LORD or 
as well as through the fephim, were thruft pieces of reed 
cr bone ; their arms and thighs were marked in the man- 
rer defcribed by Capt. Cook, of fome of the natives of 
the iflands he vifited in thefe fens, called tutcwing, and 
fome were painted with red and white (freaks ; they wore 
a wrapper round their middle. Their canoe was about 
forty feet long : it was badly made, and had an out-rigger. 
The iflands appeared very thickly Covered with wood, 
tmong which the cocoa-nut was very diftinguifliable. 
Lat. 5. 30. S. Ion. 159. a<j.. E. 
. LORD HOWE’s I'SLAND. See Howe’s Island, 
vol. x. p. 436. 
LORDS and LA'DIES, f. in botany. See AittfM. 
LORD OF MIS'RULE, or King of Christmas. It 
is (aid of the English, that formerly they were remarkable 
for the manner in which they celebrated the fedival 'of 
Ch rift mas ; at which feafon they admitted variety of (ports 
snd pallimes, net known, or little praftifed, in other 
countries. The mock Prince or Lord of Mifrule, whofe 
reign extended through the greater part of the holydays, 
is particularly remarked by foreign writers,' vrho'confider 
him as a perfonage rarely to be met with out of England ; 
(fee the article Game. vol. viii. p. z6i.) and two or three 
centuries back, perhaps, this obfervation might be con¬ 
fident with truth ; but we fliall upon due examination be 
ready to conclude, that anciently this froliefome monarch 
was well known upon the continent, where he probably 
received his fird honours. In this kingdom his power 
and dignities were edabliffied by royal authority, and 
continued after they had ceafed to exifl: elfewhere. But 
even with us his government has been extinft for many 
years ; and his name and his offices are nearly forgotten. 
No doubt in many inftances the privileges allowed to this 
merry defpot were abufed, and hot unfrequently produc¬ 
tive of immorality ; the inftitution itfelf, even if we view 
it in its mod favourable light, is puerile and ridiculous, 
adapted to the ages of ignorance, when more rational 
amufements were not known, or at lead not fafliionable. 
“ At the fead of Chridmas,” fays Stow, “ in the king’s 
court wherever he chanced to reflde, there was appointed 
a Lord of Mifrule, or mader of merry difports ; the fame 
merry fellow made his appearance at the houfe of every 
nobleman and perfon of didinftion ; and among the red, 
the lord-mayor of London and the fheriffs had feverally 
of them their Lord of Mifrule, ever contending, without 
quarrel or offence, who Oiouid make the rareft padimes to 
delight the beholders. This pageant potentate began his 
rule at Allhallow-eve, and continued the fame till the 
morrow after the Fead of the Purification ; in which fpace 
there were fine and fubtle difguifings, mafks, and mum¬ 
meries.” In the fifth year of Edward VI. at Chridmas 
time, a gentleman named George Ferrers, who was a law¬ 
yer, a poet, and an hidorian, was appointed by the coun¬ 
cil to bear this office5 “and he,” fays Holinffied, “being 
of better calling than commonly his predeceffors had been 
before, received all his commiffions and warrauntes by the 
name of Maider of theKinges Padimes; which gentleman 
fo well fupplied his office, both of (hew of funary fights, 
and devifes of rare invention, and in aft of divers inter¬ 
ludes, and matters of padime, as not only fatisfied the 
common forte, but alfo were verie well liked and allowed 
by the council, and others of fkill in lyke padimes; but 
bed by the young king himfelfe,as appeared by his princely 
liberalitie in rewarding that fervice.” It was certairtly 
an aft of much policy in the council to appoint fo judi¬ 
cious and refpeftable an officer for the department at this 
time, and was done in order to counteract by (hows and 
padimes the difeontent that prevailed, and divert the 
mind of the king from reflefting too deeply upon the 
condemnation of his uncle the duke of Somerfet. 
This mader of merry difports was not confined to the 
court, nor to the houfes of the opulent; he was alfo elefted 
in various paridies, where, indeed, his reign (eems to have 
been of ffiorter date. Stubbs, who lived at the clofe of the 
Sixteenth century, places this whiinfical perfonage, with his 
MISRULE. 663 
followers, in a very degrading po'nt of view. “Fird of 
all, the wilde lieades of the parifli, flocking togither, chu'fe 
them a graunde captaine of mifehiefe, whom they enno¬ 
ble with the title of Lord of Mifrule; and him they 
crowne with great folemnity, and adopt for their king. 
This king annoynted choofeth forth twentie, fourty, three- 
fcore, or an hundred, luftie guttes, like to himfelfe, to 
waite upon his lordly majefiy, and to guarde his noble 
perfon. Then every one of thefe men he invefteth with 
his liveries of greene, yellow, or fome other light wanton 
colour; and, as though they were not gawdy ynough, 
they bedecke themfelves with fcarffes, ribbons, and laces, 
hanged all over with gold ringes, pretious dones, and 
other jewels. This done, they tie aboute either legge 
twentie cr fortie belles, with riche handkerchiefes in their 
handes, and fometimes hide acroffe over their (houlders 
and neckes, borrowed, for the mod part, of their pretie 
Moplies and loving Beffies. Thus all thinges fet in order, 
then have they their hobby-horfes, their dragons, a lid 
other antiques, together with their baudie pipers, and 
thundring drummers, to drike up the devil’s daunce with 
all. Then march this heathen company towards the 
church, their pypers piping, their drummers thuudring, 
their dtimpes dauncing, their belles jyngling, their hand¬ 
kerchiefs fluttering aboute their heades like madde men, 
their hobbie-horfes and other monfters (kirmifning arnongft 
the throng; and in this forte they go to the church, 
though the minifler be at prayer or preaching, dauncing 
and tinging like devils incarnate, with fuch a confufed 
noife that no man can heare his own voyce. Then the 
foolifli people, they looke, they dare, they laugh, they 
fleere, and mount upon the formes and pewes to fee thefe 
goodly pageants folemnized. Then after this, aboute the 
church they goe againe and againe, and fo fourthe into 
the church-yard, where they have commonly their fom- 
mer-halls, their bowers, arbours, and banquetting-houfes, 
fet up, wherein they fead, banquet, and daunce, all that 
day, and paradventure all that night too; and thus thele 
terredrial furies fpend the fabbath-day. Then, for the 
further innoblingof this honourable lardanc, lord I diould 
fay, they have certaine papers wherein is painted fome 
babelerie or other of imagerie worke, and thefe they call 
my Lord of Mifrule’s badges or cognizances. Thefe they 
give to every one that will give them money to maintain 
them in this their heathenifli devilrie; and who will not 
(how himfelf buxome [obedient] to them, and give them 
money, they fliall be mocked and flouted fhamefully; yea, 
and many times carried upon a cowldaffe, and dived over 
lieade and eares in water,or otherwifemod horribly abufed. 
And fo beffotted are fome, that they not only give them 
money, but weare their badges or cognizances in their 
hats or cappes openly. Another forte of fantadicall 
fooles bring to thefe helhounds, the Lord of Mifrule and 
his complices, fome bread, fome good ale, fome new 
cheefe, fome old cheefe, fome cudardes, fome cracknels, 
fome cakes, fome flauns, fome tartes, fome creame, fome 
meat, fome one thing, and fome another.” Anatomie of 
Abufes, 1595. 
The focieties of the Temple and of Lincoln’s Inn had 
anciently their Lord of Mifrule, called King of Chridmas, 
becaufe he prefided in the hall upon that day. This tem¬ 
porary potentate had a marjkal and a Jleioard to attend upon 
him. The tnardial, in the abfence of the monarch, was 
permitted to aflume his date; and upon New-year’s day 
he fat as king in the hall, when the majler of the revels, dur¬ 
ing the time of dining, fupplied the marfhal’s place. Upon 
Childermas-day they had another officer, denominated the 
King of the Cockneys, who alfo prefided on the day of his 
appointment, and his inferior officers to wait upon him. 
See Inns of Court, vol. xi. p. 75, 81. 
In Bloomfield’s Hiftory of Norfolk mention is made of 
a pageant exhibited at Norwich upon a Shrove Tuefday, 
which happened in the month of March, “ when one rode 
through thefireet, having his horfe trapped with tynfoyle 
and other nyfe difgyfynges, crowned as King of Chrid¬ 
mas, 
