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Tunc evigilabunt milites sepulcri et dicit primus miles
ius miles
Awake Awake
hillis gyn qwake
And tres ben shake
ful nere a-too
Stonys clevyd
wyttys ben revid
Erys ben devid
I am servid soo.

2us miles
he is a-resyn þis is no nay
þat was deed and colde in clay
now is resyn be-lyve þis day
grett woundyr it is to me
He is resyn by his owyn myght
And fforth he goth his wey ful ryght

323

how xul we now us qwytte
Whan Pylat doth us se.

3us miles
lete us now go
pilat on-too
And ryght evyn so
as we han sayn
þe trewth we sey
þat out of clay
he is resyn þis day
þat jewys han slayn.

4us miles
I holde it best
lete us nevyr rest
but go we prest
þat it were done
All heyl pilatt
in þin A-stat
he is resyn up latt
þat þou gast dome.

Pilat
What What What What
Out upon the why seyst þou þat
Ffy vpon the harlat
how darst þou so say
þou dost myn herte ryght grett greff
þou lyest vpon hym fals theff
howe xulde he rysyn ageyn to lyff
þat lay deed in clay

1us miles
ȝa þow þou be nevyr so wroth
And of these tydandys nevyr so loth
ȝitt goodly on ground on lyve he goth
qwycke and levynge man
Iff þou haddyst a ben þer we ware
in hert þou xuldyst han had gret care

324

And of blysse a ben ryght bare
Of colore bothe pale and whan.

Pilatus
Or ȝe com there
ȝe dede all swere
to fyght in fere
and bete and bynde
All þis was trayn
ȝour wurdys wore vayn
þis is sertayn
ȝow fals I fynde.

2us miles
Be þe deth þe devyl deyd
we were of hym so sore Atreyd
þat ffor ffer we us down leyd
Ryght evyn vpon oure syde
whan we were leyd upon þe grounde
stylle we lay as we had be bounde
we durst not ryse for a thowsand pounde
ne not for all þis worlde so wyde.

Pilatus
Now ffy upon ȝour grett bost
all ȝour wurchep is now lost
in felde in town and in every cost
men may ȝou dyspravyn
now all ȝour wurchep it is lorn
And euery man may ȝow we scorn
And bydde ȝow go syttyn in þe corn
And chare a-wey þe ravyn

3us miles
ȝa it was hyȝ tyme to leyn oure bost
Ffor whan þe body toke aȝen þe gost
he wold a frayd many An ost
kynge knyght and knave
ȝa whan he dede ryse out of his lake
þan was þer suche An erthe-quake
þat all þe worlde it gan to shake
þat made us ffor to rave.


325

4us miles
ȝa ȝa herke ffelawys what I xal say
late us not ses be nyght nor day
but telle þe trewth ryght as it lay
In countre where we goo
And than I dare ley myn heed
þat þei þat crystys lawys leed
they wyl nevyr ses tyl they be deed
his deth þat brought hym too.

ius miles
Be belyall þis was now wele ment
to þis cowncell lete us consent
lett us go tellyn with on Assent
he is resyn up þis day.

2us miles
I grawnt þer-to and þat forth ryght
þat he is resyn by his owyn myght
Ffor þer cam non be day nor nyght
to helpe hym owte of clay.

Pilatus
Now jentyl serys I pray ȝow All
A-byde stylle a lytyl thrall
whyll þat I myn cowncel call
And here of þer councell.

ius miles
Syr att ȝour prayour we wyl abyde
here in þis place a lytel tyde
but tary not to longe ffor we must ryde
we may not longe dwelle.

Pilatus
Now jentyl serys I pray ȝow here
Sum good cowncel me to lere
Ffor sertys serys without dwere
We stounde in right grett dowte.

Cayphas
Now trewly sere I ȝow telle
þis matere is both ffers and felle
combros it is þerwith to melle
And evyl to be browth a-bowte.


326

Annas
Syr pylat þou grett justyse
þow þou be of wittys wyse
ȝit herke fful sadly with good devyse
what þat þou xalt do
I counsel þe be my reed
þis wundyrful tale pray hem to hede
and upon þis ȝeve hem good mede
bothe golde and sylver also.
And sere I xall telle ȝow why
in ȝoure erys prevyly
be-tweyn us thre serteynly
now herk serys in ȝour erys.

his faciant pilatus cayphas et Annas priuatim inter se consilium quo finito dicat
Annas
Ffor mede doth most in every qwest
and mede is mayster bothe est and west
now trewly serys I hold þis best
With mede men may bynde berys

Cayphas
Sekyr sere þis counsell is good
pray þese knyhtys to chaunge þer mood
ȝeve them golde ffeste and ffood
And þat may chaunge þer wytt.

Pylatt
Serys ȝoure good councel I xall fulfylle
now jentyl knyhtys come hedyr me tylle
I pray ȝow serys of ȝour good wylle
no ferther þat ȝe fflytt.
Jentyl knyhtys I ȝow pray
A bettyr sawe þat ȝe say
Sey þer he was cawth away
with his dyscyplis be nyght
Sey he was with his dyscyplis ffett
I wolde ȝe worn in ȝoure sadelys ssett
And haue here gold in a purs knett
and to rome rydyth ryght.


327

4us miles
Now syr pylatt
we gon oure gatt
We wyll not prate
no lengere now
now we haue golde
no talys xul be tolde
to whithtys on wolde
we make þe A vow.

Pilatus
Now ȝe men of myth
as ȝe han hyght
Euyn so forth ryght
ȝoure wurdys not falle
And ȝe xul gon
with me A-non
All every-chon
in to myn halle.

1us miles
Now hens we go
As lyth as ro
And ryght evyn so
As we han seyd
We xul kepe counsel
where so evyr we dwell
We xul no talys tell
be not dysmayd.