In the old days people thought of the New Year as the time when the trees and flowers began to come out—that is about May Day—so the May Day Carols celebrate the New Year’s Day of ever so long ago. Gradually, however, carols have centred more and more round events in the life of Christ, and especially round the wonderful story of His Birth. Many of them have just been handed on from one person to another through hundreds of years, some have only been written down at all during the last century. For example, the version given here of the “Black Decree” was sung into my phonograph by an old man of seventy-five. All the carols chosen for this book are those which have been sung through many, many years at times of festival and mirth (note how often food and drink are referred to), so don’t expect them to be pious in the modern way or to be at all like our present-day hymns. The Publishers desire to acknowledge their indebtedness to Miss Lucy E. Broadwood for kindly permitting them to reproduce in this collection the following carols from her _ENGLISH TRADITIONAL SONGS AND CAROLS_: “King Pharaoh,” “The Moon Shines Bright,” “The Sussex Mummers’ Carol,” and “I’ve been Rambling all the Night.” Also to Miss A.G. Gilchrist for the “Pace Egging Song” and “The Seven Joys of Mary,” and to the Rev. S. Baring-Gould and his publishers (Messrs. Methuen & Co., Ltd.) for the “Somersetshire Wassail” from _A GARLAND OF COUNTRY SONG_. CONTENTS PAGE GOOD KING WENCESLAS 12 AS JOSEPH WAS A-WALKING 14 CHRISTMAS DAY IN THE MORNING 15 GOD REST YOU MERRY, GENTLEMEN 16 THE HOLY WELL 18 THE FIRST NOWELL 20 THE CHERRY TREE CAROL 23 DIVES AND LAZARUS 24 THE HOLLY AND THE IVY 25 A VIRGIN MOST PURE 26 THE WASSAIL SONG. PART I. 28 THE WASSAIL SONG. PART II. 29 THE BOAR’S HEAD CAROL 30 ALL THAT ARE TO MIRTH INCLINED 33 KING PHARAOH: PART I. THE MIRACLE OF THE COCK 34 KING PHARAOH: PART II. THE MIRACULOUS HARVEST 37 THE BLACK DECREE 38 SOMERSETSHIRE WASSAIL 40 [Illustration] A CHILD THIS DAY IS BORN 43