^a see Matthew 1:23, where the evangelist writes: ‘Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us’, and this in turn refers back to Isaiah 7:14 ‘ Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.’

^b see the Te Deum: ‘Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem, non horruísti Vírginis uterum’, or in the well-known Book of Common Prayer version: ‘When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man : thou didst not abhor the Virgin’s womb.’ The next line refers specifically to Mary’s breasts. The identification of hills with breasts is very deep-rooted, of course.