disturbers of mankind were destroyed. Of this kind, I take it, was the feast Juul; and as Noah was not only adored as the god of the deluge, but also recognised as a great benefactor to mankind by teaching or improving them in the art of husbandry, what could be more suitable than for them to regale themselves on it with a palatable dish for those times, the principal ingredient of which is wheat? Those times were held peculiarly sacred by the idolisers of Noah, which were adapted to express the perishing of the old world and the revival of the new, as that of the new moons; and, as then one ended and another began, they called it the old and new day and the winter solstice might seem to the northern nations more fully to answer this purpose, as on it they ended the old and began the new year. That this rejoicing on Christmas-eve had its rise from the Juul, and was exchanged for it, is evident from a custom practised in the northern counties of putting a large clog of wood on the fire this evening, which is still called the Yule clog: the original occasion of it may have been, as the Juul was their greatest festival, to honour it with the best fire. About this, in the rude and simple ages after the change, the whole household, which was quite agreeable to the nature of the old feast, used to sit, stand, or play, in a sportive manner, according to the proverb of those times, All friends around the wrekin. Now what gave occasion to this exchange was this: in the degenerate ages it was the usual method to convert these barbarians by adapting the Christian religion, as much as possible, to their ancient usages and customs; and one most prevailing way they took for doing it was, by promising them they should be indulged with the same or like feasts in it as what they enjoyed before in Paganism. Hence for the Juul they gave them to understand they should enjoy the feast of Christmas, and indulged them with this part of their feast on its eve, which they might think innocent, and would not break in much upon this festival, and agreed with their ancient manner of beginning theirs. However, from that strong attachment the multitude always have for their ancient customs, many of them for some time afterwards called it Christmas Yule; and this seems to have prevailed the longest in the northern counties. In the same manner as the feast of our Lord's Resurrection was substituted for another festival they held in the spring or Easter month, as April was then called, from the easterly winds which prevail at this time, it is called Easter among us to this day. But, by the bye, I think it high time this old denomination was laid aside, and the true one restored. It would be much the best to have all our Christian festivals called by their most true, simple, and expressive names, that people of all ranks might hence be more strongly reminded of what great, glorious, and interesting events they are intended to recal into their minds, and so be excited to think more seriously about them, and take comfort from them. We have another instance of this impropriety in Acts xii. 4, where our translators have put Easter for the Passover. J. M. 66 A SCRUTATOR observes, that "Mothering Sunday" is explained in Bailey's Dictionary, 8vo. where it is said, that Mothering is a custom still retained in many places in England, of visiting parents on Midlent Sunday; and it seems to be called Mothering from the respect in old time paid to the Mother church, it being the custom for people in Popish times to visit their Mother church on Midlent Sunday, and to make their offerings at the high altar.” A Nottinghamshire correspondent tells us, that, when he was a school-boy, the practice on Christmas-eve was to roast apples on a string till they dropt into a large bowl of spiced ale, which is the whole composition of "Lamb's Wool;" and that, whilst he was an apprentice, the custom was to visit his mother on Midlent Sunday (thence called Mothering Sunday,) for a regale of excellent furmety. § 2. Lamb's Wool.-Wassail Bowl. MR. URBAN, N. Rotherham, Dec. 17. YOUR anonymous correspondent having said that he never heard of Lamb's Wool on Christmas-eve, and cannot guess the meaning, I am induced to trouble you with the following attempt at an explanation of what was meant by the expression. In that part of Yorkshire [near Leeds] where I was born, and spent my youth, I remember, when I was a boy, that it was customary for many families, on the twelfth eve of Christmas, (not on Christmas-eve,) to invite their relations, friends, and neighbours to their houses, to play at cards, and to partake of a supper, of which minced pies were an indispensable ingredient; and after supper was brought in the Wassail Cup, or Wassail Bowl, being a large bowl, such as is now used for punch, fiiled with sweetened ale and VOL. I. B b roasted apples-I have seen bowls used for this purpose that held above a gallon.-A plate of spiced cake was first handed about to the company, and then the Wassail Borel, of which every one partook, by taking with a spoon, out of the ale, a roasted apple, and eating it, and then drinking the healths of the company out of the bowl, wishing them a merry Christmas* and a happy new year: the ingredients put into the bowl, viz. ale, sugar, nutmeg, and roasted apples, were usually called Lamb's Wool, and the night on which it used to be drunk (which was generally on the twelfth-eve) was commonly called Wassail-eve. I am of opinion that the custom was very ancient; but from whence it arose, or why the mixture was called Lamb's Wool, I do not at present pretend to account. Shakespeare certainly alludes to it in his "Midsummer Night's Dream," where he makes Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, say "Sometimes lurk I in a gossip's bow In very likeness of a roasted crabt, And when she drinks, against her lips I bob, a very common accident, especially to old people, who, oftentimes had as much Lamb's Wool in the bowl as they could lift to their heads, and sometimes more than they could do so without assistance. Since the alteration of the style, the Wassail Bowl, or Wassail Cup, as it was more commonly called, is so much gone into disuse in this part of the country, that I have scarcely seen it introduced into company these thirty years. -Indeed the festival of Christmas is not celebrated since that period as it used to be in my remembrance. We have in this place a very ancient custom yet kept up, viz. the Curfeu bells, called here Culfer, i. e. Cool fire, which are two of the church bells rung alternately, every morning and evening, at seven o'clock, during the twelve days of Christmas only, and at no other time of the year. They make a most disagreeable sound, Yours, &c. JOSIAH BECKWITH. *The festival of Christmas used, in this part of the country, to hold for twenty days, and some persons extended it to Candlemas. + Crab-apple. P. S. Furmety used, in my remembrance, to be always the breakfast and supper on Christmas-eve in this country. 1784, Feb. XCVI. Solemnities of Corpus Christi Day illustrated. MR. URBAN, WE find the solemnities of Corpus Christi day (generally thought to be peculiar to Coventry, and as such recorded in Dugdale's Warwickshire, and Pennant's Journey from Chester) were performed at Dublin with great preparation of pageants. The glovers were to represent Adam and Eve, an angel bearing a sword before them; the corrisees (perhaps curriers,) Cain and Abel, with an altar, and their offering; the mariners and vintners, Noah and the persons in the ark, apparelled in the habits of carpenters and salmon-takers; the weavers personated Abraham and Isaac, with their offering and altar; the smiths, Pharaoh with his host; the skinners, the camel with the children of Israel; the goldsmiths were to find the King of Cullen (Cologne;) the hoopers, the shepherds, with an angel singing Gloria, &c. Corpus Christi gild, Christ in his passion, with the Maries and angels; the taylors, Pilate with his fellowship, and his wife clothed accordingly; the barbers, Anna and Caiaphas; the fishers, the apostles; the merchants, the prophets; and the butchers, the tormenters. Tho. Fitzgerald, earl of Kildare, lord lieut. was invited, Christmas 1528, to a new play every day, wherein the taylors acted Adam and Eve; the shoemakers, Crispin and Crispianus; the vintners, Bacchus, and his story; the carpenters, the story of Joseph and Mary; the smiths, that of Vulcan; and the bakers, that of Ceres. The priors of St. John of Jerusalem, Trinity, and All Saints, caused to be represented on the same stage two plays, Christ's Passion and the Death of the Apostles. The play of The Nine Worthies was also acted on Corpus Christi day, 1541. Harris's Hist. of Dublin, pp. 143. 145, 147. MS. Harl. 2013 and 2124, is a list of pageants or plays to be presented (1600) by the companies at Chester. The tan- . ners are to represent the creation of heaven, angels, and devils; the drapers, that of the world; the water leaders and drawers of Dee, the flood (Noah's wife swears by Christ and St. John;) the barbers and wax-chandlers, Abraham's return from the slaughter of the five kings; the cappers and linen-drapers, the giving of the law; the wrights, the salutation and nativity; the painters, the shepherds; the vintners, the three kings; the mercers, their offering; the goldsmiths, the slaughter of the innocents; the blacksmiths, the purification; the butchers, the temptation; the glovers, the curing the blind man, and raising of Lazarus; the corvisors, Christ in the house of Simon the leper; the bakers, the Lord's supper, and the betraying of Christ; the fletchers, bowyers, coopers, and stringers, the passion; the ironmongers, the crucifixion; the skinners, the resurrection; the saddlers, the journey to Emmaus, and the appearing to the other disciples; the taylors, the ascension; the fishmongers, the chusing of Matthias, and descent of the Holy Ghost; the clothwork ers, Ezekiel's vision of the bones; the diers, the coming of Anti-christ; the websters, the last Judgment. In the first of these MSS. is a proclamation for Whitsun plays, made by William Nowall, clerk of the pendice, 24 Henry VIII. setting forth, that in "ould tyme not only for the aug mentacyon and increes of the holy and catholick faith, and to exhort the minds of common people to good devotion and wholsome doctrine, but also for the commonwealthe and prosperity of this citty [Chester,] a play and declaracyon of divers stories of the Bible, beginning with the creation and fall of Lucifer, and ending with the generall judgment of the world, to be declared and played openly in pageants in the Whitsonne weeke, was devised and made by Sir Hen. Frances, somtyme mooncke there; who gat of Čiement, then bushop of Rome, 1000 days of pardon, and of the bushop of Chester at that tyme 40 days of pardon, to every person resorting in peaceable manner to see and heare the said plays; which were, to the honor of God, by John Arnway, then mayor of Chester, his brethren, and the whole cominalty thereof, to be brought forth, declared, and played at the coste and charges of the craftsmen and occupacyons of the said city, &c." All who disturbed || them were to be accursed of the pope till he absolved them. Arnway was mayor 1327 and 1328, at which time these plays were written by R. Higgenett [probably Ranulph Higden] monk of Chester abbey, who was thrice at Rome before he could obtain the pope's leave to have them in English. In Thoresby's MS. of Corpus Christi play, by Tho. Cutler and Rich. Nandyke, now in Mr. Walpole's possession, the trades mentioned are, wefferes [weavers ;] cappers [hatters added in a modern hand;] estrereners, gyrdillers, tyllethakkers [tilers, thatchers with tyles;] spicers, shavers, parchmynners, shermen, and wyne-drawers; merceres, |