CHESTER 11: BLACKSMITHS
This play has a complicated history. The Purification, based on the Stanzaic Life of Christ, was in the cycle before 1467, performed by the Smiths. Shortly after this, during a series of revisions by which the Tanners were given a new play, the episode of the Doctors was added to the Smiths’ pageant. This second part derives ultimately from York 20 and probably came by way of Towneley 18 and the Coventry Weavers’ Pageant. It was in its present position by 1488. The two stories are close together in the Gospel; (Luke 2 22–38, and 41–51).
Both parts deal with the young Christ, but whilst he is an infant at the Purification, he is twelve years old when he disputes with the Doctors. The chief aspects of the Purification are that Mary, already pure, does not need to submit to the ritual, but willingly does so (as with Christ at the Baptism), and that Simon receives his Lord after long expectation. In the Doctors episode Christ merely recounts the Ten Commandments. Thus the two parts do not fit at all well. It may be that the reason for putting them together was a purely technical one: both plays needed a temple, and it may have been convenient to use the same cart (cf. F. M. Salter, Mediaeval Drama in Chester, p. 67). In general the writing is clumsy and in some places the writer has obscured the better sense of the York version.
Salter (op. cit., p. 76) prints the accounts for the 1554 performance, containing a payment of twelve pence for ‘gelldinge Gods face’, and payments for the actors (three shillings and fourpence for Simeon, and twelve pence for ‘letall God’). He also shows (pp. 49–50) that the play was performed as a separate item for Prince Arthur in 1499.
(1)
SIMEON: Mightie God, have mynd on me,
That most are in maiesty,
For many a wynter have I be
Preist in Ierusalem.
Followeth age, full well I see,
And now that fitt may I not flee
(2)
When I am dead and layd in clay,
That Abraham went, the sooth to say,
And in his bosome be;
But heaven-blisse after my day –
Till Gods Sonne come, sooth to say,
To ransome his folke in better aray
To blisse come never we1.
(3)
That Christ shall come well I wott,
But day ner tyme [may] no man wott;
Therfore my books looke I mott
20 My hart to glade and light.
What Esay2 sayeth I will see,
For well I wott how it shall be;
Or I dyed well were me
Of hym to have a sight.
5 incommodytye trouble 7 fitt hardship 8 swem ?in grief 10 Wend go mott must 17 wott know 18 ner nor
Tunc librum respiciens legat prophetiam: ‘Ecce virgo conncipiet et pariet filium.’3
A, Lord, much is thy power;
A wonder I fynd written here:
It sayeth a mayden cleane and cleer
Shall conceave and beare
A Sonne called Emanuell.
30 But of this leeve I never a deale;
It is wrong written, as have I heale,
Or ells wonder were.
(5)
To wryte ‘A virgin’ here upon,
That shall conceave without helpe of man;
This writing marveyls me.
I will scrape this away anone,
Theras ‘A virgin’ is written on
I will wryte ‘A good woman’,
40 For so it should be.
Tunc librum fricabit quasi deleret hoc verbum ‘Virgo’; et postea ponet librum super altare, et veniet Angelus et libro accepto faciet signum scribendi; et libro clauso recedet et dicat Anna vidua4
(6)
[ANNA: Semion, father, south I see
That Christe shall come our boote to be
From the Father in magistie
And when he cometh, leve thou me,
He will have mercye and pittie
On his folke to make them free,
And save them of their synne.
27 cleer pure 30 deale scrap 31 heale good fortune 33 fone fool 42 boote remedy 44 myne remember
SIMEON: The tyme of his cominge knowe I nought,
50 Yet manye bokes have I soughte.
But wounderlye he that this wryttinge wroughte
And marvaile thinketh me5.
............................................................
My boke to loke yf I fynde oughte
What manner mankinde shalbe boughte
And what tyme it shalbe.
Tunc accipiet librum et admirando dicat6
(8)
O, Lorde, howe maie this be to-daie?
That I wrote laste, I fynde awaie,
And of redde letters in stowte araye,
‘A virgine’ wrytten theron.
60 May fay! After I will assaie
Wheither this mirackle be vereye,
And scrape this worde, written so gaye,
And wrytte ‘a good woman’.
Tunc iterum fabricat ut antea et dicat7
(9)
Dame Anne, thou maie see well heare
This is amended in good manere,
For a wounder thinge it were
To fall by anye waie.
Therfore, as it was a-misse,
I have written that souther is:
70 That ‘a good woman’ shall, I wisse,
Tunc ponit librum super altare, et faciet Angellus ut antea8.
51 wounderlye miraculously 52 marvaile marvel 58 redde red stowte firm 69 souther more true 71 maye maid
ANNA: Sir, marvile you no thinge theiron,
For God will take kinde in man9;
Through his godheade ordayne he can
A mayde a childe to beare.
For to that highe comlye kinge
Impossible is no thinge;
Therfore I leeve it no leasinge
But south all that is heare.
(11)
80 SIMEON accipiet librum: By my faie! Yet will I see
Whether my lettres chaunged be.
Honoured be thou aye!
For goulden letters, by my lewty,
Are wrytten through Godes postie
Since I layde my boke from me
And my wryttinge awaie.
(12)
Ther as ‘a good woman’ written was,
Righte now here before my face;
90 Yet storred I not out of this place,
And my lettre chaunged ys.
This muste be needes by Godes grace,
For an angell this wrytten hase.
Nowe leeve I a mayden, in this case,
Shall beare a baron of bliss10.
(13)
Nowe seith, Lorde, that it is so,
That thou wilte be borne with blisse
Of a mayden that never did amisse,
On me, Lorde, thou have mynde!
73 kinde nature 76 comlye beautiful 78 leasinge lie 82 Hie high 85 postie power 90 storred stirred 96 seith since
100 Let me never death taste, Lorde, full of grace,
Tell I have seene that Childes face,
That prophescied is here in this place,
(14)
ANGELLUS: Semeon, I tell thee sickerlye
Comen to warne thee witterlye:
Death shalte thou never see,
Tell thou have seen Christe vereye,
That borne is of a mayden, Marye,
110 And comen mankinde to forbye,
From God in magistie.
(15)
SIMEON: A, Lorde, I thanke thee of thy grace
That thy ghoste sente to me haste;
Nowe hope I sickerlie in this place
Thy Sonne for to see,
That of a virgine muste be borne
To save mankinde that was forlorne,
As Esayes boke toulde me beforne.
Lorde, blessed muste thou be!
Tunc Simeon sedebit expectans consolationem de alio loco procull a templo, et dicat Maria11
(16)
120 MARIA: Iosephe, my trewe owine fere,
Nowe rede I, if your will were,
Seith fourtie daies are gone intier,
The temple that we goe to,
And Moyses lawe for to fulfill
My sonne to offer Semion till;
I wote well that it is Godes will
That we now so doe.
103 kever recover 105 ghoste spirit 110 forbye redeem 120 owine own fere mate 122 intier fully
IOSEPHE: Yea, Marye, though it be no nede
Seith thou arte cleane in thoughte and deed,
130 Yet it is good to do as God bade,
And worcke after his lawe,
And to the temple that we goe;
And take we with us dove-byrdes towe,
And to fulfill Godes lawe.
(18)
MARIA: Rightewise, Semeon, God thee see!
Here am I comen nowe to thee
Purified for to be,
With milde harte and meke.
140 Receive my sonne nowe to me,
And to my offeringe birdes three12,
As falles, sire, for your degree,
(19)
IOSEPHE: A signe I offer here also
Of virgine waxe, as other moe,
In tockeninge shee hass lived oo
In full devocion.
And, sir Semion, leve well this,
As cleane as this waxe nowe is,
150 As cleane is my wife, I-wisse,
From all corruption.
Tunc Simeon accipiett puerum in ulnas13.
(20)
SEMEON: Welckome, my Christe, my Savyour!
Welkome, mankindes conqueroure!
Welkome, of all frute the flower!
Welkome with all my hart!
134 turtell turtle-dove 143 eke also 145 waxe wax 146 oo always
To thee worshipe, ioye, and honoure!
For nowe I see my Savyour
Is comen to leech my langoure,
(21)
160 Though I beare thee nowe, sweete wighte,
Thou ruleste me as it is righte,
For through thee I have mayne and mighte
More then through waie of kinde.
Therfore a songe as I have tighte,
And laudes to thee with harte righte,
I will shewe here in thy sighte.
On me, Lorde, thou have mynde!
Tunc cantabit ‘Nunc dimitis servum tuum, Domine, in pace’14.
(22)
Nowe, Lorde, let thy servante be
After thy worde in peace and lee;
170 For with my eyes nowe I see
Thou arte mankindes heale.
For thou haste ordeyned ther thy postie
To people which thou haste pittie15;
Light is comen nowe through thee
And ioye to Isarell.
(23)
And Marye, mother, to thee I saie,
Thy Sonne that I have seene to-daie
Is comen, I tell thee, in good faye,
180 And to releave in good araye
Manye a man as he well maie,
That shall leeve hym upon.
158 leech cure 159 blesse bliss 160 wighte man, person 164 tighte devised 169 lee shelter 179 fallinge destruction 182 or before
Manye signes he shall shewe
In which untrewe shall not trowe;
And suffer thou shalte manye a harde thrawe,
For sword of sorowe it shall goe
Through thy harte – that men shall knowe
Thoughtes in harte on a rowe
190 Of men that shall contrarye you
And founde to worke thee woo16.
(25)
ANNA VIDUA: And I acknowledge to thee, Lorde, heare,
To leeve on thee through my power,
That fower skore and fower yeaire
Haste sente me mighte and grace,
To leve in pennance and prayer;
Nowe wote I well, withouten were,
That thou arte Christe in godheade cleare,
In thee whollye thou it haste.
(26)
200 And openlye here south I saye
To all thy people that I see maie,
The which hath wayled manye a daie
After thee our savyoure,
That thou arte comen, Christe vereye;
This wotte I well by manye a waie;
Therfore I honoure thee for aye,
My Christe, my creator.
(27)
MARIA17: Iosephe, husbande leffe and deare,
Our childe is gone upon his way.
185 untrewe (n) the faithless trowe (v) believe 186 thrawe throe 190 contrarye oppose 191 founde try 193 leeve believe 197 were doubt 208 leffe beloved
210 My harte were lighte and he were here –
Let us goe seeke hym, I thee praie.]
For suddaynly he went away
And left us both in Ierusalem,
Greatly in lyking many a day18,
That will be lord over all the realme.
(28)
IOSEPH: Mary, of mirth we may us meane,
And trewly tell betwene us twooe
Of fearly sightes that we have sene,
220 [MARIA:] Deare Iosephe, you will not wene
Sith our childe has bene us with,
He kept us both from grone and grith;
(29)
In all the might ever we may
For dread of wicked company,
Lest anie us mete upon the way,
Homeward therfore I red we hye19.
(30)
[Christ speaks to the Doctors in the Temple.]
I DOCTOR: Heare our reason right on a row,
You clarkes that be of great coning;
230 Me [thinke] this child will learne our law,
He taketh great tent to our talking.
(31)
DEUS: You clarkes that be of great degree,
Unto my talke you take good heede!
My father that sitteth in maiesty,
He knowes your workes in thought and deede.
My Father and I together be
219 froe from 222 hye go 223 grone suffering grith ?grief 229 clarkes learned men coning (n) learning 231 tent notice
In one godhead withoutten dreed;
We bene both one in certayntie,
All these workes to rule and reade.
(32)
240 I DOCTOR: Harkes this childe in his bourding!
He wenes he kennes more then he knowes20;
Certes, sonne, thou art over-yong
By clergie cleane to know our lawes.
(33)
Therfore, if thou wold never so fayne,
Further in age till thou have draw,
Yet art thou never of might nor mayne
To knowe it, as a clarke may know.
II DOCTOR: And thou will speake of Moses law,
Take good heede and thou may see,
250 In case be that thou can know,
Here in this booke they written be.
(34)
DEUS: The kingdome of heaven is in me light,
And hath me anoynted as a leach,
And geven me playne power and might
The kingdome of heaven to tell and teach.
(35)
II DOCTOR: Behold how he has [learned] our lawes,
And he learned never on booke to read;
Me thinke he saith suttle sawes
And very truth, if you take heede.
260 III DOCTOR: Let hym wend furth on his wayes,
For and he dwell, without dread,
The people will fall sone hym praise
Well more then we for all our deede.
239 reade understand 240 bourding jesting 243 clergie learning 245 draw gone 253 leach healer 258 sawes sayings
I DOCTOR: This is nothing to my intent;
Such speach to spend I red we spare.
As wyde in world as I have went,
Yet found I never so ferly a fare.
II DOCTOR: By matters that this childe hath ment
To knowe our lawes, both less and more,
270 Out of heaven I hope hym sent
Into the earth to salve our sore.
(37)
DEUS: You that be masters of Moises lawe,
And worthy doctors of great degree,
One comaundment to me you show
That God on earth bad kept shold be21,
I DOCTOR: I read this is the first bidding,
And is the most in Moses lawe,
To love our God above all thinges
With all our might and all our sawe.
(38)
280 DEUS: That for to doe looke ye be bayne
With all your hart in good intent.
Take you not his name in vayne;
This is my Fathers comaundment.
(39)
Also you honour your holy daye;
No workes save almes-deedes ye doe.
These three, the certayne sooth to say,
The first table belongen to.
Also father and mother worship aye;
Take no mans goodes without the right;
290 All false witnesse you put away,
And slay no man by day nor night.
267 ferly marvellous fare display 268 hath ment has in mind 285 almes-deedes good deeds, charities
Envye doe by no woman,
To doe her shame by night or day.
Other mens wyves desire you not;
All such desires you put away.
Looke you ne steale by night nor day,
Whersoever that you be lent.
These wordes understand you may;
They are my Fathers commaundment.
(41)
300 III DOCTOR: Sir, this childe of mickle price,
Which is yonge and tender of age,
I hould hym sent from the highe justice
To wyn againe our heritage.
(42)
MARIA: Now blessed be he us hither brought,
In land there lyves none so light!
Se where he sitteth we have sought,
Amonge yonder masters, mickle of might!
(43)
Wend furth, Ioseph, upon your way
And fetch our sonne, and let us fare,
310 That sitteth with yonder Doctors gay;
For we have had of hym great care.
(44)
IOSEPH: Mary, wife, thou wottes right well
That I must all my travayle teene22;
With men of might I can not mell
That sittes so gay in furres fyne.
(45)
MARIA: My worthy Sonne, to me so deare,
We have you sought full wonder-wyde.
I am right glad that you be here,
That we have found you in this tyde.
320 DEUS: Mother, full oft I tould you till:
My Fathers workes for wayle or woe
Hether was I sent for to fulfill;
That must I needes doe, or I goe.
(47)
MARIA: Thy sawes, Sonne, as have I heale,
Can I nothing understand;
I shall think on them full well,
And found to do that they commaund.
(48)
ANGELUS: Now have you hard all in this place
That Christ is comen through his grace,
330 As holy Esaie prophesied hase,
And Symeon hath hym seene.
Leve you well this, lordes of might,
And kepe you all his lawes of right23,
That you may in his blisse so bright
Evermore with hym to beene.
Finis paginae undecimae.
320 you till to you 321 wayle good 322 Hether hither 327 found try
