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.
"This carol (says Warton,) with many alterations, is yet retained at
Queen's College, Oxford," though "other ancient carols occur with
Latin burthens or Latin intermixtures." But, "Being anxious to obtain
a correct copy of this ballad," says Dr. Dibdin, in his AMES, "as I
had myself heard it sung in the Hall of Queen's College, I wrote to
the Rev. Mr. Dickinson, Tutor of the College, to favour me with an
account of it: his answer, which may gratify the curious, is here
subjoined.
"'_Queen's College, June 7th_, 1811.
"'DEAR SIR,--I have much pleasure in transmitting you a copy of the
old _Boar's Head Song_, as it has been sung in our College-hall, every
Christmas Day, within my remembrance. There are some barbarisms in it,
which seem to betoken its antiquity. It is sung to the common chaunt
of the prose version of the Psalms in cathedrals; at least, whenever I
have attended the service at Magdalen or New College Chapels, I have
heard the Boar's Head strain continually occurring in the Psalms.
"'The boar's head in hand bring I,
Bedeck'd with bays and rosemary;
And I pray you, my masters, be merry,
Quot estis in convivio.
_Caput apri defero_
_Reddens laudes Domino_.
"'The boar's head, as I understand,
Is the rarest dish in all this land,
Which thus bedeck'd with a gay garland,
Let us servire Cantico.
_Caput apri defero_
_Reddens laudes Domino_.
"'Our steward hath provided this
In honour of the King of Bliss;
Which on this day to be served is,
In Regimensi Atrio.
_Caput apri defero_
_Reddens laudes Domino_.'"
"The following," adds the Doctor, "is Hearne's minute account of it:
(_Hist. Guil. Neubrig. vol. iii. p. 743:_) 'I will beg leave here,'
says the pugnacious Oxford antiquary, 'to give an exact copy of the
CHRISTMAS CAROL _upon the Boar's Head_, (which is an ancient dish, and
was brought up by King Henry I. with trumpets, before his son, when
his said son was crowned) as I have it in an old fragment, (for I
usually preserve even fragments of old books) of the Christmas Carols
printed by Wynkyn de Worde, (who as well as Richard Pynson, was
servant to William Caxton, who was the first that printed English
books, though not the first printer in England, as is commonly said,)
printing being exercised at Oxford in 1468, if not sooner, which was
several years before he printed anything at Westminster, by which it
will be perceived how much the said carol is altered, as it is sung
in some places even now, from what it was at first. It is the last
thing, it seems, of the book (which I never yet saw entire,) and at
the same time I think it proper also to add to the printer's
conclusion, for this reason, at least, that such as write about our
first printers, may have some notice of the date of this book, and the
exact place where printed, provided they cannot be able to meet with
it, as I believe they will find it pretty difficult to do, it being
much laid aside, about the time that some of David's Psalms came to be
used in its stead.'"