of substantial farmers at Christmas. It is alsocalled Lambs' Wool, and is celebrated by Herrick in his "TwelfthNight:"

　　"Next crowne the bowle full With gentle Lambs' Wool, Add sugar, nutmeg, and ginger, With store of ale too; And thus ye must doe To make the Wassaile a swinger."NOTE H.

　　The custom of drinking out of the same cup gave place to eachhaving his cup. When the steward came to the doore with theWassel, he was to cry three times, Wassel, Wassel, Wassel, and thenthe chappel (chaplain) was to answer with a song.--Archaeologia.

　　NOTE I.

　　At Christmasse there was in the Kings's house, wheresoever hee waslodged, a lorde of misrule, or mayster of merry disportes; and thelike had ye in the house of every nobleman of honour, or goodworshippe, were he spirituall or temporall.--Stow.

　　NOTE J.

　　Maskings or mummeries were favourite sports at Christmas in oldtimes; and the wardrobes at halls and manor-houses were often laidunder contribution to furnish dresses and fantastic disguisings. Istrongly suspect Master Simon to have taken the idea of his fromBen Jonson's "Masque of Christmas."

　　NOTE K.

　　Sir John Hawkins, speaking of the dance called the Pavon, frompavo, a peacock, says: "It is a grave and majestic dance; themethod of dancing it anciently was by gentlemen dressed with capsand swords, by those of the long robe in their gowns, by the peersin their mantles, and by the ladies in gowns with long trains, themotion whereof, in dancing, resembled that of a peacock."--Historyof Music.