Be Merry, Be Merry (A Pryncyple Poynth of Charyte)

DESCRIPTION: "Ne merry, be merry, I pray you everyone." "A principal point of charity, IIt is so merry for to be, In him that is but one, Be merry." "He that is but one in bliss, To us has sent his son." Jesus was born of a maid. Mary, save merry-makers. Give thanks
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: fifteenth century (Cambridge, Trinity College MS. O.3.58)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad MiddleEnglish
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (8 citations):
Greene-TheEarlyEnglishCarols, #17, p. 12, "(A pryncypal poynth of charyte)" (1 text with variants)
Rickert-AncientEnglishChristmasCarols, pp. 203-204, "Be Merry" (1 text)
Brown/Robbins-IndexOfMiddleEnglishVerse, #88
DigitalIndexOfMiddleEnglishVerse, #149
ADDITIONAL: Rossell Hope Robbins, editor, _Early English Christmas Carols_, Columbia University Press, 1961, #9, pp. 30-31, "Be Merry, Be Merry" (1 text, 1 tune)
MANUSCRIPT: {MSCamTrinityO.3.58}, Cambridge, Trinity College MS. O.3.58, folio 1
MANUSCRIPT: Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS. 233, folio 95
MANUSCRIPT: London, British Library, MS. Harley 3300, folio 2
NOTES [119 words]: Of the three manuscripts that contain this, none is of primary importance for scholars of carols, and indeed, only the Trinity College manuscript is of second rank. And it hasn't been popular with Middle English scholars. But it is attested in three manuscripts, which is a fairly high number, and the Harley manuscript is apparently from Exeter while the Trinity manuscript has been suspected of being from East Anglia, which is wide geographic attestation. The versions have several different stanzas, too. And it openly encourages merriment, which makes it sound much more secular than most fifteenth century carols. I'm far from sure it's a folk song, but I'm putting it here to let you decide for yourself. - RBW
Last updated in version 5.3
File: GREE017

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