ing brought to light, the complicity of Somerset was
thought to be involved in the ascertained guilt of his wife. In May,
1616, the Countess was convicted; a week later her husband shared her
fate. After a long imprisonment Somerset was pardoned, and ended his
life in obscurity.

In this reign the Court revels and shows of Christmas were imitated at
the country seats of the nobility and gentry, and at the Colleges of
Oxford and Cambridge. An account has been preserved of one of the most
remarkable exhibitions of this kind, entitled--

"THE CHRISTMAS PRINCE."

It took place in the year 1607, at St. John's College, Oxford, and the
authentic account was published from the original manuscript, in 1816,
by Robert Tripbook, of 23, Old Bond Street, London: "To the
President, Fellows, and Scholars of St. John Baptist College, in the
University of Oxford, this curious Record of an ancient custom in
their Society, is respectfully inscribed by the Publisher." Of the
authenticity of this description the Publisher says "no doubt can
possibly exist, it was written by an eye-witness of, and performer in,
the sports; and is now printed, for the first time, from the original
manuscript preserved in the College Library.

"From the Boy Bishop, the Christmas Prince may be supposed to derive
his origin. Whilst the former was bearing sway in the ecclesiastical
foundations, the latter was elected to celebrate the festivities of
Christmas in the King's palace, at the seats of the nobility, at the
universities, and in the Inns of Court. The custom prevailed till the
ascendancy of the Puritans during the civil war; and some idea of the
expense, and general support it received, may be formed from the
account of the Gray's Inn Prince and an extract from one of the
Strafford Papers. The latter is from a letter written by the Rev. G.
Garrard to the Earl of Strafford, dated Jan. 8, 1635: 'The Middle
Temple House have set up a prince, who carries himself in great state;
one Mr. Vivian a Cornish gentleman, whose father Sir Francis Vivian
was fined in the Star-Chamber about a castle he held in Cornwall,
about three years since. He hath all his great officers attending him,
lord keeper, lord treasurer, eight white staves at the least, captain
of his pensioners, captain of his guard, two chaplains, who on Sunday
last preached before him, and in the pulpit made three low legs to his
excellency before they began, which is much laughed at. My lord
cha