From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama
The York Cycle, Play 43 - The Ascension
Tailoures
001 Peter. O mightfull God, how standis it nowe,
002 In worlde thus will was I neuere are;
003 Butte he apperes, bot I ne wote howe-
004 He fro vs twynnes whanne he will fare.
005 And yoitt may falle that for oure prowe,
006 And alle his wirkyng lesse and mare.
007 A, kyng of comforte, gudde arte thou
008 And lele, and likand is thy lare.
009 John. The missing of my maistir trewe
010 That lenghis not with vs lastandly,
011 Makis me to morne ilke a day newe
012 For tharnyng of his company.
013 His peere of gudnes neuere I knewe,
014 Of myght ne wisdome yoit any.
015 Peter. That we hym tharne sore may vs rewe,
016 For he luffed vs full faithfully.
017 Bot yoitt in all my mysselykyng
018 A worde that Criste saide comfortis me:
019 Oure heuynes and oure mournyng,
020 He saide, to joie turned schuld be.
021 þat joie, he saide in his hetyng,
022 To reue vs none schulde haue no posté
023 Wherfore abouen all othir thyng
024 That joie me longis to knowe and see.
025 Mary. þou Petir, whanne my sone was slayne
026 And laide in graue, yoe wer in were
027 Whedir he schulde rise, almoste ilkane;
028 But nowe yoe wotte thurgh knowyng clere.
029 Some that he saide schulde come is gane,
030 And some to come; but ilkane sere,
031 Whedir it be to come or none,
032 Vs awe to knowe it all in fere.
033 Jesus. Almyghty God, my fadir free,
034 In erthe thi bidding haue I done
035 And clarified the name of the;
036 To thyselffe clarifie the sone.
037 Als thou haste geuen me pleyne posté
038 Of ilke a flesh, graunte me my bone,
039 þat thou me gaffe myght lyffand be
040 In endles liffe and with the wonne.
041 þat liffe is this that hath none ende,
042 To knawe the, fadir, moste of myght;
043 And me thy sone, whame thou gon sende
044 To dye for man withouten plight.
045 Mankynde was thyne, whome thou bekende
046 And toke me to my yoemyng right.
047 I died for man, mannes misse to mende,
048 And vnto spitous dede was dight.
049 Thy wille vnto them taughte haue I,
050 þat wolde vnto my lare enclyne.
051 Mi lare haue they tane buxsomly,
052 Schall none of them ther trauaile tyne.
053 þou gaffe them me but noght forthy,
054 3itt are they thyne als wele as myne;
055 Fleme them not fro oure companye,
056 Sen thyne are myne and myne er thyne.
057 Sen they are oures, if thame nede ought
058 þou helpe them, if it be thy will;
059 And als thou wate that I thame boght,
060 For faute of helpe latte them not spill.
061 Fro the worlde to take them pray I noght,
062 But that thou kepe thame ay fro ill,
063 All thois also that settis thare thoght
064 In erthe my techyng to fulfill.
065 Mi tythandis tane has my menyoe
066 To teche the pepull wher they fare,
067 In erthe schall thei leue aftir me
068 And suffir sorowes sadde and sare.
069 Dispised and hatted schall thei be,
070 Als I haue bene, with lesse and mare,
071 And suffer dede in sere degré
072 For sothfastnesse schall none them spare.
073 þou halowe thame fadir, forthy,
074 In sothfastnes so that thei may
075 Be ane as we ar, thowe and I,
076 In will and werke, both nyght and day,
077 And knawe that I ame verilye
078 Both sothfastnes and liffe alway,
079 Be the whilke ilke man that is willy
080 May wynne the liffe that laste schall ay.
081 Bot yoe, my postelis all bedene
082 þat lange has wente abowte with me,
083 In grete wanne-trowyng haue yoe bene,
084 And wondir harde of hartis ar yoe.
085 Worthy to be reproued, I wene,
086 Ar yoe forsothe, and yoe will see
087 In als mekill als yoe haue sene
088 My wirkyng proued and my posté
089 Whan I was dede and laide in graue
090 Of myne vpryse yoe were in doute,
091 And some for myne vprysing straue
092 When I was laide als vndir clowte
093 So depe in erthe. But sithen I haue
094 Ben walkand fourty daies aboute,
095 Eten with yoou, youre trouthe to saue,
096 Comand emange yoou inne and oute.
097 And therfore beis no more in were
098 Of myne vpperysing, day nor nyght.
099 Youre misbeleue leues ilkone seere,
100 For witte yoe wele, als man of myght
101 Over whome no dede may haue poure,
102 I schall be endles liffeand right.
103 Bot for to schewe you figure clere,
104 Schewe I me thusgatis to youre sight.
105 Howe man by cours of kynde schall ryse,
106 Allthogh he be roten ontill noyot.
107 Oute of his graue in this same wise
108 At the daye of dome schall he be broght
109 Wher I schall sitte as trewe justise,
110 And deme man aftir he has wroght,
111 þe wikkid to wende with ther enmyse,
112 þe gode to blisse thei schall be broght.
113 Anodir skill forsoth is this:
114 In a tre man was traied thurgh trayne;
115 Ane man, forthy to mende that misse
116 On a tree boght mankynde agayne,
117 In confusioune of hym and his
118 þat falsely to forge that frawde was fayne,
119 Mankynde to bringe agayne to blisse,
120 His foo, the fende, till endles peyne.
121 þe thirde skille is, trewly to tell,
122 Right als I wende als wele will seme,
123 So schall I come in flessh and fell
124 Atte the day of dome, whan I schall deme
125 þe goode in endles blisse to dwell,
126 Mi fomen fro me for to fleme
127 Withouten ende in woo to well,
128 Ilke leuand man here to take yeme.
129 But intill all the worlde wendand,
130 þe gospell trewly preche schall yoe
131 Tille ilke a creatoure liffand.
132 Who trowes, if that he baptised be
133 He schall, als yhe schall vndirstande,
134 Be saued, and of all thraldome free.
135 Who trowis it not, as mistrowand
136 For faute of trouthe dampned is he.
137 But all ther tokenyngis bedene
138 Schall folowe tham that trowis it right,
139 In my name deuellis crewell and kene
140 Schall thei oute-caste of ilka wight,
141 With newe tongis speke, serpentis vnclene
142 Fordo; and if thei day or nyght
143 Drinke venym wik, withouten wene,
144 To noye thame schall it haue no myght.
145 On seke folke schall thei handes lay
146 And wele schall thei haue sone at welde,
147 þis poure schall thei haue alway,
148 My menyohe, bothe in towne and felde;
149 And witte yoe wele, so schall thei
150 þat wirkis my wille in youthe or elde-
151 A place for thame I schall purveye
152 In blisse with me ay in to belde.
153 Nowe is my jornay brought till ende,
154 Mi tyme that me so lang was lente.
155 To my fadir nowe vppe I wende,
156 And youre fadir that me doune sente-
157 Mi God, youre God, and ilk mannes frende
158 That till his techyng will consente,
159 Till synneres that no synne thame schende,
160 þat mys amendis and will repente.
161 But for I speke thes wordis nowe
162 To you, youre hartis hase heuynes.
163 Fullfillid all be it for youre prowe
164 þat I hense wende, als nedfull is.
165 And butte I wende comes noght to yowe
166 þe comforteoure of comforteles,
167 And if I wende yoe schall fynde howe
168 I schall hym sende, of my goodnesse.
169 Mi fadirs will fullfillid haue I,
170 Therfore fareswele ilkone seere;
171 I goo make youe a stede redye
172 Endles to wonne with me in feere.
173 Sende doune a clowde, fadir, forthy
174 I come to the my fadir deere.
175 þe fadir blissing moste myghty
176 Giffe I you all that leffe here.
177 Mary. A, myghtfull God, ay moste of myght,
178 A selcouth sight is this to see,
179 Mi sone thus to be ravisshed right
180 In a clowde wendande vppe fro me.
181 Bothe is my herte heuy and light,
182 Heuy for swilke twynnyng schulde be,
183 And light for he haldis that he hight
184 And thus vppe wendis in grette posté
185 His hetyngis haldis he all bedene,
186 þat comfortis me in all my care.
187 But vnto whome schall I me mene?
188 þus will in worlde was I neuere are,
189 To dwelle amonge thes Jewes kene-
190 Me to dispise will thei not spare.
191 John. All be he noght in presens seene,
192 3itt is he salue of ilka sare.
193 But lady, sen that he betoke
194 Me for to serue you as youre sonne,
195 3ou nedis nothyng, lady, but loke
196 What thyng in erthe yoe will haue done.
197 I ware to blame if I forsoke
198 To wirke youre wille, midday or none,
199 Or any tyme yoitt of the woke.
200 Mary. I thanke the John, with wordis fune:
201 Mi modirhed, John, schall thou haue,
202 And for my sone I wolle the take.
203 John. þat grace, dere lady, wolde I craue.
204 Mary. Mi sone sawes will I neuere forsake,
205 Itt were not semand that we straue
206 Ne contraried noyot that he spake;
207 But John, tille I be broght in graue,
208 Schall thou never see my sorowe slake.
209 Jacobus. Owre worthy lorde, sen he is wente
210 For vs, lady, als is his will,
211 We thanke hym that vs the hath lente
212 With vs on lyue to lenge her stille.
213 I saie for me with full concente,
214 þi likyng all will I fulfille.
215 Andrew. So wille we all with grete talent,
216 Forthy lady, giffe the noght ill.
217 Angel 1. 3e men of the lande of Galilé
218 What wondir yoe to heuene lokand?
219 þis Jesus whome yoe fro youe see
220 Vppe-tane, yoe schall wele vndirstande,
221 Right so agayne come doune schall he.
222 When he so comes with woundes bledand,
223 Who wele has wrought full gladde may be,
224 Who ill has leved full sore dredand.
225 Angel 2. 3e that has bene his seruauntis trewe
226 And with hym lengand nyght and day,
227 Slike wirkyng als yoe with hym knew
228 Loke that yoe preche it fourthe alway.
229 Youre mede in heuene beis ilke day newe,
230 And all that seruis hym wele to paye.
231 Who trowes you noght it schall thame rewe,
232 þei mon haue peyne encresand ay.
233 Jacobus. Loued be thou lorde ay moste of myght,
234 þat thus, in all oure grete disease,
235 Vs comfortist with thyne aungellis bright.
236 Nowe aught ther Jewes thare malise meese,
237 þat sawe thameselue this wondir sight
238 þus nere thame wroght vndir ther nese-
239 And we haue mater day and nyght
240 Oure God more for to preyse and plese.
241 Andrew. Nowe may ther Jewes be all confused
242 If thai on-thinke thame inwardly,
243 Howe falsely thei haue hym accused
244 And sakles schente thurgh ther envy.
245 þer falsed, that thei longe haue vsed,
246 Nowe is it proued here opynly;
247 And they were of this mater mused
248 Itt schulde thame stirre to aske mercy.
249 Peter. þat wille thei noyot Andrewe, late be,
250 For thei are full of pompe and pride.
251 Itt may noyot availe to the ne me
252 Ne none of vs with thame to chide.
253 Prophite to dwelle can I none see,
254 Forthy late us no lenger bide,
255 But wende we vnto seere contré
256 To preche thurgh all this worlde so wide.
257 John. þat is oure charge, for that is beste,
258 þat we lenge nowe no lenger here,
259 For here gete we no place of reste
260 To lenge so nere the Jewes poure.
261 Vs to fordo thei will thame caste,
262 Forthy come forthe my lady dere
263 And wende vs hense; I am full preste
264 With you to wende with full goode chere.
265 Mi triste is nowe euer ilk a dele
266 In yowe, to wirke aftir youre counsaill.
267 Jacobus. Mi lady dere, that schall yoe fele
268 In oght that euere vs may availe.
269 Oure comforte, youre care to kele,
270 Whill we may leue we schall not faile.
271 Mary. Mi brethir dere, I traste itt wele,
272 Mi sone schall quyte yoou youre trauaile.
273 Peter. To Jerusalem go we agayne
274 And loke what fayre so aftir fall,
275 Oure lorde and maistir moste of mayne
276 He wisse youe, and be with youe all.
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Proper Citation: NeCastro, Gerard. The York Cycle, Play 43 - The Ascension. From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. http:www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. Date Visited.