the 13th century, with an elegant translation by Mr. Douce, is printed in his “Illustrations of Shakspeare,” and also, with some variations, in “Brand’s Popular Antiquities,” by Ellis. Several collections of carols appear to have been printed in the course of the 16th century, some of which will be more particularly mentioned in a subsequent part.
In the 17th century, carol-singing continued in great repute, and was considered as a necessary ceremony, even in the feasts of the higher orders. During the proceedings of the celebrated Christmas Prince, at St. John Baptist’s College, Oxford, in 1607, when the boar’s head was brought-in in state, a peculiar carol was sung (which will be found in the subsequent pages) [The Boar Is Dead] wherein the whole company joined by way of chorus. An amusing story, connected with carol-singing, is related in “Pasquil’s Jests, mixed with Mother Bunche’s Merrirnents, &c. 1609,”[1] affording another example of the influence which the fair sex (properly) have over us.
“A tale of a merry Christmas Carroll sung by women.
“There was sometime an old knight, who being disposed to make himselfe merry in a Christmas time, sent for many of his tenants, and poore neighbors, with their wives, to dinner: when having made meat to be set on the table, would suffer no man to drinke, till he that was master ouer his wife should sing a carroll, to excuse all the company: great nicenesse there was, who should bee the musician, now the cuckow time was so farre off. Yet with much adoe, looking one upon another, after a dry hemme or two, a dreaming companion drew out as much as hee durst, towards an ill-fashioned ditty. When hauing made an end, to the
- ↑ British Bibliographer, vol. i. p. 42.
