f creation.
Thee will I own,
Thee would I follow, alone,
Heir of Thy wondrous salvation.

Faithful Immanuel! let me Thy glories be telling,
Come, O my Saviour, be born, in mine inmost heart dwelling,
In me abide.
Make me with Thee unified,
Where the life-fountain is welling."{36}

[33] A few of the best traditional pieces have been published by Mr. F.
Sidgwick in one of his charming "Watergate Booklets" under the
title of "Popular Carols." The two next quotations are from this
source.

[34] Browning's great poem, "Christmas Eve," is philosophical rather
than devotional, and hardly comes within the scope of this chapter.

[35] The first mention of a season corresponding to Advent is at the
Council of Tours, about 567, when a fast for monks in December is
vaguely indicated. At the Council of Macon (581) it is enjoined
that from Martinmas the second, fourth, and sixth days of the week
should be fasting days; and at the close of the sixth century Rome,
under Gregory the Great, adopted the rule of the four Sundays in
Advent. In the next century it became prevalent in the West. In the
Greek Church, forty days of fasting are observed before Christmas;
this custom appears to have been established in the thirteenth
century. In the Roman Church the practice as to fasting varies: in
the British Isles Wednesday and Friday are observed, but in some
countries no distinction is made between Advent and ordinary weeks
of the year.{2}

[36] Anthony Beck, Bishop of Durham, bequeathed to his cathedral a
Christmas candlestick of silver-gilt, on the base of which was an
image of St. Mary with her Son lying in the crib.

[37] "Joseph, dear nephew mine, help me to rock the Child." "Gladly,
dear aunt, will I help thee to rock thy Child." (Note the curious
words of relationship; Joseph and Mary were both of the seed of
David.)

[38] "Let us rock the Child and bow our hearts before the crib! Let us
delight our spirits and bless the Child: sweet little Jesu! sweet
little Jesu!... Let us greet His little hands and feet, His little
heart of fire, and reverence Him humbly as our Lord and God! Sweet
little Jesu! sweet little Jesu!"

[39] Turning for a moment from Sic