uids, who cut the sacred plant
with a golden knife, and sacrificed two white bulls to the sylvan
deities whom they thus sought to propitiate. We hang up our bunches
of mistletoe now, but we do not attach any superstitious importance
to it, nor imagine that any gods of the woods will be influenced by
our procedure. The bringing in of the Yule-log was a Norse custom
observed in honour of Thor, from whose name we derive our word
Thursday or Thor's-day. The mighty log was drawn into the baronial
hall with great pomp, while the bards sang their songs of praise and
chanted "Welcome Yule."

"Welcome be Thou, heavenly King,
Welcome, born on this morning;
Welcome for whom we shall sing
Welcome, Yule."

Herrick, who delighted so much in singing of

"Maypoles, hock-carts, wassails, wakes--"

then bursts out in joyous strains:

"Come, bring with a noise,
My merry, merry boys,
The Christmas log to the firing;
While my good dame, she
Bids ye all be free
And drink to your heart's desiring.
With the last year's brand
Light the new block, and
For good success in his spending,
On your psaltries play,
That sweet luck may
Come while the log is a-teending."

We can fancy that we see the ceremony, the glad procession of
retainers and servants, the lights flaring in all directions: we can
hear the shouts and chorus of many voices, the drums beating and
flutes and trumpets sounding. The huge hearth receives the mighty
log, and the flames and sparks shoot up the gaping chimney.

At Court in olden times Christmas was kept right royally, if we may
judge from the extensive _menu_ of the repasts of King Henry III.
and his courtiers in the year 1247. He kept his Christmas at
Winchester Castle, and the neighbourhood must have been ransacked to
furnish supplies for the royal table. The choice dainties were as
follows: Boars, with heads entire, well cooked and very succulent,
48; fowls, 1900; partridges, mostly "put in paste," 500; swans, 41;
peacocks, 48; hares, 260; eggs, 24,000; 300 gallons of oysters; 300
rabbits, and more if possible; birds of various sorts, as many as
could be had; of whitings, "particularly good and heavy," and conger
eels the same; a hundred mullets, "fat and very heavy." For bread
the king paid L27 10s., at the price of four loaves to the penny.
When the king kept his Christmas at York in 1250, the royal treasur