We have still our Berkshire mummers at Christmas, who come to us disguised in strange garb and begin their quaint performance with the doggerel rhymes—­

  I am King George, that noble champion bold,
  And with my trusty sword I won ten thousand pounds in gold;
  ’Twas I that fought the fiery dragon, and brought him to the slaughter,
  And by these means I won the King of Egypt’s daughter.[62]

  [62] The book of words is printed in Old English Customs, by
  P.H.  Ditchfield.

Other counties have their own versions.  In Staffordshire they are known as the “Guisers,” in Cornwall as the “Geese-dancers,” in Sussex as the “Tipteerers.”  Carolsingers are still with us, but often instead of the old carols they sing very badly and irreverently modern hymns, though in Cambridgeshire you may still hear “God bless you, merry gentlemen,” and the vessel-boxes (a corruption of wassail) are still carried round in Yorkshire.  At Christmas Cornish folk eat giblet-pie, and Yorkshiremen enjoy furmenty; and mistletoe and the kissing-bush are still hung in the hall; and in some remote parts of Cornwall children may be seen dancing round painted lighted candles placed in a box of sand.  The devil’s passing-bell tolls on Christmas Eve from the church tower at Dewsbury, and a muffled peal bewails the slaughter of the children on Holy Innocents’ Day.  The boar’s head is still brought in triumph into the hall of Queen’s College.  Old women “go a-gooding” or mumping on St. Thomas’s Day, and “hoodening” or horse-head mumming is practised at Walmer, and bull-hoodening prevails at Kingscote, in Gloucestershire.  The ancient custom of “goodening” still obtains at Braughing, Herts.  The Hertfordshire Mercury of December 28, 1907, states that on St. Thomas’s Day (December 21) certain of the more sturdy widows of the village went round “goodening,” and collected L4 14s. 6d., which was equally divided among the eighteen needy widows of the parish.  In 1899 the oldest dame who took part in the ceremony was aged ninety-three, while in 1904 a widow “goodened” for the thirtieth year in succession.  In the Herts and Cambs Reporter for December 23, 1904, is an account of “Gooding Day” at Gamlingay.  It appears that in 1665 some almshouses for aged women (widows) were built there by Sir John Jacob, Knight.  “On Wednesday last (St. Thomas’s Day),” says this journal, “an interesting ceremony was to be seen.  The old women were gathered at the central doorway ... preparatory to a pilgrimage to collect alms at the houses of the leading inhabitants.  This old custom, which has been observed for nearly three hundred years, it is safe to say, will not fall into desuetude, for it usually results in each poor widow realising a gold coin.”  In the north of England first-footing on New Year’s Eve is common, and a dark-complexioned person is esteemed as a herald of good fortune.  Wassailing exists in Lancashire, and the apple-wassailing has not quite died out on Twelfth Night.  Plough Monday is still observed in Cambridgeshire, and the “plough-bullocks” drag around the parishes their ploughs and perform a weird play.  The Haxey hood is still thrown at that place in Lincolnshire on the Feast of the Epiphany, and valentines are not quite forgotten by rural lovers.