The Talents (play)

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The Talents is play 24 of the Middle English recitals The Towneley Plays (ca. 1460).

This play contains an early example of macaronic English-Latin verse, spoken by the character Pontius Pilate:

...

Stynt, I say! gyf men place

quia sum dominus dominorum!

he that agans me says

rapietur lux oculorum;

Therfor gyf ye me space

ne tendam vim brachiorum,

And then get ye no grace

contestor Iura polorum,

Caueatis; Rewle I the Iure,

Maxime pure,

Towne quoque rure,

Me paueatis.

Stemate regali

kyng atus gate me of pila;

Tramite legali

Am I ordand to reyn upon Iuda,

Nomine wlgari

pownce pilate, that may ye well say,

Qui bene wlt fari

shuld call me fownder of all lay.

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