NOYE, CHILDREN At the cominge of the fludde.

Mrs SEM Hear is a good hacckinge stoccke, On this you maye hewe and knocke; None shall be idle in this floccke; For nowe maye noe man fayle.

(Mrs Ham and Mrs Jaffett enter; they sing together)

Mrs HAM
And I will goe gaither slyche
The shippe for to caulke and pyche,
Anoint yt must be each stiche,
Borde and tree and pynne.

Mrs JAFFETT
And I will goe gaither chippes heare
To make a fier for you in fere,
And for to dighte youer dynner,
Againste your cominge in.

(Mrs Noye and her Gossips sit together on the
forestage and mock Noye for building the boat.
When Noye rebukes them they retire to the island
to drink and chatter under a palm tree)

Mrs NOYE
And we shall brynge tymber too,
For we mone nothinge ellse doe;
Wemen be weeke to undergoe
Any greate travill.

(Mrs Noye and the Gossips laugh)

NOYE
Goodwiffe, let be all this beare,
That thou makest in this place heare;
For all they wene thou arte maister,
And so thou arte, by Sante John!

(The building of the ark begins)

NOYE
Now in the name of God I will begyne
To make the shippe here that we shall in,
that we may be readye for to swyme

NOYE, CHILDREN At the cominge of the fludde.

NOYE
Thes bordes heare now I pynne togeither,
To beare us saffe from the weither,
That we maye rowe both heither and theither.

NOYE, CHILDREN At the cominge of the fludde.

NOYE
Of this treeywill I make the maste,
Tyed with cabelles that will laste,
With a saile yarde for every blaste,

NOYE, CHILDREN
And iche thinge in their kinde,
With toppe-castill, and boe-spritte,
With cordes and roppes, I hold alt meet;
To sayle fourth at the nexte sleete,
When the shippe is att en ende.

(To the sound of hammers and sand paper, Noye and
his children finish building the ark. Noye asks his wife
to leave the Gossips and join him in the ark. She
refuses and they quarrel violently)

NOYE
Wyffe, in this vessell we shall be kepte:
My children and thou, I wouIde in ye lepte.

Mrs NOYE
In fayth, Noye, I hade as lief thou slepte!
For all thy frynishe fare,
I will not doe after thy rede.

NOYE
Good wyffe, doe nowe as I thee bydde.

Mrs NOYE
By Christe! not or I see more neede,
Though thou stande all the daye and stare

NOYE
Lorde, that wemen be crabbed aye,
And non are meke, I dare well saye,
This is well seene by me to_daye,
In witnesse of you each one.

(The voice of God is heard warning them
that the lood is coming. The waters start to rise)

THE VOICE OF GOD
Noye, Noye, take thou thy company,
And in the shippe hie that you be,
And beastes and fowles with thee thou take,
He and shee, mate to mate;
For it is my likinge

Fourtye dayes and fortye nightes
Raine shall fall forther unrightes,
And that I have made through my mightes
Now thinke I to destroye.

NOYE
Have donne, you men and wernen alle,
Hye you, lest this watter fall,
That ich beaste were in stalle,
And into the shippe broughte.
The fludde is nye, you maye well see,
Therefore tarye you naughte.

(From the back of the church buglers herald the arrival
of the animals. Noye’s children in turn point out each
group to Noye as they appear marching towards the
ark singing Kyrie eleison. The animals go across the
stage and enter the ark)

SEM
Sir! heare are lions, leapardes, in,
Horses, mares, oxen, swyne,
Goote and caulfe, sheepe and kine
Heare coming thou may see.