The Rev. Henry Teonge, chaplain of one of our ships of war, gives the following description of a Christmas Day of quite another sort, in 1675, “Crismas Day wee keepe thus: At four in the morning our trumpeters all doe flatt their trumpetts, and begin at our captain’s cabin, and thence to all the officers’ and gentlemen’s cabins; playing a levite at each cabine door, and bidding good morrow, wishing a merry Crismas. After they goe to their station, viz. on the poope, and sound three levitts in honour of the morning. At ten we goe to prayers and sermon; text, Zacc. ix, 9. Our captaine had all his officers and gentlemen to dinner with him, where wee had excellent good fayre: a ribb of beefe, plumb-puddings, minct pyes, &c., and plenty of good wines of severall sorts; dranke healths to the king, to our wives and friends, and ended the day with much civill myrth.” Teonge and his companions seem to have been a merry, pleasant set, and he thus describes their ensuing Twelfth Day. “Very ruff weather all the last night, and all this day. Wee are now past Zante; had wee beene there this day, wee had seene a greate solemnity; for this day being 12 day, the Greeke Bishop of Zante doth (as they call it) baptise the sea, with a great deale of ceremonie, sprinkling their gallys and fishing-tackle with holy water. But wee had much myrth on board, for wee had a greate kake made, in which was put a beane for the king, a pease for the queen, a cloave for the knave, a forked stick for the cuckold, a ragg for the slutt. The kake was cut into severall pieces in the great cabin, and all put into a napkin, out of which every one took his piece, as out of a lottery; then each piece is broaken to see what was in it, which caused much laughter, to see our leiuetenant prove the coockold, and more to see us tumble one over the other in the cabin, by reason of the ruff weather.” The celebrated Lord Peterborough, then a youth, was one of the party on board this ship, as Lord Mordaunt. Poor Robin’s almanack, for 1675, gives some notion of the bill of fare for Christmas at this time among the middle classes. “Now the season of the year Bids thee to provide good cheer, For to feast thy needy neighbours, Who do live by their hard labours; Then thy coyn freely bestow For raisins, sun, and maligo; No currans, prunes, nor sugar lack, Pepper, both the white and black, Nutmegs, ginger, cloves, and mace, Rice for porridge i’ th’ first place; Pork and mutton, veal and beef, For hungry stomachs good relief; Pig, goose, turkey, capon, coney, What may be had for thy money; Plum-pudding, and furmity, Mutton pasties, Christmas pye; Nappy ale, a full carouse To the master of the house; And instead of tobacco pipes, The fidler up an old dance strikes.” In following years there are descriptions somewhat similar.