Charles Davidson — English llystery Plays. 

 Orleans, XII Century. 



189 



OBSTETRICES ostenclentes puerum : 

 Ecce, puer adest queni quaeritis. Jam 

 properate et adorate, quia ipse est 

 redemptio mundi. 



MAGI : 



Salve, rex saeculorum !^ 

 Salve, Deus Deorum ! 

 Salve, salus mortnoniro. ! 



Tunc procedentes magi, adorent Puerum 

 et afferent. 



PRIMUS^ dicat : 

 Suscipe, rex, aurum, regis signum. 



SECUNDUS : 



Suscipe myTrham, signum sepulturae. 



TERTIUS : 



Suscipe thus, tu vere Deus. 



Istis factis, Magi incipiant dormire ibi 

 ante prcesepe, donee angelus desuper 

 apparens, tnoneat in somnis ut redeant 

 in regionem suam per aliam viam : 



Impleta sunt omnia' quae prophetice 

 scripta sunt. Ite viam remeantes aliam, 

 nee delatores tanti regis puniendi eritis. 



MAGI evigilantes : 

 Deo gratias ! surgamus ergo, visione 

 moniti angelica et, calle mutato, lateant 

 Herodem quae vidimus de puero. 



Tunc MAGI abeuntes per aliam viam, 

 non vidente Herode, cantent : 

 O admirabile commercium ! 

 Creator omnium. 



Tunc venientes choro, dicent : 

 Gaudete, fratres, 

 Christus nobis natus est, 

 Deus homo factus est ! 



Tunc CANTOR incipit : 

 Te Deum, etc. 



1 Another proof of artistic superiority in 



O. 



2 An episode common in earler rituahstic 

 plays, probably the invention of one author 

 there. 



3 A platform necessary as in Sens resur- 

 rection play, p. 191. 



4 Note.— Then the three kings go through 

 the side aisles out of the church and reenter 

 by the left door into the choir. 



5 Given in full by Du Meril, p. 152. 



s The closing of F is evidently a reminis- 

 cence of some play of the slaughter of the 

 innocents. 



' The closing of R shows its affinity to 

 the church service. 



s The Sallust tag which occurs also in 

 ' Interfectio Puerorura' and in ' Ordo Kach- 

 elis.' Sallust is quoted also in the second 

 .iournee of Saint Didier, and other classics 

 elsewhere.— JuUeville, Les Mysteres, vol. 1, 

 p. 261. 



9 Agrees with 'Interfectio Puororum.' 



