A Tragedie of Abrahams Sacrifice Written in French by Theodore Beza, and translated into Inglish, by A. G. [i.e. Arthur Golding] Finished at Pouules Belchamp in Essex, the xj. of August. 1575 |
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The Song of Abraham and Sara.
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 | A Tragedie of Abrahams Sacrifice |  |
The Song of Abraham and Sara.
Come on then, let vs now begin to sing
with hartes in one accord,
The prayses of the souerein heauenly king
our onely God and Lord.
His onely hand doth giue vs whatsoeuer
We haue, or shall hereafter haue for euer.
with hartes in one accord,
The prayses of the souerein heauenly king
our onely God and Lord.
His onely hand doth giue vs whatsoeuer
We haue, or shall hereafter haue for euer.
It is alonly he that doth mainteine
the heauen that is so hie,
So large in compasse and in space so mayne:
and eke the starrie skie,
The course whereof he stablisht hath so sure,
That ay withouten fayle it doth endure.
the heauen that is so hie,
So large in compasse and in space so mayne:
and eke the starrie skie,
The course whereof he stablisht hath so sure,
That ay withouten fayle it doth endure.
The skorching heate of sommer he doth make,
the haruest and the spring:
And winters cold that maketh folke to quake,
in season he doth bring.
Both wethers, faire, and fowle, both sea & land,
Both night and day be ruled by his hand.
the haruest and the spring:
And winters cold that maketh folke to quake,
in season he doth bring.
Both wethers, faire, and fowle, both sea & land,
Both night and day be ruled by his hand.
Alas good Lord! and what are we that thou
didst choose and enterteyne
Alonly vs of all the world, and now
doth safely vs mainteine
So long a time from all the wicked rowtes
In towne & coūtry where we come throughouts
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Alonly vs of all the world, and now
doth safely vs mainteine
So long a time from all the wicked rowtes
In towne & coūtry where we come throughouts
Thou of thy goodnes drewest vs away
from places that are giuen
To serue false gods: and at this present day
hast wandringly vs driuen,
To trauell still among a thowsand daungers,
In nacions vnto whom we be but straungers.
from places that are giuen
To serue false gods: and at this present day
hast wandringly vs driuen,
To trauell still among a thowsand daungers,
In nacions vnto whom we be but straungers.
The land of Egypt in our chiefest neede
thou madst to haue a care,
Thy seruants bodies to mainteine and feede
with fine and wholsom fare,
And in the ende compelledst Pharao,
Full sore against his will, to let vs goe.
thou madst to haue a care,
Thy seruants bodies to mainteine and feede
with fine and wholsom fare,
And in the ende compelledst Pharao,
Full sore against his will, to let vs goe.
Foure mightie Kinges that were already gon
away with victorie,
I ouertooke and put to flight anon
before they could me spie.
And so I saw the feeldes all stained red
With blud of those which through my sword lay dead.
away with victorie,
I ouertooke and put to flight anon
before they could me spie.
And so I saw the feeldes all stained red
With blud of those which through my sword lay dead.
From God receiued well this benefite:
for he doth mind vs still,
As his deere freendes in whom he doth delight,
and we be sure he will,
Performe vs all thinges in dew time and place,
As he hath promist of his owne free grace.
for he doth mind vs still,
As his deere freendes in whom he doth delight,
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Performe vs all thinges in dew time and place,
As he hath promist of his owne free grace.
To vs and vnto our posteritie
this land belongs of right,
To hold in honor and felicitie
as God it hath behight,
And we beleue it surely shall be so,
For from his promise God will neuer goe.
this land belongs of right,
To hold in honor and felicitie
as God it hath behight,
And we beleue it surely shall be so,
For from his promise God will neuer goe.
Now tremble you ye wicked wights therefore,
which sowed are so thicke
Throughout ye world, & worship now such store
of gods of stone and sticke,
which you your selues wt wicked hāds do carue,
To call vpon and vainly for to serue.
which sowed are so thicke
Throughout ye world, & worship now such store
of gods of stone and sticke,
which you your selues wt wicked hāds do carue,
To call vpon and vainly for to serue.
And thou O Lord whom we doe know to be
the true and liuing God,
Come from thy place, that we may one day see
the vengeance of thy rodde
Upon thy foes, that they may come to nowght
With all their gods deuizd through wicked thowght.
Abraham.
the true and liuing God,
Come from thy place, that we may one day see
the vengeance of thy rodde
Upon thy foes, that they may come to nowght
With all their gods deuizd through wicked thowght.
Go to my Sara, that great God of ours
Hath blist vs, to thintent that we all howres
Should for his giftes which he alone doth giue,
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Now let vs hence and chiefly take good heede,
We hazard not our sonne to much in deede,
By suffering him to haunt the company
Of wicked folke, with whom you see we be.
A new made vessell holdeth long the sent
Of that that first of all is in it pent.
A child by nature nere so well dispozed,
By bringing vp is quite and cleane transpozed.
Sara.
Sir, I doe hope my dewtie for to doe,
Therefore the thing that we must looke vnto,
Is that Gods will may be fulfild in him.
Right sure I am we shall him weeld so trim,
And that the Lord will blisse him so: as all
Shall in the ende to his high honor fall.
Satan in the habit of a Monke.
I goe, I come, I trauell night and day,
I beate my braynes, that by no kind of way
My labour be in any wise misspent.
Reigne God aloft aboue the firmament,
The earth at least to me doth wholly draw,
And that mislikes not God nor yet his lawe.
As God by his in heauen is honored:
So I on earth by myne am worshipped.
God dwells in heauen, and I on earth likewize:
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God reignes aboue, and I doe reigne belowe:
God causeth loue, and I doe hatred sowe.
God made the starrie skies and earthy clodds:
I made much more: for I did make ye godds.
God serued is by Angells full of light:
And doe not my faire Angells glister bright?
I trow there is not one of all my swine,
Whose grooyn I make not goldlike for to shine
These lechours, drunkards, gluttons ouerfedd,
Whose noses shine faire tipt with brazell redd,
Which weare fine precious stones vppon their skinnes,
Are my vpholders & my Cherubins.
God neuer made a thing so perfect yit,
That could the makers full perfection hit.
But I haue made, (whereof I glory may)
A thowsand worser then my selfe farre way.
For I beleue and know it in my thought,
therz but one God, & that my self am nowght.
But yit I know there are whose foolish mind
I haue so turned quite against the kind,
That some (which now is commō long agone)
Had leuer serue a thowsand gods than one.
And others haue conceiued in their brayne,
That for to thinke there is a God is vayne.
Thus since ye time yt man on mowld was made,
With happy lucke I followed haue this trade
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So long as I this habit may mainteine,
I say this habit wherewithall as now
The world is vnacquainted: but I vow
The day shall come it shall be knowne so rife,
Of euery wight, both child, yea man, and wife,
That nother towne nor village shall scape free
From seeing it to their great miserie.
O cowle, o cowle, such mischef thou shalt wurk,
And such abuse shall vnderneath thee lurke
At high noone daies: O Cowle, o Cowle I say,
Such mischief to the world thou shalt conuey,
That if it were not for the spitefulnesse,
Wherewith my hart is frawghted in excesse:
Euen I my selfe the wretched world shall rew,
To see ye things that shall through thee insew.
For I, than who, of all none worse can be,
Am made yit worse by putting on of thee.
These thinges shall in their time wtout all faile
Be brought to passe. As now I will assaile
One Abraham, who onely with his race
Withstands me, and defies me to my face.
In deede I haue him often times assailed:
But euer of my purpose I haue failed.
I neuer saw olde fellow hold such tack.
But I will lay such loade vpon his backe,
That (as I hope) ere long I shall him make
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The true Creator for his onely hold
To trust vnto: and that doth make him bold.
In deede he hath alliance with the trew
Creator, who hath promist him a new
Right wondrous thinges, according whereunto
He hath already done, and still will doe.
But what for that? If stedfastnes him faile
To hold out still: what shall his hope auaile?
I trow I will so many blowes him giue,
That from his hold at length I shall him driue.
His elder sonne I feare not: and the other
Shal hardly scape these hands of mine: ye mother
Is but a woman: as for all the meynie
That serue him, they be simple sowles as enie
Can lightly be: there is a ragged rowt
Of sillie shepherds, nother skild nor stowt
Ynough against my wily sleights to stand.
But hence I will and worke so out of hand,
To haue them, that vnlesse I misse my marke,
Anon I will deceiue their greatest Clarke.
Abraham comming out of his house agein sayth.
What euer thing I doe or say,
I weery am thereof streit way,
How meete so euer that it bee,
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But most of all it me mislikes,
And to the hart with sorrow strikes,
That seeing God is neuer tyrde
In helping me, yea vndezyrde:
I also likewise doe not streyne
My selfe, vnweerie to remayne,
In dew and trew acknowledgment
Of his great mercie to me sent,
As well with mouth as with my hart.
The Angell.
Abraham, Abraham.
Abraham.
Lord here I am.
Angell.
Goe take thyne onely deerebeloued sonne,
Euen Isaac, and bring him to the place
which hight ye myrrh of God: which being done,
Slea him in sacrifice before my face:
And burne him whole vpon a hill which I
Will shew thee there, goe hye thee by and by.
Abraham.
What! burne him! burne him! wel I wil do so:
But yit my God, the thing thou putst me to
Seemes very straunge and irksom for to be:
Lord, I beseech thee, wilt thou pardon me?
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To doe that thou commaundest me this howre.
I well perceiue and plainly now doe find,
That thou art angrie with me in thy mind.
Alas my Lord I haue offended thee.
O God by whom both heauen & earth made be,
With whom intendest thou to be at warre?
And wilt thou cast thy seruaunt downe so farre?
Alas my sonne, alas, what shall I doe?
This matter askes aduised looking too.
A companie of Shepherdes comming out of Abrahams house.
The one halfe of them.
Hie time it is Sirs as I trow
We hie vs packing on a row
To our companions where they be.
The other halfe.
Euen so thinkes me.
For if we all togither were
We should the lesser neede to feare.
Isaac.
How Sirs, I pray you tary. Will
You leaue me so behind you still?
Shepherds.
Good child abide you there,
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And our mistresse your mother may,
Be angrie for your going away:
The time will come by Gods good grace,
That you shall grow and proue a pace:
And then ye shall perceiue the charge,
Of keeping flocks in feelds at large,
What daungers come from hill and dale,
By rauening beasts that lye in stale,
Among the couerts of the woode,
To kill our cattell for their foodd.
Isaac.
And doe ye thinke I would,
Goe with you though I could,
Before I knew my fathers mind?
Shepherds.
In deede a child of honest kind,
And well brought vp, ought euermore
His fathers and his mothers lore
In all his doings to obey.
Isaac.
I will not fayle it (if I may)
To die therefore: but will ye stay
A while vntill I ronne and know
My fathers will?
Shep.
Yea, therefore goe.
| A Tragedie of Abrahams Sacrifice | |