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النشر الإلكتروني

Payis, seneoris, schevaleris de nooble posance !1

Pays, gentis homos,2 companeonys petis egrance! 8

Je vos command dugard treytus sylance.

Payis, tanque vottur nooble Roie syre ese presance! 5 479 commands Que nollis persone ese nou fawis perwynt dedffer

ance,

9

Nese harde de frappas; mayis gardus to to 10

paceance,

13

Mayis gardus 11 voter seneor to cor 12 reyuerance; (98)
Car elat vottur Roie to to puysance.
Anoñ de leo,14 pase tos! je vose cummande,
E lay Roie erott la grandeaboly vos vmport.15

ERODE. Qui statis 16 in Jude et Rex Iseraell,
And the myghttyst conquero wre 17 that eyuer
walkid on grownd; 17

For I am evyn he thatt made bothe hevin and hell,
And of my myghte powar holdith vp this world
rownd.

Magog and Madroke, bothe the[m]18 did I con-
fownde,

And with this bryght bronde there bonis I brak on

sunder,

485

Thatt all the wyde worlde on those rappis did wonder. 492

pretty lively oral discussion of the most perplexing of the difficulties, and as I unfortunately neglected to take any notes at the time, I find myself unable, except in one or two cases, to remember to which of the two each suggestion belongs. Of course they are not responsible for any mistakes that may appear here. I have printed the text with no change except in punctuation." All of the notes upon this passage are taken directly from M.

1 puissance.

2 The second o is probably only a careless form of e.

3 et grands. 4 de garder trestous.

5 roi seit ici present. 6 nulle.

7 Kittredge: ici non fasse point.

9 frapper. 10 gardez tote.

8 Ne se.

11 A preposition before the indirect object seems unnecessary.

12 tote.

13 Sheldon: Car il est votre roi tout puissant.

14 A (au) nom de lui (Sheldon suggests loi instead of lui).

15 Sheldon suggests that the line properly ends with grand (modifying Erott and rhyming with 484),-diable vos emporte! being merely an unattached pleasantry addressed to the audience.

16 Qui statis is in red in S.

17-17 M. that.. ground.

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C. C. PLAYS.

18 So M.

everybody to be silent,

patient and reverential in presence of King Herod.

Herod made heaven and

hell,

defeated Magog and Madroke,

the cause of light and thunder

and earthquakes;

he is prince of purgatory and captain of hell,

and could

annihilate his enemies by batting his

eye.

To look at him is better

than meat or drink.

I am the cawse of this grett lyght and thunder;
Ytt ys throgh my fure that the soche noyse dothe
make.

My feyrefull contenance the clowdis so doth incumbur
That oftymis for drede ther-of the verre yerth
doth quake.

Loke, when I with males this bryght brond doth
schake,

All the whole world from the north to the sowthe
I ma them dystroie with won worde of my mowthe! 499

To reycownt vnto you myn innevmerabull substance,—

Thatt were to moche for any tong to tell;
For all the whole Orent ys under myn obbeydeance,
And prynce am I of purgatorre and cheff capten
of hell;

And those tyraneos trayturs be force ma I compell
Myne eñmyis to vanquese and evyn to dust them

dryve,

And with a twynke of myn iee not won to be lafte

alyve.

Behold my contenance and my colur,

Bryghtur then the sun in the meddis of the dey.

Where can you haue a more grettur succur

Then to behold my person that ys soo gaye?
My fawcun and my fassion, with my gorgis araye,—
He thatt had the grace all-wey ther-on to thynke,
Lyve the myght all-wey with-owt othur meyte or

drynke.

And thys my tryomfande fame most hylist dothe a

bownde

Throgh-owt this world in all reygeons abrod,

He resembles Reysemelyng the fauer of thatt most myght Mahownd;
From Jubytor be desent and cosyn to the grett

Mahomet, is

descended

from Jupiter and is a

cousin to the Deity.

God,

(99)

And namyd the most reydowndid kyng2 Eyrodde,
Wyche thatt all pryncis hath under subjeccion
And all there whole powar vndur my proteccion.
2 M. king.

M. emends to he. Cp. ll. 685-8.

506

513

520

And therefore, my hareode here, callid Calcas,
Warne thow eyuere porte thatt noo schyppis
a-ryve,

Nor also aleond stranger throg my realme pas,
But the for there truage do pay markis fyve.
Now spede the forth hastele,

For the thatt wyll the contrare

Apon a galowse hangid schalbe,

And, be Mahownde, of me the gett noo grace!

NONCIOS.

Now, lord and mastur, in all the hast
Thy worethe wyll ytt schall be wroght,

And thy ryall cuntreyis schalbe past

In asse schort tyme ase can be thoght.

ERODE.

Now schall owre regeons throgh-owt be soght
In eyuere1 place bothe est and west;

Yff any katyffis to me be broght,

Yt schalbe nothyng for there best.

And the whyle thatt I do resst, Trompettis, viallis, and othur armone Schall bles the wakyng of my maieste.

Here Erod goth awey and the iij kyngis speykyth in the
strete.

I. REX. Now blessid be God of his swet sonde,
For yondur a feyre bryght star I do see!
ys he comon, vs a-monge,

Now

Asse the profet 2 seyd thatt yt schuld be.

A seyd3 there schuld a babe be borne,
Comyng of the rote of Jesse,

To save mankynd that wasse for-lorne;
And truly comen now ys he.

Reyuerence and worschip to hym woll I do

Asse God and man, thatt all made of noght.

All the profettis acordid and seyd evyn soo,

524

His herald
Calchas must

announce a

tax of five marks on foreigners.

528

Calchas will do it.

532

539

543

547

(100)

That with hys presseos blod mankynd schuld be
boght.

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551

A search for aliens ordered,

Matt. ii. 1-12.

The first king sees the star

and remembers the prophecy, Isa. ix. 1.

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Thatt I ma hym worschipe with umellete
And se hys gloreose face.

II. REX. Owt of my wey I deme thatt I am,
For toocuns of thys cuntrey can I non see;
Now, God, thatt on yorth madist man,

Send me sum knoleyge where thatt I be!

sees the star Yondur, me thynke, a feyre, bryght star I see,

of prophecy,

The wyche be-tocunyth the byrth of a chyld

Thatt hedur ys cum to make man fre;

557

561

He borne of a mayde,2 and sche nothyng defyld. 565

To worschip thatt chyld ys myn in-tent;

Forth now wyll I take my wey.

will worship the child.

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III. REX. I ryde wanderyng in veyis wyde,

The third King is also lost,

For the hed of all Whole Churche schall he be. 581

Ouer montens and dalis; I wot not where I am.

Now, Kyng off all kyngis, send me soche gyde
Thatt I myght haue knoleyge of thys cuntreys

name.

1 This and the preceding line as one in S.
S. amayde, corr. by M.

3

Supplied by S.

585

(101)

A! yondur I se a syght, be-semyng all afar,

and also sees the star.

The wyche be-tocuns sum nevis, ase I troo;

Asse me thynke, a chyld peryng in a stare.

I trust he be cum that schall defend vs from woo. 589

And to them woll I ryde1

To kyngis yondur I see,

Forto haue there cumpane;

I trust the wyll me abyde.1

Hayle, cumly kyngis augent ! 2

Good surs, I pray you, whedder ar ye ment?
1. REX. To seke a chylde ys owre in-tent,
Wyche be-tocuns yonder star, asse ye ma see.
To hym I purpose thys present.

II. REX.

III. REX. Surs, I pray you, and thatt ryght
vmblee,

With you thatt I ma ryde in cumpane.

[ALL]

To all-myghte God now prey we

Thatt hys pressiose persone we ma se.

Here Erode cumyth in ageyne and the messengere seyth:

NUNCIOS. Hayle, lorde most off myght!

Thy commandement ys right;

In-to thy land ys comyn this nyght

iij kyngis and with them a grett cumpany. EROD. Whatt make those kyngis in this cuntrey? NONCIOS. To seke a kyng and a chyld, the sey. ERODE. Of whatt age schuld he bee? NONCIOS. Skant twellve deyis old fulle.

EROD. And wasse he soo late borne?

NONCIOS.

593

597

602

606

610

(102)

E! syr, soo the schode me, thys same dey

in the morne.

EROD. Now, in payne of deyth, bryng them me

beforne;

And there-fore, harrode, now hy the in hast,

In all spede thatt thow were dyght

Or thatt those kyngis the cuntrey be past;

Loke thow bryng them all iij before my syght;

1 This and the preceding line as one in S.
2 M. Q. and gent. 3 Suggested by M.

4 M. thou.

614

617

The Kings ineet,

and ride in company.

Herod learns of the kings and their mission.

'Bring them before me on pain of death.

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