Anonymous. The York plays
Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library
|
Table of Contents for this work | | All on-line databases | Etext Center Homepage |
Herod
1: Powre bewsheris aboute,
Peyne of lyme and lande,
Stente of youre steuenes stoute
And stille as stone yoe stande,
And my carping recorde.
-167-
YOe aught to dare and doute,
And lere you lowe to lowte
To me youre louely lord.
YOe awe in felde and towne
To bowe at my bidding,
With reuerence and renoune,
As fallis for swilk a kyng,
THe lordlyest on lyue.
Who herto is noght bowne,
Be allmyghty Mahounde,
To dede I schall hym dryue.
So bolde loke no man be
For to aske helpe ne helde
But of Mahounde and me,
THat hase this worlde in welde,
To mayntayne vs emell.
For welle of welthe are we
And my cheffe helpe is he;
Herto what can yoe tell? Consolator 1
25: Lord, what you likis to do
All folke will be full fayne
To take entente therto,
And none grucche theragayne.
THat full wele witte shall yoe,
And yf thai wolde noyot soo
We shulde sone wirke tham woo. Herod
32: YOa, faire sirs, so shulde it bee. Consolator 2
33: Lorde, the soth to saie,
Fulle wele we vndirstande
Mahounde is God werraye,
And yoe ar lorde of ilke a lande.
Therfore, so haue I seell,
I rede we wayte allway
What myrthe most mende yoou may. Herod
40: Sertis, yoe saie right well.
But I am noyed of newe,
THat blithe may I noyot be,
For thre kyngis as yoe knowe
That come thurgh this contré,
And saide thei sought a swayne. Consolator 1
46: THat rewlle I hope tham rewe,
For hadde ther tales ben trewe
They hadde comen this waye agayne.
-168-
Consolator 2
49: We harde how thei yoou hight,
Yf they myght fynde that childe
For to haue tolde yoou right,
But certis thei are begilyd.
Swilke tales ar noght to trowe,
Full wele wotte ilke a wight,
THer schalle neuere man haue myght
Ne maystrie unto yoou. Consolator 1
57: THam schamys so, for certayne,
That they dar mete you no more. Herod
59: Wherfore shulde thei be fayne
To make swilke fare before,
To saie a boy was borne
That schulde be moste of mayne?
This gadlyng schall agayne
Yf that the deuyll had sworne.
For be well neuer thei wotte
Whedir thei wirke wele or wrang,
To frayne garte tham thus-gate
To seke that gedlyng gang,
And swilke carping to kith. Consolator 2
70: Nay lorde, they lered ouere-latte
Youre blisse schal neuere abatte,
And therfore lorde, be blithe. Nuncius
73: Mahounde withouten pere,
My lorde, yoou saue and see. Herod
75: Messenger, come nere,
And bewcher, wele the be.
What tydyngis? Telles thou any? Nuncius
78: YOa lorde. Sen I was here
I haue sought sidis seere,
And sene merueyllis full many. Herod
81: And of meruayles to mene
That wer most myrthe to me. Nuncius
83: Lorde, euen as I haue seene
The soth sone schall yoe see,
Yf yoe wille, here in hye.
I mette tow townes betwene
Thre kyngis with crounes clene,
Rydand full ryally. Herod
89: A, my blys, boy, thou burdis to brode. Nuncius
90: Sir, ther may no botment be.
-169-
Herod
91: Owe, by sonne and mone,
THan tydis vs talis tonyght.
Hopes thou thei will come sone
Hedir, as thei haue hight,
For to telle me tythande? Nuncius
96: Nay lorde, that daunce is done. Herod
97: Why, whedir are thei gone? Nuncius
98: Ilkone into ther owne lande. Herod
99: How sais thou ladde? Late be. Nuncius
100: I saie, for they are past. Herod
101: What, forthe away fro me? Nuncius
102: YOa lord, in faitht ful faste,
For I herde and toke hede
How that thei wente all thre
Into ther awne contré. Herod
106: A, dogges, the deuell yoou spede. Nuncius
107: Sir, more of ther menyng
YOitt well I vndirstode,
How thei hadde made offering
Vnto that frely foode
THat nowe of newe is borne.
THai saie he schulde be kyng
And welde all erthely thyng. Herod
114: Allas, than am I lorne.
Fy on thaym, faytours, fy!
Wille thei begylle me thus? Nuncius
117: Lorde, by ther prophicy
THei named his name Jesus. Herod
119: Fy on the ladde, thou lyes. Consolator 2
120: Hense tyte but thou the hye,
With doulle her schall thou dye,
That wreyes hym on this wise. Nuncius
123: YOe wyte me all with wrang,
Itt is thus and wele warre. Herod
125: Thou lyes, false traytoure strange,
Loke neuere thou negh me nere.
Vppon liffe and lymme
May I that faitour fange,
Full high I schall gar hym hange,
Both the, harlott, and hym. Nuncius
131: I am nott worthy to wyte,
Bot fareswele all the heppe.
-170-
Consolator 1
133: Go, in the deueles dispite,
Or I schall gar the leppe
And dere aby this bro. Herod
136: Als for sorowe and sighte
My woo no wighte may wryte;
What deuell is best to do? Consolator 2
139: Lorde, amende youre chere
And takis no nedles noy,
We schall yoou lely lere
THat ladde for to distroye,
Be counsaille if we cane. Herod
144: THat may yoe noght come nere,
For it is past two yoere
Sen that this bale begane. Consolator 1
147: Lorde, therfore haue no doute,
Yf it were foure or fyve.
Gars gadir in grete rowte
Youre knyghtis kene belyue,
And biddis tham dynge to dede
Alle knave childir kepte in clowte,
In Bedlem and all aboute,
To layte in ilke a stede. Consolator 2
155: Lorde, saue none, for youre seell,
THat are of ij yoere age withinne,
THan schall that fandelyng felle
Belyue his blisse schall blynne,
With bale when he schall blede. Herod
160: Sertis, yoe saie right wele,
And as yoe deme ilke dele
Shall I garre do indede.
Sir knyghtis, curtayse and hende,
THow the nott bees nowe all newe,
YOe schall fynde me youre frende
And yoe this tyme be trewe. Miles 1
167: What saie yoe lorde? Lette see. Herod
168: To Bedlehem bus yoe wende,
That schorwe with schame to schende
THat menes to maistir me.
And abowte Bedlehem bathe
Bus yowe wele spere and spye,
-171-
For ellis it will be wathe
THat he losis this Jury,
And certis that were grete schame. Miles 2
176: My lorde, that wer vs lathe,
And he escapid it wer skathe
And we welle worthy blame. Miles 1
179: Full sone he schall be soughte,
That make I myne avowe. Consolator 1
181: I bide for hym yoow loghte,
And latte me telle yowe howe
To werke when yoe come there:
Bycause yoe kenne hym noght,
To dede they muste be brought,
Knave-childre, lesse and more. Herod
187: YOaa, all withinne two yoere,
That none for speche be spared. Miles 2
189: Lord, howe yoe vs lere
Full wele we take rewarde,
And certis we schall not rest. Miles 1
192: Comes furth felowes in feere,
Loo, fondelyngis fynde we here
193: [... ...] Mulier 1
194: Owte on yoow theves, I crye,
YOe slee my semely sone. Miles 2
196: Ther browls schall dere abye
This bale that is begonne,
THerfore lay fro the faste. Mulier 2
199: Allas for doule, I dye,
To saue my sone schall I,
Aye-whils my liff may last. Miles 1
202: A, dame, the deuyll the spede
And me, but itt be quytte. Mulier 1
204: To dye I haue no drede
I do the wele to witte,
To saue my sone so dere. Miles 1
207: Asarmes, for nowe is nede;
But yf we do yone dede
Ther quenys will quelle vs here. Mulier 2
210: Allas, this lothly striffe,
No blisse may be my bette,
-172-
THe knyght vppon his knyffe
Hath slayne my sone so swette,
And I hadde but hym allone. Mulier 1
215: Allas, I lose my liffe,
Was neuere so wofull a wyffe
Ne halffe so wille of wone;
And certis, me were full lotht
THat thei thus harmeles yoede. Miles 1
220: THe deuell myght spede you bothe,
False wicchis, ar yoe woode? Mulier 2
222: Nay, false lurdayns, yoe lye. Miles 1
223: Yf yoe be woode or wrothe
Ye schall noyot skape fro skathe;
Wende we vs hense in hye. Mulier 1
226: Allas that we wer wroughte
In worlde women to be,
THe barne that wee dere bought
THus in oure sighte to see
Disputuously spill. Mulier 2
231: And certis, ther nott is noght,
The same that thei haue soughte
Schall thei neuere come till. Miles 1
234: Go we to the kyng.
Of all this contek kene
I schall nott lette for nothyng
To saie as we haue sene. Miles 2
238: And certis, no more shall I;
We haue done his bidding
How so they wraste or wryng,
We schall saie sothfastly. Miles 1
242: Mahounde oure god of myght,
Saue the, sir Herowde the kyng. Consolator 1
244: Lorde, take kepe to youre knyght,
He wille telle yoou nowe tyding
Of bordis wher they haue bene. Herod
247: YOaa, and thei haue gone right
And holde that thei vs hight,
THan shall solace be sene. Miles 2
250: Lorde, as yoe demed vs to done
In contrees wher we come-
-173-
Herod
252: Sir, by sonne and mone,
YOe are welcome home
And worthy to haue rewarde.
Haue yoe geten vs this gome? Miles 1
256: Wher we fande felle or fone
Wittenesse we will that ther was none. Miles 2
258: Lorde, they are dede ilkone,
What wolde yoe we ded more? Herod
260: I aske but aftir oone
THe kyngis tolde of before,
THat schulde make grete maistrie;
Telle vs if he be tane. Miles 1
264: Lorde, tokenyng hadde we none
To knawe that brothell by. Miles 2
266: In bale we haue tham brought
Aboute all Bedleham towne. Herod
268: YOe lye, yooure note is nought,
THe deueles of helle yoou droune.
So may that boy be fledde,
For in waste haue yoe wroght.
Or that same ladde be sought
Schalle I neuere byde in bedde. Consolator 1
274: We will wende with you than,
To dynge that dastard doune. Herod
276: Asarme euere-ilke man
That holdis of Mahounde.
Wer they a thousand skore
This bargayne schall thai banne.
Comes aftir as yhe canne,
For we will wende before.
-174-