THE LEVELLER TRACTS PROJECT

ANON.,
The Vindication of Christmas (22 December, 1652)

[Created: 6 October, 2025] [Updated: 7 October, 2025]

Bibliographical Information

Source

Anon., The Vindication of Christmas, or His Twelve Yeares Observations upon the Times, concerning the lamentable Game called Sweepstake; acted by General Plunder, and Major General tax (13 February, 1652).http://davidmhart.com/liberty/Levellers/Other/1652-12-22_T235-Anon_VindicationChristmas/index.html

Anon., The Vindication of Christmas, or His Twelve Yeares Observations upon the Times, concerning the lamentable Game called Sweepstake; acted by General Plunder, and Major General tax; With his Exhortation to the people; a description of that oppressing Ringworm called Excise; and the manner how our high and might Christmas-Ale that formerly would knock down Hercules, & trip up the heels of a Giant, strook deep Consumption with a blow from Westminster.

Imprinted at London for G. Horton, 1653.

 

---

 

Title ID: T.235 [1652.12.22] Anon., The Vindication of Christmas (22 December, 1652).

Estimated Date of Publication: 22 December, 1652.

Thomason Tracts Catalog Information: TT1, p. 894; Thomason E.684 [1].

Note

This pamphlet/tract is part of a collection of Leveller Tracts.

The page numbers refer to the page numbering in the original pamphlet. Sometimes page numbers were missing or there were duplicates. On many occasions the text in the margin notes is unreadable as a result of poor scanning of the original.

The Vindication of Christmas; OR, His Observations upon the Time.

[3]

IN the name of the King of Kings, and Prince of peace; in imitation of my great and glorious Lord and Master Jesus Christ, and in love to them that hate me, I am come to them that love me not. And as my good Master did know how coursly he should be dealt withall (by misbelieving hard-hearted Jews) yet he came on this day from whom I have my name of Christmas, or Christs Day: Even so, when I come this 25 of December, though I know I shall be hardly welcome to a great many; yet I am sure that as many as love my Master, will rejoyce to see this Day: The holy Patriark rejoyced, and Christ allowed it, but he dislik’d the unbelieving Jews that believed not. The Jewes did not, (and do not) observe it; but all christians did, do, and will celebrate it, and acknowledge it, for no christian will blot, or scrape Christs day out of the Kallender. This day mercy and truth met together. This day Righteousness & peace kist each other. This day the Lord chief Justice of Heaven [4] and Earth, brought Truth and Righteousnesse to judge, and Mercy and Compassion to save. This day divine Clemency shew’d himself a good Master to Misery. This day he came in Colours that wil come in Clouds. And, as God is manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of Angels, preach’d to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up in glory; so this was the sum and substance of all figures, shadows, and types, and the accomplishment of all prophecies. Thus my Master (who had no beginning) did begin this day to come and dwell amongst sinful men; the son of God, the King of Glory came this day, and this day was the first day of Christianity to all Christians, and as many as have true Faith in Christ. For, as the old year was before my Master, when misbelieving Jews & Gentiles lived in the darknesse of of ignorant Idolatry under the Law, or without the Law; so the new year came when the Father of Light sent my Master, who by the glorious light of his Gospel expelled & dispersed the black clouds and raists of Egyptian blindnesse. Therefore with the old year let us shake off our old faults, (the deeds of disloyalty and darknesse) and with the new year let us reverence & yield obedience to that bright Star of Majesty, who sacrificed his life, as a Priest, Prophet, and Martyr, for the freedom of his people; Yet notwithstanding in these our dayes of tribulation, by wofull experience we find that there were some over-curious hot zealous Brethren, who with a superbian predominance, did do what they could to keep Christmas day out of England; they did in divers places preach me for dead in Funeral Sermons, and labour’d tooth and nail to bury me alive in the grave of oblivion, by infusing an heretical opinion into the hearts of the people, to wit (or with little wit) that plum-pottage was meer popery, and Roast beef Antichristian. In detestation of which, they assum’d to themselves power and authority to plunder pottage-pots, to ransack ovens, and to strip spits stark naked, and tryumphantly carry to be disposed of as they pleased, for the profit and nodification of the righteous, and chastisement of the Ungodly. But know, that I am old and bold to tell the Zealots of these critick dayes, that my great Master is King of Kings, & Lord of lords, and chief President of all States and Parliaments; nay he is the ancient of dayes, who never had beginning, and never shall have end: therefore, ye Lordlike Mortal Earth-worms, no longer separate the Head and Members. O the fact is great, and the sin [5] unpardonable! Neverthelesse, although my Master was usher’d unto his Throne in tryumph: yet his Vice-gerent is expos’d to banishment; for alas! the times are chang’d, and the Government is altered; Christ and Christmas are both alike welcome to many; and if Christmas may be so bold as to ask those fiery spirited people the same question as my Master might have asked the Jews, For which of my good works that I have done do you stone me? So may I say to England, what harm have I ever done unto you? I am sure I never perswaded you to be so uncharitable as to cut one anothers throats, and to starve and famish the poor (as you have done continually) and do still ever since you banished me from your Territories, and it is to be feared that you will never be quiet; or have a happy peace amongst you, till you do give me better welcome for my Masters sake; he is the Prince of peace, and his peace you will never have that do unthankfully despise and neglect to solemnize the Day of his most blessed Nativity.

It is a lamentable and too long a story to relate in what a pitifull quandary I have been in any time these twelve yeares, when we came into this lamentable, pitiful, dejected, and headlesse countrey: I was in good hope that so long a misery would have made them glad to bid a merry Christmas welcome. But welcome or not welcome, I am come; and at my coming (a little before day) I heard the Cock crow merrily, which I took for a good Omen, or preface of a most free and jovial accommodation, which rejoyced me much, for I was as hungry as a Hawk, and as cold as a snow ball: the sable curtaines of the night being drawn, I gazed to and fro to make choice of the best houses, and house-keepers, to take up my quarters amongst them. But alas! the comfort that I found was colder then the weather; indeed I saw many stately buildings, but very little smoak from the Chimnies, for most of the Owners did carry their Kitchins in Boxes, and the best and dearest part of the Roast meat in pipes. Besides, there was a great complaint that M^r Tax, and M^r Plunder had plaid a game at sweep stake amongst them and that they would willingly have provided good cheir for me, but that they are so miserable poor, that they were not able to feed themselves.

A lamentable Reformation!

[6]

This was no good news to me and my company, which inforced us to a pilgrimage up to the city of London, where I entred a fair house that had bin an Aldermans, but it was now possest with a grave Fox fur’d Mammonist, whom I found sitting over a few cinders to warm his gouty toes; from head to heel he was fur’d like a Muscovite, & instead of a Bible he had a Bond in his hand, which he poar’d upon to see if it were forfeit or no; but when he espyed me, he cry’d Traytor, Traytor; this reminded me of the Western Tragedy against my Masters Vicegerent; insomuch that I desired him to be patient, saying, Sir, my name is Christmas; and I come onely to make merry with thee. But this old Muckworm cast as dogged a look upon me, as if I had had a privy seal to have borrow’d money, and at last he open’d his mouth and said, Thou old saucy intruding fellow, me thinks one of thy age should have left off thy coltish tries: dost thou see any one that hath a care to live and thrive in the world, to be so mad as to mind thee or thy gambles; we are grown somwhat wiser in 12 yeares, then our Fathers were in twice 800. There dwels my worshipful Neighbor Sir Achitophel Pinchgut, and M. Miser, it is neither they, nor my self, that had ever come to have any estates, if we had not been Timists; therefore, be gone; nothing can change my heart, neither am I in the giving humor; I tell thee, I must follow the Rules of those that have served almost twice 7 years for their policy, for by the cross I have as little hospitality as honesty. I could have answer’d him with divine commandements and precepts; but every vertue (in this Age of Vice) is between two extremes, (as my Master was betwixt two Thieves) liberality in the middle, but prodigality on each side.

At my departure from this all Penny-wise, his son Mr. Pound-foolish, desired his crabbed Sire to bid me stay and [7] dine with him; at which the miserable Curmudgeon was even half mad with anger, calling his son spend-thrift, and prodigal Jack-an-Apes. Thus was poor Christmas used in the city, and wandring into the countrey up and down from house to house, found small comfort in any; some would only smile at me, and (because I should not piss at their doors) they would give me a cup of single, slender; lean, smal Beer, or Ale, which had the vertue to cause a man to make an Alphabet of faces, for it would have warmed a mans heart like pangs of death in a frosty morning. This merry memory (or sad remembrance) of Ale, caused me to ask the reason of this alteration; to which question, an honest Smith made this answer. Alas father Christmas (qd. he) our high and mighty Ale, that would formerly knock down Heacules, and trip up the heels of a Gyant, is lately strook into a deep consumption, the strength of it being quite gone with a blow which it received from Westminster, and there is a Tetter and Ringworm called Excize, doth make it look thinner then it would do. Indeed (to speak truth) my best and freest welcome with some kinde of countrey Farmers, was in Devonshire, where though both the Armies had been with them, and given them several visits, insomuch that if the Cavaliers had taken their horses, the other party made bold with their Oxen; if the one had their sheep, the other plaid sweep-stake; so that (according to the countrey phrase) great crock and little crock, all was ago; yet as soon as they spied me, they saluted me with much love and reverend courtesie.

A, ha, quoth I, this piece of the World is well mended; our dinner is better then our breakfast; this was as Christmas would have it; here is neither too much cost, nor too little meat: here is no surfet on the one side, or hunger on the other; they are alwayes the best feasts where the poor [8] are relieved, for the Rich can help themselves. After Dinner we arose from the boord, and sate by the fire; where the Harth was in brodered all over with roasted Apples, piping hot, expecting a bole of Ale for a cooler which immediatly was transformed into warm Lambwool. After which, we discoursed merily, without either prophaness or obscenity; some went to cards; others sung carols, and pleasant songs (suitable to the times) then the poor laboring Hinds, and Maid-servants, with the plow-boys, went simply to dancing; the poor toyling wretches being glad of my company, because they had little or no sport at all till I came amongst them; and therefore they skipped and leaped for joy, singing a carol to the Tune of hey,

Lets dance and sing, and make good chear,
   For Christmas comes but once a year:
Draw Hogsheads dry, let Flagons fly,
   For now the Bells shall ring;
Whilest we endeavor to make good
   The Title ’gainst a King.

Thus at active Games, and Gambols of Hotcockles, shooing the wild Mare, and the like harmless sports some part of the tedious night was spent; and early in the morning, I took my leave of them, promising they should have my presence again the next 25 of Decemb. 1653. in the interim, I left this christian Exhortation, to all people in general.

Love one another, as my Master lov’d you, relieve the oppressed, call home Exiles, help the Fatherless, cherish the Widow, and restore to every man his due.

Vale, For Twelve Moneths.