From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama
The York Cycle, Play 20 - Christ with the Doctors in the Temple
Sporiors and Lorimers
001 Joseph. Marie, of mirthis we may vs mene,
002 And trewly telle betwixte vs twoo
003 Of solempne sightis that we haue sene
004 In that citéwhere we come froo.
005 Mary. Sertis, Joseph, yoe will noyot wene
006 What myrthis within my harte I maie,
007 Sen that oure sone with vs has bene
008 And sene ther solempne sightis alswae.
009 Joseph. Hamward I rede we hye
010 In all the myght we maye,
011 Because of company
012 þat will wende in oure waye,
013 For gode felawshippe haue we fone
014 And ay so forward schall we fynde.
015 Mary. A, sir, where is oure semely sone?
016 I trowe oure wittis be waste as wynde.
017 Allas, in bale thus am I boone,
018 What ayleth vs both to be so blynde?
019 To go ouere-fast we haue begonne
020 And late that louely leue behynde.
021 Joseph. Marie, mende thy chere,
022 For certis whan all is done
023 He comes with folke in feere,
024 And will oueretake vs sone.
025 Mary. Oueretake vs sone sir? Certis nay,
026 Such gabbyngis may me noyot begyle,
027 For we haue trauelde all this day
028 Fro Jerusalem many a myle.
029 Joseph. I wende he hadde bene with vs aye,
030 Awaye fro vs how schulde he wyle?
031 Mary. Hit helpis nought such sawes to saie,
032 My barne is lost, allas the whille,
033 þat euere we wente theroute
034 With hym in companye.
035 We lokid ouere-late aboute,
036 Full wooe is me forthy,
037 For he is wente som wayes wrang,
038 And non is worthy to wyte but wee.
039 Joseph. Agaynewarde rede I that we gang
040 The right way to that same citee,
041 To spire and spie all men emang,
042 For hardely homward gone is he.
043 Mary. Of sorowes sere schal be my sang,
044 My semely sone tille I hym see,
045 He is but xij yoere alde.
046 Joseph. What way someuere he wendis
047 Woman, we may be balde
048 To fynde hym with oure frendis.
049 Magister 1. Maistirs, takes to me intente,
050 And rede youre resouns right on rawe,
051 And all the pepull in this present,
052 Euere-ilke man late see his sawe.
053 But witte I wolde, or we hens wente,
054 Be clargy clere if we couthe knawe
055 Yf any lede that liffe has lente
056 Wolde aught allegge agaynste oure lawe,
057 Owthir in more or lesse.
058 Yf we defaute myght feele,
059 Dewly we schall gar dresse
060 Be dome euery-ilk a dele.
061 Magister 2. þat was wele saide, so mot I the,
062 Swilke notis to neven methynke wer nede,
063 For maistirs in this lande ar we
064 And has the lawes lelly to lede,
065 And doctoures also in oure degree
066 þat demyng has of ilka dede.
067 Laye fourthe oure bokes belyue, late see,
068 What mater moste were for oure mede.
069 Magister 3. We schall ordayne so wele,
070 Sen we all clergy knawe,
071 Defaute shall no man fele
072 Nowdir in dede ne sawe.
073 Jesus. Lordingis, loue be with yoou lentte
074 And mirthis be vnto this mené
075 Magister 1. Sone, hense away I wolde thou wente,
076 For othir haftis in hande haue we.
077 Magister 2. Sone, whoso the hedir sente,
078 They were nouyot wise, that warne I the,
079 For we haue othir tales to tente
080 þan nowe with barnes bordand to be.
081 Magister 3. Sone, yf the list ought to lere
082 To lyve by Moyses laye,
083 Come hedir and thou shalle here
084 þe sawes that we shall saye,
085 For in som mynde itt may the brynge,
086 To here oure reasouns redde by rawes.
087 Jesus. To lerne of you nedis me nothing,
088 For I knawe both youre dedys and sawes.
089 Magister 1. Nowe herken yoone barne with his bowrdyng,
090 He wenes he kens more than we knawes.
091 We, nay, certis sone, thou arte ouere-yoonge
092 By clergy yoitt to knowe oure lawes.
093 Jesus. I wote als wele as yhe
094 Howe that youre lawes wer wrought.
095 Magister 2. Cum sitte, sone schall we see,
096 For certis so semys it noght.
097 Itt wer wondir that any wight
098 Vntill oure reasouns right schulde reche.
099 And thou sais thou hast insight
100 Oure lawes truly to telle and teche?
101 Jesus. The holy gost has on me light
102 And has anoynted me as a leche,
103 And geven me pleyne poure and myght
104 The kyngdom of heuene for to preche.
105 Magister 1. Whens-euere this barne may be
106 That shewes ther novellis nowe?
107 Jesus. Certis,I was or yoe,
108 And schall be aftir yoou.
109 Magister 1. Sone, of thy sawes, als haue I cele,
110 And of thy witte is wondir thyng,
111 But neuere the lesse fully I feele
112 Itt may falle wele in wirkyng.
113 For Dauid demys of ilka dele,
114 And sais thus of childir yoing:
115 Of ther mouthes, he wate full wele,
116 Oure lord has parformed loving.
117 But yoitt sone, schulde thou lette
118 Here for to speke ouere-large,
119 For where maistirs are mette
120 Childre wordis are noyot to charge,
121 And if thou wolde neuere so fayne,
122 Yf all the liste to lere the lawe,
123 þou arte nowthir of myght ne mayne
124 To kenne it as a clerke may knawe.
125 Jesus. Sirs, I saie yoou for sartayne
126 That suthfast schal be all my sawe,
127 And poure haue playnere and playne
128 To say and aunswer as me awe.
129 Doctor 1. Maistirs, what may this mene?
130 Meruayle methynke haue I,
131 Whens-euere this barne haue bene
132 That carpis thus connandly?
133 Doctor 2. Als wyde in worlde als we haue wente
134 3itt fande we neuere swilke ferly fare,
135 For certis I trowe this barne be sente
136 Full souerandly to salue oure sare.
137 Jesus. Sirs, I schall proue in youre present
138 Alle the sawes that I saide are.
139 Doctor 3. Why, whilke callest thou the firste comaundement,
140 And the moste in Moyses lare?
141 Jesus. Sirs, sen yoe are sette on rowes
142 And has youre bokes on brede,
143 Late se sirs, in youre sawes,
144 Howe right that yoe can rede.
145 Doctor 1. I rede this is the firste bidding
146 þat Moyses taught vs here vntill:
147 To honnoure God ouere all thing
148 With all thy witte and all thi will,
149 And all thyn harte in hym schall hyng,
150 Erlye and late, both lowde and still.
151 Jesus. 3e nedis non othir bokes to bring,
152 But fandis this for to fulfill.
153 The secounde may men preve
154 And clerly knawe, wherby
155 3oure neghbours shall yoe loue
156 Als youreselffe, sekirly.
157 This comaunded Moyses to all men
158 In his x comaundementis clere,
159 In ther ij biddingis, schall we kene,
160 Hyngis all the lawe that we shall lere.
161 Whoso ther two fulfilles then
162 With mayne and myght in goode manere,
163 He trulye fulfillis all the ten
164 þat aftir folowes in feere.
165 þan schulde we God honnoure
166 With all oure myght and mayne,
167 And loue wele ilke a neghboure
168 Right as oureselfe, certayne.
169 Doctor 1. Nowe sone, sen thou haste tolde vs two,
170 Whilke ar the viij, can thou ought saye?
171 Jesus. The iij biddis whareso yoe goo
172 þat yoe schall halowe the halyday;
173 Than is the fourthe for frende or foo
174 That fadir and modir honnoure ay.
175 The vte you biddis noght for to sloo
176 No man nor woman by any way.
177 The vjte, suthly to see,
178 Comaundis both more and myne
179 That thei schalle fande to flee
180 All filthes of flesshely synne.
181 The vijte forbedis you to stele
182 3oure neghboures goodes, more or lesse,
183 Whilke fautez nowe are founden fele
184 Emang ther folke, that ferly is.
185 The viijte lernes yoou for to be lele,
186 Here for to bere no false witnesse.
187 3oure neghbours house, whillis yoe haue hele,
188 The ixte biddis take noyot be stresse.
189 His wiffe nor his women
190 The xte biddis noyot coveyte.
191 Thez are the biddingis x,
192 Whoso will lelly layte.
193 Doctor 2. Behalde howe he alleggis oure layse,
194 And lered neuere on boke to rede;
195 Full subtill sawes methinketh he saies,
196 And also trewe, yf we take hede.
197 Doctor 3. 3a, late hym wende fourth on his wayes,
198 For and he dwelle, withouten drede,
199 The pepull schall full sone hym prayse
200 Wele more than vs for all oure dede.
201 Doctor 1. Nay, nay, than wer we wrang,
202 Such speking wille we spare.
203 Als he come late hym gang,
204 And move vs nowe no more.
205 Mary. A, dere Joseph, what is youre rede?
206 Of oure grete bale no bote may be,
207 Myne harte is heuy as any lede
208 My semely sone tille hym I see.
209 Nowe haue we sought in ilke a stede
210 Bothe vppe and doune ther dayes thre,
211 And whedir that he be quyk or dede
212 3itt wote we noght, so wo is me.
213 Joseph. Mysese had neuere man more,
214 But mournyng may not mende;
215 I rede forther we fare
216 Till God som socoure sende.
217 Aboute yoone tempill if he be ought
218 I wolde we wiste this ilke nyght.
219 Mary. A, sir, I see that we haue sought,
220 In worlde was neuere so semely a sight.
221 Lo where he sittis, se yoe hym noght
222 Emong yoone maistiris mekill of myght?
223 Joseph. Now blist be he vs hedir brought,
224 For in lande was neuere non so light.
225 Mary. A, dere Joseph, als we haue cele,
226 Go furthe and fette youre sone and myne.
227 This daye is done nere ilke a dele
228 And we haue nede for to gang hyne.
229 Joseph. With men of myght can I not mell,
230 Than all my trauayle mon I tyne;
231 I can noyot with them, this wate thou wele,
232 They are so gay in furres fyne.
233 Mary. To tham youre herand for to say
234 Suthly yoe thar noyot drede no dele,
235 They will take rewarde to you allway
236 Because of elde, this wate yoe wele.
237 Joseph. When I come there what schall I saye?
238 I wate neuere, als haue I cele.
239 Sertis Marie, thou will haue me schamed for ay,
240 For I can nowthir croke nor knele.
241 Mary. Go we togedir, I halde it beste,
242 Vnto yoone worthy wysse in wede;
243 And yf I see-als haue I reste-
244 þat yoe will noyot than bus me nede.
245 Joseph. Gange on Marie, and telle thy tale firste,
246 Thy sone to the will take goode heede.
247 Wende fourth Marie, and do thy beste,
248 I come behynde, als God me spede.
249 Mary. A, dere son Jesus,
250 Sen we loue the allone,
251 Why dosse thou thus till vs
252 And gares vs make swilke mone?
253 Thy fadir and I betwyxte vs twa,
254 Son, for thy loue has likid ill.
255 We haue the sought both to and froo,
256 Wepand full sore as wightis will.
257 Jesus. Wherto shulde yoe seke me soo?
258 Ofte tymes it hase ben tolde you till,
259 My fadir werkis, for wele or woo,
260 Thus am I sente for to fulfyll.
261 Mary. There sawes, als haue I cele,
262 Can I noyot vndirstande.
263 I schall thynke on tham wele
264 To fonde what is folowand.
265 Joseph. Now sothely sone, the sight of the
266 Hath salued vs of all oure sore.
267 Come furth sone, with thi modir and me,
268 Att Nazareth I wolde we wore.
269 Jesus. Beleves wele, lordis free,
270 For with my frendis nowe will I fare.
271 Doctor 1. Nowe sone, wher thou schall bide or be,
272 Gode make the gode man euermore.
273 No wondir if yoone wiffe
274 Of his fynding be full fayne,
275 He schall, and he haue liff,
276 Proue till a praty swayne.
277 But sone, loke that thou layne for gud or ill
278 þe note that we haue nemed her nowe,
279 And if it like the to lende her stille
280 And wonne with vs, welcome art thowe.
281 Jesus. Graunte mercy sirs, of youre gode will,
282 No lenger liste me lende with yoou,
283 My frendis thoughtis I wol fulfille
284 And to ther bidding baynely bowe.
285 Mary. Full wele is vs this tyde,
286 Nowe maye we make goode chere.
287 Joseph. No lenger will we bide,
288 Fares wele all folke in feere.
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Proper Citation: NeCastro, Gerard. The York Cycle, Play 20 - Christ with the Doctors in the Temple. From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. http:www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. Date Visited.