52 
N I C II 
The bifhop, however, having had a vifion of this impious 
fanfabtion, immediately reforted to the inn, and, calling 
the holt to him, reproached him for this horrid villany. 
The man, perceiving that he was difcovered, confelfed his 
crime, and entreated the bifhop to intercede in his behalf 
to the Almighty for his pardon; who, being moved with 
companion at his contrite behaviour, confeftion, and tho¬ 
rough repentance, befought Almighty God not only to 
pardon the murderer, but alfo, for the glory of his name, 
to reftore life to the poor innocents who had been fo in¬ 
humanly put to death. The faint had hardly finifhed his 
prayer, when the mangled and detached pieces of the two 
youths were, by divine power, re-united; and, perceiving 
themfelves alive, threw themfelves at the feet of the holy 
man, to kifs and embrace them ; but the bilhop, not buf¬ 
fering their humiliation, exhorted them to return their 
thanks to God alone for this mark of his mercy, and gave 
them good advice for the future conduct of their lives; 
and then, adding to it his bleffing, fent them, with great 
joy, to prol'ecute their liudies at Athens.” 
Many free fchools were eftablifhed for the inftrubtion of 
youth under the patronage of St. Nicholas, their great 
friend; and, before the reformation, the election of what 
was known by the title of boy-bilhop, or epifcopus puero- 
rum , in our feveral cathedrals, has been generally conli- 
dered to have fprung from the alleged extraordinary at¬ 
tachment of the faint to infantine virtue; though it mult 
be confelfed that it has been more probably accounted for. 
In the early ecclefiaftical polity of the Romilh church, it 
was ufual,as frequently explained, to fiibftitute Chriftian 
rites for others of a heathenilh nature which they found 
in exiftence, in order the more fecurely to induce a change 
in the religious creed of our barbarous forefathers, when 
probably a more rational mode would not have been 
effeblive. But it is to be lamented, that, when the end 
had been accomplifhed which was originally intended, 
the practice was not immediately difcontinued, inftead of 
having been tolerated, and buffered to hold out for deri- 
fion, the bilhops and other dignitaries of the very church 
that had originated their exigence for an exprefs con¬ 
trary purpofe. This holiday, however, not only conti¬ 
nued after the idolatries of the heathens had for ages 
ceafed, but even until the middle of the lixteenth century, 
under the additional various titles of Fejtum Kalendarium, 
Hypodiaconorum , Stultorum, and Libertas Dccembrica. At 
that period, or perhaps later, the people ufed to affemble 
in the church in mafks, to elebt their child-pope, or boy- 
bilhop, pradtifing every fpecies of profligate mockery, and 
indulging in the extremes of licentioufnefs; the priefts 
themfelves joining in the abomination, and even exceed¬ 
ing the laity in ridiculing their holy function. At w'hat 
precife time this cuftom was firft inftituted, has eluded 
refearch, but it was undoubtedly very ancient, and origi¬ 
nated on the continent, from whence it was tranfplanted 
to this country. So early as 1290, a -boy-bilhop and his 
prebendaries received forty drillings for performing vef- 
pers before Edward I. at Heton, near Newcaftle upon 
Tyne. In “ the inventorye of chyrch-goades” belonging 
to the paridi of St. Mary at Hill, Billingfgate, is inl’erted 
the following item, “a myter, for a bidrop at Seint Ny- 
clrolas tyde, garnilhed with fylver and anelyd, and perle 
and counterfete Hones.” 
Sir John Hawkins, in his Hiftory of Mudc, affords an 
account of the ceremony at Sarunr, which, with fonre 
fmall variation, may be regarded as applying to our cathe¬ 
drals at large. “ He,” the boy-bidrop, “ was to be elected 
from among the chorifters, on the anniverfary of St. 
Nicholas, being the 6th day of December; was inverted 
with great authority,and had the ftateof a diocefan bidrop, 
from the time of his eleftion until Innocents’ Day, as it 
is called, being the 28th of the fame month. He was to 
bear the name and maintain the ftate of a bidrop, habited 
with a crofier or palloral ftaff in his hand, and a mirtre 
on his head. His fellows, the reft of the children of the 
dhoir, were to take upon them the ftyle and office of pre¬ 
bendaries, and yield to the bidiop canonical obedience j 
O L A S. 
and, further, the fame fervice as the very bidrop hinrfelf, 
with his dean and prebendaries, had they been to officiate, 
were to have performed, the very fame, nrafs excepted, 
was done by the chorifter and his canons, upon the eve 
and holiday. TlreUfe of Sarum required alfo, that upon 
the eve of Innocents’-day, the clroriller-bidrop with his 
fellows, llrould go in folemn proceffion to the altar of the 
Holy Trinity, in copes, and with burning tapers in their 
hands; and that, during the proceffion, three of the 
boys diould fnrg certain hymns mentioned in the rubric. 
The proceffion was made through the great door at the 
weft end of the church, in fuch order, that the dean and 
canons went foremoft, the chaplain next, and the bifhop, 
with his little prebendaries, laft; agreeable to that rule in 
the ordering of all proceffions, which affigns the rearward 
ftation to the moil honourable. In the choir was a feat 
or throne for the bifhop; and, as to the reft of the chil¬ 
dren, they were difpofed on each fide of the choir, upon 
the uppermoft afcent. And fo careful was the church ta 
prevent any diforder, which the rude curiofity of the 
multitude might occafion in the celebration of this lin¬ 
gular ceremony, that their llatutes forbade all perfons 
whatfoever, under pain of the greater excommunication, 
to interrupt or prefs upon the children, either in the 
proceffion or during any part of the fervice directed by 
the rubric ; or any way to hinder or interrupt them in 
the execution or performance of what it concerned them 
to do. Farther it appears, that this infant-bifhop did, to 
a certain limit, receive to his own ufe rents and other 
emoluments of the church. In cafe the little bifhop died 
within the month, his exequies were folemnized with 
great pomp; and he was interred, like other bifliops, with 
all his ornaments.” One inftance of which attention, fir 
John might have added, to the remains of’a boy who died 
during the continuance of his jurifdiblion, may be feen. 
near the w'eft end of Sarum cathedral, where is the figure 
of a youth, clad in the epifcopal habit, Handing on a 
monfter, with a lion’s head, and the tongue and tail of a 
dragon; in allufion to the expreffion of the pfalmift— 
Thou Jhalt tread on the lion and the dragon. 
To thefe mockeries of an ecclefiaftical import fucceeded 
others having a political tendency, over which the Abbot 
of Unreafon, Abbot of Mifrule, or, as he was fubfe- 
quently called, the Lord of Mifrule, held pre-eminent 
lway. See Lord of Misrule, vol. xiii. 663, 4/5. and 
the articles there referred to. 
St. Nicholas w r as likewife venerated as the protestor of 
virgins;.and there are, or were until lately, numerous 
fantaftical cuftoms obferved in Italy and various parts of 
France, in reference to that peculiar tutelary patronage. 
In feveral convents it was cuftomary, on the eve of St. 
Nicholas, for the boarders to place each a filk flocking at 
the door of the apartment of the abbefs, with a piece of 
paper inclofed, recommending themfelves to “ Great St. 
Nicholas of her Chamber;” and the next day they were 
called together to witnefs the faint’s attention, who nevSr 
failed to fill the ftockings with fvveetmeats, and other trifles 
of that kind, with which thefe credulous virgins made a 
general feaft. Many of the Italian nobles had a practice 
called zapata, (the Spanifli for a flioe,) which tomewhac 
refembled this foolery. Carefully watching their oppor¬ 
tunity, they ufed to place in the flippers or ftockings. of 
perfons they wilhed to honour, fome prefent of drets or 
trinkets, which, on the morning of this taint’s day, was 
meant to furprife and gratify their vifitors. Both ulages 
appear to have taken their rife from the fame fable. A 
gentleman, it would appear, of noble delcent, had, by 
tome cafual misfortune, become fo reduced by penury 
and want, as even bafely to propofe to his three daughters 
to abandon themfelves to a life of profligacy, for their 
mutual fupport. St. Nicholas, thocked at fuch threatened 
degradation of the female charabter, refolved to interpofe 
his kind afliftance for the relief of thefe diltreffed damlels, 
and accordingly threw into the chamber of the gentle¬ 
man, a Jloching containing a portion for his eldelt daugh¬ 
ter, who, thus happily provided for, was fpeedily difpofed 
