285 primus pastor: Geder vp, lo, lo,

290

295

300

ye hungre begers ffrerys!

ijus pastor: It draes nere nyght, trus! go we to rest,
I am euen redy dyght, I thynk it the best.
iijus pastor: ffor ferde we be fryght a crosse lett vs kest-
Cryst crosse, benedyght eest and west,

ffor drede.

Ihesus onazorus,

Crucyefixus,

Morcus, andreus,

God be oure spede!

Angelus: herkyn, hyrdes, awake!

[tunc dormient pastores.]

gyf louyng ye shall;

he is borne for youre sake, lorde perpetuall;
he is comen to take and rawnson you all;
youre sorowe to slake, kyng emperiall,

he behestys.

That chyld is borne

At bethelem this morne,

ye shall fynde hym beforne

Betwix two bestys.

[36a] Primus pastor:

306

310

What was that sang? with small noytys emang. now in this thrang, somwhat be wrang;

A, godys dere dominus!
It was wonder curiose
I pray to god saue vs
I am ferd, by ihesus,
Me thoght

Oone scremyd on-lowde,
I suppose it was a clowde,

In myn erys it sowde,

By hym that me boght!

Secundus pastor: Nay, that may not be, I say you certan,

ffor he spake to vs thre

315

as he had bene a man ;

292 Thesus] so E, MS reads ihc. after 295, stage-direction] omit MS, They sleep E

308 ihesus] ihc MS

When he lemyd on this lee my hart shakyd than,

An angell was he, tell you I can,

No dowte.

He spake of a barne,

We must seke hym I you warne,

That betokyns yond starne

That standys yonder owte.

Tercius pastor :

It was maruell to se so bright as it shone,

I wold haue trowyd, veraly, it had bene thoner-flone,

But I sagh with myn ee

It was a mery gle, sich

I recorde

As he sayde in a skreme,
Or els that I dreme,

320

as I lenyd to this stone; 325 hard I neuer none.

We shuld go to bedleeme,
To wyrship that lorde.

primus pastor:

That same childe is he that prophetys of told,
Shuld make them fre that adam had sold.

ijus pastor: Take tent vnto me, this is inrold
By the wordys of Isae:
a prynce most bold
shall he be,

And kyng with crowne
Sett on dauid throne,

Sich was neuer none

Seyn with oure ee.

iijus pastor:

Also Isay says, oure faders vs told,

That a vyrgyn shuld pas of lesse, that wold,

Bryng furth, by grace,
That vyrgyn now has
As ye se.

a floure so bold. these wordys vphold

330

335

340

345

Trust it now we may,

he is borne this day,
Exiet virga

De radice iesse.

350 primus pastor: Of hym spake more Sybyll, as I weyn, And nabugodhonosor from oure faythe alyene, In the fornace where thay wore thre childre sene, The fourt stode before, godys son lyke to bene. ijus pastor: That fygure

355

[36b]

360

365

370

375

Was gyffen by reualacyon

That god wold haue a son;

This is a good lesson

Vs to consydure.

Tercius pastor :

Of hym spake Ieromy and moyses also, Where he sagh hym by a bushe burnand, lo! when he cam to aspy if it were so,

Vnburnyd was it truly at comyng therto,

A wonder.

primus pastor: That was for to se

hir holy vyrgynyte,

That she vnfylyd shuld be,

Thus can I ponder,

And shuld haue a child sich was neuer sene. ijus pastor:

pese, man, thou art begyld, thou shall se hym with Of a madyn so myld

greatt meruell I mene, [eene,

yee, and she vnfyld a virgyn clene,

So soyne.

primus pastor: Nothyng is inpossybyll,

sothly, that god wyll;

It shalbe stabyll

That god wyll haue done.

ijus pastor: Abacuc and ely prophesyde so,
Elezabeth and zachare, and many other mo,
And dauid as veraly is witnes therto,
John Baptyste sewrly and daniel also,
ijus pastor: So sayng:

he is godys son alon,

withoute hym shalbe none,

his sete and his trone

Shall euer be lastyng.

primus pastor :

Virgill, in his poetre, sayde in his verse Even thus by gramere, as I shall reherse: "Iam noua progenies celo demittitur alto, Iam rediet virgo, redeunt saturnia regna." ijus pastor:

weme! torde! what speke ye here in myn eeres? Tell vs no clerge, I hold you of the freres.

ye preche!

It semys by youre laton

ye haue lerd youre caton.

primus pastor: herk, syrs, ye fon,

I shall you teche.

380

385

390

395

he sayde from heuen a new kynde is send, whom a vyrgyn to neuen, oure mys to amend, Shall conceyue full euen, thus make I an end. And yit more to neuen, that samyne shall bend [37 a]

398-402] indistinct in MS, touched up by late hand

405

410

Tercius pastor: And I hold it trew, ffor ther shuld be, When that kyng commys, new peasse by land and se. ijus pastor: Now, brethre, adew! take tent vnto me! I wold that we knew of this song so fre

Of the angell;

I hard by hys steuen

he was send downe ffro heuen.

primus pastor: It is trouth that ye neuen,

I hard hym well spell.

ijus pastor:

Now by god that me boght, it was a mery song

I dar say that he broght foure & twenty to a long. 415 iijus pastor: I wold it were soght that same vs emong. primus pastor: In fayth I trow noght so many he throng On a heppe;

Thay were gentyll and small,

And well tonyd with all.

iijus pastor: yee, bot I can thaym all,

Now lyst I lepe.

primus pastor: Brek outt youre voce,

let se as ye yelp.

iijus pastor: I may not for the pose bot I haue help.

secundus pastor:

A thy hart is in thy hose!

primus pastor:

This sang thou not lose!

425 iijus pastor:

430

ffor angre!

now, in payn of a skelp

thou art an yll qwelp

secundus pastor: Go to now, begyn! primus pastor: he lyst not well ryn. ijus pastor: God lett vs neuer blyn;

Take at my sangre.

primus pastor:

Now an ende haue we doyn of oure song this tyde. ijus pastor: ffayr fall thi growne, well has thou hyde.