University of Virginia Library

How Ihesus mot with the fende

Now here how thi lord mette for thi riȝt,
Atte last for thi loue put him to fiȝt.
When the godhede was hid in the mankynd,
And the fende in him no synne myȝt fynde,
He tempted him with thre thinges that made Adam dede.
“If thou be Goddes sone,” he said, “make of stones brede!”
“Noght only thurgh brede,” quod Ihesu Crist, “leues man,
Bot thurgh ich word that comes of Goddes wysdam.”
The fend sette Crist on the temple and bad him lepe doun,
Goddes aungeles to kepe him suld be redy and boun;
If he were Goddes sone, in handes thai suld him bere,
So at no ston suld he stumble ne nothing suld him dere.
“Writen,” quod Ihesu Crist, “in haly writ y rede:
Thou suld not tempte God, thi lord, when thou has no nede.”
The fend shewid him al the warld and saide: “This gif y the,
If thou wil bowe doun to the ground and so adour me.”
“Writen it is,” quod Ihesu Crist, “thi God sal thou adoure,
And only sal thou serue him with so mekil honoure.”
“Go, Satanas,” quod Ihesu Crist, “for the am y noȝt ferd!”
“And I am prince,” quod the fend, “of this midlerd;
I haue gode sesyn therynne and of ful lange tyme,
And be confermyng of God al mankynd is myne,
For man brak Goddes bydding and of the appel ete,
He sal be in payn with me euermore, I the hete.
God wil not do so gret wrong to reue me my pray:
If he haue any riȝt, let se what he can say!
The couenant that God made that sal I alway hold,
No man for to breke it sal neuer be so bold.”
“Man,” quod Ihesu, “hade keped al Goddes biddyng,
Hade he noȝt be lettid with betrayng,
When thou saide til Eue: ‘For that mete sal noȝt man dye,
Bot ȝe sal be as goddes, bothe wyse and sle.’
How may thou couenant reioys be reson
That thou made man to breke be thi foul treson?”
“Alas,” then quod the fend, “wher hade thou this connyng
For to venquys me today thus with thi motyng?
Mote euermore how as thou mote will,
Man sal euermore be in my prison stille,
Bot if thou, before he passe forth,
Paye as mekil raunson for him as he is al worth.”
“That is reson,” quod Ihesu Crist, “and that ful verrailye.
I wil noȝt tak man fro the with vnskilful maistrie.
Loke what his raunson sal be skilfully,
And I sal paye hit for him, and that ful largely.”
“Better then,” quod the fend, “sal his raunson be
Then al this ilk warld is worth that thou now may se.”
“I graunt,” quod Ihesu Crist, “to this couenant,
For my lest fynger is mekil more vailiant
Then a thousand worldes, if that thai ware.”
“Certes,” quod the fend then, “that is al my care,
For of al this warld ay y haue sum skill,
Bot in the is no thing sene at myn awen will.
And if thou wil gyue thi fynger him to bye,
Than sal thou make a febil marchandie,
And ȝit most thou suffre for him als mekil payn
As he hade done, and he in helle euer hade layn.”
Ihesu said: “I sal do more than thou has ast,
And this couenant betwix vs sal be made ful fast.”
Then the fend him to the dede as for his prison toke,
And choked on the godhede as fisch dos on the hoke.