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The Worship Of The Babe.

66

'Rejoice, our Saviour He was born On Christmas day in the morn

ing."

Old Carol.

TO HIS SAVIOUR, A CHILD; A PRESENT,

BY A CHILD.

Go, pretty child, and bear this flower
Unto thy little Saviour;

And tell Him by that bud now blown,
He is a Rose of Sharon known.

When thou hast said so, stick it there
Upon His bib or stomacher;

And tell Him, for good handsel too,
That thou hast brought a whistle new,
Made of a clean, strait oaten reed

To charm His cries at time of need.
Tell Him for coral thou hast none,

But if thou had'st He should have one;
But poor thou art, and known to be
Even as moneyless as He.

Lastly, if thou can'st win a kiss
From those mellifluous lips of His,
Then never take a second on

To spoil the first impression.

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HONOR TO THE KING.

Yet if his majesty our sovereign lord
Should of his own accord

Friendly himself invite,

And say, "I'll be your guest to-morrow night," How should we stir ourselves, call and com

mand

All hands to work: "Let no man idle stand.

Set me fine Spanish tables in the hall,

See they be fitted all;

Let there be room to eat,

And order taken that there want no meat.
See every sconce and candlestick made bright,
That without tapers they may give a light.
Look to the presence; are the carpets spread,
The dais o'er the head,

The cushions in the chairs,

And all the candles lighted on the stairs?
Perfume the chambers, and in any case
Let each man give attendance in his place."
Thus if the king were coming would we do,
And 'twere good reason too;

For 'tis a duteous thing

To show all honor to an earthly king,
And after all our travail and our cost,
So he be pleased, to think no labor lost.

Honor to the King.

But at the coming of the King of Heaven,

All's set at six and seven :

We wallow in our sin,

Christ cannot find a chamber in the inn.

61

We entertain Him always like a stranger,
And, as at first, still lodge Him in the manger.

Christ Church, Oxford, MS.

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