N-Town Cycle, Play 37

[Christ's Appearance to Mary Magdalene]

Maria Magdalen goth to țe graue and wepyth, and seyth:

  1  MARIA MAGDALEN For hertyly sorwe myn herte doth breke.
  2  With wepynge terys I wasch my face.
  3  Alas, for sorwe I may not speke—
  4  My Lorde is gon țat hereinne wase.

  5  Myn owyn dere Lorde and Kynge of Gras
  6  țat vij deuelys fro me dyd take.
  7  I kannat se hym, alas! Alas!
  8  He is stolyn awey owt of țis lake.

  9  AUNGELUS Woman țat stondyst here alone,
 10  Why dost țu wepe, and morne, and wepe so sore?
 11  What cawse hast țu to make such mone?
 12  Why makyst țu such sorwe, and wherefore?
 13  MARIA MAGDALEN I haue gret cawse to wepe evyrmore:
 14  My Lord is take out of his grave,
 15  Stolyn awey and fro me lore.
 16  I kannot wete where hym to haue.

Hic parum deambulet a sepulcro, dicens:

 17  Alas, alas, what xal I do?
 18  My Lord awey is fro me take.
 19  A, woful wrecche, whedyr xal I go?
 20  My joye is gon owth of țis lake.
 21  JESUS Woman, suche mornynge why dost țu make?
 22  Why is ți chere so hevy and badde?
 23  Why dost țu sythe so sore and qwake?
 24  Why dost țu wepe so sore and sadde?

 25  MARIA MAGDALEN A grettyr cawse had nevyr woman
 26  For to wepe bothe nyth and day
 27  Than I myself haue, in serteyn,
 28  For to sorwyn evyr and ay.
 29  Alas, for sorwe myn hert doth blede—
 30  My Lorde is take fro me away.
 31  I musts nedys sore wepe and grede.
 32  Where he is put I kannot say.

 33  But, jentyl gardener, I pray to the,
 34  If țu hym took out of his graue,
 35  Telle me qwere I may hym se,
 36  țat I may go, my Lorde to haue.

Spectans:

 37  JESUS M.A.R.I.A.
 38  MARIA MAGDALEN A, maystyr and Lorde! To țe I crave,
 39  As țu art Lord and Kynge of Blys,
 40  Graunt me, Lord, and țu vowchesave,
 41  Thyn holy fete țat I may kys.

 42  JESUS Towche me not as 3ett, Mary,
 43  For to my fadyr I haue not ascende.
 44  But to my bretheryn in hast țe hy3,
 45  With these gode wurdys here care amende:
 46  Sey to my bretheryn țat I intende
 47  To stey to my fadyr and to 3owre,
 48  To oure Lord, both God and frende;
 49  I wyl ascende to hevyn towre.

 50  In hevyn to ordeyn 3ow a place,
 51  To my fadyr now wyl I go;
 52  To merth, and joye, and grett solace,
 53  And endeles blys to brynge 3ow to.
 54  For man I sufferyd both schame and wo—
 55  More spyteful deth nevyr man dyd take.
 56  3it wyl I ordeyn for al this, lo,
 57  In hevyn an halle for mannys sake.

 58  MARIA MAGDALY[N] Gracyous Lord, at 3oure byddyng
 59  To all my bretheryn I xal go telle
 60  How țat 3e be man levynge,
 61  Quyk and qwethynge, of flesch and felle.
 62  Now all hevynes I may expelle,
 63  And myrth and joy now take to me!
 64  My Lord, țat I haue louyd so wele,
 65  With opyn syght I dede hym se.

 66  Whan I sowght my Lord in grave,
 67  I was ful sory and ryght sad,
 68  For syght of hym I myght non haue;
 69  For mornynge sore I was nere mad.
 70  Grettere sorwe 3it nevyr whith had
 71  Whan my Lord awey was gon.
 72  But now in herte I am so glad,
 73  So grett a joy nevyr wyff had non.

 74  How myght I more gretter joye haue
 75  Than se țat Lorde with opyn syght,
 76  The whiche my sowle from synne to saue
 77  From develys sefne he mad me qwyght.

 78  There kan no tounge my joye expres
 79  Now I haue seyn my Lorde on lyve.
 80  To my bretheryn I wyl me dresse,
 81  And telle to hem anon-ryght belyve.
 82  With opyn speche I xal me shryve,
 83  And telle to hem with wurdys pleyn
 84  How țat Cryst from deth to lyve,
 85  To endles blys is resyn ageyn.

 86  Bretheryn, all blyth 3e be,
 87  For joyful tydyngys tellyn I kan!
 88  I saw oure Lord Cryst, lyste wel to me,
 89  Of flesch and bon quyk levynge man.
 90  Beth glad and joyful as for-than,
 91  For, trost me trewly, it is ryght thus:
 92  Mowth to mowth, țis [is] sertayn,
 93  I spak ryght now with Cryst Jesus.

 94  PETRUS. A woundyrful tale, forsothe, is this.
 95  Evyr onowryd oure Lorde mote be.
 96  We pray țe, Lord and Kynge of Blys,
 97  Onys ți presence țat we may se.
 98  Ere thu ascende to thi magesté,
 99  Gracyous God, if țat 3e plese,
100  Late us haue sum syght of the,
101  Oure careful hertys to sett in ease.

102  Amen

103  Explicit Apparicio Marie Magdale[n]