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The name of Busby !-not the musical doctor, but a late magisterial doctor of Westminster school-celebrated for severe discipline, is a "word of fear" to all living who know his fame! It is perpetuated by an engraved representation of his chair, said to have been designed by sir Peter Lily, and presented by that artist to king Charles II. The arms, and each arm, are appalling; and the import of the other devices are, or ought to be, known by every tyro. Every prudent person lays in stores before they are wanted, and Dr. Busby's chair may as well be "in the house" on Twelfth-day as on any other; not as a mirth-spoiler, but as a subject which we know to-day that we have "by us," whereon to inquire and discuss at a more convenient season. Dr. Busby was a severe, but not an ill-natured man. It is related of him and one of his scholars,

that during the doctor's absence from his study, the boy found some plums in it, and being moved by lickerishness, began to eat some; first, however, he waggishly cried out, "I publish the banns of matrimony between my mouth and these plums; if any here present know just cause or impediment why they should not be united, you are to declare it, or hereafter hold your peace;" and then he ate. But the doctor had overheard the proclamation, and said nothing till the next morning, when causing the boy to be "brought up," and disposed for punish ment, he grasped the well-known instrument, and said, "I publish the banns of matrimony between this rod and this boy: if any of you know just cause or impediment why they should not be united, you are to declare it."-The boy himself called out, "I forbid the banns!" what cause?" inquired the doctor. "Because," said the boy," the parties are not agreed!" The doctor enjoyed the validity of the objection urged by the boy's wit, and the ceremony was not performed. This is an instance of Dr. Busby's admiration of talent: and let us hope, in behalf of its seasonableness here, that it was at Christmas time.

The King drinks.

"For

We recur once more to this subject, for the sake of remarking that there is an account of a certain curate, "who having taken his preparations over evening, when all men cry (as the manner is) The king drinketh, chanting his masse the next

morning, fell asleep in his memento; and when he awoke, added, with a loud voice, The king drinketh." This mal-apropos exclamation must have proceeded from a foreign ecclesiastic: we have no account of the ceremony to which it refers having prevailed in merry England.

66

An excellent pen-and-ink picture of old Froissart, the French chronicler, as Merry England"* represents honest saying of some English in his time, that fashion of their country;" whereon the "they amused themselves sadly after the portrayer of Merry England observes, Their mirth is a relaxation from gravity, "They have indeed a way of their own. a challenge to Dull Care' to 'be gone;' and one is not always clear at first, whether the appeal is successful. The cloud may still hang on the brow; the ice may their new character is an act of charity. To help them out in Any thing short of hanging or drowning is something to begin with. They do not

not thaw at once.

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enter into their amusements the less They like a thing the better for hitting doggedly because they may plague others. them arap on the knuckles, for making their sing, but they make good cheer—' eat, blood tingle. They do not dance or drink, and are merry. No people are fonder of field-sports, Christmas gambols, or practical jests. Blindman's buff, hunt the-slipper, hot-cockles, and snapdragon, are all approved English games, full of laughable surprises and hairbreadth 'scapes,' and serve to amuse the winter fireside after the roast beef and plum-pudding, the spiced ale and roasted crab, thrown (hissing-hot) into the foaming tankard. Punch (not the liquor, but the puppet) is not, I fear, of English origin; but there is no place, I take it, where he finds himself more at home or meets a more joyous welcome, where he collects greater crowds at the corners of streets, where he opens the eyes or distends the cheeks wider, or where the bangs and blows, the uncouth gestures, ridiculous anger and screaming voice of the chief performer excite more boundless merriment or louder bursts of laughter among all ranks and sorts of people. An English theatre is the very throne of pantomime; nor do I believe that the gallery and boxes of Drury-lane or Covent-gar

In the New Monthly Magazine, Dec. 1825

den filled on the proper occasions with holiday folks (big or little) yield the palm for undisguised, tumultuqus, inextinguishable laughter to any spot in Europe. I do not speak of the refinement of the mirth (this is no fastidious speculation) but of its cordiality, on the return of these long-looked-for and licensed periods; and I may add here, by way of illustration, that the English ccmmon people are a sort of grown children, spoiled and sulky, perhaps, but full of glee and merriment, when their attention is drawn off by some sudden and striking object.

"The comfort, on which the English lay so much stress, arises from the same source as their mirth. Both exist by contrast and a sort of contradiction. The English are certainly the most uncomfortable of all people in themselves, and therefore it is that they stand in need of every kind of comfort and accommodation. The least thing puts them out of their way, and therefore every thing must be in its place. They are mightily of fended at disagreeable tastes and smells, and therefore they exact the utmost neatness and nicety. They are sensible of heat and cold, and therefore they cannot exist, unless every thing is snug and warm, or else open and airy, where they are. They must have all appliances and means to boot.' They are afraid of interruption and intrusion, and therefore they shut themselves up in in-door enjoyments and by their own firesides. It is not that they require luxuries (for that implies a high degree of epicurean indulgence and gratification,) but they cannot do without their comforts; that is, whatever tends to supply their physical wants, and ward off physical pain and annoyance. As they have not a fund of animal spirits and enjoyments in themselves, they cling to external objects for support, and derive solid satisfaction from the ideas of order, cleanliness, plenty, property, and domestic quiet, as they seek for diversion from odd accidents and grotesque surprises, and have the highest possible relish not of voluptuous softness, but of hard knocks and dry blows, as one means of ascertaining their personal identity.'

Twelfth-day, in the times of chivalry, was observed at the court of England by grand entertainments and tournaments. The justings were continued till a period little favourable to such sports.

In the reign of James I., when his son

prince Henry was in the 16th year of his age, and therefore arrived to the period for claiming the principality of Wales and the duchy of Cornwall, it was granted to him by the king and the high court of parliament, and the 4th of June following appointed for his investiture: "the Christmas before which," sir Charles Cornwallis says, "his highnesse, not onely for his owne recreation, but also that the world might know what a brave prince they were likely to enjoy, under the name of Meliades, lord of the isles, (an ancient title due to the first-borne of Scotland,) did, in his name, by some appointed for the same purpose, strangely attired, accompanied with drummes and trumpets, in the presence, before the king and queene, and in the presence of the whole court, deliver a challenge to all knights of Great Britaine." The challenge was to this effect, "That Meliades, their noble master, burning with an earnest desire to trie the valour of his young yeares in foraigne countryes, and to know where vertue triumphed most, had sent them abroad to espy the same, who, after their long travailes in all countreyes, and returne," had nowhere discovered it, "save in the fortunate isle of Great Britaine : which ministring matter of exceeding joy to their young Meliades, who as they said) could lineally derive his pedegree from the famous knights of this isle, was the cause that he had now sent to present the first fruits of his chivalrie at his majesties' feete; then after returning with a short speech to her majestie, next to the earles, lords, and knights, excusing their lord in this their so sudden and show warning, and lastly, to the ladies; they, after humble delivery of their chartle concerning time, place, conditions, number of weapons and assailants, tooke their leave, departing solemnly as they entered."

Then preparations began to be made for this great fight, and each was happy who found himself admitted for a defendant, much more an assailant. "At last to encounter his highness, six assailants, and fifty-eight defendants, consisting of earles, barons, knights, and esquires, were appointed and chosen; eight defendants to one assailant, every assailant being to fight by turnes eight severall times fighting, two every time with push and pike of sword, twelve strokes at a time; after which, the barre for separation was to be let downe until a fresh onset." The suinmons ran in these words:

you.

"To our verie loving good freind sir the several showes and devices of each Gilbert Houghton, knight, geave theis combatant." Every challenger fought with speed: with eight several defendants two several "After our hartie commendacions unto combats at two several weapons, viz. at The prince, his highnes, hath push of pike, and with single sword. comanded us to signifie to you that whereas "The prince performed this challenge with he doth intend to make a challenge in his wonderous skill and courage, to the great owne person at the Barriers, with sixe joy and admiration of the beholders," he other assistants, to bee performed some "not being full sixteene yeeres of age tyme this Christmas; and that he hath untill the 19th of February." These feats, made choice of you for one of the defend- and other "triumphant shewes," began ants (whereof wee have comandement to before ten o'clock at night, and continued give you knowledge), that theruppon you until three o'clock the next morning, may so repaire hither to prepare yourselfe, "being Sonday." The speeches at the as you may bee fitt to attend him. Here- barriers" were written by Ben Jonson. unto expecting your speedie answer wee The next day (Sunday) the prince rode in rest, from Whitehall this 25th of Decem- great pomp to convoy the king to St James', ber, 1609. Your very loving freindes, whither he had invited him and all the Notingham. T.Suffolke. | E.Worcester." court to supper, whereof the queen alone On New-year's Day, 1610, or the day was absent; and then the prince bestowed after, the prince's challenge was pro- prizes to the three combatants best declaimed at court, and "his highnesse, in serving; namely, the earl of Montgomery, his own lodging, in the Christmas, did sir Thomas Darey (son to lord Darey), feast the earles, barons, and knights, asand sir Robert Gourdon.* In this way sailants and defendants, untill the great the court spent Twelfth-night in 1610. Twelfth appointed night, on which this great fight was to be performed."

On the 6th of January, in the evening, "the barriers" were held at the palace of Whitehall, in the presence of the king and queen, the ambassadors of Spain and Venice, and the peers and ladies of the land, with a multitude of others assembled in the banqueting-house at the upper end whereof was the king's chair of state, and on the right hand a sumptuous pavilion for the prince and his associates, from whence, with great bravery and ingenious devices, they descended into the middell of the roome, and there the prince performed his first feats of armes, that is to say, at Barriers, against all commers, being assisted onlie with six others, viz. the duke of Lenox, the earle of Arundell, the earle of Southampton, the lord Hay, sir Thomas Somerset, and sir Richard Preston, who was shortly after created lord Dingwell."

To answer these challengers came fiftysix earies, barons, knights, and esquiers. They were at the lower end of the roome, where was erected" a very delicat and pleasant place, where in privat manner they and their traine reniained, which was so very great that no man imagined that the place could have concealed halfe so many. From thence they issued, in comely order, to the middell of the roome, where sate the king and the queene, and the court," to behoid the barriers, with

On Twelfth-night, 1753, George II. played at hazard for the benefit of the groom porter. All the royal family who played were winners, particularly the duke of York, who won 3000/ The most considerable losers were the duke of Grafton, the marquis of Hartington, the earl of Holderness, earl of Ashburnham, and the earl of Hertford. The prince of Wales (father of George III.) with prince Edward and a select company, danced in the little drawing room till eleven o'clock, and then withdrew.†

Old Christmas-day. According to the alteration of the style, OLD Christmas-day falls on Twelfth-day, and in distant parts is even kept in our time as the festival of the nativity. In 1753, Old Christmas-day was observed in the neighbourhood of Worcester by the Anti-Gregorians, full as sociably, if not so religiously, as formerly In several villages, the parishioners so strongly insisted upon having an Oldstyle nativity sermon, as they term it, that their ministers could not well avoid preaching to them: and, at some towns, where the markets are held on Friday, not a butter basket, nor even a Goose, was to be seen in the market-place the whole day.‡

Mr. Nichols's Progresses of James I. + Gentleman's Magazine.

: Ibid

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