Meruele Nozt, Iosep, On Mary Mylde

For Christmas

In Die Natiuitatis

Words and Music: English Traditional, 16^th Century

Source: William Sandys, Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern (London: Richard Beckley, 1833)

Compare: Mervele noõt, Josep, on Mary mylde (Thomas Wright,)
Marvel Not, Joseph, On Mary Mild (Edith Rickert)

This carol requires the installation of the "Junicode" font for best display. You can obtain a copy of this font from Old English at the University of Virginia, or right click here, and then select "Save File As" to save a copy of the zipped file to your computer. See notes in F A Q.

Meruele nozt, iosep, on Mary mylde;
forsake hyr not they she be w^t chylde.

1. I iosep wonder how this may be,
That mary wex gret when y and she
euer haue leuyd in chastite;
If she be w^t chylde, hit ys not by me.
                            Meruell not, Joseph

2. The holy gost w^t mercifull disstens
In here hathe entryd w^t owte offens,
God and man conceyued by hys psens,
An the virgyn pure w^t owte violens.
                            Meruell no, ioseph.

3. What the angell of god to me dothe say,
I ioseph muste and will vmble obay,
Ellys põuely y wolde have stole a way,
But now will y srue her tille y^t y day.
                            Müell not, iosep.

4. Joseph, thou shalt her^e mayde and moder fynde,
here sone redemptor of all man kynde,
Thy fore faders of paynes to unbynde;
There for muse not this mater in thy mynde.
                            Müell not.

Sandys' Note:

This [is] from Addit. MSS. 5665. (formerly in Ritson's possession,) being a collection of church services, hymns, carols and songs in score, made (as it supposed) in the time of Henry VIII [1491-1547, reign 1509-1547].

Editor's Note:

In the version given by Richard Greene, the first and last lines in each verse are repeated, thus:

1. I iosep wonder how this may be,
I iosep wonder how this may be,
That mary wex gret when y and she
euer haue leuyd in chastite;
If she be w^t chylde, hit ys not by me.
                            Meruell not, Joseph
                            Meruell not, Joseph

Greene also cites British Museum, MS Addit. 5665, XVI Century.

See: Richard Greene, ed., A Selection of English Carols (Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1962), #55, pp. 115-116.

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