Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

In heaven and earth duly bedene [completely],
of five days’ work, even unto the end,
I have completed by courses clean;
methinks the space of them well spent.
In heaven are angels fair and bright,
stars and planets their courses to go,
the moon serves unto the night
the sun to light the day also.
In earth is trees and grass to spring,
beasts and fowls, both great and small,
fishes in flood, all other thing
thrive and have my blessing all.
This work is wrought now at my will,
but yet can I here no beast see
that accords by kind and skill,
and for my work might worship me.
For perfect work now were it none
but ought [something] were made that might it yeme [heed],
for love made I this world alone,
therefore my love shall in it seem [appear].
To keep this world, both more and less,
a skilful beast then will I make
after my shape and my likeness,
the which shall worship to me take.
Of the simplest part of earth that is here
I shall make man, and for this skill [motive]:
for to abate his haughty cheer,
both his great pride and other ill;
and also for to have in mind
how simple he is at his making,
for as feeble I shall him find
when he is dead at his ending.
For this reason and skill alone
I shall make man like unto me.
Rise up, thou earth, in blood and bone,
in shape of man, I command thee.
A female shall thou have to fear [in memoriam Lew Dawson: “fere” is “companion”],
her shall I make of thy left rib,
alone so shall thou nough be here
without thy faithful friend and sib [kinswoman].
Take now here the gast [ghost, spirit] of life
and ressayue both your souls of me;
this female take thou to thy wife,
Adam and Eve your names shall be.

Corpus Christi is on 30 May 2024.

Comment

Comment

Of all the entries in this almanac, this is the most arbitrary. Peter Meredith, via Margaret Rogerson (Playing a Part in History: The York Mysteries 2009):

There are five key dates that establish our understanding of the functioning of the Play: 1377, 3 the first record of any kind; 1399, the first list of the stations* (the places in the city streets at which the Play was performed); 1415, the first clear statement of its scope and structure; 1433, the date of the Mercers’ indenture that illuminates the nature of the pageant wagon; and 1463-77, the writing of the Register that provides us with almost the complete text of the Play. Perhaps one should add to those 1569, the date of the last performance (Meredith 2000).

But I have no idea whether this text was created or reached this form before or after 1415, though my negligible knowledge of the historical linguistics suggests 15th century York dialect (hence “native God”), exhibiting features from both further south and north. However, if you are prepared to join me in self-deception, then we do know that Easter was 31 March in Julian 1415, and Corpus was thus 30 May.

“Course”/”courses” is ugly, but Canon Purvis’s translation of the first quatrain gets the job done:

In heaven and earth the course is seen
Of five days’ work even unto the end,
I have completed by courses clean;
Methinks the space of them well spent.
(Purvis 1957)

My mistranslation of “fere” is a tribute to Les Dawson:

Les Dawson might have disagreed with the great Canon Purvis' translation of "fere" in his popular version of the York Mystery Plays. ("I discovered the wife's got asthma. Thank God – I thought she was hissing at me.") pic.twitter.com/Zrac5r4Oua

— Leeds' Singing Organ-Grinder (@elorganillero) May 19, 2024

For all the lack of proper dating, I am glad this entry has ended my flirtation with Archbishop’s dating of the creation of Adam Eve to Friday 28 October 4004 B.C.:

And upon the sixth day (October 28, which is our Friday) the living creatures of the earth took their creation, as well going, as creeping creatures. And last of all, man was made and created after the image of God, which consisted principally in the divine knowledge of the mind, and in the natural and proper sanctity of his will. And he forthwith, when all living creatures, by the divine power, were brought before him, as a lord appointed over them, gave them their names, by which they should be called. Among all which, when he found none to help him like to himself, lest he should be destitute of a fit companion, God taking a rib out of his side, while he slept, fashioned it into a woman, and gave her to him for a wife, establishing, withal, a law of marriage between them; then blessing them, he bade them wax and multiply, and gave them dominion over all living creatures, and for them all he provided a large proportion of food and sustenance to live upon. To conclude, sin being not yet entered upon the world, God beheld all that he had made, and, behold, it was exceeding good. And so was the evening, and so was the morning of the sixth day (Ussher 1658).

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Original

God
In heuyn and erthe duly bedene
Of v days werke, euyn onto ende,
I haue complete by curssis clene;
Methynke the space of thame well spende.
In heuyn er angels fayre and brighte,
Sternes and planetis ther curssis to ga,
THe mone seruis onto the nyght
The son to lyghte the day alswa.
In erthe is treys and gres to springe,
Bestis and foulys, bothe gret and smalle,
Fyschis in flode, all othyr thyng
Thryffe and haue my blyssyng all.
Thys werke is wroght now at my will,
But yoet can I here no best see
THat acordys be kynde and skyll,
And for my werke myght worschippe me.
For perfytt werke ne ware it nane
But ought ware made that myght it yoeme,
For loue mad I this warlde alane,
THerfor my loffe sall in it seme.
To kepe this warlde, bothe mare and lesse,
A skylfull best thane will I make
Eftyr my schape and my lyknes,
The wilke sall worschipe to me take.
Off the symplest part of erthe that is here
I sall make man, and for this skylle:
For to abate hys hauttande chere,
Bothe his gret pride and other ille;
And also for to haue in mynde
How simpyll he is at hys makyng,
For als febyll I sall hym fynde
Qwen he is dede at his endyng.
For this reson and skyll alane
I sall make man lyke onto me.
Ryse vp, thou erthe, in blode and bane,
In schape of man, I commaunde the.
A female sall thou haue to fere,
Her sall I make of thi lyft rybe,
Alane so sall thou nough be here
Withoutyn faythefull frende and sybe.
Takys now here the gast of lyffe
And ressayue bothe yooure saules of me;
THis femall take thou to thi wyffe,
Adam and Eue yoour names sall be.

354 words.

Tags

Tags are assigned inclusively on the basis of an entry’s original text and any comment. You may find this confusing if you only read an entry excerpt.

• Adam and Eve (1) ·
• Bible (15) ·
• Biblical literalist chronology (1) ·
• Book of Genesis (1) ·
• Chronology of the Bible (1) ·
• Creation myth (1) ·
• Feast of Corpus Christi (3) ·
• Genesis creation narrative (1) ·
• Guild (6) ·
• James Ussher (1) ·
• Les Dawson (1) ·
• Mystery play (3) ·
• Narrative poetry (9) ·
• Old Testament (8) ·
• Poetry (70) ·
• Purvis, John Stanley (1890-1968) (3), Bridlington-born Church of England cleric and historian, editor of a modern English version of the York Cycle of mystery plays ·
• Ussher chronology (1) ·
• York Mystery Plays (3) ·
• 📌York (164) ·
• Yorkshire dialect (20) ·

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