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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.

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(1) About.

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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 if I se ony walkyng a bought,
I will take good hede tyll the be goon, 115
And assone (5) as I aspye that she is oute,
By my feit (6) into the hous I will go anon.

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;

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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:
The most I fere the wyves will bete me,
Yitt shall I take good hert to me and loke
wele abought,

And loke that your knyghts be not ferre
fro me,
Fer if I be alone I may sone gete a flought. (1)

140

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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
Of wiche ye shall make an oblacion,
With our child of full grett devocion:
Goth forth a forn, hertly I you pray,
And I shall folue, void of presumpcion,
With true entent as an old man may. 205

Simeon (the bishop). Welcome, lord, excellent of power;

And welcome, Maria, with your sone sovereyne:

Your oblacion of hooll herte and enteer
I receyve, with these dowys tweyne;
Welcome, babe; for joye what may I seyn?
Atwen myn armys now shall I thee embrace:
My prayer, Lord, was not made in veyn,
For now I se thy celestiall face.
(Here declare Nunc dimittis.)

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Poeta,

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Honorable soverignes, thus we conclude Our matter, that we have shewid here in your presens:

And though our eloquens be but rude,
We beseeche you all of your paciens,
To pardon us of our offens;
For aft the sympyll cunnyng that we can, 235
This matter we have shewid to your audiens,
In the worship of our Lady and his moder
seynt Anne.

Nowe of this pore processe we make an ende,
Thankyng you all of your good attendaunce;
And the next yeer, as we be perposid in
our mynde,

240

The disputacion of the doctors to shew in your presens.

Wherfor now, ye vyrgynes, or we go hens,
With all your cumpany you goodly avaunce:
Also ye menstralles doth your diligens,
A fore our depertyng geve us a daunce. 245

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.

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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
says:

Wote ye not how great a lord I am,
I cam?
Of how noble progeny
My fader a knyght, my moder callyd ma-
dame;

Myne auncestors great estatys?
And now the lyvelod (1) ys to me fall
By both theyre dethes naturall:
I am spoken of more than they all
Hens to Parys gatys......

I love yt well to have syde (2) here
Halfe a wote (3) byneth myne ere;
For ever more I stand in fere,
That myne nek shold take cold.
I knyt yt up all the nyght,
And the day tyme kemb yt down ryght,
And then it cryspeth and shyneth as
bryght

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,
That all the galandys (1) in thys town

Shall on the fassion wonder:
It shall not be sowed, but wyth a lace
Bytwixt every seme a space
Of two handfull a sonder.

Than a doublet of the new make,
Close byfore and open on the bak:
No sleve upon hys arme,
Under that a shyrt as soft as sylk,
And as whyte as any mylk,

To kepe the carcas warm.

Than shall his hosen be stryped,
Wyth corselettys of fyne velvet slyped (2)
Down to the hard kne;

And fro the kne downward,

Hys hosen shalbe freschely gard (3)
Wyth colours ij or thre

And whan he is in suche aray,
There goth a rutter (4) men wyll say,
A rutter, huf, (5) a galand.

Ye shall se these foles on hym gase.
And muse as yt were on a mase (6)
New brought into the land.

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
Here we make an end,
Lest we shuld offend

Thys audyence, as god defend
It were not to be don.

Ye shall understand, neverthelesse
That there ys myche more of thys pro-
Wherein we shall do our besynes,
And our true endevure

cesse

To shew yt unto you, after our guyse,
Whan my lord shall so devyse;
It shal be at hys pleasure.

(1) Gallants. (2) Slashed. (3) Trimmed. (4) Knight. (6) wonder. (5) Courtier.

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