THE MIDDLE ENGLISH RELIGIOUS LYRIC 89 
may possibly not be amiss to consider as variations of the above lyrical 
form the Welcome and Farewell lyrics sometimes addressed to Jesus, 
sometimes to Mary, in which “ Welcome” or “‘ Farewell” are substituted 
for “ Hail;” they seem to be modeled throughout upon the Hai poems.* 
Very similar in form and general treatment to the Hail Jesus is the Hail 
Mary.? Serving about the same purpose in the plays is the prayer 
which begins with “Come” instead of “Hail,” and which very probably 
belongs to the class of Latin lyrics represented by Veni praecelsa domina.* 
The Hail lyrics and their variations may all have been the development 
of one line in the annunciation-lyrics, spoken by Gabriel, “Hail Mary.” 
Of the general prayers and hymns to Mary there are in the poetry of the 
day thousands,” and in the drama some few.’ It is especially interesting 
to find, however, that two of the most highly conventionalized of all the 
hymns to Mary have worked their way into the plays. The one is the 
= The Welcome lyrics are to be found in Chester, Vol. I, pp. 194 ff.; Vol. II, pp. 2 ff.; York, pp. 443, 
480; Cov., pp. 176, 347; The Pageant of the Shearmen and Taylors (Manly, Pre-S. Dr.), ll. 609 ff. See 
also for this form of address applied to persons other than Christ, The Digby Plays (ed. Furnivall, EETS), 
pp. 18, 128. They are to be found as independent lyrics in The Minor Poems of Lydgate (Percy Soc., Vol. II), 
p. 10; Christmas Carols (Percy Soc., Vol. IV), pp. 4, 53, 57; Songs and Carols (Percy Soc., Vol. XXIII), 
p. 43; The Bann. MS, Vol.I, p. 255. The specimen printed in Percy Soc., Vol. XXIII, p. 43, suggests that 
this class of lyrics may have had its origin in some of the pagan Germanic folk-customs. 
The Farewell lyrics are to be found in Chester, Vol. I, p. 171; York, pp. 447, 4873 Town., p. 2033 
Cov., pp. 102, 143, 160, 347. See The Lamentation of Mary Magdalene, ed. Bertha M. Skeat. See also 
Songs and Carols (Percy Soc., Vol. XXIII), p. 57, and The Bann. MS, Vol. II, pp. 645 ff., where it is used 
as a form of address to others than Christ. See for parallel passages, Appendix, pp. ro ff. 
2 York, pp. 473, 484 ff., 492; Cov., pp. 176, 387, 380, 301; Minor Poems of the V. MS, Vol. I, pp. 49 ff., 
121 ff.; Polit., Relig. and Love Poems (1st ed., EETS), pp. 81 ff., 145 ff., 174 ff.; Wm. of Shoreham (EETS), 
pp. 127 ff.; Hymns to V. and C., pp. 4 ff.; Songs and Carols (Percy Soc., Vol. XXIII), p. 80; Chaucerian 
and Other Poems (ed. Skeat), p. 275; Rel. Ant., Vol. I, pp. 174; Anglia, Vol. XXVI, pp. 164 ff.; Vol. XXVII, 
pp. 321 ff.; Herrigs Archiv, Vol. LXXXIX, pp. 183 ff. For the use of this lyric as a form of address to 
characters other than Christ and Mary, see The Digby Plays, pp. 60, 103 ff., 126 ff. For French forms see 
Gréber, Grundriss der romanischen Philologie, Vol. II, Part I, pp. 974 ff. For Latin lyrics of this type see 
Das deutsche Kirchenlied (Wackernagel), Vol. I, pp. 125 ff., 169 ff., 172 ff., 190 ff.; Hymni Latini (Mone), 
Vol. II, pp. 5 ff. 
3 York, pp. 445, 484- 
4 Das deutsche Kirch. (Wackernagel), Vol. I, p. 246; Hymni Latini (Mone), Vol. II, pp. 125 ff.; see also 
Hymni Latini, Vol. 1, p. 247, and Piae Cantiones (Klemming), p. 176. See Appendix, p. 21. 
s See the Latin lyric, Das deutsche Kirch., Vol. 1, p. 116; see English lyrics, An Old Eng. Misc., p. 1003 
Minor Poems of V. MS, Vol. I, p. 4; Eng. Stud., Vol. XIV, p. 401; Chester. Vol. I, p. 94; York, p. 98; 
Town., p. 88; Cov., p. 112- 
6 See Das deutsche Kirch., Vol. 1, pp. 47, 82, 109 ff.; Rel. Ant., Vol. I, pp. 22, 89, 102, 169, 235, 2745 
Vol. II, pp. 120, 212, 228 ff.; Anglia, Vol. XXVI, p. 190. 
7 York, pp. 101, 476, 492, 404 ff.; Cov., pp. 116, 128, 154. Professor Manly has suggested that many 
more were present at one time in the body of the plays, but that most of them were cut out at the time when 
Mary-worship fell into disfavor in England. 
