 | The Norwich Grocer's Play |  |
[Creation and Fall]
God the Father.
I am Alpha et homega, my Apocalyps doth testyfye,
That made all of nothinge for man his sustentacion;
And of this pleasante garden that I have plant most goodlye
I wyll hym make the dresser for his good recreacion.
Therfor, Man, I gyve yt the, to have thy delectacion.
In eatyng thou shalt eate of every growenge tre,
Exepte the tre of knowledge, the which I forbydd the;
That made all of nothinge for man his sustentacion;
And of this pleasante garden that I have plant most goodlye
I wyll hym make the dresser for his good recreacion.
Therfor, Man, I gyve yt the, to have thy delectacion.
In eatyng thou shalt eate of every growenge tre,
Exepte the tre of knowledge, the which I forbydd the;
For in what daye soever thou eatest thou shallt be
Even as the childe of death; take hede: and thus I saye,
I wyll the make an helper, to comforte the allwaye.
Beholde, therfore, a slepe I bryng this day on the,
And oute of this thy ribbe, that here I do owte take,
A creature for thy help behold I do the make.
Aryse, and from thy slepe I wyll the nowe awake,
And take hyr unto the, that you both be as one
To comfort one th'other when from you I am gone.
Even as the childe of death; take hede: and thus I saye,
I wyll the make an helper, to comforte the allwaye.
Beholde, therfore, a slepe I bryng this day on the,
And oute of this thy ribbe, that here I do owte take,
A creature for thy help behold I do the make.
Aryse, and from thy slepe I wyll the nowe awake,
And take hyr unto the, that you both be as one
To comfort one th'other when from you I am gone.
And, as I saide before when that thou wert alone,
In eatying thow mayst eate of every tre here is,
Butt of the tre of knowledge of good and evyll eate non,
Lest that thou dye the deth by doenge so amysse.
I wyll departe now wher myne habytacion is.
I leave you here [OMITTED]
Se that ye have my woordes in most high estymacion.
In eatying thow mayst eate of every tre here is,
Butt of the tre of knowledge of good and evyll eate non,
Lest that thou dye the deth by doenge so amysse.
I wyll departe now wher myne habytacion is.
I leave you here [OMITTED]
Se that ye have my woordes in most high estymacion.
Then Man and Woman speke bothe.
[Man and Woman.]
We thanke the, mighty God, and gyve the honoracion.
Man spekethe.
[Man.]
Oh bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh eke,
Thow shalte be called Woman, bycaus thow art of me.
14
Most lovynge spowse, I muche do here rejoyce of the.
Woman.
And I lykewyse, swete lover, do much reioyce of the.
God therefore be praised, such comforte have us gyve
That ech of us with other thus pleasantly do lyve.
Man.
To walke abowt this garden my fantasye me meve;
I wyll the leave alone tyll that I turne ageyne;
Farewell, myn owne swete spouse, I leave the to remayne.
Woman.
And farewell, my dere lover, whom my hart doth conteyn.
The Serpent speketh.
[Serpent.]
Nowe, nowe, of my purpos I dowght nott to atteyne;
I can yt nott abyde in theis joyes they shulde be.
Naye, I wyll attempt them to syn unto theyr payne;
By subtyllty to catch them the waye I do well se;
Unto this, angell of lyght I shew mysylfe to be;
With hyr for to dyscemble, I fear yt nott at all,
Butt that unto my haight some waye I shall hyr call.
Oh lady of felicité, beholde my voyce so small!
Why have God sayde to you, ‘Eate nott of every tre
That is within this garden?’ Therein now awnswere me.
Woman.
We eate of all the frutte that in the grounde we se,
Exepte that in the myddest wherof we may nott taste,
For God hath yt forbydd, therfor yt may not be,
Lest that we dye the deth and from this place be caste.
The Serpent.
Ye shall not dye the deth; he make you butt agaste;
Butt God doth know full well that when you eate of yt,
Your eys shall then be openyd and you shall at the last
As godes both good and evyll to knowe ye shal be fytt.
Woman.
To be as God indede and in his place to sytt,
Thereto for to agre my lust conceyve somewhatt;
Besydes the tre is pleasante to gett wysedome and wytt,
And nothyng is to be comparyd unto that.
The Serpente.
Then take at my request, and eate, and fere yt natt.
15
Man.
My love, for my solace, I have here walkyd longe.
Howe ys yt nowe with you? I pray you do declare.
Woman.
Indede, lovely lover, the Heavenly Kyng most stronge
To eate of this apple his angell hath prepare;
Take therof at my hande th'other frutes emonge,
For yt shall make you wyse and even as God to fare.
Then Man taketh and eatyth and sayethe:
[Man.]
Alack! alacke! my spouse, now se I nakid we ar;
The presence of owr God we can yt nott abyde.
We have broke his precepte he gave us of to care;
From God therfor in secrete in some place lett us hide.
Woman.
With fygge-leavis lett us cover us, of God we be nott spyede.
The Father.
Adam! I saye Adam! Wher art thou nowe this tyde,
That here before my presence thou dost nott nowe apere?
Adam.
I herde thy voyce, Oh Lorde, but yett I dyd me hide.
For that which I am naked I more greatly dyd feare.
The Father.
Why art thou then nakyd? Who so hath cawsyd the?
Man.
This woman, Lord and God, which thou hast gyven to me.
The Father.
Hast thou eat of the frute that I forbyd yt the?
Thow woman, why hast thou done unto him thys trespace?
Woman.
The Serpente diseayvyd me with that his fayer face.
The Father.
Thow Serpente, why dydst thou this wise prevente my grace,
My creatures and servantes in this maner to begyle?
The Serpente.
My kind is so, thou knowest and that in every case—
Clene oute of this place theis persons to exile.
The Father.
Cursed art for causynge my commandement to defyle,
Above all cattell and beastes. Remayne thou in the fylde,
Crepe on thy belly and eate duste for this thy subtyll wyle;
The womans sede shall overcome the, thus that have I wylde.
Thou, Woman, bryngyng chyldren with payne shall be dystylde,
And be subiect to thy husbonde, and thy lust shall pertayne
To hym: I hav determynyd this ever to remayne.
16
Cursed is the erth for ever for thy sake;
Thy lyvyng shall thou gett with swett unto thy payne,
Tyll thou departe unto the erth [wherof] I dyd the make.
Beholde, theis letherin aprons unto yourselves now take.
Lo! Man as one of us hath bene, good and evyll to knowe;
Therfor I wyll exempt hym from this place to aslake,
Lest of the tre of lyfe he eate and ever growe.
Myne angell, now cum furth and kepe the waye and porte,
Unto the tre of lyffe that they do not resorte.
The Aungell.
Departe from hence at onys from this place of comforte,
No more to have axcesse or elles for to apere.
From this place I exile you, that you no more resorte,
Nor even do presume ageyne for to com here.
Then Man and Woman departyth to the nether parte of the pageant and Man sayeth:
[Man.]
Alack! myn owne sweteharte, how am I stroke with feare,
That from God am exiled, and browght to payne and woo.
Oh! what have we lost! Why dyd we no more care,
And to what kynde of place shall we resort and goo?
Woman.
Indede into the worlde now must we to and fro,
And where or how to rest, I can nott say at all.
I am even as ye ar, what so ever me befall.
Then cumeth Dolor and Myserye and taketh Man by both armys and Dolor sayeth:
[Dolor.]
Cum furth, O Man, take hold of me!
Through envy hast lost thy heavenly lyght
By eatinge; in bondage from hence shall be.
Now must thou me, Dolor, have allways in sight.
Myserye.
And also of me, Myserye, thou must taste and byte,
Of hardenes and of colde and eke of infirmitie;
Accordinge to desarte thy portion is, of right,
To enjoy that in me that is withoute certentye.
17
Thus troublyd, nowe I enter into dolor and miserie.
Nowe, Woman, must we lerne owr lyvynges to gett.
With labor and with travell; ther is no remedye,
Nor eny thyng therfrom we se that maye us lett.
Then cumyth in the Holy Ghost comforting Man and sayeth:
[Holy Ghost.]
Be of good cheare, Man, and sorowe no more.
This Dolor and Miserie that thou hast taste,
Is nott in respect, layd up in store,
To the joyes for the that ever shall last.
Thy God doth nott this the away to cast,
But to try the as gold is tryed in the fyer;
In the end, premonyshed, shalt have thy desyre.
This Dolor and Miserie that thou hast taste,
Is nott in respect, layd up in store,
To the joyes for the that ever shall last.
Thy God doth nott this the away to cast,
But to try the as gold is tryed in the fyer;
In the end, premonyshed, shalt have thy desyre.
Take owte of the Gospell that yt the requyre,
Fayth in Chryst Jhesu, and grace shall ensewe.
I wyl be thy guyde and pay the thy hyer
For all thy good dylygence and doenge thy dewe.
Gyve eare unto me, Man, and than yt ys trewe,
Thou shalt kyll affectes that by lust in the reygne
And putt Dolor and Mysery and Envy to payne.
Fayth in Chryst Jhesu, and grace shall ensewe.
I wyl be thy guyde and pay the thy hyer
For all thy good dylygence and doenge thy dewe.
Gyve eare unto me, Man, and than yt ys trewe,
Thou shalt kyll affectes that by lust in the reygne
And putt Dolor and Mysery and Envy to payne.
Theis armors ar preparyd, yf thou wylt turn ageyne,
To fyght wyth; take to the, and reach Woman the same;
The brest-plate of rightousnes Saynte Paule wyll the retayne;
The shylde of faythe to quench, thy fyrye dartes to tame;
The hellmett of salvacion the devyles wrath shall lame;
And the sworde of the Spright, which is the worde of God—
All theis ar nowe the offred to ease thy payne and rodd.
To fyght wyth; take to the, and reach Woman the same;
The brest-plate of rightousnes Saynte Paule wyll the retayne;
The shylde of faythe to quench, thy fyrye dartes to tame;
The hellmett of salvacion the devyles wrath shall lame;
And the sworde of the Spright, which is the worde of God—
All theis ar nowe the offred to ease thy payne and rodd.
Adam.
Oh! prayse to The, Most Holye, that hast with me abode,
In mysery premonyshynge by this Thy Holy Spright.
Nowe fele I such great comforte, my syns they be unlode
And layde on Chrystes back, which is my joye and lyght.
This Dolor and this Mysery I fele to me no wight;
No! Deth is overcum by forepredestinacion,
And we attayned wyth Chryst in heavenly consolacion.
Therfor, myne owne swett spous, withouten cavylacion,
Together lett us synge, and lett our hartes reioyse,
And gloryfye owr God wyth mynde, powre, and voyse. Amen.
18
With hart and voyce
Let us reioyce
And prayse the Lord alwaye
For this our joyfull daye,
To se of this our God his maiestie,
Who hath given himsellfe over us to raygne and to governe us.
Lett all our harte[s] reioyce together,
And lett us all lifte up our voyce, on of us with another.
| The Norwich Grocer's Play | |