_His birth-bed shall be neither_ _In housen nor in hall,_ _Nor in the place of paradise,_ _But in the oxen’s stall._ _He neither shall be rockèd_ _In silver nor in gold,_ _But in the wooden manger_ _That lieth on the mould._ _He neither shall be clothèd_ _In purple nor in pall,_ _But in the fair white linen_ _That usen babies all._” JOSEPH _As Joseph I was walking_ _Thus did the angel sing;_ JOSEPH AND SHEPHERDS _And Mary’s Son at midnight_ _Was born to be our King._ THIRD ACTION (“Somebody Is Coming!”) _STAGE A_ Tree and the FAIRIES have watched and listened eagerly. TREE (To ELF and GNOME) Look, look! The light is coming here. Rouse up the wild beasts, And let us make a welcome for these wanderers. [Sidenote: _Carol 2. Fairy Round_] TREE, ELF, GNOME (Sing in a round) _Wolf, Bear, Lion!_ _Wolf, Bear, Lion!_ _Are you awake?_ _Are you awake?_ _Somebody is coming!_ _Somebody is coming!_ LION (Waking and rubbing his eyes, joins in the round) _Who can it be?_ _Who can it be?_ BEAR (Rolling to his feet with an “Ooff!” imitates LION) _Let’s go and see!_ _Let’s go and see!_ WOLF, BEAR AND LION (Scrambling down the path) Hi-ih! Ooff! Yarrr! TREE Peace, wild folk! Make a welcome for these new comers. LION (Grinning savagely) Welcome, they are! My mouth waters for them. WOLF (To LION) Hi! Let me pass. I’ll pick a bone with you—after the meat’s gone. BEAR You talk loud, but you keep your tail between your legs. WOLF That’s more than _you_ can do—with yours! LION Now for a new kill! FOURTH ACTION (The Light-Child) _APPROACHING-SPACE and STEPS A; Then, STAGE A_ Approaching along the path, JOSEPH and his GROUP pause, confronted by the BEASTS. JOSEPH God save you, Sir Lion! LION Save yourself, Sir Man—if you can. WOLF Look sharp: there’s more there behind. BEAR They carry a trough there. What’s in it? SHEPHERD Keep off!—Aim your blows, fellows: strike! (The SHEPHERDS, with their crooks, drive back the BEASTS. JOSEPH intervenes.) JOSEPH Stay, good Shepherds! Put away your crooks. Fear nothing, Mary. These wild folk crave our leave to behold the Child And do Him homage. LION Man-child!—Yarrr! JOSEPH (Pausing before the Evergreen Tree) Pray you set down the manger. Now, Sir Beasts, And you, Elf Folk, will it please you draw near and look in? (On either side the SHEPHERDS draw back, revealing at centre the MANGER, out from which a wonderful glow shines upward, touching the faces of the SHEPHERDS and hushing the BEASTS with awe.) TREE The light! The light! [Sidenote: _Second Chorus: A,2. Light of the World_]