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The Cowpers

V. Man's disobedience and fall from Eden

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[Scene, Paradise.]
Satanas
incipit dicens,

For woo my witte es in a were,
That moffes me mykill in my mynde,
The godhede þat I sawe so cleere,
And parsayued þat he shuld take kynde,
of a degree
That he had wrought, and I denyed þat aungell kynde
shuld it noȝt be;
And we were faire and bright,
Þerfore me thoght þat he
The kynde of vs tane myght,
And þer-at dedeyned me.

The kynde of man he thoght to take,
And theratt hadde I grete envye,
But he has made to hym a make,
And harde to her I wol me hye,
(that redy way)

That purpose proue to putte it by,
And fande to pike fro hym þat pray.
My trauayle were wele sette
Myght y hym so betraye,
His likyng for to lette,
And sone I schalle assaye.

In a worme liknes wille y wende,
And founde to feyne a lowde lesynge.

[Calls.

Eue, Eue!

Eua.
Wha es þare?

Satanas.
I, a frende.
And for thy gude es þe comynge,
I hydir sought.
Of all þe fruyt that ye se hynge
In paradise, why eat ye noght?

Eua.
We may of tham ilkane
Take al þat vs goode þought,
Save a tree outt is tane,
Wolde do harm to neygh it ought.

Sat.
And why þat tree? þat wolde I witte,
Any more þan all othir by?

Eua.
For oure Lord god forbeedis vs itt,
The frute þer of, Adam nor I
to neghe it nere,
And yf we dide we both shuld dye,
He saide, and sese our solace sere.

Sat.

Yha, Eue to me take tente,
Take hede and þou shalte here,
What þat the matere mente,
He moved on þat manere.

To ete þer-of he you defende,
I knawe it wele, þis was his skylle,
By-cause he wolde non othir kende
Thes grete vertues þat longes þer-till.

For will þou see,
Who etes the frute of goode and ille
shalle haue knowyng as wele as hee.

Eua.
Why what-kynne thyng art þou,
þat telles þis tale to me?

Sat.
A worme þat wotith wele how
þat yhe may wirshipped be.

Eua.
What wirshippe shulde we wynne ther-by?
To ete þer-of vs nedith it nought,
We have lordshippe to make maistrie
Of alle þynge þat in erthe is wrought.

Sat.
Woman! do way!
To gretter state ye may be broughte,
and ye will do as I schall saye.

Eua.
To do is vs full lothe,
þat shuld oure god myspaye.

Sat.

Nay, certis it is no wathe,
Ete it safely ye maye.

For perille ryght þer none in lyes,
But worshippe and a grete wynnynge,
For right als god yhe shalle be wyse,
And pere to hym in all-kyn thynge.
Ay! goddis shalle ye be!
Of ille and gode to haue knawyng,
For to be als wise as he.

Eua.
Is þis soth þat þou sais?

Sat.
Yhe! why trowes þou noȝt me?
I wolde be no-kynnes wayes
telle noȝt but trouthe to þe.

Eua.
Than wille I to thy techyng traste,
And fange þis frute vnto owre foode.

(Et tunc debet accipere pomum.

Sat.
Byte on boldly, be nought a-basshed,
And bere Adam to amende his mode,
And eke his blisse.

(Tunc Satanas recedet.
Eua.
Adam! have here of frute full goode.

Ad.
Alas! woman, why toke þou þis?
Owre lorde comaunded vs bothe
to tente þe tree of his.
Thy werke wille make hym wrothe,
Allas! þou hast don a mys.

Eue.
Nay Adam, greve þe nought at it,
And I shal saie þe reasonne why,
A worme has done me for to witte,
We shalle be as goddis, þou and I,
yf þat we ete
Here of this tree; Adam, for-thy
lette noght þat worshippe for to gete.
For we shalle be als wise
als god þat is so grete,
And als mekill of prise;
forthy ete of þis mete.

10.

Adam.
To ete it wolde y nought eschewe,
Myght I me sure in thy saying.

Eue.
Byte on boldely, for it es trewe,
We shalle be goddis and knawe al thyng.

Adam.

To wynnne þat name,
I schalle it taste at thy techyng.

(Accipit et comedit.

Allas! what haue I done, for shame!
Ille counsaille woo worthe the!
A! Eue, þou art to blame,
To þis entysed þou me,
me shames with my lyghame!

11.

For I am naked as me thynke.

Eue.
Allas! Adam, right so am I.

Adam.
And for sorowe sere why ne myght we synke,
For we haue greved god almyghty
þat made me man.
Brokyn his bidyng bittirly,
allas! þat euer we it began.
Þis werke, Eue, hast þou wrought,
and made þis bad bargayne.

Eue.
Nay, Adam, wite me nought.

Adam.
Do wey, lefe Eue, whame þan?

12.

Eue.
The worme to wite wele worthy were,
With tales vntrewe he me be-trayed.

Adam.
Allas! þat I lete at thy lare,
Or trowed þe trufuls þat þou me saide.
So may I byde,
For I may banne þat bittir brayde,
And drery dede þat I it dyde.
Oure shappe for doole me defes,
where with þay shalle be hydde.

Eue.
Late vs take there fygge leves,
sythen it is þus be-tydde.

13.

Adam.
Ryght as þou sais so shalle it bee,
For we are naked and all bare,
Full wondyr fayne I wolde hyde me,
Fro my lordis sight, and I wiste whare,
where I ne roght.

[The Lord calls.
Dom.
Adam! Adam!

Adam.
Lorde!

Dom.
Where art thou, yhare?

Adam.
I here þe lorde and seys the noȝt.

Dom.
Say, wheron is it longe
þis werke, why hast þou wrought?

Adam.
Lorde, Eue garte me do wronge
and to þat bryg me brought.

14.

Dom.
Say, Eue, why hast þou garte thy make
Ete frute I bad þei shuld hynge stille,
And comaunded none of it to take?

Eue.
A worme lord, entysed me ther-till,
So wel away!
That euer I did þat dede so dill!

Dom.

A! wikkid worme, woo worthe þe ay,
For þou on þis maner
hast made þam swilke affraye;
My malysoune haue þou here,
with all þe myght y may.

15.

And on thy wombe þan shall þou glyde,
And be ay full of enmyte
To al man kynde on ilke a side,
And erthe it shalle thy sustynaunce be
to ete & drynke.
Adam and Eue, alsoo, yhe
In erthe þan shalle ye swete and swynke,
And trauayle for youre fode.

Adam.
Allas! whanne myght we synke,
We that haues alle worldis goode,
ful defly may vs thynke.

16.

Dom.
Now Cherubyn, myn aungell bryght,
To middilerth tyte go dryve these twoo.

Ang.
Alle redy, lorde, as it is right,
Syn thy wille is þat it be soo,
and thy lykyng.

[To Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eue do you to goo,
For here may ȝe make no dwellyng,
Goo yhe forthe faste to fare,
of sorowe may yhe synge.

Adam.
Allas! for sorowe and care!
owre handis may we wryng.

Et sic finis.