N-Town Cycle, Play 3

[Cain's Murder of Abel]

  1  ABEEL I wolde fayn knowe how I xuld do
  2  To serve my Lord God to his plesyng.
  3  ŝerfore, Caym, brother, lete us now go
  4  Vnto oure fadyr withowte lettyng,

  5  Suenge hym in vertu and in norture
  6  To com to be hy3e joy celestyall;
  7  Remembryng to be clene and pure,
  8  For in mysrewle we myth lythly fall
  9  A3ens Hevyn Kynge.
 10  Lete us now don oure dyligens
 11  To come to oure faderys presens.
 12  Good brother, passe we hens
 13  To knowe for oure levynge.

 14  CAYM As to my fadyr lete us now tee
 15  To knowe what xal be his talkyng.
 16  And yet I holde it but vanyté
 17  To go to hym for any spekyng
 18  To lere of his lawe.
 19  For if I haue good anow plenté,
 20  I kan be mery, so moty the.
 21  Thow my fadyr I nevyr se,
 22  I 3yf not ŝerof an hawe!

 23  ABEL Ryth sovereyn fadyr, semely, sad and sure,
 24  Euyr we thank 3ow in hert, body, and thowth,
 25  And alwey shull whyll oure lyf may indure
 26  As inwardly in hert it kan be sought,
 27  Bothe my brother and I.
 28  Fadyr, I falle onto 3oure kne
 29  To knowe how we xul rewlyd be
 30  For godys ŝat fallyth bothe hym and me;
 31  I wolde fayn wete trewly.

 32  ADAM Sonys, 3e arn, to spekyn naturaly,
 33  The fyrst frute of kendely engendrure,
 34  Befforn whom, saff 3oure modyr and I,
 35  Were nevyr non of mannys nature.
 36  And 3it were we al of another portature,
 37  As 3e haue me oftyn herd seyd sothly.
 38  Wherfore, sonys, yf 3e wyl lyff sad and sure,
 39  Fyrst I 3ow counseyll most syngulerly
 40  God for to loue and drede.
 41  And suche good as God hath 3ow sent,
 42  The fyrst frute offyr to hym in sacryfice brent,
 43  Hym evyr besechyng with meke entent
 44  In all 3oure werkys to save and spede.

 45  ABEELL Gramercy, fadyr, for 3oure good doctrine;
 46  For as 3e vs techyn, so xal we do.
 47  And as for me, borwe Goddys grace dyvyne,
 48  I wyl forthwith applye me ŝerto.
 49  CAYME And ŝow me be loth, I wyl now also
 50  Onto 3oure counsell, fadyr, me inclyne.
 51  And 3itt I say now to 3ow both too,
 52  I had levyr gon hom, well for to dyne!

 53  ADAM Now God graunt good sacryfice to 3ow both too.
 54  He vowchesaff to acceptyn 3ow and all myne,
 55  And 3eve 3ow now grace to plesyn hym soo
 56  ŝat 3e may come to ŝat blysse ŝat hymself is inne
 57  With gostly grace;
 58  ŝat all 3oure here-levyng
 59  May be to his plesyng,
 60  And at 3oure hens-partyng
 61  To com to good place.

Abell dicit:

 62  Almyhtty God and God ful of myth
 63  Be whom allŝing is made of nowth,
 64  To ŝe myn hert is redy dyht,
 65  For upon ŝe is all my thought.

 66  O souereyn Lord reygnyng in eternnyté,
 67  With all ŝe mekenesse ŝat I kan or may,
 68  This lombe xal I offre it up to the;
 69  Accept it, blyssyd Lord, I ŝe pray.
 70  My 3yft is but sympyl, ŝis is no nay,
 71  But my wyl is good, and evyr xal be;
 72  ŝe to servyn and worchepyn both nyht and day.
 73  And ŝerto ŝi grace, Lord, grawnt ŝu me
 74  Throwh ŝi gret mercy;
 75  Which, in a lombys lyknes,
 76  ŝu xalt for mannys wyckydnes
 77  Onys ben offeryd in peynfulnes
 78  And deyn ful dolfoly.

 79  For trewly, Lord, ŝu art most worthy
 80  ŝe best to haue in eche degre.
 81  Both beste and werst, ful certeynly,
 82  All is had ŝorwe grace of ŝe.
 83  The best schep, full hertyly,
 84  Amongys my flok ŝat I kan se,
 85  I tythe it to God of gret mercy,
 86  And bettyr wolde if bettyr myht be.
 87  Evyn here is myn offryng.
 88  I tythe to be with ryht good wylle
 89  Of be best ŝu sentyst me tylle.
 90  Now, gracyous God on hevyn hille,
 91  Accept now my tythyng.

 92  CAYM Amongys all folys ŝat gon on grownd
 93  I holde ŝat ŝu be on of ŝe most,
 94  To tythe ŝe best ŝat is most sownd,
 95  And kepe ŝe werst, ŝat is nere lost.
 96  But I more wysly xal werke ŝis stownde
 97  To tythe ŝe werst—and make no bost—
 98  Off all my cornys ŝat may be fownde
 99  In all my feldys, both crofte and cost;
100  I xal lokyn on every syde.
101  Here I tythe ŝis vnthende sheff;
102  Lete God take it or ellys lef.
103  ŝow it be to me gret repreff,
104  I 3eve no fors ŝis tyde.

105  ABELL Now, Caym, brother, ŝu dost ful ill,
106  For God be sent both best and werst.
107  ŝerfore ŝu shewe to hym good wyll
108  And tythe to God evyr of the best.
109  CAYM In feyth, ŝu shewyst now a febyll skyll,
110  It wolde me hyndyr and do me greff.
111  What were God be bettyr, ŝu sey me tyll,
112  To 3evyn hym awey my best sheff
113  And kepe myself ŝe wers?
114  He wyll neyther ete nor drynke,
115  For he doth neyther swete nor swynke.
116  ŝu shewyst a febyl reson, methynke.
117  What! ŝu fonnyst as a best, I gesse.

118  ABELL 3it methynkyth my wyt is good
119  To God euyrmore sum loue to shewe,
120  Off whom we haue oure dayly food;
121  And ellys we had but lytyl drewe.
122  CAYM 3itt methynkeht ŝi wytt is wood,
123  For of ŝi lore I fynde but fewe.
124  I wyll neuyr ŝe more chawnge my mood
125  For no wordys ŝat ŝu dost shewe.
126  I sey I wyll tythe ŝe werst.
127  ABELL Now God ŝat syt in hefne aboue,
128  On whom is sett all myn hool loue,
129  ŝis wyckyd wyll from ŝe he showe,
130  As it plesyth hym best.

Hic ardent decimum Abel, et Caym quo facto dicit:

131  CAYM Herke, Abel, brother, what aray is ŝis?
132  Thy tythyng brennyth as fyre ful bryght!
133  It is to me gret wondyr, iwys!
134  I trow ŝis is now a straunge syght.
135  ABELL Goddys wyll, forsothe, it is
136  ŝat my tythyng with fyre is lyth;
137  For of ŝe best were my tythis,
138  And of be werst ŝu dedyst hym dyght—
139  Bad thyng ŝu hym bede.
140  Of ŝe best was my tythyng,
141  And of ŝe werst was ŝin offryng.
142  ŝerfor God Almyghty, Hevyn Kyng,
143  Alowyht ryht nowth ŝi dede.

144  CAYM What! ŝu stynkyng losel, and is it so?
145  Doth God ŝe love and hatyht me?
146  ŝu xalt be ded, I xal be slo!
147  ŝi Lord, ŝi God, ŝu xalt nevyr se!
148  Tythyng more xalt ŝu nevyr do.
149  With ŝis chavyl bon I xal sle ŝe!
150  ŝi deth is dyht, ŝi days be go.
151  Out of myn handys xalt ŝu not fle—
152  With ŝis strok I ŝe kylle!
153  Now ŝis boy is slayn and dede,
154  Of hym I xal nevyrmore han drede;
155  He xal hereafter nevyr ete brede.
156  With ŝis gresse I xal hym hylle.

157  DEUS. Caym, come forth and answere me!
158  Asoyle my qwestyon anon-ryght!
159  Thy brother Abel, wher is now he?
160  Ha don and answere me as tyght!
161  CAYM My brothers kepere ho made me?
162  Syn whan was I his kepyng-knyght?
163  I kannot telle wher ŝat he be;
164  To kepe hym was I nevyr dyght.
165  I knowe not wher he is.
166  DEUS. A, cursyd Caym, ŝu art vntrewe,
167  And for ŝi dede ŝu xalt sore rewe.
168  ŝi brothers blood, ŝat ŝu slewe,
169  Askyht vengeauns of ŝi mys.

170  Thu xalt be cursyd on ŝe grounde,
171  Vnprophitable whereso ŝu wende,
172  Both veyn, and nowthty, and nothyng sounde;
173  With what ring ŝu medele, ŝu xalt it shende!
174  CAYM Alas, in whoo now am I wounde,
175  Acursyd of God as man vnkende!
176  Of any man yf I be founde,
177  He xal me slo; I haue no frende!
178  Alas and weleaway!

179  DEUS. Of what man ŝat ŝu be sclayn,
180  He xal haue vij-folde more payn;
181  Hym were bettyr [nevyr] to be sayn
182  On lyve be nyth ne day.

183  CAYM Alas! Alas! Whedyr may I go?
184  I dare nevyr se man in ŝe vesage.
185  I am woundyn as a wrecch in wo
186  And cursyd of God for my falsage.
187  Vnprofytabyl and vayn also,
188  In felde and town, in strete and stage,
189  I may nevyr make merthis mo.
190  I wot nevyr whedyr to take passage;
191  I dare not here abyde.
192  Now wyl I go wende my way
193  With sore syeng and welaway,
194  To loke where ŝat I best may
195  From mannys ssyht me hyde.

Introitus Noe