When Cryst Was Born of Mary Fre

For Christmas Eve, For Christmas

Sandys' Title is:

XPO [CHRISTO] PAREMUS CANTICAM
EXCELSIS GLĨA [GLORIA]

Words: Middle English carol from the Harleian Manuscript, Fifteenth Century

There are numerous variations of this carol.
See Notes under When Christ Was Born of Mary Free (Bramley and Stainer, with sheet music)

Source: William Sandys, Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern (London: Richard Beckley, 1833), pp. 2-3.

This carol requires the installation of the "Junicode" fond 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.

1. When Cryst was born of Mary fre
In bedlem, ī þ^t fayre cyte,
Angellis songen w^t mirth and gle,
                            in excelsis gƚia.

2. herdmë beheld þ^s angellis bryzt
To hem apperyd w^t gret lyzt,
and seyd goddis sone is born þ^s nyzt,
                            in excelsis gƚia.

3. þ^s kyng ys comyn to save kynde
... in scriptur as we fynde,
... fore þ^s song haue we ī mynde,
                            in excelsis gƚia.

4. ... lord for þy gret grace,
... is in blys to see þy face,
Where we may syng to þe solas,
                            in excelsis gƚia.

Sandys' Note:

From the same MS (Harl. MS 5396. (temp. Hen. VI.). The commencement of some of the lines is not legible.

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