From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama
The Towneley Cycle, Play 15 - The Flight Into Egypt (Fugacio Iosep & Mariae Egyptum)
001 Angel. Awake, Ioseph, and take intent!
002 Thou ryse, and slepe nomare!
003 If thou Wyll saue thy self vnshent
004 Ffownde the fast to fare;
005 I am an angell to the sent,
006 Ffor thou shall no harmes hent,
007 To cach the outt of care.
008 If thou here longer lent,
009 Ffor rewth thou mon repent,
010 And rew it wonder sare.
011 Joseph. A! myghtfull god,
012 What euer this ment,
013 So swete of toyn?
014 Angel. Lo, Ioseph, it is I,
015 An angell send to the.
016 Joseph. We! leyf, I pray the why?
017 What is thy wyll with me?
018 Angel. Hens behufys the hy,
019 And take with the mary,
020 Also hir chyld so fre;
021 Ffor herode dos to dy
022 All knaue chyldren, securly,
023 With in two yere that be
024 Of eld.
025 Joseph. Alas, full wo is me!
026 Where may we beyld?
027 Angel. Tyll egypp shall thou fare
028 With all the myght thou may;
029 And, Ioseph, hold, the thare,
030 Tyll I wyll the at say.
031 Joseph. This is a febyll fare,
032 A seke man and a sare
033 To here of sich a fray;
034 My bonys ar bursyd and, bare
035 Ffor to do; I wold, it ware
036 Comen my last day
037 Tyll ende;
038 I ne wote which is the way;
039 How shall we weynde?
040 Angel. Ther of haue thou no drede;
041 Weynd furth, & leyf thi dyn;
042 The way he shall you lede,
043 The kyng of all man-kyn.
044 Joseph. That heynd til vs take hede,
045 Ffor I had lytyll nede
046 Sich bargans to begyn;
047 No wonder if I wede,
048 I that may do no dede;
049 How shuld I theder wyn
050 Ffor eld?
051 I am full bare and thyn,
052 And all vnweld;
053 My fors me falys to fare,
054 And sight that I shuld, se.
055 Mary, my darlyng dere,
056 I am full wo for the!
057 Mary. A, leyf Ioseph, what chere?
058 Youre sorow on this manere
059 It mekill meruels me.
060 Joseph. Oure noyes ar neghand, nere
061 If we dwell longer here;
062 Ffor-thi behofes vs fle,
063 And flytt.
064 Mary. Alas! how may this be?
065 What euer menys it?
066 Joseph. It menys of sorow enoghe.
067 Mary. A, dere Ioseph, how so?
068 Joseph. As I lay in a swogh,
069 Ffull sad slepand and thro,
070 An angell to me drogh,
071 As blossom bright on bogh,
072 And told betwix vs two,
073 That herode wroght greatt wogh,
074 And all knaue children slogh
075 In land that he myght to,
076 That feynd!
077 And he thy son wold, slo
078 And shamely sheynd.
079 Mary. My son? alas, for care!
080 Who may my doyllys dyll?
081 Wo worth fals herode are!
082 My son why shuld, he spyll?
083 Alas! I lurk and dare!
084 To slo this barne I bare,
085 What wight in warld, had wyll?
086 His hart shuld be full sare
087 Sichon for to fare,
088 That neuer yit dyd yll,
089 Ne thoght.
090 Joseph. Now leyfe mary, be styll!
091 This helpys noght;
092 It is no boytt to grete,
093 Truly withoutten trayn;
094 Oure bayll it may not boytt
095 Bot well more make oure payn.
096 Mary. Alas! how shuld, I lete?
097 My son that is so swete
098 Is soght for to be slayn;
099 Ffull gryle may I grete,
100 My fomen and I mete;
101 Tell me, Ioseph, with mayn,
102 Youre red.
103 Joseph. Shortly swedyll vs this swayn,
104 And fle hys dede.
105 Mary. His ded wold I not se,
106 Ffor all this warld, to wyn;
107 Alas! full wo were me,
108 In two if we shuld, twyn;
109 My chyld, so bright of ble,
110 To slo hym were pyte,
111 And a full hedus syn.
112 Dere Ioseph, what red ye?
113 Joseph. Tyll egyp weynd shall we;
114 Ffor-thi let be thi dyn
115 And cry.
116 Mary. How shall we theder wyn?
117 Joseph. Ffulle well wote I;
118 The best wyse that we may
119 Hast vs outt of this here.
120 Ther is noght els to say
121 Bot tytt pak vp oure gere;
122 Ffor ferd of this affray,
123 Lett vs weynd hens away,
124 Or any do vs dere.
125 Mary. Greatt god, as he well may,
126 That shope both nyght and day,
127 Ffrom wandreth he vs were,
128 And shame;
129 My chyld, how shuld, I bere
130 So far from hame?
131 Alas! I am full wo!
132 Was neuer wyght so wyll!
133 Joseph. God wote I may say so,
134 I haue mater ther tyll;
135 Ffor I may vnyth go
136 To lede of land sich two;
137 No wonder if I be wyll,
138 And sythen has many a fo.
139 A, why wyll no ded me slo?
140 My lyfe I lyke yll
141 And sare;
142 He that all doyls may dyll,
143 He keyll my care!
144 So wyll a wyght as I,
145 In warld, was neuer man;
146 Howsehold, and husbandry
147 Ffull sore I may it ban;
148 That bargan dere I by.
149 Yong men, bewar, red I:
150 Wedyng makys me all wan.
151 Take me thi brydyll, mary;
152 Tent thou to that page grathly
153 With all the craft thou can;
154 And may
155 He that this warld, began,
156 Wysh vs the way!
157 Mary. Alas, full wo is me!
158 Is none so wyll as I!
159 My hart wold breke in thre,
160 My son to se hym dy.
161 Joseph. We! leyf mary, lett be,
162 And nothyng drede thou the,
163 Bot hard, hens lett vs hy;
164 To saue thi foode so fre,
165 Ffast furth now lett vs fle,
166 Dere leyf;
167 To mete with his enmy,
168 It were a greatt myschefe,
169 And that wold, I not wore,
170 Away if we myght wyn;
171 My hart wold, be full sore,
172 In two to se you twyn.
173 Tyll egypp lett vs fare;
174 This pak, tyll I com thare,
175 To bere I shall not blyn:
176 Ffor-thi haue thou no care;
177 If I may help the mare,
178 Thou fyndys no fawte me in,
179 I say.
180 God blys you more and myn,
181 And haue now all good day!
182
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Proper Citation: NeCastro, Gerard. The Towneley Cycle, Play 15 - The Flight Into Egypt (Fugacio Iosep & Mariae Egyptum). From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. http://www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. Date Visited.