maids, knights, serpents, and innumerable other forms, in snowwhite confectionary, painted with variegated colors."-" This 'paradise of dainty devices,"" he continues, "is crowded by successive, and successful, desirers of the seasonable delicacies; while alternate tappings of hammers and peals of laughter, from the throng surrounding the house, excite smiles from the inmates." This last observation requires explanation, for our country readers.

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Let all the idle gazers, then, in the streets of London, beware of Twelfth-night! There is, then, that spirit of mischievous fun abroad, which carried on without the superintending power of a Lord of Misrule-exhibits itself in transfixing the coat-skirts of the unconscious stranger to the frame of the door or window, at which he may have paused, to stare and wonder. Once fairly caught, lucky is the wight who can disengage himself, without finding that, in the interim, his other skirt has been pinned to the pelisse or gown of some alarmed damsel-whose dress is perhaps dragged, at the same moment, in opposite directions; so that he can neither stand still, nor move, without aiding the work of destruction. These practical facetiæ are the performances of that class of nondescript lads, "perplexers of Lord Mayors and irritators of the police," whose character Mr. Leigh Hunt has as truly drawn as our artist has depicted their persons: equivocal animal-spirits of the streets, who come whistling along, you know not whether thief or errand-boy,—sometimes with a bundle and sometimes not,-in corduroys, a jacket, and a cap or bit of hat, with hair sticking through a hole in it. His vivacity gets him into scrapes in the street; and he is not ultra-studious of civility in his answers. If the man he runs against is not very big, he gives him abuse for abuse, at once ; if otherwise, he gets at a convenient distance, and then halloos out, Eh, stupid!' or 'Can't you see before you?' or 'Go and get your face washed!' This last is a favorite saying of his, out of an instinct referable to his own visage. He sings 'Hokee-Pokee,' and 'A shiny Night,'-varied, occasionally, with an uproarious Rise, gentle Moon,' or 'Coming through the Rye.' On winter evenings, you may hear him indulging himself, as he goes along, in a singular undulation of yowl;-a sort of gargle

-as

as if a wolf was practising the rudiments of a shake. This he delights to do, more particularly, in a crowded thoroughfare,though determined that his noise should triumph over every other, and show how jolly he is, and how independent of the ties to good behavior. If the street is a quiet one, and he has a stick in his hand (perhaps a hoop-stick), he accompanies the howl with a run upon the gamut of the iron rails. He is the nightingale of nud and cold. If he gets on in life, he will be a pot-boy. At present, as we said before, we hardly know what he is; but his mother thinks herself lucky, if he is not transported."

Of Twelfth-night, at home,-when "the whole island keeps court,-nay all Christendom," when "all the world are kings and queens, and everybody is somebody else❞—a huge cake, the idol of young hearts, is the presiding genius of the evening. The account given by Nutt, the editor of the "Cook and Confectioner's Dictionary," of the twelfth-cakes and dishes in vogue a hundred years ago, proves the nursery rhymes of

(who)

"Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pye,

When the pye was opened, all began to sing,"

to be no such nonsense as was generally supposed. He tells us of two great pies, made of coarse paste and bran,—into one of which, after it was baked, live frogs were introduced,— and into the other, live birds; which, upon some curious persons lifting up the covers, would jump and fly about the room, causing "a surprising and diverting hurly-burly among the guests. What feeble imitations are the castles, ships, and animals, that now adorn our Twelfth-night cakes, to the performance of Nutt! How much, every way, inferior are the specimens of art produced, even by the renowned author of the "Italian Confectioner,"-the illustrious Jarrin! On the battlements of the castles of former days were planted "kexes," or pop-guns, charged with gunpowder, to be fired upon a pastry ship, with "masts," ropes, we doubt not, of spun sugar, "sails, flags, and streamers." Nor was the naval power of England lost sight of; for the "kexes" of this delicious ship were, also, charged with gunpowder, and when she was fired upon from the castle, her guns

were able to return the salute. Then, to take off the smell of the powder, there were egg shells, filled with rose-water, for the spectators to break, "and throw at one another." Nor must a stag of pastry, filled with claret, be forgotten; which, when wounded, poured forth its blood, free and sparkling as a ruby, for those whose nerves were delicate, and needed the refreshment of a glass of wine. Such were the "subtilties," as these jugglings in confectionary are called, which we now behold represented by the painted figures, "so bad to eat, but so fine to look at," that adorn our twelfth-cakes.

"How to eat twelfth-cake," says Hone, "requires no recipe; but how to provide it, and draw the characters, on the authority of Rachel Revel's Winter Evening Pastimes,' may be acceptable. First, buy your cake. Then, before your visitors arrive, buy your characters,-each of which should have a pleasant verse beneath. Next, look at your invitation list, and count the number of ladies you expect, and afterwards the number of gentlemen. Then, take as many female characters as you have invited ladies; fold them up exactly of the same size, and number each on the back; taking care to make the king No. 1, and the Queen No. 2. Then, prepare and number the gentlemen's characters. Cause tea and coffee to be handed to your visitors, as they drop in. When all are assembled, and tea over, put as many ladies' characters in a reticule as there are ladies present; next, put the gentlemen's characters in a hat. Then call on a gentleman to carry the reticule to the ladies as they sit; from which each lady is to draw one ticket, and to preserve it unopened. Select a lady to bear the hat to the gentlemen, for the same purpose. There will be one ticket left in the reticule, and another in the hat, which the lady and gentleman who carried each is to interchange, as having fallen to each. Next, arrange your visitors, according to their numbers;—the king No. 1, the queen No. 2, and so on. The king is then to recite the verse on his ticket; then the queen the verse on hers; and so the characters are to proceed, in numerical order. This done, let the cake and refreshments go round; and hey! for merriment !"

As our contribution towards the merriment of this evening, we cannot do better than present our readers with a copy of the fol

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lowing letter, respecting the manufacture of Twelfth-night characters ;-which document was handed to us by the artist to whom it was addressed.

"SIR,

"As I am given to understand that you are an artist of celebrity, I will thank you to make me a hundred and forty-four different characters, for Twelfth-night, the entire cost not to exceed two shillings and sixpence each, say three plates at two pounds ten shillings a plate, including the poetry, which you can, I am told, get plenty of poets to write for nothing, though I should not mind standing a trifle say twopence more, if the verses gave satisfaction. You will please do your best for me, and, trusting to your speedy attention to this order, I will remain your well-wisher and obedient servant, who will furnish the coppers."

Though we publish this letter, that is no reason why we should publish the writer's name. It is evident, he was a young hand in the trade; and desirous to rival the graphic and literary talent displayed in Langley's and Fairburn's characters, of which we have preserved specimens, in our portfolio. Mr. Sandys speaks rather disparagingly of the merit of these productions; and this, considering that gentleman's antiquarian zeal, we must confess, surprises us. In the copy of Langley's characters which we possess, the same love of alliteration, upon which we have already commented, as encouraged in the Court of Misrule, is observable. We have, for instance, "Bill Bobstay,"-" Prudence Pumpkin," "Percival Palette," "Judy Juniper,"-"Peter Puncheon," -"Simon Salamander," "Countess Clackett,"-" Leander Lackbrain,"-" Nelly Nester,"-" Felicia Frill," &c., &c.

f

Where the monarch of the evening and his queen are not determined by this kind of pictorial lottery, a bean and a pea are put into the cake; and whoever finds them, in the pieces they take, become the king and queen of the evening. Other matters —such as a small coin, a ring, &c.-are often introduced into Twelfth-night cakes; and give to the finders characters to be supported for the evening. In some countries, says Sandys, a coin was put "instead of the bean; and portions of the cake assigned to the Virgin Mary, and the Three Kings, which

were given to the poor; and if the bean should happen to be in any of these portions, the king was then chosen by pulling straws."

The three kings mentioned in the above extract, are those worthies commonly known by the title of the Three Kings of Colen (Cologne),-identified, by old legends, with the wise men of the east, who did homage to our Saviour, on the day of which the Epiphany is the anniversary celebration. They are stated to have been Arabians; and are distinguished in the traditionary tales of the early church, by the names of Melchior, Balthazar, and Gasper. Their bodies are said to have been finally deposited at Cologne, after several removals;-and the practice of electing a king, on the evening of the Epiphany, has been, by some, thought to have a reference to their supposed regal characters. We imagine, however, it will be sufficiently evident to our readers, after what we have formerly said, that it is not necessary for us to seek further than we have already done, for the origin of the Twelfth-night king.