‘Manus Tuas Commendo’: Blasphemy, Spells, and Night Prayers in Late Medieval Shepherds’ Plays from England and Castile

Abstract

In the Towneley Second Shepherds’ Play, one of the central characters named Mak delivers what sounds like a blasphemous speech before going to sleep. He actually utters the sentence ‘Manus tuas commendo, Poncio Pilato’ (ll. 384-85), in which he seems to commend his protection and that of his fellows to Pilate. Then, he performs what has been considered a necromantic ritual by drawing a circle around the others. When played out on stage it would seem reasonable to understand that the author was sending a clear catechetical message against these ungodly practices. However, a re-visitation of the manuscript as well as a comparative analysis with other English and Castilian works which contain similar allusions and rituals has allowed the reading of these words differently. For that purpose, this study analyses the non-Christian elements and the alleged blasphemous references in late-medieval plays from both traditions. Apart from the dramatic material, some non-dramatic texts that contain similar formulae are considered in order to offer an alternative interpretation of these alleged impious words and behaviours in the English tradition.