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Actus Primus
[Enter Deus Pater, Naturae Lex, Moseh Lex, and Christi Lex.]Deus Pater
I am Deus Pater, a substaunce invysyble,
All one with the Sonne and Holy Ghost in essence.
To Angell and Man I am incomprehensyble,
A strength infynyte, a ryghteousnesse, a prudence,
A mercy, a goodnesse, a truth, a lyfe, a sapyence.
In heaven and in earth we made all to our glory
Man ever havynge in a specyall memory.
All one with the Sonne and Holy Ghost in essence.
To Angell and Man I am incomprehensyble,
A strength infynyte, a ryghteousnesse, a prudence,
A mercy, a goodnesse, a truth, a lyfe, a sapyence.
In heaven and in earth we made all to our glory
Man ever havynge in a specyall memory.
Man, I saye agayne, whych is our owne elect,
Our chosen creature, and servaunt over all,
Above the others peculyarly select
To do us homage and on our name to call
Acknowledgynge us for hys author princypall,
Indued hym we have with gyftes of specyall grace
And lawes wyll we sende to governe hym in place.
Our chosen creature, and servaunt over all,
Above the others peculyarly select
To do us homage and on our name to call
Acknowledgynge us for hys author princypall,
Indued hym we have with gyftes of specyall grace
And lawes wyll we sende to governe hym in place.
Steppe fourth ye thre lawes for gydaunce of Mankynde
Whom most inteyrly in hart we love and faver,
And teach hym to walke accordynge to our mynde,
In clennes of lyfe and in a gentyll behaver.
Depely instruct hym our mysteryes to saver,
By the workes of fayth all vyces to seclude
And preserve in hym our godly symylytude.
Whom most inteyrly in hart we love and faver,
And teach hym to walke accordynge to our mynde,
In clennes of lyfe and in a gentyll behaver.
Depely instruct hym our mysteryes to saver,
By the workes of fayth all vyces to seclude
And preserve in hym our godly symylytude.
Naturae Lex
Of duty we ought alwayes to be obeysaunt
To your commaundement for just it is and plesaunt.
Moseh Lex
Your preceptes are true and of perpetuall strength,
On justyce grounded as wyll apere at length.
Christi Lex
Proudenesse ye abhorre with lyke inconvenyentes.
All they are cursed wych go from your commaundementes.
Deus Pater
Our lawes are all one, though yow do thre apere,
Lyke wyse as our wyll is all one in effect.
But bycause that Man in hymself is not clere,
To tyme and persone as now we have respect;
And as thre teachers to hym we yow dyrect
Though ye be but one, in token that we are thre
Dystyncte in persone and one in the deyte.
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We consydre that for as concernynge Man
Foure severall tymes are moch to be respected:
Of innocency first, of hys transgressyon than,
Than the longe season wherin he was afflycted,
Fynally the tyme wherin he was redemed:
Of pleasure is the first, the seconde of exyle,
The third doth ponnysh, the forth doth reconcyle.
Moseh Lex
Whan Angell was made thys lawe he had by and by,
To serve yow hys lorde, and with laudes to prosecute.
Thys lawe was geven Man, in tyme of innocency,
In no wyse to eate of the forbydden frute.
These two lawes broken, both they were destytute
Of their first fredome, to their most hygh decaye,
Tyll your only sonne ded mannys whole raunsome paye.
Christi lex
Whan Angell in heaven and Man in paradyse
Those lawes had broken, the lawe of wycked Sathan
Impugned your lawes by craft and subtyle practyse.
Where yow sayd Eate not! he sayd unto the woman
‘Eate! Ye can not dye: as godes ye shall be than.’
By thys first of all your [lawes] Man proved true
And Sathans lawe false, whych he now dayly rue.
Deus Pater
Lete hym than beware how he our lawes neglect.
Only to Angell and Man we gave lyberte
And they onlye fell becommynge a frowarde sect
Not by our mocyon but their owne vanyte.
For that we gave them to their felycyte
Abused they have, to their perpetuall evyll.
Man is now mortall, and Angell become a devyll.
Only to Angell and Man we gave lyberte
And they onlye fell becommynge a frowarde sect
Not by our mocyon but their owne vanyte.
For that we gave them to their felycyte
Abused they have, to their perpetuall evyll.
Man is now mortall, and Angell become a devyll.
Lose Man we wyll not, though he from us doth fal;
Our love towardes hym wyll be moch better than so.
Thu lawe of Nature, teache thu hym first of all
Hys lorde God to knowe, and that is ryght to do;
Charge and enforce hym in the wayes of us to go,
Thu lawe of Moses; and Christes lawe fynally,
Rayse hym and save hym to our perpetuall glory.
Our love towardes hym wyll be moch better than so.
Thu lawe of Nature, teache thu hym first of all
Hys lorde God to knowe, and that is ryght to do;
Charge and enforce hym in the wayes of us to go,
Thu lawe of Moses; and Christes lawe fynally,
Rayse hym and save hym to our perpetuall glory.
Naturae Lex
For tyme of exyle than I must be hys teacher.
Deus Pater
Yea, for thre ages both gyde and governer:
From Adam to Noah, from Noah to Abraham,
And than to Moses whych is the sonne of Amram.
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Where must I remayne for the tyme I shall be here?
Deus Pater
In the hart of Man hys conscyence for to stere
To ryghteouse lyvynge and to a just beleve.
In token wherof, thys hart to the I geve.
Hic pro suo signo cor ministrat.
Thu shalt want no grace to confort hym with all,
If he to the fayth of my first promyse fall.
Moseh Lex
Then my course is next for tyme of hys ponnishment.
Deus Pater
For thre ages more to the must he consent:
From Moses to David, from thens to the Jewes exyle,
And so fourth to Christ, whych wyll Man reconcyle.
Moseh Lex
Where shall I, swete Lorde, for that same season dewell?
Deus Pater
With soch harde rulers as wyll the people compell
Our mynde to fulfyll without vayne gaudes or fables.
For a sygne of thys, holde these same stony tables.
Hic pro signo lapideas dat ei tabulas.
All they that observe our lawes invyolablye
Shall every where prospere, increase and multyplye.
Christi Lex
Then I perceyve well my course is last of all.
Deus Pater
What though it be so? Yet art thu pryncypall;
[Over all] the worlde thy beames shalt thu extende,
And styll contynue tyll the worlde be at an ende.
Christi Lex
Where shall I, father, for that same tyme persever?
Deus Pater
With the faythfull sort must thu contynue ever.
Thu shalt my people returne from farre exyle
And for evermore to my grace reconcyle.
Take thys precyouse boke for a token evydent,
A seale of my covenaunt, and a lyvynge testament.
Hic pro signo dat ei novum testamentum.
They that beleve it shall lyve for evermore,
And they that do not wyll rue their folye sore.
Blessed shall he be that yow, my lawes, wyll kepe
In cytie and felde, whether he do worke or slepe.
Hys wyfe shall encreace; hys land shall frutyfye;
And of hys enemyes he shall have vyctorye;
The skye wyll geve rayne whan seasonable tyme shall be;
The workes of hys handes shall have prosperyte.
Cursed shall they be that wyll not our lawes fulfyll,
Without and within, at market and at myll.
Of corne and cattell they shall have non increase;
Within their owne howse shall sorowes never cease;
Never shall they be without byle, botche or blayne;
The pestylence and poxe wyll worke them deadly payne.
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Of our ryghteousnesse to stande alwayes in drede.
We vysyte the synne and the great abhomynacyon
Of the wycked sort to thirde and fort generacyon.
Thu, lawe of Nature, instruct hym first of all;
Thu, lawe of Moses, correct hym for hys fall;
And thu, lawe of Christ, geve hym a godly mynde,
Rayse hym unto grace, and save hym from the fynde.
Our heavenly blessynge be with yow, everychone.
Omnes
simul.
All prayse and glory to your majeste alone.
Christi Lex
Here styll to tarry I thynke it be your mynde.
Naturae Lex
My offyce, ye knowe, is to instruct Mankynde.
Moseh Lex
Than God be with yow; we leave ye here behynde.
Exeunt [all except Naturae Lex.]
Finit Actus primus.
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