Page:English folk-carols.djvu/80

 testily replies: "I wonder thou sayest this, when thou seest what a height the palm is … I think more of scarcity of water, which is already failing us in the bottles." … Whereupon "the little child Jesus, sitting with a glad countenance in his mother's lap, saith to the palm, O tree, bend down thy branches, and with thy fruit refresh my mother." The palm accordingly bowed down, and they gathered its fruit; whereat, "Jesus said to it, Raise thee, O palm, and be strong, and be a partner with my trees which are in the paradise of my Father. And open from thy roots a spring of water which is hidden in the earth; and let waters flow forth from it to our satisfying. And immediately it arose, and there began to flow forth at its root a most pure fount of waters, very cool, and exceedingly clear" (see The Apocryphal Gospels, translated by B. Harris Cowper, pp. 59–60).

The Cherry Tree theme, however, is directly founded upon an incident in the Coventry Miracles (Piece xv). Joseph and Mary are on the road to "Bedlem" to be taxed when the following conversation takes place (see Hone's Mysteries, pp. 67–8):—

Joseph then humbles himself, the miracle convincing him that he has offended "god i' trinyte."

Obviously, this is the source of the popular song. The last line of Joseph's last speech is almost word for word the same as the corresponding line of Mrs. Roberts's version.

This carol and The Sinner's Redemption (No. 8), together with many others were sung every Christmas by the Tysoe carol singers.

With the exception of the 3rd stanza the words given in the text are those which Mrs. Phillips and her sister, Mrs. Handy, sang to me. The 3rd stanza,