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HEROD Powre bewcheris aboute,
Peyne of lyme and lande,
Stente of youre stevenes stoute,
And stille as stone ye stande,
And my carping recorde.
Ye aught to dare and doute,
And lere you lowe to lowte
To me, youre lovely lord.
Ye awe in felde and towne
To bowe at my bidding
With reverence and renoune,
As fallis for swilk a kyng,
The lordlyest on lyve
Who herto is noght bowne,
Be allmighty Mahounde,
To dede I schall him dryve.
So bolde loke no man be,
For to aske helpe ne holde
But of Mahounde and me
That hase this worlde in welde
To mayntayne us emell;
For welle of welthe are we,
And my cheffe helpe is he;
Herto what can ye tell?
I CONSOLATOR Lord, what you likis to do
All folke will be full fayne,
To take entente therto,
And none grucche ther agayne.
That full wele witte shall ye,
And yf thai wolde noght soo,
We shulde sone wirke tham woo.
HERODES Ya, faire sirs, so shulde it bee.
II CONSOLATOR Lorde, the soth to saie,
Fulle wele we undirstande,
Mahounde is god werraye,
And ye ar lorde of ilke a lande.
Therfore so have I seell,
I rede we wayte allway,
What myrthe most mende you may.
HERODES Sertis, ye saie right well.
But I am noyed of newe,
That blithe may I noght be,
For thre kyngis, as ye knowe,
That come thurgh this contré,
And saide thei sought a swayne.
I CONSOLATOR That rewlle I hope tham rewe,
For hadde ther tales ben trewe
They hadde comen this waye agayne.
II CONSOLATOR We harde how thei you hight
Yf they myght fynde that childe,
For to have tolde you right,
But certis thei are begilyd.
Swilke tales ar noght to trowe,
Full wele wotte ilke a wight,
Ther schalle nevere man have myght
Ne maystrie unto you.
I CONSOLATOR Tham shamys so, for certayne,
That they dar mete you no more.
HERODES Wherfore shulde thei be fayne
To make swilke fare before,
To saie a boy was borne
That schulde be moste of mayne?
This gadlyng schall agayne
Yf that the devyll had sworne.
For be well never thei wotte,
Whedir thei wirke wele or wrang,
To frayne garte them thusgate,
To seke that gedlyng gane,
And swilke carping to kith.
II CONSOLATOR Nay, lorde, they lered overe latte
Youre blisse schal nevere abatte,
And therfore, lorde, be blithe.
NUNCIUS Mahounde withouten pere,
My lorde, you save, and see.
HERODES Messenger, come nere,
And, bewcher, wele thee be.
What tydyngis, telles thou, any?
NUNCIUS Ya, lorde, sen I was here,
I have sought sidis seere
And sene merveyllis full many.
HERODES And of mervayles to move,
That wer most myrthe to me.
NUNCIUS Lorde, even as I have seene,
The soth sone schall ye see,
If ye wille, here in hye.
I mette tow townes betwene
Thre kyngis with crounes clene,
Rydand full ryally.
HERODES A, my blys; boy, thou burdis to brode.
NUNCIUS Sir, ther may no botment be.
HERODES Owe, by sonne and mone,
Than tydis us talis tonyght.
Hopes thou thei will come sone
Hedir, as thei have hight,
For to telle me tythande?
NUNCIUS Nay, lorde, that daunce is done.
HERODES Why, whedir are thei gone?
NUNCIUS Ilkone into ther owne lande.
HERODES How sais thou, ladde? Late be.
NUNCIUS I saie, for they are past.
HERODES What, forthe away fro me?
NUNCIUS Ya, lord, in faitht ful faste,
For I herde and toke hede
How that thei wente, all thre,
Into ther awne contré.
HERODES A, dogges, the devell you spede.
NUNCIUS Sir, more of ther menyng
Yitt well I undirstode,
How thei hadde made offering
Unto that frely foode
That nowe of newe is borne.
Thai saie he schulde be kyng,
And welde all erthely thyng.
HERODES Allas, than am I lorne.
Fy on thaym, faytours, fy!
Wille thei begylle me thus?
NUNCIUS Lorde, by ther prophicy
Thei named his name Jesus.
HERODES Fy on thee, ladde, thou lyes.
II CONSOLATOR Hense tyte, but thou thee hye,
With doulle her schall thou dye
That wreyes hym on this wise.
NUNCIUS Ye wyte me all with wrang,
Itt is thus and wele warre.
HERODES Thou lyes! false traytoure strange,
Loke nevere thou negh me nere.
Uppon liffe and lymme
May I that faitour fange,
Full high I schall gar hym hange,
Both thee, harlott, and hym.
NUNCIUS I am nott worthy to wyte,
Bot fareswele, all the heppe.
I CONSOLATOR Go, in the develes dispite,
Or I schall gar thee leppe,
And dere aby this bro.
HERODES Als for sorowe and sighte,
My woo no wighte may wryte.
What devell is best to do?
II CONSOLATOR Lorde, amende youre chere,
And takis no nedles noy,
We schall you lely lere
That ladde for to distroye
Be counsaille if we cane.
HERODES That may ye noght come nere,
For it is past two yere
Sen that this bale begane.
I CONSOLATOR Lorde, therfore have no doute
Yf it were foure or fyve.
Gars gadir in grete rowte
Youre knyghtis kene belyve,
And biddis tham dynge to dede
Alle knave childir kepte in clowte
In Bedlem and all aboute,
To layte in ilke a stede.
II CONSOLATOR Lorde, save none, for youre seell,
That are of two yere age withinne,
Than schall that fandeling felle
Belyve his blisse schall blynne,
With bale when he schall blede.
HERODES Sertis, ye saie right wele
And as ye deme ilke dele,
Shall I garre do indede.
Sir knyghtis, curtayse and hende,
Thow ne nott bees nowe all newe,
Ye schall fynde me youre frende,
And ye this tyme be trewe.
I MILES What saie ye, lorde, lette see.
HERODES To Bedlehem bus ye wende,
That schorwe with schame to schende
That menes to maistir me.
And abowte Bedlehem boght
Bus yowe wele spere and spye,
For ellis it will be wathe
That he losis this Jury.
And certis that were grete schame.
II MILES My lorde, that wer us lathe,
And he escapid it wer skathe,
And we welle worthy blame.
I MILES Full sone he schall be soughte,
That make I myne avowe.
I CONSOLATOR I bide for hym yow loghte,
And latte me telle yowe howe
To werke when ye come there,
Bycause ye kenne hym noght,
To dede they muste be brought,
Knave childre, lesse and more.
HERODES Yaa, all withinne two yere,
That none for speche be spared.
II MILES Lord, howe ye us lere
Full wele we take rewarde,
And certis we schall not rest.
I MILES Comes furth, felowes, in feere,
Loo, fondelyngis fynde we here
. . .
I MULIER Owte on yow theves, I crye!
Ye slee my semely sone.
II MILES Ther browls schall dere abye
This bale that is begonne;
Therfore lay fro thee faste.
II MULIER Allas, for doule I dye.
To save my sone schall I,
Aye whils my liff may last.
I MILES A, dame, the devyll thee spede,
And me, but itt be quytte.
I MULIER To dye I have no drede,
I do thee wele to witte,
To save my sone so dere.
I MILES As armes! for nowe is nede,
But yf we do yone dede,
Ther quenys will quelle us here.
II MULIER Allas, this lothly striffe.
No blisse may be my bette,
The knyght uppon his knyffe
Hath slayne my sone so swette;
And I hadde but hym allone.
I MULIER Allas, I lose my liffe;
Was nevere so wofull a wyffe
Ne halffe so wille of wone.
And certis, me were full lotht
That thei thus harmeles yede.
I MILES The devell myght spede you bothe,
False wicchis, are ye woode?
I MULIER Nay, false lurdayns, ye lye.
I MILES If ye be woode or wrothe,
Ye schall noght skape fro skathe;
Wende we us hense in hye.
I MULIER Allas, that we wer wroughte
In worlde women to be,
The barne that wee dere bought
Thus in oure sighte to see
Disputuously spill.
II MULIER And certis, ther nott is noght,
The same that thei have soughte
Schall thei nevere come till.
I MILES Go we to the king;
Of all this contek kene
I schall nott lette for nothyng
To saie as we have sene.
II MILES And certis, no more shall I.
We have done his bidding;
How so they wraste or wryng,
We schall saie sothfastly.
I MILES Mahounde, oure god of myght,
Save thee, sir Herowde the kyng!
I CONSOLATOR Lorde, take kepe to youre knyght;
He wille telle you nowe thydingis
Of bordis wher they have bene.
HERODES Yaa, and thei have gone right,
And holde that thei us hight;
Than shall solace be sene.
II MILES Lorde, as ye demed us to done,
In contrees wher we come . . .
HERODES Sir, by sonne and mone,
Ye are welcome home
And worthy to have rewarde.
Have ye geten us this gome?
I MILES Wher we fande felle or fone,
Wittenesse we will that ther was none.
II MILES Lorde, they are dede ilkone,
What wolde ye we ded more?
HERODES I aske but aftir oone
The kyngis tolde of before
That schulde make grete maistrie.
Telle us if he be tane.
I MILES Lorde, tokenyng hadde we none
To knawe that brothell by.
II MILES In bale we have tham brought
Aboute all Bedleham towne.
HERODES Ye lye, youre note is nought,
The develes of helle you droune!
So may that boy be fledde,
For in waste have ye wroght.
Or that same ladde be sought,
Schalle I nevere byde in bedde.
I CONSOLATOR We will wende with you than
To dynge that dastard doune.
HERODES As arme, evere ilke man
That holdis of Mahounde.
Wer they a thousand skore,
This bargayne schall thai banne
Comes aftir as yhe canne,
For we will wende before.
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Poor good sirs; (t-note)
Pain; limb
Stop; shouting loud; (see note)
speaking pay attention to
fear; worry
learn; bow (reverence)
ought
befits
alive
obliged
death
support
[our] keeping
between us
fountain (source)
principal
glad
pay attention
complain; against
well know
soon work them
very (true)
every
well-being
advise; watch
annoyed; (see note)
happy
through
squire (or knight)
action; regret
heard; promised
trust
knows every man
over you
They are ashamed; (see note)
meet
glad
reveal such matter
power
base fellow (bastard); (see note)
whatever they think
work good or ill
ask make; in this manner
did
reveal
too late
slacken
happy
Mohammed
good sir, well
everywhere
seen marvels
perform
soon
(i.e., straightaway)
between two towns
perfect
Riding; royally
jest too broadly; (see note)
remedy; (t-note)
(t-note)
This indicates tales to us
Hither; promised
news
(i.e., that is over and done)
Each one
Let
gone
took notice
significance
noble child
have earthly power over
destroyed
liars
beguile
quickly; go
misery (dole) here
proclaims
blame
much worse
come near
limb
deceiver catch
cause him to hang
do not deserve to be blamed
crowd (i.e., all of you)
malice
make; leap
dearly pay for; brew (unsavory business)
man; write (record)
annoyance
truly teach
are able
(see note)
Bring together; assembly
(i.e., all ready without delay)
beat them to death
male; swaddling clothes; (see note)
(t-note)
seek
well-being
bastard feel (perceive)
Quickly; end
bleed
say
judge
set out to do
worthy
Though this matter is all new
If
(t-note)
shrew; destroy
intends; overcome
?both; (t-note)
inquire and spy
a danger; (t-note)
causes the loss of
loath; (t-note)
If; harm
pledge
bid (request); seize
let
know
eloquence
pay heed
all together
foundlings (bastards); (see note)
[line missing, see note]
handsome son
brats; dearly pay
(i.e., let go the child quickly)
dole
son
even; (see note)
(i.e., I want you to know)
dear
To arms
queans (harlots); frustrate (destroy)
comfort
sweet
(see note)
(i.e., distraught)
reluctant
unharmed went
witches; mad
rascals; lie
mad; angry; (t-note)
escape; harm
Go; haste
(see note)
Controversially killed
their business (i.e., labor) is in vain
combat sharp
hold back
speak; seen [the events]
twist and wring; (see note); (t-note)
tell truthfully
pay attention
(t-note)
amusing stories [about]
if they
promised
judged; to do
sun; moon
caught; man
found many or few
dead every one
killed
one (only)
taken
tokens (signs)
worthless fellow
effort is in vain
(i.e., you have wasted your time)
Ere
(t-note)
strike; wretch (dullard); (t-note)
(t-note)
embraces
(i.e., 20,000)
curse; (t-note)
(see note)
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