Say the Bells of St Clement's

St Clement Eastcheap claims to be the church of the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons. Like its rival claimant, St Clement Danes, it is near the London wharves where merchantmen landed the exotic citrus fruits from the warmer Mediterranean nations in which they grew:

Oranges and lemons,

Say the bells of St. Clement's.

You owe me five farthings,

Say the bells of St. Martin's.

When will you pay me?

Say the bells at Old Bailey.

When I grow rich,

Say the bells at Shoreditch.

When will that be?

Say the bells of Stepney.

I do not know,

Says the great bell at Bow.

Here comes a candle to light you to bed,

And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!

I remember singing it as a child, and getting giddy as the last line approached. Oranges and lemons would have brought a welcome boost of vitamin C to the early-modern English diet. Lemons and oranges do not seem to be mentioned in scripture, which is surprising considering the Holy Land’s climate, and Jaffa oranges became an important Israeli export in the twentieth century. I dare say they were found in Eden:

And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food”. Genesis 1:29

Their juice is sharp and refreshing, even possessing cleaning properties, but the skin is hard and waxen, and not fit to be eaten. The rich flavours within must be extracted and brought forth; a superficial licking of the exterior will yield no pleasure. And so their Maker: 

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Psalm 34:8