Speaker 1: Superstitions regarding Christmas Day by Henry Visitelli. The following poems
are perhaps more curious than interesting. They afford, however, some
idea of the superstitious dread with which the Advent of
Christmas Day must have been regarded in these early times,
not merely by the vulgar, but by all classes of
our forefathers. For the Francis Mores and Raphaels of the
fifteenth century found even kings willing believers in their extravagant predictions.
From the illusion in each verse of the first poem
to the risk that those who steal subject themselves to
one would almost suppose thieving to have been the fashionable
vice of the age, practice alike by both rich and poor,
and that there was great need of such injunctions against it.
Both of these poems are from the same Harlean m
s in the British Museum. One lordings all of you,
I warn, if the day that Christ was born fall
upon a Sunday, the winter shall be good, I say,
but great winds aloft shall be the summer shall be
fair and dry, by kind skill, and without loss through
all lands. There shall be peace, good time for all
things to be done but he that stealeth shall be
found soon. What child that day born may be a
great lord he shall live to be. If Christmas Day
on Monday be a great winter that year you'll see
and full of winds, both loud and shrill. But in
the summer, truth to tell, stern wind shall there be,
and strong, full of tempests lasting long while battles they
shall multiply, and great plenty of beasts shall die. They
that be born that day, I ween, they shall be strong,
each one and keen. He shall be found that stealeth aught.
Though thou be sick, thou diest not. If Christmas Day
on Tuesday be that year, shall many women die, and
that winter grow great marvels. Ships shall be in gray perils.
That year shall kings and lords be slain, and many
other people near them. A dry summer that year shall be.
Is all that are born therein may see, they shall
be strong and covetous. If thou steal aught, thou losest
thy life, for thou shalt die through sword or knife.
But if thou fall sick, it is certain thou shalt
turn to life. Then If Christmas Day, the truth to say,
fall upon a Wednesday, there shall be a hard winter
and strong, with many hideous winds. Among the summer merry
and good shall be, and that year wheat and great plenty.
Young folks shall die that year also, and ships at
sea shall have great woe. Whatever child that day born is,
he shall be dawty and gay, i whiz and wise
and crafty also of deed, and find many in clothes
and bread. If Christmas Day and Thursday be a windy winter,
you shall see windy weather in each week, and hard tempests,
strong and thick. The summer shall be good and dry,
corn and beast shall multiply. That year is good lands
ford to till. Kings and princes shall die by skill.
If a child that day born should be, it shall
happen right well. For thee of deeds, he shall be
good and stable, wise of speech and reasonable. Whoso that
day goes thieving about, he shall be punished without doubt.
And if sickness that day betide, it shall quickly from
thee glide. If Christmas Day on a Friday be the
first of winter, hard shall be with frost and snow
and with great flood, But the end thereof it shall
be good again. The summer shall be good. Also, folk
in their eyes shall have great woe. Women with child,
beast and corn shall multiply and be lost none. The
child that is born on that day shall live long,
and letcherus be all way. Who stealeth aught shall be
ye found out. If thou be sick, it lasteth not.
If Christmas Day on Saturday fall, that winter's to be
dreaded by all. It shall be so full of great
tempest that it shall slay both man and beast. Great
stores shall fail of fruiting corn, and old folk die
many a one. What woman that day of child doth travel,
she shall give birth in great peril, And children born
that day by faith and half a year shall meet
with death. The summer shall be wet and ill. Thou
shalt suffer. If thou aught steal, thou diest. If sickness
do thee take two. If Christmas Day on the Sunday
be a troubulous winter, ye shall see mingled with waters strong.
Good there shall be without fable, For the summer shall
be reasonable, with storms at times among wines. That year
shall all be good. The harvest shall be wet, with
flood pestilence fall on many a country. Air that sickness
shall have passed, and while great tempests last, many young
people dead shall be princes. That year with iron shall die.
There shall be changing of many lords high amongst Knight's
great debate. Many tidings shall come to men. Many wives
shall be weeping, then, both of poor and great estate.
The faith shall then be hurt truly for Diver's point
of heresy that shall then appear through the tempting of
the fiend, and divers matters unkind shall bring great danger near.
Cattle shall thrive one in the other save oxen. They
shall kill each other, and some beasts they shall die.
Both fruit and corn will not be good. Apples will
be scarce for food, and ships shall suffer on the sea.
That year, on Monday, without fearing all things well, thou
mayst begin. They shall be profitable. Children that on this
day are born in faith shall mighty be and strong
of wit. Full reasonable end of superstitions regarding Christmas Day
by Henry Visitelli