66

And for all this

I will Thee kiss

And sing, by by, lullay."

My dear mother, when time it be, take thou Me up

aloft,

And set Me upon thy knee, and handle Me full soft;

And in thy arm

Thou wilt me warm,

And keep me night and day;

If I should weep

And may not sleep

Thou sing, by by, lullay."

"Now, sweet Son, since it is so, all things are at Thy will,

I pray thee grant to me a boon, if it be right and skill,5

That child or man,

That will or can

Be merry upon my day;

To bliss them bring,

And I shall sing

Lullay, by by, lullay.”

5 Reasonable.

THE THREE KINGS.

[THREE versions of this Carol are known to exist. Two of them have been reprinted by Thomas Wright, Esq. in his collection of Carols, edited for the Percy Society. The following has been perfected from these. The Carol was written in the reign of Henry VII. With regard to the refrain, such choral endings are common in compositions of the period. Several of the Robin Hood ballads exhibit similar peculiarities of rhyming.]

OW is the time of Christmas come,
Together joined are Father and Son,
And with the Holy Ghost are one,
In fere-a

God send us a new year-a.

I would now sing, if that I might,

Of a Child, so fair to sight,

A maiden bear this winter's night,

So still-a;

And as it was his will-a.

There came three kings from Galilee,

To Bethlehem, that fair citie,

To see Him that should ever be

By right-a;

Lord, and king, and knight-a.

As they went forth with their offering,
They met Herod, that moody king,
He asked them of their coming

That way-a;

And thus to them 'gan say-a :—

"From whence come ye, you kings three?"

"Out of the East, as you may see,

To seek him that should ever be

By right-a;

Lord, and king, and knight-a."

"When you to this child have been,

Come you home this way again,

And tell me all that ye have seen,
I pray-a ;

Go not another way-a."

Then of Herod, that moody king,

They took their leave both old and young, And forth they went with their offering, By light-a

Of the star that shone so bright-a.

Till they came to that blissfull place
Where Jesus and his mother was,

There they offered with great solace
In fere-a;

Gold, incense and myrrh-a.

When they had their offering made,

As the Holy Ghost them bade,

Then were they both merry

And light-a;

It was a good fair sight-a.

and glad

Anon, as on their way they went,
The father of heaven an angel sent,

To those three kings that made present,

That day-a,

Who thus to them did

say-a :

My Lord doth warn you every one,

By king Herod ye go not home,

For if you do, you will be slain
Full soon-a;

And woe to you be done-a."

So forth they went another way,
Through the might of God, his lay
As the angel to them did say,

Full right-a

It was a good fair sight-a.

When they were come to their countree, Merry and glad they were all three,

Of the sight that they did see

By night-a;

By the stars shining light-a.

Kneel we now all here adown
To that Lord of great renown,
And pray we in good devotion

For grace-a,

In Heaven we have a place-a.