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Ludus Coventriæ : $b A collection of mysteries, formerly represented at Coventry on the feast of Corpus Christi

General

Ludus Coventriæ : $b A collection of mysteries, formerly represented at Coventry on the feast of Corpus Christi

English drama -- To 1500; English language -- Middle English, 1100-1500 -- Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.; Mysteries and miracle-plays, English

Now I wyl telle yow the cause of my sonys werkyng;
  I desyrid his bodily presence to se.
  _Johannes._ No wonder, Lady, thow so dede ye.
  _Maria._ Tho my sone Jhesu of his hye peté
    Sent to me an aungyl, and thus he sayd,
  That the thredde nyth I schuld assende to my sone in deité;
    Thanne to have youre presence, brether, hertly I prayed,
  And thus at my request God hath you sent me.
  _Petrus._ Wys gracyous Lady, we are ryth wel payed.
  _Maria._ Blissid brethere, I beseke you than tent me;
    Now wyl I rest me in this bed that for me is rayed;
  Wachith me besily wyth youre laumpys and lithtis.
  _Paulus._ We schal, Lady, redy alle thyng for you dith is.
  _Maria._ Now, sone, schul ye se what Godis myth is,
    My flech gynnyth feble be nature.

_Hic erit decenter ornatus in lecto._

  _Petrus._ Brether, eche of you a candele takyth nowe rithis,
    And lith hem in haste, whil oure moder doth dure,
  And bisyli let us wachyn in this virgyne sythis,
    That when oure Lord comyth in his sponsed pure,
  He may fynde us wakyng and redy wyth oure lithis,
    ffor we knowe not the hour of his comyng now sure,
  And yn clennesse alle loke ye be redy.
  _Maria._ A! swete sone Jhesu, now mercy I cry,
    Over alle synful thy mercy let sprede!

_Hic dissendet Dominus cum omni celeste curia, et dicet_,

  _Dominus._ The voys of my moder me nyhith ful ny;
    I am dyssend on to here of whom I dede sede.

_Hic cantabunt org._

  _Maria._ A! welcom, gracyous Lord Jhesu, sone and God of mercy!
    An aungyl wold a ssuffysed me, hye kyng, at this nede.
  _Dominus._ In propire persone, moder, I wyl ben here redy,
  Wyth the hefnely quer yowre dirige to rede.
  Veni tu, electa mea, et ponam in te thronum meum,
  Quia concupivit rex speciem tuam.
  _Maria._ Paratum cor meum, Deus, paratum cor meum,
  Cantabo, et psalmum dicam Domino.
  _Apostoli._ Hæc est quæ nescivit thorum in delictis,
  Habebit requiem in respectu animarum sanctarum.
  _Maria._ Beatam me dicent omnes generationes;
  Quia fecit michi magna qui potens est, et sanctum nomen ejus.
  _Dominus._ Veni de Libano, sponsa mea, veni, coronaberis:
  Ecce, venio, quia in capite libri scriptum est de me.
  Ut facerem voluntatem tuam, Deus meus,
  Quia exultavit spes meus in Deo salutari mee.

_Hic exiet anima Mariæ de corpore in sinu Dei._

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

General

Ludus Coventriæ : $b A collection of mysteries, formerly represented at Coventry on the feast of Corpus Christi

English drama -- To 1500; English language -- Middle English, 1100-1500 -- Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.; Mysteries and miracle-plays, English

Now I wyl telle yow the cause of my sonys werkyng;
  I desyrid his bodily presence to se.
  _Johannes._ No wonder, Lady, thow so dede ye.
  _Maria._ Tho my sone Jhesu of his hye peté
    Sent to me an aungyl, and thus he sayd,
  That the thredde nyth I schuld assende to my sone in deité;
    Thanne to have youre presence, brether, hertly I prayed,
  And thus at my request God hath you sent me.
  _Petrus._ Wys gracyous Lady, we are ryth wel payed.
  _Maria._ Blissid brethere, I beseke you than tent me;
    Now wyl I rest me in this bed that for me is rayed;
  Wachith me besily wyth youre laumpys and lithtis.
  _Paulus._ We schal, Lady, redy alle thyng for you dith is.
  _Maria._ Now, sone, schul ye se what Godis myth is,
    My flech gynnyth feble be nature.

_Hic erit decenter ornatus in lecto._

  _Petrus._ Brether, eche of you a candele takyth nowe rithis,
    And lith hem in haste, whil oure moder doth dure,
  And bisyli let us wachyn in this virgyne sythis,
    That when oure Lord comyth in his sponsed pure,
  He may fynde us wakyng and redy wyth oure lithis,
    ffor we knowe not the hour of his comyng now sure,
  And yn clennesse alle loke ye be redy.
  _Maria._ A! swete sone Jhesu, now mercy I cry,
    Over alle synful thy mercy let sprede!

_Hic dissendet Dominus cum omni celeste curia, et dicet_,

  _Dominus._ The voys of my moder me nyhith ful ny;
    I am dyssend on to here of whom I dede sede.

_Hic cantabunt org._

  _Maria._ A! welcom, gracyous Lord Jhesu, sone and God of mercy!
    An aungyl wold a ssuffysed me, hye kyng, at this nede.
  _Dominus._ In propire persone, moder, I wyl ben here redy,
  Wyth the hefnely quer yowre dirige to rede.
  Veni tu, electa mea, et ponam in te thronum meum,
  Quia concupivit rex speciem tuam.
  _Maria._ Paratum cor meum, Deus, paratum cor meum,
  Cantabo, et psalmum dicam Domino.
  _Apostoli._ Hæc est quæ nescivit thorum in delictis,
  Habebit requiem in respectu animarum sanctarum.
  _Maria._ Beatam me dicent omnes generationes;
  Quia fecit michi magna qui potens est, et sanctum nomen ejus.
  _Dominus._ Veni de Libano, sponsa mea, veni, coronaberis:
  Ecce, venio, quia in capite libri scriptum est de me.
  Ut facerem voluntatem tuam, Deus meus,
  Quia exultavit spes meus in Deo salutari mee.

_Hic exiet anima Mariæ de corpore in sinu Dei._

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Ludus Coventriæ : $b A collection of mysteries, formerly represented at Coventry on the feast of Corpus Christi

Ludus Coventriæ : $b A collection of mysteries, formerly represented at Coventry on the feast of Corpus Christi

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