The life of a child of one or another chapel was quite a different thing than is generally portrayed in our contemporary press. Moreover, in the 1530s, St. Paul’s boys did not yet act in plays. Even later, when they did, 16th century families were almost uniformly delighted to have their boys impressed into chapel boys. They received a free education their parents could not have afforded and made connections with wealthy and powerful members of the English upper classes. Generally, they received positions in one or another institution, with their Latin education, after their voices changed and they were no longer able to sing in the choir.
Tusser was sponsored to go on to Eton College and Cambridge University. He did not take a degree but rather was taken on as a retainer of William, Lord Paget, likely as a musician. When that ran its course, he returned to the region in which he had been brought up and where he wrote A Hundredth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557). He expanded the work into Five Hundred Good Pointes of Husbandrie, published in 1573 and reprinted many times during the century and after.
For all Tusser was well educated, he kept a homely country touch in his poetry. For all of that he seems to have been constantly in conflict with his country neighbors. He never lived in one place for long. Becoming a tax farmer, he was even less amenable to his neighbors. He returned to London between changes of abode where he continued to be well enough connected to keep afloat. There he died on the 3rd of May in 1580.
Thomas Tusser’s famous poem was not meant to be high literature. Only entertaining, informative and respectful of rural England in the mid-16th century. He succeeded wonderfully on all those points. It was become a classic. Extracts follow describing the country Christmas.
22.
¶ Decembers abstract.
25.
Let Christmas spie
yard cleane to lie.
No labour, no sweate,
go labour for heate.
Féede dooues, but kill not,
if [de]stroy them ye will not.
Fat hog or (er ye kill it)
or else ye doo spill it.
26.
Put oxe in stall,
er oxe doo fall.
Who seetheth hir graines,
hath profit for paines.
Rid garden of mallow,
plant willow and sallow.
27.
Let bore life render,
see brawne sod[1] tender,
For wife, fruit bie,
for Christmas pie.
Ill bread and ill drinke,
makes many ill thinke.
Both meate and cost
ill dressed halfe lost.
28.
Who hath wherewithal!,
may cheere when he shall:
But charged man,
must cheere as he can.
28.
¶ A description of the feast of the birth
of Christ, commonly called Christmas.
Chap. 26.
1. OF Christ cometh Christmas, the name with the feast,
a time full of ioie to the greatest and least :
At Christmas was Christ (our Sauiour) borne,
the world through sinne altogether forlorne.
2. At Christmas the daies doo begin to take length,
of Christ doth religion cheefly take strength.
As Christmas is onely a figure or trope,
so onely in Christ is the strength of our hope.
3. At Christmas we banket, the rich with the poore,
who then (but the miser) but openeth [h]is doore -
At Christmas of Christ many Carols we sing,
and giue many gifts in the ioy of that King.
4. At Christmas in Christ we reioice and be glad,
as onely of whom our comfort is had ;
At Christmas we ioy altogether with mirth,
for his sake that ioyed vs all with his birth
29.
¶ A description of apt time to spend.
Chap. 27.
1. LET such (so fantasticall) liking not this,
nor any thing honest that ancient is,
Giue place to the time that so meete we doo see
appointed of God as it seemeth to bee.
2. At Christmas good husbands haue corne on the ground
in barne, and in [cellar], woorth many a pound,
With plentie of other things, cattle and sheepe,
all sent them (no doubt on) good houses to keepe.
3. At Christmas the hardnes of Winter doth rage,
a griper of all things and specially age :
Then lightly poore people, the yoong with the old,
be sorest oppressed with hunger and cold.
4. At Christmas by labour is little to get,
that wanting, the poorest in danger are set.
What season then better, of all the whole yeere,
thy needie poore neighbour to comfort and cheere?
30.
¶ Against fantasticall scruplenes.
Chap. 28.
1. AT this time and that time some make a great matter,
A som help not but hinder the poore with their clatter.
Take custome from feasting, what commeth then last,
where one hath a dinner, a hundred shall fast.
2. To dog in the manger some liken I could,
that hay will eate none, nor let other that would;
Some scarce in a yeere giue a dinner or twoo,
nor well can abide any other to doo.
3. Play thou the good fellow, seeke none to misdeeme,
disdaine not the honest, though merie they seeme :
For oftentimes seene, no more verie a knaue
than he that doth counterfait most to be graue.
31.
OF Christmas husbandlie fare.
Chap. 29.
1. GOOD husband and huswife now cheefly be glad,
things handsom to haue, as they ought to be had;
They both doo prouide against Christmas doo come,
to welcome good neighbour, good cheere to haue some.
2. Good bread and good drinke, a good fier in the hall,
brawne, pudding and [sauce], and good mustard withall.
3. Beefe, mutton, and porke, shred pies of the best,
pig, veale, goose and capon, and turkey well drest ;
Cheese, apples and nuts, ioly Carols to heare,
as then in the countrie is counted good cheare.
4. What cost to good husband is any of this ?
good houshold prouision onely it is.
Of other the like, I doo leaue out a [many],
that costeth the husbandman neuer a penie.
Source: Fiue Hundred Pointes Of Good Husbandrie. by Thomas Tusser (1557). W. Payne and Sidney J. Herrtage, ed. (1878)
[1] sod] boil
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