A Virgin Unspotted

A virgin un­spot­ted

The pro­phet fore­told

Should bring forth a Sav­ior

Which now we be­hold

To be our Re­deem­er

From death

hell

and sin

Which Ad­am’s trans­gress­ion

Had wrapp­èd us in.

Aye and there­fore be mer­ry

Set sor­row aside

Christ Je­sus our Sav­ior

Was born on this tide.

At Beth­le­hem ci­ty

In Jew­ry it was

That Jo­seph and Ma­ry

Together did pass

All for to be tax­èd

With ma­ny one more

Great Cæ­sar com­mand­ed

The same should be so.

But when they had en­tered

The ci­ty so fair

A num­ber of peo­ple

So migh­ty was there

That Jo­seph and Ma­ry

Whose sub­stance was small

Could find in the inn there

No lodg­ing at all.

Then were they con­strained in

A sta­ble to lie

Where hors­es and ass­es

They used for to tie;

Their lodg­ing so sim­ple

They took it no scorn

But against the next morn­ing

Our Sav­ior was born.

The King of all kings to

This world be­ing brought

Small store of fine lin­en

To wrap Him was sought

But when she had swad­dled

Her young son so sweet

Within an ox man­ger

She laid Him to sleep.

Then God sent an angel

From Heav­en so high

To cer­tain poor shep­herds

In fields where they lie

And bade them no long­er

In sor­row to stay

Because that our Sav­ior

Was born on this day.

Then pre­sent­ly af­ter

The shep­herds did spy

Vast num­bers of an­gels

To stand in the sky;

They joy­ful­ly talk­èd

And sweet­ly did sing

To God be all glo­ry

Our heav­en­ly king.

To teach us hu­mil­ity

All this was done

And learn we from thence

Haughty pride for to shun:

A man­ger His cra­dle

Who came from above

The great God of mer­cy

Of peace and of love.