The Republican journal., 1897-12-09

OF the carols, for these form interesting
pictures of the habits and thought of our
ancestors. There was strange one sung
by the sewer while bearing the boar S
head, as he was followed by the stately
procession of mobiles, knights, and ladies
into the banqueting hall in the good old
days when open house was kept for all
corners by the great for weeks together.
1t begins:
"Caput apri defero,
Reddens laudes Domino.
The boar's head in hand bring
With garands gay and rosemary;
I pray you all sing merrily.
Qui estls in conylvio."
Then there is that beginning:
"God rest you, merry gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
For Jesus Christ, our Saviour.
Was born upon this day,
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray."
An old one chanted in our youth by
ballad singers, commences:
II saw three ships come sailing in,
On Christmas day. on Christmas day"
1t appears "Our Saviour Christ and His
Lady, were abroad, and in violation OF
the possibilities of modern geography:
"Oh they sailed into Bethlehem,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day"
But which among them all-and many
of them are very quaint-excels for beau
ty that which Bishop Taylor called
'fthe earliest Christmas Carol'
"Gloria in EXcelsis!''
A sixteenth century one, quoting the
refrain, begins thus:
When Christ was born of Mary free
In Bethlehem, that fair cite,
Angels sang there with mirth and glee,
In EXcelsis Gloria
Herdsmen behed these angels bright,
To them appearing with great light,
Who sald, Gods Son is born this night,
In EXcelss Glorai'
Formerly the festivities partook too
much of the nature of the classic Saturn
ALA. 1t was period of license and de-
bauch Old Father Christmas had to vim
dicate his character, which was done by
deputy in a tract of 1861, called "Twelve
Yeares Observation on the Times.' Half
century afterwards, another tract, nam
ed ''Batt upon Batt,'' confesses:
"Our Bait can dance, play at high jinks with
Dice,
At any primitive orthodoxal vice,
Shoelng the wild mare, tumbing the young
Wenches,
Drinking all night, and sleeping on the
benches.''
The merry making that continued from
Our Christmas-day to Twelfth day (''old
Christmas day") is noted in a ballad of
1880:
"When Christmas-tide comes in like bride
With holly and ivy clad,
Twelve days in the year. much mirth and
good cheer
In every household is had
We must not omit to notice the splendid
charities of our countrymen on behalf of
the unfortunate, and especially at Christ
mas. The subscriptions which annually
pour in for the poor is a case in point. and
one which reflects the highest credit on
all concerned.
For after all, what does it matter
whether the legends of Christmas are true
VI AdISt, NutlIIcI IFS CuSlOtlS dlG L dgdn OF
Christian, so that the season bring "Peace
on earth and goodwill towards men?''
Joseph of Armathea may never have
visited Glastonbury, nor his dry walking
stick have become that "Hcly Thorn
which mraculously blossomed annually
on the fifth of January, yet there are
4 IL
still, and flowers and fruit of human
kindness fairer than any that ever flour
ished on Weary all Hill. May the coming
Christmas be like the ''three ships'' of
the old Carol-freighted with love and
mercy, SO that all may sing, as of old:
without the door let sorrow lie,
And if for cold it hap to die,
Wen bnry it in Christmas pie;
And evermore be merry"