N-Town Cycle, Play 23

[The Parliament in Hell and the Temptation of Christ in the Desert]

  1  SATHAN Now Belyard and Belzabub, 3e derwurthy devel of helle,
  2  And wysest of councel amongys all țe rowte,
  3  Herke now what I sey, a tale I xall 3ow telle
  4  țat trobelyth sore my stomak; țerof I haue grett dowte.
  5  BELYALL Syr Sathanas, oure souereyn syre, with țe wol we dwelle.
  6  All redy at ți byddynge, to țe do we lowte.
  7  If țu haue any nede of oure wyse counselle,
  8  Telle us now ți qwestyon all out and oute;
  9  Sey al ți dowt beden[e].

 10  BELSABUB. 3a, sere, telle us ți dowte by and by,
 11  And we xul telle țe so sekyrly
 12  țat țu xalt knowe verryly
 13  What ți dowte doth mene.

 14  SATHAN The dowte țat I haue, it is of Cryst, iwys.
 15  Born he was in Bedleem, as it is seyd,
 16  And many a man wenyth țat Goddys sone he is,
 17  Born of a woman, and she a clene mayd.
 18  And all țat evyr he prechyth, it is of hevyn blys.
 19  He wyl lese oure lawe, I am ryght sore afrayd!
 20  Fayn wolde I knowe who were fadyr his,
 21  For of kis grett dowte I am sore dysmayd,
 22  Indede.
 23  If țat he be Goddys childe
 24  And born of a mayd mylde,
 25  Than be we rygh sore begylde,
 26  And short xal ben oure spede!

 27  Therfore, serys, sumwhat țat 3e shewe
 28  In țis grett dowth what is best to do.
 29  If he be Goddys sone, he wyl brede a shrewe
 30  And werke us mech wrake, both wrech and woo!
 31  Sorwe and care he wyl sone strewe;
 32  All oure gode days țan xulde sone be goo.
 33  And all oure lore and all oure lawe he wyl down hewe,
 34  And țan be we all lorn, if țat it be soo—
 35  He wyll don vs all tene!
 36  He wyll be lorde ouyr hevyn and helle,
 37  And feche awey all oure catelle.
 38  țerfore shewe now sum good counselle,
 39  What comfort may best bene.

 40  BELYALL The best wytt țat I kan say,
 41  Hym to tempte, forsoth, it is.
 42  With sotyl whylys, if țat țu may,
 43  Asay to make hym to don amys.
 44  If țat he synne, țis is no nay,
 45  He may nat be Kynge of Blys.
 46  Hym to tempte go walke ți way,
 47  For best counsell I trowe be this.
 48  Go forth now and assay.
 49  BELSABUB. The best wytt I hold it be
 50  Hym to tempte in synnys thre,
 51  The whiche mankendeis frelté
 52  Doth falle sonest alway.

 53  SATHAN So afftyr 3oure wytt now wyll I werke;
 54  I wyll no lengere now here abyde.
 55  Be he nevyr so wyse a clerke,
 56  I xal apposyn hym withinne a tyde.
 57  BELSABUB. Now, louely Lucyfer in helle so derke,
 58  Kynge and lorde of synne and pryde,
 59  With sum myst his wyttys to merke,
 60  He send țe grace to be ți gyde,
 61  And evyrmore be ți spede.
 62  BELYALL All be deuelys țat ben in helle
 63  Shul pray to Mahound, as I țe telle,
 64  țat țu mayst spede țis jurney well,
 65  And comforte the in țis dede.

 66  JESUS XLti days and xlti nyght
 67  Now haue I fastyd for mannys sake.
 68  A more grett hungyr had neuyr no wyght
 69  Than I myself begynne to take.
 70  For hungyr in peyn stronge am I pyght,
 71  And bred haue I non myn hungyr for to slake.
 72  A lytel of a loof relese myn hungyr myght,
 73  But mursele haue I non my comforte for to make.
 74  This suffyr I, man, for the.
 75  For ți glotenye and metys wronge
 76  I suffyr for țe țis hungyr stronge.
 77  I am afferde it wyl be longe
 78  Or țu do țus for me.

 79  SATHAN The Sone of God if țat țu be,
 80  Be țe grett myght of ți Godhede,
 81  Turne these flyntys, anon lett se,
 82  From arde stonys to tendyr brede!
 83  More bettyr it is, as I telle the,
 84  Wysely to werke aftyr my reed
 85  And shewe ți myght of grett majesté,
 86  Than thorwe grett hungyr for to be dede.
 87  These stonys now bred țu make.
 88  Goddys sone if țat țu be,
 89  Make these stonys bred, lett se;
 90  țan mayste țu ete ryght good plenté,
 91  Thyn hungyr for to slake.

 92  JESUS Nott only be bred mannys lyff 3itt stood,
 93  But in țe wurde of God, as I țe say.
 94  To mannys sowle is neuyr mete so good
 95  As is țe wurd of God, țat prechid is alway.
 96  Bred materyal doth norch blood,
 97  But to mannys sowle, țis is no nay,
 98  Nevynnore may be a betyr food
 99  țan țe wurd of God, țat lestyth ay.
100  To here Goddys wurde, țerfore, man, loue.
101  Thi body doth loue materal brede;
102  Withoute țe wurde of God ți soule is but dede.
103  To loue prechynge, țerfore, I rede,
104  If țu wylt duellyn in blysse above.

105  SATHAN For no grett hungyr țat I kan se
106  In glotony țu wylt not synne.
107  Now to țe temple com forth with me,
108  And țer xal I shewe țe a praty gynne.
109  Vp to țis pynnacle now go we,
110  I xal be sett on țe hy3est pynne.
111  Ther I preue what țat țu be.
112  Or țat we tweyn part atwynne,
113  I xal knowe what myght țu haue.

Hic ascendit Deus pinnaculum templi dum diabolus dicit quod sequitur:

114  Whan țu art sett upon țe pynnacle,
115  țu xalt her pleyn a qweynt steracle,
116  Or ellys shewe a grett meracle;
117  Thysself from hurte țu saue.

Hic Satanas ponit Jesum super pinnaculum dicens:

118  Now if țu be Goddys Ssone of Myght,
119  Ryght down to țe erth anon țu falle,
120  And saue țisylf in every plyght
121  From harm, and hurte, and scappys alle.
122  For it is wretyn [țat] aungelys bryght
123  țat ben in hevyn, ți faderys halle,
124  The to kepe both day and nyght
125  Xul be ful redy as ți thralle,
126  Hurt țat țu non haue.
127  țat țu stomele not ageyn țe ston
128  And hurt ți fote as țu dost gon,
129  Aungell be redy all everychon
130  In weys be to saue.

131  JESUS It is wretyn in holy book,
132  ți Lorde God țu xalt not tempte.
133  Allthynge must obeye to Goddys look:
134  Out of his myght is non exempt.
135  Out of ți cursydnes and cruel crook
136  By Godys grace man xal be redempt,
137  Whan țu to helle, ți brennynge brook,
138  To endles peyne xal evyr be dempt,
139  Therin aiwey to abyde.
140  Thi Lorde God țu tempt no more!
141  It is nott syttenge to ți lore.
142  I bydde țe sese anon, țerfore,
143  And tempte God in no tyde.

144  SATHAN Ow! In gloteny nor in veynglory it doth ryght nott avayl!
145  Cryst for to tempt it profyteth me ryght nought.
146  I must now begynne to haue a newe travayl:
147  In covetyse to tempt hym it comyth now in my thought.
148  For if I went țus away and shrynkyd as a snayle,
149  Lorn were țe labore all țat I haue wrought.
150  țerfore in covetyse oure syre I xal asayle,
151  And assay into țat synne yf he may be brought
152  Anon forthryght.
153  Syr, 3itt onys I pray to the,
154  To his hy3 hyl com forth with me.
155  I xal țe shewe many a ceté
156  And many a wurthy syght.

Tunc Jesus transit cum diabolo super montem, et diabolus dicit:

157  Into be northe loke forth evyn pleyn;
158  The Towre of Babolony țer mayst țu se.
159  The ceté of Jerusalem stondyth her ageyn,
160  And evyn fast țerby stondyth Galylé;
161  Nazareth, Naverne, and țe kyngdom of Spayn;
162  Zabulon and Neptalym, țat is a rych countré;
163  Bothe Zebee and Salmana țu mayst se, serteyn;
164  Itayl and Archage, hat wurthy remys be;
165  Bothe Januense and Jurye;
166  Rome doth stonde before țe ryght;
167  The temple of Salamon, as sylver bryght,
168  And here mayst țu se opynly with syght
169  Both Fraunce and Normandye.

170  Turne țe now on țis syde and se here Lumbardye;
171  Of spycery her growyth many an C balys.
172  Archas, and Aragon, and grett Almonye,
173  Parys, and Portyngale, and be town of Galys;
174  Pownteys, and Poperynge, and also Pycardye,
175  Erlonde, Scottlonde, and be londe of Walys;
176  Grete pylis and castellys țu mayst se with eye,
177  3a, and all be wyd werde, withoute mo talys.
178  All țis longygh to me.
179  If țu wylt knele down to țe grownde
180  And wurchepp me now in his stownde,
181  All his world țat is so rownd,
182  I xal it gyve to the.

183  JESUS Go abak, țu fowle Sathanas!
184  In Holy Scrypture wretyn it is,
185  Thi Lorde God to wurchipp in every plas
186  As for his thrall, and țu servaunt his.
187  SATHAN Out! Out! Harrow! Alas! Alas!
188  I woundyr sore what is he this?
189  I cannot brynge hym to no trespas,
190  Nere be no synne to don amys.
191  He byddyth me gon abakke!
192  What țat he is I kannot se;
193  Whethyr God or man, what țat he be
194  I kannot telle in no degré.
195  For sorwe I lete a crakke.

Hic uenient angeli cantantes et ministrantes ei, “Gloria tibi Domine” dicens.

196  JESUS. Now all mankende exaunple take
197  By these grete werkys țat țu dost se,
198  How hathe țe devyll of helle so blake
199  In synne was besy to tempte me.
200  For all hise maystryes țat he dyd make,
201  He is ouyrcom and now doth fle.
202  All his I suffyr for mannys sake,
203  To teche țe how țu xalt rewle the
204  Whan țe devylle dothe the assayle.
205  Loke țu concente nevyr to synne
206  For no sleytys ne for no gynne.
207  And țan be victory xalt țu wynne;
208  țe devyl xal lesyn all his travayl.

209  To suffyr temptacyon, it is grett peyn.
210  If țu withstonde it, țu wynnyst grett mede.
211  Of God be more grace țu hast, serteyn,
212  If țu withsett țe devyl in his dede.
213  Thow țat țe fende tempt țe ageyn,
214  Of his power take țu no drede,
215  For God hath the 3ovyn both myght and mayn
216  Hym for to withsytt evyr at nede—
217  țu hast more myght than he!
218  Whan țe devyl doth tempte the thoo,
219  Shewe ți myght a3ens ți foo.
220  Whan ți sowle partyth the froo,
221  In blysse țan xal it be.

222  Amen