The York Cycle, Play 22 Temptation of Jesus Smythis 001 Diabolus. Make rome belyve, and late me gang! 002 Who makis here all this thrang? 003 High you hense, high myght yoou hang 004 Right with a roppe. 005 I drede me that I dwelle to lang 006 To do a jape. 007 For sithen the firste tyme that I fell 008 For my pride fro heuen to hell, 009 Euere haue I mustered me emell 010 Emonge mannekynde, 011 How I in dole myght gar tham dwell 012 Ŝer to be pynde. 013 And certis, all that hath ben sithen borne 014 Has comen to me, mydday and morne, 015 And I haue ordayned so tham forne 016 None may thame fende, 017 Ŝat fro all likyng ar they lorne 018 Withowten ende. 019 And nowe sum men spekis of a swayne, 020 Howe he schall come and suffre payne 021 And with his dede to blisse agayne 022 Ŝei schulde be bought. 023 But certis this tale is but a trayne, 024 I trowe it noyot. 025 For I wotte ilke a dele bydene 026 Of the mytyng that men of mene, 027 How he has in grete barett bene 028 Sithen he was borne, 029 And suffered mekill traye and tene 030 Bothe even and morne. 031 And nowe it is brought so aboute 032 Ŝat lurdayne that thei loue and lowte 033 To wildirnesse he is wente owte, 034 Withowtyne moo; 035 To dere hym nowe haue I no doute, 036 Betwyxte vs two. 037 Before this tyme he has bene tent 038 Ŝat I myght gete hym with no glent, 039 But now sen he allone is wente 040 I schall assay, 041 And garre hym to sum synne assente 042 If that I may. 043 He has fastid-that marris his mode- 044 Ther fourty dayes withowten foode. 045 If he be man in bone and bloode 046 Hym hungris ill; 047 In glotonye than halde I gude 048 To witt his will. 049 For so it schall be knowen and kidde 050 If Godhed be in hym hidde, 051 If he will do as I hym bidde 052 Whanne I come nare. 053 Ŝer was neuere dede that euere he dide 054 Ŝat greued hym warre. 055 Ŝou witty man and wise of rede, 056 If thou can ought of Godhede 057 Byd nowe that ther stones be brede, 058 Betwyxte vs two; 059 Ŝan may thei stande thyselfe in stede, 060 And othir moo. 061 For thou hast fastid longe I wene, 062 I wolde now som mete wer sene 063 For olde acqueyntaunce vs bytwene, 064 Thyselue wote howe. 065 Ther sall no man witte what I mene 066 But I and thou. 067 Jesus. My fadir, that all cytte may slake, 068 Honnoure eueremore to the I make 069 And gladly suffir I for thy sake 070 Swilk velany, 071 And thus temptacions for to take 072 Of myn enmy. 073 Ŝou weried wight, thi wittis are wode, 074 For wrytyn it is, whoso vndirstode, 075 A man lyvis noght in mayne and mode 076 With brede allone, 077 But Goddis wordis are gostly fode 078 To men ilkone. 079 Iff I haue fastid oute of skill, 080 Wytte thou me hungris not so ill 081 Ŝat I ne will wirke my fadirs will 082 In all degré 083 Ŝi biddyng will I noyot fullfill, 084 Ŝat warne I the. 085 Diabolus. A, slyke carping neuere I kende, 086 Hym hungres noyot, as I wende. 087 Nowe sen thy fadir may the fende 088 Be sotell sleghte, 089 Late se yf thou allone may lende 090 Ŝer vppon heghte, 091 Vppon the pynakill parfitely. 092 Aha, nowe go we wele therby; 093 I schall assaye in vayne-glorie 094 To garre hym falle, 095 And if he be Goddis sone myghty, 096 Witte I schall. 097 Nowe liste to me a litill space: 098 If thou be Goddis sone, full of grace, 099 Shew som poynte here in this place 100 To proue thi might. 101 Late se, falle doune vppon thi face 102 Here in my sight. 103 For it is wretyn, as wele is kende, 104 How God schall aungellis to the sende, 105 And they schall kepe the in ther hende 106 Wherso thou gose, 107 Ŝat thou schall on no stones descende 108 To hurte thi tose. 109 And sen thou may withouten wathe 110 Fall and do thyselffe no skathe, 111 Tumbill downe to ease vs bathe 112 Here to my fete; 113 And but thou do I will be wrothe, 114 Ŝat I the hette. 115 Jesus. Late be, warlowe, thy wordis kene, 116 For wryten it is, withouten wene, 117 Thy God thou schall not tempte with tene 118 Nor with discorde, 119 Ne quarell schall thou none mayntene 120 Agaynste thi lorde. 121 And therfore trowe thou, withouten trayne, 122 Ŝat all thi gaudes schall nothyng gayne; 123 Be subgette to thi souereyne 124 Arely and late. 125 Diabolus. What, this trauayle is in vayne 126 Be ought I watte. 127 He proues that he is mekill of price, 128 Ŝerfore it is goode I me avise, 129 And sen I may noyot on this wise 130 Make hym my thrall, 131 I will assaye in couetise 132 To garre hym fall, 133 For certis I schall noyot leue hym yoitt. 134 Who is my souereyne, this wolde I witte? 135 Myselffe ordande the thore to sitte, 136 Ŝis wote thou wele, 137 And right euen as I ordande itt 138 Is done ilke dele. 139 Ŝan may thou se sen itt is soo 140 Ŝat I am souerayne of vs two, 141 And yoitt I graunte the or I goo 142 Withouten fayle, 143 Ŝat if thou woll assente me too 144 It schall avayle. 145 For I haue all this worlde to welde, 146 Toure and toune, forest and felde; 147 If thou thyn herte will to me helde 148 With wordis hende, 149 3itt will I baynly be thy belde 150 And faithfull frende. 151 Behalde now ser, and thou schalt see 152 Sere kyngdomes and sere contré 153 Alle this wile I giffe to the 154 For euermore, 155 And thou fall and honour me 156 As I saide are. 157 Jesus. Sees of thy sawes, thou Sathanas, 158 I graunte nothyng that thou me asse, 159 To pyne of helle I bide the passe 160 And wightely wende, 161 And wonne in woo, as thou are was, 162 Withouten ende. 163 Non othyr myght schal be thy mede, 164 For wretyn it is, who right can rede, 165 Thy lord God the aught to drede 166 And honoure ay, 167 And serue hym in worde and dede 168 Both nyyot and day. 169 And sen thou dose not as I the tell 170 No lenger liste me late the dwell, 171 I comaunde the thou hy to hell 172 And holde the thar, 173 With felawschip of fendis fell 174 For euermar. 175 Diabolus. Owte! I dar noyot loke, allas, 176 Itt is warre than euere it was. 177 He musteres what myght he has, 178 Hye mote he hang. 179 Folowes fast, for me bus pas 180 To paynes strang. 181 Angel 1. A, mercy lorde, what may this mene? 182 Me merueyles that yoe thole this tene 183 Of this foule fende cant and kene 184 Carpand yoou till, 185 And yoe his wickidnesse, I wene, 186 May waste at will. 187 Methynke that yoe ware straytely stedde 188 Lorde, with this fende that nowe is fledde. 189 Jesus. Myn aungell dere, be noyot adred, 190 He may not greue; 191 The haly goste me has ledde, 192 Ŝus schal thow leue. 193 For whan the fende schall folke see 194 And salus tham in sere degré 195 Ŝare myrroure may thei make of me 196 For to stande still, 197 For ouerecome schall thei noyot be 198 Bot yf thay will. 199 Angel 2. A, lorde, this is a grete mekenesse 200 In yow in whome al mercy is, 201 And at youre wille may deme or dresse 202 Als is worthy; 203 And thre temptacions takes expres, 204 Ŝus suffirrantly. 205 Jesus. My blissing haue thei with my hande 206 Ŝat with swilke greffe is noyot grucchand, 207 And also that will stiffely stande 208 Agaynste the fende. 209 I knawe my tyme is faste comand, 210 Now will I wende.