‘From whence does the Son come?
From where and from what place?’—
He said, ‘In a manger,
Between an ox and an ass!’
IV
‘I pray thee,’ said the Carnal,
‘Tell me before thou go’st,
Was not the mother of Jesus
Conceived by the Holy Ghost?’—
V
‘She was the purest Virgin,
And the cleanest from sin;
She was the handmaid of our Lord,
And mother of our King.’—
VI
‘Where is the golden cradle
That Christ was rockèd in?
Where are the silken sheets
That Jesus was wrapt in?’—
VII
‘A manger was the cradle
That Christ was rockèd in;
The provender the asses left
So sweetly he slept on.