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The iiii boye: Nowe, chyld, although thou be commen

from God,

and bee thyselfe god in thy manhoode,
yett I knowe that in thy chyldhood
thow will for sweetmeat looke.

To pull downe apples, payres, and ploomes,
ould Joseph shall not neede to hurte his
(thombes),

because thow haste not plentye of cromes,

I give thee here my nut hooke.

Prim(us) pastor: Nowe fare well, mother and maye,
for of synne nought thow wottest;
thow hast brought forth this daye
gode sonne, of might is most.
Wherfore men shall saye

'blessed,' in every coast and place.
be hee memoriall for vs all,

and that wee may from synne fall,
and stand ever in his grace.

our lord god bee with thee!

S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor: Brethren, lett vs all three

singing walke homwardlye;

vnkynd will I never in noe case bee,
but preach all that I can and knowe,
As Gabryell taught by his grace mee,
singinge awaye, hethen will I [nowe].

639 not] no h

635

640

634 thyselfe god] god thyself B Wh 636 will wilt BW h 637 apples payres] peares appells B 638 thombes] handes DB 640 nut hooke] millhook B 644 Gode] Gods HB Wh of might] which of might H, of mightest B W h most] mast H 647 hee] thou H B h, you W for vs] for me and for us H B Wh 648 and] so H B 649 his] thy HB Wh 652 homwardlye] homewardes BH Wh 654 all ever HB Wh knowe] 656 awaye] alway H hethen ] hense Wr.

653 never] omit B Wh crye HB Wh

E

645

650

655

660

665

670

675

[49b]

680

Terti(us) pastor: Over the sea, and I may have grace,
I will gange and goe about nowe,

to preach this thinge in every place,
and sheepe will I keepe no more nowe.
Garcius: I read, wee vs agree

for our mysdeedes amendes to make,
for soe now will I,

and to the chyld I wholey mee betake
for aye, securelye.

sheppardes craft I forsake,

and to an anker hereby

I will, in my prayers (to) wach and wake.

Prim(us) pastor: And I (am) hermitte,

to prayse god, to praye,

to walke by stye and by streytt,
in wildernes to walke for aye;
and I shall noe man meete

but for my living I shall him praye,
barefoote one my feete,

and thus will I live ever and aye.
ffor aye, ever, and alwayse,

this world I fully refuse,

my mysse to amend with monys.

turne to thy

658 gange] henge W

thing] omit H B Wh

fellowes and kys!

goe about] about goe H B Wh

659

660 no more] non B Wh 661 Gar663 will I] I will W

cius] Trowle Wh agree] gree H

664

And to] to H the] that Wr. I wholey] whollie will I H B,
whollye Wr.
665 aye securelye] ever sickerly HB Wh

668 in ] to H

666 I] heere IHB Wh
669 am] an DH hermitte] heare meke W
praye] paye HB W

and by and W

will W

674 shall] foote] bare-foted H

671 walke] wake H 672 for aye] ever W will H him] them Wr. 676 thus] this Wr.

wayse] onys W B h, and honestlie H

to] omit D Wh

670 to] and h stye] style W

673 shall]

675 bare

677 and al

678 fully] will H

679 to] for to H

680] omit H

I yelde, for in youth

we have bine fellowes, I-wys,
therfore lend me your mouth,

and frendly let vs kysse.

S(e)c(un)d(us) pastor: ffrom london to lowth,

such an other shepperd I wott not where is. both frend and cowth

god grant you all his blys!

Tertius Pastor: To that blys bringe you,

great god, if that thy will bee!

Amen all singe you,

good men fare well yee!

Garcius: Well for to fare, eych frend,
god of his might graunt you!

for here now we make an ende,
farewell, for wee from you go now.

finis Septim(a) pagin(a).

685

690

695

681 for] and H in] in my HB Wh

685 lowth] such H

683 me] us B Wh 686 such] is] omit

691] amend

692 men]

mouth] mouthes H omit H wott not] not B Wh where] were Wr. BWh 687 frend] fremd H h Dm., framed Wr. Tremed B cowth] cought H 688 grant] geve H all his blys ] Amen Wr. 689 you] us H 690 great god] added to 689 in H, god graunt B that] it H Bh Dm., omit Wr. all thinges that be amisse H, all] omit Bh Dm. men now H fare] fares Wr. fayer B 695 for] and B from you now W paginæ septimæ H W h, omit B per me Georgi Bellin 1592 quicklye h adds 1600

yee] omit B Wh

693 fare]

696 from you goe now] goe Septima paginæ ] Septima pagina D,

Wh add deo gracias W adds Wh add Come lord Iesu, Come

NOTE ON THE TEXT

OF THE COVENTRY PLAYS

The manuscript of the Coventry Plays abounds in contractions and abbreviations. In this text all are expanded, and the manuscript form noted in the variants, except in the case of the following very common abbreviations, where I have reversed the process, and only noted the occurrence of the full, uncontracted form:

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Final e, er, ur, es, are denoted by various flourishes; n and m after a vowel by a circumflex accent.

In the variants the readings of Halliwell's edition are denoted by H, and Kölbing's suggested emendations (Engl. Stud. 21. 166) by K.

Brackets [] denote my own emendations; parentheses ( ) denote expansions of abbreviations.

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