The next and last of these popular festivities that I shall notice at any length, is jolly old Christmas,—the festival of the fireside; the most domestic and heartfelt carnival1 of the year. It has changed its features with the change of national manners and notions, but still it is a time of gladness, of home re-union and rejoicing; a precious time, and one so thoroughly2 suited to the grave yet cheerful spirit of Englishmen, that it will not soon lose its hold on our affections. Its old usages are so well known; they have been so repeatedly of late years brought to our notice by Washington Irving, Walter Scott, Leigh Hunt in his most graphic3 and cordial-spirited Months, Indicator5, and London Journal, and by many other lovers of the olden time, that I shall not now particularly describe them. We have already seen how, in all our religious festivals, the most ancient customs and rites6 have been interwoven with Catholicism. Who does not recognise in the decoration of our houses and churches with ivy7, holly8, and other evergreens9, the decorations of the altars of Greece and Rome with laurels10 and bays as the symbols of the renewal11 of the year and the immortality12 of Nature? In our mistletoe branches the practice of Druidical times? Who does not see in the Abbot of Unreason, and his jolly crew, the Saturnalia of ancient times? Those who do not, may find in Brand’s Antiquities13, the various volumes of Time’s Telescope, collected by my worthy14 friend John Millard, and in Hone’s Everyday Table, and Year Books, matter on these subjects, and on the Christmas pageants15, rites, and processions[452] of Rome, that would of itself fill a large volume. In old times it was from Christmas to Candlemas a period of general jollification; for the first twelve days—a general carnival. The churches were decorated with evergreens; midnight mass was celebrated16 with great pomp; according to Aubrey, they danced in the church after prayers, crying Yole, Yole, Yole, etc. For a fortnight before Christmas, and during its continuance, the mummers, or guisers, in their grotesque19 array, went from house to house, acting20 George and the Dragon, having the Princess Saba, the Doctor, and other characters all playing and saying their parts in verse. Others acted Alexander the Great, and the King of Egypt. Bands of carollers went about singing; and all the great gentry21 had
A good old fashion when Christmas was come,
And then in those good old halls, what a feasting, and a sporting, and a clamour was there! The Yule block on the fire, the plum-porridge and mince-pies on the table, with mighty23 rounds of beef, plum-pudding, turkeys, capons, geese, goose-pies, herons, and sundry24 other game and good things. Ale of twelve months old circling round, and the old butler and his serving-men carrying up the boar’s head, singing in chorus the accustomed chant, as they set it before the lord of the feast:
Caput Apri defero
Reddens laudes domino.
The boar’s head in hand bring I,
With garlands gay and rosemary;
I pray you all sing merrily,
Qui estis in convivio, etc.
Then, as Burton in his Anatomie of Melancholie, tells us,—“what cards, tables, dice25, shovel-board, chesse-play, the philosopher’s game, small trunkes, billiards26, musicke, singing, dancing, ale-games, catches, purposes, questions, merry tales of arrant27 knights28, kings, queens, lovers, lords, ladies, giants, dwarfs29, thieves, fairies, goblins, friars, witches, and the rest. Then what kissing under the mistletoe! roaring of storms without, and blazing hearths30 and merry catches within!”
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With all this rude happiness we cannot now linger; let us be thankful that our ancestors, rich and poor, enjoyed it so thoroughly, enjoyed it together, as became Christians34, on the feast of the nativity of their common Saviour35. We will just review this state of things as it existed in the time of old Wither37, two hundred years ago; and the remembrance of it, as it glanced on the imagination of Scott, and then turn to it as it exists amongst us now.
CHRISTMAS.
Let every man be jolly;
Each room with ivy leaves is dressed,
And every post with holly.
Though some churls at our mirth repine,
Drown sorrow in a cup of wine,
And let us all be merry.
Now all our neighbours’ chimneys smoke,
And Christmas blocks are burning,
Their ovens they with baked meats choke,
And all their spits are turning.
Without the door let sorrow lie;
We’ll bury it in a Christmas pie,
And evermore be merry.
And no man minds his labour;
Our lasses have provided them
A bagpipe and a tabor:
Young men and maids, and girls and boys,
Give life to one another’s joys;
And you anon shall by their noise
Perceive that they are merry.
Their hall of music soundeth;
And dogs thence with whole shoulders run,
So all things there aboundeth.
The country folks themselves advance
With crowdy-muttons out of France;
And all the town be merry.[454]
And all his best apparel;
Brisk Nell hath bought a ruff of lawn
With dropping of the barrel.
And those that hardly all the year
Had bread to eat, or rags to wear,
Will have both clothes and dainty fare,
And all the day be merry.
Now poor men to the justices
With capons make their errants;
And if they hap to fail of these,
They plague them with their warrants:
But now they find them with good cheer,
And what they want, they take in beer,
For Christmas comes but once a year,
And then they shall be merry.
Good farmers in the country nurse
Some landlords spend their money worse
There the roysters they do play;
Drab and dice their lands away,
Which may be ours another day,
And therefore let’s be merry.
The client now his suit forbears;
The prisoner’s heart is eased;
And for the time is pleased.
Though others’ purses be most fat,
Why should we pine or grieve at that?
Hang sorrow! care will kill a cat,
And therefore let’s be merry.
Hark! now the wags abroad do call
Anon you’ll see them in the hall
For nuts and apples scrambling53.
Hark how the roofs with laughter sound,
Anon they’ll think the house goes round,
For they the cellar’s depth have found,
And then they will be merry.[455]
The wenches with their wassail bowls
About the streets are singing;
Our kitchen-boy hath broke his box,
Our honest neighbours come by flocks,
And here they will be merry.
Now kings and queens poor sheepcotes have,
And mute with every body;
And wise men play the noddy.
Some youths will now a mumming go,
And others play at Rowland-bo,
And twenty other games boys mo,
Because they will be merry.
Then wherefore in these merry daies
Should we, I pray, be duller?
No, let us sing some roundelays,
To make our mirth the fuller.
And while we thus inspired sing,
Let all the streets with echoes ring;
Woods and hills and every thing,
Bear witness we are merry.
This is, at once, quaint58 and graphic. It shews us the joys of our ancestors in their homeliness59 and their strength. It is full of the spirit of the time, and the impressions of surrounding things. Let us now see the same days through the magic mist of a modern poet’s imagination—a poet whose soul turned to all the beauty and picturesque60 splendour, and the jollity of the past, with a passion never, in any bosom61, living with a stronger delight. How, in reverted62 vision of his heart and mind is every thing purified, sanctified, and refined. What a force of enjoyment63 breathes through the whole: how vividly64 are all the characteristics of the time, its fable65 and its manners given; yet with what a grace and delicacy66, unknown to the poet of the times themselves. We have here all the happiness, the hospitality, the generous simplicity67 of the past, tinged68 with the beautiful illusions of the present.
[456]
ANCIENT CHRISTMAS.
Loved, when the year its course had rolled,
With all its hospitable70 train.
Gave honour to the holy night:
On Christmas-eve the bells were rung;
On Christmas-eve the mass was sung;
That only night of all the year
The damsel donned her kirtle sheen;
The hall was dressed with holly green;
Forth to the wood did merry men go
To gather in the mistletoe.
Then opened wide the baron’s hall,
Power laid his rod of rule aside,
The heir with roses in his shoes,
That night might village partner choose;
The lord, underogating share
The vulgar game of “post and pair.”
All hailed with uncontrolled delight
And general voice the happy night,
That to the cottage, as the crown,
The fire with well-dried logs supplied,
Went roaring up the chimney wide;
The huge hall table’s oaken face,
Scrubbed till it shone the day to grace,
Bore then upon its massive board
Then was brought in the lusty braun
By old blue-coated serving-man;
Then the grim boar’s-head frowned on high,
How, when, and where the monster fell;
What dogs before his death he tore,
And all the baiting of the boar,
While round the merry wassail bowl,
Plum-porridge stood, and Christmas pie;[457]
Nor failed old Scotland to produce,
At such high tide the savoury goose.
Then came the merry maskers in,
If unmelodious was the song,
Who lists may in their mumming see
Traces of ancient mystery.
White shirt supplied the masquerade,
And smutted cheeks the vizor made;
But oh! what maskers richly dight
England was merry England then,
Old Christmas brought his sports again;
’Twas Christmas told the merriest tale;
A poor man’s heart through half the year.
Scott’s Marmion.
In these two poems we have sufficient picture of the past; what of these things continue with the present? In Catholic countries, indeed, much of the ancient show and circumstance remain. In Rome, all the splendour of the church is called forth. On Christmas-eve, the pipes of the Pifferari, or Calabrian minstrels, are heard in the streets. The decorators are busy in draping the churches, clothing altars, and festooning fa?ades. Devout87 ladies and holy nuns88 are preparing dresses, crowns, necklaces, and cradles, for the Madonna and Child of their respective churches. The toilette of the Virgin89 is performed, and she blazes in diamonds, or shines in tin, according to the riches of the respective parish treasuries90. In the Church of the Pantheon, says Lady Morgan, she was crowned with gilt91 paper, and decked with glass beads92, and on the same day in Santa Maria Novella, we beheld93 the coal-black face set off with rubies94 and sapphires95, which glittered on her dusky visage “like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear.” The cannons96 of St. Angelo announce the festival; shops are shut, and saloons deserted97. The midnight supper and the midnight bands begin the holy revel98, and the splendid pomp in which the august ceremonies are performed at the churches of the Quirinal, St. Louis, and the Ara C?li, is succeeded by a banquet of which even the poorest child of indigence99 contrives100 to partake. The people from the mountains[458] and the Campagna flock in to witness and to enjoy the fête, and present a strange sight of wild figures amid the inhabitants of the city. The churches are lit up with thousands of wax tapers102; the culla, or cradle of Christ, is removed from the shrine103 at the chapel104 of Santa Maria Maggiore, and carried in procession to the chapel of the Santa Croce, where it is exposed on the high altar on Christmas-day to the admiration105 of the faithful. Musical masses are performed; the Pope himself performs service in the Sextine Chapel on Christmas-eve, and on Christmas-day his Holiness performs mass in St. Peter’s, in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin; amid a most brilliant assembly of people of all nations, princes, ambassadors, nobles, and distinguished106 strangers.
At Naples numbers of shepherds from the mountains of the Abruzzi and the neighbouring Apennines, flock in two or three weeks before Christmas, and go about the streets, playing on their bagpipes107, as the Calabrians do both here and in Rome. Most of the Neapolitan families engage some of these itinerant108 musicians to play a quarter of an hour at their houses on each day of the Novena: the wild appearance of these mountaineers, and the shrill109 notes of their pipes attract the attention of travellers. Fireworks are displayed here in the most extraordinary manner; and, as in other parts of Italy, it is the custom to erect110 in the churches and in private houses, representations of the birth of our Saviour;—the stable, the shepherds, the oxen, the Virgin Mary, receiving the homage111 of kings and their trains, are all exhibited with great ingenuity112. A similar custom prevailed in some parts of Spain. Such are the customs of these and other catholic countries. In the north, where Christmas was celebrated as a festival of the gods of the ancient Scandinavians, under the name of Yule, it is now celebrated with great devotion; and in Germany they have some domestic customs of a very interesting nature. Coleridge, in the Friend, gives the following account of what he witnessed himself. “The children make little presents to their parents, and to each other; and the parents to their children. For three or four months before Christmas, the girls are all busy; and the boys save their pocket-money to make or purchase these presents. What the present is to be, is cautiously kept secret, and the girls have a world of contrivances to conceal113 it—such as working[459] when they are out on visits, and the others are not with them; getting up in the morning before daylight, etc. Then, on the evening before Christmas-day, one of the parlours is lighted up by the children, into which the parents must not go. A great yew114 bough46 is fastened on the table at a little distance from the wall; a multitude of little tapers are fixed115 in the bough, but not so as to burn it till they are nearly consumed; and coloured paper, etc. hangs and flutters from the twigs116. Under this bough, the children lay out in great order, the presents they mean for their parents, still concealing118 in their pockets, what they intend for each other. Then the parents are introduced, and each presents his little gift: they then bring out the remainder, one by one, from their pockets, and present them with kisses and embraces. When I witnessed this scene, there were eight or nine children, and the eldest119 daughter and mother wept aloud for joy and tenderness; and the tears ran down the face of the father, and he clasped all his children so tight to his breast, it seemed as if he did it to stifle120 the sob121 that was rising within him. I was very much affected122. The shadow of the bough and its appendages123 on the walls and arching over on the ceiling, made a pretty picture; and then the rapture124 of the very little ones, when at last the twigs and their needles began to take fire and snap,—O, it was a delight for them!
“On the next day, in the great parlour, the parents lay on the table the presents for the children. A scene of more sober joy succeeds; as on this day, after an old custom, the mother says privately125 to each of her daughters, and the father to his sons, that which he has observed most praiseworthy, and that which was most faulty in their conduct. Formerly126, and still in all the smaller towns and villages throughout North Germany, these presents are sent by all the parents to some one fellow, who, in high buskins, a white robe, a mask, and an enormous flax wig117, personates Knecht Rupert, i. e. the servant Rupert. On Christmas night he goes round to every house, and says that Jesus Christ, his master, sent him thither127. The parents and elder children receive him with great pomp and reverence129, while the little ones are most terribly frightened. He then inquires for the children, and according to the character which he hears from the parents he gives them the intended presents, as if they came out of heaven[460] from Jesus Christ. Or if they should have been bad children, he gives the parents a rod, and, in the name of his master, recommends them to use it frequently. About seven or eight years old, the children are let into the secret, and it is curious how faithfully they keep it.”
The bough mentioned by Coleridge as yew, is by other writers said to be of birch. The Christ-child is said to come flying through the air on golden wings; and causes the birch-bough fixed in the corner of the room to grow, and to produce in the night, all manner of fruit; gilt sweetmeats, apples, nuts, etc., for the good children. Richter makes Quintus Fixlein recal one of these scenes of his youth, very beautifully. “I will,” said he to himself, “go through the whole Christmas-eve, from the very dawn, as I had it of old. At his very rising he finds spangles on the table, sacred spangles from the gold-leaf and silver-leaf with which the Christ-child has been emblazoning and coating his apples and nuts, the presents of the night. Then comes his mother, bringing him both Christianity and clothes; for in drawing on his trousers, she easily recapitulated130 the ten commandments; and in tying his garters, the Apostles’ creed131. So soon as candlelight was over, and daylight come, he clambers to the arm of the settle, and then measures the nocturnal growth of the yellow wiry grove132 of Christmas-birch. There was no such thing as school all day. About three o’clock the old gardener takes his place on his large chair, with his Cologne tobacco-pipe, and, after this, no mortal shall work a stroke. He tells nothing but lies, of the aeronautic133 Christ-child, and the jingling134 Ruprecht with his bells. In the dark our little Quintus takes an apple, and divides it with all the figures of stereometry, and spreads the fragments in two heaps on the table. Then, as the lighted candle enters, he starts up in amazement135 at the unexpected present, and says to his mother, ‘Look what the good Christ-child has given thee and me, and I saw one of his wings glittering!’ And for this same glittering he himself lies in wait the whole evening.
“About eight o’clock, both of them with necks almost excoriated136 with washing, and clean linen137, and in universal anxiety lest the Holy Christ-child find them up, are put to bed. What a magic night! What tumult138 of dreaming hopes! The populous139, motley,[461] glittering cave of fancy opens itself in the length of the night, and in the exhaustion140 of dreaming effort, still darker and darker, fuller and more grotesque; but the waking gives back to the thirsty heart its hopes. All accidental tones, the cries of animals, of watchmen, are, for the timidly devout fancy, sounds out of heaven; singing voices of angels in the air; church music of the morning worship.
“At last come rapid lights from the neighbourhood, playing through the window on the walls, and the Christmas trumpets141, and the crowing from the steeple hurries both the boys from their bed. With their clothes in their hands, without fear for the darkness, without feeling for the morning frost, rushing, intoxicated142, shouting, they hurry down stairs into the dark room. Fancy riots in the pastry143 and fruit perfume of the still eclipsed treasures, and haunts her air-castles by the glimmering144 of the Hesperides-fruit with which the birch-tree is laden145. While their mother strikes a light, the falling sparks sportfully open and shroud146 the dainties on the table, and the many-coloured grove on the wall; and a single atom of that fire bears on it a hanging garden of Eden.”
I am informed by a lady friend that German families in Manchester have introduced this custom of the Christmas-tree, and that it is spreading fast amongst the English there,—pine-tops being brought to market for the pupose, which are generally illuminated147 with a taper101 for every day in the year.
Such are the rites, fancies, and ceremonies with which other, and especially Catholic countries, have invested this ancient festival. What now remain in our Protestant nation of these customs?—Much is gone; many are the changes that have taken place in our manners and opinions; and yet it is certain that we regard this season of festivity with a strong and sacred affection. It is true that there is commonly but one day of thorough holiday to the people; one day on which all shops are shut; on which labour in a great measure ceases, and the poor join with the rich in repose148 and worship. The poor, indeed, do not partake the benefit of this season, as the poor of old time did; the houses of the great are not, as they were then, open to all tenants and dependents. There is now, indeed, upon the great man’s table,
No mark to part the squire and lord;
[462]
but there is a mark more immobile than the salt, set in the grain of our minds. The distinctions of society have grown with our commercial wealth, and have multiplied grades and relations. A sense of independence too has sprung up in the lower classes, with commerce and the growth of intelligence. The great man might, indeed, condescend149 to call his tenants and dependents to his hall to a Christmas revel, but if they went at all they would go reluctantly, and feel ill at ease. They would feel it as a condescension150, and not as springing out of the heartiness151 of old customs. They would feel that they were out of their element; for all classes know instinctively152 the broad differences of habits, manners, and modes of thinking that separate them from each other more effectually than any feudal153 institutions did their ancestors. The pride of the yeoman would be more in danger of suffering than the pride of the lord; the pride of the cottager than that of the farmer, if invited to his table. When the brick floor and the wooden bench gave way in the farm-house to the carpet and the mahogany chair, the feet of the labourer ceased to tread familiarly round the farmer’s table. Harvest meals and harvest-home suppers bring them together in rustic154 districts; they are the remaining links of the old chain of society; but the Christmas custom is broken, and is therefore no longer observable with full content. This great difference between the past and present exists, and therefore the rejoicing of the poor at this time is short and small: would to heaven that the kindly155 feeling of the community would make it greater!
But, independent of this, to the rest of the community Christmas brings much of its ancient pleasure. Each class within itself, enjoys it, perhaps more deeply, if less noisily than of old. It is, as I have before said, the festival of the fireside. Friends and families are brought together by many circumstances. Summer tourists and out-of-door pleasure-seekers have all turned home at the frown of winter. As it was their delight in the early year to plan excursions, to make parties, and then to fly forth in all directions, to enjoy new scenes, new faces, summer skies, and sea-breezes; it is now their delight to assemble again round their familiar firesides, with the old familiar faces, to talk over all that they have seen, and said, and done. Parliament has adjourned156, and weary senators and their families have fled from London, and are, once[463] more, at their country seats. Children are come home from school; business seems to pause, or to move less urgently in the dead season of the year, and releases numbers from its tread-mill round to an interval157 of relaxation158. All the branches of families meet with spirits eager for enjoyment; and storms, frosts, and darkness without, send them for that enjoyment to the fire-bright hearth31.
Christmas-eve approaches, and with it signs of observance, and feasting, and amusement. Holly, ivy, and mistletoe appear in vast quantities in the markets, and almost every housekeeper159, except those of the Society of Friends, furnishes herself with a quantity to decorate her windows, if not always to sport a kissing-bush. Churches, halls, city houses and country cottages, are all seen with their windows stuck over with sprigs of green and scarlet-berried holly. Mistletoe is said never to be introduced into churches except by ignorance of the sextons, being held in abhorrence160 by the early Christians on account of its prominence161 in the Druidical ceremonies. And this is likely enough; but in the house it maintains its station, and well merits it, by the beauty of its divaricated branches of pale-green, and its pearly-white berries. But Christmas-eve brings not only evergreens into request, but abundance of more substantial things. The coaches to town are fairly loaded to the utmost with geese, turkeys and game, as those downwards162 are with barrels of oysters49. The grocers are busy selling currants, raisins163, spices, and other good things, for the composition of mince-pies and Christmas sweetmeats. Pigs are killed, and pork-pies, sausages, and spareribs abound43, from the greatest hall to the lowest hut. Heaven be thanked that the blessing164 goes so far in this instance. It is a delight to think of all the little children in the poor man’s house, that the year through have lived coarsely if not sparely, now watching the fat pig from their own sty cut up, and pies and spareribs, boiling pieces, black puddings and sausages, springing up as from a magical storehouse unlocked by the key of Old Christmas. O! it is a delicious time, when the father and the mother can sit down amongst their throng165 of eager little ones, that “feel their life in every limb,” and feast them to their hearts’ content; and live with them for a short time amid substantial things and savoury smells, and, after all, hang in the chimney-corner two noble flitches for the coming year.
[464]
These good things come with Christmas-eve, and with them come the Waites. Except in some few very primitive166 districts, these do not go about for a week or more as they used to do, but merely on this night. And it is a fact singularly unfortunate for Mr. Bulwer’s theory of the effect of Methodism noticed before, that wherever Methodists exist they are sure to be amongst these waites, and are, in many places, the only ones. The strange, dreamy, yet delightful167 effect of the music and singing of these waites, as you hear them in a state rather of sleep than waking, who has not experienced? They are, as Fixlein expresses it, to our conscious senses, but half dormant168 understandings, “sounds out of heaven, singing voices of angels in the air.” I shall never forget the delicious impressions of this midnight music on my childish spirit, and would fain hear such strains on every returning Christmas-eve till I cease to hear any mortal sounds.
But Christmas morning comes; and ere daylight dawns, you are awoke by the rejoicing music of all the village or the city bells, as it may be; and cannot help feeling, spite of all that puritans and grave denouncers of times and seasons have said, that there is something holy in the remembrance of the time, which does your spirit good. Who can read these verses of, Wordsworth’s addressed to his brother, without feeling the truth of this?
To-night beneath my cottage eaves;
The encircling laurels thick with leaves,
Gave back a rich and dazzling sheen,
That overpowered their natural green.
Through hill and valley every breeze
Had sank to rest with folded wings;
Keen was the air but could not freeze
And who but listened?—till was paid
Respect to every inmate’s claim;
The greeting given, the music played,
In honour of each household name,
Duly pronounced with lusty call,
And “merry Christmas” wished to all![465]
Which took thee from thy native hills;
And it is given thee to rejoice;
Though public care full often tills
(Heaven only witness of the toil)
A barren and ungrateful soil.
Yet would that thou with me and mine
Hadst heard this never-failing rite;
And seen on other faces shine
Which Nature and these rustic Powers,
In simple childhood, spread on ours!
For pleasure hath not ceased to wait
On these expected, annual rounds,
Call forth the unelaborate sounds,
Or they are offered at the door
Snow-muffled winds, and all is dark,
To hear—and sink again to sleep!
Or, at an earlier call, to mark,
Of hearts with gladness brimming o’er;
And some unbidden tears that rise
For names once heard, and heard no more:
Tears brightened by the serenade,
For infant in the cradle laid!
Ah! not for emerald fields alone,
With ambient streams more pure and bright
Glittering before the Thunderer’s sight,
Is to my heart of hearts endeared
The ground where we were born and reared!
Hail! ancient Manners! sure defence,
Remnants of love whose modest sense
Thus into narrow room withdraws;
And ye, that guard them, Mountains old!
[466]
Christmas-day then is come! and with it begins a heartfelt season of social delight, and interchanges of kindred enjoyments185. In large houses are large parties, music and feasting, dancing and cards. Beautiful faces and noble forms, the most fair and accomplished186 of England’s sons and daughters, beautify the ample firesides of aristocratic halls. Senators and judges, lawyers and clergymen, poets and philosophers, there meet in cheerful and even sportive ease, amid the elegances187 of polished life. In more old-fashioned, but substantial country abodes188, old-fashioned hilarity189 prevails. In the farm-house hearty spirits are met. Here are dancing and feasting too; and often blindman’s-buff, turn-trencher, and some of the simple games of the last age remain. In all families, except the families of the poor, who seem too much forgotten at this, as at other times in this refined age, there are visits paid and received; parties going out, or coming in; and everywhere abound, as indispensable to the season, mince-pies, and wishes for “a merry Christmas and a happy New-Year.”
It is only in the more primitive parts of the country that the olden customs remain. The Christmas carols which were sung about from door to door, for a week at least, not twenty years ago, are rarely heard now in the midland counties. More northward190, from the hills of Derbyshire, and the bordering ones of Staffordshire, up through Lancashire, Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Durham, you may frequently meet with them. The late Mrs. Fletcher (Miss Jewsbury) one of the most highly-gifted, both in talents and principle, of those who are early lost to the world, collected a volume of such as are sung in the neighbourhood of Manchester, and presented it to Mrs. Howitt. Amongst them are many of the most ancient, such as—“Under the Leaves, or the Seven Virgins191,” beginning—
All under the leaves, and the leaves of life,
I met with virgins seven;
And one of them was Mary mild,
Our Lord’s Mother in Heaven.
“The Moon shone bright,”—beginning with
The moon shone bright, and the stars gave a light
A little before it was day,
The Lord our God he called to us,
And bade us awake and pray.[467]
Awake, awake, good people all,
Awake and you shall hear,
Our blessed Lord died on the cross
For us whom he loved so dear;
and ending thus—
To day, though you’re alive and well,
Worth many a thousand pound,
To-morrow dead, and cold as clay,
God bless the master of this house,
Mistress and children dear;
Joyful may their Christmas be,
And happy their New-Year.
As it fell out upon a day,
Poor Lazarus sickened and died;
There came two angels out of heaven
His soul therein to guide.
“Rise up, rise up, brother Lazarus,
Thine heavenly guides are we;
Thy place it is provided in heaven,
To sit on an angel’s knee.”
As it fell out upon a day,
Rich Dives sickened and died;
There came two serpents out of hell
His soul therein to guide.
“Rise up, rise up, brother Dives,
Thine evil; guides are we;
Thy place it is provided in hell,
To sit on a serpent’s knee!”
So proud and lofty do some people grow,
They patch and paint, and dress like idle stuff,
As if God had not made them good enough.
The well-known Twelve Joys:
The first good joy that Mary had, it was the joy of one,
To see her own son Jesus to suck at her breast-bone;
To suck at her breast-bone, good man, and blessed shall he be,
Through, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the One United Three! etc.
[468]
The equally popular one:
God rest you, merry gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay;
Remember Christ our Saviour
Was born on Christmas-day,
To save poor souls from Satan’s power,
Who’ve long time gone astray.
Which ends thus:
God bless the master of this house,
And mistress also;
And all the little children
That round the table go;
With their pockets full of money,
And their cellars full of beer;
And God send you a happy New-Year.
Amongst them is found Bethlehem City.
In Bethlehem city, in Jewry it was,
That Joseph and Mary together did pass;
And there to be tax’d, as many one mo,
When C?sar commanded, in truth it was so. etc.
And that fine hymn196 which is sung in some places at midnight by the Waites, and which the Methodists have adopted for their early morning service:
Whereon the Saviour of the world was born.
And the following, which, though evidently in a most defective198 state, I shall give entire, as exhibiting a striking impress of the character of the middle ages; and shewing how well they understood the true spirit of Christ.
Honour the leaves and the leaves of life,
Upon this blest holiday,
When Jesus asked his mother dear,
Whether he might go to play.
To play! to play! said blessed Mary,
To play, then get you gone;
And see there be no complaint of you
At night when you come home.[469]
Sweet Jesus, he ran unto yonder town,
As far as the holy well;
And there he saw three as fine children
As ever eyes beheld.
He said, “God bless you every one,
And sweet may your sleep be;
And now, little children, I’ll play with you,
And you shall play with me.”
Thou art meaner than us all;
Thou art but a silly fair maid’s child,
Born in an oxen’s stall.”
Sweet Jesus he turned himself about,
Like waters from the rock.
Sweet Jesus he ran to his mother dear,
As fast as he could run—
O mother, I saw three as fine children
As ever were eyes set on.
I said “God bless you every one,
And sweet may your sleep be—
And now, little children, I’ll play with you,
And you shall play with me.”
“Nay,” said they, “we’re lords’ and ladies’ sons,
Thou art meaner than us all;
For thou art but a poor fair maid’s child,
Born in an oxen’s stall.”
Then the tears trickled down from his pretty little eyes
As fast as they could fall.
“Then,” said she, “go down to yonder town,
As far as the holy well,
And there take up those infants’ souls,
And dip them deep in hell.”
“O no! O no!” sweet Jesus then said,
“O no! that never can be;
For there are many of those infants’ souls
Crying out for the help of me!”
I must not close this article either without recalling to the recollection of some of my readers that quaint old carol, which was sung by bands of little children at Christmas, and which brings fairly before us the paintings of the old masters, where Joseph is[470] always represented as so old a man, and Mary sits in the “oxen’s stall” with her crown on her head.
Joseph was an old man, and an old man was he,
And he married Mary, the Queen of Galilee.
It goes on to describe how they went into the garden, and Queen Mary asked Joseph to gather her some cherries, on which he turned very crabbed202, made Mary weep, and then all the cherry-trees made their obeisance203;
And bowed down to Mary’s knee—
And she gathered cherries by one, two, and three.
These are in the spirit of the legend which relates that Jesus, when a boy, was playing with other boys, when they made sparrows of clay, and he made a sparrow too, but his sparrow became instantly alive, and flew away.
Simple were the times when such rude rhymes as these were framed, to be sung before the doors and by the blazing yule-clogs of gentle and simple. They are not calculated to stand the test of these days; the schoolmaster will root them all out: but it is to be hoped that he will leave untouched the cordial spirit of piety204 and affection so fitted to make happy this desolate205 period of the year.
In Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Cornwall, and Devon, the old spirit of Christmas seems to be kept up more earnestly than in most other counties. In Cornwall, they still exhibit the old dance of St. George and the Dragon. A young friend of ours happening to be at Calden-Low in the Staffordshire hills at Christmas, in came the band of bedizened actors, and performed the whole ancient drama, personating St. George, the King of Egypt, the fair Saba, the king’s daughter, the Doctor, and other characters, with great energy and in rude verse. In Devon they still bless the orchards206 on Christmas-eve, according to the old verses:—
Wassail the trees, that they may beare
You many a plum, and many a peare:
For more or less fruits they will bring
As you do give them wassailing.
In some places, they walk in procession to the principal[471] orchards in the parish. In each orchard207 one tree is selected as the representative of the rest; and is saluted208 with a certain form of words. They then either sprinkle the tree with cider, or dash a bowl of cider against it. In other places, only the farmer and his servants assemble on the occasion, and after immersing cakes in cider, hang them on the apple-trees. They then sprinkle the trees with cider; pronounce their incantation; dance about the tree, and then go home to feast.
In Mr. Grant Stewart’s “Popular Superstitions209 of the Highlands,” may be found an account of the Highland210 mode of celebrating Christmas; and here we say a hearty good-bye to Jolly Old Christmas.
We have now made a hasty sketch211 of those old festivals which still retain more or less of their ancient influence. We have endeavoured to shew what is the present state of custom and feeling in these particulars by contrasting it with the past. New Year’s-day is yet a day of salutations; Valentine’s-day has yet some sportive observance amongst the young; and Plough-Monday, here and there, in the thoroughly agricultural districts, sends out its motley team. This consists of the farm-servants and labourers. They are dressed in harlequin guise18, with wooden swords, plenty of ribbons, faces daubed with white-lead, red ochre, and lamp-black. One is always dressed in woman’s clothes and armed with a besom, a sort of burlesque212 mixture of Witch and Columbine. Another drives the team of men-horses with a long wand, at the end of which is tied a bladder instead of a lash213; so that blows are given without pain, but with plenty of noise. The insolence214 of these Plough-bullocks, as they are called, which might accord with ancient license215, but does not at all suit modern habits, has contributed more than anything else to put them down. They visited every house of any account, and solicited216 a contribution in no very humble217 terms. If it was refused, their practice was to plough up the garden walk, or do some other mischief218. One band ploughed up the palisades of a widow lady of our acquaintance, and having to appear before a magistrate219 for it, and to pay damages, never afterwards visited that neighbourhood. In some places I have[472] known them enter houses, whence they could only be ejected by the main power of the collected neighbours; for they extended their excursions often to the distance of ten miles or more, and where they were the most unknown, there practised the most insolence. Nobody regrets the discontinuance of this usage.
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1
carnival
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| n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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3
graphic
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| adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的 | |
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rite
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| n.典礼，惯例，习俗 | |
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indicator
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| n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器 | |
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rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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holly
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| n.[植]冬青属灌木 | |
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evergreens
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| n.常青树，常绿植物，万年青( evergreen的名词复数 ) | |
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laurels
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| n.桂冠，荣誉 | |
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renewal
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| adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来 | |
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12
immortality
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| n.不死，不朽 | |
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13
antiquities
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| n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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pageants
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| n.盛装的游行( pageant的名词复数 )；穿古代服装的游行；再现历史场景的娱乐活动；盛会 | |
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16
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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19
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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gentry
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| n.绅士阶级，上层阶级 | |
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22
bagpipe
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| n.风笛 | |
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23
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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25
dice
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| n.骰子；vt.把（食物）切成小方块，冒险 | |
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billiards
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| n.台球 | |
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27
arrant
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| adj.极端的；最大的 | |
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28
knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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29
dwarfs
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| n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式） | |
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30
hearths
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| 壁炉前的地板，炉床，壁炉边( hearth的名词复数 ) | |
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31
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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32
hap
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| n.运气；v.偶然发生 | |
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33
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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34
Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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35
saviour
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| n.拯救者，救星 | |
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36
rev
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| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
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37
wither
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| vt.使凋谢，使衰退，(用眼神气势等)使畏缩；vi.枯萎，衰退，消亡 | |
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38
joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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39
twine
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| v.搓，织，编饰；（使）缠绕 | |
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40
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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41
misers
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| 守财奴，吝啬鬼( miser的名词复数 ) | |
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42
shun
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| vt.避开，回避，避免 | |
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43
abound
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| vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于 | |
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44
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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45
pawn
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| n.典当，抵押，小人物，走卒；v.典当，抵押 | |
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46
bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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47
undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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48
lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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49
oysters
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| 牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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50
debtor
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| n.借方，债务人 | |
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51
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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52
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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53
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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54
owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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55
mare
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| n.母马，母驴 | |
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56
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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57
knave
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| n.流氓；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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58
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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59
homeliness
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| n.简朴，朴实；相貌平平 | |
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60
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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61
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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62
reverted
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| 恢复( revert的过去式和过去分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还 | |
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63
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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64
vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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fable
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| n.寓言；童话；神话 | |
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66
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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67
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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68
tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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69
blithe
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| adj.快乐的，无忧无虑的 | |
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70
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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71
chalice
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| n.圣餐杯；金杯毒酒 | |
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72
vassals
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| n.奴仆( vassal的名词复数 )；（封建时代）诸侯；从属者；下属 | |
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73
tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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74
doffed
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| v.脱去，（尤指）脱帽( doff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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75
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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76
squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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77
crested
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| adj.有顶饰的，有纹章的，有冠毛的v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的过去式和过去分词 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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78
ranger
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| n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员 | |
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79
garnished
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| v.给（上餐桌的食物）加装饰( garnish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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80
reeked
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| v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的过去式和过去分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象） | |
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81
blithesome
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| adj.欢乐的，愉快的 | |
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82
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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83
bosoms
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| 胸部( bosom的名词复数 )； 胸怀； 女衣胸部（或胸襟）； 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形 | |
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84
broached
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| v.谈起( broach的过去式和过去分词 )；打开并开始用；用凿子扩大（或修光）；（在桶上）钻孔取液体 | |
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85
mightiest
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| adj.趾高气扬( mighty的最高级 )；巨大的；强有力的；浩瀚的 | |
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86
gambol
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| v.欢呼，雀跃 | |
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87
devout
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| adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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88
nuns
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| n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 ) | |
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89
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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90
treasuries
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| n.（政府的）财政部( treasury的名词复数 )；国库，金库 | |
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91
gilt
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| adj.镀金的；n.金边证券 | |
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92
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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93
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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94
rubies
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| 红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色 | |
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95
sapphires
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| n.蓝宝石，钢玉宝石( sapphire的名词复数 )；蔚蓝色 | |
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96
cannons
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| n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 ) | |
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97
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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98
revel
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| vi.狂欢作乐，陶醉；n.作乐，狂欢 | |
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99
indigence
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| n.贫穷 | |
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100
contrives
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| （不顾困难地）促成某事( contrive的第三人称单数 )； 巧妙地策划，精巧地制造（如机器）； 设法做到 | |
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101
taper
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| n.小蜡烛，尖细，渐弱；adj.尖细的；v.逐渐变小 | |
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102
tapers
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| （长形物体的）逐渐变窄( taper的名词复数 )； 微弱的光； 极细的蜡烛 | |
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103
shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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104
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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105
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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106
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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107
bagpipes
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| n.风笛；风笛( bagpipe的名词复数 ) | |
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108
itinerant
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| adj.巡回的；流动的 | |
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109
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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110
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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111
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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112
ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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113
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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114
yew
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| n.紫杉属树木 | |
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115
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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116
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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117
wig
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| n.假发 | |
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118
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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119
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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120
stifle
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| vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止 | |
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121
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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122
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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123
appendages
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| n.附属物( appendage的名词复数 )；依附的人；附属器官；附属肢体（如臂、腿、尾等） | |
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124
rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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125
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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126
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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127
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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128
revere
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| vt.尊崇，崇敬，敬畏 | |
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129
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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130
recapitulated
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| v.总结，扼要重述( recapitulate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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131
creed
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| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
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132
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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133
aeronautic
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| adj.航空（学）的 | |
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134
jingling
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| 叮当声 | |
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135
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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136
excoriated
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| v.擦伤( excoriate的过去式和过去分词 )；擦破（皮肤）；剥（皮）；严厉指责 | |
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137
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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138
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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139
populous
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| adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的 | |
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140
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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141
trumpets
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| 喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 )； 小号； 喇叭形物； （尤指）绽开的水仙花 | |
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142
intoxicated
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| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 | |
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143
pastry
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| n.油酥面团，酥皮糕点 | |
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144
glimmering
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| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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145
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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146
shroud
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| n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏 | |
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147
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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148
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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149
condescend
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| v.俯就，屈尊；堕落，丢丑 | |
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150
condescension
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| n.自以为高人一等，贬低(别人) | |
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151
heartiness
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| 诚实，热心 | |
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152
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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153
feudal
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| adj.封建的，封地的，领地的 | |
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154
rustic
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| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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155
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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156
adjourned
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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157
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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158
relaxation
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| n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐 | |
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159
housekeeper
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| n.管理家务的主妇，女管家 | |
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160
abhorrence
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| n.憎恶；可憎恶的事 | |
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161
prominence
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| n.突出；显著；杰出；重要 | |
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162
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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163
raisins
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| n.葡萄干( raisin的名词复数 ) | |
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164
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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165
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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166
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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167
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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168
dormant
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| adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的 | |
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169
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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170
smitten
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| 猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 ) | |
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171
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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173
hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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174
strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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175
revival
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| n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振 | |
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176
sumptuous
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| adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的 | |
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177
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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178
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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179
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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180
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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181
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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182
fabled
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| adj.寓言中的，虚构的 | |
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183
wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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184
pristine
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| adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的 | |
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185
enjoyments
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| 愉快( enjoyment的名词复数 )； 令人愉快的事物； 享有； 享受 | |
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186
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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187
elegances
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| n.高雅( elegance的名词复数 )；（举止、服饰、风格等的）优雅；精致物品；（思考等的）简洁 | |
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188
abodes
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| 住所( abode的名词复数 )； 公寓； （在某地的）暂住； 逗留 | |
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189
hilarity
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| n.欢乐；热闹 | |
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190
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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191
virgins
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| 处女，童男( virgin的名词复数 )； 童贞玛利亚（耶稣之母） | |
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192
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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193
ballad
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| n.歌谣，民谣，流行爱情歌曲 | |
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194
stanza
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| n.（诗）节，段 | |
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195
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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196
hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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197
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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198
defective
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| adj.有毛病的，有问题的，有瑕疵的 | |
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199
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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200
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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201
trickled
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| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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202
crabbed
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| adj.脾气坏的；易怒的；（指字迹）难辨认的；（字迹等）难辨认的v.捕蟹( crab的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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203
obeisance
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| n.鞠躬，敬礼 | |
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204
piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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205
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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206
orchards
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| （通常指围起来的）果园( orchard的名词复数 ) | |
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207
orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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208
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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209
superstitions
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| 迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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210
highland
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| n.(pl.)高地，山地 | |
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211
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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212
burlesque
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| v.嘲弄，戏仿；n.嘲弄，取笑，滑稽模仿 | |
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213
lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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214
insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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215
license
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| n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许 | |
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216
solicited
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| v.恳求( solicit的过去式和过去分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求 | |
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217
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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218
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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219
magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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