The Ox and the Ass, from The York Corpus Christi Pageants

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MaryTheir Lord they ken, that know I well,
They worship him with might and main.*
The weather is cold, as ye may feel,
To keep him warm they are full fain*
With their warm breath,
And breathe on him, (let me speak plain)*
To warm him with.

Oh, now sleeps my Son, blest may he be,
And lies full warm these beasts between.
JosephO now is fulfilled, forsooth I see,
What Habakkuk in his burden* did mean,
And preached by prophecy.
He said our Saviour shall be seen
Between beasts to lie;*

And now I see the same in sight.
MaryYea, sir, forsooth the same is he.
JosephHonour and worship both day and night
Everlasting Lord, be done to thee
Always as is worthy,
And Lord, to thy service I oblige me
With all my heart holy.

MaryThou merciful Maker, most mighty,
My God, my Lord, my Son so free,
Thy handmaiden* forsooth am I,
And to thy service I oblige me
With all my heart entire.
Thy blessing, I beseech of thee,
Thou grant us all in fear.

from The York Corpus Christi Pageants fourteenth century

Simplified for modern readers

Translated from ‘York Plays; The Plays Performed by the Crafts or Mysteries of York on the Day of Corpus Christi’ (1885) edited by Lucy Toulmin Smith (1838-1911). Every attempt has been made to keep as much of the original as possible, including the metre and rhyme scheme. With acknowledgments to ‘York Corpus Christi Plays: The Nativity’ (2011) edited by Clifford Davidson for the University of Rochester, New York, USA, and ‘The York Plays: A Modernisation’ by Chester N. Scoville and Kimberley M. Yates, at Purdue University, Fort Wayne, USA.

* ‘With might and main’ means ‘with all one’s strength’. ‘Main’ comes from the Old English word ‘mægen’, meaning ‘strength, force, or power’.

* ‘Fain’ as an adjective means ‘desirous, determined’; as an adverb it means ‘gladly’ (e.g. ‘I would fain know...’).

* Originally ‘is nought to layne’, meaning ‘concealing nothing’.

* Originally ‘mynde’, meaning ‘report, record’. For ‘burden’ see Habakkuk 1:1.

* The reference is to Habakkuk 3:2 but only in the Greek Septuagint, which runs: “In the midst of two living creatures shalt thou be recognised, as the years draw nigh shalt thou be acknowledged”. Passages from the Greek translation of the Old Testament were often quoted by the New Testament authors.

* See Luke 1:46-48.

Précis

Mary was not so astonished as Joseph at the behaviour of the ox and ass, and reminded Joseph that, like the star, all had been prophesied in Scripture. The play ended with mother and guardian together committing themselves to the child as their king and God, and the actors calling down God’s blessing upon all those watching their little drama.

Questions for Critics

1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?

2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?

3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?

Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.

Précis

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