Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.
Anonymous. 16th Cent.60. Preparations Christ Church MS.
YET if His Majesty, our sovereign lord, | |
Should of his own accord | |
Friendly himself invite, | |
And say ‘I’ll be your guest to-morrow night,’ | |
How should we stir ourselves, call and command | 5 |
All hands to work! ‘Let no man idle stand! | |
‘Set me fine Spanish tables in the hall; | |
See they be fitted all; | |
Let there be room to eat | |
And order taken that there want no meat. | 10 |
See every sconce and candlestick made bright, | |
That without tapers they may give a light. | |
‘Look to the presence: are the carpets spread, | |
The dazie o’er the head, | |
The cushions in the chairs, | 15 |
And all the candles lighted on the stairs? | |
Perfume the chambers, and in any case | |
Let each man give attendance in his place!’ | |
Thus, if a king were coming, would we do; | |
And ’twere good reason too; | 20 |
For ’tis a duteous thing | |
To show all honour to an earthly king, | |
And after all our travail and our cost, | |
So he be pleased, to think no labour lost. | |
But at the coming of the King of Heaven | 25 |
All ‘s set at six and seven; | |
We wallow in our sin, | |
Christ cannot find a chamber in the inn. | |
We entertain Him always like a stranger, | |
And, as at first, still lodge Him in the manger. | 30 |