Frute and corne shall fayle grete won,
And olde folke dyen many on.

Whate woman that day of chylde travayle,

They shalbe borne in grete perelle ;
And chyldren that be borne that day,
Within halfe a yere they shall dye, par fay.
The somer than shall wete ryghte ylle;
Yf thou awghte stele, hyt shal the spylle;
Thou dyest yf sekenes take the.

XVII.

[From MS. Harl. 541, fol. 214, ro. written in the reign of Henry VII.]

Now ys Crystemas y-cum,

Fadyr and son togedyr in oon,

Holy Goste, as ye be oon,

in fere-a,

God sende us a good n[e]w yere-a.

I wolde yow synge for and I mygzhgt,
Off a chylde ys fayre in syghgzt,

Hys modyr hym bare thys yndyrs nyghzt
so stylle-a,

And as yt was hys wylle-a.

There cam .iij. kynges fro Galylee
Into Bethleem that fayre cytee,
To seke hym that ever shulde be
by ryghzt-a

Lorde and kynge and knygh3t-a.

As they cam forth with there offrynge, They met with Herode that mody kynge, thys tyde-a,

And thys to them he sayde-a.

“Off wens be ye, yow kynges .iij.?"

"Off the Este, as ye may see,

To seke hym that ever shulde be by ryghgzt-a

Lorde and kynge and knygh3t-a."

"Wen yow at thys chylde have be, Cum home azeyne by me,

Telle me the syghztes that yow

have see,

I praye yow;

Go yow no nodyr way-a."

They toke her leve both olde and yonge Off Herode that mody kynge;

They went forth with there offrynge

by lyghzth-a,

By the sterre that shoone so brygh3t-a.

Tyll they cam in to the place

There Jhesu and hys modyr was,

Offryd they up with grete solace

in fere-a

Golde and sence and myrre-a.

The fadyr of hevyn an awngylle down sent, To thyke .iij. kynges that made presente

thys tyde-a,

And thys to them he sayd-a.

66

My lorde have warnyd yow everychone, By Herode kynge yow go not home;

For and yow do, he wylle you slone and strye-a,

And hurte yow wondyrly-a."

Forth them wente thys kynges .iij.,
Tylle they cam home to there cuntré.
Glade and blyth they were alle .iij.
Off the syghztes that they had see,
by-dene-a,

The cumpany was clene-a.

Knele we now here a-down,
Pray we in good devocioun

To the kynge of grete renown,

of grace-a,

In hevyn to have a place-a.

XVIII.

[From a Collection of Christmas Carols, printed by Wynkyn de

Worde, in 1521, from which book it is given by Hearne, in his notes to William of Newbery, iii. p. 175.]

A Carol bringyng in the bores heed.

Caput apri differo,

Reddens laudes Domino.

The bores heed in hande bring I,
With garlands gay and rosemary;
I praye you all synge merely,
qui estis in convivio.

The bores heed, I understande,

Is the chefe servyce of this lande;
Loke where ever it be fande,

servite cum cantico.

Be gladde, lordes, bothe more and lasse,
For this hath ordeyned owr stewarde,
To chere you all this Christmasse,

The bores heed with mustarde.

XIX.

[The following modernised form of the foregoing carol, is given by Dr. Dibdin, as preserved and used up to a very recent period at Queen's College, Oxford. Dibdin's Ames, vol. ii. p. 252.]

THE boar's head in hand bear I,
Bedeck'd with bays and rosemary;
And I pray you, my masters, be merry,
Quot estis in convivio.

Caput Apri defero,

Reddens laudes Domino.

The boar's head, as I understand,

Is the rarest dish in all this land,
Which thus bedeck'd with a gay garland,
Let us servire cantico.

Caput Apri defero,

Reddens laudes Domino.

Our steward hath provided this
In honour of the king of bliss;
Which on this day to be served is
In Reginensi Atrio.

Caput Apri defero,

Reddens laudes Domino.