CANDLEMAS-DAY. Kyng Herowd. Above all kynges under the clowdys cristall, Royally I reigne in welthe without woo, Of plesaunt prosperytie I lakke non at all; Fortune I finde, that she is not my foo, I am kyng Herowd, I will it be knowen so, 5 Most strong and myghty in feld for to fyght, And to venquyshe my enemyes that a geynst me do; I am most be dred with my bronde bryght. My grett goddes I gloryfye with gladnesse, And to honoure them I knele up on my knee; 10 For thei have sett me in solas from all sadnesse, That no conqueroure nor knyght is compared to me: All the that rebelle a geyns me ther bane I will be, Or grudge a geyns my godds on hyll or hethe; All suche rebellers I shall make for to flee, 15 And with hard punyshements putt them to dethe. (1) About. 110 Watkyn. Nay, nay, my lord, we wyll let for no man, Though ther come a thousand on a rought;(4) For your knyghts and I will kylle them all, if we can: But for the wyves that is all my dought, And this I promyse you, that I shall never slepe, But evermore wayte to finde the children alone; And if the moder come in, under the bench I will crepe, 120 And lye stille ther tyll she be goon, Than manly I shall come out and hir children sloon, And whan I have don I shall renne fast away; If she founde hir child dede, and toke ine ther alone, Be my feith, I am sure we shuld make a fray. Herowd. Nay, harlott, (7) abyde stylle with my knyghts I warne the, Tyll the children be slayn all the hooll rought; And whan thu comyst home a gayn I shall | With sharpe swerds that redely will byte, 160 All your children within to yeers age in our cruell mood avaunce the, If thu quyte thee like a man whill thu art ought, And if thu pley the coward, I put the owt of dought, 130 Of me thu shalt neyther have fe nor advauntage, Therfor I charge you the contre be well sought, And whan thu comyst home shalt have thi wage. Watkyn. Yis, ser, be my trouthe, ye shall wele knowe Whill I am oute how I shall aquyte me, 135 For I propose to spare neither high nor lowe, If ther be no man wole smyte me: And loke that your knyghts be not ferre 140 Joseph. Most blissed spouse, me list (2) not to feyne, (3) Fayn (4) wold I plese you with hooll affeccion; Behold now, wyff, here are dowys tweyne, 200 Simeon (the bishop). Welcome, lord, excellent of power; And welcome, Maria, with your sone sovereyne: Your oblacion of hooll herte and enteer Poeta, 230 Honorable soverignes, thus we conclude Our matter, that we have shewid here in your presens: And though our eloquens be but rude, Nowe of this pore processe we make an ende, 240 The disputacion of the doctors to shew in your presens. Wherfor now, ye vyrgynes, or we go hens, HENRY MEDWALL. HE ENRY MEDWALL was a composer of Moral Plays in the 16th century. Allegorical beings were generally chosen as personages in these dramas, and the NATURE; A MORAL-PLAY. Mundus and Worldly - affection are represented sitting on the stage 'berynge a gown and cap, and a gyrdyll for Man,' when he enters, accompanied by Nature, Reason, and Innocency. Nature states that God has appointed her his Minister on earth to instruct all creatures, and delivers the following stanza, in assertion of her place and power. (1) Doves. (2) Pleases. (3) Feign. (4) Fain. (5) Perfect. MED WALL. She appoints Reason and Sensuality the guides of Man in the journey of life; but Mundus aiding Sensuality in his seduction, Man dismisses Reason and his companion Innocency to the devyll of hell,' laughing at the latter for being as mute 'as a grey friar.' Pride, attended by his page, soon supplies their place; and wrapt up in admiration of himself, he does not on his first entrance observe Man and Wote ye not how great a lord I am, Myne auncestors great estatys? I love yt well to have syde (2) here As any pyrled gold. Pride introduces himself to Man, and whispers Sensuality, that all may hear,' to use his influence in ingratiating him with Man: "I understand that this gentylman is borne to great fortunes, and intendeth to inhabyt there in the contray; and I am a gentylman that al way hath be brought up with great estatys, and affied with them; and yf I myght be in like favour wyth thys gentylman, I wold be glad therof, and do you a pleasure.' Man, at the recommendation of Sensuality, agrees that Pride shall attend upon him; and while Man is gone out with Sensuality to a tavern, Pride and Worldly-affection talk upon the fitness of changing Man's apparel. Pride thus describes the dress he shall wear: (1) Livelihood. (2) Long. (3) Foot. Syr, our mayster shall have a gown, Shall on the fassion wonder: Than a doublet of the new make, To kepe the carcas warm. Than shall his hosen be stryped, And fro the kne downward, Hys hosen shalbe freschely gard (3) And whan he is in suche aray, Ye shall se these foles on hym gase. After a quarrel between Man and Reason, the hero of the piece falls into the fellowship of the seven deadly sins, who take feigned names in order to delude him. Ere long man discovers that he has been imposed upon, repents that he has driven away Reason, and leaving Worldly-affection, seeks Shamefacedness. At the end of the play Reason is reconciled to Man, and again takes him under her guidance. It closes with these lines: And for thys season Thys audyence, as god defend Ye shall understand, neverthelesse cesse To shew yt unto you, after our guyse, (1) Gallants. (2) Slashed. (3) Trimmed. (4) Knight. (6) wonder. (5) Courtier. |