Saint Stephen, the Clerk. "Lacketh me neither meat ne drink In King Herod's hall; There is a child in Bethlehem born Is better than we all." “What aileth thee, Stephen? Art thou wode,* or thou ginnest to breed?t Lacketh thee either gold or fee, Or any rich weed?" "Lacketh me neither gold nor fee, There is a child in Bethlehem born "That is also sooth,§ Stephen, Also sooth i-wis As this capon crowé shall That lieth here in my dish." That word was not so soon said, The capon crew Christus natus est "Riseth up, my tormentors, By two and all by one, 27 * Mad. † Scold. + Dress. As true. 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 Christés own day. The Carnal and the Crane. 20 29 THE CARNAL AND THE CRANE. As I pass'd by a riverside, And there as I did reign,* The Carnal said unto the Crane, But now we have the Son! From whence does the Son come? Between an ox and ass! I pray thee, said the Carnal, She was the purest Virgin, And the cleanest from sin; She was the handmaid of our Lord, Where is the golden cradle A manger was the cradle There was a star in the West-land, And where King Herod were. The Wise Men soon espied it, If this be true, King Herod said, As thou tellest unto me, This roasted cock that lies in the dish Shall crow full fences* three. The cock soon freshly feathered was By the work of God's own hand, * Rounds. The Carnal and the Crane. And then three fences crowéd he Rise up, rise up, you merry men all, All children under two years old Then Jesus, ah! and Joseph, And when they came to Egypt's land, Mary, she being weary, Must needs sit down to rest. Come sit thee down, says Jesus, And thou shalt see how these wild beasts First came the lovely lion, Which Jesu's grace did spring, And of the wild beasts in the field, The lion shall be the king. We'll choose our virtuous princes, Of birth and high degree, 31 |