THE SHREWSBURY FRAGMENTS

A. [OFFICIUM PASTORUM]

PASTORES erant in regione eadem uigilantes et custodientes gregem suum. Et ecce angelus 
Domini astitit iuxta illos et timuerunt timore magno.

                        jjjus Pastor

[II. PASTOR.]                    We, Tib!
III. PASTOR          Telle on!
[II. PASTOR.]           . . .           țe nyght.

III. PASTOR          Brether, what may țis be,
          țus bright to man and best?

[II. PASTOR.]                     at hand.

III. PASTOR          Whi say 3e so?

[II. PASTOR.]                     warand.

III. PASTOR          Suche si3t was neuer sene
            Before in oure Jewery;
          Sum merueles wil hit mene
           țat mun be here in hy.

[II. PASTOR.]                      a sang.

III. PASTOR          3e lye bothe, by țis li3t,
           And raues as recheles royes!
          Hit was an angel bri3t
            țat made țis nobull noyes.

[II. PASTOR.]          . .          . . of prophecy.

III. PASTOR. He said a barn schuld be
In țe burgh of Bedlern born; -

And of țis, mynnes me,
Oure fadres fond beforn.

[II. PASTOR.]          Jewus kyng.

III. PASTOR. Now may we see țe same
Euen in oure pase puruayed;
țe          angel nemed his name-
'Crist, Saueour,' he saied.

[II. PASTOR.]          not raue.

III. PASTOR. 3one brightnes wil vs bring
Vnto țat biisful boure;
For solace schal we syng
To seke oure Saueour.

Transeamus usque Bethelem et uideamus hoc verbum quod factum est, quod fecit Dominus et 
ostendit nobis.

[II. PASTOR.]          to knawe.

III. PASTOR. For noțing thar vs drede,
But thank God of all gode;
țis light euer wil vs lede
To fynde țat frely fode.

[II. PASTOR.] .          I mene.

Saluatorem, Christum Dominum, infantem pannis inuolutum, secundum sermonem angelicum.

III. PASTOR. A, loke to me, my Lord dere,
All if 1 put me noght in prese!
To suche a prince withoutfen] pere
Haue I no presand țat may plese.
But lo! a horn-spone haue I here
țat may herbar an hundrith pese:
țis gift I gif țe with gode chere,
Suche dayntese wil do no disese.
Farewele now, swete swayn,
God graunt țe lifyng lang !


B. [OFFICIUM RESURRECTIONIS]

Hic incipit Officium Resurreccionis in die Pasche.

III.          MARIA. Heu! Redemcio Israel,
Vt quid mortem 

[II. MARIA.]          payne.

III. MARIA. Alias! he țat men wend schuld by
All Israel, bothe knyght and knaue,
Why suffred he so forto dy,
Sithe he may all sekenes saue?
Heu! cur ligno fixus clauis
Fuit doctor tam suauis?
Heu! cur fuit ille natus
Qui perfodit eius latus?

[II. MARIA.]          is oght.

III. MARIA.          Alias, țat we suche bale schuld bide
țat sodayn sight so forto see,
țe best techer in world wide
With nayles be tacched to a tre!
Allas, țat euer so schuld betyde,
Or țat so bold mon born schuld be
For to assay oure Saueour side
And open hit withoute pité!

[ALL THREE.] Iam iam, ecce, iam properemus ad tumulum, Vnguentes Dilecti corpus 
sanctissimum!

Et appropiantes sepulcro cantent:

O Deus, quis reuoluet nobis lapidem Ab hostio monumenti?

[II. MARIA.]          him leid.

III.          MARIA. He țat pus kyndely vs has kend
Vnto țe hole where he was hid,
Sum socoure sone he wil vs send,
At help to lift away țis lid.

III. MARIA. Alleluya schal be oure song,
Sithen Crist, oure Lord, by angellus steuen,
Schewus him as mon here vs among
And is Goddis Son, heghest in heuen.

[II. MARIA.]          was gon.

III. MARIA. Surrexit Christus, spes nostra;
Precedet vos in Galileam.
Crist is rysen, wittenes we
By tokenes țat we haue sen țis morn!
Oure hope, oure help, oure hele, is he,
And hase bene best, sithe we were born!
If we wil seke him for to se,
Lettes noght țis lesson be forlorn;
But gose euen vnto Galilee-
țere schal 3e fynd him 3ow beforn!

C. [OFFICIUM PEREGRINORUM]

Feria secunda in ebdomada Pasche discipuli insimul cantent:

[CHORUS.] Infidelis incursum populi
Fugiamus, Ihesu discipuli!
Suspenderunt Ihesum patibulo;
Nulli parcent eius discipulo.

[LUKE.]          fast to fle.

[CLEOPHAS.] But if we fle țai wil vs fang,
And ful felly țai wil vs flay;
Agayn to Emause wil we gang,
And fonde to get țe gaynest way.
And make in mynd euer vs amang
Of oure gode Maister, as we may,
How he was put to paynes strang-
On țat he tristed con him betray!

[LUKE.]          but agayn.

[CLEOPHAS.] By wymmen wordis wele wit may we Crist is risen vp in gode aray;
For to oureself țe sothe say[d] he,
Where we went in țis world away
țat he schuld dye and doluen be,
And rise fro țe dethe țe thrid day.
And țat we my3t țat si3t now se,
He wisse vs, Lord, as he wele may!

[(?) LUKE.]          resoun ri3t.

[CLEOPHAS.] Et quomodo tradiderunt eum summi sacerdotes et principes nostri in 
dampnacionem mortis et crucifixerunt eum.
Right is țat we reherce by raw
Je materes țat we may on mene,
How prestis and princes of oure lawe
Ful tenely toke him horn betwen,
And dampned him, withouten awe,
For to be dede with dele bedene;
țai crucified him, wele we knaw,
At Caluary, with cans kene.

[LUKE.]          wraist.

[(?) CLEOPHAS.] Dixerunt eciam se visionem angelorum vidisse, qui dicunt eum viuere.
țe wymmen gret, for he was gon;
But 3et țai told of meruales mo:
țai saw angellus stondyng on țe ston,
And sayn how he was fame horn fro.
Sithen of oures went ful gode wone
To se țat sight, and said right so.
Herfore we murne and makis țis mon;
Now wot pou wele of all oure wo.

[(?)JESUS.]                                     in pese.4

[CLEOPHAS AND LUKE.] Mane nobiscum, quoniam advesperascit et inclinata est iam dies. 
Alleluya !

[JESUS]          wight.

[CLEOPHAS.] Amend oure mournyng, Maister dere,
And fonde oure freylnes for to fell!
Herk, broțer! help to hold him here,
Ful nobel tails wil he vs tell.

[LUKE.]                                   lent.

[CLEOPHAS.] And gode wyne schal vs wont non,
For țerto schal I take entent.

[LUKE.]          he went.

[CLEOPHAS.] Went he is, and we ne wot how,
For here is noght left in his sted.
Alias! where were oure wittis now?
With wo now walk we, wil of red.

[LUKE.]          oure bred.

[CLEOPHAS.] Oure bred he brak and blessed hit; On mold were neuer so mased men
When țat we saw him by vs sit,
țat we couthe noght consayue him țen.

[LUKE.]          ay.

[CLEOPHAS AND LUKE.] Quid agamus uel dicamus,
Ignorantes quo eamus,
Qui doctorem sciencie
Et patrem consolacionis
Amisimus ?

[LUKE.]          gode state.

[CLEOPHAS.] We schal horn tell, withouten trayn,
Bothe word and werk, how hit was,
I se horn sitt samyn in a playn.
Forthe in apert dar I not pas.

[LUKE.]          and wife.

[CLEOPHAS.] We saw him hoil, hide and hewe;
țerfore be still, and stint 3oure strife.
țat hit was Crist ful wele we knewe,
He cutt oure bred withouten knyfe.

[CHORUS.]          Gloria tibi, Domine, Qui surrexisti a mortuis,
Cum Patre et Sancto Spiritu, In sempiterna secula. Amen.

[CHORUS.]          Frater Thoma, causa tristicie, Nobis tulit summa leticie !