So we keep the olden greeting, With its meaning deep and true, And wish a Merrie Christmas And a Happy New Year to you.

Oh, yes! 'a Merrie Christmas,' With blithest song and smile, Bright with the thought of Him who dwelt On earth a little while, That we might dwell for ever Where never falls a tear:

So 'a Merrie Christmas' to you, And a Happy, Happy Year!"

We must set a face on't now; there's no flying; no, Sir, we are very merrie, I thanke you.

My grief's of course; when it the course hath had, I shall be merrie and no longer sad.

The stage manager was a friend of mine, and I asked him when he had started an old ladies' home, and he told memind you, this is the strictest confidencethat the divorce courts and the cheap rates from Pittsburg was raising Cain with the crop of merry-merries.

They to the vulgar sort now pipe and sing, And make them merrie with their fooleries; 320 They cherelie chaunt, and rymes at randon fling, The fruitfull spawne of their ranke fantasies; They feede the eares of fooles with flattery, And good men blame, and losels* magnify.

O Flocks, O Faunes, and O ye pleasaunt Springs 145 Of Tempe, where the countrey nymphs are rife, Through whose not costly care each shepheard sings As merrie notes upon his rusticke fife As that Ascraean bard*, whose fame now rings Through the wide world, and leads as ioyfull life; 150 Free from all troubles and from worldly toyle, In which fond men doe all their dayes turmoyle.

Ne. Come neighbour Beech, lets have our mornings draught And wele go drinke it at yong Merries house: They say he hath the best in all this towne, Besides they say he is an honest man,

Heere comes the Duke that doomes them both to die; Next Merries death shall end this Tragedie.

I know it took not beeing at thy birth: thou hast been merrie, thou hast sounded hoopes, swallowed whiffes, walkt late, worn favours, seene whoresons; thou canst feele and understand, come thou hast bene a sinner, unloade, discharge, untune, confesse, is Venus dominatrix?

Oh, they are monstrous, madde, merrie, wenches, and they are monsters.

Tut, tut, ile warrant thee ile be as close as a bawd, ile keepe mine owne counsell, be merrie and close; merrie hart lives long, let my guests take no wrong, & welcome, my bullie.

Tut, tut, ile warrant thee ile be as close as a bawd, ile keepe mine owne counsell, be merrie and close; merrie hart lives long, let my guests take no wrong, & welcome, my bullie.

Host, I have thee, brave spirit, tha'rt of the true seede of Troy, lets be merrie and wise, merrie hearts live long; mine Host, my brave Host, with his neighbor Cornutus shall bee two of the Maskers, and the Morrice shall be daunc'd.

Host, I have thee, brave spirit, tha'rt of the true seede of Troy, lets be merrie and wise, merrie hearts live long; mine Host, my brave Host, with his neighbor Cornutus shall bee two of the Maskers, and the Morrice shall be daunc'd.

Thou shall goe, saies mine Host, merrie hearts live long; welcome, bullie!

A mad merrie grig; all good spirits; wilt thou doe it, Bos? Bos.

for one merrie day wele find a whole moone at midsommer.

"How's merrie England?" "Oh, England's all right, Sir," said the Babe, tickling The O'Murphy's upturned tummy"quite all right; but it's jolly to be home again among one's ain folk.

" He lifted up that noble lord, Wi' the saut tear in his e'e; He hid him in the bracken bush That his merrie men might not see.

AgoThe Wolds in AutumnBy the StreamWildfowlMigration of BirdsLapwingsWinter VisitantsThunderstormsGlow-WormsA Brilliant MeteorNight on the HillsThe "Blowing-Stone"Christmas Day on the CotswoldsA Solar HaloHamlet FestivitiesTom Peregrine BaffledThe Mummers PlayThe Victorian EraThe True Days of "Merrie England"Carpe Diem.

One farmhouse I noted carefully, and I longed to tear away the ivy from the old and crumbling porch, to see if I could not discern some half-effaced inscription telling me the date of this relic of the days of "Merrie England.

The whole country reminds one of the days of Merrie England, so quaint and rural are the scenes.

A lively volume with many shreds of wit and humour, and occasional patches of "righte merrie conceite," has just fallen into our hands, and has afforded us some very pleasant reading.