York Guides

XXIX
THE BOWYERS’ AND FLETCHERS’ PLAY

I SOLDIER

Say, who's here?   Say, who's here?

3 SOLDIER

I, a friend, Well known in this country for a knight.

2 SOLDIER

Go forth. On your way may ye wend;
We have harboured enough for to-night.

I SOLDIER

Go back now, good sirs; ye both are to blame,
To bawl when our Bishop is seeking his bed.

4 SOLDIER

Why, sirs, it were well to welcome us home;
We've gone for this wizard, and we have well sped.

2 SOLDIER

Why, who is that?

3 SOLDIER

            The Jews' king, Jesus by name.

I SOLDIER

Ah, ye be welcome; that safely is said.
My lord's sent for to seek him.

4 SOLDIER

     Lo, see here the same.

2 SOLDIER

Abide as I bid, and be not adread.
My lord! My lord! My lord!  Here's a lark if you list.

CAIAPHAS

Peace, rascals, less noise!

I SOLDIER

My lord, it is well, if ye wist.

CAIAPHAS

Well, say it no more; that is twice.
Thou heeds't not the haste that we have here in hand.
Go ask for our folk who went forth in a band.

2 SOLDIER

My lord, your knight fared as ye gave them command.
They have fallen full fair.

CAIAPHAS

Why, is the fool found?

2 SOLDIER

Yes, lord, they bring a boy in a band bound.

CAIAPHAS

Where, now ?
     Sir Annas, come quickly, come here!

ANNAS

My lord, with your leave, as I ought, I am here.

CAIAPHAS

Ah sir, then sit we together. Draw near.

ANNAS

Do sir, bid them bring in that boy that is bound.

CAIAPHAS

     Peace now, Sir Annas, be still: let him stand.
And search if this game be rightly begun.

ANNAS

     Sir, this game is begun of the best;
Now had he no force for to flee them.

CAIAPHAS

     Now;  'faith, I am fain he is fast.
Come, lead in that lad; let me see, then.

3 SOLDIER

     My lord, to your bidding obedient we be.
Lo, here is this fellow brought that ye bade bring.

4 SOLDIER

Lord, try now to fright him.

CAIAPHAS

Now I am fain,

And fellows,
Fair might ye fall for your finding,
Now see that our household be here one and all,
Let none speak in this case but he that in court dwells.

3 SOLDIER

Ah, lord, this base fellow has brewed much bale.

CAIAPHAS

Therefore shall we speed us to spar off his spells.
Sir Annas, take heed now, and hear him.

ANNAS

Say, lad, will ye not lout to a lord?

4 SOLDIER

Not he, sir. By your leave, we shall learn him.

GAIAPHAS

Nay, nay, sir; not so. Nay; nothing in haste,
It is no jest to beat beasts that are bound
With fairness first therefore the truth will we taste,
Then further him forth even as we have found.

ANNAS

We might as well talk, sir, to some empty tun,
I warrant him witless, or wrested to ill,
Or else waits to work evil, as he was wont still.

CAIAPHAS

Since the boy for his boasting is into bale brought.
We will know ere he go how his works were.

3 SOLDIER

Our Sabbath day, we say, keeps he right nought,
To be hallowed and held full worthy and dear.

4 SOLDIER

Nay, sir, in that same day when we the sot sought,
He healed them of sickness, on many sides here.

CAIAPHAS

What, then? Does he make them go well?

3 SOLDIER

Yea, lord, and in every town
Those he doctors to life can be found.

CAIAPHAS

     Ah!
This can he do through the might of Mahoun.

4 SOLDIER

     Sir,
Our Temple so strong that made is of stone,
Surpassing a palace for price to appraise,
Were it down to the earth and to very ground gone,
This beggar, he boasts he would very soon raise.

3 SOLDIER

Yea, lord; and such wonders he worketh great store,
And with his loud lying he looses our laws.

CAIAPHAS

Go, loose him, and leave us, and trouble no more.
Myself I will hear him and settle his cause.
Of the friends that have fed thee, speak fellow; now come;
Then fellow, of thy actions I further will ask.
Tell us frankly and freely. . . .
He surely is dumb.

3 SOLDIER

My lord, if it please you, he likes to pretend,
But should he 'scape scatheless it were a foul scorn;
He had showed before us his might and his main.

4 SOLDIER

Malchus your man, lord, that had his ear shorn,
This harlot full hastily healed it again.

CAIAPHAS

What! If to be nice he thinks good,
Let him hear how we hasten to urge him.

ANNAS

Now by Belial's bones and his blood,
I hold it much better to scourge him.

CAIAPHAS

Nay, sir, no haste; we shall have game ere we go.
Boy, be not aghast if we seem gay.
I conjure thee kindly, and command thee also,
By great God, who liveth and shall live for aye,
If thou be Christ, God's son, say so to us two.

JESUS

Sir, thou saidst it thyself, and truly I say
That I go to my Father, from whom I came forth,
And dwell with him joyful in weal alway.

CAIAPHAS

Why, fie on thee, faithless, untrue!
The Father thou'st foully defamed.
We need no offences to view;
Himself by his sayings he’s shamed.

ANNAS

We need neither witness nor counsel to call
But what he has said we take in the same stead.
He slanders the Godhead, and sore grieves us all,
Wherefore he deserveth full well to be dead.
And therefore, sir, tell him the truth.

CAIAPHAS

So I shall.

Hear you not, harlot? Ill hap on thy head.
Answer here promptly to great and to small,
And reach us out quickly some reason, I bid.

JESUS

My reasons are not to rehearse,
Nor they that might help me are not here now.

ANNAS

Say, then, if you care to make verse,
Say on, waste no time; let us hear now.

JESUS

Sir, if I tell you the truth, you will not assent,
But hinder, or haste me to hang.
I preached where people were most present,
And never in private to old or to young.
Likewise in your Temple I told my intent.
Then might you have taken me there as I taught,
Much better than bring me with weapons bent,
And thus wrong me by night, and for nought.

CAIAPHAS

’For nought, forsooth!   Rascal, I say 'tis a lie;
Thy words and thy works, we'll reward them.

JESUS

Sir, since you with wrong so turn me away,
Go ask them to tell you that heard them.

CAIAPHAS

     Ah!
This traitor me troubles with tales he has told,
Had I never such scorning of scoundrel as he.

I SOLDIER

Why, fie on thee, beggar! What made thee so bold
To boast with our Bishop? Thy bane shall I be.

JESUS

If my words be wrong, or too boastfully bold,
A wrong witness truly I think thee.
If my sayings be true, they must be sore sold,
So your boast is too broad when ye beat me.

2 SOLDIER

My Lord! will ye hear?  ’Fore Mahoun,
No further to name now it needs.

CAIAPHAS

Make ready, and ding you him down,
And deafen us no more with his deeds.

ANNAS

Nay, sir; then you blemish our prelates' estate,
We ought to doom no man to death for to die.

CAIAPHAS

Why, sir, better so than be in debate.
Ye see that this youth to us will not comply.

ANNAS

Then must you present him, good sir, to Pilate,
For he is the judge, to the King next and nigh,
And let him hear all—this man how ye hate,
And whether he'll help him, or hang him on high.

I SOLDIER

My lord, let men lead him by night;
So shall ye best scape out of scorning.

2 SOLDIER

My lord, it is now in the night.
I counsel ye bide till the morning.

CAIAPHAS

Fair sir, ye say best, and so shall it be,
But teach yon boy better to bend and to bow.

I SOLDIER

We shall learn him, my lord, by my loyalty,
To bow to all lords that are like unto you.

CAIAPHAS

Yea; and fellow, watch that he stay waking.

2 SOLDIER

Yea, lord; that I warrant will we.

4 SOLDIER

Let's see—who sets off for a stool?
I have here a habit to hide him.

I SOLDIER

Lo, here’s one full fit for a fool.
Go get it, and set thee beside him.

I SOLDIER

     Nay,
I'll set it myself, and strike him also.
Here's a robe for a rascal, of sleek nap.

3 SOLDIER

Now, fair play, one and all. And there’s One.

I SOLDIER

And there 's Two.
I shall try to fix it with a fair flap.

2 SOLDIER

And there 's Three.

4 SOLDIER

And there 's Four.

3 SOLDIER

Say now, with an ill hap,
Who's near thee now? Not a word, no?

4 SOLDIER

Thump on him with your fists, that he nap not.

I SOLDIER

Nay, there's no need for napping this tide.
Wassail, wassail! I warrant he 's waking.

2 SOLDIER

Yea, unless better jests he can bide,
Such buffets shall he still be taking.

I SOLDIER

     Now—
Let him stand as he stood in a fool's state.
He likes not this lark, my life I dare lay.

2 SOLDIER

Sirs, we must present this page to Sir Pilate.
Go we first to our master, to see what he'll say.

3 SOLDIER

My lord, we have played with this youth,
And held him full hot in our playing.

CAIAPHAS

Then heard ye some jesting, in truth?

4 SOLDIER

Devil take the words, lord, he was saying.

ANNAS

Sir, bid them go quick and bind him again;
And see that he scape not, for that were a scorn.

CAIAPHAS

Go, tell to Sir Pilate our grievance full plain,
And say, this lad's lies have broken our lore.
Say also, this same day must he now be slain;
To-morrow's the Sabbath ; he must die before.
And say that we come ourselves for certain;
And to further this doing, go ye forth before.

I SOLDIER

My lord, with your leave we must wend,
Our message to make as we may.

ANNAS

Sir, your fair fellowship we wish to the fiend.

CAIAPHAS

Go on, now; dance forth in the devil's way.