The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-12-25

The fire. with well dried logs supplied.
Went roaring up the chimney wide
The huge hall tables oakcn lace
Scrubbd till II shone, the day 70 grace,
Bore then upon its massive board
NO mark to part the squire and lord
Then was brought in the lusty braun,
BY old blue-coated serving man
Then the grim boar's head frown'd on high,
Crested with bays and rosemary.
The wassel round in good bro IN bowls,
Gnrnsh'd with ribands, blthely rowh
There the huge surloin reek'd hard by
Plum porridge stood and Christmas pie.
Then came the merry masquers IN,
And carols roar with bthesome din.
Who lists may in their mummng see
Traces Of ancient mystery;
While shirts supplied the masquerade
And smutted cheeks the visors made.
England was merry England when
Old Christmas brought his sports again.
Even the owly cottages Of the poor had their eood
things, according to the old rhyme
Christmas comes but once year.
And when It comes, it brings good cheer.
However they lived the rest Of the year. they were not
without good Clothes and roast beef plum pudding
toast and ale, at Christmas
And those that hardly all the year
Had bread to eat rags TO wear,
Win have both clothes and dainty fare,
And all the day be merry.
During the twelve days Of Christmas Lords Of Ms-
rule" were elected M captains OF mischief who were
sometimes called Masters Of the Merry Dsports" They
had bands Of followers dressed like the fantasca target
companies Of New York. and these they led into all sorts
Of comcal proceedings but for the part without
harmng anybody. Merriment ruled the hour. Some
times there mock gravity in the custom, and men
Of high degree took part in the ceremony which was
also prevalent in the colleges wes attended with great
expense. Warton tells us Of revel master whom It
costf2, 600 out Of his own purse.
But with Christmas lasted far longer than twelve
days. In Of the cid chronicles read that in Not
tinghamshre the good Sir william Rolk kept his house
hoQnitalitv Tya
Halowtde and continued till Candlcmas hree months,
during which time any permitted stay three
days, without being asked who he from whence he
came" Nor this singular The Duke of Nor
folk, informed, expended 100000 (Sl0o00o) in
keeping Christmas. This munincence gave great offence
at Court, and Charles H. gave keeping the festival
that account From that period the old custom de-
cined. That the season Of boundless charity How
different from the present time in England when few
give anythng-ew indeed, consequence of increasing
luxury having anything to spare, except the Lcviahan
fundhoders, whose doctrine that charity makes people
lazy though there thousands hungry and pershng
because they cannot get work! In oden time the lord
of the manor caused his doors TO be thrown open that
the eDoymen,s Of the might be as general as the
blessings II commemorated. whole hecatomb OF fat
tened hogs and beeves and sheep and poultry were
slaughtered and cut into Slices and distributed among
the neighborhood and string Of hogs puddngs and
pack Of cards were sent to every poor family the
parish Then also double quantity of malt was allowed
to the ale which set running into the eathern lacks
and horn cups in the ball. for every one who called for it,
while the table, "heart Of oak,n grosned with large
rounds Of beef plum pudding and mnce pies At night
the sports Of the happy, because still unpundered yeo
manry made the roofs and rafters ring with merrment
The landlord looked in and enjoyed the practical jokes
long treasured for the occasion Then there was little
fnyn andn
markets." Such was then "Aerry England.n What ia
she now? The tale is shortly told by numberess Door
houses, and numberless boards erected IN conspicuous
places In the demesnes Of the mobiles and their parvenu
imatorsSteel traps and spring guns ret these pre-
misses" still Christmas Is kept in England with great
zeal. Is preemnently the Of charity. Clothes
and food are sent by the wealthy TO the poor their
dwellings, and contributions sent to pauper insu-
tons TO enable the inmates toey least good dinner
in the year Amidnght nov, issue forth tho "wais'
who were formerly minstrcb or musical waachmen who
attended great and sung the watches Of the night
but now strollng musicians, who, accompanied BY .
crowd 60 around on Christmas eve, and give notice Of
the approach Of the festival They rouse from sumber
such IS had retired 70 rest and keep them from going 10
sleep again. Before the dawn the chimes begn and The
morning resounds with songs from the bells and the
carolcrs.
The chimes, the chimes Of motherlaud,
OF England green and old,
That out Of fame and ivied tower
thousand years have told;
How glorious must their music be,
As breaks the hallow'd day,
And calleth with seraph's voice,
nation up to prayl
Those chimes that tell thousand tales
Sweet tales Of olden time,
And ring thousand memories
Al vcepcr and at prime
At bridal and at burial
For cottagcr and king
Those chimes, those glorious Christian chimes,
How blesscdly they ringl
Those chimes, those chimes Of mothcrland,
Upon Christian morn,
Outbrcaking the angels did
For Redeemer born;
How merrly they call afar,
To cot and barons hall,
with holly decked and mitsletoe,
To keep the festival.