Author Unknown
Translator’s Introduction
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.’” (Matthew 2:1-2, King James Version)
In the Bible, only twelve verses are written about these wise men. We don’t know their names, or how many there were, or if they were scholars or astrologers or kings. But following Christ’s death and throughout the Middle Ages, mythologies formed around this short story. Typically, there are three wise men, corresponding with the three gifts, and over the centuries they developed characteristics.
According to many of these traditions, Melchizar (or Melchior or Melichior) of Persia is the oldest and is described with long grey hair and beard. He is often depicted as the first to speak and the first to kneel, though in this play those roles are filled by Baltazare. Baltazare (or Balthazar or Balthasar) is from Arabia or Ethiopia and is often depicted as African. Jaspar (more often called Caspar) is the youngest of the three and is from India or Central Asia.
In medieval England, one way these traditions were created and passed along was through mystery plays. These were short plays put on by churches and guilds which retold stories written in the Bible. Little attempt was made to be historically or culturally accurate, and the writers and actors told these old stories as if they were set in their own time period and society. For example, in the focal play of this project Herod’s soldiers are called “knights,” which does not align at all with historical Jerusalem.
However, the purpose of these plays was not scholarly education but to teach the common people tales from the Bible and help them connect these stories and characters to themselves. Because of that, these plays can serve as a bridge for modern-day readers to see the world and the Bible through the eyes of a medieval Christian.
The play chosen for this project is N-Town Play 18: Magi. Unlike most sets, the N-Town Plays aren’t tied to a particular town or region, though scholars think they were performed in western Norfolk and Suffolk in the late 1400s. Beyond this, little is known about the N-Town plays. Magi tells the story of the three kings—or Magi—as they follow the star to Bethlehem, meet with Herod and make the mistake of telling him about the baby king, kneel before the infant Jesus and his mother Mary, and return to their own countries.
Translator’s Notes
You are about to read a side-by-side with the original Middle English text and a modern translation. For this translation, I updated the spelling and translated the words which no longer exist in English today, and also changed a few of the oldest and most difficult words and phrases. I added notes on the most important or interesting edits, as well as a couple notes on cultural tidbits. A few times I shuffled the word order of a line or changed the wording to make the meaning clearer.
I also added some stage directions to make the scenes easier to picture. My additions are in italics, and the originals are non-italicized.
The last change I made involves the Magi themselves. In the original text, though the kings introduce themselves, the script calls them “Rex 1,” “Rex 2,” and “Rex 3,” rex being the Latin word for “king.” In my translation, I instead label them by their names: Baltazare, Melchizar, and Jaspar. I found that this makes it easier for the reader to distinguish between the characters while also turning them from distant figures into memorable and relatable individuals. My hope is that you’ll enjoy their story, and perhaps reread those twelve Bible verses with a new perspective.
Lila Miller, translator and editor
John Adams College, 2026
N-Town Play #18 Magi
[Enter Herod on a horse.]
KING HEROD: As a lord in royalty in none region so rich,
And ruler of all realms I ride in royal array,
There is no lord of land in lordship to me like,
None lovelier, none more praiseworthy, everlasting is my song!1
Of beauty and of boldness I bear evermore the belle;2
Of power and of might I master every man!
I beat with my might the devil down to hell,
For both of heaven and of earth I am king certain!
I am the comeliest king clad in glittering gold,
Yea, and the seemliest sire that may bestride a steed!
I wield at my will all the creatures upon earth!
Yea, and worthily I am wrapped in a worthy attire!
Ye knights so comely, both courteous and bold
To my palace will I pass, full pressed I assure you.
Ye dukes so valiant follow me at once!
Onto my royal palace the way lieth full right!
Boldly from my steed I skip down in haste
To my high halls I haste me in my way.
Ye minstrel of mirth, blow up a good blast
While I go to chamber and change my array.
[Herod exits and kings enter.]
BALTAZARE: Hail be ye, kings two,
Far riding out of your reign!
I think by your presents seen
Ye seek our Savior.
From Saba3 have I followed far,
The gleaming of yon joyful star,
A child’s blood shall buy us dear
That there is born in a beast’s shelter.
My name is King Baltazare,
Of prophets’ speech I am aware.
Therefore, a far way I fare,
A maiden’s child to seek,
For he made man of the dirt
And is King of Heaven’s stronghold.
I will offer him the red gold4
As reason will me instruct.
MELCHIZAR: Melchizar, that my name is known,
In hot love mine heart is hid
To the blossom upon his bed
Born in a beast’s manger.
In Tarys5 I am king with crown,
By banks and waters brown.
I have labored through many a town,
My Lord’s love to win.
I seek him with incense6 sweet.
Of all priests he shall be the root.
His bright blood shall be our deliverance
To bring us out of captivity.
The child shall be chosen a priest,
In all virtues found greatest!
Before his Father’s fair breast,
Incense he shall higher send.
JASPER: In Ypotan and Archage7
I am king known in chapel.
To seek a child of demeanor sage,
I have traveled right far.
Jasper as my name is known
In many countries that are mine own.
Through bitter blasts that blew,
I strike after the star.
I bring myrrh8 for my present,
A bitter sap, truly,
For he shall suffer bitter blow.9
In a maiden’s flesh is clad,
On bitter tree he shall be bent —
Man and God omnipotent.
With bitter beating his flesh be rent
Till all his blood be bled.
[Scene cuts away from the kings and back to Herod, now in new attire.]
KING HEROD: Now I reign like a king arrayed full rich,
Rolled in rings and robes of array!
I drive dukes, with blows, into the trench;
My deeds are deemed full bold and brave by all!
I shall destroy those heretics that believe amiss,
And therein set their sacraments. False they are I say!
There is no lord in this world that look like me, certainly;
For to lame heretics of the lesser law,
I am jollier than the jay! Strong thieves to stab
That will our laws break —
On those wretches I will be avenged
And hunt them under net.10
In cloak of camaca11 king am I clad!
Cruel and curryd12 in my crown known —
I sit here only under Caesar in my firm seat!
Sorrowing to simpletons such seed will I sow,
Boys now blabbering, boasting of a baby13 lowly
That in a manger is born, by beasts such boast is told!
I shall prune that infant and prove him as a toad
Shields and spears shall I there sow, my knights shall ride in ranks,14
Male children for to slay,
By Mahound, dignified duke of hell,15
Bitter death his life shall sell,
Such threat would I overthrow.
Steward bold, walk though the land
And wisely behold all about
If anything should grieve the king.
Bring me tiding if there be any doubt.
SENESCALLUS: Lord, king in crown: I go from town
By banks brown I will abide,
And with ears listen east and west
If any tale on ground begins to glide.16
[Then the steward will go and meet the three kings, and say to them:]
Kings three, under this tree
In this country why will ye abide?
Herod is king of this territory!
Onto his dwelling now shall ye depart.
BALTAZARE: Now lead us all17 to the king’s hall.
How the birth happened we ask of thee,
For our minds to know, if Herod may give us pity:
In flesh by filth,18 God’s noble fruit.
SENESCALLUS: Follow in a little while upon this ground
To the castle round. I shall you show
Where the king’s land spreads wide up in this time
In pomp and pride — his might begins to reach.
[He goes ahead to Herod]
Sir king in throne, here comes at once
By paved road with stones, kings three.
They bear presents. What they have meant
Nor where they are bent I cannot see.
KING HEROD: I shall them crave what they have.
If they speak irrationally or get angry,
I shall them rob, their wits destroy;
Their heads cleave, and shed their blood.
[Kings enter]
BALTAZARE: Hail, be thou king in dais full high!
Hail, we approach thine hall right near!
Do you know about that wise child
Is He born here about?
He is born of a young maid;
He shall be king over every king.
We go to seek that lovely thing,
To him eagerly would I bow.
MELCHIZAR: Balaam spake in prophecy:
A star should full lovely
Alight upon maid Mary.
Coming of Jacob’s kin,19
The child is born and lies hereby,
Born in a maiden’s body.
A star hath streaked across the sky
And led us well through fen.20
JASPER: The star has led us out of the east
To seek a baby born best
He shall be king of might’s most,
As prophecy begins to spell.
We are kings in way weary.
Sir king, for thy curtesy:
Tell us about that child so lovely —
In what town does he dwell?
KING HEROD: Ye three kings reckoned be in group;
Lay down now your rumors low.
Such foolish talk is unknown,
Unheeded in my reign!
I am a king of high degree!
There shall none be above me!
I have plants and fruits abundant,
Forests and ponds plenty.
But go and find that ye seek,
And if ye know such a healer21
And you find him, I you beseech
Come again by me,
And I shall be both joyful and ready
That all worship to him be done!
With reverence I shall seek him soon
And honor him on my knee.
Therefore, kings, I you pray
When ye have finished your journey,
Come again this same way
Tell the truth to me.
Come and tell me, as ye speed,
And I shall quite right well reward you
With gold and treasure and rich attire,
With rich furs and worthy skins.
BALTAZARE: King, have good day! I go my way
To seek Lord of might. He shall be right our healer.
MELCHIZAR: King, full stern, by field and fern,
I go to seek a king. He takes his dwelling in woe.
JASPER: If we him find,
Our king full kind,
By a maiden from king and queen,
We come again this day.
[The kings leave Herod.]
KING HEROD: [to himself] A, fie, fie on tales that I have been told
Here before my cruel knee!
How should a baby grow so bold
If he be born by beasts?
He is young, and I am old, a hardy king of high degree!
This day those kings shall be killed
If they come again by me!
My gods I shall raise up!22
A dark devil with falseness, I say,
Shall cast a mist in the kings’ eyes
By banks and by dales dreary
That be dark, they shall come this way.
[Herod exits. Focus shifts back to the kings.]
BALTAZARE: We go to seek our lord and our healer!
Yon star will us show the ways full soon!23
To save us from mischief, God, I here beseech!
Onto his joys that we may reach I pray Him of this boon.
[Then the kings will go with gifts to Jesus (and Mary) and the first king says:]
Hail, be thou king humbly clothed!24
Hail, with maiden’s milk fed!
Hail, I come to thee with gold bright!
As wise writing bear it record:
Gold is the richest metal,
And to wearing most royal.
Gold I give thee in this hall,
And know thee for my lord.
MELCHIZAR: Lord, I kneel upon my knee.
Fragrant incense I offer to thee.
Thou shalt be the first of high degree,
None so great of might
In God’s house as men shall see!
They shall honor the Trinity,
Three persons in one God free
And all one Lord of Might.
JASPER: Lord, I kneel down by thy bed.
In maiden’s flesh thou art hidden.
Thy name shall be wide read
And king over all kings!
Bitter myrrh to thee I bring,
For bitter blows on thee they shall beat,
And bitter death shall be thy ending,
And therefore I make mourning.
MARY: Kings kind, from the fiend
May God defend you.
Homeward you go and to your places return
That you should tend.25
[The kings leave Mary and the baby]
BALTAZARE: Now have we the place found!
To Herod go we soon —
With our words we were bound
That we should come again.
Go a pace and say our speech,
For we have found our lord and healer.
All the truth we will to him say
How the king is born of a queen.
MELCHIZAR: Mine head is heavy as a lump of lead,
But if I sleep, I am afraid
My wit shall fare the worse!
I grow heavy in limb and flank —
Down I lay me upon this bank,
Under this bright star, certainly.
JASPER: Brother I must lie by thee!
I will go never over this road
Till I have a sleep.
The young king and his mother Mary
Save us all from every villainy!
Now Christ save us and keep.
BALTAZARE: Such heaviness have us caught —
I must drink with you a draught to sleep a little while.
I am heavy, head and foot
I should stumble at rush and root if I should go a mile.
[Here the kings sleep and the angel comes (in a dream) and says to them:]
ANGEL: Ye kings on this hill:
Work ye not after Herod’s will!
For if you do, he you will kill
This day or night.
My Lord sent you this tiding
To stop you kings in rich clothing.
And when you rise and go to your dwelling,
Go home the way full right!26
Whether that you be waking or sleep,
My Lord God shall you keep.
In good time, you did down droop
To take your rest.
Herod, to the devil he trust,
To mar you in the murky mist.
My Lord God is full of lust27
To welcome you for his guest.
And therefore, kings, when ye rise,
Go forth by ways wise
There your hall be properly set
In diverse land.
Father of God, in all things
Has granted you his sweet blessing.
He shall save you from all harm
With his right hand.
[Then let the kings rise and the First King says:]
BALTAZARE: A bright star led us into Bethlehem —
I brighter thing I saw in my dream,
Brighter than the sunbeam!
An angel I saw right here.
The fair flower that here descended
From Herod the king he called us.
He taught us home to our palace
A way through another country.28
MELCHIZAR: I saw a sight —
My heart is light to go home.
God, full of might, hath us delivered29
From the devil’s power.30
JASPER: Our God I bless — He sent us, certainly,
His angel bright.
Now we wake
The way to take Home full right.
Footnotes
- The original word, “lay,” could be translated as either “lei,” meaning a set of laws for a country or people, or “lai,” meaning a song or poem sung by minstrels. As in this particular section, Herod leans into near-poetical rather than practical boasting, I have interpreted the latter translation as more appropriate. ↩︎
- A Middle English idiom, typically referring to the lead cow or sheep of the herd who wears a bell, but it can also refer to a bell sometimes given as a prize in contests. ↩︎
- Saba refers to the Kingdom of Sheba in what is now modern Yemen in South Arabia. ↩︎
- Each of the three gifts has traditional symbolism and meaning that is reflected in the dialogue of this play. Gold is the gift for a king and represents royalty and kingship. ↩︎
- Tarys is typically identified as Tarsus, an ancient city that was on the southern coast of modern-day Turkey. ↩︎
- Incense, or frankincense, was often burned in religious ceremonies. It is the gift for a deity and represents divinity and worship. ↩︎
- Ypotan and Archage can’t be confidently traced in medieval geography, and could be badly corrupted or even invented names. But they likely are meant to refer to somewhere in India or Asia. ↩︎
- Myrrh, which was used for healing, anointing, or embalming, is the gift for a mortal, and represents suffering and death. ↩︎
- “Dent” or “dint” specifically means the blow of a weapon. ↩︎
- A net for catching wild animals, especially rabbits. ↩︎
- A rich, silk-like fabric, likely imported from the East. ↩︎
- What this word means is debated. Some interpretations scholars have suggested are well-combed or dressed, excellent or magnificent, or cursed. ↩︎
- The word written here is “baron,” but given the context in which it is used here and later in the play, I think what is intended is the similar sounding word “barn,” meaning infant or baby, and translated accordingly. ↩︎
- “On rowe” or “reue” means in row, rank, order, company, group or army. ↩︎
- “Mahound” is a corrupted version of “Muhammed,” used by medieval Christians to imply false religions and deities, paganism, and the devil. Because Herod was in opposition to God and Christ, many mystery plays depict him as a worshiper or ally of Mahound. Here, Herod is invoking the name as a curse. ↩︎
- This is a straightforward translation of this passage. However, there is another equally valid interpretation. “Geste” can also mean a poem or song about heroic deeds, which could be supported by “with ears listen.” So Senescallus could be saying he is looking for travelers in the area or alternatively he is listening for the spread of threatening news and stories such as an “infant king.” ↩︎
- Here, the three kings abandon the path marked by the star to seek human information. Tradition tells that the star temporarily disappears or they lose sight of it during their time with Herod. ↩︎
- “Glet” means earthly or body filth, slime, or mucus, or more figuratively it can mean moral corruption or sin. Here, it is used to reference Christ’s divine self-descending into an earthly body. ↩︎
- Balaam was a wise man from the East who prophesied in the Old Testament that “there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel…” (Numbers 24:17, King James Version) ↩︎
- A “fen” is a marsh or swamp. It’s often used to imply difficult or dangerous terrain to cross. ↩︎
- “Leche” literally means physician or surgeon, and can more figuratively mean one who saves another, protector, preserver, helper, or healer. I chose to use the latter for this translation. ↩︎
- Herod again calls on pagan gods, and now attempts to cast a misdirection spell on the kings. ↩︎
- Now that they have left Herod, the star reappears. ↩︎
- The only explanation I can find for the description “cold clad” is that perhaps they are referring to his humble clothing. ↩︎
- “Tend” here likely means to focus or concentrate, specifically on good deeds or ministering. ↩︎
- Or “most direct” or “straight back.” ↩︎
- Any source of pleasure of delight. ↩︎
- “Mere” means the boundary between kingdoms or the outer limits of a country. It can also mean the borderland along the boundary. ↩︎
- Literally, “dyght” means to prepare, arrange, put in order, transport, or set. ↩︎
- “Dom” specifically means judgement, decision, command, or power to rule or govern. ↩︎