A Select Collection of Old English Plays Volume I Part 53

I can with my scourge-stick My fellow upon the head hit, And lightly[196] from him make a skip, And blear on him my tongue.

If brother or sister do me chide, I will scratch and also bite: I can cry, and also kick, And mock them all berew.[197]

If father or mother will me smite, I will ring with my lip, And lightly from him make a skip, And call my dame shrew.

Aha, a new game have I found: See this gin, it renneth round!

And here another have I found, And yet mo can I find.

I can mow[198] on a man, And make a lesing[199] well I can, And maintain it right well then.

This cunning came me of kind, Yea, sirs, I can well geld a snail, And catch a cow by the tail: This is a fair cunning, I can dance and also skip, I can play at the cherry-pit,[200]

And I can whistle you a fit,[201]

Sires, in a willow rine: Yea, sirs, and every day, When I to school shall take the way Some good man's garden I will essay, Pears and plums to pluck.

I can spy a sparrow's nest, I will not go to school but when me lest,[202]

For there beginneth a sorry feast, When the master should lift my dock.

But, sirs, when I was seven year of age, I was sent to the world to take wage,[203]

And this seven year I have been his page, And kept his commandment.

Now I will wend to the world the worthy emperor.

Hail! Lord of great honour, This seven year I have served you in hall and in bow'r With all my true intent.[204]

MUNDUS. Now welcome, Wanton, my darling dear.

A new name I shall give thee here: Love-l.u.s.t, Liking, in fere; These thy names they shall be, All game and glee, and gladness, All love-longing in lewdness.

This seven year forsake all sadness, And then come again to me.

l.u.s.t AND LIKING. Ha, ha, now l.u.s.t and Liking is my name.

I am as fresh as flowers in May, I am seemly-shapen in same, And proudly apparelled in garments gay: My looks been full lovely to a lady's eye, And in love-longing my heart is sore set: Might I find a fode[205] that were fair and free, To lie in h.e.l.l till doomsday for love I would not let.

My love for to win All game and glee, All mirth and melody, All revel and riot, And of boast will I never blin.

But, sirs, now I am nineteen winter old, I-wis, I wax wonder bold: Now I will go to the world A higher science to a.s.say: For the World will me avance, I will keep his governance, His pleasing will I pray, For he is a king in all substance.

All hail! master, full of might, I have you served both day and night: Now I comen, as I you benight.[206]

One and twenty winter is comen and gone.

MUNDUS. Now welcome, Love-l.u.s.t and Liking, For thou hast been obedient to my bidding.

I increase thee in all thing, And mightly[207] I make thee a man: Manhood Mighty shall be thy name.

Bear thee prest[208] in every game, And wait[209] well that thou suffer no shame, Neither for land nor for rent: If any man would wait thee with blame, Withstand him with thy whole intent, Full sharply thou beat him to shame With doughtiness of deed: For of one thing, Manhood, I warn thee, I am most of bounty, For seven kings sewen[210] me Both by day and night.

One of them is the king of pride, The king of envy doughty in deed, The king of wrath that boldly will abide, For mickle is his might: The king of covetise is the fourth: The fifth king he hight sloth, The king of gluttony hath no jollity, There[21l] poverty is pight:[212]

Lechery is the seventh king, All men in him have great delighting, Therefore worship him above all thing, Manhood, with all thy might.

MANHOOD. Yea, sir king, without lesing It shall be wrought.[213]

Had I knowing of the first king, without lesing Well joyen I mought.

MUNDUS. The first king hight pride.

MANHOOD. Ah, Lord, with him fain would I bide.

MUNDUS. Yea, but wouldst thou serve him truly in every tide?[214]

MANHOOD. Yea, sir, and thereto my troth I plight: That I shall truly pride present I swear by Saint Thomas of Kent.[215]

To serve him truly is mine intent, With main and all my might.

MUNDUS. Now, Manhood, I will array thee new In robes royal of right[216] good hue, And I pray thee princ.i.p.ally be true, And here I dub thee a knight, And haunt alway to chivalry.

I give thee grace and also beauty: Gold and silver great plenty, Of the wrong to make thee right.

MANHOOD. Gramercy, World and Emperor, Gramercy, World and Governor, Gramercy, comfort in all colour, And now I take my leave. Farewell!

MUNDUS. Farewell, Manhood, my gentle knight: Farewell, my son, seemly in sight.

I give thee a sword, and also strength and might In battle boldly to bear thee well.

MANHOOD. Now I am dubbed a knight bend,[217]

Wonder wide shall wax my fame: To seek adventures now will I wend, To please the world in glee and game.

MUNDUS. Lo, sirs, I am a prince perilous y-proved, I-proved full perilous and pithily y-pight: As a lord in each land I am beloved, Mine eyen do shine as lantern bright.

I am a creature comely out of care, Emperors and kings they kneel to my knee: Every man is afeard, when I do on him stare, For all merry middle earth maketh mention of me.

Yet all is at my hand-work, both by down and by dale, Both the sea and the land, and the fowls that fly: And I were once moved, I tell you in tale, There durst no[218] star stir that standeth in the sky, For I am Lord and leader, so that in land All boweth to my bidding bonnerly about.

Who that stirreth with any strife or waiteth me with wrong, I shall mightly make him to stammer and stoop: For I am richest in mine array, I have knights and towers, I have brightest[219] ladies in bowers.

Now will I fare on these flowers: Lordings, have good day.

MANHOOD. Peace, now peace, ye fellows all about: Peace now, and harken to my saws, For I am Lord both stalworthy and stout, All lands are led by my laws.

Baron was there never born that so well him bare, A better ne a bolde[r] nor a brighter of ble,[220]

For I have might and main over countries far, And Manhood Mighty am I named in every country.

For Salerno and Samers,[221] and Andaluse:[222]

Calais, Kent, and Cornwall have I conquered clean, Picardy and Pontoise, and gentle Artois, Florence, Flanders, and France, and also Gascoigne.

All I have conquered as a knight: There is no emperor so keen, That dare me lightly tene,[223]

For lives and limbs I lene, So mickle is my might.

For I have boldly blood full piteously dispilled: There many hath left fingers and feet, both head and face.

I have done harm on heads, and knights have I killed; And many a lady for my love hath said alas.

Brigand harness[224] I have beaten to back and to bones, And beaten also many a groom[225] to ground: Breastplates I have beaten, as Stephen was with stones, So fell a fighter in a field was there never y-found.

To me no man is maked,[226]

For Manhood Mighty that is my name.

Many a lord have I do lame:[227]

Wonder wide walketh my fame, And many a king's crown have I cracked.

I am worthy and wight, witty and wise: I am royal arrayed to reven under the ris,[228]

I am proudly apparelled in purpur and bis, As gold I glister in gear: I am stiff, strong, stalwart, and stout, I am the royallest readily that renneth in this rout, There is no knight so grisly that I dread nor doubt, For I am so doughtly dight there may no dint me dere, And the king of pride full prest with all his proud presence, And the king of lechery lovely his letters hath me sent, And the king of wrath full wordily with all his intent, They will me maintain with main and all their might: The king of covetise, and the king of gluttony, The king of sloth, and the king of envy, All those send me their livery.

Where is now so worthy a wight?

Yea, as a wight witty, Here in this seat sit I, For no loves let I Here for to sit.

CONSCIENCE. Christ, as he is crowned king, Save all this comely company, And grant you all his dear blessing, That bonnerly bought you on the rood-tree.

Now pray you prestly on every side To G.o.d omnipotent, To set our enemy sharply on side, That is the devil and his covent: And all men to have a clear knowing Of heaven bliss, that high tower, Methink it is a nessary[229] thing For young and old, both rich and poor, Poor Conscience for to know, For Conscience clear it is my name.

Conscience counselleth both high and low, And Conscience commonly beareth great blame, Yea, and oftentimes set in shame: Wherefore I reed you men, both in earnest and in game, Conscience that ye know, For I know all the mysteries of man.

They be as simple as they can, And in every company where I come Conscience is out-cast: All the world doth Conscience hate, Mankind and Conscience been at debate, For if mankind might Conscience take My body would they brast: Brast, yea, and wark me much woe.

MANHOOD. Say how, fellow, who gave thee leave this way to go?

What! weenest thou I dare not come thee to?

Say, thou harlot,[230] whither in haste?

CONSCIENCE. What! let me go, sir; I know you nought.

MANHOOD. No, b.i.t.c.hed brothel, thou shalt be taught, For I am a knight, and I were sought; The world hath avanced me.

CONSCIENCE. Why, good sir knight, what is your name?

MANHOOD. Manhood, mighty in mirth and in game, All power of pride have I tane:[231]

I am as gentle as jay on tree.

CONSCIENCE. Sir, though the world have you to manhood brought, To maintain manner ye were never taught; No, Conscience clear, ye know right nought, And this longeth[232] to a knight.