Historic%20Yorkshire

40
MYSTERY PLAYSIN YORKSHIRE.
Ah, great God, thou art so good
That [who] works not thy will is wood (mad)
Now all this world is one flood,
AsIsee well insight.
This windowIwill shut anon,
And into my chamberIwill go
Till this water so great mowe (may)
Be slacked through Thy might.
The window of the ark is now closed for a short time,
supposed to be during the periodof the Flood,after which
it is opened,and Noah thanks God for granting him such
grace. The Almightyreplies, and blesses the Patriarch,
the play finishing with the following: —
My bow between you and me,
In the firmament shall be,
By everytoken that you shall see,
That such vengeance shall cease.
Man shall never more
Be wasted with water, as he hath beenbefore;
But for sin that grieveth me sore,
Therefore this vengeance.
My blessing, Noah,Igive thee here,
To thee, Noah, my servant dear;
For vengeanceshall nomore appear;
And now farewell, my darling dear.
At Wakefield the acting ofMysteryPlays was practised
to a great extent. They were thirty-two in number, and
to the end that they might be easily understood by the
commonpeople,were writtenin the north countrydialect.
One of the Wakefield Mysteries was named the " Shepherd'sPlay,"
and we find in it numerouspassages which
in our day decidedly seem to verge on the comic. The
First Shepherd gives utterance to the following realistic
and detailedcomplaint,which, however, is not wantingin
a certain wit: —
Lord, what these weathers are cold andIam illhappid!
Iam near hand dold, so long haveInappid;
My legs they fold, my fingers are chappid;
Itis not asIwould, forIam all lappid in sorrow.