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Ancient
Drinking
Customs.
1G1
h
which
was
blown
when
it
required
replenishing
:
it
i‘,
was
called
the
“
whistle
tankard.”
“
Your
health!”
or
“
Health
be
to
you
!”
the
salu-
ki
tation
of
our
forefathers
on
occasion
of
drinking
to
t\
each
other,
it
is
said,
originated
in
this
wise
:
—
On
N
the
first
interview
between
Yortigern
and
Rowena,
I
the
daughter
of
Hengist,
she
presented
a
cup
of
I
wine
to
him
kneeling,
saying,
“
Hlaford
Kyning,
I
waes-hael
!
”
i.e.
“
Lord
King,
health
be
to
you
!”
I
The
king,
being
unacquainted
with
the
Saxon
lan-
I
guage,
asked
the
meaning,
and
being
told,
and
also
I
to
answer
by
sa
3
dng,
“
Drinc-hael
!”
he
did
so,
and
I
kissed
the
damsel,
and
pledged
her.
The
custom
long
|
remained
in
England
of
pledging
each
other.
The
I
one
who
drank
said,
“
Was-hael,”
and
the
recipient
of
the
cup
said,
“
Drinc-hael.
5
'
Wassail
songs
and
the
wassail
bowl
were
amongst
the
most
noted
of
the
Christmas
festivities.
The
wassail
songs
were
sung
generally
by
strolling
minstrels,
and
hence
may
be
traced
our
present
waits
and
carol
singers.
Among
the
Scandinavian
barbarians,
the
highest
|
point
of
felicity
which
they
hoped
to
obtain
in
their
|
future
state
was
to
drink
mead
and
ale
in
the
Hall
|
of
Odin,
out
of
the
skulls
of
those
they
had
over-
|
powered,
and
get
intoxicated
while
listening
to
the
I
music
of
a
shin-bone
made
into
a
pipe.
There
is
n