I have twelve oxen, and they be fair and white,
And they go a grazing down by the dyke,
With haye, with howe, with hoye!
Sawest thou not mine oxen, thou little pretty boy?

I have twelve oxen, and they be fair and black,
And they go a grazing down by the lake,
With haye, with howe, with hoye!
Sawest thou not mine oxen, thou little pretty boy?

I have twelve oxen, and they be fair and red,
And they go a grazing down by the mead,
With haye, with howe, with hoye!
Sawest thou not mine oxen, thou pretty little boy?

--

Make we merry in hall and bower
This time was born our Saviour.

In this time God hath sent
His own Son to be present,
To dwell with us in verament,
God is our Saviour.

In this time that is befal,
A child was born in an ox stall,
And after he died for us all,
God is our Saviour.

In this time an Angel bright
Met three shepherds upon a night,
He bade them go anon of right
To God that is our Saviour.

In this time now pray we
To Him that died for us on tree,
On us all to have pitee,
God is our Saviour.

--

And how exquisitely graceful too is this:--

There is a flower sprung of a tree,
The root of it is called Jesse,
A flower of price,--
There is none such in Paradise.

Of Lily white and Rose of Ryse,
Of Primrose and of Flower-de-Lyse,
Of all flowers in my devyce,
The flower of Jesse beareth the prize,
For most of all
To help our souls both great and small.

I praise the flower of good Jesse,
Of all the flowers that ever shall be,
Uphold the flower of good Jesse,
And worship it for aye beautee;
For best of all
That ever was or ever be shall.

Mr. Hilles was a good Catholic. Amidst a multitude
of religious poems of a Catholic kind, there is not one
which could be construed as implying a leaning towards
the Reformers; while under a certain legend of St.
Gregory some indignant Protestant of the next generation
has written a passionate anathema calling it lies of
the devil and other similar hard names. A private diary
of such a person therefore, of the years in which England
was separated from the Papacy, is of especial interest:--

"1533. Stephen Peacock, haberdasher, mayor.
"This year, the 29th day of May, the Mayor of
London, with the aldermen in scarlet gowns, went in
barges to Greenwich, with their banners, as they were
wont to bring the Mayor to Westminister; and the
bachelor's barge hanged with cloth of gold on the
outside with banners and bells upon them in the