From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama
The York Cycle, Play 2 - The Creation, to the Fifth Day
The Playsterers
001 Deus. In altissimis habito,
002 In the heghest heuyn my hame haue I;
003 Eterne mentis et ego,
004 Withoutyn ende ay-lastandly.
005 Sen I haue wroght thire worldys wyde,
006 Heuyn and ayre and erthe also,
007 My hegh Godhede I will noght hyde
008 All-yf sume foles be fallyn me fro.
009 When thai assent with syn of pride
010 Vp for to trine my trone vnto,
011 In heuyn thai myght no lengger byde
012 But wyghtly went to wone in wo;
013 And sen thai wrange haue wroght
014 My lyk ys to lat tham go,
015 To suffir sorowe onsoght,
016 Syne thai haue seruid so.
017 þare mys may neuer be amende
018 Sen thai asent me to forsake,
019 *For all there force non sall thame fende
020 For to be fendys foule and blake.
021 And tho that lykys with me to lende,
022 And trewly tent to me will take,
023 Sall wonne in welth withoutyn ende
024 And allway wynly with me wake;
025 þai sall haue for thare sele
026 Solace that neuer sall sclake.
027 þis warke me thynkys full wele
028 And more now will I make.
029 *Syne that this world es ordand euyn,
030 Furth well I publysch my power:
031 Noght by my strenkyth, but by my steuyn
032 A firmament I byd apere,
033 Emange the waterris, lyght so leuyn,
034 þere cursis lely for to lere,
035 And that same sall be namyd hewuyn,
036 With planitys and with clowdis clere.
037 þe water I will be sent
038 To flowe bothe fare and nere,
039 And than the firmament
040 In mydis to set thame sere.
041 *þe firmament sal nough moue,
042 But be a mene, thus will I mene,
043 Ouir all the worlde to halde and houe,
044 And be tho tow wateris betwyne.
045 Vndir the heuyn and als aboue
046 þe wateris serly sall be sene,
047 And so I wille my post proue
048 By creaturis of kyndis clene.
049 þis warke his to my pay
050 Righit will, withoutyn wyne;
051 þus sese the secunde day
052 Of my doyingys bydene.
053 *Moo sutyll werkys assesay I sall,
054 For to be set in seruice sere:
055 All the waterris grete and smalle
056 þat vndir heuyne er ordande here,
057 Gose togedir and holde yow all,
058 And be a flode festynde in fere,
059 So that the erthe, both downe and dale,
060 In drynesch playnly may apere.
061 þe drynes 'landésall be
062 Namyd bothe ferre and nere,
063 And then I name the 'sé
064 Geddryng of wateris clere.
065 *þe erthe sall fostyr and furthe bryng
066 Buxsumly, as I wyle byde,
067 Erbys and also othir thyng,
068 Well for to wax and worthe to wede;
069 Treys also tharon sall spryng
070 With braunchis and with bowis on brede,
071 With flouris fayr on heght to hyng
072 And fruth also to fylle and fede.
073 And thane I will that thay
074 Of themselfe haue the sede
075 And mater, that thay may
076 Be lastande furth in lede.
077 *And all ther materis es in mynde
078 For to be made of mekyl might,
079 And to be kest in dyueris kynde
080 So for to bere sere burgvns bright.
081 And when ther frutys is fully fynde
082 And fayrest semande vnto syght,
083 þane the wedris wete and wynde
084 Oway I will it wende full wyght;
085 And of there sede full sone
086 New rotys sall ryse vpright.
087 þe third day thus is done,
088 þire dedis er dewly dyght.
089 *Now sene the erthe thus ordand es,
090 Mesurid and made by myn assent-
091 Grathely for to growe with gres
092 And wedis that sone away bese went-
093 Of my gudnes now will I ges,
094 So that my werkis no harmes hent,
095 Two lyghtis, one more and one lesse,
096 To be fest in the firmament.
097 The more light to the day
098 Fully suthely sall be sent,
099 þe lesse lyght allway
100 To the nyght sall take entent.
101 *þir figuris fayre that furth er fun
102 þus on sere sydys serue thai sall:
103 The more lyght sall be namid the son,
104 Dymnes to wast be downe and be dale.
105 Erbis and treys that er bygune
106 All sall he gouerne, gret and smale;
107 With cald yf thai be closid or bun
108 Thurgh hete of the sun thai sal be hale.
109 Als thei haue honours
110 In alkyn welth to wale,
111 So sall my creaturis
112 Euir byde withoutyn bale.
113 *þe son and the mone on fayre manere
114 Now grathly gange in yoour degré
115 Als ye haue tane yooure curses clere
116 To serue furth loke ye be fre,
117 For ye sall set the sesons sere,
118 Kyndely to knowe in ilke cuntré
119 Day fro day and yere fro yere
120 By sertayne signes suthly to se.
121 þe heuyn sall be ouerhyld
122 With sternys to stand plenté
123 þe furth day his fulfillid,
124 þis werke well lykys me.
125 *Now sen thir werkis er wroght with wyne
126 And fundyn furth be firth and fell,
127 þe see now will I set within
128 Whallis whikly for to dewell,
129 And othir fysch to flet with fyne-
130 Sum with skale and sum with skell,
131 Of diueris materis more and myn-
132 In sere maner to make and mell;
133 Sum sall be milde and meke,
134 And sum both fers and fell.
135 þis world thus will I eke,
136 Syn I am witt of well.
137 *Also vp in the ayre on hyght
138 I byd now that thore be ordande
139 For to be foulis fayre and bright,
140 Dewly in thare degrédewlland,
141 With fedrys fayre to frast ther flight
142 For stede to stede whore thai will stande,
143 And also leythly for to lyght
144 Whoreso tham lykis in ilke a londe.
145 þane fysch and foulis sere,
146 Kyndely I yoow commande
147 To meng on yooure manere,
148 Both be se and sande.
149 *þis materis more yoitt will I mende,
150 So for to fulfill my forthoght,
151 With diueris bestis in lande to lende
152 To brede and be with baléfurth brught.
153 And with bestis I wille be blende
154 Serpentis to be sene vnsoght,
155 And wormis vpon thaire wombis sall wende
156 To won in erth and worth to noght.
157 And so it sall be kende
158 How all that eme is oght,
159 Begynnyng, mydes and ende
160 I with my worde hase wrothe.
161 *For als I byde bus all thyng be
162 And dewly done als I will dresse,
163 Now bestys ar sett in sere degré
164 On molde to moue, both more and lesse;
165 þane foulis in ayre and fische in see
166 And bestis on erthe of bone and flesch,
167 I byde yoe wax furth fayre plenté
168 And grathly growes, als I yoow gesse.
169 So multiply yoe sall
170 Ay furth in fayre processe,
171 My blyssyng haue yoe all;
172 The fift day endyd es.
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Proper Citation: NeCastro, Gerard. The York Cycle, Play 2 - The Creation, to the Fifth Day. From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. http:www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. Date Visited.