第67章 THE SKETCH BOOK(1)

THE CHRISTMAS DINNER

by Washington Irving

Lo, now is come our joyful'st feast!

Let every man be jolly,

Eache roome with yvie leaves is drest,

And every post with holly.

Now all our neighbours' chimneys smoke,

And Christmas blocks are burning;

Their ovens they with bak't meats choke

And all their spits are turning.

Without the door let sorrow lie,

And if, for cold, it hap to die,

Wee'le bury 't in a Christmas pye,

And evermore be merry.

WITHERS' JUVENILIA.

I HAD finished my toilet, and was loitering with Frank Bracebridgein the library, when we heard a distant thwacking sound, which heinformed me was a signal for the serving up of the dinner. Thesquire kept up old customs in kitchen as well as hall; and therolling-pin, struck upon the dresser by the cook, summoned theservants to carry in the meats.

Just in this nick the cook knock'd thrice,And all the waiters in a trice

His summons did obey;

Each serving man, with dish in hand,

March'd boldly up, like our train band,

Presented, and away.*

* Sir John Suckling.

The dinner was served up in the great hall, where the squirealways held his Christmas banquet. A blazing crackling fire of logshad been heaped on to warm the spacious apartment, and the flamewent sparkling and wreathing up the wide-mouthed chimney. The greatpicture of the crusader and his white horse had been profuselydecorated with greens for the occasion; and holly and ivy had likewisebeen wreathed round the helmet and weapons on the opposite wall, whichI understood were the arms of the same warrior. I must own, by the by,I had strong doubts about the authenticity of the painting and armoras having belonged to the crusader, they certainly having the stampof more recent days; but I was told that the painting had been soconsidered time out of mind; and that, as to the armor, it had beenfound in a lumber-room, and elevated to its present situation by thesquire, who at once determined it to be the armor of the familyhero; and as he was absolute authority on all such subjects in his ownhousehold, the matter had passed into current acceptation. A sideboardwas set out just under this chivalric trophy, on which was a displayof plate that might have vied (at least in variety) withBelshazzar's parade of the vessels of the temple: "flagons, cans,cups, beakers, goblets, basins, and ewers;" the gorgeous utensils ofgood companionship that had gradually accumulated through manygenerations of jovial housekeepers. Before these stood the two Yulecandles, beaming like two stars of the first magnitude; other lightswere distributed in branches, and the whole array glittered like afirmament of silver.

We were ushered into this banqueting scene with the sound ofminstrelsy, the old harper being seated on a stool beside thefireplace, and twanging his instrument with a vast deal more powerthan melody. Never did Christmas board display a more goodly andgracious assemblage of countenances; those who were not handsome were,at least, happy; and happiness is a rare improver of your hard-favoredvisage. I always consider an old English family as well worth studyingas a collection of Holbein's portraits or Albert Durer's prints. Thereis much antiquarian lore to be acquired; much knowledge of thephysiognomies of former times. Perhaps it may be from havingcontinually before their eyes those rows of old family portraits, withwhich the mansions of this country are stocked; certain it is, thatthe quaint features of antiquity are often most faithfully perpetuatedin these ancient lines; and I have traced an old family nose through awhole picture gallery, legitimately handed down from generation togeneration, almost from the time of the Conquest. Something of thekind was to be observed in the worthy company around me. Many of theirfaces had evidently originated in a Gothic age, and been merely copiedby succeeding generations; and there was one little girl inparticular, of staid demeanor, with a high Roman nose, and anantique vinegar aspect, who was a great favorite of the squire's,being, as he said, a Bracebridge all over, and the very counterpart ofone of his ancestors who figured in the court of Henry VIII.

The parson said grace, which was not a short familiar one, such asis commonly addressed to the Deity in these unceremonious days; buta long, courtly, well-worded one of the ancient school. There wasnow a pause, as if something was expected; when suddenly the butlerentered the hall with some degree of bustle: he was attended by aservant on each side with a large wax-light, and bore a silver dish,on which was an enormous pig's head, decorated with rosemary, with alemon in its mouth, which was placed with great formality at thehead of the table. The moment this pageant made its appearance, theharper struck up a flourish; at the conclusion of which the youngOxonian, on receiving a hint from the squire, gave, with an air of themost comic gravity, an old carol, the first verse of which was asfollows:

Caput apri defero

Reddens laudes Domino.

The boar's head in hand bring I,

With garlands gay and rosemary.

I pray you all synge merrily

Qui estis in convivio.