God rest you merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay;
Remember Christ our Saviour
Who was born on Christmas Day,
To save our souls from Satan’s fold
Which long time had gone astray.
_And ’tis tidings of comfort and joy._
From him that is our Father
The Blessed Angel came,
And to the watchful shepherds brought
The tidings of the same;
That there was born in Bethlehem
The Son of God by name.
_And ’tis, &c._
Fear not, then said God’s Angel,
Let nothing you affright,
This day is born a Saviour
Of a Virgin pure and bright;
He is able to advance you
And throw down Satan quite.
_And ’tis, &c._
The shepherds at these tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm, and wind.
And straight they went to Bethlehem
The Son of God to find.
_And ’tis, &c._
But when they came to Bethlehem
Where as our Saviour lay,
They found him in a manger,
Where oxen fed on hay,
Our blessed Lady kneeling by
Unto the Lord did pray.
_And ’tis, &c._
At which with sudden gladness
The shepherds then were filled,
When as the Babe of Israel
Thus when they had beheld.
Before his mother thus to lie
The Scripture thus fulfilled.
_And ’tis, &c._
Now let me all of you entreat
That are within this place,
That each dear loving Xian
The other would embrace.
For the happy time of Xmas
Is drawing on apace.
_With its, &c._
This version is from a broadside in the British Museum; another version
is given in Sandy’s _Christmas Carols_ (1833), of which the last verse
is:
Now to the Lord sing praises
All you within this place;
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace:
This holy tide of Xmas
All others doth deface.
_With its, &c._