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The Cutteleres

XXVI. The conspiracy to take Jesus
  
  

 1. 
 2. 
[Scene II,


225

[Scene II,

Outside Pilate's hall, Judas alone.]
10.
Jud.
Ingenti pro Iniuria, hym Jesus, þat Jewe,
Vn-iust vn-to me, Judas, I juge to be lathe;
For at oure soper as we satte, þe soþe to pursewe,
With Symond luprus full sone/My skiffte come to scathe.
Tille hym þer brought one a boyste,/My bale for to brewe,
That baynly to his bare feet/To bowe was full braythe.
Sho anoynte þam with an oynement/T[h]at nobill was and newe;
But for þat werke þat sche wrought/I wexe woundir wrothe.
And this, to discouer, was my skill,
For of his penys purser was I,
And what þat me taught was vntill,
The tente parte þat stale I ay still;
But nowe for me wantis of my will,
Þat bargayne with bale schall he by.
11.
Þat same oynement, I saide,/Might same haue bene solde
For siluer penys in a sowme/Thre hundereth, and fyne
Haue ben departid to poure men/As playne pite wolde.
But for þe poore ne þare parte/Priked me no peyne,
But me tened for þe tente parte,—/Þe trewthe to be-holde,—
That thirty pens of iij hundereth/So tyte I schulde tyne.

226

And for I mysse þis mony/I morne on þis molde,
Wherfore for to mischeue/Þis maistir of myne,
And þerfore faste forþe will I flitte
The princes of prestis vntill,
And selle hym full sone or þat I sitte,
For therty pens in a knotte knytte.
Þus-gatis full wele schall he witte,
Þat of my wretthe wreke me I will.
[Knocks at the gate of Pilate's hall.
12.
Do open, porter, þe porte of þis prowde place,
That I may passe to youre princes/To proue for youre prowe.

[Janitor, opening.
Jani.
Go hense, þou glorand gedlyng!/God geue þe ille grace,
Thy glyfftyng is so grymly/Þou gars my harte growe.

Jud.
Goode sir, be toward þis tyme,/And tarie noght my trace,
For I haue tythandis to telle.

Jani.
Ȝa, som tresoune I trowe,
For I fele by a figure in youre fals face,
It is but foly to feste affeccioun in ȝou.
For Mars he hath morteysed his mark,
Eftir all lynes of my lore,
And sais ȝe are wikkid of werk,
And bothe a strange theffe and a stark.

Jud.
Sir, þus at my berde and ȝe berk
It semes it schall sitte yow full sore.

13.
Jani.
Say, bittilbrowed bribour,/Why blowes þou such boste?
Full false in thy face in faith can I fynde/Þou arte combered in curstnesse
And caris to þis coste;

227

To marre men of myght/Haste þou marked in thy mynde.

Jud.
Sir, I mene of no malice/But mirthe meve I muste.

Jani.
Say on, hanged harlott,/I holde þe vn-hende,
Thou lokist like a lurdayne/His liffelod hadde loste.
Woo schall I wirke þe away but þou wende!

Jud.
A! goode sir, take tente to my talkyng þis tyde,
For tythandis full trew can I telle.

Jani.
Say, brethell, I bidde þe abide,
þou chaterist like a churle þat can chyde.

Jud.
Ȝa, sir, but and þe truthe schulde be tryed,
Of myrthe are þer materes I mell.
14.
For thurgh my dedis youre dugeperes/Fro dere may be drawe[n].

Jani.
What! demes þou till oure dukes/That doole schulde be dight?

Ju.
Nay, sir, so saide I noght,/If I be callid to counsaille/Þat cause schall be knawen
Emang þat comely companye,/To clerke and to knyght.

Jani.
Byde me here, bewchere,/Or more blore be blowen,
And I schall buske to þe benke/Wher baneres are bright,
And saie vnto oure souereynes,/Or seede more be sawen,
Þat swilke a seege as þi selff/Sewes to þer sight.
[He goes to the lords.]
My lorde nowe, of witte þat is well,
I come for a cas to be kydde.


228

Pil.
We! speke on, and spare not þi spell.

Cay.
Ȝa, and if vs mystir to mell,
Sen ȝe bere of bewte þe bell,
Blythely schall we bowe as ȝe bidde.

15.
Jani.
Sir, withoute þis abatyng,/Þer houes as I hope,
A hyve helte full of ire, for hasty he is.

Pil.
What comes he fore?

Jani.
I kenne hym noght, but he is cladde in a cope,
He cares with a kene face vncomely to kys.

Pil.
Go, gete hym þat his greffe/We grathely may grope,
So no oppen langage be goyng amys.

[Janitor returns to Judas.
Jani.
Comes on by-lyue, to my lorde,/And if þe liste to lepe,
But vttir so thy langage/That þou lette noght þare blys.

[Judas enters.]
Jud.
That lorde, sirs, myght susteyne ȝoure seele
Þat floure is of fortune and fame.

Pil.
Welcome, thy wordis are but wele.

Cay.
Say, harste þou knave? can þou not knele?

Pil.
Loo, here may men faute in you fele.
[To Cayphas.]
Late be, sir, youre scornyng, for schame.

16.
Bot, bewshere, be noȝt abayst to byde at þe bar.

Ju.
Be-fore you, sirs, to be brought/Abowte haue I bene,
And allway for youre worschippe.

An.
Say, wotte þou any were?

Ju.
Of werke sir, þat hath wretthid ȝou,/I wotte what I meene.
But I wolde make a marchaundyse/Youre myscheffe to marre.


229

Pil.
And may þou soo?

Ju.
Els madde I such maistries to mene.

An.
Þan kennes þou of som comberaunce/Oure charge for to chere?
For cosyne, þou art cruell.

Ju.
My cause, sir, is kene.
For if ȝe will bargayne or by,
Jesus þis tyme will I selle ȝou.

i doc.
My blissing, sone, haue þou for-thy,
Loo! here is a sporte for to spye.

Jud.
And hym dar I hete ȝou in hye,
If ȝe will be toward I telle ȝou.

17.
Pil.
What hytist þou?

Jud.
Judas scariott.

Pil.
Þou art a juste mane,
Þat will Jesu be justified/By oure jugement;
But howe-gates bought schall he be?/Bidde furthe thy bargayne.

Jud.
But for a litill betyng/To bere fro þis bente.

Pil.
Now, what schall we pay?

Jud.
Sir, thirtipens and plete, no more þane.

Pil.
Say, ar ȝe plesid of this price/He preces to present?

ii doc.
Ellis contrarie we oure consciens,/Consayue sen we cane
Þat Judas knawes h[y]m, culpabill.

Pil.
I call ȝou consent.
But Judas, a knott for to knytt,
Wilte þou to þis comenaunt accorde?

Jud.
Ȝa, at a worde.

Pil.
Welcome is it.


230

ii Mil.
Take þee of! a traytour, tyte!

i Mil.
Now leue sir, late noman wete,
How þis losell laykis with his lorde.

18.
Pil.
Why, dwellis he with þat dochard,/Whos dedis hase us drouyd?

i Mil.
Þat hase he done sir, and dose,/No dowte is þis day.

Pil.
Than wolde we knawe why þis knave/Þus cursidly contryued?

ii Mil.
Enquere hym sen ȝe can best/Kenne if he contrarie.

Pil.
Say, man, to selle þi maistir/What mysse hath he moved?

Ju.
For of als mekill mony he made me delay;
Of ȝou, as I resayue, schall but right be reproued.

An.
I rede noght þat ȝe reken vs/Oure rewle so to 'ray.
For þat þe fales fende schall þe fang,

i Mil.
When he schall wante of a wraste.

i doc.
To whome wirke we wittandly wrang,

ii doc.
Tille hym bot ȝe hastely hang.

iii doc.
Ȝoure langage ȝe lay oute to lang,
But Judas, we trewly þe trast.
19.
For truly þou moste lerne vs/That losell to lache,
Or of lande, thurgh a-lirte,/That lurdayne may lepe.

Jud.
I schall ȝou teche a token/Hym tyte for to take
Wher he is thryngand in þe thrang,/With-outen any threpe.


231

i Mil.
We knawe hym noght.

Ju.
Take kepe þan þat caytiffe to catche
The whilke þat I kisse.

ii Mil.
Þat comes wele þe, corious, I cleepe!
But ȝitt to warne vs wisely,/All-wayes must ȝe wacche;
Whan þou schall wende forth-with/We schall walke a wilde hepe,
And therfore besye loke now þou be.

Jud.
Ȝis, ȝis, a space schall I spie vs,
Als sone as þe sonne is sette, as ȝe see.

i Mil.
Go forthe, for a traytoure ar ȝe.

ii Mil.
Ȝa, and a wikkid man.

i doc.
Why, what is he?

ii doc.
A losell sir, but lewte shuld lye vs,
20.
He is trappid full of trayne þe truthe for to trist,
I holde it but folye his [? faythe] for to trowe.

Pil.
Abide in my blyssing,/And late youre breste,
For it is beste for oure bote/In bayle for to bowe.
And Judas, for oure prophite/We praye þe be prest.

Ju.
Ȝitt hadde I noght a peny/To purvey for my prowe.

Pil.
Þou schalte haue delyueraunce/Be-lyue at þi list,
So þat þou schall haue liking/Oure lordschipp to loue.
And therfore, Judas, mende þou thy mone,
And take þer þi siluere all same.

Ju.
Ȝa nowe is my grete greffe ouere-gone.


232

i Mil.
Be lyght þan!

Ju.
Ȝis, latte me allone!
For tytte schall þat taynte be tone,
And þerto jocounde and joly I am.

21.
Pil.
Judas, to holde þi behest/Be hende for oure happe,
And of vs helpe and vpholde/We hete þe to haue.

Ju.
I schall be-kenne ȝou his corse/In care for to clappe.

An.
And more comforte in þis case/We coveyte not to craue.

i Mil.
Fro we may reche þat rekeles/His ribbis schall we rappe,
And make þat roy, or we rest,/For rennyng to raffe.

Pil.
Nay, sirs, all if ȝe scourge hym/Ȝe schende noȝt his schappe,
For if þe sotte be sakles/Vs sittis hym to saue.
Wherfore when ȝe go schall to gete hym,
Vn-to his body brew ȝe no bale.

ii Mil.
Our liste is fro lepyng to lette hym,
But in youre sight sownde schall we sette hym.

Pil.
Do flitte nowe forthe till ȝe fette hym,
With solace all same to youre sale.

[Exeunt Judas and soldiers.