Curious as are the above citations, they only go a little way towards filling up the blanks in the history of this waif from the fabric of early Christian popular lore. A search of some years has yielded evidence that the White Paternoster is still a part of the living traditional matter of at least five European countries. Most persons are familiar with the English version which runs thus:
Four corners to my bed,
Four angels round my head,
One to watch, one to pray,
And two to bear my soul away.
A second English variant was set on record by Aubrey, and may also be read in Ady's "Candle in the Dark" (1655):
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John,
Bless the bed that I lye on;
And blessed guardian angel keep
Me safe from danger while I sleep.