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TOWNELEY PLAYS.

[Play 10.] INCIPIT ANNUNCIACIO.

Deus: Sythen I haue mayde all thyng of noght,
And Adam with my handis hath wroght
Lyke to myn ymage, att my devyse,
And gyffen hym Ioy in paradyse,
To won therin, as that I wend,
To that he dyd that I defend;
Then I hym put out of that place,
Bot yit, I myn, I hight hym grace;
Oyll of mercy I can hym heyt,
And tyme also his bayll to beytt;
ffor he has boght his syn full sore
Thise fyfe thowsand yeris and more,
ffyrst in erthe and sythen in hell;
Bot long therin shall he not dwell,-
Out of payn he shall be boght,

I wyll not tyne that I haue wroght.
I wyll make redempcyon,

As I hyght, for my person,

All wyth reson and with right,

Both thrugh mercy and thrugh myght.
he shall not, therfor, ay be spylt,

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Thay gart hym towch the tree of lyfe,
And ete the frute that I forbed,

And he was dampned for that dede.

12 fyfe] v MS

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Ryghtwysnes wyll we make :

I wyll that my son manhede take;
ffor reson wyll that ther be thre,
A man, a madyn, and a tre :
Man for man, tre for tre,
Madyn for madyn, thus shal it be.
My son shall in a madyn light,
Agans the feynd of hell to fight,
wythouten wem, os son thrugh glas,
And she madyn as she was.
Both god and man shall he be,
And she moder and madyn fre.

To Abraham I am in dett
To safe hym and his gett,
And I wyll that all prophecye
Be fulfyllyd here by me;

ffor I am lord and lech of heyle.
My prophetys shall be funden leyle;
As moyses sayd, and Isay,

Kyng dauid, and Ieromy,
Abacuk, and daniell,

Sybyll sage, that sayde ay well,
And myne othere prophetis all,
As thay haue said, it shall befall.
Ryse vp, gabriell, and weynd
vnto a madyn that is heynd,
To nazareth in galilee,

Ther she dwellys in that cytee,

To that vyrgyn, and to that spouse
To a man of dauid house;

Ioseph also he is namyd by,
And the madyn name mary.
Angell must to mary go,
ffor the feynd was eue fo,

52 said in late hand in MS

he was foule and layth to syght,

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And thou art angell fayr and bright,-
And hayls that madyn, my lemman,
As heyndly as thou can.

Of my behalf thou shall hyr grete,

I haue hyr chosen, that madyn swete;
She shall conceyf my derlyng

Thrugh thy word and hyr heryng.

In hyr body will I lyght,

That is to me clenly dyght;

She shall of hyr body bere

God and man wythouten dere;

She shall be blyssyd wythouten ende.
Grayth the, gabriell, and weynd.

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Gabriell: hayll, mary, gracyouse!

hayll, madyn and godis spouse!
Vnto the I lowte;

Of all vyrgyns thou art qwene
That euer was or shall be seyn,
wythouten dowte.

hayll, mary, and well thou be!
My lord of heuen is wyth the
wythouten end;

hayll, woman most of mede!
Goodly lady, haue thou no drede,
That I commend,

ffor thou has fonden all thyn oone
The grace of god, that was out gone
ffor adam plyght.

This is the grace that the betydys,

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Thou shall conceyue within thi sydys
A chyld of myght.

When he is comen, that thi son,
he shall take cyrcumsycyon,-
Call hym ihesum.

Mightfull man shall be he that,
And godys son shall he hat,
By his day com.

My lord also shall gyf hym tyll
hys fader sete, dauid, at wyll
Therin to sytt.

he shall be kyng in Iacob kyn,
hys kyngdom shall neuer blyn,
lady, well thou wytt.

Maria: What is thi name?

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godys strengthe and his angell,
That comys to the.

110 Maria: fferly gretyng thou me gretys,

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A child to bere thou me hetys,

how shuld it be?

I cam neuer by man's syde,
Bot has avowed my madynhede

ffrom fleshly gett;

Therfore I wote not how

That this be brokyn as a vow

That I haue hett.

Neuer the les well I wote

To wyrk thi word and hold thi hote.

Mightfull god is,

Bot I ne wote of what manere,

Therfore I pray the, messyngere,
That thou me wysh.

Gabriell: lady, this is the preuate:

The holy gost shall light in the,

And his vertue,

he shall vmshade and fulfyll

That thi madynhede shall neuer spyll,
Bot ay be new.

The child that thou shall bere, madame,

Shall godys son be callid by name;

And se, mary,

Elesabeth, thy cosyn, that is cald geld,
She has conceyffed a son in elde

Of zacary;

And this is, who wyll late,

The sext moneth of hyr conceytate
That geld is cald.

No word, lady, that I the bryng,

Is vnmyghtfull to heuen kyng,
Bot all shall hald.

Maria: I lofe my lord all weldand,

I am his madyn at his hand,

And in his wold.

I trow bodword that thou me bryng
Be done to me in all thyng,

As thou has told.

Gabriell: Mary, madyn heynd,

me behovys to weynd,
my leyf at the I take.

Maria: ffar to my freynd,
who the can send

ffor mankynde sake.

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