English Mystery Plays

11. Joseph

LUDUS COVENTRIAE 12

This play – or a version of it – was in the cycle when the Proclamation was written, though the MS shows that it was number eleven originally. Probably the part of the cycle concerned with Mary was re-worked, new material being added. But this play does not bear the marks of others in the group, and it may have been revised at a different time. It is clear that it is an interpolation at number twelve, between two plays which are the work of one writer.

It derives from Matthew 1 18–25, but the subject was much elaborated in the medieval versions of the Gospel. Several sources have been suggested, one of the most important being Bonaventura’s Meditationes Vitae Christi. It is notable that the other cycles all include the incident (York 13, Chester 6, Towneley 10), as does the Coventry Shearmen and Tailors’ Play. The play is striking in the comic and ridiculous view it takes of Joseph’s doubts – there is no justification for this in the Gospel – and the picture of an old cuckold is one that is shared by the other dramatic versions. Joseph radically misunderstands what has happened, and, thinking that Mary has played him false, he turns to the audience for sympathy. His picture of faithless and irritating wives is perhaps an echo of Mrs Noah. The placing of such an earthy episode in the story of Mary was a reminder of the corruption of man.

[Joseph’s house: Mary and Susanna within; Joseph knocks.]

(1)

JOSEPH: How, dame, how! Un-do youre dore, un-do.

Are ye at hom? Why speke ye notht?

2 hom home notht not

SUSANNA: Who is ther? Why cry ye so?

Telle us your herand! Wyl ye ought?

JOSEPH: Un-do your dore, I sey yow to,

For to com in is all my thought.

MARIA: It is my spowse that spekyth us to;

On-do the dore, his wyl were wrought ¹.

[Mary admits him.]

(2)

Well-come hom, myn husbond dere.

10 How have ye ferd in fer countre?

JOSEPH: To gete oure levynge, with-owtyn dwere,

I have sore laboryd for the and me.

MARIA: Husbond, ryght gracyously now come be ye;

It solacyth me sore, sothly to se yow in syth.

JOSEPH: Me merveylyth, wyf, surely, your face I can not se,

But as the sonne with his bemys quan he is most bryth ².

(3)

MARIA: Husbond, it is as it plesyth oure Lord; that grace of hym grew;

Who that evyr be-holdyth me veryly,

They xal be grettly steryed to vertu;

20 For his gyfte and many moo, good Lord, gramercy.

(4)

JOSEPH: How hast thou ferde, jentyl mayde,

Whyl I have be out of londe?

MARIA: Sekyr, sere, beth nowth dysmayde,

Ryth aftyr the wyl of Goddys sonde.

JOSEPH: That semyth evyl, I am afrayd;

Thi wombe to hyghe doth stonde:

I drede me sore I am be-trayd.

Sum other man the had in honde

Hens sythe that I went ³.

30 Thy wombe is gret; it gynnyth to ryse;

4 herand errand 9 dere dear 11 awere fear 14 syth sight 16 quan when 19 steryed stirred 23 Sekyr certainly sere sir 24 sonde message 26 hyghe high

Than hast thou be-gownne a synfull gyse.

Telle me now in what wyse

Thy-self thou ast thus schent.

(5)

Ow, dame, what thinge menyth this?

With childe thou gynnyst ryth gret to gon.

Sey me, Mary, this childys fadyr ho is;

I pray the telle me and that anon.

MARIA: The Fadyr of hevyn and ye, it is –

Other fadyr hath he non.

40 I dede nevyr forfete with man i-wys,

Wher-fore I pray yow amende your mon;

This childe is Goddys and your.

JOSEPH: Goddys childe! Thou lyist, in fay!

God dede nevyr jape so with may,

And I cam nevyr ther, I dare wel say,

Yitt so nyh thi boure;

But yit I sey, Mary, whoos childe is this?

MARIA: Goddys and youre, I sey, i-wys.

(6)

JOSEPH: Ya, ya! all olde men to me take tent ⁴,

50 And weddyth no wyf in no kynnys wyse

That is a yonge wench, be myn a-sent.

For doute and drede and swyche servyse,

Alas, alas! my name is shent.

All men may me now dyspyse

And seyn ‘Olde cokwold, thi bow is bent

Newly now, after the Frensche gyse.’⁵

Alas and welaway!

Alas, dame, why dedyst thou so?

For this synne that thou hast do

60 I the for-sake, and from the go

For onys evyr and ay.

31 be-gownne begun gyse way of life 33 ast hast schent disgraced 36 ho who 40 forfete wrong 41 mon complaint 44 may maid 46 Yitt yet nyh near 49 tent notice 50 kynnys kind (of) 55 cokwold cuckold

(7)

MARIA: Alas, gode spowse, why sey ye thus?

Alas, dere hosbund, a-mende your mod.

It is no man but swete Jhesus.

He wyll be clad in flesch and blood

And of your wyf be born.

sephor ⁶: For sothe the aungel thus seyd he:

That Goddys sone in trynite,

For mannys sake, a man wolde be,

70 To save that is for-lorn.

(8)

JOSEPH: An aungel! Allas! Alas! Fy for schame!

Ye syn now in that ye to say

To puttyn an aungel in so gret blame.

Alas, alas! Let be, do way!

It was sum boy be-gan this game,

That clothyd was clene and gay,

And ye geve hym now an aungel name.

Alas, alas, and wel-away,

That evyr this game be-tydde!

80 A, dame, what thought haddyst thou?

Here may all men this proverbe trow,

That many a man doth bete the bow,

Another man hath the brydde ⁷.

(9)

MARIA: A, gracyous God in hefne trone,

Comforte my spowse in this hard cas.

Mercyful God, a-mend his mone,

As I dede nevyr so gret trespas.

(10)

JOSEPH: Lo, lo, serys! What told I yow?

That it was not for my prow

63 mod mood 70 for-lorn lost 72 to two 79 be-tydde happened 83 brydde bird 89 prow advantage

90 A wyf to take me to,

An that is wel sene now.

For Mary, I make God a vow,

Is grett with childe, lo!

Alas, why is it so?

To the busshop I wole it telle,

That he the law may here do,

With stonys ⁸ here to qwelle.

(11)

Nay, nay, yet God for-bede

That I xuld do that ve[n]geabyl dede

100 But if I wyst wel qwy ⁹.

I knew never with here, so God me spede,

Tokyn of thynge in word nor dede

That towchyd velany.

Nevyr the les, what for thy,

Thow she be meke and mylde,

With-owth mannys company

She myght not be with childe.

(12)

But I ensure myn was it nevyr;

Thow that she hath not don here devyr,

110 Rather than I xuld pleynyn opynly,

Serteynly yitt had I levyr

For-sake the countre for evyr

And nevyr come in here company.

For and men knew this velany,

In repreff thei wolde me holde;

And yett many bettyr than I,

Ya, hath ben made cokolde.

(13)

Now, alas, whedyr xal I gone?

I wot nevyr whedyr nor to what place,

97 qwelle kill 99 vengeabyl full of revenge 100 qwy why 102 Tokyn sign 108 ensure am sure 109 devyr duty 110 pleynyn complain 111 levyr rather

120 For oftyn tyme sorwe comyth sone,

And longe it is or it pace.

No comforte may I have here.

I-wys, wyf, thou dedyst me wronge;

Alas, I taryed from the to longe.

All men have pety on me amonge,

For to my sorwe is no chere.

(14)

MARIA: God, that in my body art sesyd,

Thou knowist myn husbond is dysplesyd

To se me in this plight.

130 For unknowlage he is desesyd,

And therfore help that he were esyd,

That he myght knowe the ful perfyght.

For I have levyr abyde respyt ¹⁰

To kepe thi Sone in privite,

Grauntyd by the holy spyryt,

Than that it xulde be opynd by me.

[God sends the Angel.]

(15)

DEUS: Descende, I sey, myn aungelle,

On to Joseph for to telle –

Such as my wyl is –

140 Byd hym with Mary a-byde and dwelle,

For it is my Sone ful snelle

That she is with i-wys.

ANGELUS: Almyghty God of blys,

I am redy for to wende,

Wedyr as thi wyl is,

To go bothe fer and hynde.

[Appears to Joseph.]

121 or before pace passes 127 sesyd placed 130 unknowlage ignorance desesyd unhappy 132 the thee perfyght perfectly 141 snelle quick, alive 145 Wedyr whither 146 fer far hynde near

(16)

Joseph, Joseph, thou wepyst shyrle;

Fro thi wyff why comyst thou owte?

JOSEPH: Good sere, lete me wepe my fylle;

150 Go forthe thi wey and lett me nowght.

ANGELUS: In thi wepynge thou dost ryght ylle;

Α-gens God thou hast mys-wrought.

Go chere thi wyf with herty wylle,

And chawnge thi chere, amende thi thought;

Sche is a ful clene may.

I telle the God wyl of here be born,

And sche clene mayd as she was be-forn,

To save mankynd that is for-lorn.

Go chere hyre therfore I say.

(17)

160 JOSEPH: A, lord God, benedicite!

Of thi gret comforte I thank the

That thou sent me this space.

I myght wel a wyst, parde,

So good a creature as she

Wold nevyr a done trespace,

For sche is ful of grace.

I know wel I have myswrought.

I walk to my pore place

And aske for-gyfnes; I have mys-thought.

(18)

170 Now is the tyme sen at eye

That the childe is now to veryfye,

Which xal save mankende,

As it was spoke be prophesye.

I thank the God that syttys on hye,

With hert wyl and mende,

147 shyrle shrill 150 lett hinder 156 wyl will 159 hyre her 163 a have wyst known parde by God 170 sen seen at eye at hand 171 veryfye prove to be true