WOW! Thanks for the translations- I had a hard time getting on Mudcat to respond and now I see some great translations here. Ur-translations!!

This N-Town play seems to be the ur-analogue for the ballad perhaps derived from story in Psuedo-Matthew 20.

That some broadsides have combined the "Cherry-Tree" with it's two main sequels and that his combination of ballads also occurs in Child A and B, for example, makes the original difficult to know.

Perhaps the angel, and Christ's prophecies should be sequels and these ballads should be dealt with like Edward, Twa Brothers and Lizie Wan.

Then there's the symbolism of the garden and the analogy to the Garden of Eden which I'm not seeing. Nor do I see Chaucer's Merchant's Tale another Middle English analogue as being significant in the study of The Cherry Tree Carol(s).

Richie