In Numbers, And But These Few Lyrics

1. In numbers, and but these few,
I sing thy birth, oh Jesu!
Thou prettie Babie, borne here,
With sup'rabundant scorn here;
Who for thy princely port here,
Hadst for thy place
Of birth, a base
Out-stable for thy court here.

2. Instead of neat inclosures
Of interwoven osiers;
Instead of fragrant posies
Of daffadills and roses,
Thy cradle, kingly stranger,
As gospell tells
Was nothing els,
But, here, a homely manger.

3. But we with silks, not cruells,
With sundry precious jewells,
And lilly-work will dresse thee;
And as we dispossesse thee
Of clouts, wee'l make a chamber,
Sweet babe, for thee,
Of ivorie,
And plaister'd round with amber.

4. The Jewes, they did disdaine thee;
But we will entertaine thee
With glories to await here
Upon thy princely state here,
And more for love then pittie;
From yeere to yeere
Wee'll make thee, here,
A free-born of our citie.