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Joseph
How dame how vn-do ȝoure dore vn-do
Are ȝe at hom why speke ȝe notht

Susanna
Who is ther why cry ȝe so
telle us ȝour herand wyl ȝe ought.

Joseph
Vn-do ȝour dore I sey ȝow to
Ffor to com in is all my thought.

Maria
it is my spowse þat spekyth us to
On-do þe dore his wyl were wrought.
well-come hom myn husbond dere
how haue ȝe ferd in fer countre.

Joseph
To gete oure levynge with-owtyn dwere
I haue sore laboryd ffor þe and me.

Maria
husbond ryght gracyously now come be ȝe
it solacyth me sore sothly to se ȝow in syth.

Joseph
Me merveylyth wyff surely ȝour face I can not se
but as þe sonne with his bemys quan he is most bryth.

Maria
Husbond it is as it plesyth oure lord þat grace of hym grew
Who þat evyr be-holdyth me veryly
they xal be grettly steryed to vertu
ffor þis ȝyfte and many moo good lord gramercy.

Joseph
How hast þou ferde jentyl mayde
whyl I haue be out of londe.

Maria
Sekyr sere beth nowth dysmayde
Ryth aftyr þe wyl of goddys sonde.

joseph
That semyth evyl I am afrayd
þi wombe to hyȝe doth stonde
I drede me sore I am be-trayd

110

Sum other man þe had in honde
Hens sythe þat I went
Thy Wombe is gret it gynnyth to ryse
than hast þou be-gownne a synfull gyse
telle me now in what wyse
thy self þou Ast þus schent.
Ow dame what þinge menyth this
with childe þou gynnyst ryth gret to gon
Sey me mary þis childys fadyr ho is
I pray þe telle me and þat anon

Maria
The fadyr of hevyn and ȝe it is
other fadyr hath he non
I dede nevyr forfete with man i-wys
Wher-fore I pray ȝow amende ȝour mon
this childe is goddys and ȝour.

Joseph
Goddys childe þou lyist in fay
God dede nevyr jape so with may
And I cam nevyr ther I dare wel say
ȝitt so nyh þi boure
But ȝit I sey mary whoos childe is this.

Maria
Goddys and ȝoure I sey i-wys.

Joseph
ȝa ȝa all Olde men to me take tent
and weddyth no wyff in no kynnys wyse
þat is a ȝonge wench be myn a-sent
ffor doute and drede and swych servyse
Alas Alas my name is shent
all men may me now dyspyse
and seyn olde cokwold þi bow is bent
newly now after þe frensche gyse
Alas and welaway
Alas dame why dedyst þou so
Ffor þis synne þat þou hast do
I the for-sake and from þe go
Ffor onys evyr and Ay.


111

Maria
Alas gode spowse why sey ȝe thus
Alas dere hosbund a-mende ȝour mod
It is no man but swete jhesus
he wyll be clad in flesch and blood
and of ȝour wyff be born.

Sephor
Ffor sothe þe Aungel þus seyd he
þat goddys sone in trynite
Ffor mannys sake a man wolde be
to save þat is for-lorn.

Joseph
An Aungel allas alas fy for schame
ȝe syn now in þat ȝe to say
to puttyn an Aungel in so gret blame
Alas alas let be do way
It was sum boy be-gan þis game
þat clothyd was clene and gay
and ȝe ȝeve hym now an Aungel name
Alas alas and wel away
þat evyr this game be-tydde
A dame what thought haddyst þou
Here may all men þis proverbe trow
þat many a man doth bete þe bow
Another man hath þe brydde.

Maria
A gracyous god in hefne trone
comforte my spowse in þis hard cas
mercyful god A-mend his mone
as I dede nevyr so gret trespas.

Joseph
Lo Lo Serys What told I ȝow
þat it was not for my prow
A wyff to take me to
An þat is wel sene now
Ffor mary I make god A-vow
is grett with childe lo
Alas why is it so
to þe busshop I wole it telle

112

þat he þe law may here do
With stonys here to qwelle.
Nay nay ȝet god ffor-bede
þat I xuld do þat vegeabyl dede
but if I wyst wel qwy
I knew never with here so god me spede
tokyn of thynge in word nor dede
þat towchyd velany
nevyr þe les what for thy
þow she be meke and mylde
With-owth mannys company
she myght not be with childe.
But I ensure myn was it nevyr
thow þat she hath not don here devyr
rather than I xuld pleynyn opynly
Serteynly ȝitt had I levyr
Ffor sake þe countre ffor evyr
and nevyr come in here company
Ffor and men knew þis velany
In repreff þei wolde me holde
and ȝett many bettyr than I
ȝa hath ben made cokolde
Now alas whedyr xal I gone
I wot nevyr whedyr nor to what place
ffor oftyn tyme sorwe comyth sone
and longe it is or it pace
no comforte may I haue here
I-wys wyff þou dedyst me wronge
Alas I taryed from þe to longe
All men haue pety on me amonge
Ffor to my sorwe is no chere.

Maria
God þat in my body Art sesyd
þou knowist myn husbond is dysplesyd
to se me in þis plight

113

Ffor vnknowlage he is desesyd
and þerfore help þat he were esyd
þat he myght knowe þe ful perfyght
Ffor I haue levyr abyde respyt
to kepe þi sone in priuite
grauntyd by þe holy spyryt
þan þat it xulde be opynd by me.

Deus
Descende I sey myn Aungelle
on to joseph for to telle
such as my wyl is
byd hym with mary A-byde and dwelle
Ffor it is my sone fful snelle
þat she is with i-wys.

Angelus
Almyghty god of blys
I am redy ffor to wende
wedyr as þi wyl is
to go bothe fer and hynde
Joseph Joseph þou wepyst shyrle
ffro þi wyff why comyst þou owte.

Joseph
Good sere lete me wepe my ffylle
Go forthe þi wey and lett me nowght.

Angelus
In þi wepynge þou dost ryght ylle
A-ȝens god þou hast mys-wrought
Go chere þi wyff with herty wylle
and chawnge þi chere Amende þi thought
Sche is a ful clene may
I telle þe god wyl of here be born
And sche clene mayd as she was be-forn
to saue mankynd þat is for-lorn
Go chere hyre þerfore I say.

Joseph
A lord god benedicite
of þi gret comforte I thank the
þat þou sent me þis space
I myght wel A wyst parde

114

So good a creature as she
wold nevyr A done trespace
For sche is ful of grace
I know wel I haue myswrought
I walk to my pore place
and Aske ffor-gyfnes I haue mys-thought.
Now is þe tyme sen At eye
þat þe childe is now to veryfye
which xal saue mankende
As it was spoke be prophesye
I thank þe god þat syttys on hye
with hert wyl and mende
þat evyr þou woldyst me bynde
to wedde mary to my wyff
þi blysful sone so nere to fynde
In his presens to lede my lyff.
Alas ffor joy I qwedyr and qwake
Alas what hap now was this
A mercy mercy my jentyl make
mercy I haue seyd al Amys
All þat I haue seyd here I for-sake
Ȝour swete fete now lete me kys.

Mary
Nay lett be my fete not þo ȝe take
my mowthe ȝe may kys i-wys
and welcom on to me.

Joseph
Gramercy myn owyn swete wyff
gramercy myn hert my love my lyff
xal I nevyr more make suche stryff
be-twyx me and þe.
A mary mary wel þou be
and blyssyd be þe frewte in the
goddys sone of myght
now good wyff fful of pyte
as be not evyl payd with me
þow þat þou haue good ryght
As for my wronge in syght

115

to wyte þe with ony synne
had þou not be A vertuous wythe
god wold not A be þe with-inne.
I knowlage I haue don A-mys
I was never wurthy i-wys
ffor to be þin husbonde
I xal amende Aftere thys
ryght as þin owyn wyl is
to serve þe at foot and honde
and þi chylde bothe to vndyr-stonde
to wurchep hym with good Affeccion
and þerfore telle me and nothynge whonde
the holy matere of ȝour concepcion.

Maria
At ȝowre owyn wyll as ȝe bydde me
ther cam An Aunge hyght Gabryell
and gret me ffayr and seyd Aue
And ferther more to me gan tell
God xulde be borne of my bode
þe ffendys pouste ffor to ffelle
þorwe þe holy gost as I wel se
þus god in me wyl byde and dwelle.

Joseph
Now I thank god with spech and spelle
þat Euyr mary I was weddyd to the.

Mary
it was þe werk of god as I ȝow telle
now blyssyd be þat lord so purveyd for me.