University of Virginia Library

[Scene I,

in the temple at Jerusalem.]
i Judeus.
Leppe fourth, late vs no lenger stande,
But smertely þat oure gere wer grayde,
Þis felowe þat we with folye fande,
Late haste vs fast þat she wer flayed.

ii Jud.
We will bere witnesse and warande
How we hir raysed all vnarayed,
Agaynste þe lawes here of oure lande
Wher sche was with hir leman laide.

i Jud.
Ȝaa, and he a wedded manne,
Þat was a wikkid synne.

ii Jud.
Þat bargayne schall sche banne,
With bale nowe or we blynne.

i Jud.
A! ffalse stodmere and stynkand stroye,
How durste þou stele so stille away!
To do so vilaunce avowtry,
Þat is so grete agaynste oure lay.

ii Jud.
Hir bawdery schall she dere abye,
For as we sawe, so schall we saye,
And also hir wirkyng is worthy
Sho schall be demed to ded þis day.

i Jud.
The maistirs of þe lawe,
Are here even at oure hande.

ii Jud.
Go we reherse by rawe
Hir fawtes as we þam fande.

[Enter Lawyers.]
i Jud.
God saue ȝou, maistirs, mekill of mayne,
Þat grete clergy and counsaille can.

iii Jud.
Welcome ffrendis, but I wolde frayne
How fare ȝe with þat faire woman?

ii Jud.
A! sirs, we schall ȝou saie certay[n]e
Of mekill sorowe sen sche began.
We haue hir tane with putry playne,
Hir selff may noȝt gayne-saie it þan.

iv Jud.
What hath sche done? folye
In fornicacioun and synne?

i Jud.
Nay; Nay; in avowtery
Full bolde, and will noȝt blynne.

iii Jud.
A-vowtery! nemyn it noght, for schame!
It is so foule, opynly I it fye.
Is it sothe þat þei saie þe, dame?

ii Jud.
What! sir, scho may it noȝt denye.
We wer þan worthy for to blame
To greve hir, but sche wer gilty.

iv Jud.
Now certis, þis is a foule defame.
And mekill bale muste be þar-by.

iii Jud.
Ȝa! Sir, ȝe saie wele þore,
By lawe and rightwise rede,
Ther falles noght ellis þerfore,
But to be stoned to dede.

i Jud.
Sirs, sen ȝe telle þe lawe this tyde,
And knawes þe course in þis contre,
Demes hir on heght, no lenger hyde,
And aftir ȝoure wordis wirke schall we.

iv Jud.
Beis noght so bryme, bewsheris, abide,
A new mater nowe moues me; .
[OMITTED]

iii Jud.
He shewes my mysdedis more and myne,
I leue ȝou here, late hym allone.

iv Jud.
Owe! here will new gaudes begynne;
Ȝa, grete all wele, saie þat I am gone.

i Jud.
And sen ȝe are noght bolde,
No lengar bide will I.

ii Jud.
Pees! late no tales be tolde,
But passe fourth preuylye.

Jesus.
Woman! wher are þo wighte men went
That kenely here accused þe?
Who hase þe dampned, toke þou entent?

Mul.
Lord! no man has dampned me.

Jesus.
And for me schall þou noȝt be schent;
Of all thy mys I make þe free,
Loke þou nomore to synne assentte.

Mul.
A! lord, ay loued mott þou bee!
All erthely folke in feere
Loves hym and his high name,
Þat me on þis manere
Hath saued fro synne and schame.

i Apost.
A! lorde, we loue þe inwardly,
And all þi lore, both lowde and still,
That grauntes thy grace to þe gilty,
And spares þam þat thy folke wolde spill.

Jesus.
I schall ȝou saie encheson why,
I wote it is my ffadirs will,
And for to make þam ware þer-by,
To knawe þam-selffe haue done more ill.
And euermore of þis same
Ensample schall be sene,
Whoso schall othir blame,
Loke firste þam-self be clene.

ii Apos.
A! maistir, here may men se also,
How mekenes may full mekill amende,
To for-geue gladly where we goo
All folke þat hath vs oght offende.

Jesus.
He þat will noȝt for-giffe his foo,
And vse mekenesse with herte and hende,
The kyngdom may he noght come too
Þat ordande is with-outen ende.
And more sone schall we see,
Here or ȝe forther fare,
How þat my ffadir free
Will mustir myghtis more.

[Enter Messenger.]
Nunc.
Jesu, þat es prophett veray,
My ladys Martha & Marie,
If þou fouchesaffe, þai wolde þe pray
For to come vn-to Bethany.
He whom þou loues full wele alway
Es seke, and like, lord, for to dye.
Yf þou wolde come, amende hym þou may,
And comforte all þat cumpany.

Jesus.

i Apos.
A! lorde, þou wote wele ilke a tyde,
Þe Jewes þei layte þe ferre and nere,
To stone þe vn-to dede,
Or putte to pereles payne;—
And þou to þat same stede
Covaites to gange agayne.

Jesus.
Ȝe wote by cours wele for to kast,
Þe daie is now of xii oures lange,
And whilis light of þe day may last
It is gode þat we grathely gange.
For whan day-light is pleynly past,
Full sone þan may ȝe wende all wrang;
Therfore takes hede and trauayle fast
Whills light of liffe is ȝou emang.
And to ȝou saie I more,
How þat Lazar oure frende
Slepes nowe, and I therfore
With ȝou to hym will wende.

ii Apos.
We will be ruled aftir þi rede,
But and he slepe he schall be saue.

Jesus.
I saie to ȝou, Lazare is dede,
And for ȝou all grete joie I haue.
Ȝe wote I was noght in þat stede,
What tyme þat he was graued in graue.
His sisteres praye with bowsom beede,
And for comforte þei call and craue,
Therfore go we to-gedir
To make þere myrthis more.

i Apos.
Sen he will nedes wende þedir,
Go we and dye with hym þore.