Note 335 — Chapter XX · THE SECULARIZATION OF THE PLAYS
Reading edition
Manning, 146:—
Un autre folie apert Vnt les fols clercs cuntroue, Qe ‘miracles’ sunt apele; Lur faces vnt la deguise Par visers, li forsene,— Qe est defendu en decree; Tant est plus grand lur peche. Fere poent representement,— Mes que ceo seit chastement En office de seint eglise Quant hom fet la deu servise,— Cum iesu crist le fiz dee En sepulcre esteit pose, Et la resurrectiun, Pur plus auer deuociun. Mes, fere foles assemblez En les rues des citez, Ou en cymiters apres mangers, Quant venent les fols volunters,— Tut dient qe il le funt pur bien,— Crere ne les deuez pur rien Qe fet seit pur le honur de dee, Einz del deable, pur verite, Seint ysidre me ad testimone Qe fut si bon clerc lettre; Il dist qe cil qe funt sepectacles Cume lem fet en miracles, Or ius qe nus nomames einz— Burdiz ou turneinens,— Lur baptesme vnt refusez, E deu de ciel reneiez,’ &c.
Robert Mannyng of Brunne (1303) translates:—
‘Hyt ys forbode hym, yn the decre, Myracles for to make or se; For myracles, ȝyf þou begynne, Hyt ys a gaderyng, a syghte of synne, He may yn þe cherche þurghe þys resun Pley þe resurrecyun, Þat ys to seye, how Gode ros, God and man yn myȝt and los, To make men be yn beleue gode That he has ros wyþ flesshe and blode: And he may pleye wyþoutyn plyghte Howe god was bore yn ȝole nyght, To make men to beleue stedfastly Þat he lyghte yn þe vyrgyne Mary. Ȝuf þou do hyt in weyys or greuys, A syghte of synne truly hyt semys. Seynt Ysodre, y take to wytnes, For he hyt seyþ þat soþ hyt es; Þus hyt seyþ yn hys boke, Þey foresake þat þey toke— God and here crystendom— Þat make swyche pleyys to any man As myracles and bourdys, Or toumamentys of grete prys,’ &c.
The reference to ‘Seynt Ysodre’ is to Isidore of Seville, Etymologiarum xviii. 59, de horum [ludorum] exsecratione (P. L. lxxxii. 660). The saint is speaking of course of the Roman spectacula.