et forth in the following ballad, written
for the first Christmas after the Restoration, printed in London, the
same year, and now copied from a collection of illustrated broadsides
preserved in the Library of the British Museum:--

MERRY BOYS OF CHRISTMAS,

OR

The Milk-maid's New Year's Gift.

When Lads and Lasses take delight,
together for to be;
They pass away the Winter night,
and live most merrily.

To the tune of, _Hey boys up go we_.

Come, come my roaring ranting boys
lets never be cast down,
We'l never mind the female toys,
but Loyal be to th' Crown:
We'l never break our hearts with care,
nor be cast down with fear,
Our bellys then let us prepare
to drink some Christmas Beer.

Then here's a health to Charles our King,
throughout the world admir'd,
Let us his great applauses sing,
that we so much desir'd,
And wisht amongst us for to reign,
when Oliver rul'd here,
But since he's home return'd again,
come fill some Christmas Beer.

These holidays we'l briskly drink,
all mirth we will devise,
No Treason we will speak or think,
then bring us brave minc'd pies
Roast Beef and brave Plum porridge,
our Loyal hearts to chear,
Then prithee make no more ado,
but bring us Christmas Beer.

[Illustration: "THE HACKIN"]

[In these Times all the Spits were sparkling the _Hackin_ must be boiled
by Daybreak or else two young Men took the Maiden by the Arms and run
her round the Market Place till she was ashamed of her laziness.--_Round
about our Coal Fire or Christmas Entertainments_ published in 1740.]

Many of the popular songs of this period complain of the decline of
the Christmas celebrations during the time of the Commonwealth, and
some of them contrast the present with former celebrations. In a
ballad called "The Old and Young Courtier," printed in 1670, comparing
the times of Queen Elizabeth with those of her successors, the fifth
and twelfth verses contain the following parallel respecting
Christmas--

V

"With a good old fashion, when Christmasse was come,
To call in all his old neighbours with bagpipe and drum,
With good chear enough to furnish every old room,
And old liquor, able to make a cat speak, and man dumb
Like an old Courtier of the Queen's,
And the Queen's old Courtier"

XII

"With a new fashion, when Christmas is drawing on,
On a new journey to London str