From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama

The Towneley Cycle, Play 32 - The Hanging of Judas (Suspencio Iudae)

(Incomplete)

001 Judas. Alas, alas, & walaway!
002 Waryd & cursyd I haue beyn ay;
003 I slew my father, & syn by-lay
004 My moder der;
005 And falsly, aftur, I can betray
006 Myn awn mayster.
007 My fathers name was ruben, right;
008 Sibaria my moder hight;
009 Als he her knew apon a nyght
010 All fleshle,
011 In her sleyp she se a sighte,
012 A great ferle.
013 Her thoght ther lay her syd with-in
014 A lothly lumpe of fleshly syn,
015 Of the which distruccion schuld begyn
016 Of all Iury;
017 That Cursyd Clott of Camys kyn,
018 Fforsoth, was I.
019 Dreyd of that sight mad her awake,
020 & all hir body did tremyll & qwake;
021 Her thoght hir hert did all to-brake-
022 No wonder was-
023 The first[e] word my moder spake
024 Was alas, alas!
025 Alas, alas! sche cryed faste,
026 With that, on weping owt sche braste:
027 My father wakyd, at the laste,
028 & her afranyd;
029 Sche told hym how she was agaste,
030 & nothyng laynyd.
031 My father bad, "[let be thy woo!
032 My Cowncel is, if hit be soo,
033 A child be gettyn betwixt hus too,
034 Doghter or son,
035 Lett hit neuer on erth[e] go,
036 Bot be fordon.
037 Bettur hit is fordon to be
038 Then hit fordo both the & me;
039 Ffor in a while then schall we se,
040 & full well knaw,
041 Wheder that swevyns be vanite
042 Or on to traw."]
043 The tyme was comyn that I was borne,
044 Os my moder sayd beforn;
045 Alas, that I had beyn forlorn
046 With-In hir syd!
047 For ther then spronge a schrewid thorn
048 That spred full wyd.
049 For I was born with owtyn grace,
050 Thay me namyd & Callyd Iudas;
051 The father of the child ay hays
052 Great petye;
053 He myght not thoyle afor his face
054 My deth to se.
055 My ded to se then myght he noght;
056 A lytyll lep he gart he wroght,
057 & ther I was in bed [i-]broght
058 & bondon faste;
059 To the salt se then thay soght,
060 & In me Caste.
061 The wawes rosse, the wynd[e] blew;
062 That I was Cursyd full well thai knew;
063 The storme vnto the yle me threw,
064 That lytill botte;
065 And of that land my to-name drew,
066 Iudas skariott.
067 Thor os wrekke in sand I lay,
068 The qweyn Com passyng ther away,
069 With hir madyns to sport & play;
070 And prevaly
071 A child she fond in slyk aray,
072 & had ferly.
073 Neuer-the-lesse sche was well payd,
074 And on hir lap[pe] sche me layd;
075 Sche me kissid & with me playd,
076 Ffor I was fayre;
077 "[A child god hays me send,"] sche sayd,
078 "[to be myn ayre."]
079 Sche mad me be to norice done,
080 And fosterd as her awn[e] sone,
081 And told the kyng that sche had gone
082 All the yer with child;
083 And with fayr wordys, as wemen Con,
084 Sche hym begild.
085 Then the kyng gart mak a fest
086 To all the land [right] of the best,
087 Ffor that he had gettyn a gest,
088 A swetly thyng,
089 When he wer ded & broght to rest,
090 That myght be kyng.
091 Sone aftur with in yer[e]s too,
092 In the land hit befell soo,
093 The qweyn hir selff with child Can goo;
094 A son sche bayr;
095 A fayrer child, from tope to too
096 Man neuer se ayre.

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Proper Citation: NeCastro, Gerard. The Towneley Cycle, Play 32 - The Hanging of Judas(Suspencio Iudae). From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. http://www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. Date Visited.

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