| William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Elizabethan Verse. 1907. | | | | Ceremonies for Christmas | | By Robert Herrick (1591–1674) |
| | | COME, bring with a noise, | |
| My merry, merry boys, | |
| The Christmas log to the firing | |
| While my good dame, she | |
| Bids ye all be free | 5 |
| And drink to your heart’s desiring. | |
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| With the last year’s brand | |
| Light the new block, and | |
| For good success in his spending | |
| On your psaltries play, | 10 |
| That sweet luck may | |
| Come while the log is a-teending. 1 | |
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| Drink now the strong beer, | |
| Cut the white loaf here; | |
| The while the meat is a-shredding | 15 |
| For the rare mince-pie, | |
| And the plums stand by | |
| To fill the paste that’s a-kneading. | |
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