 | Iacob and Esau |  |
scæna quarta
Iacob. Mido. Rebecca. Abra, the handmayde.Iacob.
Thou knowest litle Mido where my mother is.
Mido.
I can go to hir as streight as a threde, and not misse.
Iacob.
Go cal hir, and come againe with her thine owne selfe.
Mido.
Yes, ye shall see me scudde like a litle elfe.
Iacob.
Where I haue by the enticement of my mother,
Bargained and boughte the birthrighte of my brother:
Tourne it all to good O Lorde, if it be thy wyll:
Thou knowest my heart Lord, I did it for no ill.
And what euer shall please thee to worke or to do,
Thou shalt finde me prest and obedient therto.
But here is my mother Rebecca now in place.
Mido.
How say you master Iacob, ranne not I apace?
Iacob.
Yes, and a good sonne to go quicke on your errand.
Sonne how goeth the matter? let me vnderstand.
Iacob.
Forsooth mother, I did so as ye me bade,
Esau to sell me all his birthright persuade.
Rebecca.
Hast thou bought it in dede, and he therwith content?
Iacob.
Yea, and haue his promise that he will neuer repent.
Rebecca.
Is the bargaine through? hast thou paid him his price?
Iacob.
Yea that I haue, a mease of red pottage of rice,
And he eat it vp euery whit well I wotte.
Mido.
When he had supte vp all, I sawe him licke the potte.
Thus he licked, and thus he licked, and this way.
I thought to haue lickt the potte my selfe once to day.
But Esau beguilde me, I shrewe him for that,
And left not so muche as a licke for pusse our catte.
Rebecca.
Sonne Iacob, forasmuche as thou hast so well sped,
With an himne or psalme let the Lord be praised.
Sing we all together, and geue thankes to the Lord,
Whose promise and performaunce do so wel accord.
Mido.
Shal we sing the same himne that al our house doth sing?
For Abraham and his seede to geue God praising.
Rebecca.
Yea the very same.
Mido.
Then must we all knele downe thus,
And Abra our maide here muste also sing with vs,
Knele downe Abra, what I say, will ye not knele downe?
Knele when I bid you, the slackest wench in this towne.
Here they knele doune to sing all foure, sauing that Abra is slackest, and Mido is quickest.
The firste song.
Blessed
be thou, O the God of Abraham,
For thou art the Lord our God, and none but thou:
What thou workest to the glory of thy name,
Passeth mannes reason to searche what way or how.
For thou art the Lord our God, and none but thou:
What thou workest to the glory of thy name,
Passeth mannes reason to searche what way or how.
Thy promise it was Abraham should haue seede,
More than the starres of the skie to be tolde,
He beleued and had Isaac in deede,
When both he and Sara seemed very olde.
More than the starres of the skie to be tolde,
He beleued and had Isaac in deede,
Isaac many yeres longed for a sonne,
Rebecca thy handmaid long time was barraine,
By prayer in thy sight such fauour he wonne,
That at one birth she brought him forth sons twaine.
Rebecca thy handmaid long time was barraine,
By prayer in thy sight such fauour he wonne,
That at one birth she brought him forth sons twaine.
Wherfore O Lorde, we do confesse and beleue,
That both thou canst and wilt thy promise fulfill:
But how it shall come we can no reason geue,
Saue all to be wrought according to thy will.
That both thou canst and wilt thy promise fulfill:
But how it shall come we can no reason geue,
Saue all to be wrought according to thy will.
Blessed be thou O God of Abraham. &c.
Rebecca.
Now dout not Iacob, but God hath appointed thee
As the eldest sonne vnto Isaac to bee:
And now haue no dout, but thou art sure elected,
And that vnthrift Esau of God reiected.
And to sell thee his birthright since he was so madde,
I warrant thee the blessing that he should haue had.
Iacob.
Yea? how may that be wrought?
Rebecca.
Yes, yes, let me alone.
Ones good olde Isaac is blinde, and can not see,
So that by policie he maye beguiled bee.
I shall deuise howe, for no yll intent, ne thought,
But to bring to passe that I know god wil haue wrought
And I charge you twaine, Abra, and litle Mido.
Mido.
Nay ye should haue set Mido before Abra, trow.
For I am a man toward, and so is not she.
Abra.
No but yet I am more woman toward than ye.
Rebecca.
I charge you both that what euer hath bene spoken,
Ye do not to any liuing body open.
Abra.
For my parte it shall to no body vttered be.
Mido.
And slit my tongue, if euer it come out for me:
But if any tell, Abra here, will be pratling.
For they say, women will euer be clattering.
Abra.
There is none here that pratleth so much as you.
Rebecca.
No mo words, but hence we altogether now,
exeāt omnes.
| Iacob and Esau | |