 | The Castell of Perseverance |  |
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THE BANNS
PRIMUS VEXILLATOR.Glorious God, in all degres lord most of myth,
Þat heuene and erthe made of nowth, boþe se and lond,
Þe aungelys in heuene hym to serue bryth
And mankynde in mydylerd he made wyth hys hond,
And our lofly Lady, þat lanterne is of lyth,
Save oure lege lord þe kynge, þe leder of þis londe,
And all þe ryall of þis revme and rede hem þe ryth,
And all þe goode comowns of þis towne þat beforn us stonde
In þis place.
We mustyr ȝou wyth menschepe
And freyne ȝou of frely frenchepe.
Cryst safe ȝou all fro schenchepe
Þat knowyn wyl our case.
SECUNDUS VEXILLATOR.
Þe case of oure comynge ȝou to declare,
Euery man in hymself forsothe he it may fynde:
Whou Mankynde into þis werld born is ful bare
And bare schal beryed be at hys last ende.
God hym ȝeuyth to aungelys ful ȝep and ful ȝare,
Þe Goode Aungel and þe Badde to hym for to lende.
Þe Goode techyth hym goodnesse, þe Badde synne and sare;
Whanne þe ton hath þe victory, þe toþyr goth behende,
Be skyll.
Þe Goode Aungel coueytyth euermore Mans saluacion
And þe Badde bysytyth hym euere to hys dampnacion,
And God hathe govyn Man fre arbritracion
Wheþyr he wyl hymself saue or hys soule spyll.
PRIMUS VEXILLATOR.
Spylt is Man spetously whanne he to synne asent.
Þe Bad Aungel þanne bryngyth hym thre enmys so stout:
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Þei ledyn hym ful lustyly wyth synnys al abowt.
Pyth wyth Pride and Coueytyse, to þe Werld is he went,
To meynten hys manhod all men to hym lout.
Aftyr Ire and Envye þe Fend hath to hym lent,
Bakbytynge and endytynge wyth all men for to route,
Ful evyn.
But þe fowle Flesch, homlyest of all,
Slawth, Lust and Leccherye gun to hym call,
Glotony and oþyr synnys boþe grete and small.
Þus Mans soule is soylyd wyth synnys moo þanne seuyn.
SECUNDUS VEXILLATOR.
Whanne Mans sowle is soylyd wyth synne and wyth sore,
Þanne þe Goode Aungyl makyth mykyl mornynge
Þat þe lofly lyknesse of God schulde be lore
Þorwe þe Badde Aungellys fals entysynge.
He sendyth to hym Concyens, pryckyd ful pore,
And clere Confescyon wyth Penauns-doynge.
Þei mevyn Man to mendement þat he mysdyd before.
Þus þei callyn hym to clennesse and to good levynge,
Wythoutyn dystaunce.
Mekenesse, Pacyense, and Charyte,
Sobyrnesse, Besynesse, and Chastyte,
And Largyte, uertuys of good degre,
Man callyth to þe Castel of Good Perseueraunce.
PRIMUS VEXILLATOR.
Þe Castel of Perseuerauns wanne Mankynde hath tan,
Wel armyd wyth vertus and ouyrcome all vycys,
Þere þe Good Aungyl makyth ful mery þanne
Þat Mankynde hath ouyrcome hys gostly enmiis.
Þe Badde Aungyl mornyþ þat he hath myssyd Man.
He callyth þe Werld, þe Fende, and þe foule Flesch iwys
And all þe seuene synnys to do þat þey canne
To brynge Mankynd ageyn to bale out of blys,
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Pride asaylyth Meknesse wyth all hys myth,
Ire ageyns Paciensse ful fast ganne he fyth,
Envye ageyn Charyte strywyth ful ryth,
But Coveytyse ageyns Largyte fytyth ouyrlonge.
SECUNDUS VEXILLATOR.
Coveytyse Mankynd euere coueytyth for to qwell.
He gaderyth to hym Glotony aȝeyns Sobyrnesse,
Leccherye wyth Chastyte fytyth ful fell
And Slawthe in Goddys seruyse ageyns Besynesse.
Þus vycys ageyns vertues fytyn ful snelle.
Euery buskyth to brynge Man to dystresse.
But Penaunce and Confescion wyth Mankynd wyl melle,
Þe vycys arn ful lyckely þe vertues to opresse,
Saun dowte.
Þus in þe Castel of Good Perseuerance
Mankynd is maskeryd wyth mekyl varyaunce.
Þe Goode Aungyl and þe Badde be euere at dystaunce;
Þe Goode holdyth hym inne, þe Badde wold brynge hym owte.
PRIMUS VEXILLATOR.
Owt of Good Perseueraunce whanne Mankynde wyl not come,
Ȝyt þe Badde Aungyl wyth Coveytyse hym gan asayle,
Fyndende hym in pouerte and penaunce so benome,
And bryngyth hym in beleue in defaute for to fayle.
Þanne he profyrth hym good and gold so gret a sowme,
Þat if he wyl com ageyn and wyth þe Werld dayle,
Þe Badde Aungyl to þe Werld tollyth hym downe
Þe Castel of Perseueraunce to fle fro þe vayle
And blysse.
Þanne þe Werld begynnyth hym to restore.
Haue he neuere so mykyl, ȝyt he wold haue more;
Þus þe Badde Aungyl leryth hym hys lore.
Þe more a man agyth, þe harder he is.
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Hard a man is in age and covetouse be kynde.
Whanne all oþyr synnys Man hath forsake,
Euere þe more þat he hath þe more is in hys mynde
To gadyr and to gete good wyth woo and wyth wrake.
Þus þe Goode Aungyl caste is behynde
And þe Badde Aungyl Man to hym takyth,
Þat wryngyth hym wrenchys to hys last ende
Tyl Deth comyth foul dolfully and loggyth hym in a lake
Ful lowe.
Þanne is Man on molde maskeryd in mynde.
He sendyth afftyr hys sekkatours, ful fekyl to fynde,
And hys eyr aftyrward comyth euere behynde,
I Wot Not Who is hys name, for he hym nowt knowe.
PRIMUS VEXILLATOR.
Man knowe not who schal be hys eyr and gouerne hys good.
He caryth more for hys catel þanne for hys cursyd synne.
To putte hys good in gouernaunce he mengyth hys mod,
He wolde þat it were scyfftyd amongys hys ny kynne.
But þer schal com a lythyr ladde wyth a torne hod,
I Wot Neuere Who schal be hys name, hys cloþis be ful þynne,
Schal eryth þe erytage þat neuere was of hys blod,
Whanne al hys lyfe is lytyd upon a lytyl pynne
At þe laste.
On lyue whanne he may no lenger lende,
Mercy he callyth at hys laste ende:
‘'Mercy, God! be now myn frende!’
Wyth þat Mans spyryt is paste.
SECUNDUS VEXILLATOR.
Whanne Manys spyryt is past, þe Badde Aungyl ful fell
Cleymyth þat for couetyse Mans sowle schuld ben hys
And for to bere it ful boystowsly wyth hym into hell.
Þe Good Aungyl seyth nay, þe spyryt schal to blys
For at hys laste ende of mercy he gan spell
And þerfore of mercy schal he nowth mysse,
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Be mercy and be menys in purgatory he is,
In ful byttyr place.
Þus mowthys confession
And hys hertys contricion
Schal saue Man fro dampnacion
Be Goddys mercy and grace.
PRIMUS VEXILLATOR.
Grace if God wyl graunte us of hys mykyl myth,
Þese parcellys in propyrtes we purpose us to playe
Þis day seuenenyt before ȝou in syth
At ... on þe grene in ryal aray.
Ȝe haste ȝou þanne þedyrward, syrys, hendly in hyth,
All goode neyborys ful specyaly we ȝou pray,
And loke þat ȝe be þere betyme, luffely and lyth,
For we schul be onward be vnderne of þe day,
Dere frendys.
We thanke ȝou of all good dalyaunce
And of all ȝoure specyal sportaunce
And preye ȝou of good contynuaunce
To oure lyuys endys.
SECUNDUS VEXILLATOR.
Os oure lyuys we loue ȝou, þus takande oure leue.
Ȝe manly men of ..., þer Crist saue ȝou all!
He maynten ȝoure myrthys and kepe ȝou fro greve
Þat born was of Mary myld in an ox stall.
Now mery be all ... and wel mote ȝe cheve,
All oure feythful frendys, þer fayre mote ȝe fall!
Ȝa, and welcum be ȝe whanne ȝe com prys for to preve
And worþi to be worchepyd in boure and in hall
And in euery place.
Farewel, fayre frendys,
Þat lofly wyl lystyn and lende.
Cryste kepe ȝou fro fendys!
Trumpe up and lete vs pace.
| The Castell of Perseverance | |