Bluegrass Messengers

 Religious Ballads- Chapter II: Judas; McCabe 1980

[From McCabe's thesis, A Critical Study of Some Traditional Religious Ballads. This chapter may be viewed online, I will not be editing it soon.

R. Matteson 2014]

Chapter Two: Judas

Karl Reichl, the manuscript's recent editor, agrees that the Trinity manuscript probably comes from a house of friars[8] but assigns it to the Franciscans: a later version of the exemplum cited by Brown, which explicitly mentions a "frater praedicator," is found in the Fasciculus Morum, a fourteenth century Franciscan preaching handbook, and other exempla by and about Dominicans occur in the Franciscan compilation , the Liber Exemplorum[9].

Reichl's conclusion in favour of Franciscan authorship is founded on his view of the manuscript's provenance: scribal s p e l l i n g s i n d i c a t e an area between Worcester and H e r e f o r d i n the
10
South West Midlands as the r e g i o n i n w h i c h i t was w r i t t e n down
(No c o n c l u s i o n as t o t h e o r i g i n a l d i a l e c t o f Judas i s possible"'""''.)
P a l a e o g r a p h i c a l evidence assigns the w r i t i n g of the main scribes
o f the m a n u s c r i p t ( t h e r e are t w e l v e hands i n a l l ) to the t h i r d
12
q u a r t e r o f the t h i r t e e n t h century . Reichl b e l i e v e s , however,
t h a t the m a n u s c r i p t was w r i t t e n between 1255 and 1260, on
the grounds t h a t i t i n c l u d e s a L a t i n poem which quotes a French
verse used i n p r e a c h i n g by St. Edmund Rich (canonised 1246) and
two poems concerning 'Robertus', probably Robert Grosseteste,
13
Bishop of L i n c o l n ( d i e d 1253) . Reichl argues i n f a v o u r of
Worcester r a t h e r than H e r e f o r d as the manuscript's place of
14
o r i g i n and notes t h a t the Dominicans had no convent i n
Worcester i n 1260, whereas the Franciscans were e s t a b l i s h ed
15
t h e r e i n 1227 . . He attempts t o prove t h a t other manuscripts
c o n t a i n i n g the same o r r e l a t e d m a t e r i a l as the T r i n i t y manuscript
16
were a l s o w r i t t e n by Franciscans
I t i s reasonable t o conclude a t l e a s t t h a t Judas was i n
some way connected w i t h the p o p u l a r i s i n g methods o f t h e preaching
f r i a r s , whether Franciscan or Dominican, Attempts by s c h o l a rs
16
Chapter Two: Judas
t o prove t h a t the poem was a c t u a l l y composed by a c l e r i c have
n o t , however, been s u c c e s s f u l.
The copier of Judas, whom R e i c h l designates 'scribe B',
wrot e s e v e r a l other pieces i n t h e T r i n i t y manuscript: a long
s t a n z a i c legend o f S t . Margaret ( e x t a n t also i n f i v e l a t er
r e d a c t i o n s ) , three E n g l i s h l y r i c s , a n a r r a t i v e poem on t he
Epiphany ('Twelfth Day') and two pieces on St. Nicholas
17
(a French poem and a L a t i n p r a y e r ) . 'Twelfth Day' has been
d e s c r i b e d by Greg as "a t h i r t e e n t h century l i t e r a r y i m i t a t i on
18
o f a p o p u l a r b a l l a d " . The leaves f o l l o w i n g t h i s Epiphany
poem c o n t a i n i n t h e i r lower margin f a i n t s c r i b b l i n g s i n r ed
c h a l k , a p p a r e n t l y the o r i g i n a l composition notes from which
19
the f i n i s h e d poem was worked up and w r i t t e n down . Greg
supposed t h a t t h i s plummet d r a f t was "apparently i n t h e same
20
hand as the text, certainly contemporary" and t h i s prompted
Chambers t o surmise t h a t Judas l i k e w i s e was not o n l y copied b ut
21
a l s o composed by the same s c r i b e . R e i c h l , however, i d e n t i f i es
the plummet d r a f t as the work of ' s c r i b e D', perhaps one ]Michel of Arras'[22].

' T w e l f t h Day' i s , however, very d i f f e r e n t i n s t y l e from
Judas, and t h i s h a r d l y suggests t h a t the two poems were composed
by the same man. Nor i s ' T w e l f t h Day' a t a l l b a l l a d - l i k e ,
d e s p i t e i t s b e i n g a n a r r a t i v e poem, i n w h i c h i t merely resembles
23
l a t e r c a r o l s on the Epiphany . 'Twelfth Day' uses an
e l a b o r a t e p o e t i c form. I t i s w r i t t e n i n monorhyme q u a t r a i n s.
eac h l i n e having eight stresses with a caesura a t t h e m i d - p o i n t.
24
The a-lines also rhyme w i t h each o t h e r , but o f t e n i m p e r f e c t l y :
Thre kinges seten i n here thede bothen yonge men ant hore.
Ho i s e i e n one s t e r r e scinen, ne seien ho neuer none more.
Wei ho westen wou h i t hede, wise men ant w i t t i of l o r e:
That Jesus was incomen f o r nede, so h i t was i q u i d d e d yore

These i m p e r f e c t rhymes l e d C a r l e t o n Brown t o conclude t h at
the author was accustomed t o t h e l o n g septenary l i n e and had
t r ouble in making four-stress l i n e s f u n c t i o n p r o p e r l y ; he
h i n t s t h a t the same s c r i b e may have composed Judas, 'Twelfth Day'
and the L i f e of S t . Margaret[25] . However, the septenary l i n e i s
too common i n M i d d l e E n g l i s h verse t o be f i r m evidence of
a u t h o r s h i p , even had Judas been composed i n r e g u l a r septenaries.
R e i c h l concludes merely t h a t the a u t h o r o f ' T w e l f t h Day' had
an u n c e r t a i n rhyming s k i l l ; by c o n t r a s t , the rhyme scheme
o f Judas i s c a r e f u l l y adhered t o .
The n a r r a t i v e method o f ' T w e l f t h Day' i s d i f f u s e and
d i d a c t i c : thus the c o n t r a s t between C h r i s t ' s D e i t y and the
27
p o v e r t y of H i s c h i l d h o o d i s made f o u r times , as i s the
2 8
statement t h a t the k i n g s brought g i f t s . Dialogue i s i n t r o -
29
duced c l u m s i l y and i s a b r u p t and u n b a l l a d l i k e :
F o r e t the k i n g e s gunnen iwenden, the s t e r r e bigon
f o r to springen,
the on s a l t : 'Gold v/e s c u l e n him beden, so me seal
t o r i c h e kinge.'
'The stor i s god t o p r e s t o s nedeI' the t h r i d d e :
'Mirre we sculen him b r i n g e .'
Heo comen i n t o Heroudes thede, ant t h e r heo herden.
s o t e l e t i d i n g e.
A l l i t e r a t i v e tags are used, as i n Judas, but by c o n t r a s t those
i n 'Tv/elfth Day' add n o t h i n g t o t h e n a r r a t i v e , b u t are mere
30
m e t r i c a l ' f i l l e r s ' such as "wise men ant w i t t i of l o r e " or
31
"The s t e r r e was•bothen s o t e l ant sene" . .
R e i c h l gives a complete l i s t o f t h e v e r y d i f f e r e nt
q u a l i t i e s which suggest t h a t Judas i s e i t h e r a popular b a l l a d or
32
an i m i t a t i o n of one : i t s metre, i t s epic opening formula,
j u x t a p o s i t i o n of•scenes or 'montage' , use o f i n c r e m e n t al
r e p e t i t i o n , and i n c l u s i o n o f t h e r i t u a l curse and o a t h common
i n l a t e r b a l l a d r y . Reichl l i s t s , i n a d d i t i o n , s u r v i v a l i n  o r al TRamsmission, for he accepts a modern ballad entitled 'Judas,'

p r i n t e d by the s i n g e r J. J. N i l e s , as an a u t h e n t i c recovery
from American f o l k t r a d i t i o n . Since R e i c h l r e j e c t s as a r b i t r a ry
the d e c i s i o n s of American s c h o l a r s who have r i g h t l y disregarded
35
the N i l e s b a l l a d , I must b r i e f l y describe N i l e s ' s spurious
c o l l e c t i o n .
N i l e s p r o v i d e s many homely d e t a i l s , which cannot now be
checked, about o l d s i n g e r s i n remote d i s t r i c t s of Kentucky, the
supposed source of the b a l l a d s he claims to have c o l l e c t ed
d u r i n g the 1930's. The tunes given a p p a r e n t l y bear no r e l a t i o n -
36
s h i p to B r i t i s h f o l k tunes f o r the same b a l l a d s . Niles's
c o l l e c t i o n arouses s u s p i c i o n mainly because i t c o n t a i n s so
many medieval b a l l a d s not found elsewhere i n o r a l t r a d i t i o n,
whether B r i t i s h or North American: f o r example, a unique
37
modern American v e r s i o n of The Marriage of S i r Gawain ( C h i l d 31)
38
another of The Bonny B i r d y ( C h i l d 82) , known elsewhere only
from Mrs. Brown's r e c i t a t i o n , and v e r s i o n s of e a r l y Robin Hood
39
b a l l a d s such as Robin Hood's Death ( C h i l d 120) , Robin Hood
and the P o t t e r ( C h i l d 121)^*^ and Robin Hood and the Monk
( C h i l d 119)^"'". The opening stanza of the l a t t e r provides a
good example of the pseudo-archaic doggerel which d i s t i n g u i s h es
N i l e s ' v e r s i o n s:
Ne'er t r u s t a monk, though he be m i l d .
And wear a s k i r t of b l a c k.
H e ' l l t u r n you to the s h e r i ff
When you do t u r n your back.
N i l e s ' s v e r s i o n of Judas l i k e w i s e c o n t a i n s several phrases not
o n l y u n b a l l a d l i k e b u t also completely u n i d i o m a t i c , the work of

a h a l f - e d u c a t e d rhymester a t t e m p t i n g to f i l l h i s l i n e s :[42]
'Twas i n the merry month of May,
 The Easter time (!) was near ...
'Nor t a r r y long upon the way
Nor seek out f o l k or foe ...'
Now Judas took a l i t t l e r e s t.
He took a nap of sleep ...

'yarb doctor' named Mayberry Thomas who r e p o r t e d t h a t a
v e r s i o n o f Judas was s o l d on broadsheets i n t h e n i n e t e e n th
43
c e n t u r y i n the neighbourhood o f Chatanooga. . I t i s a l l too
f a n t a s t i c .
I f the e x i s t e n c e of Judas i n o r a l t r a d i t i o n cannot be proved,
however, i t s f a i l u r e to s u r v i v e t o the p r e s e n t day can be
e x p l a i n e d . According to the C h i l d b a l l a d , Judas, a t C h r i s t ' s
b i d d i n g , goes t o Jerusalem t o buy food and I s deceived by h i s
s i s t e r , who takes the t h i r t y pieces o f s i l v e r w h i l e he sleeps.
To recoup h i s l o s s e s , Judas b e t r a y s C h r i s t t o P i l a t e , a r i ch
Jew. Later, at the Last Supper, C h r i s t r e v e a l s His knowledge
o f the t r a n s a c t i o n and f o r e t e l l s Peter's d e n i a l.
The usual m o t i v a t i o n p r o v i d e d i n t h e middle ages f o r
Judas' b e t r a y a l i s q u i t e d i f f e r e n t : cast a d r i f t a t b i r t h
because o f a d i s a s t r o u s prophecy, he r e t u r n s t o Jerusalem on
r e a c h i n g adulthood, enters P i l a t e • s s e r v i c e and then, l i ke
Oedipus, u n w i t t i n g l y k i l l s h i s f a t h e r and m a r r i e s h i s mother.
When the t r u t h comes t o l i g h t Judas, by way o f penance, becomes
one o f C h r i s t ' s d i s c i p l e s but takes t o p i l f e r i n g , and f i n a l l y
b e t r a y s Jesus t o r e c o v e r the t i t h e on the t h r e e hundred pence
which Mary Magdalene's ointment would have f e t c h e d , and o f
which he considers t h a t he has been cheated; This i s the
44
v e r s i o n i n Jacobus de Voragine's Legenda Aurea , by which i t
45
was disseminated a l l o v e r Europe by the l a t e middle ages
The e a r l i e s t L a t i n v e r s i o n s o f the s t o r y a p p a r e n t l y predate
46
the Legenda Aurea and are o f the middle to l a t e t w e l f t h century
b u t the e a r l i e s t e x t a n t t e x t i n E n g l i s h i s i n B r i t i s h Museum Haleian MS. 2277, of about 1300, which comes from Glouschestershire[47] just South of teh area in which the Trinity

m a n u s c r i p t was w r i t t e n . In MS. H a r l . 2211, as i n l a t e r
m a n u s c r i p t s , the s t o r y forms p a r t o f t h e c o l l e c t i o n known as
48
the South Eng;lish Legendary . This legend of Judas, then,
was a p p a r e n t l y well-known d u r i n g the f o u r t e e n t h and f i f t e e n t h
c e n t u r i e s and p r o b a b l y supplanted e a r l i e r s t o r i e s which were
not w e l l - e n t r e n c h e d.
The Oedipus-type legend of Judas reappears i n E n g l i s h
d u r i n g the e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y i n p r i n t e d chapbook v e r s i o n s , both
49
prose and p o e t r y . However, the r e l a t i v e l y ' p o l i t e ' s t y le
o f these p r o d u c t i o n s h a r d l y supports Baum's suggestion that
the legend had s u r v i v e d i n B r i t i s h f o l k t r a d i t i o n ^ ^.
N e v e r t h e l e s s , the c o n s t a n t r e p r i n t i n g of t h i s medieval legend
i s v a l u a b l e evidence of a t a s t e f o r apocryphal C h r i s t i a n legend
i n the e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y which perhaps s t i m u l a t e d the p r i n t i n g
o f t r a d i t i o n a l r e l i g i o u s b a l l a d s.
S t i l l other e x p l a n a t i o n s o f Judas' p e r f i d y have been
o f f e r e d : an e a r l y Coptic gospel fragment r e l a t e s t h a t Judas
51
was tempted t o b e t r a y C h r i s t by h i s e v i l w i f e . The s t o r y of
Eve's t e m p t a t i o n o f Adam has c l e a r l y been i n f l u e n t i a l here, and
indeed i s e x p l i c i t l y mentioned. Beyond the involvement of a
wicked woman i n b o t h s t o r i e s , there i s n o t h i n g t o support
Baum's suggestions o f an i n d i r e c t r e l a t i o n s h i p between Coptic
52
fragment and E n g l i s h b a l l ad
The s t o r y nearest t o t h e E n g l i s h b a l l a d of Judas i s a
53
n i n e t e e n t h century Wendish b a l l a d from L u s a t i a which r e l a t es
t h a t Judas v o l u n t e e r e d t o buy bread f o r C h r i s t and His
d i s c i p l e s b u t l o s t the t h i r t y p i e c e s . o f s i l v e r gaming w i th
Jews. At t h e i r suggestion, he s e l l s h i s Master t o r e g a i n t he
money. Later, when Judas has r e j o i n e d the company, Jesus asks
who has s o l d Him, and P e t e r , John and f i n a l l y Judas ask.

" I s i t I ? " . To Judas, Jesus r e p l i e s , "Thou knowest b e s t ",
a f t e r which, d e s p i t e C h r i s t ' s assurance o f f o r g i v e n e s s , Judas
hangs h i m s e l f on an aspen t r e e . Baum suggests t h a t the b a l l a d s
54
may be d i s t a n t l y r e l a t e d and notes seven p o i n t s o f s i m i l a r i t y ,
b u t four o f these - the s e l l i n g o f C h r i s t f o r t h i r t y pieces of
s i l v e r , Peter's d e n i a l o f g u i l t , the sudden t r a n s i t i o n from
Judas' b a r g a i n t o t h e Passover meal, and Judas' d e s p a i r - are
55
mentioned i n t h e gospels . Another o f t h e shared f e a t u r e s,
Judas' going t o buy f o o d f o r t h e Twelve, may have been
prompted i n d e p e n d e n t l y by St. John's e x p l a n a t i o n o f why t he
d i s c i p l e s d i d n o t remark on Judas' departure from the Last
Supper t o b e t r a y Jesus:
... some o f them thought, because Judas had the bag,
t h a t Jesus had s a i d unto him. Buy those t h i n g s t h at
we have need o f a g a i n s t the f e a s t ...
Jn. X I I I . 29.
Apart from these shared b i b l i c a l f e a t u r e s , the two b a l l a d s are
r e a l l y r a t h e r d i s s i m i l a r , and the v a l u e o f the Wendish analogue
l i e s m a i n l y i n i t s evidence t h a t s t o r i e s about Judas other
t h a n the common Oedipus-type legend s u r v i v e d i n European f o lk
t r a d i t i o n .
The b a l l a d o f Judas^^ has as i t s s e t t i n g Sheer ( ' b r i g h t ')
57
Thursday, the Thursday i n H o l y Week :
H i t wes upon a Scorethorsday t h a t vre l o u e r d aros;
F u l milde were the wordes he spec t o ludas.
Judas s t a . 1.
Reference t o p a r t i c u l a r seasons o f t h e y e a r i s a common opening
i n t r a d i t i o n a l b a l l a d r y ^ ^:
I t was i n and about the Martinmas time.
When the green leaves were a f a l l i n g,
That S i r John Graeme, i n the West Country,
F e l l i n l o v e w i t h Barbara A l l e n.
C h i l d 84A s t a . 1.
Scholars have d e r i v e d the 'seasonal i n c i p i t ' from medieval
chansons d'aventure[59] b u t Judas may w e l l have been i n f l u e n c e d by

medieval s a i n t s ' legends, where the c i t i n g o f t h e church
c a l e n d a r o f t e n begins d i f f e r e n t episodes i n a s a i n t ' s l i f e ^ ^:
An Holy Thoresday he w o r t h s i k . as i t f e l i n t h e yere
He l e t o f sonde i s f r e n d . t h a t s p e c i a l s him were.
The more common medieval t r a d i t i o n was t h a t Judas betrayed
h i s Master upon a Wednesday . This t r a d i t i o n i s p r e s e r v ed
i n a c a r o l recovered from n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y f o l k t r a d i t i o n,
6 2
but o b v i o u s l y o f p r e - R e f o r m a t i o n o r i g i n s :
I t was on Holy Wednesday
And a l l i n t h e morning,
That Judas b e t r a y ed
Our dear heav'nly King.
I t was on Sheer Thursday,
And a l l i n t h e morning.
They p l a i t e d a crown o f t h o r ns
For our h e a v ' n l y King.
The b a l l a d t r a d i t i o n , however, i s f o u n d i n a c a r o l of the
s i x t e e n t h c e n t u r y , along w i t h other f e a t u r e s of Judas, t he
• ' t h i r t y p l a t e s ' and Peter's d e n i a l . The V i r g i n Mary i s speaking
Whan t h a t my swete Son was t h i r t i wynter o l d.
Than the t r a y t o r Judas wexed very bold;
For t h i r t i p l a t e s of money h i s Master he had s o l d,
But whan I i t w y s t . Lord, my h a r t was c o l d!
Vpon Shere Thursday than t r u l y i t was.
On my Sonhes deth t h a t Judas d i d on passe;
Many were the f a l s Jewes t h a t folowed hym be t r a c e.
And ther b e f f o r e them a l l he kyssed my Bones face.
My Son, b e f f o r e P i l a t browght was he.
And Peter s a i d i i i tymes he knew hym n o t , perde;
P y l a t said vnto the Jewes, "What say ye?"
Than they cryed w i t h on voys, " C r u c i f y g e l"
B e t r a y a l on a Thursday, however, i s i m p l i e d i n John's gospel
( X I I I . 3 0 ) , where Judas leaves the L a s t Supper t o s e l l C h r i s t;
the composer o f t h i s c a r o l , then, may not have known Judas,
though c l e a r l y he was u s i n g t r a d i t i o n a l phrasing[64].
The succinctness o f Judas has been p r a i s e d by Peter Dronke[65]
and i s i l l u s t r a t e d by i t s opening stanza, which prepares us f o r
the scene i n w h i c h  Christ reveals His knowledge o f t h e b e t r a y a l ,

l a t e r i n the poem, by e s t a b l i s h i n g the day as the one on which
the Last Supper took p l a c e . We are t o l d i n a d d i t i o n that
C h r i s t ' s words are " f u l m i l d e " and t h i s i n d i c a t e s t h a t Judas
i s mistaken when he t e l l s h i s s i s t e r , l a t e r i n the b a l l a d,
( s t a n z a 6.2) that C h r i s t w i l l take His revenge on her.
Throughout the b a l l a d , C h r i s t r e v e a l s His p r o p h e t i c powers,
a t r a i t of which there i s ample i l l u s t r a t i o n i n the gospels^^:
'Thou comest f e r i t h e brode s t r e t , f e r i t h e brode s t r e t e;
Summe of t h i n e cunesmen°' there thou meist i-mete."
Judas s t a . 3.
These words are immediately f u l f i l l e d i n a c t i o n i n the next
s t a n z a , and t h i s type of f u l f i l m e n t i s noted by Gerould as
a common f e a t u r e of b a l l a d s t y l e . Judas, indeed meets one
o f h i s kinsmen, h i s s i s t e r:
I m e t t e wid i s s o s t e r , the swikele wimon:
'ludas, thou were wrthe me stende the wid ston
'ludas, thou were wrthe me stende the wid ston.
For the f a l s e prophete t h a t tou b i l e u e s t upon.'
Judas s t a s . 4 and 5.
S t o n i n g was the o f f i c i a l punishment f o r blasphemy i n New
69
Testament times . The terse d e s c r i p t i o n of Judas' s i s t e r as
"the s w i k e l e wimon", l i k e t h a t of P i l a t e l a t e r (stanza 10.1)
as "the r i c h e l e u " resembles the c h a r a c t e r i s a t i o n by stock
e p i t h e t found throughout t r a d i t i o n a l b a l l a d r y , such as "the
70
u g l i e s t witch i the north country"[70] or 'the gallant Gordons gay"[71].

The r e p e t i t i o n of the l i n e , "ludas, thou were wrthe me
stende the wid s t o n " , i s i n d i c a t e d i n the T r i n i t y manuscript by
a mark - . i i . - s t a n d i n g a g a i n s t i t . This mark i s a l s o set

a g a i n s t the second l i n e s of the t h i r t e e n t h and s i x t e e n t h stanzas[72].
R e p e t i t i o n of the l a s t l i n e of a stanza at the b e g i n n i n g of the
next i s found also i n l a t e r b a l l a d r y:

'No news,' s a i d the beggar, 'no news a t a',
But there i s a wedding i n t h e k i n g ' s ha..
'But there i s a wedding i n t h e k i n g ' s ha,'
That has halden these f o r t y days and twa.'
C h i l d 17 A s t a s . 9, 10.
There i s o t h e r evidence t h a t the s c r i b e took pains t o
I n d i c a t e the c o r r e c t reading o f the poem: i n stanza 13.1, t he
73
a b b r e v i a t i o n c'st f o r C h r i s t has been erased - i f l e f t i n , i t
would have given the complete l i n e e i g h t stresses i n s t e a d of
seven; 'Lord' i s s p e l t 'louerd' i n stanzas 1.1, 6.2, 10.2, 11.1
74
and 17.2, where the metre r e q u i r e s a d i s y l l a b i c , and ' l o r d ' i n
75
stanzas 12.1, 13.1 and 15.1,.where a monosyllable i s needed
The caesura i n each l i n e i s u s u a l l y d i s c e r n i b l e from the rhythm
b u t i n f o u r places where emphatic statements are made - stanzas
11.2, 12.2 and 18.1-2 .- the caesura has been i n d i c a t e d by .
means o f a f u l l stop. This s c r i b a l concern, t o i n d i c a te
r e p e t i t i o n and metre, w i t h the r e p e t i t i o n of the h a l f - l i n e i n
s t a n z a 3.17.7 , i s s u p p o r t i n g e v i d e n c e t h a t J'u dals i s a b a l l a d
and may w e l l have been sung. The l a t t e r c o n c l u s i o n cannot,
o f course, be proved, b u t Judas i s s i n g a b l e , w i t h the u s u al
a d a p t a t i o n p r a c t i s e d by f o l k - s i n g e r s , t o f o l k - t u n e s o f b a l l a ds
w r i t t e n i n . ' b a l l a d measure'.
Judas rebukes h i s s i s t e r w i t h a curse:
.'Be s t i l l e , leue s o s t e r , t h i n h e r t e the' t o b r e k e !
Wiste min l o u e r d C r i s t , f u l w e l he wolde.be wreke.'
Judas s t a . 6.
T h i s stanza e x e m p l i f i e s two c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f l a t e r b a l l a d r y,
t h e rebuke which e n j o i n s s i l e n c e , and the ' b a l l a d curse'. The
78
b a l l a d rebuke u s u a l l y takes t h i s , or a s i m i l a r , form :

'Hold your tongue, my sovereign leige,
And let your f o l l y be.'

The words 'be s t i l l ' are, however, used i n a f o l k song c o l l e c t ed
by David Herd i n t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y , 'The Lowlands o f
H o l l a n d '[79] :


'0 had your tongue, my daughter dear.
Be s t i l l and be c o n t e n t .'
This type of rebuke seems a l r e a d y to be a commonplace i n Judas,
s i n c e C h r i s t c o n t r a d i c t s Peter's a s s e r t i o n o f b r a v e r y i n s i m i l ar
f a s h i o n l a t e r i n the poem (stanza 18). The device i s common i n
80
the. s a i n t s ' legends of the p e r i o d :
Be(o) s t i l l e thou f o l quath sein Gorge . f o r thou
spext embe noght
81
The ' b a l l a d curse' i s u s u a l l y a form of t h i s commonplace :
'Woe be to you, f a t h e r , ' she said,
'And an i l l deed may you d i e l'
C u r s i n g , u s u a l l y a u t h o r i a l , i s a l s o a f e a t u r e o f contemporary
s a i n t s ' legend and romance:
82
thenne spec O l i b r i u s , ... awarie him sonne and monel
83
C r i s t him warie w i t h h i s mouthi
w a r i e d wurthe he of n o r t h and s u t hi
84
Syr Trylabas home can wende ,
There e u e l l mote he thee 1
85
The a u t h o r i a l curse i s a common f e a t u r e o f . t h e b a l l a d s too
Judas' s i s t e r does not appear to be angry at her b r o t h e r 's
rebuke, b u t . i n s t e a d s u c c e s s f u l l y urges him to r e s t i n her arms:
'ludas, go thou on the roc, heie up-on the ston;
L e i t h i n heued i my barm, slep thou the anon.'
Judas s t a . 7.
Judas' u n s u s p i c i o u s acceptance of her o f f e r should be a warning
a g a i n s t e x p e c t i n g complex c h a r a c t e r i s a t i o n i n the b a l l a d . The
motive of Judas' s i s t e r i s p r o b a b l y sheer malevolence against
C h r i s t ; as i n the case o f the p e r s e c u t o r s of s a i n t s i n the
South E n g l i s h Legendary, t h i s i s not f e l t to need e x p l a n a t i o n.
Dronke reads too much i n t o Judas' rebuke (stanza 6) when he
supposes t h a t Judas shares a f e a r of C h r i s t ' s revenge w i t h h is
'sister' (a term Dronke supposes to be a euphemism f o r 'mistress',
d e r i v e d from the Song of Solomon) and t h a t consequently the
woman s t e a l s the money i n o r d e r to draw her l o v e r away from

C h r i s t . Rather Judas' s i s t e r i s a symbol o f woman the
t e m p t r e s s : Judas i s b e t r a y e d , as C h r i s t was tempted,by Satan,
8 7
i n a h i g h place . Moreover, he i s t r i c k e d , as Samson was by
88
D e l i l a h , w h i l e s l e e p i n g i n a woman's l a p . Chaucer's monk
89
uses the same word, 'barm', t o d e s c r i b e D e l i l a h ' s a c t i o n :
And slepynge i n h i r barm, upon a day.
She made t o c l i p p e or shere h i s heres away ...
I n view o f C h r i s t ' s e a r l i e r prophecy (stanza 3) t h a t Judas w i l l
meet a 'kinsman' (see note 67), i t seems probable t h a t the
woman i s indeed J'udas' blood s i s t e r ; i t i s , of course, p o s s i b le
t h a t the b a l l a d poet h i n t s , i n stanza 7, at an incestuous
r e l a t i o n s h i p between the p a i r.
When Judas awakes and d i s c o v e r s t h a t h i s money has been
t a k e n,
90
He drou hym selue b i the top , t h a t a l i t lauede ablode;
the lewes out o f l u r s e l e m awenden he were wode.
Judas s t a . 9.
'Jews o f Jerusalem' i s a tag phrase used i n o t h e r Middle English
91
r e l i g i o u s p o e t r y . Judas' madness i s a c o n v e n t i o n a l method
92
o f c h a r a c t e r i s a t i o n i n medieval w r i t i n g s , e s p e c i a l ly
r e l i g i o u s l i t e r a t u r e . Pagan onlookers e x p l a i n C h r i s t i an
93
s a n c t i t y as lunacy . Sudden changes o f behaviour are l i k e w i se
94
seen as madness . Those who oppose C h r i s t o f t e n rage as
95
e x t r a v a g a n t l y as Judas :
Bot whene Jhesus come to t h a t Cite
A l l e h i s goddes thay f e l l e to noghte.
Froudeus was wrothe thane & nerehande wode.
And smate hym-selfe thane appone the heuede,
That nesse and mouthe braste a l l e one blode -
Vnnethes was hym h i s l y f e be l e f f e d e.
T h i s method of c h a r a c t e r i s a t i o n may have been suggested by the
g o s p e l s , i n which both the Jews i n g e n e r a l , and Judas i n
p a r t i c u l a r , are said to be i n f l u e n c e d by the de v i l[96].

I n the b a l l a d , P i l a t e , described as "the r i c h e l e u "
( s t a n z a 10.1), approaches Judas and asks him t o s e l l h is
Master. Dronke suggests, p l a u s i b l y enough,-that t h i s i s a
97
c a r i c a t u r e o f the unpopular Jewish moneylender . I t may,
however, r e f l e c t a knowledge o f the legend o f P i l a t e found
98
i n the Legenda Aurea in which P i l a t e , the b a s t a r d son of
King Tyrus and a m i l l e r ' s daughter, enters the s e r v i c e of
King Herod of Judaea but then t r e a c h e r o u s l y g a t h e r s t r e a s u re
'and b r i b e s the Emperor to a l l o w him t o h o l d Jerusalem d i r e c t ly
from Caesar. In t h i s legend, as i n the Oedipus-type legend
o f Judas, Judas l a t e r becomes P i l a t e ' s steward. C h a r a c t e r i s a t i on
o f Jesus and His a p o s t l e s as men of a separate race from 'the
Jews' i s c o n v e n t i o n a l i n Middle E n g l i s h r e l i g i o u s l i t e r a t u re
99
and p r o b a b l y d e r i v e s from the t e r m i n o l o g y of John's gospel
The d e s c r i p t i o n o f P i l a t e ' s s o l d i e r s as 'knights' l a t e r i n the
b a l l a d (stanza 16.2) i s l i k e w i s e conventional''"*^^.
The dialogue between P i l a t e and Judas resembles that i n
l a t e r t r a d i t i o n a l b a l l a d s:
F o r e t hym com the r i c h e l e u t h a t h e i s t e P i l a t u s:
'Wolte s u l l e t h i l o u e r d , t h a t h e t t e lesus?'
' I n u l s u l l e my l o u e r d f o r nones cunnes e i s t e.
Bote h i t be f o r t h e t h r i t t i p l a t e n t h a t he me b i - t a i s t e .'
'Wolte s u l l e t h i l o r d C r i s t f o r enes cunnes golde?'
'Nay, bote h i t be f o r t h e p l a t e n t h a t he habben wolde.'
Judas s t a s . 10-12.
T h i s i s a type o f i n c r e m e n t a l r e p e t i t i o n which emphasises
Judas' perverse a n x i e t y t o recover the money w i t h which Jesus
has e n t r u s t e d him, and so f u l f i l h i s d u t y , even i f by so doing
he must.betray C h r i s t . (There i s no evidence f o r Baum's
s p e c u l a t i o n t h a t P i l a t e i s an accomplice of the theft[101] or
C h i l d ' s  t h a t the ballad-maker is allu d i n g to other medieval

legends concerning the t h i r t y pieces of s i l v e r[102] .) These
stanzas of dialogue also i l l u s t r a t e the b a l l a d f e a t u r e of an
apparent d e n i a l which i s i n f a c t an a f f i r m a t i o n , e x e m p l i f i ed
i n Hind Horn^°^: '
'What news, what news, my s i l l y o l d man?
What news hae ye got to t e l l me?' ...
'Na news, na news,' the p u i r man did say.
But t h i s i s our queen's wedding day.'
The sudden t r a n s i t i o n to the Last Supper i n Judas i s
t y p i c a l of the. b a l l a d manner even i f , as has been p o i n t e d out,
i t was prompted by the gospel account. Christ's g e n i al
i n v i t a t i o n to h i s d i s c i p l e s to eat, since He has Himself provided
the p r i c e of the meal, i s c o n s i s t e n t w i t h His e a r l i e r c h a r a c t e r i
s a t i o n (stanza 1.2) as 'mild'.
Judas' wickedness i s emphasised by h i s d i r e c t l i e when he
104
denies h i s e a r l i e r c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h h i s s i s t e r :
Vp stod him ludas: 'Lord, am I t h a t ... [frek]'^'^^
I nas neuer oth.e stude t h e r me the euel s p e c'
Judas s t a . 15.
I n c o n t r a s t t o t h i s f a l s e a f f i r m a t i o n of the l o s t soul i s the
a s s e r t i o n of Peter (stanzas 15 and 17), who represents the
o r d i n a r y weak man. Peter's a f f i r m a t i o n i s i n t r o d u c e d by a
s i m i l a r formula, 'Vp him stod Peter' (stanza 16.1). I t i s a
common device i n l a t e r b a l l a d r y t o i n t r o d u c e speeches w i t h i n a
b a l l a d by the same f o r m u l a : compare, f o r example, the use of
"Up bespake" i n the 'A' v e r s i o n o f A r c h i e o Cawfield ( C h i l d 188)
Jesus' r e b u t t a l of Peter i s d e v a s t a t i n g:
' S t i l l e thou be, Peter, wel I the i-cnowe;
thou w o l t fur-sake me t h r i e n ar the coc him crowe.'
Judas s t a . 18.
We are l e f t w i t h a C h r i s t who i s alone i n His foreknowledge and
His s a c r i f i c e , deserted by a l l men. I do not,, however, agree
w i t h Dronke [107] that the t e x t of the b a l l a d i n the T r i n i ty
manuscript i s complete. B r i e f though i t i s , the b a l l a d shows

s i g n s of c a r e f u l composition and i t seems u n l i k e l y t h a t i t
would not have gone on to describe Judas' death and Peter's
d e n i a l . C e r t a i n t y on t h i s p o i n t , however, i s - n o t p o s s i b l e at
p r e s e n t , "
1 08
The metre of Judas i s i r r e g u l a r , but Hendren's c o n c l u s i o n " ,
t h a t the s i x - s t r e s s l i n e i s predominant, i s sound. M e t r i c al
i r r e g u l a r i t y , i s not very great w i t h i n the c o u p l e t . No couplet
w i t h i n the b a l l a d has seven stresses i n both l i n e s , but couplets
o f s i x - s t r e s s l i n e s occur at stanzas 6 and 14-18, w h i l st
stanzas 3 and 11-13 each have one seven-stress and one s i x - s t r e ss
l i n e ; couplets c o n t a i n i n g f o u r - and f i v e - s t r e s s l i n e s , u s u a l ly
i n combination, occur at stanzas 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 and 8, w h i l st
stanzas 9 and 10 have a more i r r e g u l a r p a t t e r n . Some s h o r t er
l i n e s have been composed from a l l i t e r a t i v e formulae. An
example i s :
the I^ewes out of _Iurselem awenden he were wode.
Judas s t a . 9.2.
The nearest p a r a l l e l t o the metre of Judas i n l a t e r b a l l a d r y is
1 OQ
The L a i r d o Wariston ( C h i l d 194 A and B) ,
To conclude, Judas i s c l e a r l y a b a l l a d , and moreover a
good one. I t s s t o r y i s i n t e r e s t i n g and v / e l l - s t r u c t u r e d , i t s
d i a l o g u e l i v e l y and i t s c h a r a c t e r i s a t i o n simple but, w i t h i n i t s
l i m i t s , s u c c e s s f u l . The b a l l a d ' s message i s the kindness and
shrewdness of Jesus, v/ho allows Himself to be bought and sold
f o r our food by the wickedness of Judas. The o r i g i n a l audience
would not have been p e r t u r b e d by the apparent a r b i t r a r i n e s s of
Judas' malevolent a c t i o n s , f o r the t y r a n t i n the s a i n t ' s legend -
f o r example, O l i b r i u s i n the L i f e of St. Margaret i n the same
manuscript - proceeded i n much the same way. I t was no part of medieval religion to mitigate teh offence of Judas.

NOTES TO CHAPTER TWO

1. P. F, Baum, 'The English Ballad of Judas I s c a r i o t ' i n P.M.L.A.
XXXI (1916), pp.181-189, on p.181.
2. Chambers, Close o f Middle Ages, p.153; Mackey, Med. Saints' Lives,
pp.202-203.
3. M. Arnherg, ed., Den Medeltida Balladen, Stockholm, 1962, pp.144-145.
(This book was produced by Swedish Radio t o f o l l o w a series of programmes
broadcast i n Spring 1958, and contains summaries i n English of each
chapter.) E. Dal, Danish Ballads and Folksongs, transd. H. Meyer,
Copenhagen and New York, 1967, pp.13-14.
4. See L y r i c s X I I I no.21, p.32, 'Say me, v i i t i n the brom', which appears
t o enshrine a f o l k b e l i e f.
5. Brown, Lyrics X I I I , p.xx.
6. I b i d . , p . x x i ; for the exemplum, see K. Reichl, Religiose Dichtung im
englischen Hochmittelalter: Untersuchung und E d i t i o n der Handschrift
B.14.39 des T r i n i t y College i n Cambridge (Munchener U n i v e r s i t a t s - S c h r i f t en
Philosophische Fakultat, Texte und Untersuchung zur Englischen P h i l o l o g i e,
Band i ) , Miinchen, 1973, t e x t 5, p.160, beginning "Quidam miles habuit
f i l i a m . . . " .
7. Reichl, ReligiSse Dichtung, t e x t 103, pp.458-460, 'Sermo de die pasce'.
8. I b i d . , pp.49 and 51-52.
9. I b i d . , p.53. Reichl adds t h a t l i t t l e weight can be placed on the
exemplum about the 'predicator' since i t was w r i t t e n by a l a t e r scribe
when the manuscript was almost f i n i s h e d.
10. I b i d . , p.49.
11. I b i d . , p.377.
12. I b i d . , p.48.
13. I b i d . , pp.46-47, and see t e x t s 85 (p.441) and 123 and 124 (pp.479-482).
Since t e x t 123 i s a lament f o r the death of 'Robertus', Reichl argues
t h a t the manuscript i s l a t e r than 1253; a vigorous but f r u i t l e ss
campaign f o r Grosseteste's canonisation v/as mounted i n the early 1260's.
14. I b i d . , p.61 and footnote 8: Reichl's conclusion i s reached on the basis
of the s i m i l a r i t y of the 'Worcester fragments' (Oxford Bodl. MS. 343 and
Worcester Cathedral Library MS. F. 174) to t e x t 74 i n the T r i n i t y MS.
15. I b i d . , pp.52-53.
16. I b i d . , chapter 8, pp.59-82.
17. Ibid. , t e x t s 6-9, 67, 97 and 98; the L i f e o f St. Margaret ( t e x t 6) i s
no.2672 (and see also no.203) i n Carleton Brown and R.H. Robbins,
The Index o f Middle English Verse, New York, 1943.
18. W. W. Greg, 'A Ballad of T w e l f t h Day' i n Modern Language Review, V I I I
(1913), pp.64-67, on p.64; the poem i s p r i n t e d also by Reichl, Religig^se
Dichtung, t e x t 69, pp.388-391, and by Brown ( i n e i g h t - l i n e stanzas),
L y r i c s X I I I , no.26, pp.39-41.

19. Brown, Lyrics X I I I , p.186.
20. W. W. Greg, 'Miscellaneous Notes: A Ballad of Twelfth Day' i n
Modern Language Review, IX (1914), pp.235-236, on p.235.
21. Chambers, Close o f Middle Ages, p.153.
22. Reichl, Religiose Dichtung, pp.24-31; on p.24, footnote 21, however,
he admits the p o s s i b i l i t y that d i f f e r e n t forms of handwriting may be
w r i t t e n by the same scribe; Reichl c a l l s scribe D 'Michel of Arras'
because o f the couplet i n the scribe's hand, t e x t 31, p.319:
"Hie am Michel of Arras,-
Wl sone i c am v i r y e t e n ... alas I "
23. See Greene,nos.124-129.
24. Reichl, ReligiSse Dichtung, t e x t 69, l i n e s 5-8; Lyrics X I I I , no.26,
l i n e s 9-16.
25. Lyrics X I I I , p.186.
26.. Reichl, Religiose Dichtung, p.115.
27. Reichl, Religiose Dichtung, t e x t 69, l i n e s 4, 27-28, 30 and 38-39;
L y r i c s X I I I , no.26, l i n e s 7-8, 53-56, 59-60 and 75-78.
28. Reichl, Religiose Dichtung, t e x t 69, l i n e s 11-12, 14-15, 22 and 31;
L y r i c s X I I I , no.26, l i n e s 23-24, 27-30, 43-44 and 61-62.
29. Reichl, ReligiSse Dichtung, t e x t 69, l i n e 13-16; Lyrics X I I I,
no.26, l i n e s 25-32.
30. Reichl, Religiose Dichtung, t e x t 69, l i n e 7b; Lyrics X I I I , no.26, l i n e 14,
31. Reichl, Religiose Dichtung, t e x t 69, l i n e 7b; Lyrics X I I I , no.26,
l i n e 51.
32. Reichl, Religiose Dichtung, p.116.
33. See Hodgart, The Ballads, pp.27-30.
34. • J. J. N i l e s , The Ballad Book o f John Jacob N i l e s , Boston and Cambridge,
Mass., 1961, no.l6A, pp.91-93; (Niles p r i n t s two other songs about
Judas, unrelated to Child 23, on pp.94-98).
35. Mackey, Med. Saints' Lives, p.163, n.7; Bronson, Trad. Tunes, and
T.P. C o f f i n , The B r i t i s h T r a d i t i o n a l Ballad i n North America, rev. ed.,
Philadelphia 1963, r e p r i n t e d w i t h supplement by R. de V. Renwick,
Austin and London, 1977 show t h a t they r e j e c t the Niles version by
o m i t t i n g i t from t h e i r thorough compendia.
36. Niles, Ballad Book, p.xix.
37. I b i d . , pp.106-108, no.18, 'Sir Gaunie and the Witch'.
38. I b i d . , pp.200-201, no.35, 'The T a t t l e - t a l e Birdy'.
39. I b i d . , pp.240-241, no.43, 'Robin Hood's Dyin'
40. Ibid. , pp..244-245, no.44.

41. Ibid. , pp.236-237, no.42, 'Robin Hood and the Twenty Pounds of Gold'.
42. I b i d . . p.93 stas. 1.1-2, 4.1-2 and 7.1-2.
43. I b i d . , p.91.
44. Jacobus de Voragine, The Golden Legend or Lives o f the Saints as
Englished by W i l l i a m Caxton, ed. F. S, E l l i s , (The Temple Classics),
7 v o l s , London, 1900, r e p r i n t e d as 7 v o l s , i n 4, New York, 1973,
I I I , pp.55-58.
45. P. F. Baum, 'The Medieval Legend of Judas I s c a r i o t ' i n P.M.L.A.,
XXXI (1916), pp.481-632, on p.481.
46. Ibid. , p.515.
47. I b i d . , p.526; S.E.L., I I I , p.4.
48. For a l i s t of MSS. containing the legend, see Baum, P.M.L.A. XXXI
('Med. Legend'), pp.526-527; for t h i s version of the legend, see
S.E.L. , I I , no.89, pp.692-697 (printed from Corpus C h r i s t i College,
Cambridge MS. 145, o f the e a r l y fourteenth century).
49. Baum, P.M.L.A. XXXI ('Med. Legend'), pp.572-580; six chapbooks are
l i s t e d i n the N a t i o n a l Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, Catalogue of
the Lauriston Castle Chapbooks, Boston, 1964, p.i40.
50. Baum, P.M.L.A. XXXI ('Med. Legend'), pp.584-585.
51. Baum, P.M.L.A. XXXI ( English B a l l a d ' ) , pp.185-186; M. R. James,
The Apocryphal New Testament, Oxford, 1924, p.149. James, p.147,
dates the fragment as not e a r l i e r than the f i f t h century.
52. Baum, P.M.L.A. XXXI ('English B a l l a d ' ) , p.186; another Coptic fragment
unnoticed by Baum r e l a t e s that Judas's wife was foster-mother to the
c h i l d of Joseph o f Arimathaea: James, Apoc. N.T., p.149.
53. Paraphrased by C h i l d , E.S.P.B., I , pp.242-243. and by Baum, P.M.L.A.
XXXI ('English B a l l a d ' ) , p.183.
54. I b i d . , p.184.
55. Matt. XXVI. 14-25; Mk. XIV.10-21; Lk. XXII.3-6, 21-24; i n Jn. X I I I.
21-30 Judas leaves the Last Supper t o betray Christ; Judas' despair
i s i m p l i c i t i n h i s hanging himself (Matt. XXVII.5) and i t was common
medieval teaching that the s i n which damned Judas was despair of God's
mercy: see S.E.L., I , p.131, 11. 103-108.
56. Judas i s quoted i n t h i s thesis (except f o r minor a l t e r a t i o n s ) from
E.S.P.B. (one v o l . ) ed. Sargent and K i t t r e d g e , pp.41-42; T r i n i t y College,
Cambridge MS. 323 or B. 14. 39. was missing when Child compiled vol.1 of
E.S.P.B. and hence the b a l l a d i s not p r i n t e d there, pp.243-244, quite
c o r r e c t l y ; a t r a n s c r i p t from the manuscript made by Skeat may be found
i n E.S.P.B., V, p.288.
57. 'Sheer Thursday' was apparently so c a l l e d i n a l l u s i o n t o the p u r i f i c a t i on
of the soul by confession on Maundy Thursday; the l a s t recorded use of
the term i s i n Dewsbury Parish Register f o r 1621: see O.E.D., V I I I , P t . I I .j
p.667, 'Sheer Thursday'.
58. Cf. the openings o f C h i l d 118, 119, 121, 158C, 161A and 227.

59. Chambers, Close o f Middle Ages, p.108.
60. S.E.L. , I , p.210, l i n e s 193-194 (De Sancto Dunstano).
61. Nicholas Love, The M i r r o r of the Blessed L i f e of Jesu C h r i s t,
ed. a monk of Parkminster, London, 1926, Bk. I l l , Chapter 38, p.190;
Caxton's Golden Legend, I , p.65.
62,
63,
64.
Oxford Carols no.17, stas. 6 and 7; see also R. Vaughan Williams,
Eight T r a d i t i o n a l Carols, London, 1919, n o . l , pp.4-7.
Greene no.163, stas. 1-3, from Richard H i l l ' s commonplace book
( c . l 5 3 6 ) ; another version was p r i n t e d i n Richard Kele's Christmas
CaroIIes Newely Inprynted (c.l550); cf. also Greene no.317, sta. 4.1.
The carol's burden i s r e l a t e d to l i n e s i n another o f the r e l i g i o u s
b a l l a d s . The Seven V i r g i n s : see below. Chapter Seven, p.180.
65. P. Dronke, The Medieval L y r i c , London, 1968, p.69.
66. e.g. Matt. XXIV. 2-35; Mk. X I . 2-3; Jn. I . 48.
67. In t he E.S.P.B. p r i n t i n g s (see above, note 56) t h i s word i s given as
'tunesmen' (i.e.'townsmen') but the reading 'cunesmen' ( i . e . 'kinsmen')
has been p r e f e r r e d by more recent scholars: Chambers, Close o f Middle
Ages, p.152; Reichl, Religiose Dichtung, p.375.
68. Gerould, Ballad of T r a d i t i o n , p.110.
69. See Acts V I . 12-13, V I I . 59; Jn. V I I I . 59.
70. Child 35 sta. 1-2.
71. Child 161 B s t a . 2.2; c f . also Child 30 sta. 11.3, "a proud porter";
32 sta. 4.3, "a g r i e s l y ghost".
72. In Skeat's t r a n s c r i p t , E.S.P.B., V, p.288, the l i n e s so marked are
nos.8, 25 and 30.
73 Skeat's t r a n s c r i p t , E.S.P.B., V, p.288, l i n e 24,
74. I b i d . , l i n e s 1, 11, 19, 20 and 31.
75. I b i d . , l i n e s 22, 24 and 27.
76. Ibid., l i n e s 21, 23, 32 and 33.
77. Ibid., l i n e 5. This would be r e p e t i t i o n of a f u l l l i n e i f the
stanzas of Judas were p r i n t e d as.quatrains. For examples i n l a t e r
b a l l a d r y where the f i r s t and second l i n e s of a quatrain are almost
the same, see C h i l d 32 stas. 7, 9, I I , 13, 15; 37 A sta. 5; 120 A
s t a . 24; 164 sta. 3.
78. Child 173 B s t a . 23.1-2; cf. the f i r s t and second l i n e s of C h i l d 69 A
s t a . 25; 176 sta. 9; 243 C sta. 19.
79. E.'S.P.B. , I I , p.318, s t a . 4.1.
80. S.E.L. , I , p.156, l i n e 27 (De sancto Gorgio) and c f . also p.185, l i n e 168
and p.192, l i n e 352 (Sein Brandan).
81. Child 70 A sta. 14.1-2; cf. also Child 66 B s t a . 17.1-2; 81 A sta. 27.1.
83 B s t a . 18.1-2; sometimes curse and command to silence occur
together, as i n Judas, e.g. Child 39 A sta. 12.1-2.
82. Reichl, Religiose Dichtung, t e x t 6 ( L i f e of S t . Margaret) l i n e 73 (p.185).
83. The Lay o f Havelok the Dane, ed. W. W. Skeat, 2nd ed., revised K.;Sisam,
Oxford 1915, p.17, l i n e s 433-434; this romance was probably w r i t t en
before 1300 (see p.xxv).
84. 'The Erie of Tolous' ( w r i t t e n a f t e r 1350), l i n e s 416-417 i n W. H. French
and C. B. Hale, Middle English M e t r i c a l Romances, New York, 1930, p.406.
85. e.g. Child 65 A sta, 6.2; 69 B s t a . 16.2; 71 s t a . 19.2.
86. Dronke, Med. L y r i c , p.68; see Song of Solomon, V. 1-2.
87. Matt. IV. 5, 8.
88. Judges, XVI. 19.
89. The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, ed. F. N. Robinson, 2nd ed., Boston,
1957, repd, London, 1966: 'The Canterbury Tales' ('Monk's Tale'),
Group B2, l i n e s *3256-7, p.190; (quoted i n M.E.D., I , p.652, 'barm',
sense l b ).
90. Child and Skeat ( t e x t s c i t e d above, note 56) read t h i s word as 'cop',
meaning 'head' (M.E.D., I I , p.589, sense 2b); Chambers and Reichl
(see above, note 67) adopt the reading 'top', i . e . 'hair of head'
(O.E.D., X, Pt. I , p.143, 'top' s b . l , sense 1); the l a t t e r reading
appears preferable because the a c t i o n would be easier t o perform
p h y s i c a l l y and corresponds to the 'tearing one's h a i r ' of l a t e r popular
poetry - e.g. ed. R. Vaughan Williams and A. L. Lloyd, The Penguin Book
of English Folk Songs, Harmondsworth, 1959, p.94, 'A S a i l o r ' s L i f e ',
s t a . 6.1,
91. e.g. (John o f Grimestone), A Descriptive Index o f the English Lyrics
i n John of Grimestone's Preaching Book, ed. E. Wilson (Medium Aevum
Monographs, New Series, I I ) , Oxford,1973, p.46, l i n e 144; S.E.L., •
I I , p.701, l i n e 105 ( L i f e of Judas).
92. Baum, P.M.L.A., XXXI ('English B a l l a d ' ) , p.184.
93. S.E.L., I , p.22, l i n e 87: "Somme sede that he(o) was a wicche . & somme
t h a t he(o) was wod" (bystanders are amazed at St. Agnes' obstinate f a i t h ),
94. e.g. St. Stephen and Herod (Child 22) s t a . 7.1; i n the l a t e fourteenth
century romance 'Ywain and Gawain', l i n e s 483-484, the queen asks S i r Kay
i f he i s mad a f t e r he has challenged Ywain to go on a quest: Ywain and
Gawain, ed. A. B. Friedman and N. T. Harrington (E.E.T.S., O.S. 254),
London, New York and Toronto, 1964, p.14.
95. C. Horstmann, 'Nachtrage zu den Legenden : 1. Kindheit Jesu.aus
MS. Addit. 31,042' i n Archiv f i i r das Studium der neuren Sprachen und
L i t e r a t u r e n , ed. L. H e r r i g and H, Viehoff, LXXIV (1885), pp,327-339,
l i n e s 131-136 on p.329; this poem on the Childhood of Jesus i s discussed
i n d e t a i l below. Chapters 4-6.
96. Jn. V I I I . 44, X I I I . 27; Lk. XXII. 3.
97. Dronke, Med. L y r i c , p.68.

98. See S.E.L., I I , pp.697-706 and Caxton's Golden Legend, I , pp.80-85.
99. e.g. Jn. V I . 41, 52; c f . Horstmann, Herrig's Archiv LXXIV, p.329,
l i n e 167.
100. e.g. S.E.L. , I , p.84, l i n e 1, ''Seint Longius was a b l i n d knight",
where the d e s c r i p t i o n r e f e r s t o 'Longinus', the legendary f i g u re
corresponding with the centurion of Matt. XXVII. 54.
101. Baum, P.M.L.A. XXXI ('English B a l l a d ' ) , pp.188-189.
102. E.S.P.B., I . pp.242-243.
103. Child 17 G stas. 11, 12. (Stanzas from t h i s section of the _A version
of Hind Horn were quoted e a r l i e r i n the chapter.) .
104. That the form of Judas' a f f i r m a t i o n i s a d i r e c t l i e was pointed out
by Dronke, Med. L y r i c , p.68.
105. There i s a blank space a t t h i s point i n the manuscript; Skeat
suggested, E.S.P.B., V, p.288, that the word 'frek', meaning 'man'
(M.E.D., I I I , p.878, 'freke', noun, sense b) would restore the rhyme;
R e i c h l , Religiose Dichtung, p.376, suggests that the present line-ending,
' t h a t ' , may have rhymed w i t h 'spac', or t h a t the manuscript's 'spec'
may have rhymed w i t h 'thet'; I p r e f e r Skeat's suggestion.
106. 'Up bespake' occurs i n t he f i r s t lines o f C h i l d 188 A stanzas 3, 4, 14,
16, 19, 26, 35, 36, 38 and 44.
107. Dronke, Med. L y r i c , p.69.
108. Hendren, Study o f B a l l a d Rhythm, p.96.
109. Cited i n t h i s connection by Gerould, Ballad of T r a d i t i o n , p.127.