2«<» S. VIII. Dec. 17. '69.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



481 



LONDON, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17. 1859. 



No. 207. — CONTENTS. 



NOTES: — "Round about our Coal Fire, or Christmai Entertain- 

 ments: " a Bibliographical Rarity, by Dr. Rimbault, 481 —Folk-lore 

 and Provincialisms. 483 _ Saint Stephen's Day, by J. G. Nichols, 484 — 

 Fairy Rings, by J. H. van Lenncp, /6 Northamptonshire Story, 485 



— A Gossip about Christmas and its Folk-lore, 486 — Christmas Cus- 

 toms and Folk-lore, 483 — Meals of Merse Farm Servants, 489 — 

 Motet : Tenor, lb. — '' Modern Slang. Cant, and Vulgar Words," 490. 



Minor Notes i — The Old French Invasion — Sir Walter Raleigh, pre- 

 sumed Relic of— Sermons before the Battle of Bothwell Bridge- 

 Ancient Entry — Epitaph of Lieutenant Jolin Western in Dordrecht 

 Cathedral — Book Stalls, 493. 



Minor Qobhiks; — John Parkinson — William Fynmore — Ijiterse Re- 

 giae — Earl of Northesk — Historical Narrative — iEncas Smith — 

 Passage in"Clauilian " — Ferdinand Smyth Stuart — CaptainThoraas 

 Rudd — Snuff boxes in Memoriam of Kobert Emmett — The Murder 

 of Sir Roger Beler, and the Laws of Chivalry — " The Load of Mis- 

 chief" — E. Farrer — Lopez de Vega, 495. 



Minor Qdebifs with Ansttkrs : — "Puppy-Pie" — A Harrington — 

 The Flower Pot, Bishopsgate Street Within — David I^ewis — Anne 

 Cromwell ; Mary More — Bocase Tree — A Soldier's Epitaph, 496. 



REPLIES : _ The Unburied Ambassadors, by J. P. Phillips, &c., 498 

 Eikon Basilike, by Rev. E. S. Taylor. 500— Prisoner's Arraignment: 

 Holding up the Hand, by Rev. T. Boys, &c., 501. — Henry Smith's 

 Sermons, by H. P. Smith, Sec., lb. 



REPLIES TO MiKoit Queries : — Son of Pascal Paoli — Portrait of a True 

 Gentleman — Francis Mence — The Electric Telegraph foreshadowed 



— Epigram to a Female Cupbearer — Peel Towers — Ringing Bells 

 backwards : the Tocsin — Jest Books — Bishop Sprat's Retort — 

 Ploughs — Witchcraft in Churning, ifcc, 502. 



Notes on Books, be. 



" round about our coal fire, or christmas 



entertainments" : 



a bibliographical rarity. 



I have now before me a little volume of sixty- 

 four pages, once belonging to that greedy hunter 

 after the " Folk-lore" of England, Master John 

 Brand of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. At this season 

 of the year it may be worth noticing in the pages 

 of " N. & Q.," more especially as it is a treasure 

 of very uncommon occurrence. 



The title-page is somewhat lengthy, but as it 

 describes so minutely the contents of the book, it 

 is desirable to give it in full : — 



" Round About oup. Coal Fire, or Christmas 

 Entertainments. Wherein is de.scribed. Chap. I. Tlie 

 Mirth and Jollity of the Christmas Holydays; viz. Christ- 

 mas Gambols, Eating, Drinking, Kissing, and other Di- 

 versions. Chap. II. Of Hobgoblins, Kaw-heads, and 

 Bloody-bones, Buggj'-bows, Tom-pokers, Bull-beggars, 

 and such like horrible Bodies. Chap. Ill, Of Witches, 

 Wizzards, Conjurers, and such Trifles; what they are, 

 and how to make them ; with many of their merry Pranks. 

 Chap. IV. Enchantment demonstrated, in the Story of 

 Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean ; giving a par- 

 ticular Account of Jack's arrival at the Castle of Giant 

 Gogmagog; his rescuing ten thousand Ladies and Knights 

 from being broiled for the Giant's Breakfast; jumping 

 through Key-holes; and at last bow he destroyed the 

 Giant, and became Monarch of the Universe. Chap. V. 

 Of Spectres, Ghosts, and Apparitions ; the great Con- 

 veniences arising from them ; and how to make them. 

 Chap. VI. Of Fairies, their Use and Dignity. Together 

 with some curious Memoirs of Old Father Christmas; 

 Shewing what Hospitality was in former Times, and how 

 little there remains of it at present. Illustrated with many 

 diverting Cuts. The Fourth Edition, with great Addi- 

 tions. London, Printed for /. Robertsia Warwick-Lane, 



and sold by the Booksellers in Town and Country. 



MDCCXXXIV." 



Passing over the Dedication 



" To the Worshipful Mr. Lun, (i. e. Christopher Rich), 

 Complete Witchmaker of England, and Conjurer- General 

 of the Universe, at his Great House in Covent Garden," 



signed Dick Merryman, we have a " Prologue," ' 

 which being in the shape of a " merry Song " on 

 Christmas, is worth extracting : — 



" O you merry, merry Souls, 

 Christmas is a coming. 

 We shall have flowing bowls, 

 Dancing, piping, drumming. 



" Delicate minced pies. 

 To feast every virgin, 

 Capon and goose likewise, 

 Brawn, and a dish of sturgeon. 



" Then for j'our Christmas box, 

 Sweet plumb cakes and money. 

 Delicate Holland smocks, 

 Kisses sweet as honey. 



" Hey for the Christmas ball, 

 Where we shall be jolly, 

 Coupling short and tall, 

 Kate, Dick, Ralph, and Molly. 



" Then to the hop we'll go. 

 Where we'll jig and caper, 

 Cuckolds all-a-row. 

 Will shall pay the scraper. 



" Hodge shall dance with Prue, 

 Keeping time with kisses, 

 We'll have a jovial crew 

 Of sweet smirking misses." 



The author gives us an account, in his first 

 chapter, of the mode of observing the festival of 

 Christmas among the middle classes towards the 

 beginning of the last century. He says that " the 

 manner of celebrating this great course of holy- 

 days is vastly different now to what it was in 

 former days," and contrasts it with the amuse- 

 ments of earlier times. 



" There was once upon a time Hospitality in the Land; 

 an English Gentleman at the opening of the great day, 

 had all his Tenants and Neighbours enter'd his hall bj' 

 day-break, the strong- beer was broach'd, and the black- 

 jacks went plentifully about with toast, sugar, nutmeg, 

 and good Cheshire cheese; the rooms were embower'd 

 with hoUj', ivy, cypress, bays, laurel, and missleto, and a 

 bouncing Christmas log in the chimney glowing like the 

 cheeks of a country milk-maid ; then was the pewter as 

 bright as Clarinda, and every bit of brass as polished as 

 the most refined Gentleman ; the Servants were then 

 running here and there, with merry hearts and jolly 

 countenances; every one was busy in welcoming of 

 Guests, and look'd as smug as new lick'd puppies ; the 

 Lasses were as blithe and buxom as the maids in good 

 Queen Bess's days, when they eat sirloins of roast beef 

 for breakfast : Peg would scuttle about to make a toast 

 for John, while Tom run harum scariim to draw a jug of 

 ale for Margery." 



And, afterwards, we are told, 



" This great festival was in former times kept with so 

 much freedom and openness of heart, that every one in 

 the country where a Gentleman resided, possessed at least 



