My merry merry boys, The Christmas log to the firing; While my good dame, she Bids ye all be free, And drink to your heart's desiring. With the last year's brand* Light the new block, and For good success in his spending, On your psaltries play, Come while the log is a tending. Drink now the strong beer, Cut the white loaf here, The while the meat is a shredding, For the rare mince-pie; And the plums stand by, See the "Ceremony for Candlemas Day," page 88. CHRISTMAS EVE. COME, guard this night the Christmas pie, With his flesh-hooks, don't come nigh To catch it, From him, who all alone sits there, Having his eyes still in his ear, And a deal of nightly fear, To watch it. same. In Herrick's time, the Watchman and Bellman were one and the The latter appellation arose, we expect, from its being the practice of these ancient guardians of the night to carry with them a large bell, either for the purpose of summoning assistance when required, or else to enable them the more effectually to disturb the slumbers of those who, snug asleep, cared very little to know how the hours happened to be progressing. Now-a-days the Bellman is quite a Christmas character. The office is generally usurped by the beadle or parish constable, who constitutes himself Bellman for one day in the year, viz., Boxing Day, in the hope that, by the presentation of some miserable doggerel rhymes to his "worthy masters," the inhabitants of the parish, of which he is so important an officer, he may reap a rich and unmerited reward. THE BELL-MAN. FROM noise of scare-fires* rest ye free, From murders Benedicite! From all mischances that may fright Your pleasing slumbers in the night ; Mercy secure ye all, and keep The goblin from ye, while ye sleep. Past one o'clock, and almost two, My masters all, "Good day to you." * Alarms of fire. AN ODE ON THE BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOUR. IN numbers, and but these few, Of Birth, a base Out-stable for thy court here. Instead of neat inclosures Of interwoven osiers : Instead of fragrant posies Thy cradle, Kingly Stranger, As Gospel tells, Was nothing else But, here, a homely manger. But we with silks, not cruells,* Of clouds, we'll make a chamber, Of ivory, And plastered round with amber. The Jews they did disdain Thee, But we will entertain Thee With glories to await here • Worsteds. CHORUS. WHAT Sweeter music can we bring Than a carol, for to sing The birth of this our Heavenly King? I. Dark and dull night, fly hence away, Charles I. II. If we may ask the reason, say; The why, and wherefore all things here Seem like the spring time of the year? III. Why does the chilling winter's morn IV. Come and see The cause, why things thus fragrant be: CHORUS. We see Him come, and know him ours, Who with his sunshine and his showers, Turns all the patient ground to flowers. 1. The darling of the world is come, And fit it is, we find a room To welcome him. II. The nobler part Of all the house here, is the heart. CHORUS. Which we will give Him; and bequeath This holly and this ivy wreath, To do Him honour who's our King, And Lord of all this revelling. |