The Catholic World Volume Ii Part 53

"He neither shall be rocked In silver nor in gold, But in a wooden cradle.

That rocks on the mould.

"He neither shall be christened In white wine nor in red.

But with the spring water With which we were christened.'"

In the fifteenth pageant of the Coventry Mysteries the following lines occur:

"_Mary_, Ah, my sweet husband, would you tell to me What tree is yon, standing on yon hill?

"_Joseph_, Forsooth. Mary, it is yclept a cherry tree.

In time of year you might feed you thereon your fill.

"_Mar._ Turn again, husband, and behold yon tree.

How that it bloometh now so sweetly.

"_Jos._ Come on, Mary, that we were a yon city.

Or else we may be blamed, I tell you lightly.

"_Mar._ Now, my spouse, I pray you to behold How the cherries (are) grown upon yon tree; For to have thereof right fain I would.

And it please you to labor so much for me.

"_Jos._ Your desire to fulfil I shall a.s.say sekerly, How to pluck you of these cherries, it is a work wild.

For the tree is so high, It would not be lightly (easy).

"_Mar._ Now, good Lord, I pray thee, grant me this boon, To have of these cherries, and it be your will; Now I thank G.o.d this tree boweiht to me down, I may now gather enow, and eat my fill.

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"_Jos._ Now I know well, I have offended my G.o.d in trinity.

Speaking to my spouse these unkind words.

For now I believe well it may none other be, But that my spouse beareth the King's Son of Bliss."

It is interesting to note the way in which the more modern composition retains all the incidents and traditions of the mediaeval mystery. Our popular carol speaks of St. Joseph as _an old man, and an old man was he,_ while the mystery represents him as saying (p. x.), _I am an old man, and I am so aged and so old._The tree is the same, there is the same desire of the Virgin Mother to taste the fruit, the same refusal and bitter retort of her husband, the bowing-down of the tree, and the regret of St. Joseph for his unkindness. Mr. Hone was not ashamed to say of the "Cherry-Tree Carol:" "The admiration of my earliest days for some lines in it still remains, nor can I help thinking that the reader will see somewhat of cause for it."

The following example is still given on almost every broadside annually printed: it is called "The Three s.h.i.+ps." I ought perhaps first to state that the Three s.h.i.+ps are supposed to signify the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation being, as the _Speculum Vitae Christi_ hath it, "the high work of all the Holy Trinity, though it be that only the Person of the Son was incarnate and became man:"

"I saw three s.h.i.+ps come sailing in, On Christmas day, on Christmas day: I saw three s.h.i.+ps come sailing in On Christmas day in the morning.

"And what was in those s.h.i.+ps all three, On Christmas day? etc., And what was in, etc., On Christmas day in the morning?

"Our Saviour Christ and our Lady, etc..

On Christmas day in the morning.

Pray whither sailed those s.h.i.+ps all three? etc., On Christmas day in the morning.

"O, they sailed into Bethlehem, etc..

On Christmas day in the morning; And all the bells on earth shall ring, etc., On Christmas day in the morning.

"And all the angels in heaven shall sing, etc, On Christmas day In the morning.

And all the souls on earth shall sing, etc., On Christmas day in the morning.

"Then let us all rejoice amain, etc..

On Christmas day in the morning."

Another rude and rather amusing version is sometimes given of this carol, called "The Sunny Bank:"

"As I sat on a sunny bank, A sunny bank, a sunny bank.

As I sat on a sunny bank, On Christmas day in the morning,

"I spied three s.h.i.+ps come sailing by, etc..

On Christmas day, etc.;

"And who should be with those three s.h.i.+ps?

On Christmas day, etc.,

"But Joseph and his fair lady, etc., On Christmas day, etc.

"Oh, he did whistle, and she did sing, And all the bells on earth did ring.

For joy that our Saviour they did bring On Christmas day in the morning."

An old Dutch carol, given by Hoffman, commences:

"There comes a vessel laden.

And on its highest gunwale Mary holds the rudder, The angel steers it on."

And thus explains the mission of the s.h.i.+p:

"In one unbroken course There comes that s.h.i.+p to land: It brings to us rich gifts, Forgiveness is sent to us."

This translation is taken from Mr. Sandys' book on "Christmas-tide."

About the sixteenth century a similar carol was sung at Yule, which is given by Ritson:

"There comes a s.h.i.+p far sailing then, Saint Michael was the steersman; Saint John sat in the horn: Our Lord harped, our Lady sang, And all the bells of heaven they rang On Christ's Sunday at morn."

Another specimen I take from a Birmingham collection; it is called "The Seven Virgins." This is given also by Mr. Sylvester from "the original old broadside." It is singular, however, that his old copy should include a line which he confesses to be a "modern interpolation!"

"All under the leaves, and the leaves of life, I met with virgins seven.

And one of them was Mary mild.

Our Lord's mother in heaven.

O, what are you seeking, you seven pretty maids.

All under the leaves of life?"

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'We're seeking for no leaves, Thomas, But for a friend of thine.

We're seeking for sweet Jesus Christ, To be our heavenly guide.'

'Go down, go down to yonder town, And sit in the gallery, And there you'll see sweet Jesus Christ Nailed to a yew tree.'

And they went down to yonder town As fast as foot could fall, And many a bitter and grievous tear From our Lady's eyes did fall.