¹ The editors wish to express their thanks for the many courtesies extended to them by the Yale, Harvard, Columbia, and New York Public Libraries. Mr. Bühler is particularly grateful to Dr. Edith Porada for her thoughtful interest and many valuable suggestions.

² The enormous literature on the mediæval German stage is listed by Maximilian J. Rudwin, A Historical ana Bibliographical Survey of the German Religious Drama (Pittsburgh, 1924). For the Latin drama, see Karl Young's monumental The Drama of the Medieval Church (Oxford, 1933), especially i, 401 ff. and Chapter xiv (the plays of Origny, Klosterneuburg, Benediktbeuern, and Tours). Particularly useful for the study of the present text are: Conrad Dürre, Die Mercatorszene im lateinisch-liturgischen, altdeutscken und altfranzösischen religiösen Drama (Göttingen, 1915); Richard Heinzel, Abhandlungen zum altdeutschen Drama (Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien, Phil.-hist. Klasse. Sitzungs-berichte, cxxxiv [1896], esp. pp. 55–66); Hans Rueff, Das rheinische Osterspiel (Gesell-schaft der Wissenschaften, Göttingen. Abhandlungen. Phil.-hist. Klasse. N.F., xviii, n. 1); F. Mencik and E. Schröder, “Eine Wiener Rubinus-Rolle,” Zeitschr.f.dt. Altertum, LI, 263–273; Rudolf Höpfner, Untersuchungen zu dem Innsbrucker, Berliner und Wiener Osterspiel (Germanistische Abhandlungen xlv); Ludwig Wirth, Die Oster- und Passions-spiele bis zum XVI. Jahrhundert (Halle, 1889), pp. 168–185). Two comparatively recent works are absolutely indispensable: Eduard Hartl, Das Drama des Mittelalters (Leipzig, 1937, 2 vols.) and Alfred Bäschlin, Die altdeutschen Salbenkrämerspiele (Mulhouse, 1929, with pertinent bibliography).

³ Listed so by Sir Paul Harvey, The Oxford Companion to English Literature (Oxford, 1940), p. 501. The identity of the third Mary is open to question; she is often called Mary Salome. Compare James Hastings, A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels (New York, 1924) under “Brethren of the Lord” [i, 232–237], “Mary the mother of James the Little and Joses” [II, 139] and “Salome” [ii, 551].

⁴ So by Bäschlin, op. cit. The text is printed by O. Zingerle, Sterzinger Spiele (Wiener Neudrucke, ix, Wien, 1886) ; this play is Fastnachtspiel no. 4 and will be cited as IV. The Alsfelder Passionsspiel and the Frankfurter Dirigierrolle are here treated as one play, since the former is only an expanded version of the latter and the Dirigierrolle (as its name suggests) merely outlines the scenes.

⁵ Hartl, ii, 6. Cf. also Young, I, 435–436.

⁶ This play lacks only sections 1 and 6 of the K-Szene; cf. Bäschlin, pp. 14–17. 7 Cp. also Hartl's statement (ii, 130) to the effect “dass der Bearbeiter, wenn auch nicht gerade glänzend, Latein verstand.”

⁸ The editions of the various plays are listed by Bäschlin and his sigla have been used throughout for the sake of convenience. For the Wiener, Erlauer and Innsbrucker plays, however, the new texts printed by Hartl (vol. ii) have been used and the line-numberings are those of Hartl's texts. Hartl's notes to Wi O appear in Lebendiges Erbe. Festschrift für Ernst Reclam (Leipzig, 1936), pp. 20–61.

⁹ Cf. II. 92, 190, 241, 380, 537, etc.; not corrected are II. 243, 293, 458, etc.

¹⁰ E.g. II. 141, 149, 250, 266, 300, 321, 355, 513, etc.

¹¹ E.g. II. 3–6, 421, 432, 576 and 593.

¹² E.g. line 59.

¹³ E.g. II. 227, 240, 435, 457, 526, etc.

¹⁴ Op. cit., p. 100.

¹⁵ Op. cit., p. 58: “In der That scheint manches darauf hinzuweisen, dass die Quack-salberszenen unserer geistlichen Spiele einmal eine selbständige Existenz geführt haben.”

¹⁶ Of the Erlauer Play, Heinzel (p. 58) remarks that it can readily be designated “als ein besonderes Spiel.” He emphasizes the importance of Raber's Ypocras ( IV) on p. 60.

¹⁷ The Trier Play (Hartl, ii, 297) also has the heading “Ludus de node paschae.”

¹⁸ Most Easter plays, no matter how ribald in character, open upon a serious note. Hartl (ii, 193) observes: “In der Mitte des Osterspiels hat man die heitere Einlage gern geduldet, aber der Anfang und besonders das Ende mussten ernst gehalten sein, wenn nicht jede Berechtigung schwinden sollte, das Ganze noch ein Osterspiel zu nennen.” The present play ends with the Prima Maria singing the stanzas which serve to introduce the Trier Easter play (Hartl, ii, 48).

¹⁹ A very common motive; compare the Satirical Description of his Lady, incorrectly attributed to Lydgate and printed by James Halliwell, Minor Poems of Lydgate, Percy Society ii London, 1840), no. 34, and the similar one perhaps by Hoccleve and printed among his minor poems (EETS, ES, lxi, p. xxxviii).

²⁰ In J, Rubinus has to be called four times; cf. Bäschlin, p. 35.

²¹ Op. cit., ii, 132, referring to J; see also his notes (ii, 201) regarding “Wortwitz” and “Wortverdrehung.”

²² The editors are obliged to the technical skill of Mark D. Brewer in restoring the obliterated stamp to legibility. The stamp, however, differs entirely from those found in the Yale Gutenberg Bible, formerly at Melk.

²³ The manuscript not seem to appear in Catalogue codicum manu scriptorum qui in Bibliotheca Monasterii Mellicensis O.S.B. servantur (1889; vol. i only published). It is apparently taken from one of those miscellaneous volumes described by E. Ph. Goldschmidt, Medieval Texts and their First Appearance in Print (London, Bibl. Society, 1943, pp. 93–95).

²⁴ Deutsche Schrifttafeln des IX. bis XVI. Jahrhunderts (München and Leipzig, 1910–30), v. This is a manuscript of Hugo von Trimberg, Der Renner (Cgm. 307).

²⁴ Cf. R. Froning, op. cit., “Nachrichten über Aufführungen geistlicber Spiele in Frankfurt,” pp. 535–546.

²⁵ The Frankfurter Dirigierrolle (ed. R. Froning, op. cit., pp. 340–374) was written between 1350 and 1384, and the Passion play (ibid., pp. 375–546) in the year 1493.

²⁵ The Frankfurter Dirigierrolle contains only the initial words of passages and only a few words in German. Nevertheless, even in these few words there is a remarkable similarity with identical words in Melk, e.g., swig 5, uch 11, stet uf 13, kunde ich 22, frunt myn 60, iz 79, richer kunig 84, min geist 323, sagit an 334, dun wir 345, gedan 368, leyder 376, ir sullet uwer fochte lan 387, uffenbar 427 etc. The Passion play, however, with its 4408 lines of German text shows, despite the omission of the Mercator and resurrection scenes, all the characteristics of the Melk play. A few indicative words can be given: ich focht 3131, widder 3235, plegen 800, dach (NHG dock) 3726, ader 3814, isz (NHG es) 3019, dogenliche 419, tufels, 734, lude 22, hait 3, wolde 4, brengen 580, sal 3531, Eya 3452, phij (NHG pfui) 2558 etc.

²⁷ The Mercator scene consists of only twenty-three lines (II. 355–378); it nevertheless contains all the important persons of the play, viz. mercatores, medicus, uxor and the three Marys.

²⁸ Cf. R. Froning, op. cit., p. 328.

²⁹ Religious plays were performed e.g. in Friedberg (1465, 1482), Butzbach (1417, 1495), and Marburg (1452, 1454, 1459, 1493, 1495, 1499); cf. . Zimmermann, “Das Alsfelder Passionsspiel und die Wetterauer Spielgruppe,” Archiv für hessische Geschichte und Altertumskunde, N.F., vi, 12, 13.

^*Textual variants appear at the end.

¹ Bäschlin (referred to as BA in the notes), p. 16 observes that mercator is the usual form in the earlier plays, while medicus is a later development.

² The Latin text has been badly garbled by the copyist; it is impossible to say how much of this is his own fault or what errors are those of his predecessor(s). These lines in Erl 119–124 read as follows:

As Hartl (ii, 198) correctly states, this is “eine lateinische Vagantenstrophe, in der das Marktschreierische mit einem Körnchen Aufrichtigkeit gemischt ist.” For versification and accent see ibid., 191. In Wi O, the Latin text is wanting, but it must have been in the source, as BA (p. 20) proves.

³ See note 18 above. In the present play, there is no indication that any soberer beginning ever formed an introduction to this text.

⁴ Cf. W. Arndt, Die Personennamen der deutschen Schauspiele des Mittelatters (Breslau, 1904), p. 25; compare IV, 19–20. Hartl (ii, 198) points out that this is the oldest form of the self introduction in these plays.

⁵ An example of “inkhorn terms” and found in practically all the Mercator plays. BA, p. 29, suggests that the Werbeszene (hiring of Rubinus) originally followed the Nuper veni-introduction.

⁶ Cf. J 548 ff.; RR 42 ff.; etc.

⁸ J 546 and Wi O 530: Herre, wy duncket uch vm mich?

⁹ This passage is practically identical with Erl 153–162 and J 682–691, though in the latter play it is spoken by Pusterbalk; see also RR, 16–25. For the names compare Arndt, op. cit., and BA 31–32.

^{Note 9a in page 40} J 687: vnd erswinge er ir geveder.

¹⁰ BA (p. 23) points out that in most plays the Länderaufzählung is attached to and follows the Ypocras song; comparable lists are printed in BA. See also the English Play of the Sacrament, printed in Transactions of the Philological Society (1861), 101–152.

¹¹ “Die südöstliche Tradition, Erl III, Rub. R und mit ihr Innsbr. (nach Höpfner S. 135) kennt das ferne Brabant nicht und schreibt Prolant (kontaminiert aus Brabant+Polant),” Rueff, op. cit., p. 122. Oddly enough Brabant seems to occur as Prauant in the next line of the text.

See also Hartl's note and compare Erl 235–244, which Hartl (ii, 202) believes to be a parody of a Minnelied.

Cp. also RR 3 and J 611–616.

¹⁹ Cf. ', p. 24: “Das Ypocraslied fehlt in Wi O und Erl, den beiden Spielen, welche dafür... als einzige die Nuper veni-tradition kennen.” Both these songs appear to have come from the popular Vagantenlyrik. See J 623–626, Rh 531–534, Alsf. 7483–7484 “de gratia bovina,” IV, 7 and 219, RR 57–60 “de gratia wavina,” and Mastičkář, 27–30; cf. Rueff, op. cit., p. 121. 20 The following lines are an enlargement of l. 109, not found elsewhere. 21 In Erl 354–357, the Medicus asks where his wife is and sends Rubinus for her. Rubinus says (360–362) : “und dunkcht mich auch nit wol getan, das ir sei allain habt lassen stan under diser sammung.” The Medica speaks to Rubinus, who quickly silences her derogatory remarks about her husband: “Frau, lass di red bestan:

²² These lines are unique in this text of the Salbenkrämerspiel. Hartl (ii, 202) designates such lines as “ein komischer Ableger eines Minneliedes,” as also is the use of “wigant.” This song is repeated later as Rubinus leads the mercatrix off the stage (l. 577 ff.).

²³ For ironic praise of this sort, see Hartl i, 92. There is a short satirical description of the mercatrix in Wi O, 600–607; cp. also Erl 249–252 and 413–419, Lüben 37 ff., BB 123–130; cf. note 19 of introduction.

^{Note 24a in page 43} Wi O 602: kessilvar ist ouch ir hor wol 25 Wi O 585: Alz eyne kw dy kalbin sal

²⁸ In Erl 425–426 and Lüben 148–149 ( ', p. 38), as here, Rubinus reminds the mercator to greet his wife in proper fashion.

²⁷ For the oxymoron kolin weys cf. ', p. 93, and Erlau's cholweissen hant (l. 429). There is a comparable passage for these lines in Sterzinger play vi “Doctor Knoflach.”

²⁸ These repetitious introductions indicate, as Hartl remarks for J (ii, 127), that at least two different openings were borrowed for this play. In Erl, Rubin shows the medical implements of his master (466–497) and Pusterbalk proclaims the medica's talents at her request (502–525).

²⁹ This passage is based on the same source as J 650 “Dy blinden macht er sprechen”; for parallel passages cf. ', p. 22.

³⁰ Sterzinger vi, 51–52:

³¹ Lüben 36–37:

³² BA (p. 39) calls this the “sekundäre Werbeszene.” Pusterbalk appears in J, Erl and IV, also in Lüben and in the two Bohemian plays (Mastičkář, printed by Gebauer in Listy filologické a paedagogickê, vii, 90–121, and the fragment published by Patera in asopis eskêho Museum, lxiii, 131 ff.). In RR, the character is called Marcel. No such role occurs in Wi O, while J has an additional role for Lasterbalk.

32a J 658–663 :

³³ Cp. J 583–585; and Z IV (ll. 117–120) :

^{Note 33a in page 46} See also Erl 311–318.

³⁴ In J (572–573) a similar demand is made by Rubin: Herre, funff schillinge, daz ist myn gedinge.

³⁵ Erl 588-589: Das tůn ich so zehant alz ein stolzer weigant 36 Note the specific use of “kauffman” here and compare J 635–636: Vns ist komen in dy lant eyn arczt wit bekant See also Erl 562–563: Ez ist ein maister chomen in di lant

Puchsindasgras ist er genant On the other hand, the Latin term is Mercator in J and Medicus in Erl. Usually the mercator's fame and reputation are stressed (cf. Rh 535–536 and Play of the Sacrament, op. cit., ll. 89–94); see, however, Fastnachtspiel 6 (Adelbert von Keller, Fastnachtspiele aus dem fünfzehnten Jahrhundert, Bibl. des litt. Vereins in Stuttgart, xxviii-xxx and XLVI) : Maister Viviam is er genant In diesen landen unbekant. (xxviii, 59, ll. 4–5) 37 Erl 343–344: Herr, zu erznei chan ich also vil alz ein pokch zu vederspil Hartl's note (p. 312) states that Pusterpalk says: “Zur Arzneikunst tauge ich ebenso wie ein Bock zum Jagdfalken.”

Compare the “Asinarius vel Diadema” in Anz.f. Kunde der teutschen Vorzeit, viii, 551–560, and the German lines in col. 561.

³⁸ For these fabulous drugs, cf. J 786 ff. and 976 ff.; Hartl refers to such as “Lügen-mürchen” (i, 94). See also BA 92.

⁴¹ J 820–821:

⁴² Erl 710–711:

In Wi Wi (1. 19) Hartl prints “flattertaschin.” Both Erl and J have “tempeltreten,” and J also has “kapeltreten”; cp. Hartl's notes to J 552 and 1035.

⁴⁴ The usual stage directions read:

Hartl (i, 72) observes that these were dramatic devices to quiet the audience and to usher in new scenes. See also ll. 420 and 594.

⁴⁵ In J (894–905) the Schalkstreit takes place only after the Mercator has summoned Rubin four times and the Three Marys are already on stage. These lines compare closely with those in J and Erl 553–559; see also Lüben 87–101, BB 20–25 and RR 134–141.

⁴⁷ This couplet may be found in Lüben 21–22 and 75–76; Erl 543–544; RR 81–82; IV 199–200; Mast. 83 ff.; etc.

In Erl (670–685) there is a rather similar passage but it is spoken by Pusterpalk; see also Sterzinger play vi, 125–127.

⁵⁰ Pixides is the term used in the liturgies; cf. BA 8.

⁵⁴ “schmalcz von ainer mucken” is noted by IV (229) and J (831; cp. also Hartl's notes, p. 309, and i, 94); RR 178 mentions “Mückenpluett vnd miligswaiss,” BA 27–28 claims these fantastic drugs are only “volkstümliche Scherze,” but a more sombre note is in Macbeth, iv, 1. About animal drugs of the Old Egyptians, such as lizard's blood, swine's teeth, putrid meat, stinking fat, moisture from pigs' ears, milk, goose grease, asses' hoofs, animal fats from various sources, excreta of various animals, including donkeys' and even flies', cf. C. H. Lawall, The Curious Lore of Drugs and Medicines (1927), p. 7, who says: “The influence of this group persisted for more than three thousand years, as may be seen by referring to many pharmacopoeias of the 16th and 17th centuries.” Usually six or seven salves are displayed, so Erl and Rh. In the Muri Easter play (Hartl ii, 285, 98) there are also only “drie buhsen.” See also the Lügenpredigt (ed. J. Boite, Zeitschrift f. dt. Allertum, xxxvi, 151, ll. 55–65).

⁵⁵ Erl 655 and 695: fleugenfüss und mukkenmarchk.

⁵⁶ Similarly J 806–807 (kobebenkoren), Rh 663–664 (cabeben korn), RR 188–189 (kupersskorn), and Erl 645–646 (zisperchorn). Cp. BA p. 26 and Sterzing xxi, 51 ff. and xxiv, 197 ff.

⁵⁷ Z - IV 296–297:

⁵⁸ The Antiqua Vetula episode occurs in no other German Salbenkrämerspiel. In Erl 512–521 it is suggested that the “alte maid” should see the Medica, but the character is not introduced. A Vetula, whose husband is tired of her, appears in Sterzing vi, 191 et seq.

⁵⁹ These stanzas are Hartl's (ii, 6) “Gruppe B: 3 Wegstrophen in Zehnsilblern.” See also Young, i, 285 and 677 ff. Printed with music from the Wolfenbüttler play (Wo) by Otto Schönemann, Der Sündenfall und Marienklage (Hanover, 1855), pp. 151 ff. These stanzas often serve to introduce the play (J 507 et seq. and Erl 7 et seq., with a German translation). At this point in the play, J (838) has Hartl's “Wegstrophen A” (ii, 5), found at the end of the present play; Erl (717), on the other hand, repeats the first two stanzas of Group (with a different translation) while the third stanza is the second one of Group A. In Wi O, which omits the Latin texts, these stanzas are naturally not found.

⁶⁰ The Latin “ricmi” read as follows:

⁶¹ Ibid.,

⁶² Ibid.,

⁶³ This line is usually sung by the Three Marys as the refrain for stanza 2 of Group C, for which see below.

⁶⁴ J 811 : Herre, da ist iarmarkt hüte.

⁶⁵ Wi O 532–533 :

⁶⁶ As in Erl (cf. Hartl's comment, ii, 203), Rubinus greets the Marys “mit äusserst derben und gemeinen Worten.” In BB 97 one finds “Deus salsire,” of which the editor, Wilhelm Seelmann (Zeitschrift f. dt. Altertum, LXIII, 266) remarks: “verdrehtes Latein, wie es auch in anderen Osterspielen begegnet, fur deus solvere jubeat).” Compare Erl 779–783 (Rubin to the Marys):

and (Mercator seeking servant)

See also BA, p. 93. This seems to be an echo of “Keim 1,” otherwise lacking in this play.

⁶⁷ This is “Keim” 2:

Practically identical lines occur in J 843–848 and Erl 794–799. This is apparently based on the Latin “corpus Jesu ungere volumus” (Hartl, ii, 6).

⁶⁸ Erl 1117–1118:

⁶⁹ “Keim” 3 :

⁷⁰ For the history and other occurrences of these Latin stanzas, see Hartl ii, 309 and BA, p. 10 ff. They form the first two stanzas in Hartl's “Gruppe C: 3 Kaufstrophen in Zehnsilblern.” Note that in J all Latin stanzas are spoken without interruption by translations, and that this play and the Bohemian Mastičkář agree in having only the first two stanzas. The earliest German translation is found in the mid fourteenth-century Frankfurter Dirigierrolle (R. Froning, Das deutsche Drama des Mittelalters [Dt. National-Litteratur, ed. J. Kürschner, xiv], Stuttgart, 1891, ii, 340 ff.), this also being the probable date of the Bohemian play. There is no German rendering of the first stanza in J.

Apart from the slips produced by the scribe's insufficient knowledge of Latin, these lines are the same as those found in J and Erl. In the Wolfenbüttler (ed. cit., p. 152) and in the Benediktbeurer (Hartl, ii, 39) plays the third line of the second stanza reads: “dic pretium pro quanta dederis.” BA (p. 12) states that this stanza is usually sung by “Maria Jacobi.” The Kaufszene does not appear in Z - IV.

⁷¹ Wo, p. 153:

Practically the identical Unes, the equivalent of “Keim” 4, are found in J 968–971. In Erl 829–848, there is a long reply by the Medicus.

⁷² This is “Keim” 5:

The lines in J are again quite similar. For line 2, compare BA 20 ff. In order to introduce a comic element, some plays specify the number of years the Mercator studied medicine, e.g. “vier und virczig jor” Wi O 510; “woll hundert jar” Z IV 221; “wol tausent jar” Erl 127.

⁷³ Wo, p. 152: Secunda dicit:

⁷⁴ These lines are the equivalent of “Keim” 7 and “Keim” 8. Tertia persona dicit:

Mercator dicit:

Compare Wo (p. 154) and Wi O (690–695). Note the use of bezant in some of the plays; it is questionable whether this refers to the gold coin originally struck at Byzantium and circulating throughout Europe from the ninth century on or to the silver coin also current in the fifteenth century (cf. J. Zedler, Universal-Lexicon, Halle und Leipzig, 1732–50, iv, 2066, Byzantius). Pfennige are mentioned (or implied) by the plays of Muri (Hartl, ii, 285), Eger (G. Milchsack, Lit. Verein in Stuttgart, clvi) and Hall (J. E. Wackernell, Altdeutsche Passionsspiele aus Tirol, Graz, 1897, p. 331 ff.).

⁷⁵ J 1001–1004:

⁷⁵ Wi O 704–705:

In the Haller (ed. cit.) and Alsfelder (Froning, op. cit.). Passion plays as well as in the Frankfurter Dirigierrolle (ed. cit.), the Uxor Mercatoris appeals to her husband on behalf of the Marys.

⁷⁷ Wi O 726–729:

Not in J or Erl, though in the latter Rubinus explains that the Medicus is beating his wife.

⁷⁸ Wi O 718–719:

⁷⁹ J 1005–1006:

This passage does not occur in Wi O. For the latter couplet, compare E. Martin's review of Kummer's edition of Erl (Anz. f. dt. Alterthum, viii, 310-312). In J 1030–1031, the Ancilla says to Rubinus:

^{Note 79a in page 59} Rueff (op. cit., pp. 120–121) notes that this passage occurs in plays from the earliest Frankfurter play (Dirigierrolle 376) to Raber ( IV 374 ff.). It is found in J (1017–1020), Erl (917–920), Wi O (736–745), Alsf. (7604–7607) and Keller, Fastnachtspiele, no. 57, p. 511. Compare BA, pp. 18–19, and Hartl's notes (Reclam-Festschrift, pp. 47, 48). Note also that in J, Wi O and Erl, the Uxor addresses her husband in the second person singular (familiar) while here the formal plural number is employed, though not consistently (see just above) ; this seems certain evidence that the dramatist used more than one source.

⁸⁰ In Erl (928), Rubinus suggests that his master lie down. The several plays all have different conclusions. In Wi O, the Mercator and Rubin go away together; in Erl, Rubin runs off with the Medica but her husband seems most perturbed about losing his servant, while Pusterbalk (somewhat sacrilegiously) blesses the audience; and in J, the wife departs with Rubin and the Mercator consoles himself with the Ancilla.

⁸¹ Rubinus here addresses his mistress in the formal manner, though earlier in the play (ll. 126 ff.) he saluted her with “du” which he again uses below. The Mercatrix employs the familiar form throughout in talking to Rubinus.

⁸³ These lines do not occur in Wi O or J.

See Hartl (i, 94–95) and the Lügenpredigt, ed. cit., ll. 69–74.

⁸⁴ Erl 961–966:

Compare J 1067–1070 and remarks by Höpfner, p. 133 and Hartl, I, 95. In Erl 967–980, the Medica then delivers a speech in which she exclaims that she has made a good exchange in getting a young man to replace her old husband.

⁸⁵ Not in Wi O or J, though the former uses the first two lines elsewhere (201–202).

⁸⁶ It is likely that the original text from which the scribe was copying had something which seemed (to the scribe) to be “ub' ” rather than “nb”'. He rather unintelligently expanded this to “vber.” These are Hartl's “Wegstrophen in Fünfzehnsilblern” (ii, 5) and also occur in the Engelberg (ii, 17), Benediktbeurn (ii, 40) and Trier (ii, 48) plays. Schönemann, p. 149, prints the music; see also Young, i, 378 and note 3. For the importance of a solemn ending see note 18 of Introduction. These verses read as follows: