"The earliest collection of Christmas carols supposed to have been published," says Hone, in his Every-Day Book, "is only known from the last leaf of a volume, printed by Wynkyn Worde, in the year 1521. This precious scrap was picked up by Tom Hearne; Dr. Rawlinson purchased it at his decease in a volume of tracts, and bequeathed it to the Bodleian Library. There are two carols upon it: one, 'a caroll of huntynge,' is reprinted in the last edition of Juliana Berner's 'Boke of St. Alban's;' the other, 'a caroll bringing in the boar's head,' is in Mr. Dibdin's edition of "Ames," with a copy of it as it is now sung in Queen's College, Oxford, every Christmas Day. Dr. Bliss of Oxford also printed on a sheet, for private distribution, a few copies of this, and Anthony Wood's version of it, with notices concerning the custom, from the handwriting of Wood and Dr. Rawlinson, in the Bodleian Library. Ritson, in his ill-tempered 'Observations on Warton's History of English Poetry,' (1782, 4to., p. 37,) has a Christmas carol upon bringing up the boar's head, from an ancient MS. in his possession, wholly different from Dr. Bliss's. The 'Bibliographical Miscellanies' (Oxford, 1814, 4to.) contains seven carols from a collection in one volume, in the possession of Dr. Cotton, of Christ-Church College, Oxford, 'imprynted at London, in the Poultry, by Richard Kele, dwelling at the longe shop vnder Saynt Myldrede's Chyrche,'" probably between 1546 and 1552. "I had an opportunity of perusing this exceedingly curious volume (Mr. Hone,) which is supposed to be unique, and has since passed into the hands of Mr. Freeling." "According to Aubrey's MS., in the Coll. Ashmol. Mus., Oxford," says a writer in the Morning Herald of the 25th of Dec., 1833, "before the last Civil Wars, in gentlemen's houses, at Christmas, the first dish that was brought to the table was _a boar's head, with a lemon in his mouth_. At Qeeun's College, Oxford," adds this writer, "they still retain this custom; the bearer of it brings it into the hall, singing, to an old tune, an old Latin rhyme, "_Caput apri defero_," &c. "The carol, according to Hearne, Ames, Warton, and Ritson," says Dr. Dibdin, in his edition of the second, is as follows:-- A CAROL BRINGING IN THE BORES HEED. Caput apri differo Reddens laudes domino. The bore's heed in hande bring I, With garlands gay and rosemary, I praye you all synge merely, Qui estis in convivio. The bores heed I understande Is the thefte servyce in this lande, Take where ever it be fande, Servite cum cantico. Be gladde lordes bothe more and lasse, For this hath ordeyned our stewarde, To chere you all this Christmasse, The bores heed with mustarde.