English Mystery Plays

16. The Adoration

YORK 17: GOLDSMITHS
(ORFEVERS, GOLDBETERS, MONEMAKERS)

The Visit of the Kings appeared very early in the development of the liturgical drama in association with the Feast of the Epiphany. It is based upon Matthew 2 1–12. The York version here has obviously suffered from considerable development. The first incident is the Meeting of the Kings, which performs part of the function of the Prophets’ Play. The liturgical version in England and on the Continent dealt with the second and third incidents, the Visit to Herod and the Presentation of Gifts. It is not difficult to see that these could be presented in spectacular ways. There are records of a moving star even in the liturgical versions, and it is not surprising that the Guild which performed the play at York was the Goldsmiths (at Chester it was given by the Mercers).

[Scene: near Jerusalem. The Three Kings meet.]

(1)

I REX: Lorde, that levis evere-lastande lyff,

I love the evir with harte and hande,

That me has made to se this sight

Whilke my kynrede was coveytande ¹.

Thay saide a sterne, with lemys bright,

Owte of the Eest shulde stabely stande,

And that it shulde meffe mekill myght

Of I that shulde be lorde in lande,

That men of synne shulde saff;

1 levis lives 4 coveytande desiring 5 lemys beams 6 stabely firmly 7 meffe move

10 And certis I sall saye,

God graunte me happe to have

Wissyng of redy waye.

(2)

II REX: All weldand God, that all has wroght,

I worshippe the als is worthye,

That with thy brightnes has me broght

Owte of my reame, riche Arabie.

I shall [noght] seys tille I have sought

What selcouth thyng it sall syngnyfie;

God graunte me happe so that I myght

20 Have grace to gete goode companye;

And my comforte encrese

With thy sterne schynyng schene,

For certis I sall noght cesse

Tille I witte what it mene.

(3)

III REX: Lorde God, that all goode has by-gonne

And all may ende both goode and evyll,

That made for man both mone and sonne

And stedde yone sterne to stande stone stille.

Tille I the cause may clerly knowe,

30 God wisse me with his worthy wille.

I hope I have her felaws fonde,

My yarnyng fayfully to full-fille.

Sirs, God yowe saffe ande see,

And were yow evere fro woo.

I REX: Amen! So myght it bee,

And saffe yow, sir, also.

(4)

III REX: Sirs, with youre wille, I wolde yow praye

To telle me some of youre entent,

12 Wissyng knowing 13 All weldand almighty 18 selcouth miraculous 22 sterne star schene brightly 28 stedde placed 30 wisse guide 32 yarnyng desire 34 were defend

Whedir ye wende forthe in this way,

40 And fro what contre ye are wente?

II REX: Full gladly, sir, I shall you say.

A sodayne sight was till us sente,

A royall sterne that rose or day

Before us on the firmament,

That garte us fare fro home

Som poynte ther-of to presse.

III REX: Sertis, syrs, I sawe the same

That makis us thus to moyfe.

(5)

For, sirs, I have herde saye sertayne

50 Itt shulde be seyne of selcowthe seere,

And ferther ther-of I wolde freyne;

That makis me moffe in this manere.

I REX: Sir, of felashippe are we fayne;

Now sall we wende forth all in feere.

God graunte us or we come agayne

Som gode hartyng ther-of to here.

Sir, here is Jerusalem

To wisse us als we goo,

And be-yonde is Bedleem;

60 Ther schall we seke alsoo.

(6)

III REX: Sirs, ye schall wele undirstande,

For to be wise nowe were it nede;

Sir Herowde is kyng of this lande

And has his lawes her for to leede.

I REX: Sir, sen we neghe thus nerhand,

Un-till his helpe us muste take heede;

For have we his wille and his warande,

Than may we wende with-outen drede.

43 or before 45 garte caused 48 moyfe move, act 50 seyne sign seere many 51 freyne ask 56 hartyng encouragement 65 neghe approach nerhand close

II REX: TO have leve of the lorde,

70 That is resoune and skyll.

III REX: And ther-to we all accorde,

Wende we and witte his will.

[They journey to Herod’s court.]

(7)

NUNCIUS: Mi lorde, ser Herowde, kyng with croune!²

HEROD: Pees, dastard, in the develes dispite!

NUN: Sire, new nott is full nere this towne.

HEROD: What, false losell, liste the flighte?

Go, beds yone boy and dyngis hym downe.

II MILES: Lorde, messengers shulde no man wyte ³;

It may be for youre awne rennowne.

80 HEROD: That wolde I here; do telle on tyte.

NUN: Mi lorde, I mette at morne

iii kyngis carpand to-gedir

Of One that is nowe borne,

And thai hight to come hedir.

(8)

HEROD: Thre kyngis, forsothe!

NUN: Sir, so I saie,

For I saughe them my-self all seere.

I CON: My lorde, appose hym, we yow praye.

HEROD: Say, felowe, ar they ferre or nere?

NUN: Mi lorde, thei will be here this day.

90 That wotte I wele, withouten were.

HEROD: Have done; dresse us in riche array,

And ilke man make tham mery chere,

That no sembland be seene

But frenshippe faire and stille

Tille we wete what thei meene,

Whedir it be gud or ill.

[Enter the Three Kings.]

70 skyll good sense 75 nott affair 80 tyte quickly 86 seere many 90 were doubt

(9)

I REX: A, Lorde, that lenys this lastand light,

Whilke has us ledde oute of oure lande,

Kepe the, sir kyng, and comly knyght,

100 And all thi folke that we here fande.

HEROD: Mahounde, my god and most of myght,

That has myn hele all in his hande,

He saffe you, sirs, semely in sight;

And telle us nowe som new tythande.

II REX: Sum shall we saie you, sir;

A sterne stud us by-forne ⁴,

That makis us speke and spir

Of ane that is nowe borne.

(10)

HEROD: Nowe borne! That birthe halde I badde.

110 And certis, un-witty men ye werre

To lepe overe lande to late a ladde.

Say when lost ye hym? Ought lange be-fore?

All wyse men will wene ye madde,

And therfore moffis it nevere more.

III REX: Yis certis, such hartyng have we hadde,

We schall noght seys or we come thore.

HEROD: This were a wondir thyng!

Say, what barne shulde that be?

I REX: Sir, he shall be kyng

120 Of Jewes and of Jude.

(11)

HEROD: Kyng! In the devyl way, dogges, fy!

Now I se wele ye rothe and rave.

Be ony skymeryng of the skye

When ye shulde knawe owthir kyng or knave?⁵

Nay, I am kyng and non but I,

97 lenys gives 104 tythande tidings 107 spir ask 111 late seek 114 moffis moves 118 barne child 122 rothe boast 123 skymeryng skirmishing

That shall ye kenne yff that ye crave;

And I am juge of all Jury

To speke or spille, to saie or saffe.

Swilke gawdes may gretely greve,

130 To wittenesse that nevere was.

REX: Lorde, we aske noght but leve

Be youre poure to passe.

(12)

HEROD: Whedir, in the devyls name?

To late a ladde here in my lande?

Fals harlottis, but ye hye you hame

Ye shall be bete and boune in bande.

II CON [aside to Herod]: My lorde, to felle this foule deffame,

Lattis all such wondir folle on hande,

And speres thaim sadly of the same;

140 So shall ye stabely undirstande

Ther mynde and ther menyng,

And takis gud tente tham too.

HEROD: I thanke the of this thyng,

And certis so will I doo.

(13)

[To Kings] Nowe, kyngis, to cache all care away,

Sen ye ar comen oute of youre kytht,

Loke noght ye legge agayne oure lay,

Uppon peyne to lose both lyme and litht.

And so that ye the soth will saye,

150 To come and goo I graunte yow grith,

And yf youre poynte be to my pay ⁶,

May falle my-selfe shall wende you with.

I REX: Sir kyng, we all accorde,

And says a barne is borne

That shall be kyng and lorde,

And leche tham that ar lorne.

128 spille destroy 129 gawdes tricks 138 Lattis let folle fall 139 speres ask 145 cache drive 146 kytht own people 147 legge allege lay law 148 litht joint 150 grith peace 156 leche heal

(14)

II REX: Sir, the thar mervayle no-thyng

Of this ilke nott that thus-gate newes ⁷,

For Balaham ⁸ saide a starne shulde spring

160 Of Jacobe kynde, and that is Jewes.

III REX: Sir, Isaie sais a mayden yenge

Shall bere a sone amonge Ebrewes,

That of all contrees shall be kyng,

And governe all that on erthe grewes;

Emanuell shalbe his name,

To saie, ‘God sone of heven’,

And certis this is the same,

That we now to you neven.

(15)

I REX: Sirs, the proved prophete Osee ⁹

170 Full trulye talde, in towne and toure,

That a mayden of Israell, sais he,

Shall bere one like to the lely floure.

He menys a barne consayved shulde be

With-outen seede of man socour,

And his modir a mayden free,

And he both sone and saveour.

II REX: That fadirs has talde beforne

Has noman myght to marre.

HEROD: Allas, than am I lorne;

180 This waxith ay werre and werre.

(16)

I CON: My lorde, be ye no-thyng a-bast;

This brygge shall well to ende be broght.

Bidde tham go furthe and frendly frast

The soth of this that thei have soght,

And telle it you; so shall ye trast

Whedir ther tales be trew or noght.

158 thus-gate in this way 168 neven proclaim 174 socour help 180 werre worse 181 a-bast cast down 182 brygge strife 183 frast try

Than shall we wayte tham with a wrest,

And make all wast that thei have wroght.

HEROD [aside]: Nowe, certis, this was wele saide;

190 This matere makes me fayne.

Sir kyngis, I halde me paide

Of all youre purpose playne.

(17)

Wendis furth, youre forward to fulfill,

To Bedlem; it is but here at hande.

And speris grathe, both goode and ill,

Of hym that shulde be lorde in lande.

And comes agayne than me untill,

And telle me trulye youre tythande;

To worshippe hym that is my will;

200 Thus shall ye stabely undirstande.

II REX: Sertis, syr, we sall you say

Alle the soth of that childe

In alle the hast that we may.

II CON: Fares wele, ye be bygilid!

[Exeunt the Three Kings.]

(18)

HEROD: Nowe certis, this is a sotille trayne;

Nowe shall thei trewly take ther trace,

And telle me of that litill swayne

And ther counsaill in this case.

If it be soth, thei shall be slayne.

210 No golde shall gete tham bettir grace.

Go we nowe, till thei come agayne,

To playe us in som othir place.

This halde I gud counsaill,

Yitt wolde I no man wist;

For sertis, we shall not faill

To loyse tham as us list.

187 wrest trick 193 forward promise 195 speris ask grathe directly 205 trayne device 216 loyse destroy

Nota¹⁰, the Harrod passeth, and the iij kynges comyth agayn to make there offerynges.

(19)

I REX: A, sirs, for sight what shall I say?

Whare is oure syne? I se it not.

II REX: NO more do I; nowe dar I lay

220 In oure wendyng som wrange is wroght.

III REX: Un-to that Prince I rede we praye,

That till us sente his syngne unsoght,

That he wysse us in redy way

So frendly that we fynde hym moght.

I REX: A, siris, I se it stande

A-boven where he is borne.

Lo! here is the house at hande;

We have noght myste this morne.

(20)

ANCILLA ¹¹ [opening door]: Whame seke ye, syrs, be wayes wilde,

230 With talkyng, travelyng to and froo?

Her wonnes a woman with her childe,

And hir husband; her ar no moo.

II REX: We seke a barne that all shall bylde,

His sartayne syngne hath saide us soo;

And his modir, a mayden mylde.

Her hope we to fynde tham twoo.

ANC: Come nere, gud syrs, and see,

Youre way to ende is broght.

III REX: Behalde here, syirs, her and se

240 The same that ye have soght.

(21)

I REX: Loved be that Lorde that lastis aye,

That us has kydde thus curtaysely,

To wende by many a wilsom way,

And come to this clene companye.

222 syngne sign 229 Whame whom 233 bylde protect 242 kydde shown 243 wilsom wild

II REX: Late us make nowe no more delay,

But tyte take furth oure tresurry,

And ordand giftis of gud aray

To worshippe hym als is worthy.

III REX: He is worthy to welde

250 All worshippe, welthe and wynne;

And for honnoure and elde,

Brother, ye shall begynne.

(22)

I REX: Hayle, the fairest of felde folke for to fynde,

Fro the fende and his feeres faithefully us fende;

Hayll, the best that shall be borne to unbynde

All the barnes that are borne and in bale boune;

Hayll, thou marc us thi men and make us in mynde,

Sen thi myght is on molde misseis to amende;

Hayll, clene that is comen of a kynges kynde,

260 And shall be kyng of this kyth, all clergy has kende.

And sith it shall worthe on this wise,

Thy selffe have soght, sone, I say the,

With golde that is grettest of price ¹²;

Be paied of this present, I pray the.

(23)

II REX: Hayll, foode that thy folke fully may fede;

Hayll, floure fairest, that never shall fade;

Hayll, sone that is sente of this same sede,

That shall save us of synne that oure syris had;

Hayll, mylde, for thou mett to marke us to mede,

270 Off a may makeles thi modir thou made,

In that gude thurgh grace of thy godhede,

Als the gleme in the glasse gladly thow glade;

And sythyn yow shall sitte to be demand,

To helle or to heven for to have us,

250 wynne pleasure 251 elde seniority 257 marc mark 258 molde earth misseis evil 260 kyth people 269 mett measured 270 may maid makeles without evil 272 gleme gleam 273 demand judging