s mylde,
They make louyng in ther manere as thei wer men.
For-sothe it semes wele be ther chere thare lord thei ken.

_Mary._ Ther lorde thai kenne, that wate I wele,
They worshippe hym with myght and mayne;
The wedir is colde, as ye may feele,
To halde hym warme thei are full fayne, with thare warme
breth."{12}

The playwrights are at their best in the shepherd scenes; indeed these
are the most original parts of the cycles, for here the writers found
little to help them in theological tradition, and were thrown upon their
own wit. In humorous dialogue and naive sentiment the lusty burgesses of
the fifteenth century were thoroughly at home, and the comedy and pathos
of these scenes must have been as welcome a relief to the spectators,
from the |133| long-winded solemnity of many of the plays, as they are
to modern readers. In the York mysteries the shepherds make uncouth
exclamations at the song of the angels and ludicrously try to imitate it.
The Chester shepherds talk in a very natural way of such things as the
diseases of sheep, sit down with much relish to a meal of "ale of
Halton," sour milk, onions, garlick and leeks, green cheese, a sheep's
head soused in ale, and other items; then they call their lad Trowle, who
grumbles because his wages have not been paid, refuses to eat, wrestles
with his masters and throws them all. They sit down discomfited; then the
Star of Bethlehem appears, filling them with wonder, which grows when
they hear the angels' song of "Gloria in excelsis." They discuss what the
words were--"glore, glare with a glee," or, "glori, glory, glorious," or,
"glory, glory, with a glo." At length they go to Bethlehem, and arrived
at the stable, the first shepherd exclaims:--

"Sym, Sym, sickerlye
Heare I see Marye,
And Jesus Christe faste by,
Lapped in haye."{13}

Joseph is strangely described:--

"Whatever this oulde man that heare is,
Take heede howe his head is whore,
His beirde is like a buske of breyers,
With a pound of heaire about his mouth and more."{14}

Their gifts to the Infant are a bell, a flask, a spoon to eat pottage
with, and a cape. Trowle the servant has nought to offer but a pair of
his wife's old hose; four boys follow with presents of a bottle, a hood,
a pipe, and a nut-hook. Quaint are the words of the last two givers:--

"_The Thirde Boye._

O, noble childe of thee!