 | The Skynners |  |
[Scene II]
the castle, and Jerusalem near.Go we, broþere, with all oure mayne
My lordis desire for to fulfill;
For prophycye
Vs bus it do to hym by skyll
To do dewly.
203
8.
Pet.Ȝa! brodir Phelipp, be-halde grathely,
For als he saide we shulde sone fynde,
Me-thinke ȝone bestis be-fore myn eye,
Þai are þe same we schulde vnbynde.
Þerfore frely
Go we to hym þat þame gan bynde,
And aske mekely.
9.
Phil.The beestis are comen, wele I knawe,
Ther-fore vs nedis to aske lesse leue,
And oure maistir kepis þe lawe
We may þame take tyter, I preue,
For noght we lett.
For wele I watte oure tyme is breue,
Go we þam fett.
10.
Jani.Saie, what are ȝe þat makis here maistrie,
To loose þes bestis with-oute leverie?
Yow semes to bolde, sen noght þat ȝe
Hase here to do, þerfore rede I
such þingis to sesse,
Or ellis ȝe may falle in folye
and grette diseasse.
11.
Pet.Sir, with þi leue hartely we praye
Þis beste þat we myght haue.
Jani.
To what in-tente, firste shall ȝe saye?
And þan I graunte what ȝe will crave,
Be gode resoune.
Phil.
Oure maistir, Sir, þat all may saue,
Aske by chesoune.
12.
Jani.What man is þat ȝe maistir call?
Swilke priuelege dare to hym clayme.
Pet.
Jesus of Jewes kyng, and ay be schall,
Of Nazareth prophete þe same,
Þis same is he,
Both god and man, with-outen blame,
Þis trist wele we.
204
13.
Jani.Sirs, of þat prophette herde I haue,
But telle me firste playnly, wher is hee?
Phil.
He comes at hande, so god me saue,
Þat lorde we lefte at Bephage,
He bidis vs þere.
Jani.
Sir, take þis beste, with herte full free,
And forthe ȝe fare.
And forthe ȝe fare.
14.
And if ȝou thynke it be to done,
I schall declare playnly his comyng
To the chiffe of þe Jewes, þat þei may sone
Assemble same to his metyng.
What is your rede?
I schall declare playnly his comyng
To the chiffe of þe Jewes, þat þei may sone
Assemble same to his metyng.
What is your rede?
Pet.
Þou sais full wele in thy menyng,
Do forthe þi dede.
Do forthe þi dede.
15.
And sone þis beste we schall þe bring,
And it restore as resoune will.
And it restore as resoune will.
[They go away, taking the ass. The Porter goes to Jerusalem.]
Jani.
This tydyngis schall haue no laynyng,
But to þe Citezens declare it till
of þis cyte,
I suppose fully þat þei wolle
come mete þat free.
But to þe Citezens declare it till
of þis cyte,
I suppose fully þat þei wolle
come mete þat free.
16.
And sen I will þei warned be,
Both ȝonge & olde, in ilke a state,
For his comyng I will hym mete
To late þam witte, with-oute debate.
Lo! wher þei stande,
That citezens cheff, withoute debate,
Of all þis lande.
[To the citizens.]
Both ȝonge & olde, in ilke a state,
For his comyng I will hym mete
To late þam witte, with-oute debate.
Lo! wher þei stande,
That citezens cheff, withoute debate,
Of all þis lande.
17.
He þat is rewler of all right,
And freely schoppe both sande and see,
He saue ȝou, lordyngis, gayly dight,
And kepe ȝou in ȝoure semelyte
And all honoure.
And freely schoppe both sande and see,
He saue ȝou, lordyngis, gayly dight,
And kepe ȝou in ȝoure semelyte
And all honoure.
205
Welcome, Porter! what novelte
Telle vs þis owre?
18.
Jani.Sirs, novelte I can ȝou tell,
And triste þame fully as for trewe;
Her comes of kynde of Israell
Att hande þe prophete called Jesu,
Lo! þis same day,
Rydand on an asse; þis tydandis newe
consayue ȝe may.
19.
ii Burg.And is þat prophette Iesu nere?
Off hym I haue herde grete ferlis tolde,
He dois grete wounderes in contrees seere,
He helys þe seke, both ȝonge and olde,
And þe blynde giffis þam þer sight.
Both dome and deffe, as hym selffe wolde,
He cures þam right.
20.
iii Burg.Ȝa v. thowsand men with loves fyue
He fedde, and ilkone hadde i-nowe;
Watir to wyne he turned ryue,
He garte corne growe with-outen plogh,
Wher are was none;
To dede men als he gaffe liffe,
Laȝar was one.
21.
iv Burg.In oure tempill if he prechid
Agaynste þe pepull þat leued wrong,
And also new lawes if he teched
Agaynste oure lawis we vsed so lang,
And saide pleynlye,
The olde schall waste, þe new schall gang,
Þat we schall see.
22.
v Burg.Ȝa, Moyses lawe he cowde ilke dele,
And all þe prophettis on a rowe,
He telles þam so þat ilke aman may fele,
206
Yf þei were dyme,
What þe prophettis saide in þer sawe,
All longis to hym.
23.
vi Burg.Emanuell also by right
Þai calle þat prophette, by þis skill,
He is þe same þat are was hyght
Be Ysaye be-for vs till,
Þus saide full clere.
vii Burg.
Loo! a maydyn þat knew neuere ille
A childe schuld bere.
A childe schuld bere.
24.
Dauid spake of him I wene,
And lefte witnesse ȝe knowe ilkone,
He saide þe frute of his corse clene
Shulde royally regne vpon his trone,
And þerfore he
Of Dauid kyn, and oþir none,
Oure kyng schal be.
And lefte witnesse ȝe knowe ilkone,
He saide þe frute of his corse clene
Shulde royally regne vpon his trone,
And þerfore he
Of Dauid kyn, and oþir none,
Oure kyng schal be.
25.
viii Burg.Sirs, me thynketh ȝe saie right wele,
And gud ensampelys furth ȝe bryng,
And sen we þus þis mater fele,
Go we hym meete as oure owne kyng,
And kyng hym call.
What is youre counsaill in þis thyng?
Now say ȝe all.
26.
i Burg.
Agaynste resoune I will noȝt plete,
For wele I wote oure kyng he is,
Whoso agaynst his kyng liste threte,
He is noȝt wise, he dose amys.
[To the Porter.
For wele I wote oure kyng he is,
Whoso agaynst his kyng liste threte,
He is noȝt wise, he dose amys.
Porter, come nere,
What knowlage hast þou of his comyng?
Tels vs all here.
What knowlage hast þou of his comyng?
Tels vs all here.
27.
And þan we will go mete þat free,
And hym honnoure as we wele awe
Worthely tyll oure Citee,
And for oure souerayne lord hym knawe,
In whome we triste.
And hym honnoure as we wele awe
Worthely tyll oure Citee,
207
In whome we triste.
Jani.
Sirs, I schall telle ȝou all on rowe,
And ȝe will lyste.
And ȝe will lyste.
28.
Of his discipillis ij þis day,
Where that I stode, þei faire me grette,
And on ther maistir halfe gan praye
Oure comon asse þat þei myght gete
bot for awhile,
Wher-on þer maistir softe myght sitte,
Space of a mile.
Where that I stode, þei faire me grette,
And on ther maistir halfe gan praye
Oure comon asse þat þei myght gete
bot for awhile,
Wher-on þer maistir softe myght sitte,
Space of a mile.
29.
And all þis mater þai me tolde
Right haly as I saie to ȝou,
And þe asse þei haue right as þei wolde,
And sone will bringe agayne, I trowe,
So þai be-heste.
What ȝe will doo avise ȝou nowe,
Þus thinke me beste.
Right haly as I saie to ȝou,
And þe asse þei haue right as þei wolde,
And sone will bringe agayne, I trowe,
So þai be-heste.
What ȝe will doo avise ȝou nowe,
Þus thinke me beste.
30.
ii Burg.Trewlye as for me I say,
I rede we make vs redy bowne,
Hym to mete gudly þis day,
And hym ressayue with grete rennowne,
As worthy is;
And þerfore, sirs, in felde and towne
Ȝe fulfille þis.
31.
Jani.Ȝa! and ȝoure [childer] with ȝou take,
Þoff all in age þat þei be ȝonge,
Ȝe may fare þe bettir for þer sake,
Thurgh þe blissing of so goode a kyng.
Þis is no dowte.
iii Burg.
I kan þe thanke for thy saying,
We will hym lowte.
We will hym lowte.
32.
And hym to mete I am right bayne,
On þe beste maner þat I canne,
For I desire to se hym fayne,
And hym honnoure as his awne manne,
Sen þe soth I see.
Kyng of Juuys we call hym þan,
Oure kyng is he.
On þe beste maner þat I canne,
For I desire to se hym fayne,
208
Sen þe soth I see.
Kyng of Juuys we call hym þan,
Oure kyng is he.
33.
iv Burg.Oure kyng is he, þat is no lesse,
Oure awne lawe to it cordis well,
Þe prophettis all bare full witnesse,
Qwilke full of hym secrete gone felle;
And þpus wolde say,
‘Emang youre selff schall come grete seele
Thurgh god verray.’.
34.
v Burg.Þis same is he, þer is non othir,
Was vs be-heest full lange before,
For Moyses saide, als oure owne brothir,
A newe prophette god schulde restore.
Þerfore loke ȝe
What ȝe will do, with-outen more;
Oure kyng is he.
35.
vi Burg.Of Juda come owre kyng so gent,
Of Jesse, Dauid, Salamon,
Also by his modir kynne take tente,
Þe Genolagye beres witnesse on;
This is right playne.
Hym to honnoure right as I canne
I am full bayne.
36.
vii Burg.Of youre clene witte and youre consayte
I am full gladde in harte and þought,
And hym to mete with-outen latt
I am redy, and feyne will noght,
Bot with ȝou same
To hym agayne vs blisse hath brought,
With myrthe & game.
209
37.
viii Burg.Ȝoure argumentis þai are so clere
I can noȝt saie but graunte þou till,
For whanne I of þat counsaille here,
I coveyte hym with feruent wille
Onys for to see,
I trowe fro þens I schall
Bettir man be.
38.
i Burg.Go we þan with processioune
To mete þat comely as vs awe,
With braunches, floures, and vnysoune,
With myghtfull songes her on a rawe,
Our childir schall
Go synge before, þat men may knawe
To þis graunte we all.
[Exeunt.]
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