The Marcers Playe

Primuz rex
Mightye God, moste of mayne,1
To honoure thee we maye be fayne,
The starre I see it come againe,
That was out of our sighte.

Secundus rex
Thy lordshippe to us thou ney layne,5
That for mankinde woulde suffer payne;
Thou sende us grace, if thou be gayne,
To come to thee to nighte.

Tercius rex
A! Lorde, honoured be thou aye,9
For nowe we shall knowe well the waye;
I will folowe it, in good faye,
My forwarde to fulfill.

Primuz rex
I hope without dreed to daie13
To see that childe in his araye. —
But me thinkes, lordes, by my faye,
The starre it standeth stille.

Secundus rex
That is a signe we be nere,17
But highe hall see I non heare;
To a childe of suche power
This howsinge standeth loe.

Tercius rex
Nowe well I wotte, withouten were,21
Without pride he will apeare,
To make men meeke in such manere,
An exsample us to shewe.

Primuz rex
The starre yender over the stable is,25
I wotte we be not gone amisse,
For it hath storred ever or this,
And nowe their it is glente.

Secundus rex
I wotte he wonnes here, i-wysse,29
And this symple howse is his.
Ordayne we nowe that kinge of blesse
Apeartlye our presente.

Tercius rex
What presente beste will for hym fall,33
Caste we here amonge us all;
For though he lye in an oxe stalle,
His miofhte is never the lesse.

Primuz rex
Kinge of Jewes we shall hym call,37
Theirfore of me have he shall,
That am his subjecte and his thralle,
Goulde, or I passe.
For in our lande in the manere
To aproche no kinge nere,
But dayntie geiftes, riche and dere,43
After his dignitie.
And for a kinge goulde fayer and cleare
Is moste commendable, therfore nowe heare
He shall have that of me.
Also it seemes by this place,
That littill treasuer his mother hase;49
Therfore helpe her in this case,
Goulde shalbe my presente.

Secundus rex
And I will offer, through Godes grace,52
Incence that noble savoure mase;
Stincke of the stable it shall waste,
Ther as the be lente.

Tercius rex
And myrre is beste my offeringe to be,56
To anoynte hym, as thinkes me,
The childes members, head and knye,
And other lymes all.
Thus shall we honouer hym all three
With thinges that falle for his degree,
Touchinge manhoode and his dieatie,62
These geiftes will wel befalle.

Primuz rex
You saye well, lordes, witterlye,64
As touchinge goulde see maye I,
It shoulde be geven hym dulye,
Because of precialitie;
Seinge he shalbe kinge moste mightie,
Tribute he must have trewlye,
And goulde therfore witterlye70
Is beste, as thinkes me.

Secundus rex
And seith he hath in hym godheade,72
Me thinkes, as eate I breade,
Incense to geve hym through my reade,
In name of sacrifice;
For that maye no waie be leade,
Seinge he of holye chourche is heade,
More dewe geiftes, if I shoulde be deade,78
I can not devise.

Tercius rex
You saie full well bouth, sires towe:80
And myrre is good me thinkes also,
Seith he for man will suffer woe,
And dye on roode treey;
Myrre that putes hym synne frooe,
And saves man from rottinge woe,
For it is beste to balmbe his thoo,86
That shall he have of me.

Primuz rex
By these geiftes three of good araye,88
Three thinges uuderstande I maie,
A kinges power, south to saie,
By goulde heare in my hande;
And for his godhead lasteth aye,
Incense we muste geve hym to daie;
And bodelye death also, in good faye,94
By myrre I understande.

Secundus rex
Goulde love also maie signifie,96
For it men geven not commonlye,
But thoes the loven hartelye,
This childe as we done all;
An[d] incense tockeneth, leeve I,
Orysones and praiers devoutlye;
Myrre death that man hath bodelye,102
And all these thinges shall falle.
Tercius rexe.
By goulde, that we to bringe are bounde,
The richeste mettall of renowne,
Skillfullye understande we mone
Moste precious godheade;108
And incense maye wel be saide
A roote of greate devocion;
By myrre, that waves corruptscion,
Cleane fleshe bouth quicke and deade.
And sickerlye this knowen we,
He wantes non of these three,114
For full godheade in hym hase he,
As goulde maie signifie;
And soule devoute in hym muste be,
To come out of the Trenitie,
And cleane fleshe we happen to se
In hym full hastelye.120

Primuz rexe
Nowe we have proveid it here,121
These geiftes be to hym moste dere,
Goe we fourth in good manere,
And make we our presente.
Secundus rexe.
The starre it shines faier and cleare,
Over this stable aye entier;127
Here is his woninge withouten were,
And hearein is he lente.

Tercius rex
A fayer mayden yender I see,130
An oulde man sittinge at her knee,
A childe also, as thinkes me,
Three persons theirin are.

Primuz rex
I saide in certen that this is he,134
That we have soughte from cuntrey;
Therfore nowe, with all honistie,
To honour I will that barron.

Tunc aperiet sciathum cum auro primuz rex.

Heale be thou! Christe and Messye,
That from Gode arte comen kindlye,
Mankinde of ball for to for-bye,140
And into blesse bringe;
We knowe well, by prophescye
Of Moyses, David, and Esay,
And Balaham of our ancestrie,
Of Jewes thou shalbe kinge.
Therfore as falleth for thy crowne,146
Goulde I have heare readie bowne,
To honouer thee with greate renowne,
After thy royaltie;
Take heare, Lorde, my intenscion,
That I doe with devocion,
And geve me here thy beneson,152
Or that I goe from thee.

Secundus rex
Heale be [thou]! Christe Emanuell,154
Thou comen arte for mans heale,
And for to wyne againe that wayle
That Adam put awaye.
Prophettes of thee everye on saie,
Both Esaii and Ezechiell,
And Abraham mighte not consaile160
The truth of thee to saye.
Bushope, I wotte, thou muste be,
Therfore nowe, as thinkes me,
Insence will fall beste for thee,
And that nowe heare I bringe:
In tockeninge of thy dignitie,166
And that office of spirialitie,
Receive, Lorde, heare of me
Dovutlye my offeringe.

Tercius rex
Heale, conquerower of all mankinde I170
To doe mercie thou haste mynde,
The devilles bande to unbynde,
And releve all thyne.
A full faier waie thou can finde
To hanse us and put hym behynde,
Through thy passion to unbynde176
Thy people that bene in payne.
For thou shall mende us through thy mighte,
Dye and rise the thirde nighte,
To recover againe our righte,
And breake the devilles bande;
Myrre to thee here have I dighte,182
To balme thy bodye faier and brighte,
Receive my presente, sweete wighte,
And blesse me with thy hande.

God
You be welckome, kinges three,186
Unto my mother and to me,
And into the land of Judye,
And heare I geve you my blessinge.

Maria
You, royall kinges in riche araye,190
The highe father of heaven I praie
To eylde you your good deed to daie,
For his mickell mighte;
And geve you will nowe and allwaie
To yeairne the life that lasteth aye,
And never to fall out of the faye,196
That in your hartes is pighte;
And leve, lorde, withouten were,
That to my sonne you shalbe deare,
That hym to daie hath honoured heare,
And me also for his sake;
When tyme is come intyre,202
To prove his strenghte and power,
To hym you shalbe lefFe and deare,
That dare I undertake.

Josephe
You kinges all, comlye of kinde,206
Faithfull you shall it fynde,
This menskye that God will have in mynde,
And quitte you well your meede.
And leeves well, of no mans strynte
Is he not gotten by lefFe of kinde,
That to beleven are full blynde,212
For I knowe it indeed:
This mayden was betacken me,
When I hade loste my jollitie,
And fayled mighte and postie
Synne for to assaye;
But for God woulde in chastitie218
That we shoulde togeither be,
Keper of her virginitie
I have bene manye a daie.
Therfore I wotte for south, i-wysse,
Oleane mayden that shee is,
And with man did never amisse,224
And therof be you boulde;
But of the Holye Ghoste this is,
For to bringe mankinde to blesse,
And this childe is vereye his,
So Gabrille me toulde.

Angellus
I warne you, comlye kinges three,230
My lorde woulde you not spilled be,
Theirfore he sende you worde by me
To torne another waie;
Herodes felloweshipe you shall fleye,
For your harme ordaynde hase he,
Theirfore goe not through his cuntreye,236
Nor the gate you came to daie.

Primuz rexe
A! highe Lorde, that we honouer heare,238
That warnes us in this manere,
Elles hade we wende, withouten were,
To hym that woulde us spille.

Secundus rex
Yea, Lorde, as thou can us lere,242
We will doe to our power.

Tercius rex
Goe we hense all in fearc,244
And his byddinge fulfill.

Primus rex
Fare well, sir Jasper, brother to you,246
Kinge of Thrasis moste worthye;
Fare well, sir Balcsare, to you I bowe,
I thanke you of your companye;
He that made us to mete on playne,
And offered to Marye in her jasane,
Sende us saffe and sounde as;aine252
To the lande that we came froo.

Secundus rex
You kinges, I saie veramente,254
Seinge God of his grace us neither sente,
We will doe his commaundinente,
Whatsoever befall;
Therfore stande we not in doute,
For to walke our lande aboute,
And of his birth that we maie talke,260
Bouth to greate and smalle.

Tercius rex
Fare well, sir kinges, bouth in feare,262
I thanke you bouth of your good cheare,
But yet my witte is in a were,
Leste Herode make us some trayne;
He that shaped saie and sand,
Sende us saffe into our lande!
Kinges towe, geve me your hande,268
Fare well and have good daie.