The Disguising At Hertford

Part 1

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THE DISGUISING AT HERTFORD

By John Lydgate

c.1370 - 1449

A verse play written circa 1427.

This version is made available with the permission of the Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge, England, the owners of the unique original manuscript.

For the purposes of this multi-platform electronic text, the medieval 'thorn' (a character representing 'th') has been changed to 'th'. It was impracticable to reproduce the original punctuation, which mainly consisted of the virgule or slash. Modern commas and full stops have been sparingly imposed. Superscript tildes and mid-script tildes have been removed. Mid-script dots have been changed to colons as they seem to indicate a deliberate suspension. The last four words of the initial rubric (Brys : slayne at Loviers) appear to have been added to the manuscript at a date slightly later than when it was first written. Section marks occur in the original without consistency; where these clearly indicate a new section, a blank line has been inserted to produce a similar effect.

The endnotes include the original stage directions. Two lacunae in the manuscript have been supplied by reference to John Stow's late 16th- century manuscript copy of the text. The other endnotes are glosses of particular words in the text.

Lydgate's Disguising at Hertford Castle by Derek Forbes with Foreword by Glynne Wickham First published by Blot Publishing, Pulborough, 1998. Pp. xiv + 82, f'piece, and 4 plate ills. Decorated and laminated card cover. ISBN 1 900929 03 1. Retail price in 2000 six pounds GBP.

Copies of the book are available from Blot Publishing, 8 Chanctonbury, Ashington, West Sussex, RH20 3QE, UK. Telephone: +44 (0)1903 893806 Email: <info@blot.co.uk>; Web site: <http://www.blot.co.uk>. or from the Society for Theatre Research, c/o The Theatre Museum, 1E Tavistock Street, London WC2E 7PA, UK.

Copies of the book were distributed by the Society for Theatre Research to its members worldwide in 1998, and can be consulted in the libraries of institutions which subscribe to the Society.

THE DISGUISING AT HERTFORD

Nowe folowethe here the maner of a bille by wey of supplicacon putte to the kyng holding his noble feest of Cristmasse in the Castel of Hertford as in a disguysing : of the Rude upplandisshe people compleyning on hir wyves with the boystous aunswere of hir wyves devysed by lydegate at the Request of the Countre Roullour Brys : slayne at Loviers

Most noble prynce : With support of your grace, Ther beon entred : in to youre royal place And late coomen in to youre castell, Youre poure lieges, wheche lyke no thing weel. Nowe in the vigyle of this nuwe yeere Certayne sweynes, ful [froward of ther chere], Of entent comen, [fallen on ther kne], For to compleyne vn to yuoure magestee Vpon the mescheef of gret aduersytee, Vpon the trouble and the cruweltee 10 Which that they haue endured in theyre lyves By the felnesse of theyre fierce wyves, Which is a tourment verray importable, A bonde of sorowe, a knott vnremuwable. For whoo is bounde or locked in maryage, Yif he beo olde, he falleth in dotage, And yong folkes, of theyre lymes sklendre, Grene and lusty, and of brawne but tendre, Phylosophres callen in suche aage A Chylde to wyve, a woodnesse or a raage. 20

For they afferme ther is noon eorthly stryff May beo compared to wedding of a wyff, And who that euer stondethe in the cas He with his Rebecke may sing ful oft ellas, Lyke as theos hynes, here stonding oon by oon, He may with hem vpon the daunce goon. Leorne the traas, boothe at even and morowe Of Karycantowe in tourment and in sorowe.... Weyle the while ellas that he was borne. For Obbe, the Reeve, that goothe heere al to forne, 30 He pleynethe sore, his mariage is not meete, For his wyff, Beautryce Bittersweete, Cast vpon him an hougly cheer ful rowghe Whane he komethe home, ful wery frome the ploughe, With hungry stomake, deed and paale of cheere, In hope to fynde redy his dynier.

Thanne sittethe Beautryce, bolling at the nale, As she that gyvethe of him no maner tale. For she alday with hir iowsy nolle, Hathe for the collyk pouped in the bolle 40 And for heed aache : with pepir and gynger Dronk dolled ale, to make hir throte cleer, And komethe hir hoome, whane hit drawethe to eve. And thanne Robyn, the cely poure Reeve, Fynde noone amendes of harome ne damage But leene growell, and soupethe cold potage, And of his wyf hathe noone other cheer But cokkrowortes vn to his souper. This is his servyce sitting at the borde, And cely Robyn, yif he speke a worde, 50 Beautryce of him doothe so lytel rekke That with hir distaff she hittethe him in the nekke, For a medecyne to chawf with his bloode. With suche a metyerde she hathe shape him an hoode.

And Colyn Cobeller, folowing his felawe, Hathe hade his part of the same lawe, For by the fayth that the preost him gaf His wyff hathe taught him to pleyne at the staff. Hir quarter strooke were so large and rounde That on his rigge the towche was alwey founde. 60

Cecely Sourechere, his owen precyous spouse, Kowde him reheete whan he came to house. Yif he ought spake whanne he felt peyne, Ageyne oon worde alweys he hade tweyne. Sheo qwytt him euer, ther was no thing to seeche, Six for oon, of worde and strookes eeche. Ther was no meen bytweene hem for to goone. What euer he wan : clowting olde shoone The wykday, pleynely this is no tale, Sheo wolde on Sondayes drynk it at the nale. 70 His part was noon, he sayde not oonys nay. Hit is no game, but an hernest play For lack of wit a man his wyf to greeve. Theos housbondemen : who so wolde hem leeve, Koude yif they dourst telle : in Audyence, What folowethe ther of wyves to doone offence. Is noon so olde ne ryveld on hir face, Wit tong or staff but that she dare manase. Mabyle, God hir sauve and blesse, Koude yif hir list bere here of witnesse, 80 Wordes, strookes vnhappe, and harde grace, With sharp nayles kracching in the face. I mene thus, whane the distaff is brooke With theyre fistes wyves wol be wrooke.

Blessed thoo men that cane in suche offence Meekly souffre, take al in pacyence Tendure suche wyfly purgatorye. Heven for theyre meede, to regne ther in glorye. God graunt al housbandes that beon in this place To wynne so heven for his hooly grace. 90

Nexst in ordre, this bochier stoute and bolde That killed hathe bulles and boores olde, This Berthilmew, for al his broode knyff, Yit durst he neuer with his sturdy wyff In no mater holde chaumpartye. And if he did, sheo wolde anoon defye His pompe, his pryde, with a sterne thought, And sodeynly setten him at nought. Thoughe his bely were rounded lyche an ooke She wolde not fail to gyf the first strooke. 100 For proude Pernelle lyche a Chaumpyon Wolde leve hir puddinges in a gret Cawdroun, Suffre hem boylle and taake of hem noon heede, But with hir skumour reeche him on the heued. Shee wolde paye him and make no delaye, Bid him goo pleye him a twenty deuel way. She was no cowarde founde at suche a neode, Hir fist ful offt made his cheekis bleed. What querell euer that he agenst hir sette, She cast hir not to dyen in his dette. 110 She made no taylle, but qwytt him by and by. His quarter sowde, she payde him feythfully. And his waages, wt al hir best entent, She made ther of noon assignement.

Eeke Thome Tynker, with alle hees pannes olde And alle the wyres of Banebury that he solde, His styth, his hamour, his bagge portatyf, Bare vp his arme whane he faught with his wyff: He foonde for haste no better bokeller, Vpon his cheeke the distaff came so neer. 120 Hir name was cleped Tybot Tapister. To brawle and broyle she nad no maner fer, To thakke his pilche stoundemel nowe and thanne Thikker thane Thome koude clowten any panne.

Nexst Colle Tyler, ful hevy of his cheer, Compleynethe on Phelyce his wyff the wafurer Al his bred with sugre nys not baake, Yit on his cheekis some tyme he hathe a caake So hoot and nuwe, or he can taken heede, That his heres glowe verray reede 130 For a medecyne whane the forst is colde, Makyng his teethe to ratle that beon oolde.

This is the compleynt that theos dotardes oolde Make on theyre wyves that beon so stoute and bolde, Theos holy martirs preued ful pacyent, Lowly beseching, in al hir best entent, Vnto youre noble ryal magestee, To graunte hem fraunchyse and also liberte Sith they beothe fetird and bounden in maryage, A saufconduct to sauf him frome damage. 140 Eeke vnder support of youre hyeghe renoun Graunt hem also a proteccyoun.

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