Next crown the bowl full
With gentle lamb's wool,
And sugar, nutmeg, and ginger,
With store of ale, too;
And this ye must do
To make the wassail a swinger.
Give then to the king
And queen, wassailing,
And though with ale ye be wet here,
Yet part ye from hence
As free from offence
As when ye innocent met here
Robert Herrick.
CEREMONIES FOR CANDLEMAS EVE.
Down with the rosemary and bays,
Down with the mistletoe;
Instead of holly, now upraise
The greener box for show.
The holly hitherto did sway;
Let box now domineer
Until the dancing Easter day
Or Easter's eve appear.
Then youthful box, which now hath grace
Your houses to renew,
Grown old, surrender must his place
Unto the crispéd yew.
When yew is out, then birch comes in,
And many flowers beside,
Both of a fresh and fragrant kin,
To honor Whitsuntide.