II. A CAROL FOR PRESENTING THE WASSEL-BOWL, TO BE SUNG UPON TWELFTH-DAY AT NIGHT. From a collection intitled, " New Christmas Carrols: Being fit also to be sung at Easter, Whitsontide, and other Festival days in the year." no date. 12mo. black letter; in the curious study of that ever to be respected antiquary Anthony à Wood, in the Ashmoleian Museum. "There was an ancient custom," says Brand, "(I know not whether it be not yet retained in many places): Young women went about with a WASSAIL-BOWL, that is, a bowl of spiced ale, on new year's eve, with some sort of verses that were sung by them in going about from door to door.... They accepted little presents from the houses they stopped at. Mr. Selden thus alludes to it in his Table Talk, Art. Pope. The Pope in sending relicks to princes does as WENCHES do by their WASSELS at NEW YEARS TIDE. They present you with a CUP, and you must DRINK of a SLABBY STUFF; but the meaning is, you must GIVE them MONEY, ten times more than it is worth.'” Observations on Popular Antiquities, p. 195. See also, p. 408. and the "Dissertation" prefixed to this collection. Ben Jonson, in "Christmas his masque," presented at court 1616, introduces "CAROL, in a long tawney coat, with a red cap, and a flute at his girdle; his torch-bearer carrying a song-book open:" and "WASSEL, like a neat sempster and songster; her page bearing a brown bowl, drest with ribbands and rosemary before her." A JOLLY Wassel-bowl, A wassel of good ale, That setteth this to sale: Our jolly wassel! Good dame, here, at your door, We are all maidens poor, Our wassel we do fill With apples and with spice, Then grant us your good will To tast here once or twice, Of our wassel. If any maidens be Here dwelling in this house, They kindly will agree To take a full carouse But here they let us stand, Much joy into this hall With us is enter'd in; Our master, first of all, We hope will now begin, And after his good wife Some bounty from your hands, Our wassel to maintain, We'l buy no house nor lands With that which we do gain With our wassel. This is our merry night Of choosing king and queen; Then, be it your delight, That something may be seen It is a noble part To bear a liberal mind, God bless our masters heart! For here we comfort find, And now we must be gone, Much joy betide them all, For this your great good will III. A CHRISTMAS CAROL. God bless the master of this house, The mistress, also, And all the little children, That round the table go: And all your kin and kinsfolk, VOL. II. R IV. THE TAMING OF A SHREW. From one of the Sloan MSS. in the Museum (No. 1489). The writing of Charles the Ists time. AL you that are assembled heere, But first a pardon I must crave, And I will sing a merrye song, If they thereto agree. Because the song I mean to sing Doth touch them most of all, And loth I were that any one With me shold chide and brawle; I have anough of that at home, But if thes good wyves all be pleasd, And pleased be the men, Ile venture one more broken pate, To sing it once agayne; 10 20 |