The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-12-25 00:00:00

CH RISTM I S hi%
[Fro. " fl &WA Beer of Geoffrey Crops, Gool.]

6 Saint Freon, and Saint Seoloodight
Biers, this house from wicked eight;
From the wino-mare and the cubits,
That is bight good fellow Robin;
Keep it from all evil spirits,
Fairies, wersele, raga, sud ferrets
From curfew .time
To the met primr."—CeitTmeteleitt.
It was • briniest moonlight night, hut ohiremely rind
our chaise whirled rapidly ewe the heave Parma post
boy tracked boa whip incessantly, SSW a part of the tient hi
heroes were open a gallop. " He hewn where be. ilt lese"llse
said my coospentiem, laughing, "sod is eager to weave Pe
time fur some of the merrinimit sod good cheer of eke err.
vest.' ball. Sty tether, you moot know, o • bagiOrd devotee
of the old school, and prides kismet, apes barrio( op smote'
linage( oar English borpitality. He it a tolerebk opecieneet
of what Tee will tartly meet oath uovem days to it. parity.
the old English cohory mistime* ; fur our onto of fortune
spend so much of their time he town, sod fashion is r.rapel
so moth tato the enwatry, that the noose rich perolooriii•
of ancient renal lofe ere almost polished away. My f‘ther,
however, from early years,look booest Protium* fur his met
book, more ad of Chesterteld; be deteresi•eil in hie new
mind, that there was en eriodition more truly isesosembro
and enviable thou that of a cometry geetlemeis ere hi. pellet-
nal lamb, mid, therefore, paean the whole of his time ow
his estate. He is • eiressuoses odeoeste fur the revival of Ike
add rural games sod loultdey oboe/vessel's, sod is deeply read
in the writers, aocieet and itiodern, who have treatedoe the
subject. !mired, his favourite rmgeof reams* la seven Mho
authors who A ',wished at least two ceeteries dace; who, he
insists, wrote and thought mere tike tree Eoglisbasosi thee NI
of their summers. lie ewes regrets somettoma that be bad
not bets born • few reastaries rather, whet &seated wile
itself, and bad its peculiar svouseera sod customs. As he
lives at some dishonor from the main reed, to rather o
loony part of the country, without any rival gentry nese
him, he bas the moot 'violable of all blessings to an Eat
batman, an opportwaity of ioile*ing the beat of his uow
humour without neelemenen. Snag reprometaiite of the
oldest family to flee weighbowatiod, sad a great part of the
peasantry being his truants, be is mach leashed up to, mud
in generll is known simply by the appellation of • Thu
Squire;' a title which has beer accorded to the bead of tie
family since time immemorial. I think it best to give you
these hint, about my worthy old father, to prepare you for
any little eeeeistricities that alight otherwise appear absurd.'
We had passed for some time along the wall of • pa.
and at length the chaise stopped at the gate. II was is a Amity
magnificent old style, of iron bare, foacifelly wrought at top
into flourishes and Sowers. The beige woven columns that
supported the gate were sureseeeted by the family crew.
Choc adjoising was the porter's lodge, sheltered under deck
fir trees, and almost buried in shrubbery. • -
The post buy rung a large porter's bell, which resounded
through the still frosty air, sod was aiesweeed by the distoot
Larking of dogs, with which the mansion bows, mooned gar-
risoned. A. old some. immediately appeared at the gale.
As the moonlight fell strongly upon bee, I had a full ~es,
of. a little primitive dame dressed very much 45 the antique
taste, with • meat kerchief stemaneber, end her silver bete
peeping from leader • Imp of enemy whiteness Si,. came
curtseying forth, with many represaiows of simple joy at
seeing her young master. Her hatband. it seemed, was asp
at the beam keeping Christmas-eve In the servants' ball;
they could out do without him, as he was the beet band st a
Sung and starry in the household.
My friend proposed that we should alight and walk
through the park to the hail, which was at IMO great distswee,
while the chaise should follow en. Our road wound threitgl.
a nob!e avease of leers, Sallpfig the asked branch,' of wheels
the moos glittered es she rolled threueb the deep vault of a
cloudless sky. The lawn beynad was sheeted with a slight
covering of sago, which bare tied there sparkled as the
moon beams caught • frosty crystal ; and at &disuses-, might
bas sera a thin trimarans* vapour, strehrg up from the
low grouuds, and threatening gradually to shroud the land-

scope.
My corrodes looked reeled him with transport
" How atria," said he, "have I scampered np this avenue,
on veteran% beme on wheel vac:otiose ! How often have I
idayed nailer three trees when a boy! I feel • degree of
filial reverence for three, es we look up to thew who have
cherished win childhood. My father was always serupuloise
in rzsetiew oar holidays, sad having us around him on fa-
mily festival,. He used to direct end superintend our games
with the strictness that some parents do the studio of their
ebileiree. He was very particular that we showed play the
old English games occordieg to their terigionl form; and
cowshed old books fur plecedent sod authority for every
merrie disport ;' yet I smart you there never was pednetry
or delightful. It wee the policy of the good old gentlemoo
to make his (*Aires feel that home was the happiest plebe
iu the world • and I vales this delicious home-feeling se
wile of the choicest gifts • rarest could heetow."
We were interrupted by the clamour of a troop of flora
of all scats sod sizes, " esenigrel, puppy, whelp, and booed.
sod curs of low degree," that, diets, bed by tee ringing of
the porter's bell, sod she rattling of the chaise, came booed•
ins opese-nsoutteed serum the laws. .
The little dogs sad all,
Troy, Blanch, and Sereetheart, ore, they bark at me!"
cried Breeebridge, laughing. At the pound of his voice,
the bark was changed into a yelp of delight, and in a tn.,-
inent be was surrounded and almost overpowered by the
caresses of the faithful animals.
We had now come in fell view of the old family TM/lien,
partly thrown in deep shadow, and partly fit up by the cold
moonshiee. It was all irregular building of sonic mach'.
tilde, sod vermeil to be of ibe arebitecture of difibent pe.
tired.. Clue wing was evidently very ancient, with heavy
stone shafted bow windows jutting out and over-run with
ivy; from among the foliage of which the small diamond
shaped panes of glass glittered with the moonbeams. The
rent of the house was in the French taste of Charles tile
Seemed's time, having been repaint! sod altered, as my friend
told me, by our of his ancestors, who resumed with that
monarch at the Restoration. The group& about the house
were laid out in the old formal manner of artificial dower
beds, clipped shrubberies, raised serrates, and heavy stone
hallestrades, ornameeted with ores, a leaden statue or Iwo,
and a jet of water. 'Tbe old geottereau, I was told, was
extremely careful to preserve this obsolete finery in all 1:-.
nrigiaat 'este. He admired this fashion in gardening; it
had ow air of maguifieence, was courtly sod noble, sod be-
fitting good old family style. This boasted imitation of
nature it modern gardening Ind sprung op with modern re-
publican optima, but did not suit • minsechical govera•
must; it smacked of the leirelliug system. I could not he.p
smiling al this introduction of politics into ger-Ormuz,
though I expressed some •pprebenslon that I should find tleos
old geollemeu rather intolerant in his creed. Finish &reined
me, however, that it was •Imost the only instance in which
be had ever heard his father meddle with politics; mid be
believed that belled got this onetime from • 3lember of Per-
liament who este passed • few weeks with him. The Siptiie
was glad of any argetnest to defend his clipoed yew ife.•
and formal terraces, which hod bee,, occasionally at tacked
modern landscape iarderen.
Am we approached the Wow, we heard the sound of civ
sir, and wow slid thew a bent of laughter, from owe cud of
the building. This, Breeetwidge said, mint proceed Iron.
the semant's hall, where • great deal of revelry was pe:-
milted, and eves encouraged, by the Sqeire, throeighout the
twelve days of Christmas; provided every thing sees dose
conformably to slimiest irenge. tlereiwere kept up the old
games of 'motions blind, shoe the wild mare, lout cockle-,
steal the white loaf, hob apple, sod snap dragon : the Till,
clog, and Chriatnes* casette, were regularly borne, and the
misletoe, with its *bite berries, hong op, to the imminent
peril of ell the pretty housemaids t.
So isnot were tbe servants spew their *poets, that we hod
to I tag repeatedly before we could make Ilharsrli,a heard.

• Pearbasa's Complete Gestlesiss, 1622.
tilos asitletoe is still boss op is faro bosses oat
►ltckess at Christina,'; sod the yosesesries have the revilers
of kl•sisq the girhi mister it, &schist emelt lima a Pt, ry
front the hook. Wham the berries see all plinked, the wt-
viler ceases.