 | The Norwich Grocer's Play |  |
[Text A]
The Story of the Creacion of Eve, with the expellyng of Adam and Eve out of Paradyce.Pater.
Ego principium Alpha et O in altissimis habito:
In the hevenly empery I am resydent.
Yt ys not semely for man, sine adjutorio,
To be allone, nor very convenyent.
I have plantyd an orcheyard most congruent
For hym to kepe and to tylle, by contemplacion:
Let us make an adjutory of our formacion
In the hevenly empery I am resydent.
Yt ys not semely for man, sine adjutorio,
To be allone, nor very convenyent.
I have plantyd an orcheyard most congruent
For hym to kepe and to tylle, by contemplacion:
Let us make an adjutory of our formacion
To hys symylutude, lyke in plasmacion.
Into Paradyce I wyll nowe descende
With my mynysters angelicall of our creacion
To assyst us in owr worke that we intende,
A slepe into man be soporacion to sende.
A rybbe out of mannys syde I do here take;
Bothe flesche and bone I do thys creatur blysse;
And a woman I fourme, to be his make,
Semblable to man; beholde, here she ys.
Into Paradyce I wyll nowe descende
With my mynysters angelicall of our creacion
To assyst us in owr worke that we intende,
A slepe into man be soporacion to sende.
A rybbe out of mannys syde I do here take;
Bothe flesche and bone I do thys creatur blysse;
And a woman I fourme, to be his make,
Semblable to man; beholde, here she ys.
Adam.
O my Lorde God, incomprehensyble, withowt mysse,
Ys thy hyghe excellent magnyficens.
Thys creature to me ys nunc ex ossibus meis,
And virago I call hyr in thy presens,
Lyke onto me in natural preemynens.
Laude, honor, and glory to the I make.
Both father and mother man shall for hyr forsake.
Pater.
Than my garden of plesure kepe thou suer.
Of all frutes and trees shall thou ete and fede,
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Ye shall not touche yt, for that I forbede.
Adam.
Thy precept, Lorde, in will, worde, and dede
Shall I observe, and thy request fulfyll
As thou hast commandyd, yt ys reason and skyll.
Pater.
Thys tre ys callyd of connyng good and yll;
That day that ye ete therof shall ye dye,
Morte moriemini, yf that I do you aspye.
That day that ye ete therof shall ye dye,
Morte moriemini, yf that I do you aspye.
Showe thys to thy spowse nowe bye and bye.
I shall me absent for a tyme and space;
A warned man may live: who can yt denye?
I make the lord thereof; kepe wyll my place;
If thou do thys, thou shall have my grace;
Into mortalité shall thou elles falle.
Looke thow be obedyent whan I the calle.
I shall me absent for a tyme and space;
A warned man may live: who can yt denye?
I make the lord thereof; kepe wyll my place;
If thou do thys, thou shall have my grace;
Into mortalité shall thou elles falle.
Looke thow be obedyent whan I the calle.
Adam.
Omnipotent God and hygh Lord of all,
I am thy servante, bownde onder thyn obedyens,
And thou my creatour, one God eternall;
What thou commandest, I shall do my dylygens.
Pater.
Here I leve the, to have experyens,
To use thys place in vertuse occupacion,
For nowe I wyll retorne to myn habitacion.
Adam.
O lovely spowse of Godes creacion,
I leve the here alone, I shall not tary longe,
For I wyll walk a whyle for my recreacion
And se over Paradyce, that ys so stronge.
Nothyng may hurt us nor do us wronge;
God ys owr protectour and soverayn guyde;
In thys place non yll thyng may abyde.
Serpens.
O gemme of felicyté and femynyne love,
Why hathe God under precept prohybyte thys frute,
That ye shuld not ete therof to your behofe?
Thys tre ys plesant withowten refute.
Eva.
Ne forte we shuld dye, and than be mortall;
We may not towche yt, by Godes commandement.
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Nequaquam, ye shall not dye perpetuall,
But ye shuld be as godes resydent,
Knowyng good and yll spyrytuall;
Nothyng can dere you þat ys carnall.
Eva.
For us than nowe what hold you best,
That we do not owr God offende?
Serpens.
Eate of thys apple at my requeste.
To the Almyghty God dyd me send.
Eva.
Nowe wyll I take therof; and I entend
To please my spowse, therof to fede,
To knowe good and ylle for owr mede.
Adam.
I have walkyd abought for my solace;
My spowse, howe do you? tell me.
Eva.
An angell cam from Godes grace
And gaffe me an apple of thys tre.
Part therof I geffe to the;
Eate therof for thy pleasure,
For thys frute ys Godes own treasure.
Pater.
Adam, Adam, wher art thou thys tyde?
Byfore my presens why dost thou not apere?
[OMITTED] Musick.
Aftyr that Adam and Eve be drevyn owt of Paradyse they schall speke thys foloyng:
Adam.
O with dolorows sorowe we maye wayle and weepe!
Alas, alas, whye ware we soo bolde?
By owr fowle presumpsyon we are cast full deepe,
Fro pleasur to payn, with carys manyefold.
Eva.
With wonderous woo, alas! it cane not be told;
Fro Paradyse to ponyschment and bondage full strong.
O wretches that we are, so euer we xall be inrollyd;
Therfor owr handes we may wrynge with most dullfull song.
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Wythe dolorous sorowe, we maye wayle and wepe
Both nyght and daye in sory sythys full depe.
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