Seignors, il est crié en l'ost,
Que cil qui despent bien, e tost,
E largement,

E fet les granz honors sovent,
Deu li duble quanque il despent,
Por faire henor.

Seignors, escriez les malveis,

Car vuz nel les troverez jameis
De bone part:

Botun, batun, ferun, groinard,
Car tot dis a le quer cunard
Por faire henor.

Noel beyt bien li vin Engleis,
Eli Gascoin, e li Franceys,
E l'Angevin:

Noel fait beivere son veisin,

Si qu'il se dort, le chief enclin,
Sovent le jor.

Deu doint à tuz cels

Seignors, jo vus di par Noel,

E

par li sires de cest hostel,

Car bevez ben:

E jo primes beverai le men,

E pois après chescon le soen,

Par mon conseil ;

Si jo vus di trestoz, 'Wesseyl!'

Dehaiz eit qui ne dirra, Drincheyl!'

II.

[From the Porkington MS. of the fifteenth century, communi cated by Sir Frederick Madden to the Reliquiæ Antiquæ, vol. ii. p. 30. It appears to end imperfectly.]

HEY, hey, hey, hey,

The borrys hede is armyd gay.

The boris hede in hond I bryng,
With garlond gay in porttoryng,

I pray yow alle with me to synge,

with hay.

Lordys, knyttes, and skyers,

Persons, prystis, and wycars,

The boris hede ys the furt mes,

with hay.

The boris hede, as I yow say,

He takis his leyfe, and gothe his way,
Gone after the .xij. theyl ffyt day,

with hay.

Then commys in the secunde kowrs with mykylle pryde, The crannus, the heyrrouns, the bytteris, by ther syde, The pertrychys and the plowers, the wodcokus and the

snyt,

with hay.

Larkys in hot schow, ladys for to pyk,
Good drynk therto, lycyus and fyne,
Blwet of Allmayne, romnay and wyin,

with hay.

Gud bred alle and wyin dare I welle say,
The boris hede with musterd armyd soe gay;
Furmante to pottage, with wennissun fyne,

And the hombuls of the dow, and all that ever commis

in;

Cappons i-bake, with the pesys of the roow,

Reysons of corrons, with odyre spysis moo.

III.

[From MS. Sloane, No. 2593, fol. 79, ro. written about the time of Henry VI.]

WOLCUM 301, thu mery man, in worchepe of this holy day.

Wolcum be thu, hevene kyng,

Wolcum, born in on morwenyng,

Wolcum, for hom we xal syng,

wolcum, 301.

Wolcum be 3e, Stefne and Jon,
Wolcum, Innocentes everychon,
Wolcum, Thomas marter on,

wolcum, 30l.

Wolcum be ze, good newe zere,

Wolcum, twelthe day bothe in fere,
Wolcum, seyntes lef and dere,

wolcum, 30l.

Wolcum be 3e, Candylinesse,

Wolcum be 3e, qwyn of blys,

Wolcum bothe to more and lesse,

wolcum, 30l.

Wolcum be ze that arn here,

Wolcum, alle, and mak good chere,

Wolcum, alle, another 3ere,

wolcum, 30l.

IV.

[From MS. Sloane 2593, fol. 51, vo.]

Eya, Jhesus hodie natus est de Virgine.

BLYSSID be that mayde Mary,
Born he was of here body,
Godis sone that syttit on hy,

non ex virili semine.

In a manjour of an as,
Jhesu lay and lullyd was,

Harde peynis for to pas,

pro peccante homine.

Kynges comyn fro dyvesse londe,
With grete 3yftes in here honde,

In Bedlem the child they fonde,

stella ducte lumine.

Man and chyld, bothe eld and ying,
Now in his blysful comyng,

To that chyld mow we syng,

gloria tibi, Domine.

Nowel, nowel, in this halle,

Make merye I prey 30u alle;

Onto that chyld may we calle,

ullo sine crimine.

V.

[From MS. Sloane, No. 2593, fol. 52, vo.]

JHESU, Jhesu, Jhesu, Jhesu, saf us alle thorw thi vertu !

Jhesu, as thou art our savyour,

That thou save us fro dolour,

Jhesu is myn par amour;

Blyssid be thi name, Jhesu!

Jhesu was born of a may,

Upon Cristemesse day,

Sche was may be-forn and ay;

Blyssid be thi name, Jhesu!