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[Scene, the Wilderness.]
1.
Diab.
MAKE rome be-lyve, and late me gang,
Who makis here all þis þrang?
High you hense! high myght ȝou hang
right with a roppe.
I drede me þat I dwelle to lang
to do a jape.
2.
For sithen the firste tyme þat I fell
For my pride fro heuen to hell,
Euere haue I mustered me emell
emonge manne-kynde,
How I in dole myght gar tham dwell
þer to be pynde.
3.
And certis, all þat hath ben sithen borne,
Has comen to me, mydday and morne,
And I haue ordayned so þam forne,
none may þame fende;
Þat fro all likyng ar they lorne
withowten ende.

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4.
And nowe sum men spekis of a swayne,
Howe he schall come and suffre payne,
And with his dede to blisse agayne
Þ[e]i schulde be bought;
But certis þis tale is but a trayne,
I trowe it noȝt.
5.
For I wotte ilke a dele by-dene,
Of þe mytyng þat men of mene,
How he has in grete barett bene
sithen he was borne;
And suffered mekill traye and tene,
boþe even & morne.
6.
And nowe it is brought so aboute,
Þat lurdayne þat þei loue and lowte,
To wildernesse he is wente owte,
with-owtyne moo;
To dere hym nowe haue I no doute,
be-twyxte vs two.
7.
Be-fore þis tyme he has bene tent,
þat I myght gete hym with no glent,
But now sen he allone is wente
I schall assay,
And garre hym to sum synne assente,
If þat I may.
8.
He has fastid, þat marris his mode,
Ther fourty dayes with-owten foode,
If he be man in bone and bloode,
hym hungris ill;
In glotonye þan halde I gude
to witt his will.
9.
For so it schall be knowen and kidde
If godhed be in hym hidde,
If he will do as I hym bidde
Whanne I come nare.

180

Þer was neuere dede þat euere he dide,
þat greued hym warre.
[Approaches Jesus.]
10.
Þou witty man and wise of rede,
If þou can ought of godhede,
Byd nowe þat þer stones be brede,
Betwyxte vs two;
Þan may þei stande thy-selfe in stede,
and othir moo.
11.
For þou hast fastid longe, I wene,
I wolde now som mete wer sene
For olde acqueyntaunce vs by-twene,
Thy-selue wote howe.
Ther sall noman witte what I mene
but I and þou.

12.
Jesus.
My Fadir, þat all cytte may slake,
Honnoure euere more to þe I make,
And gladly suffir I for thy sake
swilk velany;
And þus temptacions for to take
of myn enemy.
13.
Þou weried wight! þi wittes are wode!
For wrytyn it is, whoso vndirstande,
A man lyvis noght in mayne and mode
with brede allone.
But goddis wordis are gostly fode
to men ilkone.
14.
Iff I haue fastid oute of skill,
Wytte þou me hungris not so ill
Þat I ne will wirke my fadirs will
in all degre,
Þi biddyng will I noȝt full-fill,
þat warne I þe.


181

15.
Diab.
[aside.]
A! slyke carping neuere I kende,
Hym hungres noȝt as I wende;
Nowe sen thy fadir may þe fende
be sotill sleghte,
Late se yf þou allone may lende
þer vppon heghte,
16.
Vppon þe pynakill parfitely.
A! ha! nowe go we wele ther-by!
I schall assaye in vayne-glorie
to garre hym falle.
And if he be goddis sone myghty,
witte I schall.
17.
[To Jesus.
Nowe liste to me a litill space,

If þou be goddis sone, full of grace,
Shew som poynte here in þis place
to proue þi myght.
Late se, falle doune vppon þi face,
here in my sight.
18.
For it is wretyn, as wele is kende,
How God schall aungellis to þe sende,
And they schall kepe þe in þer hande
wher-so þou gose,
Þat þou schall on no stones descende
to hurte þi tose.
19.
And sen þou may with-outen wathe
Fall, and do thy selffe no skathe,
Tumbill downe to ease vs bathe
here to my fete;
And but þou do I will be wrothe,
þat I þe hette.

20.
Jesus.
Late be, warlow, thy wordis kene,
For wryten it is, with-outen wene,

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Thy god þou schall not tempte with tene,
nor with discorde;
Ne quarell schall þou none mayntene
agaynste þi lorde.
21.
And þerfore trowe, þou, with-outen trayne,
Þat all þi gaudes schall no thyng gayne,
Be subgette to þi souereyne
arely and late.

Diab.
[aside.]
What! þis trauayle is in vayne,
be ought I watte!
22.
He proues þat he is mekill of price,
Þerfore it is goode I me avise,
And sen I may noȝt on þis wise
make hym my thrall,
I will assaye in couetise
to garre hym fall.
23.
For certis I schall noȝt leue hym ȝitt,
Who is my souereyne, þis wolde I witte.
[To Jesus.]
My selffe ordande þe þore to sitte,

þis wote þou wele,
And right euen as I ordande itt,
is done ilke dele.
24.
Þan may þou se sen itt is soo
Þat I am souerayne of vs two,
And ȝitt I graunte þe or I goo,
withouten fayle,
Þat, if þou woll assent me too,
it schall avayle.
25.
For I haue all þis worlde to welde,
Toure and toune, forest and felde,
If þou thyn herte will to me helde
with wordis hende,
ȝitt will I baynly be thy belde,
and faithfull frende.

183

26.
Be-halde now, ser, and þou schalt see,
Sere kyngdomes and sere contre;
Alle þis wile I giffe to þe
for euer more,
And þou falle and honour me,
as I saide are.

27.
Jesus.
Sees of thy sawes, þou Sathanas,
I graunte no-thyng þat þou me askis,
To pyne of helle I bide þe passe
and wightely wende;
And wonne in woo, as þou are was,
with-outen ende.
28.
Non othyr myght schalbe thy mede,
For wretyn it is, who right can rede,
Thy lord God þe aught to drede
and honoure ay;
And serue hym in worde and dede,
both nyȝt and day.
29.
And sen þou dose not as I þe tell,
No lenger liste me late þe dwell,
I comaunde þe þou hy to hell
and holde þe þare;
With felawschip of frendis fell
for euer mare.

30.
Diab.
Owte! I dar noȝt loke, allas!
Itt is warre þan euere it was,
He musteres what myght he has,
hye mote he hang!
Folowes fast, for me bus pas
[Angels appear.]
to paynes strang.
[Exit.

31.
Ang.
A! mercy lorde, what may þis mene,
Me merueyles þat ȝe thole þis tene
Of this foule fende caut and kene,
carpand ȝou till!

184

And ȝe his wickidnesse, I wene,
may waste at will.
32.
Me thynke þat ȝe ware straytely stedde,
Lorde, with þis fende þat nowe is fledde.

Jesus.
Myn aungell dere, be noȝt adred,
he may not greue;
The haly goste me has ledde,
þus schal þow leue.
33.
For whan þe fende schall folke see,
And salus þam in sere degre,
Þare myrroure may þei make of me,
for to stande still;
For ouere-come schall þei noȝt be,
bot yf þay will.

34.
ii Ang.
A! lorde, þis is a grete mekenesse,
In yow in whome al mercy is,
And at youre wille may deme or dresse
als is worthy;
And thre temptacions takes expres,
þus suffirrantly.

35.
Jesus.
My blissing haue þei with my hande,
Þat with swilke greffe is noȝt grucchand,
And also þat will stiffely stande
agaynste þe fende.
I knawe my tyme is faste command,
now will I wende.