The first good joy that Mary had, it was the joy of one,
To see her own son Jesus to suck at her breast-bone;
To suck at her breast-bone, good man, and blessed shall he be,
Through, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the One United Three! etc.
The equally popular one:
God rest you, merry gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay;
Remember Christ our Saviour
Was born on Christmas-day,
To save poor souls from Satan’s power,
Who’ve long time gone astray.
Which ends thus:
God bless the master of this house,
And mistress also;
And all the little children
That round the table go;
With their pockets full of money,
And their cellars full of beer;
And God send you a happy New-Year.
Amongst them is found Bethlehem City.
In Bethlehem city, in Jewry it was,
That Joseph and Mary together did pass;
And there to be tax’d, as many one mo,
When Cæsar commanded, in truth it was so. etc.
And that fine hymn which is sung in some places at midnight by the Waites, and which the Methodists have adopted for their early morning service:
Christians, awake! salute the happy morn,
Whereon the Saviour of the world was born.
And the following, which, though evidently in a most defective state, I shall give entire, as exhibiting a striking impress of the character of the middle ages; and shewing how well they understood the true spirit of Christ.