Nay, fellow, by this day At the dice we will play, And there we shall essay That weed for to win. SECUNDUS JUDAEUS. His other clothes all To us four can fall; First part them I shall And after play for this. This kyrtel mine I call, Take thou this pall, Each man in this hall Note I do not amiss. Again, we get later rhythms grafted on to the original, as in the drinking trio sung by Noah’s wife and her gossips in _Noah’s Play_. THE GOOD GOSSIPS’ SONG. The flood comes flitting in full fast, On every side it spreads full far; For fear of drowning I am aghast; Then, good gossips, let us draw near. And let us drink ere we depart, For often times we have done so; For at a draught thou drinkest a quart, And so will _I_ do ere I go. The “Song” concludes with what is probably a portion of the original trio. The other half stanza is unfortunately lost:-- Here is a pottle good and strong, It will rejoice both heart and tongue; Though Noah thinks us never so long, Here we will drink alike.[40] [40] With revised spelling the whole has a very modern “ring” about it. The first two verses may have been sung as a solo and the last half stanza as a trio. A similar instance is the Ale-wife’s speech, which has been tacked on to the end of the play The _Harrowing of Hell_. In the _Resurrection_ play we have the following. It is one of the finest speeches in the plays:-- JESUS. Earthly man that I have wrought, Awake out of thy sleep; Earthly man that I have bought, Of me thou hast no keep. From heaven man’s soul I sought, Into a dungeon deep, My dear leman from thence I brought, For ruth of her I weep. I am very prince of peace, And king of free mercy; Who will of sinnès have release On me they call and cry. And if they will of sinnès cease, I grant them peace truly, And thereto a full rich messe In bread my own body. I am very bread of life; From heaven I light and am sende, Who eateth that bread, man or wife, Shall live with me without end. And that bread that I give you, Your wicked life for to amend, Becomes my flesh through your belief, And doth release your sinful band. And whosoever eateth that bread In sin or wicked life, He receiveth his own death, I warn both man and wife. Three personages other than actors sometimes occupied the stage--a Preco or page, an expositor, and a messenger. They all three appear in the play of _The Histories of Lot and Abraham_. The page appears on the “pageant carriage” immediately after the play of _Noah’s Flood_, and says:--