I sing the birth was born tonight

I sing the birth was born tonight. Ben Jonson* (?1573-1637). Published in Underwoods, a collection of his  writings added to his Workes and published in 1640 after his death. It was entitled ‘A Hymne, On the Nativitie of my Saviour’.  The first appearance in a modern book was in the Oxford Hymn Book (1908). It shows Jonson’s cleverness, especially in stanza 3 (of 4): I sing the birth, was borne to night,The Author both of Life, and light;  The Angels so did sound it,And like the ravish’d Sheep’erds said,Who saw the light, and were afraid,  Yet search’d, and true they found it. The Sonne of God, th’Eternall King,That did us all salvation bring, And freed the soule from danger;He whom the...