From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama
The Towneley Cycle, Play 18 - The Play of the Doctors (PaginaDoctoruIncomplete)
001 Secundus Magister. That a madyn a barn shuld bere;
002 And his name thus can thay tell,
003 Ffro the tyme that he born were,
004 He shalbe callyd emanuell;
005 Counselloure, and god of strengthe,
006 And wonderfull also
007 Shall he be callyd, of brede and lenghthe
008 As far as any man may go.
009 Tercius Magister. Masters, youre resons ar right good,
010 And wonderfull to neuen,
011 Yit fynde I more by abacuk;
012 Syrs, lysten a whyle vnto my steuen.
013 Oure bayll, he says, shall turn to boytt,
014 Her-afterward som day;
015 A wande shall spryng fro Iesse roytt,-
016 The certan sothe thus can he say,-
017 And of that wande shall spryng a floure,
018 That shall spryng vp full hight:
019 Ther of shall com full swete odowre,
020 And therapon shall rest and lyght
021 The holy gost, full mych of myght;
022 The goost of wysdom and of wyt,
023 Shall beyld his nest, with mekyll right,
024 And, in it brede and sytt.
025 Primus Magister. Bot when trow ye this prophecy
026 Shalbe fulfyllyd in dede,
027 That here is told so openly,
028 As we in scrypture rede?
029 Secundus Magister. A greatt meruell for sothe it is,
030 To vs to here of sich mastry;
031 A madyn to bere a chyld, Iwys,
032 Without mans seyde, that were ferly.
033 Tercius Magister. The holy gost shall in hyr lyght,
034 And kepe hir madynhede full clene;
035 Whoso may byde to se that sight
036 Thay ther not drede, I wene.
037 Primus Magister. Of all thise prophetys wyse of lore
038 That knew the prophecy, more and les,
039 Was none that told the tyme before,
040 When he shuld, com to by vs peasse.
041 Secundus Magister. Wheder he be commen or not
042 No knowlege haue we in certayn;
043 Bot he shall com, that dowt we not;
044 Ffull prophetys haue prechyd it full playn.
045 Tercius Magister. Mekyll I thynk that thise prophetys
046 Ar holden to god, that is on hight,
047 That haue knowyng of his behetys,
048 And for to tell of his mekyll myght.
049 Jesus. Masters, luf be with you lent,
050 And mensk be vnto this meneyoe!
051 Primus Magister. Son, hens away I wold thou went,
052 Ffor othere haft in hand haue we.
053 Secundus Magister. Son, whosoeuer the hyder sent,
054 Thay were not wyse, thus tell I the;
055 Ffor we haue othere tayllys to tent
056 Then now with barnes bowrdand to be.
057 Tercius Magister. Son, thou lyst oght lere / To lyf by moyses lay;
058 Com heder, and thou shall here / The sawes that we wyll say;
059 Ffor in som mynde it may the bryng
060 To here oure sawes red by rawes.
061 Jesus. To lere of you nedys me no thyng,
062 Ffor I knaw both youre dedys & sawes.
063 Primus Magister. Hark, yonder barn with his bowrdyng!
064 He wenys he kens more then he knawys;
065 Nay, certys, son, thou art ouer ying
066 By clergy yit to know oure lawes.
067 Jesus. I wote as well as ye / how that youre lawes was wroght.
068 Secundus Magister. Com sytt! soyn shall we se, / ffor certys so semys it
069 Noght.
070 Tercius Magister. It were wonder if any wyght
071 Vntill oure resons right shuld reche;
072 And thou says thou has in sight
073 Oure lawes truly to tell and teche.
074 Jesus. The holy gost has on me lyght,
075 And anoynt me lyke a leche,
076 And gyffen to me powere and myght
077 The kyngdom of heuen to preche.
078 Secundus Magister. Whens euer this barne may be
079 That shewys thise novels new?
080 Jesus. Certan, syrs, I was or ye,
081 And shall be after you.. Primus Magister. Son, of thi sawes, as we haue ceyll,
082 And of thi wytt is wonder thyng;
083 Bot neuer the les fully I feyll
084 That it may fayll in wyrkyng;
085 Ffor dauid demys euer ilk deyll,
086 And thus he says of chylder ying,
087 "[Ex ore infanicium & lactencium, perfecisti laudem."]
088 Of thare mowthes, sayth dauid, wele,
089 Oure lord he has perfourmed louyng.
090 Neuer the les, son, yit shuld thou lett
091 Her for to speke in large;
092 Ffor where masters ar mett,
093 Chylder wordys ar not to charge.
094 Ffor certys, if thou wold neuer so fayn
095 Gyf all thi lyst to lere the law,
096 Thou art nawther of myght ne mayn
097 To know it, as a clerk may knaw.
098 Jesus. Syrs, I say you in certan,
099 That sothfast shall be all my saw;
100 And powere haue I plene and playn,
101 To say and answere as me aw.
102 Primus Magister. Masters, what may this mene?
103 Meruell, methynk, haue I
104 Where euer this barne has bene
105 That carpys thus conandly.
106 Secundus Magister. In warld as wyde as we haue went
107 Ffand we neuer sich ferly fare;
108 Certys, I trow the barn be sent
109 Sufferanly to salfe oure sare.
110 Jesus. Syrs, I shall preue in youre present
111 All the sawes that I sayde are.
112 Tercius Magister. Which callys thou the fyrst commaundement
113 And the most, in moyses lare?. Jesus. Syrs, synthen ye syt on raw,
114 And hafe youre bookys on brede,
115 Let se, syrs, in youre saw
116 How right that ye can rede.
117 Primus Magister. I rede that this is the fyrst bydyng
118 That moyses told, vs here vntyll;
119 Honoure thi god ouer ilka thyng,
120 With all thi wyt and all thi wyll;
121 And all thi hart in hym shall hyng,
122 Erly and late, both lowde and styll.
123 Jesus. Ye nede none othere bookys to bryng,
124 Bot fownd this to fulfyll;
125 The seconde may men profe
126 And clergy knaw therby;
127 Youre neyghburs shall ye lofe
128 Right as youre self truly.
129 [Thise] commaunded moyses tyll all men
130 In his commaundes clere;
131 In thise two bydyngys, shall ye ken,
132 Hyngys all the law we aght to lere.
133 Who so fulfylles thise two then
134 With mayn and mode and good manere,
135 He fulfyllys truly all ten
136 That after thaym folows in fere.
137 Then shuld we god honowre
138 With all oure myght and mayn,
139 And luf well ilk neghboure
140 Right as oure self certayn.
141 Primus Magister. Now, son, synthen thou has told vs two,
142 Which ar the aght, can thou oght say?
143 Jesus. The thyrd bydys, "[where so ye go,
144 That ye shall halow the holy day;
145 Ffrom bodely wark ye take youre rest;
146 Youre household, looke the same thay do,
147 Both wyfe, chyld, seruande, and beest."]
148 The fourt is then in weyll and wo
149 "[Thi fader, thi moder, thou shall honowre,
150 Not only with thi reuerence,
151 Bot in thare nede thou thaym socoure,
152 And kepe ay good obedyence."]
153 The fyft bydys the "[no man slo,
154 Ne harme hym neuer in word ne dede,
155 Ne suffre hym not to be in wo
156 If thou may help hym in his nede."]
157 The sext bydys the "[thi wyfe to take,
158 Bot none othere lawfully;
159 Lust of lechery thou fle and fast forsake,
160 And drede ay god where so thou be."]
161 The seuen bydys the "[be no thefe feyr,
162 Ne nothyng wyn with trechery;
163 Oker, ne symony, thou com not nere,
164 Bot conscyence clere ay kepe truly."]
165 The aght byddys the "[be true in dede,
166 And fals wytnes looke thou none bere;
167 Looke thou not ly for freynd ne syb,
168 Lest to thi saull that it do dere."]
169 The neyn byddys the "[not desyre
170 Thi neghburs wyfe ne his women,
171 Bot as holy kyrk wold it were,
172 Right so thi purpose sett it in."]
173 The ten byddys the "[for nothyng
174 Thi neghburs goodys yerne wrongwysly;
175 His house, his rent, ne his hafyng,
176 And crysten fayth trow stedfastly."]
177 Thus in tabyls, shall ye ken,
178 Oure lord to moyses wrate;
179 Thise ar the commaundmentys ten,
180 Who so will lely layt.
181 Secundus Magister. Behald how he lege oure lawes,
182 And leryd neuer on booke to rede!
183 Ffull sotell sawes, me thynk, he says,
184 And also true, if we take hede.
185 Tercius Magister. Yei, lett hym furth on his wayes,
186 Ffor if he dwell, withoutten drede
187 The pepyll will ful soyn hym prayse
188 Well more then vs, for all oure dede.
189 Primus Magister. Nay, nay, then wyrk we wrang!
190 Sich spekyng will we spare;
191 As he cam let hym gang,
192 And mefe vs, not no mare.
193 Mary. A, dere Ioseph! what is youre red?
194 Of oure greatt bayll no boytt may be;
195 My hart is heuy as any lede,
196 My semely son to I hym se.
197 Now haue we soght in euery sted,
198 Both vp and downe, thise dayes thre;
199 And wheder he be whik or dede
200 Yit wote we not; so wo is me!
201 Joseph. Sorow had neuer man mare!
202 Bot mowr[n]yng, mary, may not amend;
203 Ffarther do I red we fare,
204 To god some socoure send.
205 Abowtt the tempyll if he be oght,
206 That wold I that we wyst this nyght.
207 Mary. A, certys, I se that we have soght!
208 In warld was neuer so semely a sight;. Lo, where he syttys! se ye hym noght
209 Amangys yond masters mekyll of myght?
210 Joseph. Blyssyd be he vs heder broght!
211 In land now lyfys there none so light.
212 Mary. Now dere Ioseph, as haue ye seyll,
213 Go furth and fetche youre son and myne;
214 This day is goyn nere ilka deyll,
215 And we haue nede for to go hien.
216 Joseph. With men of myght can I not mell,
217 Then all my trauell mon I tyne;
218 I can not with thaym, that wote ye well,
219 Thay are so gay in furrys fyne.
220 Mary. To thaym youre erand, forto say,
221 Surely that thar ye drede no deyll!
222 Thay will take hede to you alway
223 Be cause of eld, this wote I weyll.
224 Joseph. When I com ther what shall I say?
225 Ffor I wote not, as haue I ceyll;
226 Bot thou will haue me shamyd for ay,
227 Ffor I can nawthere crowke ne knele.
228 Mary. Go we togeder, I hold, it best,
229 Vnto yond worthy wyghtys in wede;
230 And if I se, as haue I rest,
231 That ye will not, then must I nede.
232 Joseph. Go thou and tell thi tayll fyrst,
233 Thi son to se will take good hede;
234 Weynd furth, mary, and do thi best,
235 I com behynd, as god me spede.
236 Mary. A, dere son, Ihesus!
237 Sythen we luf the alone,
238 Whi dos thou tyll vs thus,
239 And gars vs make this mone?
240 Thi fader and I betwix vs two,
241 Son, for thi luf has lykyd yll,
242 We haue the soght both to and fro
243 Wepeand sore, as wyghtis wyll.
244 Jesus. Wherto shuld ye, moder, seke me so?
245 Oft tymes it has bene told, ye tyll
246 My fader warkys, for wele or wo,
247 Thus am I sent for to fulfyll.
248 Thise sawes, as haue I ceyll,
249 I can well vnderstonde,
250 I shall thynk on them weyll
251 To fownd what is folowand.
252 Joseph. Now sothly, son, the sight of the
253 Has comforthed vs of all oure care;
254 Com furth, now, with thi moder and me!
255 At nazareth I wold we ware.
256 Jesus. Be leyf then, ye lordyngys fre!
257 Ffor with my freyndys now wyll I fare.
258 Primus Magister. Son, where so thou shall abyde or be
259 God make the good man euer mare.
260 Secundus Magister. No wonder if thou, wife,
261 Of his fyndyng be fayn;
262 He shall, if he haue lyfe,
263 Prefe to a full good swayn.
264 Tercius Magister. Son, looke thou layn, for good or yll,
265 The noyttys that we haue nevened now;
266 And if thou lyke to abyde here styll,
267 And with vs won, welcom art thou.
268 Jesus. Gramercy, syrs, of youre good wyll!
269 No longer lyst I byde with you,
270 My freyndys thoght I shall fulfyll,
271 And to thare bydyng baynly bow.
272 Mary. Ffull well is me this tyde,
273 Now may we make good chere.
274 Joseph. No longer wyll we byde;
275 Ffar well all folk in fere.
276
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