From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama
The York Cycle, Play 14 - Journey to Bethlehem: Birth of Jesus
Tille-thekers
001 Joseph. All-weldand God in trinité
002 I praye the lord, for thy grete myght,
003 Vnto thy symple seruand see,
004 Here in this place wher we are pight,
005 Oureself allone.
006 Lord, graunte vs gode herberow this nyght
007 Within this wone.
008 For we haue sought bothe vppe and doune
009 Thurgh diuerse stretis in this cité
010 So mekill pepull is comen to towne
011 þat we can nowhare herbered be,
012 þere is slike prees;
013 Forsuthe I can no socoure see,
014 But belde vs with there bestes.
015 And yf we here all nyght abide
016 We schall be stormed in this steede,
017 þe walles are doune on ilke a side,
018 þe ruffe is rayued aboven oure hede,
019 Als haue I roo;
020 Say Marie, doughtir, what is thy rede,
021 How sall we doo?
022 For in grete nede nowe are we stedde
023 As thou thyselffe the soth may see,
024 For here is nowthir cloth ne bedde,
025 And we are weyke and all werie
026 And fayne wolde rest.
027 Now gracious God, for thy mercie,
028 Wisse vs the best.
029 Mary. God will vs wisse, full wele witt yoe,
030 þerfore Joseph be of gud chere,
031 For in this place borne will he be
032 þat sall vs saue fro sorowes sere,
033 Bothe even and morne.
034 Sir, witte yoe wele the tyme is nere
035 He will be borne.
036 Joseph. þan behoves vs bide here stille,
037 Here in this same place all this nyght.
038 Mary. 3a sir, forsuth it is Goddis will.
039 Joseph. þan wolde I fayne we had sum light,
040 What so befall.
041 It waxis right myrke vnto my sight,
042 And colde withall.
043 I will go gete vs light forthy,
044 And fewell fande with me to bryng.
045 Mary. All-weldand God yow gouerne and gy,
046 As he is sufferayne of all thyng
047 For his grete myght,
048 And lende me grace to his louyng
049 þat I me dight.
050 Nowe in my sawle grete joie haue I,
051 I am all cladde in comforte clere,
052 Now will be borne of my body
053 Both God and man togedir in feere,
054 Blist mott he be.
055 Jesu my sone that is so dere,
056 Nowe borne is he.
057 Hayle my lord God, hayle prince of pees,
058 Hayle my fadir, and hayle my sone;
059 Hayle souereyne sege all synnes to sesse,
060 Hayle God and man in erth to wonne.
061 Hayle, thurgh whos myht
062 All this worlde was first begonne,
063 Merknes and light.
064 Sone, as I am sympill sugett of thyne,
065 Vowchesaffe, swete sone I pray the,
066 That I myght the take in the armys of myne
067 And in this poure wede to arraie the.
068 Graunte me thi blisse,
069 As I am thy modir chosen to be
070 In sothfastnesse.
071 Joseph. A, lorde God what the wedir is colde,
072 þe fellest freese that euere I felyd.
073 I pray God helpe tham that is alde
074 And namely tham that is vnwelde,
075 So may I saie.
076 Now gud God thou be my bilde
077 As thou best may.
078 A, lord God, what light is this
079 þat comes shynyng thus sodenly?
080 I can not saie als haue I blisse.
081 When I come home vnto Marie
082 þan sall I spirre.
083 A, here be God, for nowe come I.
084 Mary. 3e ar welcum sirre.
085 Joseph. Say Marie, doghtir, what chere with the?
086 Mary. Right goode Joseph, as has ben ay.
087 Joseph. O Marie, what swete thyng is that on thy kne?
088 Mary. It is my sone, the soth to saye,
089 þat is so gud.
090 Joseph. Wele is me I bade this day
091 To se this foode.
092 Me merueles mekill of this light
093 þat thus-gates shynes in this place,
094 Forsuth it is a selcouth sight.
095 Mary. þis hase he ordand of his grace,
096 My sone so yoing,
097 A starne to be schynyng a space
098 At his bering.
099 For Balam tolde ful longe beforne
100 How that a sterne shulde rise full hye,
101 And of a maiden shulde be borne
102 A sonne that sall oure saffyng be
103 Fro caris kene.
104 Forsuth it is my sone so free
105 Be whame Balam gon meene.
106 Joseph. Nowe welcome, floure fairest of hewe,
107 I shall the menske with mayne and myght.
108 Hayle my maker, hayle Crist Jesu,
109 Hayle riall kyng, roote of all right,
110 Hayle saueour.
111 Hayle my lorde, lemer of light,
112 Hayle blessid floure.
113 Mary. Nowe lord that all this worlde schall wynne,
114 To the my sone is that I saye,
115 Here is no bedde to laye the inne,
116 þerfore my dere sone I the praye,
117 Sen it is soo,
118 Here in this cribbe I myght the lay
119 Betwene ther bestis two.
120 And I sall happe the, myn owne dere childe,
121 With such clothes as we haue here.
122 Joseph. O Marie, beholde thes beestis mylde,
123 They make louyng in ther manere
124 As thei wer men.
125 Forsothe it semes wele be ther chere
126 þare lord thei ken.
127 Mary. Ther lorde thai kenne, that wate I wele,
128 They worshippe hym with myght and mayne;
129 The wedir is colde as ye may feele,
130 To halde hym warme thei are full fayne
131 With thare warme breth,
132 And oondis on hym, is noght to layne,
133 To warme hym with.
134 O, nowe slepis my sone, blist mot he be,
135 And lyes full warme ther bestis bytwene.
136 Joseph. O, nowe is fulfillid, forsuth I see,
137 þat Abacuc in mynde gon mene
138 And prechid by prophicie.
139 He saide oure sauyoure shall be sene
140 Betwene bestis lye,
141 And nowe I see the same in sight.
142 Mary. 3a sir, forsuth the same is he.
143 Joseph. Honnoure and worshippe both day and nyght,
144 Ay-lastand lorde, be done to the
145 Allway, as is worthy;
146 And lord, to thy seruice I oblissh me
147 With all myn herte, holy.
148 Mary. þou mercyfull maker, most myghty,
149 My God, my lorde, my sone so free,
150 Thy handemayden forsoth am I,
151 And to thi seruice I oblissh me,
152 With all myn herte entere.
153 Thy blissing, beseke I thee,
154 þou graunte vs all in feere.
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Proper Citation: NeCastro, Gerard. The York Cycle, Play 14 - Journey to Bethlehem: Birth of Jesus. From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. http:www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. Date Visited.