th the famous roast beef,
Of English provisions still reckon'd the chief;
Roger whispers the cook-maid his wishes to crown,
O Dolly! pray give me a bit of the brown;
For never as yet it was counted a crime,
To be merry and cherry at that happy time.
For never as yet, &c.

The luscious plum-pudding does smoking appear,
And the charming mince pye is not far in the rear,
Then each licks his chops to behold such a sight,
But to taste it affords him superior delight;
For never as yet it was counted a crime,
To be merry and cherry at that happy time.
For never as yet, &c.

Now the humming October goes merrily round,
And each with good humour is happily crown'd,
The song and the dance, and the mirth-giving jest,
Alike without harm by each one is expressed;
For never as yet it was counted a crime,
To be merry and cherry at that happy time.
For never as yet, &c.

Twelfth Day next approaches, to give you delight,
And the sugar'd rich cake is display'd to the sight,
Then sloven and slut and the king and the queen,
Alike must be present to add to the scene;
For never as yet it was counted a crime,
To be merry and cherry at that happy time.
For never as yet, &c.

May each be found thus as the year circles round,
With mirth and good humour each Christmas be crown'd,
And may all who have plenty of riches in store
With their bountiful blessings make happy the poor;
For never as yet it was counted a crime,
To be merry and cherry at that happy time.
For never as yet, &c.[81]

CHARLES LAMB ON CHRISTMAS.

In his essay on "Recollections of Christ's Hospital," Charles Lamb
thus refers to the Christmas festivities of his schoolboy days:--

"Let me have leave to remember the festivities at Christmas, when the
richest of us would club our stock to have a gaudy day, sitting round
the fire, replenished to the height with logs, and the pennyless, and
he that could contribute nothing, partook in all the mirth, and in
some of the substantialities of the feasting; the carol sung by night
at that time of the year, which, when a young boy, I have so often
lain awake to hear from seven (the hour of going to bed) till ten when
it was sung by the older boys and monitors, and have listened to it,
in their rude chaunting, till I have been transp