bear i with and and i pray you my masters be merry in the s head as i understand is the dish in all this land which thus d with a gay let us c our steward hath provided this in honour of the king of bliss which on this day to be served is in c c c the christmas dinner the table was literally loaded with good cheer and presented an of country abundance in this season of overflowing a distinguished post was allotted to ancient as mine host termed it being as he added the standard of old english hospitality and a joint of goodly presence and full of expectation there were several dishes decorated and which had evidently something in their but about which as i did not like to appear over curious i asked no questions i could not however but notice a pie decorated with s feathers in imitation of the tail of that bird which a considerable tract of the table this the squire confessed with some little hesitation was a pie though a pie was certainly the most but there had been such a among the this season that he could not prevail upon himself to have one killed the was in great demand for stately sometimes it was made into a pie at one end of which the head appeared above the crust in all its with the richly gilt at the other end the tail was displayed such were served up at the solemn of chivalry when knights pledged themselves to undertake any perilous whence came the ancient oath used by justice shallow by cock and pie the was also an important dish for the christmas feast and in his city madam gives some idea of the t t ft it would be tedious to my t who not have that fondness odd had things to which i am ia little given were i to mention the other of this old t by which he i endeavouring to follow up though distance the customs of antiquity i was pleased however to see the respect shown to his by his en end relatives who indeed readily into the full spirit of and seemed all well in their parts having doubtless present at many a i was unused too at the air of profound gravity with which the butler and other servants executed the duties assigned them however they had an old look for the been brought ip in the household ud into keeping with the the of its lord aud probably looked upon all his as the i laws of honourable housekeeping when the cloth was removed the butler brought with which this as well as other dishes was prepared for the gorgeous of th times men their thirty pound d their les of e p � mis d the of three fat the christmas dinner in a huge silver of rare curious he placed before the squire its appearance was hailed with being the bowl bo renowned in christmas the contents had been prepared by ae squire himself for it was a in the skilful mixture of which he particularly himself that it too and complex for the comprehension of an ordinary servant it was a tion indeed that might well make the heart of a leap within him being composed of the richest and highly and with apples about the surface the old gentleman s whole countenance beamed with a serene look of delight as he stirred this mighty bowl having raised it to his lips with a hearty wish of a merry christmas to all the bowl was sometimes composed of ale instead of wine with sugar and in this way the nut brown is still prepared in some old and round the of substantial farmers at christmas it is also called lamb s wool and is celebrated by in his night next the full with gentle lamb s add sugar and with store of ale too and thus ye must to make the a � w i the christmas dinner present he sent it round the boards for every one to follow his example according to the primitive style it� the ancient fountain of good feeling where all hearts met together there was much laughing and as the honest emblem of christmas and was kissed rather by the ladies when it reached master he raised it in both hands and with the air of a boon companion struck up an old the brown the merry brown as it goes round about a fill stiu let tlie world say what it will and drink your fill all out a the deep the merry deep as thou dost freely a sing fling be as merry as a king and sound a laugh a � the custom of drinking out of the same cup gave place to each having his cup when the steward to the with the he was to cry three times and then the was to answer with a song l t from poor robin s the christmas dinner much of the conversation during dinner turned upon family topics to which i was a stranger there was however a great deal of of master about some gay widow with whom he was accused of having a this attack was commenced by the ladies but it was continued throughout the dinner by the fat headed old gentleman next the parson with the of a slow hound being one of those long wind who though rather dull at starting game are for their talents in hunting it down at every pause in the general conversation he renewed his in pretty much the same terms hard at me with both eyes whenever he gave master what he considered a home thrust the latter indeed seemed fond of being on the subject as old are apt to be and he took occasion to inform me in an under tone that the 