English and other Versions 22. St. Stephen & Herod
CONTENTS:
St. Stephen and Herod- Sloane c. 1450 Child A [See attached page]
[Below on this page is:
1. A translation of Child A
2. Excerpts from: The English Ballads and the Church by Louise Pound (with a carol)
3. For Saint Stephen's Day (Saint Stephen Was An Holy Man) 1833
4. For Saint Stephen's Day (Saint Stephen Was An Holy Man) 1823
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This is a more modern translation of the Sloane manuscript (Child A) from Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. (1863–1944) in the The Oxford Book of Ballads (1910).
98. St. Stephen and King Herod
I. SAINT STEPHEN was a clerk
In King Herod’s hall,
And servéd him of bread and cloth
As every king befall.
II. Stephen out of kitchen came
With boar’s head on hand,
He saw a star was fair and bright
Over Bethlehem stand.
III. He cast adown the boar’s head
And went into the hall:
‘I forsake thee, Herod,
And thy workés all.
IV. ‘I forsake thee, King Herod,
And thy workés all,
There is a child in Bethlehem born
Is better than we all.’—
V. ‘What aileth thee, Stephen?
What is thee befall?
Lacketh thee either meat or drink
In King Herod’s hall?’—
VI. ‘Lacketh me neither meat ne drink
In King Herod’s hall;
There is a child in Bethlehem born
Is better than we all.’—
VII. ‘What aileth thee, Stephen?
Art wode or ’ginnest to brede?
Lacketh thee either gold or fee,
Or any rich weed?’—
VIII. ‘Lacketh me neither gold ne fee
Ne none rich weed;
There is a child in Bethlehem born
Shall helpen us at our need.’—
IX. ‘That is all so sooth, Stephen,
All so sooth, I-wys,
As this capon crowé shall
That li’th here in my dish.’
X. That word was not so soon said,
That word in that hall,
The capon crew Christus natus est
Among the lordés all.
XI. ‘Risit up, my tormentors,
By two and all by one,
And leadit Stephen out of this town,
And stonit him with stone.’
XII. Tooken they Stephen
And stoned him in the way;
And therefore is his even
On Christe’s own day.
GLOSS: leve] dear. wreke] avenged. wode] mad. brede] become (mad). weed] clothing.
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Excerpts from: The English Ballads and the Church
by Louise Pound PMLA, Vol. 35, No. 2 (1920), pp. 161-188
Likewise from the fifteenth century is St. Stephen and Herod, in the Sloane manuscript of about the middle of the century,
which incorporates the widespread mediseval legend of the cock crowing from the dish Cristus natus est, a legend which appears also in the well-known carol or religious ballad, The Carnal and the Crane.
The handling of the refrain is striking in the following piece, also from the Hill manuscript, which, except for its brevity and for our traditional rejection of narratives in carol-stave form, we should classify as a ballad.
THE STONING OF ST. STEPHEN
Whan seynt Stevyn was at Jeruzalem,
Godis lawes he loved to lerne;
That made the Jewes to cry so clere & clen,
Lapidaverunt Stephanum,
Nowe syng we both all & sum:
Lapidauerunt Stephanum.
The Jewes that were both false & fell,
Agaynst seynt Stephyn they were cruell,
IHym to sle they made gret yell,
& lapidaverunt Stephanum
Nowe syng we, etc.
They pullid hym with-owt the town,
& then he mekely kneled down,
While the Jewes crakkyd his crown,
Quia lapidaverunt Stephanum.
Nowe syng we, etc.
Gret stones & bones at hym they caste,
Veynes & bones of hym they braste,
& they killed hym at the laste,
Quia lapidaverunt Stephanum.
Nowe syng we, etc.
E. E. T. S., 101 (1907), p. 32. The Stoning of St. Stephen is not mentioned by Professor Child. Both the St. Stephen pieces are
probably to be classed as St. Stephen day songs or carols.
Pray we all that now be here,
Vnto seynt Stephyn, that marter clere,
To save vs all from the fendis fere.
Lapidauerunt Stephanum.
Nowe syng we, etc.
It arrays itself alongside St. Stephen and Herod. The two lyrics, one adjudged to be a ballad, the other not to be one, are at least not so different in type as to make necessary the hypothesis of an utterly different mode of origin for the second. The Stoning of St. Stephen is the more lyrical of the two narratives and, unlike the earlier piece, it is provided with a refrain.
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For Saint Stephen's Day (Saint Stephen Was An Holy Man)
From William Sandys, Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern (London: Richard Beckley, 1833)
1. Saint Stephen was an holy man,
Endued with heavenly might,
And many wonders did he work
Before the people's sight.
And by the blessed Spirit of God,
Which did his heart inflame,
He spared not in every place
To preach Christ Jesus' name.
Chorus: O man, do never faint nor fear
When God the truth shall try,
But mark how Stephen for Christ's sake
Was willing for to die.
2. Which doctrine seem'd most wond'rous strange
Among the faithless Jews,
And for the same despitefully
Good Stephen they accused.
Before the elders was he brought,
His answer for to make,
But they could not his spirit withstand
Whereby this man did speak. Chorus
3. And then false witness did appear,
And look'd him in the face,
And said he spake blasphemous words
Against that holy place;
And how he said that Jesus Christ
The Temple would destroy,
And change the laws which they so long
From Moses did enjoy. Chorus
4. Whilst this was told, the multitude
Beholding him aright,
His comely face began to shine
Most like an Angel bright.
The High Priest then to them did say,
And bid them tell at large,
If this was true which at that time
They laid unto his charge. Chorus
5. Then Stephen did put forth his voice,
And he did first unfold
The wond'rous works that God hath wrought
Even from their fathers old;
That they thereby might plain perceive
Christ Jesus should be he
That from the burthen of the law
Should save us frank and free. Chorus
6. But, oh! quoth he, you wicked men,
Which of the prophets all
Did not your fathers persecute,
And keep in woeful thrall,
Who told the coming of the just
In prophecies most plain,
Who here amongst you was betray'd
And most unjustly slain? Chorus
7. But when they heard him so to say,
Their hearts in sunder clave,
And gnashing on them with their teeth,
Like mad men they did rave.
And with a should most loud and shrill
Upon him all they ran,
And then without the city gates
They ston'd this holy man. Chorus
8. Then he most meekly on his knees
To God did pray at large
Desiring that He would not lay
This sin unto their charge;
Then yielding up his soul to God,
Who had it dearly bought,
He lost his life, whose body then
To grave was seemly brought. Chorus
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Saint Stephen Was A Holy Man
For Saint Stephen's Day
From: Davies Gilbert, Some Ancient Christmas Carols. London: John Nichols And Son, Second Edition, 1823, Carol 17, pp. 53-56.
1. Saint Stephen was a holy man,
Endued with heavenly might,
And many wonders he did work
Before the people's sight;
And by the blessed Spirit of God,
Which did his heart inflame,
He spared not, in every place,
To preach God's holy name.
Chorus: O man, do never faint nor fear,
For Christ the truth shall try;
But mark how Stephen, for Christ's sake,
Was willing for to die.
2. Which doctrine seemed wondrous strange
Amongst the faithless Jews,
Who for the same despitefully
Good Stephen did accuse.
Before the Elders was he brought,
His answer for to make;
But they could not th' spirit withstand,
Whereby this man did speak. Chorus.
3. And then false witness did appear,
And look'd him in the face,
And said he spake blasphemous words
Against the holy place.
This had he said, that Jesus he
The temple should destroy,
And change the Laws which they so long
From Moses did enjoy. Chorus.
4. Whilst this was told, the multitude
Beholding him aright,
His comely face began to shine
Most like an angel bright;
The High Priest thereupon did speak,
And bid him tell at large
If this was true that at that time
They laid unto his charge. Chorus.
5. Then Stephen did put forth his voice,
And he did first unfold
The wondrous works which God had wrought,
Even for their fathers old;
That they thereby might plainly know
Christ Jesus should be he
That from the burthen of the Law
Should quit us frank and free. Chorus.
6. But woe, quoth he, you wicked men,
Which of the Prophets all
Did not your fathers persecute
And keep in woeful thrall;
Who told the coming of the just,
In prophecies so plain,
Who here amongst us was betray'd,
And most unjustly slain? Chorus.
7. But when they heard him so to say,
Their hearts in sunder clave,
And gnashing on him with their teeth,
Like madmen they did rave;
And then they all so sharp and shrill,
With violence gan ran,
That there, without the city-walls,
They ston'd this holy man. Chorus.
8. There they most meekly on his knees,
In chiefest of their rage,
Desired God he would not lay,
Desired God he would not lay
This thing unto their charge.
Then yeilding up his soul to God,
That had so dearly bought,
He lost his life, whose body then
To grave was seemly brought. Chorus.
Sheet Music from Richard R. Terry, Gilbert and Sandys' Christmas Carols (London: Burns, Oates & Washbourne, Ltd., 1931)
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