N-Town Cycle, Play 5 [Abraham's Sacrifice of Isaac] Introitus Abrahe et cetera. 1 [ABRAHAM] Most myghty makere of sunne and of mone, 2 Kyng of Kyngys and Lord ouyr all, 3 Allmyghty God in hevyn trone, 4 I țe honowre and evyrmore xal. 5 My Lord, my God, to țe I kall; 6 With herty wyll, Lord, I țe pray, 7 In synfull lyff lete me nevyr fall, 8 But lete me leve evyr to ți pay. 9 Abraham my name is kydde, 10 And patryarke of age ful olde. 11 And 3it be țe grace of God is bredde 12 In myn olde age a chylde full bolde. 13 Ysaac, lo, here his name is tolde, 14 My swete sone țat stondyth me by. 15 Amongys all chylderyn țat walkyn on wolde 16 A louelyer chylde is non, trewly. 17 I thanke God with hert well mylde 18 Of his gret mercy and of his hey grace, 19 And pryncepaly for my suete chylde, 20 țat xal to me do gret solace. 21 Now, suete sone, fayre fare ți face; 22 Ful hertyly do I love the. 23 For trewe herty love now in țis place, 24 My swcte childe, com kysse now me. 25 YSAAC. At 3oure byddynge 3oure mouthe I kys. 26 With lowly hert I 3ow pray, 27 3oure fadyrly love lete me nevyr mysse, 28 But blysse me, 3oure chylde, both nyght and day. 29 ABRAHAM. Almyghty God țat best may, 30 His dere blyssyng he graunt țe. 31 And my blyssyng țu haue allway 32 In what place țat evyr țu be. 33 Now, Isaac, my sone so suete, 34 Almyghty God loke țu honoure, 35 Wich țat made both drye and wete, 36 Shynyng sunne and scharpe schoure. 37 Thu art my suete childe and paramoure; 38 Ful wele in herte do I țe loue. 39 Loke țat țin herte in hevyn toure 40 Be sett, to serve oure Lord God above. 41 In ți 3onge lerne God to plese, 42 And God xal quyte țe weyl ți mede. 43 Now, suete sone, of wordys these 44 With all țin hert țu take good hede. 45 Now fareweyl, sone, God be țin spede, 46 Evyn here at hom țu me abyde. 47 I must go walkyn, for I haue nede; 48 I come a3en withinne a tyde. 49 YSAAC. I pray to God, Fadyr of Myght, 50 țat he 3ow spede in all 3oure waye. 51 From shame and shenshipp day and nyht 52 God mote 3ow kepe in 3oure jornay. 53 ABRAHAM. Now fareweyll, sone. I țe pray, 54 Evyr in țin hert loke God țu wynde. 55 Hym to serue bothe nyght and day 56 I pray to God send țe good mynde. 57 Ther may no man love bettyr his childe 58 țan Isaac is lovyd of me. 59 Almyghty God, mercyful and mylde, 60 For my swete son I wurchyp țe. 61 I thank țe, Lord, with hert ful fre 62 For țis fayr frute țu hast me sent. 63 Now, gracyous God, wherso he be, 64 To saue my sone evyrmore be bent. 65 Dere Lord, I pray to țe also, 66 Me to saue for ți seruuaunte, 67 And sende me grace nevyr for to do 68 Thyng țat xulde be to ț[e] displesaunte. 69 Bothe for me and for myn infaunte 70 I pray țe, Lord God, vs to help. 71 Thy gracyous goodnes țu us grawnt, 72 And saue ți serwaunt from helle qwelp. 73 ANGELUS Abraham! How, Abraham! 74 Lyst and herke weyll onto me. 75 ABRAHAM. Al redy, sere, here I am. 76 Tell me 3oure wyll, what țat it be. 77 ANGELUS Almyghty God țus doth bydde țe: 78 Ysaac ți sone anon țu take, 79 And loke hym țu slee anoon, lete se; 80 And sacrafice to God hym make! 81 Thy wel-belouyd childe țu must now kylle. 82 To God țu offyr hym, as I say, 83 Evyn vpon 3on hey hylle 84 țat I țe shewe here in țe way. 85 Tarye not be nyght nor day, 86 But smertly ți gate țu goo. 87 Vpon 3on hille țu knele and pray 88 To God, and kylle țe childe țer and scloo. 89 ABRAHAM. Now Goddys comaundement must nedys be done— 90 All his wyl is wourthy to be wrought. 91 But 3itt țe fadyr to scle țe sone, 92 Grett care it causyth in my thought! 93 In byttyr bale now am I brought, 94 My swete childe with knyf to kyile. 95 But 3it my sorwe avaylith ryght nowth, 96 For nedys I must werke Goddys wylle. 97 With evy hert I walke and wende, 98 My childys deth now for to be. 99 Now must țe fadyr his suete sone schende. 100 Alas, for ruthe, it is peté! 101 My swete sone, come hedyr to me. 102 How, Isaac, my sone dere! 103 Com to ți fadyr, my childe so fre, 104 For we must wende togedyr in fere. 105 ISAAC All redy, fadyr, evyn at 3oure wyll, 106 And at 3oure byddyng I am 3ow by. 107 With 3ow to walk ovyr dale and hill 108 At 3oure callyng I am redy. 109 To țe fadyr evyr most comly 110 It ovyth țe childe evyr buxom to be. 111 I wyl obey ful hertyly 112 To allthyng țat 3e bydde me. 113 ABRAHAM. Now, son, in ți necke țis fagot țu take, 114 And țis fyre bere in ținne honde. 115 For we must now sacrefyse go make, 116 Evyn aftyr țe wyll of Goddys sonde. 117 Take țis brennyng bronde, 118 My swete childe, and lete us go. 119 Ther may no man țat levyth in londe 120 Haue more sorwe than I haue wo. 121 YSAAC. Fayre fadyr, 3e go ryght stylle. 122 I pray 3ow, fadyr, speke onto me. 123 ABRAHAM. Mi gode childe, what is ți wylle? 124 Telle me thyn hert, I pray to the. 125 YSAAC. Fadyr, fyre and wood here is plenté, 126 But I kan se no sacryfice. 127 What 3e xulde offre fayn wold I se, 128 țat it were don at țe best avyse. 129 ABRAHAM. God xal țat ordeyn, țat sytt in hevynne, 130 My swete sone, for țis offryng. 131 A derere sacryfice may no man nempne 132 țan țis xal be, my dere derlyng. 133 YSAAC. Lat be, good fadyr, 3oure sad wepynge; 134 3oure hevy cher agrevyth me sore. 135 Tell me, fadyr, 3oure grett mornyng, 136 And I xal seke sum help țerfore. 137 ABRAHAM. Alas, dere sone, for nedys must me 138 Evyn here be kylle, as God hath sent! 139 Thyn owyn fadyr ți deth must be— 140 Alas, țat evyr țis bowe was bent! 141 With țis fyre bryght țu must be brent, 142 An aungelle seyd to me ryght so. 143 Alas, my chylde, țu xalt be shent; 144 ți careful fadyr must be ți fo. 145 YSAAC. Almyghty God of his grett mercye, 146 Fulhertyly I thanke țe, sertayne. 147 At Goddys byddyng here for to dye 148 I obeye me here for to be sclayne. 149 I pray 3ow, fadyr, be glad and fayne 150 Trewly to werke Goddys wyll. 151 Take good comforte to 3ow agayn, 152 And haue no dowte 3oure childe to kyll. 153 For Godys byddyng, forsothe, it is 154 țat I of 3ow my deth schulde take. 155 A3ens God 3e don amys 156 His byddyng yf 3e xuld forsake. 157 3owre owyn dampnacyon xulde 3e bake 158 If 3e me kepe from țis r[o]d. 159 With 3oure swerd my deth 3e make, 160 And werk evyrmore țe wyll of God. 161 ABRAHAM. The wyll of God must nedys be done— 162 To werke his wyll I seyd nevyr nay. 163 But 3it țe fadyr to sle țe sone 164 My hert doth clynge and cleue as clay! 165 YSAAC. 3itt werk Goddys wyll, fadyr, I 3ow pray, 166 And sle me here anoon forthryght. 167 And turne fro me 3oure face away, 168 Myne heed whan țat 3e xul of smyght. 169 ABRAHAM. Alas, dere childe, I may not chese: 170 I must nedys my swete sone kylle. 171 My dere derlyng now must me lese— 172 Myn owyn sybb blood now xal I spylle! 173 3itt țis dede or I fulfylle, 174 My swete sone, ți mouth I kys. 175 YSAAC. Al redy, fadyr, evyn at 3oure wyll. 176 I do 3oure byddyng as reson is. 177 ABRAHAM. Alas, dere sone, here is no grace, 178 But nedis ded now must țu be. 179 With țis kerchere I kure ți face; 180 In țe tyme țat I sle the 181 Thy lovely vesage wold I not se, 182 Not for all țis werdlys good. 183 With țis swerd țat sore grevyht me 184 My childe I sle and spylle his blood. 185 ANGELUS Abraham, Abraham, țu fadyr fre! 186 ABRAHAM. I am here redy. What is 3oure wylle? 187 ANGELUS Extende țin hand in no degré— 188 I bydde țu hym not kylle! 189 Here do I se by ryght good skylle 190 Allmyghty God țat țu dost drede. 191 For țu sparyst nat ți sone to spylle, 192 God wyll aqwhyte țe well ți mede. 193 ABRAHAM. I thank my God in hevyn above 194 And hym honowre for țis grett grace. 195 And țat my Lord me țus doth prove, 196 I wyll hym wurchep in every place. 197 My childys lyff is my solace, 198 I thank myn God evyr for his lyff. 199 In sacrifice here or I hens pace, 200 I sle țis shepe with țis same knyff. 201 Now țis shepe is deed and slayn, 202 With țis fyre it xal be brent. 203 Of Isaac my sone I am ful fayn 204 țat my swete childe xal not be shent! 205 This place I name with good entent 206 țe Hill of Godys Vesytacyon, 207 For hedyr God hath to us sent 208 His comforte aftyr grett trybulacyon. 209 ANGELUS Herke, Abraham, and take good heyd. 210 By hymself God hath țus sworn: 211 For țat țu woldyst a done țis dede, 212 He wyll țe blysse both evyn and morn. 213 For ți dere childe țu woldyst haue lorn 214 At Goddys byddyng, as I the telle, 215 God hath sent țe word beforn, 216 ți seed xal multyplye wherso țu duelle. 217 As sterrys in hevyn byn many and fele, 218 So xal ți seed encrese and growe. 219 țu xalt ovyrcome in welth and wele 220 All ți fomen reknyd be rowe. 221 As sond in țe se doth ebbe and flowe, 222 Hath cheselys many vnnumerabyll, 223 So xal ți sede, țu mayst me trowe, 224 Encres and be evyr prophytabyll. 225 For to my spech țu dedyst obeye, 226 Thyn enmyes portys țu shalt possede. 227 And all men on erthe, as I țe seye, 228 Thei xal be blyssed in ți sede. 229 Almyghty God țus țe wyll mede 230 For țat good wyll țat țu ast done. 231 țerfore thank God in word and dede, 232 Both țu țiself and Ysaac ți sone. 233 ABRAHAM. A, my Lord God to wurchep on kne now I fall. 234 I thank be, Lord, of ți mercy. 235 Now, my swete childe, to God țu kall, 236 And thank we țat Lord now hertyly. 237 ISAAC With lowly hert to God I crye. 238 I am his seruuant both day and nyght. 239 I thank țe, Lord in hevyn so hy3e, 240 With hert, with thought, with mayn, with myght. 241 ABRAHAM. Gramercy, Lord and Kyng of Grace! 242 Gramercy, Lord ouyr lordys all! 243 Now my joye returnyth his trace. 244 I thank țe, Lorde in hevyn, țin halle. 245 ISAAC Ovyr all kyngys crownyd kyng I țe kalle. 246 At ți byddyng to dye with knyff 247 I was ful buxvm evyn as ți thralle. 248 Lord, now I thank the, țu grauntyst me lyff. 249 ABRAHAM. Now we haue wurchepyd oure blyssyd Lorde 250 On grounde knelyng upon oure kne. 251 Now lete us tweyn, sone, ben of on acorde, 252 And goo walke hom into oure countré. 253 YSAAC. Fadyr, as 3e wyll, so xal it be; 254 I am redy with 3ow to gon. 255 I xal 3ow folwe with hert full fre. 256 And țat 3e bydde me sone xal be don. 257 ABRAHAM. Now God, allthyng of nowth țat made, 258 Evyr wurcheppyd he be on watyr and londe. 259 His grett honowre may nevyrmore fade 260 In felde nor town, se nor on sonde. 261 As althyng, Lord, țu hast in honde, 262 So saue us all wherso we be. 263 Whethyr we syttyn, walk, or stonde, 264 Evyr on țin handwerke țu haue pyté. Explicit