532 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2°4 S. VI. 166., Dec. 25. '58. 



" Xow what d'ye think 'twas after all that sent the fine 

 old Jrish gentleman to wrack? 



For the shillaly was his theory and practice both, and 

 as for the drop of whiskey, j;p'Il be puzzled to make 

 less of it than meat, drink, fuel, and clothing to his 

 back; 



Ah ! 'twas Mr. Commissioner Hargreave, devil in- 

 cumber him, got the patch of potatoes into the in- 

 cumbrance court, and sold it in a crack, 



For he said 'twas a negative quantity, and thei'e's 

 never a Christian knows what he means, or whether 

 he demeans himself to mean anything at all, but 

 since that time there has been a melanchoh- lack 



Of the fine old Irish gentleman of the real old stock." 



M. 



In reply to your correspondent, M., asking for 

 a copy of the above song, I, with mucli pleasure, 

 place one at your disposal : — 



- 1. 

 " I'll sing you a dacent song that was made by a Paddy's 

 pate, 

 Of a real ould Irish Gintleman, who had a fine estate : 

 ■Whose mansion it was made of mud, wid thatch and 



all complate, 

 Wid a hole at top, through which the smoke so grace- 

 fully did retrate. 

 Hurrah for the Irish Gintleman, the boy of the oulden 

 time. 



2. 

 " His walls so cold were covered wid the divil a thing 

 for show. 

 Except an ould shillelah, which had nocked down many 



a foe; 

 And ould Barney sits at ease, without a shoe or hose. 

 And quaft's his noggen of poteen to warm his big red 



nose, 

 liike a fine ould Irish Gintleman, the boy of the oulden 

 time. 



3. 

 " At Donnybrook his custom was to be at every fair, 

 for, though he'd seen full threescore years, he still was 



young when there ; 

 And while the rich they feasted him, he oft among the 



poor 

 Would sing and dance, and hurl and fight, and make 



the spalpeens roar, 

 Like a real ould Irish Gintleman, the boy of the olden 

 time. 



4. 

 " But och ! Mavi'one ! once at a row onld Barney got a 

 knock. 

 And one that kilt him, 'cas he couldn't overget the 



shock. 

 They laid him out so beautiful, and then set up a groan, 

 'Och! Barney, darlint, jewel, dear! why did ye die? 



och 'hone ! ' 

 Then they waked this Irish pintleman', the boy of the 

 oulden time. 



5. 

 " Though all things in their course must change, and 

 seasons pass awaj;, 

 Tet Irish hearts of oulden time were just as at this day. 

 Each Irish boy he took a pride to prove himself a man. 

 To serve a friend, and bate a foe, it always was the plan. 

 Of a raal ould Irish Gintleman, the boy of the oulden 

 time." 



Phillip Colson. 



SEASON OF CHKISfMAS. 



(2-"> S. vi. 499.) 



Connected with the question respecting the 

 exact duration of the season of Christmas, there 

 is a measure of obscurity, occasioned by the dif- 

 ficulty of discovering any express authority. 

 There can, however, be little hesitation in stating 

 that the season of Christmas commences on De- 

 cember 16, which is described in our Prayerbook 

 Calendar as O Sapienlia, and ends, on January 6, 

 with hvelflh night; the whole period from De- 

 cember 16 to January 6 making twenty-one days, 

 or exactly three weeks. This is properly the 

 season of Christmas, during which Christmas pies 

 may be legitimately eaten. 



With regard to the termination of this Christmas 

 period on January 6, we have an old Saxon ordi- 

 nance. A law was passed in the days of K. 

 Alfred, " by virtue of which the twelve days after 

 the Nativity of our Saviour are made festivals." 

 (Collier, Ecc. Hist. 1840, i. 385.) These twelve 

 days, from Christmas Day, bring us to January 6, 

 which is therefore called twelfth day, luhen the 

 season of Chi-istmas ends. In the Ladies' Diary 

 for 1795 a Mr. Chapman writes, " Ploughday had 

 its origin when the feudal system prevailed in this 

 country. The Christmas holidays tei-minated on 

 twelfth day ; and the ploughing season for the New 

 Year commenced the lirst Monday after." (Aud- 

 ley, Companion to the Almanack, ed. 1808, p- 35.) 



The commencement of the season of Christmas, 

 on December 16, may be determined with equal 

 precision. 



Previous to the Natale (Nativity, or Christmas 

 Day) the early Church ordained a preparatory 

 period of nine days, called a novena. These nine 

 days bring us back from Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 

 to Dec. 16, which is the first day of Christmas. 

 Dec. 16 is, accordingly, still distinguished in our 

 Prayerbook Calendar by the title O Supientia, for 

 this reason : the title is due to an Anthem which 

 was appointed to be used throughout the whole of 

 the novena, Dec. 16-24, and which solemnly and 

 appropriately commences, " O Sapientia, quae ex 

 ore Altissimi prodidisti " (Audley, Hone, &c.), as 

 a preparation for Christmas Day. 



Thus in the earlier ages of the Christian Church, 

 this weary working world, which cannot now ob- 

 tain the brief period of three days, had its full 

 Christmas holidays of rtree weeks, namely from 

 December 16 to January 6. 



These few details will help us in explaining a 

 dictum of Dr. Parx : — 



" Doctor," said the lady of the house where he was 

 dining, " I want to know when Christmas commences; 

 in short, when we may begin to eat mince pies." 



" Pleathe to thay' Chrithmathe pietb," replied the 

 Doctor, who was in the habit of substituting th for « ; 

 " minthe pie ith prethbyterian." 



