Fifteenth Century Prose and Verse Part 38

Hail, maintainer of courtesy through all this world wide!

Hail, the most mightiest that ever bestrode a steed!

Hail, most manfullest man in armour man to abide!

Hail in thine honour!

These three kings that forth were sent, And should have come again before thee here present, Another way, lord, home they went, Contrary to thine honour.

HEROD. Another way! Out! out! out!

Hath those false traitors done me this deed?

I stamp! I stare! I look all about!

Might I them take I should them burn at a gleed!

I rend! I raw! and now run I wood!

Ah! that these villain traitors hath marred this my mood!

They shall be hanged if I may come them to!

_Here Herod rages in the pageant and in the street also._

Eh! and that kerne of Bethlehem, he shall be dead, And thus shall I fordo his prophecy.

How say you, sir Knights? is not this the best rede, That all young children for this should be dead, With sword to be slain?

Then shall I Herod live in lede And all folk me doubt and drede, And offer to me both gold, riches and meed; Thereto will they be full fain.

FIRST MILES. My lord king, Herod by name, Thy words against my will shall be; To see so many young children die is shame, Therefore counsel thereto gettest thou none of me.

SECOND MILES. Well said, fellow, my truth I plight.

Sir King, perceive right well you may, So great a murder to see of young fruit Will make a rising in thine own country.

HEROD. A rising? Out! out! out!

[_There Herod rages again and then saith thus:_]

Out! villain wretches, haro upon you I cry!

My will utterly look that it be wrought, Or upon a gallows both you shall die, By Mahound most mightiest, that me dear hath bought.

FIRST MILES. Now, cruel Herod, sith we shall do this deed, Your will needfully in this realm must be wrought; All the children of that age die they must need; Now with all my might they shall be upsought.

SECOND MILES. And I will swear here upon your bright swerd, All the children that I find, slain they shall be; That make many a mother to weep and be full sore aferd, In our armour bright when they us see.

HEROD. Now you have sworn, forth that ye go, And my will that ye work both by day and night, And then will I for fain trip like a doe; But when they be dead I warn you bring them before my sight.

[HEROD _and his train go away, and_ JOSEPH _and_ MARY _are, while asleep, addressed by an_ ANGEL.]

ANGEL. Mary and Joseph, to you, I say, Sweet word from the Father I bring you full right; Out of Bethlehem into Egypt forth go ye the way, And with you take the King, full of might, For dread of Herod's rede!

JOSEPH. Arise up, Mary, hastily and soon; Our Lord's will needs must be done, Like as the angel us bade.

MARY. Meekly, Joseph, mine own spouse, Toward that country let us repair; At Egypt to some kind of house, G.o.d grant us His grace safe to come there!

_Here the women come in with their children, singing them; and_ MARY _and_ JOSEPH _go away clean._

FIRST WOMAN. I lull my child, wondrously sweet, And in mine arms I do it keep, Because that it should not cry.

SECOND WOMAN. That Babe that is born in Bethlehem, so meek, He save my child and me from villainy!

THIRD WOMAN. Be still, be still, my little child!

That Lord of lords save both thee and me!

For Herod hath sworn with wordes wild That all young children slain they shall be.

FIRST MILES. Say ye, whither, wives, whither are ye away?

What bear you in your arms needs must we see.

If they be man-children, die they must this day, For at Herod's will all thing must be.

SECOND MILES. And I in hands once them hent, Them for to slay nought will I spare; We must fulfil Herod's commandement, Else be we as traitors and cast all in care.

FIRST WOMAN. Sir knights, of your courtesy, This day shame not your chivalry, But on my child have pity For my sake in this stead; For a simple slaughter it were to slo Or to work such a child woe, That can neither speak nor go, Nor never harm did.

SECOND WOMAN. He that slays my child in sight, If that my strokes on him may light, Be he squire or knight, I hold him but lost.

See, thou false losenger, A stroke shalt thou bear me here, And spare for no cost.

THIRD WOMAN. Sit he never so high in saddle, But I shall make his brains addle, And here with my pot-ladle With him will I fight.

I shall lay on him as though I wood were, With this same womanly gear; There shall no man steer, Whether that he be king or knight.

FIRST MILES. Who heard ever such a cry Of women that their children have lost?

And greatly rebuking chivalry Throughout this realm in every coast, Which many a man's life is like to cost; For this great wreak that here is done I fear much vengeance thereof will come.

SECOND MILES. Eh! brother, such tales may we not tell; Wherefore to the king let us go, For he is like to bear the peril, Which was the causer that we did so.

Yet must they all be brought him to, With wains and waggons fully freight; I trow there will be a careful sight.

[_They go to_ HEROD.]

FIRST MILES. Lo! Herod, King, here mayest thou see How many thousands that we have slain.

SECOND MILES. And needs thy will fulfilled must be; There may no man say there-again.

[_Enter_ NUNTIUS.]

NUNTIUS. Herod, King, I shall thee tell All thy deeds is come to nought; This child is gone into Egypt to dwell.

Lo! sir, in thine own land what wonders ben wrought!

HEROD. Into Egypt? alas for woe!

Longer in land here I cannot abide; Saddle my palfrey, for in haste will I go, After yonder traitors now will I ride, Them for to slo.

Now all men hie fast Into Egypt in haste!

All that country will I taste Till I may come them to.

_Finis ludi de tailors and shearmen._

This matter newly corrected by Robert Croo, the 14th day of March, finished in the year of our Lord G.o.d 1534, then being mayor Master Palmer; also Masters of the said Fellowship, Hugh Corbett, Randal Pinkard, and John Baggeley.

These songs belong to the Tailors' and Shearmen's Pageant. The first and the last the shepherds sing, and the second or middlemost the women sing.

Thomas Mawdycke, die decimo tertio Maii, anno domini millesimo quingentesimo nonagesimo primo. Praetor fuit civitatis Conventriae D.

Matthaeus Richardson, tunc consules Johannis Whitehead et Thomas Cravener.

SONG 1.

As I out rode this enderes night, Of three jolly shepherds I saw a sight, And all about their fold a star shone bright; They sang terli, terlow; So merrily the shepherds their pipes can blow.