How pleasant, when night falls down And hides the wintry sun, To see them come in to the blazing fire, And know that their work is done; Whilst many bring in, with a laugh or rhyme, Green branches of Holly for Christmas time! _O the Holly, the bright green Holly,_ _It tells (like a tongue) that the times are jolly!_
Sometimes--(in our grave house, Observe, this happeneth not;) But, at times, the evergreen laurel boughs And the holly are all forgot! And then! what then? why, the men laugh low And hang up a branch of the Mistletoe! _O brave is the Laurel! and brave is the Holly!_ _But the Mistletoe banisheth melancholy!_ _Ah, nobody knows, nor ever shall know,_ _What is done--under the Mistletoe._
Three weeks before the day whereon was born the Lord of grace, And on the Thursday, boys and girls do run in every place, And bounce and beat at every door, with blows and lusty snaps, And cry the advent of the Lord, not born as yet, perhaps: And wishing to the neighbors all, that in the houses dwell, A happy year, and everything to spring and prosper well: Here have they pears, and plums, and pence; each man gives willingly, For these three nights are always thought unfortunate to be, Wherein they are afraid of sprites and cankered witches' spite, And dreadful devils, black and grim, that then have chiefest might.
In these same days, young, wanton girls that meet for marriage be, Do search to know the names of them that shall their husbands be. Four onions, five, or eight they take, and make in every one Such names as they do fancy most and best do think upon. Thus near the chimney then they set, and that same onion than The first doth sprout doth surely bear the name of their good man. Their husband's nature eke they seek to know and all his guise: When as the sun hath hid himself, and left the starry skies, Unto some woodstack do they go, and while they there do stand, Each one draws out a fagot stick, the next that comes to hand, Which if it straight and even be, and have no knots at all, A gentle husband then they think shall surely to them fall; But, if it foul and crooked be, and knotty here and there, A crabbed, churlish husband then they earnestly do fear.
Then comes the day wherein the Lord did bring his birth to pass, Whereas at midnight up they rise, and every man to Mass. This time so holy counted is, that divers earnestly Do think the waters all to wine are changèd suddenly In that same hour that Christ himself was born and came to light, And unto water straight again transformed and altered quite. There are beside that mindfully the money still do watch That first to altar comes, which then they privily do snatch. The priests, lest other should it have, take oft the same away, Whereby they think throughout the year to have good luck in play, And not to lose: then straight at game till daylight do they strive To make some present proof how well their hallowed pence will thrive.