N-Town Cycle, Play 19 [The Purification at the Temple] 1 SYMEON JUSTUS I haue be prest in Jherusalem here 2 And tawth Goddys lawe many a 3ere, 3 Desyrynge in all my mende 4 țat țe tyme we[re] neyhand nere 5 In which Goddys son xul apere 6 In erthe to take mankende, 7 Or I deyd țat I myght fynde 8 My Savyour with myn ey to se. 9 But țat it is so longe behynde, 10 It is grett dyscomforte onto me. 11 For I wax olde and wante my myght 12 And begynne to fayle my syght, 13 țe more I sorwe țis tyde, 14 Save only, as I telle 3ow ryght, 15 God of his grace hath me hyght 16 țat blysful byrth to byde. 17 Wherfore now here besyde 18 To sancta sanctorum wyl I go, 19 To pray God to be my gyde, 20 To comfort me aftyr my wo. Here Symeon knelyth and seyth: 21 A, gode God in Trinité, 22 Whow longe xal I abyde the 23 Tyl țat țu ți son doth sende, 24 țat I in erth myght hym se? 25 Good Lord, consydyr to me— 26 I drawe fast to an ende— 27 țat, or my strenthis fro me wende, 28 Gode Lorde, send dow[n] ți son, 29 țat I with my ful mende 30 Myght wurchepp hym if I con; 31 Bothe with my fete and hondys to 32 To go to hym and handele also, 33 My eyn to se hym, in certayn, 34 My tonge for to speke hym to, 35 And all my lemys to werke and do, 36 In his servyse to be bayn, 37 Send forth ți son, my Lord sovereyn, 38 Hastely, anon, withowte teryenge; 39 For fro țis world I wolde be fayn— 40 It is contrary to my levynge. 41 ANGELUS Symeon, leff ți careful stevene, 42 For ți prayer is herd in hevene. 43 To Jherusalem fast now wynne, 44 And țer xalt se ful evene 45 He țat is Goddys son for to nemene 46 In țe templ[e] țer țu dwellyst inne. 47 The dyrknes of orygynal synne 48 He xal make lyght and clarefye. 49 And now țe dede xal begynne 50 Whiche hath be spokyn be prophecye. 51 SYMEON A, I thank țe, Lord of Grace, 52 țat hath grauntyd me tyme and space 53 To lyve and hyde thys! 54 And I wyl walk now to țe place 55 Where I may se ți sonys face, 56 Which is my joye and blys. 57 I was nevyr lyghtere, iwys, 58 To walke nevyr herebeforn! 59 For a mery tyme now is 60 Whan God, my Lord, is born! 61 ANNA PROPHETESSA Al heyl, Symeon, what tydyngys with 3ow? 62 Why make 3e al țis myrth now? 63 Telle me whedyr 3e fare. 64 SYMEON Anne Prophetes, and 3e wyst whov, 65 So xulde 3e, I make avow, 66 And all maner men țat are. 67 For Goddys son, as I declare, 68 Is born to bye mankende! 69 Oure Savyour is come to sesyn oure care, 70 țerfore haue I grett merth to wende. 71 And țat is țe cawse I hast me 72 Onto țe temple hym to se. 73 And țerfore left me not, good frende. 74 ANNA Now blyssyd be God in Trinyté 75 Syn țat tyme is come to be! 76 And with 3ow wyl I wende 77 To se my Savyour ende, 78 And wurchepp hym also 79 With all my wytt and my ful mende. 80 As I am bound now wyl I do. Et tunc ibunt ambo ad templum et prophetissa. 81 SYMEON In be temple of God, who vndyrstod, 82 țis day xal be offeryd with mylde mood 83 Which țat is kynge of alle, 84 țat xal be skorgyd and shedde his blood 85 And aftyr dyen on țe rood 86 Withowtyn cawse to calle; 87 For whos Passyon țer xal beffalle 88 Swych a sorwe bothe sharpe and smerte, 89 țat as a swerd perce it xalle 90 3evene thorwe his moderys herte. 91 ANNA PROP[HETISSA] 3a, țat xal be, as I wel fende, 92 For redempcyon of all mankende, 93 țat blysse for to restore 94 Whiche hath be lost fro oute of mende, 95 As be oure fadyr of oure owyn kende, 96 Adam, and Eue beffore. 97 MARIA Joseph, my husbond, withowtyn mys, 98 3e wote țat fourty days nere is 99 Sythe my sonys byrth ful ryght. 100 Wherfore we must to țe temple, iwys, 101 țer for to offre oure sone of blys 102 Up to his fadyr in hyght. 103 And I in Goddys syght 104 Puryfyed for to be, 105 In clene sowle with al my myght, 106 In presence of țe Trinyté. 107 JOSEPH To be purefyed haue 3e no nede, 108 Ne ți son to be offryd, so God me spede. 109 For fyrst țu art ful clene, 110 Vndefowlyd in thought and dede; 111 And anothyr, ți son, withowtyn drede, 112 Is God and man to mene. 113 Wherefore it nedyd not to bene, 114 But to kepe țe lawe on Moyses wyse. 115 Whereffore we xal take us betwene 116 Dowys and turtelys for sacrefyce. Et ibunt ad templum. 117 SYMEON All heyl, my kyndely comfortour! 118 ANNA PROPHETISSA All heyl, mankyndys creatoure! 119 SYMEON All heyl, țu God of Myght! 120 ANNA PROPHETISSA All heyl, mankyndys Savyour! 121 SYMEON All heyl, bothe kynge and emperour! 122 ANNA PROPHETISSA All heyl, as it is ryght. 123 SYMEON All heyl also, Mary bryght! 124 ANNA PROPHETISSA All heyl, salver of seknes! 125 SYMEON All heyl, lanterne of lyght! 126 ANNA PROPHETISSA All heyl, țu modyr of mekenes! 127 MARIA Symeon, I vndyrstand and se 128 țat bothyn of my sone and me 129 3e haue knowynge clere. 130 And also in 3oure compané 131 My sone desyryth for to be, 132 And țerffore haue hym here. Et accipiet Jhesum. 133 SYMEON Welcome, prynce withowte pere! 134 Welcome, Goddys owyn sone! 135 Welcome, my Lord so dere, 136 Welcome with me to wone. Suscepimus Deus misericordiam tuam. 137 Lord God in magesté, 138 We haue receyvyd țis day of țe 139 In myddys of ți temple here 140 Thy grett mercy, as we may se. 141 Therfore ți name of grett degré 142 Be wurchepyd in all manere 143 Over all țis werde, bothe fer and nere, 144 3evyn onto țe [vterest] ende. 145 For now is man owt of daungere, 146 And rest and pes to all mankende. Nunc dimittis seruum tuum, Domine, et cetera. The psalme songyn every vers, and țerqwyl Symeon pleyth with țe child; and qwhan țe psalme is endyd he seyth: 147 Now lete me dye, Lorde, and hens pace, 148 For I, ți servaunt in țis place 149 Haue sen my Sauyour dere, 150 Whiche țu hast ordeyned beforn țe face 151 Of al mankynde țis tyme of grace 152 Opynly to appere. 153 ți lyth is shynand clere 154 To all mankyndys savacyon. 155 Mary, take 3oure childe now here, 156 And kepe wel țis, manis savacyon. 157 ANNA PROPHETISSA Ne I rowth nere to dye also, 158 For more than fowre skore 3ere and to 159 țis tyme hath bede to se. 160 And sythe țat it is come țerto, 161 What Goddys wyl is with me to do, 162 Ryght evyn so mot it be. 163 JOSEPH Take here these candelys thre, 164 Mary, Symeon, and Anne. 165 And I xal take țe fowrte to me 166 To offre oure childe up thanne. 167 MARIA Hyest fadyr, God of powere, 168 3oure owyn dere son I offre 3ow here. 169 As I to 3oure lawe am sworn, 170 Receyve ți childe in glad manere. 171 For he is țe fyrst, țis childe so dere, 172 țat of his modyr is born. 173 But țow I offre hym 3ow beforn, 174 Good Lord, 3it 3yf me hyrn a3en, 175 For my comforte were fully lorn 176 If we xuld longe asondyr ben. Mari leyth țe childe on țe autere. 177 JOSEPH Sere prest of țe temple, now 178 Haue he[re] fyff pens vnto 3ow, 179 Oure childe a3en to take. 180 It is țe lawe, as 3e woot how. 181 CAPELLANUS Joseph, 3e an do ryght anow 182 As for 3oure childys sake. 183 But othere offerynge 3ett must 3e make. 184 And țerfore take 3oure sone, Mary. 185 In meche joye 3e may awake 186 Whylys he is in 3oure company. 187 MARIA Therto I am ful glad and fayn 188 For to receyve my childe agayn, 189 Ellys were I to blame; 190 And afterewarde for to be bayn 191 To offre to God, in ful certayn, 192 As in my sonys name 193 With fowlys bothe wylde and tame. 194 For in Goddys servyse I xal nevyr irke. 195 JOSEPH Lo, Mary, haue here tho same 196 To do ți dewtys of Holy Kyrke. And țer Mary offeryth fowlys onto țe autere and seyth: 197 MARIA Allmyghtyfful Fadyr, mercyful Kynge, 198 Receyvyth now țis lytyl offrynge, 199 For it is be fyrst in degré 200 țat 3oure lytyl childe so 3ynge 201 Presentyth today be my shewyng 202 To 3oure hy3 magesté. 203 Of his sympyl poverté, 204 Be his devocyon and my good wylle, 205 Vpon 3oure awtere receyve of me 206 3oure sonys offrynge, as it is skylle. 207 1468