From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama
The York Cycle, Play 3A - God Creates Adam and Eve
The Cardmakers
001 Deus. In heuyn and erthe duly bedene
002 Of v days werke, euyn onto ende,
003 I haue complete by curssis clene;
004 Methynke the space of thame well spende.
005 In heuyn er angels fayre and brighte,
006 Sternes and planetis ther curssis to ga,
007 þe mone seruis onto the nyght
008 The son to lyghte the day alswa.
009 In erthe is treys and gres to springe,
010 Bestis and foulys, bothe gret and smalle,
011 Fyschis in flode, all othyr thyng
012 Thryffe and haue my blyssyng all.
013 Thys werke is wroght now at my will,
014 But yoet can I here no best see
015 þat acordys be kynde and skyll,
016 And for my werke myght worschippe me.
017 For perfytt werke ne ware it nane
018 But ought ware made that myght it yoeme,
019 For loue mad I this warlde alane,
020 þerfor my loffe sall in it seme.
021 To kepe this warlde, bothe mare and lesse,
022 A skylfull best thane will I make
023 Eftyr my schape and my lyknes,
024 The wilke sall worschipe to me take.
025 Off the symplest part of erthe that is here
026 I sall make man, and for this skylle:
027 For to abate hys hauttande chere,
028 Bothe his gret pride and other ille;
029 And also for to haue in mynde
030 How simpyll he is at hys makyng,
031 For als febyll I sall hym fynde
032 Qwen he is dede at his endyng.
033 For this reson and skyll alane
034 I sall make man lyke onto me.
035 Ryse vp, thou erthe, in blode and bane,
036 In schape of man, I commaunde the.
037 A female sall thou haue to fere,
038 Her sall I make of thi lyft rybe,
039 Alane so sall thou nough be here
040 Withoutyn faythefull frende and sybe.
041 Takys now here the gast of lyffe
042 And ressayue bothe yooure saules of me;
043 þis femall take thou to thi wyffe,
044 Adam and Eue yoour names sall be.
045 Adam. A, lorde, full mekyll is thi mighte
046 And that is sene in ilke a syde,
047 For now his here a ioyfull syght
048 To se this worlde so lange and wyde.
049 Mony diueris thyngis now here es,
050 Off bestis and foulis bathe wylde and tame;
051 3et is nan made to thi liknes
052 But we alone-A, louyd by thi name.
053 Eue. To swylke a lorde in all degré
054 Be euirmore lastande louynge,
055 þat tyll vs swylke a dyngnité
056 Has gyffyne before all othyr thynge;
057 And selcouth thyngis may we se here
058 Of this ilke warld so lange and brade,
059 With bestis and fowlis so many and sere;
060 Blessid be he that hase us made.
061 Adam. A, blyssid lorde, now at thi wille
062 Syne we er wroght, wochesaff to telle
063 And also say vs two vntyll
064 Qwate we sall do and whare to dewell?
065 Deus. For this skyl made I yoow this day,
066 My name to worschip ay-whare;
067 Louys me, forthi, and louys me ay
068 For my makyng, I axke no mare.
069 Bothe wys and witty sall thou be,
070 Als man that I haue made of noght;
071 Lordschipe in erthe than graunt I the,
072 All thynge to serue the that I haue wroght.
073 In paradyse sall yoe same wone,
074 Of erthely thyng get yoe no nede,
075 Ille and gude both sall yoe kone,
076 I sall yoou lerne yooure lyue to lede.
077 Adam. A, lorde, sene we sall do no thyng
078 But louffe the for thi gret gudnesse,
079 We sall ay bay to thi biddyng
080 And fulfyll it, both more and less.
081 Eue. His syng sene he has on vs sett
082 Beforne all othir thyng certayne,
083 Hym for to loue we sall noght lett
084 And worschip hym with myght and mayne.
085 God. At heuyne and erth first I begane
086 And vj days wroght or I walde ryst;
087 My warke is endyde now at mane,
088 All lykes me will, but this is best.
089 My blyssyng haue thai ever and ay.
090 The seueynt day sall my restyng be,
091 þus wille I sese, sothely to say,
092 Of my doying in this degré
093 To blys I sall yoow bryng,
094 Comys forth, yoe tow, with me;
095 3e sall lyffe in lykyng-
096 My blyssyng wyth yoow be. Amen.
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Proper Citation: NeCastro, Gerard. The York Cycle, Play 3A - God Creates Adam and Eve. From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. http:www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. Date Visited.