 This scene represents the plains near the city and opens with the shepherds guarding their flocks, as the youthful David did a thousand years before. Suddenly the angel appears by their sides. Alarmed, they stand silent. The angel bids them dismiss their fears, telling them that the Messiah is born, and of the sign by which they shall recognize him. Suddenly a throng of celestial beings is grouped near by. Slowly the group withdraws and the Shepherds, guided by a star in the East, start for Bethlehem as the scene closes.