This Endris Night

'Now sweetë son, since thou art king, why art thou laid in stall?

Why ne thou ordained thy bedding in some great kingës

hall?

Methinketh it right

That king or knight

Should lie in good array;

And then among

It were no wrong

To sing byby, lullay.'

Mary, mother, I am thy child, though I be laid in stall, Lords and dukes shall worship me, and so shall kingës all.

Ye shall well see,

The kingës three

Shall come the twelfthë day;

For this behest

Give me thy breast,

And sing byby, lullay.'

'Now tell me, sweet son, I thee pray, thou art me lief

and dear,

How should I keep thee to thy pay,' and make thee glad of cheer?

This Endris Night

'My dear mother, when time it be, thou take me up aloft,

And settë me upon thy knee, and handle me full soft.

C Now, sweet son, since it is so, that all is at thy will, I pray thee grant to me a boon if it be right and skill," That child or man

That will or can

Be merry upon my day;

To bliss them bring,

And I shall sing

Lullay, byby, lullay.'

6. LULLAY, MY LIKING, MY DEAR SON

ULLAY, my liking, my dear son, my sweeting,

Lullay, my dear heart, my own dear darling.

I saw a fair maiden sitten and sing.

She lulled a little child, a sweet lording.
Lullay, &c.

That ilke lord is that that made all thing,
Of all lordës he is lord, of all kingës king.
Lullay, &c.

Lullay, my Liking, my Dear Son

There was mickle melody at that childës birth,

All that were in heaven's bliss they made mickle mirth. Lullay, &c.

Angels bright they sung that night and saiden to that child,

Blessed be thou, and so be she that is both meek and mild.

Lullay, &c.

Pray we now to that child, and to his mother dear.
Grant them his blessing that now maken cheer.
Lullay, &c.

7.

SAINT STEPHEN WAS A CLERK

AINT STEPHEN was a clerk

Sin King Herodes hall,

In

And servèd him of bread and cloth

As every king befall.

Stephen out of kitchen came,
With boarës head on hand,
He saw a star was fair and bright
Over Bethlem stand.

He cast adown the boarës head

And went into the hall:

'I forsake thee, King Herodës,
And thy workës all.

Saint Stephen was a Clerk
'I forsake thee, King Herodës,
And thy werkës all;

There is a child in Bethlem born
Is better than we all.'

‹ What aileth thee, Stephen?

What is thee befall?

Lacketh thee either meat or drink
In King Herodes hall?'

'Lacketh me neither meat ne drink

In King Herodës hall;

There is a child in Bethlem born

Is better than we all.'

I

'What aileth thee, Stephen? Art thou wode 1

Or thou ginnest to breed? 2
Lacketh thee either gold or fee
Or any riche weed? '3

8.

Angel.

Saint Stephen was a Clerk

That word was not so soonë said,
That word in that hall,

The capon crew, Christus natus est,'
Among the lordës all.

'Riseth up, my tormentors,
By two and also by one,

And leadeth Stephen out of this town,

And stoneth him with stone.'

Tooken they Stephen

And stoned him in the way,
And therefore is his even

On Christës own day.

THE SHEPHERDS' OFFERINGS

ERDMEN hend,'

HDread ye

Dread ye no thing

Of this star that

ye

do see;

For this same morn

God's son is born

In Bethlem of a maiden free.

First Shepherd.

Hail maid, mother, and wife so mild!

As the angel said, so have we fand.

I have nothing to present with thy child

But my pipe; hold, hold, take it in thy hand;
Wherein much pleasure that I have fand;

And now, to honour thy glorious birth,
Thou shalt it have to make thee mirth.

I Courteous.