It was a practice for the bar to dance before the Judges at Lincoln's Inn at Christmas, and in James I.'s time the under barristers were, by decimation, put out of Commons, because they did not dance, as was their wont, according to the ancient custom of the Society.[73] This practice is also mentioned in a book published about 1730, called _Round About our Coal Fire_, etc. "The dancing and singing of the Benchers in the great Inns of Court at Christmas is, in some sort, founded upon interest, for they hold, as I am informed, some priviledge by dancing about the fire in the middle of their Hall, and singing the song of _Round About our Coal Fire_." In the prologue to the same book we have the following song:-- O you merry, merry Souls, Christmas is a coming, We shall have flowing bowls, Dancing, piping, drumming. Delicate minced pies, To feast every virgin, Capon and goose likewise, Brawn, and a dish of sturgeon. Then, for your Christmas box, Sweet plumb cakes and money, Delicate Holland smocks, Kisses sweet as honey. Hey for the Christmas Ball, Where we shall be jolly, Coupling short and tall, Kate, Dick, Ralph, and Molly. Then to the hop we'll go, Where we'll jig and caper, _Cuckolds all a-row_, Will shall pay the scraper. Hodge shall dance with Prue, Keeping time with kisses, We'll have a jovial crew Of sweet smirking Misses. [Footnote 73: Dugdale's _Orig. Jurid._ cap. 64.] We still keep up the custom of dancing at Christ-tide, and no Christmas party is complete without it; but of all the old tunes, such as _Sellinger's Rounds_, the one mentioned in the above song, with many others, but one remains to us, and that is peculiar to this season--_Sir Roger de Coverly_. _Notes and Queries_, 19th December 1885, gives an account of a very curious dance. "One of the most popular indoor games at Christmas time was, in Derbyshire, that of the 'Cushion Dance,' which was performed at most of the village gatherings and farm-house parties during the Christmas holidays upwards of forty years ago. The following is an account of the dance as it was known amongst the farmer's sons and daughters and the domestics, all of whom were on a pretty fair equality, very different from what prevails in farm-houses of to-day. The dance was performed with boisterous fun, quite unlike the game as played in higher circles, where the conditions and rules of procedure were of a more refined order.