From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama
The York Cycle, Play 19 - Massacre of the Innocents
Gyrdillers and Naylers
001 Herod. Powre bewsheris aboute,
002 Peyne of lyme and lande,
003 Stente of youre steuenes stoute
004 And stille as stone yoe stande,
005 And my carping recorde.
006 3e aught to dare and doute,
007 And lere you lowe to lowte
008 To me youre louely lord.
009 3e awe in felde and towne
010 To bowe at my bidding,
011 With reuerence and renoune,
012 As fallis for swilk a kyng,
013 þe lordlyest on lyue.
014 Who herto is noght bowne,
015 Be allmyghty Mahounde,
016 To dede I schall hym dryue.
017 So bolde loke no man be
018 For to aske helpe ne helde
019 But of Mahounde and me,
020 þat hase this worlde in welde,
021 To mayntayne vs emell.
022 For welle of welthe are we
023 And my cheffe helpe is he;
024 Herto what can yoe tell?
025 Consolator 1. Lord, what you likis to do
026 All folke will be full fayne
027 To take entente therto,
028 And none grucche theragayne.
029 þat full wele witte shall yoe,
030 And yf thai wolde noyot soo
031 We shulde sone wirke tham woo.
032 Herod. 3a, faire sirs, so shulde it bee.
033 Consolator 2. Lorde, the soth to saie,
034 Fulle wele we vndirstande
035 Mahounde is God werraye,
036 And yoe ar lorde of ilke a lande.
037 Therfore, so haue I seell,
038 I rede we wayte allway
039 What myrthe most mende yoou may.
040 Herod. Sertis, yoe saie right well.
041 But I am noyed of newe,
042 þat blithe may I noyot be,
043 For thre kyngis as yoe knowe
044 That come thurgh this contré
045 And saide thei sought a swayne.
046 Consolator 1. þat rewlle I hope tham rewe,
047 For hadde ther tales ben trewe
048 They hadde comen this waye agayne.
049 Consolator 2. We harde how thei yoou hight,
050 Yf they myght fynde that childe
051 For to haue tolde yoou right,
052 But certis thei are begilyd.
053 Swilke tales ar noght to trowe,
054 Full wele wotte ilke a wight,
055 þer schalle neuere man haue myght
056 Ne maystrie unto yoou.
057 Consolator 1. þam schamys so, for certayne,
058 That they dar mete you no more.
059 Herod. Wherfore shulde thei be fayne
060 To make swilke fare before,
061 To saie a boy was borne
062 That schulde be moste of mayne?
063 This gadlyng schall agayne
064 Yf that the deuyll had sworne.
065 For be well neuer thei wotte
066 Whedir thei wirke wele or wrang,
067 To frayne garte tham thus-gate
068 To seke that gedlyng gang,
069 And swilke carping to kith.
070 Consolator 2. Nay lorde, they lered ouere-latte
071 Youre blisse schal neuere abatte,
072 And therfore lorde, be blithe.
073 Nuncius. Mahounde withouten pere,
074 My lorde, yoou saue and see.
075 Herod. Messenger, come nere,
076 And bewcher, wele the be.
077 What tydyngis? Telles thou any?
078 Nuncius. 3a lorde. Sen I was here
079 I haue sought sidis seere,
080 And sene merueyllis full many.
081 Herod. And of meruayles to mene
082 That wer most myrthe to me.
083 Nuncius. Lorde, euen as I haue seene
084 The soth sone schall yoe see,
085 Yf yoe wille, here in hye.
086 I mette tow townes betwene
087 Thre kyngis with crounes clene,
088 Rydand full ryally.
089 Herod. A, my blys, boy, thou burdis to brode.
090 Nuncius. Sir, ther may no botment be.
091 Herod. Owe, by sonne and mone,
092 þan tydis vs talis tonyght.
093 Hopes thou thei will come sone
094 Hedir, as thei haue hight,
095 For to telle me tythande?
096 Nuncius. Nay lorde, that daunce is done.
097 Herod. Why, whedir are thei gone?
098 Nuncius. Ilkone into ther owne lande.
099 Herod. How sais thou ladde? Late be.
100 Nuncius. I saie, for they are past.
101 Herod. What, forthe away fro me?
102 Nuncius. 3a lord, in faitht ful faste,
103 For I herde and toke hede
104 How that thei wente all thre
105 Into ther awne contré
106 Herod. A, dogges, the deuell yoou spede.
107 Nuncius. Sir, more of ther menyng
108 3itt well I vndirstode,
109 How thei hadde made offering
110 Vnto that frely foode
111 þat nowe of newe is borne.
112 þai saie he schulde be kyng
113 And welde all erthely thyng.
114 Herod. Allas, than am I lorne.
115 Fy on thaym, faytours, fy!
116 Wille thei begylle me thus?
117 Nuncius. Lorde, by ther prophicy
118 þei named his name Jesus.
119 Herod. Fy on the ladde, thou lyes.
120 Consolator 2. Hense tyte but thou the hye,
121 With doulle her schall thou dye,
122 That wreyes hym on this wise.
123 Nuncius. 3e wyte me all with wrang,
124 Itt is thus and wele warre.
125 Herod. Thou lyes, false traytoure strange,
126 Loke neuere thou negh me nere.
127 Vppon liffe and lymme
128 May I that faitour fange,
129 Full high I schall gar hym hange,
130 Both the, harlott, and hym.
131 Nuncius. I am nott worthy to wyte,
132 Bot fareswele all the heppe.
133 Consolator 1. Go, in the deueles dispite,
134 Or I schall gar the leppe
135 And dere aby this bro.
136 Herod. Als for sorowe and sighte
137 My woo no wighte may wryte;
138 What deuell is best to do?
139 Consolator 2. Lorde, amende youre chere
140 And takis no nedles noy,
141 We schall yoou lely lere
142 þat ladde for to distroye,
143 Be counsaille if we cane.
144 Herod. þat may yoe noght come nere,
145 For it is past two yoere
146 Sen that this bale begane.
147 Consolator 1. Lorde, therfore haue no doute,
148 Yf it were foure or fyve.
149 Gars gadir in grete rowte
150 Youre knyghtis kene belyue,
151 And biddis tham dynge to dede
152 Alle knave childir kepte in clowte,
153 In Bedlem and all aboute,
154 To layte in ilke a stede.
155 Consolator 2. Lorde, saue none, for youre seell,
156 þat are of ij yoere age withinne,
157 þan schall that fandelyng felle
158 Belyue his blisse schall blynne,
159 With bale when he schall blede.
160 Herod. Sertis, yoe saie right wele,
161 And as yoe deme ilke dele
162 Shall I garre do indede.
163 Sir knyghtis, curtayse and hende,
164 þow the nott bees nowe all newe,
165 3e schall fynde me youre frende
166 And yoe this tyme be trewe.
167 Miles 1. What saie yoe lorde? Lette see.
168 Herod. To Bedlehem bus yoe wende,
169 That schorwe with schame to schende
170 þat menes to maistir me.
171 And abowte Bedlehem bathe
172 Bus yowe wele spere and spye,
173 For ellis it will be wathe
174 þat he losis this Jury,
175 And certis that were grete schame.
176 Miles 2. My lorde, that wer vs lathe,
177 And he escapid it wer skathe
178 And we welle worthy blame.
179 Miles 1. Full sone he schall be soughte,
180 That make I myne avowe.
181 Consolator 1. I bide for hym yoow loghte,
182 And latte me telle yowe howe
183 To werke when yoe come there:
184 Bycause yoe kenne hym noght,
185 To dede they muste be brought,
186 Knave-childre, lesse and more.
187 Herod. 3aa, all withinne two yoere,
188 That none for speche be spared.
189 Miles 2. Lord, howe yoe vs lere
190 Full wele we take rewarde,
191 And certis we schall not rest.
192 Miles 1. Comes furth felowes in feere,
193 Loo, fondelyngis fynde we here . [... ...]
194 Mulier 1. Owte on yoow theves, I crye,
195 3e slee my semely sone.
196 Miles 2. Ther browls schall dere abye
197 This bale that is begonne,
198 þerfore lay fro the faste.
199 Mulier 2. Allas for doule, I dye,
200 To saue my sone schall I,
201 Aye-whils my liff may last.
202 Miles 1. A, dame, the deuyll the spede
203 And me, but itt be quytte.
204 Mulier 1. To dye I haue no drede
205 I do the wele to witte,
206 To saue my sone so dere.
207 Miles 1. Asarmes, for nowe is nede;
208 But yf we do yone dede
209 Ther quenys will quelle vs here.
210 Mulier 2. Allas, this lothly striffe,
211 No blisse may be my bette,
212 þe knyght vppon his knyffe
213 Hath slayne my sone so swette,
214 And I hadde but hym allone.
215 Mulier 1. Allas, I lose my liffe,
216 Was neuere so wofull a wyffe
217 Ne halffe so wille of wone;
218 And certis, me were full lotht
219 þat thei thus harmeles yoede.
220 Miles 1. þe deuell myght spede you bothe,
221 False wicchis, ar yoe woode?
222 Mulier 2. Nay, false lurdayns, yoe lye.
223 Miles 1. Yf yoe be woode or wrothe
224 Ye schall noyot skape fro skathe;
225 Wende we vs hense in hye.
226 Mulier 1. Allas that we wer wroughte
227 In worlde women to be,
228 þe barne that wee dere bought
229 þus in oure sighte to see
230 Disputuously spill.
231 Mulier 2. And certis, ther nott is noght,
232 The same that thei haue soughte
233 Schall thei neuere come till.
234 Miles 1. Go we to the kyng.
235 Of all this contek kene
236 I schall nott lette for nothyng
237 To saie as we haue sene.
238 Miles 2. And certis, no more shall I;
239 We haue done his bidding
240 How so they wraste or wryng,
241 We schall saie sothfastly.
242 Miles 1. Mahounde oure god of myght,
243 Saue the, sir Herowde the kyng.
244 Consolator 1. Lorde, take kepe to youre knyght,
245 He wille telle yoou nowe tyding
246 Of bordis wher they haue bene.
247 Herod. 3aa, and thei haue gone right
248 And holde that thei vs hight,
249 þan shall solace be sene.
250 Miles 2. Lorde, as yoe demed vs to done
251 In contrees wher we come-
252 Herod. Sir, by sonne and mone,
253 3e are welcome home
254 And worthy to haue rewarde.
255 Haue yoe geten vs this gome?
256 Miles 1. Wher we fande felle or fone
257 Wittenesse we will that ther was none.
258 Miles 2. Lorde, they are dede ilkone,
259 What wolde yoe we ded more?
260 Herod. I aske but aftir oone
261 þe kyngis tolde of before,
262 þat schulde make grete maistrie;
263 Telle vs if he be tane.
264 Miles 1. Lorde, tokenyng hadde we none
265 To knawe that brothell by.
266 Miles 2. In bale we haue tham brought
267 Aboute all Bedleham towne.
268 Herod. 3e lye, yooure note is nought,
269 þe deueles of helle yoou droune.
270 So may that boy be fledde,
271 For in waste haue yoe wroght.
272 Or that same ladde be sought
273 Schalle I neuere byde in bedde.
274 Consolator 1. We will wende with you than,
275 To dynge that dastard doune.
276 Herod. Asarme euere-ilke man
277 That holdis of Mahounde.
278 Wer they a thousand skore
279 This bargayne schall thai banne.
280 Comes aftir as yhe canne,
281 For we will wende before.
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Proper Citation: NeCastro, Gerard. The York Cycle, Play 19 - Massacre of the Innocents. From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. http:www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. Date Visited.