From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama
The York Cycle, Play 6 - Adam and Eve Driven from Eden
The Armourers
001 Angelus. Alle creatures to me take tent,
002 Fro God of heuen now am I sent
003 Vnto the wrecchis that wronge has went
004 Thaymself to woo;
005 þe joie of heuen that thaym was lent
006 Is lost thaym froo.
007 Fro thaym is loste bothe game and glee;
008 He badde that thei schuld maistirs be
009 Ouer alle-kynne thyng, oute-tane a tree
010 He taught them tille;
011 And therto wente bothe she and he,
012 Agayne his wille.
013 Agaynst his wille thus haue they wrought,
014 To greeffe grete God gaffe they right noght,
015 þat wele wytt ye;
016 And therfore syte is to thaym sought,
017 As ye shalle see.
018 The fooles that faithe is fallen fra
019 Take tente to me nowe, or ye ga;
020 Fro God of heuen vnto yow twa
021 Sente am I nowe,
022 For to warne you what-kynne wa
023 Is wrought for you.
024 Adam. For vs is wrought, so welaway,
025 Doole endurand nyghte and day;
026 The welthe we wende haue wonnyd in ay
027 Is loste vs fra.
028 For this myscheffe ful wele we may
029 euer mornyng ma.
030 Angelus. Adam, thyselffe made al this syte,
031 For to the tree thou wente full tyte
032 And boldely on the frute gan byte
033 My lord forbed.
034 Adam. Yaa, allas, my wiffe that may I wite,
035 For scho me red.
036 Angelus. Adam, for thou trowyd hir tale,
037 He sendis the worde and sais thou shale
038 Lyffe ay in sorowe,
039 Abide and be in bittir bale
040 Tille he the borowe.
041 Adam. Allas, wrecchis, what haue we wrought?
042 To byggly blys we bothe wer brought;
043 Whillis we wer thare
044 We hadde inowe, nowe haue we noghte-
045 Allas, for care.
046 Eue Oure cares ar comen bothe kyne and colde,
047 With fele fandyngis manyfolde;
048 Allas, that tyraunte to me tolde,
049 Thurghoute his gyle,
050 That we shulde haue alle welthis in walde,
051 Wa worthe the whyle.
052 Angelus. That while yee wrought vnwittely,
053 Soo for to greue God almyghty,
054 And that mon ye full dere abye
055 Or that ye go;
056 And to lyffe, as is worthy,
057 In were and wo.
058 Adam, haue this, luke howe ye thynke,
059 And tille withalle thi meete and drynke
060 For euermore.
061 Adam. Allas, for syte why ne myght Y synke,
062 So shames me sore.
063 Eue. Soore may we shame with sorowes seere,
064 And felly fare we bothe in feere;
065 Alas, that euyr we neghed it nere,
066 þat tree vntill.
067 With dole now mon we bye full dere
068 Oure dedis ille.
069 Angelus. Giffe for thou beswyked hym swa,
070 Trauell herto shalle thou ta,
071 Thy barnes to bere with mekill wa-
072 þis warne I the.
073 Buxom shalle thou and othir ma
074 To man ay be.
075 Eue. Allas for doole, what shall Y doo,
076 Now mon I neuer haue rest ne roo.
077 Adam. Nay, lo, swilke a tole is taken me too
078 To trauaylle tyte;
079 Nowe is shente both I and shoo,
080 Allas, for syte.
081 Allas, for syte and sorowe sadde,
082 Mournynge makis me mased and madde,
083 To thynke in herte what helpe Y hadde
084 And nowe has none.
085 On grounde mon I neuyr goo gladde,
086 My gamys ere gane.
087 Gone ar my games withowten glee;
088 Allas, in blisse kouthe we noyot bee,
089 For putte we were to grete plenté
090 At prime of the day;
091 Be tyme of none alle lost had wee,
092 Sa welawaye.
093 Sa welaway, for harde peyne,
094 Alle bestis were to my biddyng bayne,
095 Fisshe and fowle, they were fulle fayne
096 With me to founde.
097 And nowe is alle thynge me agayne
098 þat gois on grounde.
099 On grounde ongaynely may Y gange,
100 To suffre syte and peynes strange,
101 Alle is for dede I haue done wrange
102 Thurgh wykkid wyle.
103 On lyve methynkith I lyffe to lange,
104 Allas the whille.
105 A, lord, I thynke what thynge is this
106 That me is ordayned for my mysse;
107 Gyffe I wirke wronge, who shulde me wys
108 Be any waye?
109 How beste wille be, so haue Y blisse,
110 I shalle assaye.
111 Allas, for bale, what may this bee?
112 In worlde vnwisely wrought haue wee,
113 This erthe it trembelys for this tree
114 And dyns ilke dele!
115 Alle this worlde is wrothe with mee,
116 þis wote I wele.
117 Full wele Y wote my welthe is gone,
118 Erthe, elementis, euerilkane
119 For my synne has sorowe tane,
120 þis wele I see.
121 Was neuere wrecchis so wylle of wane
122 As nowe ar wee.
123 Eue. We are fulle wele worthy iwis
124 To haue this myscheffe for oure mys,
125 For broght we were to byggely blys,
126 Euer in to be.
127 Now my sadde sorowe certis is this
128 Mysilfe to see.
129 Adam. To see it is a sytfull syghte,
130 We bothe that were in blis so brighte,
131 We mon go nakid euery ilke a nyghte
132 And dayes bydene,
133 Allas, what womans witte was light!
134 þat was wele sene.
135 Eue. Sethyn it was so me knyth it sore,
136 Bot sethyn that woman witteles ware
137 Mans maistrie shulde haue bene more
138 Agayns the gilte.
139 Adam. Nay, at my speche wolde thou never spare,
140 þat has vs spilte.
141 Eue. Iff I hadde spoken youe oughte to spill
142 Ye shulde haue taken gode tent theretyll,
143 And turnyd my thought.
144 Adam. Do way, woman, and neme it noght,
145 For at my biddyng wolde thou not be
146 And therfore my woo wyte Y thee;
147 Thurgh ille counsaille thus casten ar we
148 In bitter bale.
149 Nowe God late never man aftir me
150 Triste woman tale.
151 For certis me rewes fulle sare
152 That euere I shulde lerne at thi lare,
153 Thy counsaille has casten me in care,
154 þat thou me kende.
155 Eue. Be stille Adam, and nemen it na mare,
156 It may not mende.
157 For wele I wate I haue done wrange,
158 And therfore euere I morne emange,
159 Allas the whille I leue so lange,
160 Dede wolde I be.
161 Adam. On grounde mon I never gladde gange,
162 Withowten glee.
163 Withowten glee I ga,
164 This sorowe wille me sla,
165 This tree vnto me wille I ta
166 þat me is sende.
167 He that vs wrought wisse vs fro wa,
168 Whare-som we wende.
Finis.
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Proper Citation: NeCastro, Gerard. The York Cycle, Play 6 - Adam and Eve Driven from Eden. From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. http:www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. Date Visited.