YORK 47: OSTELERES
The story of the death of Mary and her reception in heaven is not Scriptural, but the cult of the Virgin in late medieval times led to considerable elaboration. The source for this play is the Transitus Mariae. The York writers extended this into four plays: the Death, the Burial (lost, but known as the play of Fergus), the Appearance to Thomas, and the Assumption and Coronation. Perhaps the subject matter was of such interest that the play was detached for separate performance. The text in the manuscript is written in a different hand from the rest, and there is another fragment at the end of the manuscript in yet another (later) hand. In 1483 four Innholders agreed to perform a separate version. At Chester the corresponding play was performed by the ‘wives’, though the text is now lost. The Towneley version may well have been torn out of the manuscript as an act of Reformation zeal in the sixteenth century when sentiment turned against the Virgin. Later references at York indicate that the play was given until 1542, but that by 1548 it was specifically prohibited. It was revived under Queen Mary in 1554, but the prohibition was re-imposed when the cycle was performed in 1561.
The York play is written for a pageant cart, and carefully avoids the difficulties of ascension. It is notable for its gentle and restrained tone; more of a poem than a play.
[Scene 1: Heaven.]
JESUS: Myne aungellis that are bright and schene,
On my message take ye the waye
Unto Marie, my modir clene,
1 schene shining
That berde is brighter than the daye.
An to that semely schall ye saye,
Off hevene I have hir chosen quene
In joie and blisse that laste schall aye.
I wille you saie what I have thoughte
10 And why that ye schall tille hir wende,
I will hir body to me be brought
To beilde in blisse with-outen ende.
Mi flesshe of hir in erthe was tone;
Unkindely thing it were, i-wis,
That scho schulde bide be hire allone1,
And I beilde here so high in blis.
For-thy tille hir than schall ye fare,
Full frendlye for to fecche hir hedir;
There is no thyng that I love more
20 In blisse thanne schall we belde to-gedir.
I ANGELUS: O, blissfull Lorde, nowe moste of myght,
We are redye with all oure myght
Thy bidding to fulfille
To thi modir, that maiden free,
Chosen cheffe of chastite,
As it is thy wille.
II ANGELUS: Off this message we are ful fayne,
We are redy with myght and mayne,
Bothe be day and be nyght;
30 Hevene and erthe nowe gladde may be,
That frely foode nowe for to see,
In whome that thou did light,
III ANGELUS: Lorde Jesu Criste, oure governoure,
We are all boune att thi bidding;
With joie and blisse and grete honnoure
We schall thi modir to the bringe.
4 berde lady 5 be-dene at once 6 semely beautiful (woman) 12 beilde live 13 tone taken 24 free noble 31 frely noble foode person, woman
IV ANGELUS: Hayle, the doughtir of blissid Anne,
The whiche consayved thurgh the Holy Goste
And thou brought forthe both God and manne,
40 The whiche felled doune the fendis boste.
V ANGELUS: Haile, roote of risse that fourthe brought
That blissid floure oure saveoure,
The whiche that made mankynde of noght
And brought hym uppe in to his toure.
VI ANGELUS: Of the alione he wolde be borne
In-to this worlde of wrecchidnesse,
To save mankynde that was for-lorne
And bringe tham oute of grete distresse.
I ANGELUS: Thou may be gladde, bothe day and nyght
50 To se thy sone, oure saveoure;
He will the croune nowe, lady bright,
Thou blissid modir and faire floure.
II ANGELUS: Marie, modir and mayden clene,
Chosen cheffe un-to thi childe,
Of hevene and erthe thou arte quene;
Come uppe now, lady, meke and mylde.
III ANGELUS: Thi sone has sente us aftir the
To bringe the nowe unto his blisse.
Ther schall thou belde and blithe be;
60 Of joie and mirthe schall thou noght misse.
IV ANGELUS: For in his blisse with-outen ende,
There schall thou alkynne solas see,
Thi liffe in likyng for to lende
With thi dere sone in Trinite.
MARIA: A, blissid be God, Fadir all weldand;
Hym selffe wottith best what is to doo.
I thanke hym with harte and hande
That thus his blisse wolde take me too:
And you also, his aungellis bright
70 That fro my sone to me is sente.
41 risse branch 59 belde live 62 alkynne all kinds of
For to fulfille his comaundement.
V ANGELUS: Go we nowe, thou worthi wight,
Unto thi sone that is so gente.
We schall the bringe in-to his sight;
To croune the quene thus hase he mente.
VI AGELUS: Alle hevene and erthe schall worschippe the
And baynnely be at thi biddinge;
Thy joie schall evere incressid be;
80 Of solas sere than schall thou synge.
Cantando2.
[Scene 3: Heaven.]
I ANGELUS: Jesu, lorde and hevene-is kyng,
Here is thi modir thou aftir sente;
We have her brought at thi biddynge.
Take hir to the as thou haste mente.
MARIA: Jesu, my sone, loved motte thou be;
I thanke the hartely in my thought,
That this wise ordandis for me,
And to this blisse thou haste me broght
JESUS: Haile be thou, Marie, maiden bright!
90 Thou arte my modir, and I thy sone;
With grace and goodnesse arte thou dight;
With me in blisse ay schall thou wonne.
Nowe schall thou have that I the hight;
Thy tyme is paste of all thi care;
Wirschippe schall the aungellis bright;
Of newe schall thou witte nevere more3.
MARIA: Jesu, my sone, loved motte thou be;
I thanke the hartely in my thoght,
That on this wise ordandis for me,
100 And to this blisse thou has me broght.
JESUS: Come forth with me, my modir bright,
In-to my blisse we schall assende,
To wonne in welthe, thou worthi wight,
81 hevene-is heaven’s 87 ordandis arrangest
That nevere more schall it have ende.
Thi newis, modir, to neven thame nowe,
Are turned to joie, and soth it is,
All aungellis bright thei schall the bowe,
And worschippe the worthely i-wis.
For mekill joie, modir, had thou,
110 Whan Gabriell grette the wele be this,
And tolde the tristely for to trowe
Thou schulde consayve the kyng of blisse.
I ANGELUS: Nowe maiden meke and modir myne4,
Itt was full mekill myrthe to the
That I schulde ligge in wombe of thine,
Thurgh gretyng of an aungell free.
II ANGELUS: The secounde joie, modir, was syne
With-outen payne whan thou bare me.
III ANGELUS: The thirde aftir my bittir peyne
120 Fro dede on lyve thou sawe me be.
IV ANGELUS: The fourthe was when I stied uppe right,
To hevene unto my fadir dere;
My modir, when thou saugh that sight,
To the it was a solas seere.
V ANGELUS: This is the fifte, thou worthy wight:
Of the jois this has no pere;
Nowe schall thou belde in blisse so bright,
For ever and ay, I highte the here.
VI ANGELUS: For thou arte cheffe of chastite,
130 Off all women thou beris the floure,
Nowe schalle thou, lady, belde with me,
In blisse that schall evere in-dowre.
I ANGELUS: Full high on highte in mageste,
With all worshippe and all honnoures,
Wher we schall evere samen be,
II ANGELUS: Alle kynnys swetnesse is ther-in
That manne uppon may thynke, or wiffe;
105 newis sorrows 111 tristely steadfastly 115 ligge lie 121 stied rose 135 samen together 136 Beldand dwelling bigly great, immense
With joie and blisse that nevere schall blynne,
140 Ther schall thou, lady, lede thy liffe.
III ANGELUS: Thou schalte be worshipped with honnoure
In hevene blisse that is so bright,
With martiris and with confessouris5,
With all virginis, that worthy wight.
[JESUS:] Be-fore all othere creatours
I schall the giffe both grace and might
In hevene and erthe to sende socoure
To all that servis the day and nyght.
I graunte thame grace with all my myght
150 Thurgh askyng of thi praier
That to the call be day or nyght,
In what disease so that thei are.
Thou arte my liffe and my lekyng,
Mi modir and my mayden schene;
Ressayve this croune, my dere darlyng;
Ther I am kyng, thou schalte be quene.
Myne aungellis bright, a songe ye singe,
In the honnoure of my modir dere,
And here I giffe you my blissing,
160 Haly wholly
