But even the rough soldiers who had come from the palace to follow their master, and had at last succeeded in getting him to return to the stage, were horrified at this cruel command, and one of them spoke indignantly: “My Lord, King Herod by name, Thy words against my will shall be. To see so many young children die is shame, Therefore counsel thereto gettest thou none of me.” Another one agreed with his companion, and warned Herod that to murder little children in such wholesale fashion would be sufficient provocation for a general rising among his subjects. “A rising! Out! Out! Out!” shouted the mad tyrant; and, raging and stamping once more, he commanded both soldiers to be hanged on the gallows unless they immediately carried out his orders. So for very fear the soldiers were obliged to obey, and Herod drove them forth to do the cruel deed, telling them to bring all the little dead children “before his sight,” so that he might be sure his orders had been carried out. But now the attention of the audience was directed towards the other pageant representing the Stable at Bethlehem. Here the beautiful angel who had already appeared to the three kings was seen fluttering down towards the Mother of Jesus and her husband Joseph, and soon his voice was heard: “Mary and Joseph, to you I say, Sweet word from the Father I bring you full right; Out of Bethlehem into Egypt forth go ye the way, And with you take the King, full of might, For dread of Herod’s red [order].” In reply, Joseph turned to Mary: “Arise up, Mary, hastily and soon! Our Lord’s will needs must be done, Like as the angel bade.” And Mary answered: “Meekly, Joseph, mine own spouse, Toward that country let us repair; In Egypt—some tokens of house— God grant us grace safe to come there!” While she spoke, she was tenderly lifting the Baby from His cradle, and the curtains closed upon the Holy Family making preparations for their journey. The play now went on in the street, for presently, threading their way through the crowd, a company of women entered, each bearing in her arms her little baby. And as the mothers walked to-and-fro and rocked their children, they sang this pretty song: “Lulla, lulla, thou little tiny child; By, by, lullay, lullay, thou little tiny child. By, by, lully, lullay. O sisters too! how may we do, For to preserve this day This poor youngling for whom we do sing, By, by, lully, lullay. Herod the king, in his raging, Charged he hath this day His men of might, in his own sight, All young children to slay. That woe is me, poor child, for thee! And ever, morn and day, For thy parting neither say nor sing, By, by, lully, lullay.” The poor distracted mothers, with their faces full of grief, won the pity of the crowd, and many women exclaimed aloud, half believing that the babies were really going to be snatched from them and killed!