Filius Getronis (Son of Getron)

From Livre de Jeux de Fleury
ca. AD 1200

Plays telling saints' legends were among the earliest Medieval mystery plays. Four St. Nicholas miracle plays were in the 12th century Fleury manuscript and it is believed some go back to the late 11th century. The plays, set to music, were sung in Latin and still had connections to liturgy, though it is unknown just where they were performed. —editor.

To represent how Saint Nicholas freed the son of Getron from the hand of Marmorinus, King of the Agarenes, let King Marmorinus be depicted in a suitable place with his armed ministers, sitting on a high throne, as if in his kingdom. Let another joke also be depicted, Excoranda, the city of Getron, and in it Getron, and with his Comforters, his wife, Euphrosyn, and their son Adeodatus. The eastern part of the city of Excoranda, where the boy is, will be the place from which the boy will be snatched away. 

Therefore, having prepared these things, let the ministers of King Marmorinus come before him, and let all of them, or the first of them, say:

Hail, Prince, hail, excellent King!
Whatever is the will of your soul,
do not delay in telling your servants;
we are ready to do whatever you wish.

The king will say:

Go therefore, do not delay,
and subject whatever nations you can
to my rule;
kill those who resist you.

Meanwhile, Getron and Euphrosyne, with a multitude of clergy, go to the church of Saint Nicholas, as if to celebrate his feast, taking their son with them. And when they see the King's armed ministers coming there, they forget their son in fear and flee to their own city. But the King's ministers, seizing the boy, come before the King, and let all, or the second of them, say:

What you commanded, O King, we have done well;
we have subdued many nations to you,
and from the things we have acquired
we bring this boy to you.

Let all, or the third, say:

This boy, with a praiseworthy countenance,
prudent in mind, and noble in lineage,
should well, in our judgment,
be subject to your service,

King:

Praise be to Apollo who rules all things,
and grace to you,
who have made so many countries
subjugated and tributary to me.

King to the Boy:

Good boy, tell us
from what land, of what race you are,
of what rite your nation is:
are you Gentiles or Christians?

Boy:

Excoranda, leading the people,
my father, Getron by name,
worships the God to whom the seas belong,
who made us and you and all things.

King:

My god is Apollo; he is a god
who made me; he is true and good;
he rules the lands, he reigns in the ether.
We must believe in him alone.

Boy:

Your god is a liar and evil;
he is stupid, blind, deaf and dumb;
you should not worship such a god,
who cannot rule himself.

King:

Do not, boy, say such things;
do not despise my god;
For if you make him angry,
you will never be able to escape.

Meanwhile, Euphrosyne, having discovered they forgot her Son, returns to the church of Nicholas; and when she does not find her sought-after Son, she says in a wailing voice:

Alas! Alas! Alas! O poor me!
What shall I do? What can I say?
By what sin have I deserved to lose
my child, and to live no more?

Why did an unhappy father bear me?
Why did an unhappy mother wash me?
Why should a nurse suckle me?
Why did he not grant me death?

Let the comforters come out and say:

What does this desolation avail you?
Weep not for your son.
Entreat the Son of the Most High Father,
who will give him counsel?

Euphrosyne, as if not caring for their consolation:

Dear son, dearest son,
son, great part of my soul,
now you are a cause of sorrow to us,
to whom you were a cause of joy!

Comforters:

Do not despair of the grace of God,
whose great mercy
has given you this child;
He will return either this one or another to you.

Euphrosyne:

My spirit is troubled within me.
Why does my destruction delay?
Since I cannot see you, my son,
I would rather die than live long.

Comforters:

Mourning, sorrow and despair
harm you, nor do they benefit your son;
but instead of him, give from your wealth
to the clergy and the poor.

Ask Nicholas for clemency,
that he may implore the mercy
of the Most High Father for your son;
nor may your petition be in vain.

Euphrosyne:

Nicholas, most holy father,
Nicholas, most dear to God,
if you wish me to worship you longer,
grant that my son may return.

You who saved many at sea,
and three men from the bonds of death,
hear the prayers of my supplication,
and make me certain of him.

I will not eat flesh any longer
nor enjoy wine any longer,
I will in no way rejoice any longer,
until my son returns.

Getron:

Dear sister, cease to mourn;
your tears do you no good;
but let us pray for the propitiation
of the Most High Father for our son

Tomorrow will be the feast
of Nicholas, whom
all Christianity should devoutly worship,
venerate and to bless.

Hear then my counsels:
Let us approach his feasts;
let us praise his great deeds;
let us implore his intercession.

Perhaps it is the inspiration of God
that advises me for our son;
with the grace of God
Nicholas' great clemency must be prayed for.

Then let them rise again; let them go to the church of Saint Nicholas, into which, when they enter, let Euphrosyne stretch out her hands to heaven, and say:

Most High (Father), King of kings of all,
King of the only ones who are reborn,
make our Son return to us,
our only solace in life!

Hear the prayers of those who cry out to you,
who sent your Son into the world,
who would make us citizens of heaven
and rescue us from the prisons of hell!

God the Father, whose power
provides all good things to the good,
do not despise me, a sinner,
but make me see my own child!

Nicholas, whom we call a saint,
if what we believe about you is true,
may your prayer to God benefit us and our son!

Having said this, let them leave the church and go to their house, and prepare a table, and on the table bread and wine, from which the Clergy and the Poor may be refreshed.

When they have been called and are beginning to eat, Marmorinus shall say to his Ministers:

I tell you, my dearest,
that before this day I have never had
such a hunger as I have now;
I am unable to bear this hunger.

Therefore,
prepare yourselves where I must eat, lest I taste death.
Why are you delaying? Go quickly;
prepare what I will eat more quickly.

Let the Ministers go and bring the food and say to the King:

At your command we have prepared
your food, and have brought it here;
now, if you wish, you may quickly
quench the hunger with which you are burdened.

Having said this, let water be brought, and the King shall wash his hands, and beginning to eat, let him say:

I am hungry and am now thirsty; I command that wine be given me; which my servant, the son of Getron, is to bring to me.

Therefore, the boy, hearing this, sighs heavily and says to himself:

Alas! Alas! Alas! wretched me!
I long for the end of my life;
for as long as I live,
I will never be able to be freed.

King to the boy:

For what reason do you sigh thus?
I saw you sighing deeply.
What is it for which you sigh thus?
What harms you, or wherefore do you complain?

Boy:

Remembering my misery,
my father's and my country,
I sighed and groaned,
and said to myself:

Today marks one year
since I became a miserable slave,
subjected to royal power, and
entered the borders of this country.

King:

Alas! poor fellow, why do you think so?
What good does anxiety of heart do you?
No one can take you from me
as long as I do not want to lose you.

Meanwhile, someone comes in the likeness of Nicholas; he seizes the boy holding the cup with the fresh wine, and, having seized him, places him before the doors, and as if unnoticed, departs. Then one of the Citizens says to the Boy:

Boy, who are you, and where do you wish to go?
Whose generosity gave you this cup
with the wine?

Boy:

Here I come, I will go no further;
I am the only son of Getron.
Praise and glory be to Nicholas,
whose grace brought me here.

Hearing this, the citizen runs to Getron and says:

Rejoice, Getron, and weep no more;
your son stands outside the gates.
Praise the mighty deeds of NIcholas,
whose grace has brought him back.

And when Euphrosyne hears this news, she runs to her Son; whom she kisses repeatedly and embraces and says:

To God be praise and glory,
whose great mercy,
turning our sorrow into joy,
has brought back our son to us!

And to our father
Nicholas be praise and grace forever,
whose prayer to God
has helped us in this matter.

All chorus:

Abundant in charity, Nicholas, the pontiff,
who rejoices with God in the palace of heaven,
condescend, we we beseech you, to those sighing to you,
that you may draw those stripped of their heavy flesh up to the heavens.

Here ends..

Filius Getronis (The Son of Getron), 28.10 minutes

Livre de Jeux de Fleury / Filiius Getronis, Vicifons, translated from the Latin. Used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Deed.

back to top