NEW YEANS EVE. 
^^5 
rols,’ in the curious study of that evei‘-to~be-rcspected antiquary, 
Anthony Wood, in the Ashmolean Museum. 
Much joy into Ibis hall 
A joliy Wassel bowl, 
A Wassel of good ale, 
Well fare th^ butler’s soul, 
That setteth this to sale ; 
Our jolly Wassel. 
Good Dame, here at your door 
Our Wassel we begin. 
We are all maidens poor. 
We pray now let us in, 
With our Wassel. 
Our Wassel we do fill 
With apple-s and with spice, 
Then grant us your good will 
To taste here once or twdce 
Of our good Wassel. 
If any maidens be 
Here dwelling in this house, 
They kindly will agree 
To take a full carouse 
Of our Wassel. 
But here £hey let us stand 
, freezing in the cold ; 
Good master, give command. 
To enter and be bold. 
With our Wassel. 
With us is enter’d in. 
Our master first of all, 
We hope will now begin, 
Of our W'assel : 
And after bis good wife 
Our spiced bowl will try, 
The Lord prolong your life : 
Good fortune we espy. 
For our Wassel. 
Some bounty from your haad^, 
Our Wassel to maintain : 
We’il buy no house nor lands 
With that which we do gain 
With our Wassel. 
This is our merry night 
Of choosing King and Queen, 
Then be it your delight 
That something may be seCn 
In our Wassel. 
It-is a nobl^ part. 
To bear a liberal mind, 
God bless our master’s heart, 
For here w^e comfort find. 
With our Wassel. 
And now we must be gone, 
To seek out more good cheer ; i 
Where bounty will be shown, > 
As we have found it here, 
With our Wassel. 
In the Collection of Ordinances for the Royal Household, published 
by . the Society of Antiquaries, we have some account of the ceremoriy 
of Wasseling, as it was practised at court, on Twelfth Niglit, in tli4 
reign of Henry the Seventh. From these we learn that the ancient 
custprii of pledging each other out of the same cup, had now giveii 
place to the mote elegant practice of each person having his cup, gncl 
that ‘ When the steward came in at the doore with the Wassel, fie ivaS 
to crie three tymes, Wassel, Wassel, Wassel, and then the cbappeli 
(the chaplain) was to answere with a songe.’ 
The subsequent Wassailers’ song on New Year’s Eve, is still siillg 
in Gloucestershire. The Wassailers bring w ith them a great boi^d 
dressed up with garlands and ribbons. / ' 
Wassail! Wassail! all over the town, r . > 
^ Our toast it is w hite, our ale it is brow n ; 
, . Our bowl it is made of a maplin troe, , ^ , , 
We be good fellows all ; I drink to thee. i . 
2 L 
