The comen bannes to be proclaymed and Ryddon with the Stewardys of
every occupacon:--
Lordings Royall and Reverentt
Lovelie ladies that here be lentt
Sovereigne Citizens hether am I sent
A message for to say.
I pray you all that be present
That you will here with good intent
And all your eares to be lent
Hertfull I you pray.
Our worshipfull mair of this Citie
With all his royall cominaltie
Solem pagens ordent hath he
At the fest of Whitsonday tyde.
How every craft in his decree
Bryng forth their playes solemplie
I shall declare you brefely
Yf ye will a while abyde.
The worshipfull tanners of this towne
Bryng forth the heavenly manshon
Th’ orders of angells and theire creation
According done to the best.
And when the angells be made so clere
Then folowyth the falling of Lucifere
To bring forth this play with good chere
The tanners be full prest.
You worshipfull men of the draperye
Loke that paradyse be all redye
Prepare also the mappa mundi
Adam and eke Eve.
The waterleders and drawers of Dee
Loke that Noyes shipp be sett on hie
That you lett not the storye
And then shall you well chrue.
The barburs and wax channdlers also that day
Of the Patriarche you shall play
Abram, that put was to assay
To sley Isack his sonne.
The cappers and pynners forth shall bring
Balack that fears [fierce] and mightie Kyng
And Balam on an asse sytting:
Loke that this be done.
Youe wrights and slaters will be fayne
Bring forth your cariage of Marie myld quene,
And of Octavian so cruell and kene
And also of Sybell the sage.
For findyng of that Royal thing
I grant you all the blessing
Of the high imperiall King
Both the maister and his page.
Paynters glasiars and broderers in fer
Have taken on theym with full good chere
That the Sheppards play then shall appere
And that with right good wyll.
The vynteners then as doth befall
Bringe forth the 3 Kings Royall
Of Colyn or pagent memoryall
And worthy to appere.
Then shall you see how that Kynges all
Came bouldly into the hall
Before Herode proude in paulle
Of Crysts byrth to heare.
The mercers worshipfull of degre
The presentation that have yee
Hit falleth best for your see
By right reason and style
Of caryage I have no doubt
Both within and without
It shall be deckyd y^t all the Rowte
Full gladly on it shall be to loke
With sundry cullors it shall glime
Of velvit satten and damaske fine
Taffyta sers-nette of poppyngee grene.
The gouldsmyths then full soone will hye
And masons theyre craft to magnifye
Theis two crafts will theim applye
Theyre worshipp for to wynne
How Herode King of Galalye
For that intent Cryste to distrye
Slew the Innocents most cruely
Of tow yeres and within.
Semely smythis also in hyght
A lovely caryage the will dyght
Candilmas day for soth it hyght
The find it with good will.
The buchers pagene shall not be myst
How Satan tempted our Savyour Cryst
It is an history of the best
As witnesseth the gospell.
Nedys must I rehers the glover
The give me gloves and gay gere
The find the toumbs of Lazarey
That pagene cometh next.
Also the corvesers with all their myght
The fynde full fayre syght
Jerusalem their caryage hyght
For so sayth the text.
And the bakers also be dene
The find the Maunday as I wene
It is a carriage full well besene
As then it shall appeare.
Flechers bowyers with great honours
The Cowpers find the Tormentors
That bobbyde God with gret honors
As he sat in his chere [chair].
The Iron mongers find a caryage good
How Jesus dyed on y^e rode
And shed for us his precyus blud
The find it in fere.
Cryst after his passion
Brake Hell for our redempcion
That find the cookes and hostelers of this towne
And that with full good chere.
Also the skynners they be boune
With great worshipp and renowne
They find the Resurection
Fayre maye them befall.
Sadlers and Foysters [“Fusterers”] have the good grace
They find the Castell of Emawse
Where Crist appered to Cleophas
A faire pagend you shall see.
Also the Taylers with trew Intent
Have taken on them verament
The Assencyon by one assent
To bringe it forth full right.
Fysshe mongers men of faith
As that day will doe their stayth
To bringe there caryage furth in trayth
Wyt Sonday it hight.
The worshipfull wyves of this towne
Ffyne of our lady thassumpcon
It to bryng forth they be bowne
And meyntene with all theyre might.[33]
The Shermen will not [be] behynd
Butt bryng theire cariage with good mynde
The pagent of prophettys they do fynd
That prophecied ffull truly
Off the coming of Anticrist
That goodys ffaith would resist
That cariage I warrand shall not myst
Butt sett forth full dewly.
The hewsters that be men full sage
They bryng forth a wurthy cariage
That is a thing of grett costage
Antycryst hit hight.
They weyvers in very dede
Ffynd the day of Dame, well may they spede
I graunt them holly to theire neede
The blysse of heven bright.
Sovereigne syrs to you I say
And to all this ffayre cuntre
That played shalbe this godely play
In the whitson weke
That is brefely for to sey
Uppon Monday Tuysday and Wennysday
Whoo lust to see theym he may
And non of theym to sek.
{ Also maister maire of this Citie
{ Withall his bretheryn accordingly
“_Erased_ { A solempne procession ordent hath he
{ To be done to the best
{ Appon the day of Corpus Christi
_in_ { The blessed sacrament caried shalbe
{ And a play sett forth by the clergye
{ In honor of the fest
_the_ { Many torches there may you see
{ Marchaunts and craftys of this citie
{ By order passing in their degree
_Booke.”_ { A goadly sight that day
{ They come from Saynt Maries on the Hill
{ The Church of Saynt Johns untill
{ And there the sacrament leve they will
{ The sauth [sooth] as I you say.
Whoo so comyth these plays to see
With good devocon merelye
Hertely welcome shall he be
And have right good chere.
Sir John Arnway was maire of this citie
When these playes were begon truly
God graunt us merely
And see theym many a yere.
Now have I done that lyeth in me
To procure this solempnitie
That these playes contynued may be
And well sett fourth alway.
Jhu [Jesu] Crist that syttys on hee
_And his blessed mother Marie_ [_erased_]
Save all this goodely company
And kepe you nyght and day.
[33] Played in 1488.
With regard to the Banes we must notice first that it is in the same
metre and rhyming stanza as the Plays themselves, and may have been
written with them. Secondly, it sheds light on some very important
points. Here is one:--
“The worshipfull wyves of this towne
Ffyne of our lady thassumpcon
It to bryng forth they be bowne
And meyntene with all theyre might.”[34]
[34] It is worth noting, that in 1483, at York, four men came before
the Mayor, “& by the assent of all the Innholders of this said
Citie tuke upon them to bring furth yerely during the term of VIII.
yere, then next folluying the pagent of the Coronacion of our Lady
perteyning to the said Innholders, etc.” It seems likely, then, that
the “worshipful wyves” were the ale-wives of Chester, and it is by no
means improbable that Chester again followed the lead of York. As Mrs.
Green says, “Cooks and brewers and hostellers were naturally deeply
interested in the preservation of the good old customs, and it was,
in some cases, certainly this class (the most powerful in a mediæval
borough), who raised the protest against the indifference and neglect
of the townspeople for public processions and merry-making, because
‘thereby the victuallers lose their money’; and who insisted on the
revival of these festivals for the encouragement of trade.”--_Town Life
XV. Century_, i. p. 153.
Here we have _The Assumption_ definitely classed as one of the Chester
series (a point hitherto unknown), and also, we see that it was
provided by women; this is unique, I think. In none of the other cycle
centres do the women manage a play by themselves.[35]
[35] Canon Morris says: “It is omitted from Bellin’s transcript in
1600, and was, in all probability, discontinued in Edward VI.’s reign,
in deference to the religious feeling of the time.”
Again,
“Also maister maire of this Citie
Withall his bretheryn accordingly
A solempne procession ordent hath he
To be done to the best
Appon the day of Corpus Christi
The blessed sacrament caried shalbe
And a play sett forth by the clergye,
In honor of the fest.
Many torches there may you see
Marchaunts and craftys of this citie
By order passing in their degree
A goadly sight that day.
They come from Saynt Maries on the Hill
The Church of Saynt Johns untill
And there the sacrament leve they will
The sauth as I you say.”
It will be seen that the Mayor and Corporation had ordered a procession
at Corpus Christi, and that the clergy were to provide a play. What
this play was we have, unfortunately, no means of knowing.
This may account for the transference of the gild plays to Whitsun
week. The clergy, anxious to have the Corpus Christi procession to
_themselves_ without the trade gilds, may have said to the citizens,
“If you will have your plays at another time we will, at our own charge
and expense, provide a play on Corpus Christi, so that there shall
be no loss to the citizens in that respect.”[36] Thus the plays got
transferred to Whitsuntide.
[36] This is precisely what happened at York, where after 1426 the
Corpus Christi procession and the plays were separated.