SCENE.--_A stable. The door shut on it. The dawn of day is
rising, and the colours of morning coming. Two women come in--a woman of
them from the east, and a woman from the west, and they tired from the
journey. There is a branch of a cherry tree in the hand of one of them,
and a flock of flax in the hand of the other of them._
THE FIRST WOMAN. God be with you!
THE SECOND WOMAN. God be with yourself!
FIRST WOMAN. Where are you going?
SECOND WOMAN. In search of a woman I am.
FIRST WOMAN. And myself as well as you.
SECOND WOMAN. That is strange. What woman is that?
FIRST WOMAN. A woman that is about to give birth to a child;
and I think it would be well for her, another woman to be giving care to
her.
SECOND WOMAN. That is the same woman I am in search of in the
same way.
FIRST WOMAN. I did an unkindness to her, and grief and shame
came on me after, and I thought to make up for it if I could.
FIRST WOMAN. Oh, that is just the same thing I myself did.
SECOND WOMAN. That is a wonder. I will tell you how it happened
with me; and you will tell me your story after that.
FIRST WOMAN. I will tell it.
SECOND WOMAN. That is good. I was one evening a while ago
getting ready the supper for my husband and my children, when there came
a man and a young woman to the door, and the woman riding an ass. They
asked a night's lodging of me. They said it was up to Jerusalem they
were going. But, my grief! the husband I have is a rough man, and there
was fear on me to let them in; I was afraid he would do something to me,
and I refused them. They said to me they were very tired; and they
pressed so hard on me that I told them at last to go out and sleep in
the barn, in the place the flax was, and my husband would not have
knowledge of it. But about midnight my husband was struck with sickness,
and a great pain came on him of a sudden, as if his death was near. When
I thought him to be dying, I was in dread; and I ran out to the people I
had put in the barn, asking help from them.
FIRST WOMAN. God help us!
SECOND WOMAN. God help us, indeed! And when the woman that was
lying on the stalks of flax heard my story, it is what she did: she took
a flock of the husks of the flax that were on the floor, and said to me:
'Lay that,' she said, 'on the place the pain is, and it will cure him.'
Out with me as quick as I could, and the husks in my hand, the same as
they are now. My husband was on the point of death at that time; but, as
sure as I am alive, when I put the husks on him, the pain went away, and
he was as well as ever he was.
FIRST WOMAN. That is a great story!
SECOND WOMAN. And when I ran out again to bring the woman in
with me, she was gone; and I heard a voice, as I thought, saying these
two lines:--
'A meek woman and a rough man;
The Son of God lying in husks.'
FIRST WOMAN. You heard that said?
SECOND WOMAN. There was grief and shame on me then, letting her
from me like that, without giving her thanks, or anything at all; and I
followed her on the morrow, for I said to myself that she was blessed. I
heard she was gone to Bethlehem; and I followed her to this stable; for
I thought I could be helpful to her, and she in that state. They told me
she was not in the inn; and that there was no place at all for her to
get, till she came to this stable.
FIRST WOMAN. Is not that wonderful? You said the truth when
you said it was a blessed woman that was in it.
SECOND WOMAN. How do you know that?
FIRST WOMAN. Because she did a great marvel under my own eyes.
My sorrow and my bitter grief! I did a thing seven times worse than what
you did. It was fear before your husband was on you when you refused her
the night's lodging; but the hardness and the misery in my own heart
made me refuse her fruit she asked of me. She herself and the man that
was with her were going by; and the day came close on her and hot, and
there was a large tree of cherries in my garden. She looked up then, and
she took a longing for them. 'O right woman!' she said; 'there is a
desire come on me to have a few of your cherries; maybe you will give me
a share of them.' 'I will not give them,' said I, 'to any stranger at
all travelling the road like yourself.' 'Give them to me, if it is your
will,' says she, quiet, and nice, and gentle, 'for I am not far from the
birth of my child; and I have a great longing for them.'
I don't know what was the bad thing was in my heart; but I refused her
again. No sooner was the word out of my mouth than the big tree bent
down of itself to her, and laid its twigs across the wall, and out on
the road, till she could put out her hand and take her fill of the
cherries.
SECOND WOMAN. That was a great miracle, without doubt.
FIRST WOMAN. It was so; and grief came to me after that for
refusing her; for I knew by it that God had a hand in her. And I took
this branch in my hand, and I followed her to the stable to ask pardon
of her.
SECOND WOMAN. Is it not a wonder how we came here together on
the same search?
FIRST WOMAN. I think she will be wanting help, for they said to
me in the inn she was not far from the birth of her child; and I made as
good haste as I could. Maybe we are in time to give her help yet.
SECOND WOMAN. I will knock at the door.
FIRST WOMAN. Do so.
SECOND WOMAN. Wait a while; there are strangers coming up this
road from the west.
FIRST WOMAN. That is so; and look on the other side: there are
great people coming from the east. We must wait till they go past.
(_They sit down on either side of the door. Kings, finely dressed, come
in at the east side; and herds and shepherds on the west side._)
A KING (_pointing upwards with his hand_). Kings and friends,
it is not possible I am mistaken. Is not the wonderful star we followed
as far as this standing now without stirring over this place?
A SHEPHERD. O friends, look up. There is not a bird in the sky
that is not gathered above this house.
A KING. We are come from the east, from the rising of the sun,
a long, long way off from this country, following the star that is
standing still over us now. Where are you come from, shepherds?
A SHEPHERD. We are come from the west, from the setting of the
sun, a long way off from this country.
KING. And what is it brought you here? I dare say it is not
without cause yourselves and ourselves are met at the door of this
house.
SHEPHERD. We were sitting one evening quiet and satisfied on a
grassy hill watching our flocks; and we saw all of a sudden a thing that
put wonder on us. The lambs that were sucking at the ewes left off
sucking, and they looked up in the sky; and the kids that were drinking
at the pool stopped drinking and looked up. It would put wonder on any
person at all to see the little kids looking up as wise as ourselves. We
looked up then, and we saw a beautiful bright angel over our heads; and
fear came on us; but the angel spoke, and he said to us that some great
joy was coming into the world, and he said: 'Set out now in search of
it, and go to Bethlehem.' 'Where is that?' we asked. 'In a country that
is called Judea,' said the angel, 'a long, long way from you to the
east.' We made ourselves ready on the morrow; and there was every sort
of bird that was in the sky going before us. Look at them all now, a
share of them sitting on the roof of the house, and thousands of others
above in a great cloud. We are all simple people, poor shepherds, it is
not fitting for us to be coming here; but there was fear on us when we
heard the angel speak.
KING. It is great powerful kings we are. We come from far off,
from the rising of the sun. There is not a king or a prince in these
parts is fit to be put beside the lowest steward we have. And we are
wise. There is no knowledge or learning to be had under the sun that we
have not got. But now we are brought by the guidance of that star to the
Master and the Teacher that will teach us all the knowledge and wisdom
of the whole world. It is in that hope we are come following this star.
And now, shepherds, tell us what is it you want here.
SHEPHERD. We cannot say rightly what we want here. But the
angel told us there was some great joy coming into the world; and we
followed the birds in search of that joy, and the birds came to this
place.
KING. It is likely, since the star of knowledge led us, and the
birds led you, to the one place, that there is some wonderful thing in
it. O friends, whatever thing is in this closed stable, it is certain it
will put great fear or great joy, or maybe great sorrow, on these
shepherds and on ourselves.
SHEPHERD. You who are noble and great, and rich and wise, and
learned in all things, tell us what is in this stable.
KING. It is true we are noble and honourable, and learned and
powerful, and wise and prudent, but we cannot tell you that. We do not
know ourselves what is the thing that is in it.
SHEPHERD. Tell us this much anyway, is it sorrow or joy, grief
or gladness, courage or fear, it will put on us? Will you not tell us
that before we knock at the closed door?
KING. It is certain there are no other persons in the world so
learned as ourselves. We are astronomers to tell of the coming and going
of the stars, and the ways of the heavens, and everything that is on the
earth and in the clouds and under the earth. But for all that we cannot
tell you this thing.
SHEPHERD. Who will knock at the door?
KING. It is my advice to you now: the king that is youngest of
us, and the shepherd that is youngest of you, to go to the door and to
knock together.
SHEPHERD. Why do you say the youngest king and the youngest
shepherd?
KING. Do you not know there is no person free from sin but only
infants that have never found occasion of doing it? The man that is
youngest of us, it is he found least occasion to do wrong; and he is the
best fitted to knock at this door, whatever there may be inside it.
SHEPHERD (_leading out another shepherd_). This is the man that
is youngest among us.
KING (_leading out another king_). This is the youngest king in
our company.
(_The two go to the door together and knock at it. The door is opened by
St. Joseph, and the manger is seen, and Mary Mother kneeling beside the
manger on her two knees, her hands crossed on her breast, and she
praying._)
KING. We are come to this door to do honour to God, and to Him
that God has sent. It is here all the people of the whole world will be
taught, and will be put on the road that is best. Show Him to us; and we
will proclaim Him to all the people of knowledge, and the learned people
of the world.
SHEPERD. We are come in search of Him who is come to put joy in
the world, and to put gladness in the hearts of the people. Show Him to
us; and we will give news of Him to the herds and the shepherds, and the
simple people of the whole world.
ST. JOSEPH. It is great my gladness is to see you here. A
hundred welcomes before you, both gentle and simple. Come in, and I will
show you Him you are in search of. Look at this baby in the manger. It
is He is King of the World, and He will put all the countries of the
world under His feet.
MARY MOTHER. He is the Son of God.
(_They all go on their knees._)
KING. We have brought gifts and offerings with us. Let us show
them to you.
MARY MOTHER. Walk softly and quietly, that you may not awake
the Child.
A KING. I am the king is oldest in our company. I will walk
softly, and I will not awake the Child.
A SHEPHERD. I am the man is oldest among us; let us give our
poor gifts to you like the others. I will walk softly; I will not awake
the little One.
KING. We have brought from the rising of the sun, gold, and
frankincense, and myrrh, and a share of every noble precious treasure
there is in the world. It is not possible for the whole world to give a
thing we have not with us; and we have brought another thing the world
has not to give, the knowledge and sense and wisdom of our own hearts.
We have been gathering it through the years, from youth to old age; and
we put it first of all these things. (_They lay gold and spices, and
other treasures before the Child._)
SHEPHERD. We have brought fleeces, and cheeses, and a little
lamb with us as an offering. We have no other thing to give. We are old
now, and we have got this wisdom from God, that there is nothing better
worth giving than the things God has given to us. (_They put down their
own offerings. The two women come round to the front._)
THE FIRST WOMAN. Oh, do you see that?
SECOND WOMAN. King of the World, he said! Oh, are we not the
unhappy sinners?
FIRST WOMAN. My bitter grief for myself and yourself!
SECOND WOMAN. I am lost for ever. There is no forgiveness for
me to find for the thing I did!
FIRST WOMAN. Nor for myself.
SECOND WOMAN. You were not so guilty as I was.
FIRST WOMAN. Let us go; and let us hide ourselves under some
scalp of a rock, in a hole in the earth, or in the middle of the woods!
SECOND WOMAN. Let us then hasten that we may hide ourselves.
MARY MOTHER (_rises up and stretches out her hands, beckoning
to the women_). Come over here. Come to this cradle. The Son of God is
in this cradle, and His cradle is nothing but a manger. But yet He is
King of the World. There is a welcome before the whole world coming to
this cradle; but it is those that are asking forgiveness will get the
greatest welcome.
(_The two women fall on their knees._
_Child angels come and stand on the rising ground at each side of the
stable, and shining clothes on them like the colours of the morning.
They lift their trumpets and blow them softly._)
MARY MOTHER. Listen to the angels, the angels of God!
AN ANGEL OF THEM. A hundred welcomes before the whole world to
this cradle. We give out peace; we give out goodwill; we give out joy to
the whole world! (_They take their share of trumpets up again, and blow
them long and very sweetly._)