The Tapiteres and Couchers XXX. The Dream of Pilate's Wife : Jesus before Pilate |
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[Scene I
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 | The Tapiteres and Couchers |  |
[Scene I
Pilate's judgment-hall.]
1.
Pil.
YHE cursed creatures þat cruelly are cryand,
Restreyne you for stryuyng
For strengh of my strakis,
Youre pleyntes in my presence
Vse plately applyand,
Or ellis þis brande in youre braynes/Schalle brestis and brekis.
Þis brande in his bones brekis,
What brawle þat with brawlyng me brewis,
That wrecche may not wrye fro my wrekis,
Nor his sleyghtis noȝt slely hym slakis,
Latte þat traytour noȝt triste in my trewys.
Restreyne you for stryuyng
For strengh of my strakis,
Youre pleyntes in my presence
Vse plately applyand,
Or ellis þis brande in youre braynes/Schalle brestis and brekis.
Þis brande in his bones brekis,
What brawle þat with brawlyng me brewis,
That wrecche may not wrye fro my wrekis,
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Latte þat traytour noȝt triste in my trewys.
2.
For sir Sesar was my sier/And I sothely his sonne,
That exelent Emperoure exaltid in hight,
Whylk all þis wilde worlde with wytes had wone,
And my modir hight Pila þat proude was o pight,
O Pila þat prowde and Atus hir fadir he hight.
This pila was hadde in to Atus,
Nowe renkis, rede yhe it right?
For þus schortely I haue schewid you in sight,
Howe I am prowdely preued Pilatus.
That exelent Emperoure exaltid in hight,
Whylk all þis wilde worlde with wytes had wone,
And my modir hight Pila þat proude was o pight,
O Pila þat prowde and Atus hir fadir he hight.
This pila was hadde in to Atus,
Nowe renkis, rede yhe it right?
For þus schortely I haue schewid you in sight,
Howe I am prowdely preued Pilatus.
3.
Loo! Pilate, I am proued a prince of grete pride,
I was putte in to Pounce þe pepill to presse,
And sithen Sesar hym selffe with exynatores be his side,
Remytte me to þe remys, þe renkes to redresse.
And yitte am I graunted on grounde, as I gesse
To justifie and juge all þe Iewes.
A! luffe! here lady! no lesse,
[Enter dame Percula.
I was putte in to Pounce þe pepill to presse,
And sithen Sesar hym selffe with exynatores be his side,
Remytte me to þe remys, þe renkes to redresse.
And yitte am I graunted on grounde, as I gesse
To justifie and juge all þe Iewes.
A! luffe! here lady! no lesse,
Lo! sirs, my worthely wiffe, þat sehe is!
So semely, loo! certayne scho schewys.
So semely, loo! certayne scho schewys.
4.
Vx. Pil.
Was nevir juge in þis Jurie of so jocounde generacion,
Nor of so joifull genolgie to gentrys enioyned,
As yhe, my duke doughty, demar of dampnacion,
To princes and prelatis/Þat youre preceptis perloyned.
Who þat youre perceptis pertely perloyned,
With drede in to dede schall ye dryffe hym,
By my trouthe, he vntrewly is stonyd,
Þat agaynste youre behestis hase honed;
All to ragges schall ye rente hym and ryue hym.
Nor of so joifull genolgie to gentrys enioyned,
As yhe, my duke doughty, demar of dampnacion,
To princes and prelatis/Þat youre preceptis perloyned.
Who þat youre perceptis pertely perloyned,
With drede in to dede schall ye dryffe hym,
By my trouthe, he vntrewly is stonyd,
Þat agaynste youre behestis hase honed;
All to ragges schall ye rente hym and ryue hym.
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5.
I am dame precious Percula, of prynces þe prise,
Wiffe to Sir Pilate here prince with-outen pere,
All welle of all womanhede I am, wittie and wise,
Consayue nowe my countenaunce so comly & clere.
The coloure of my corse is full clere,
And in richesse of robis I am rayed,
Ther is no lorde in þis londe as I lere,
In faith þat hath a frendlyar feere,
Than yhe my lorde,/My-selffe yof I saye itt.
Wiffe to Sir Pilate here prince with-outen pere,
All welle of all womanhede I am, wittie and wise,
Consayue nowe my countenaunce so comly & clere.
The coloure of my corse is full clere,
And in richesse of robis I am rayed,
Ther is no lorde in þis londe as I lere,
In faith þat hath a frendlyar feere,
Than yhe my lorde,/My-selffe yof I saye itt.
6.
Pil.Nowe saye itt save may ye saffely,/For I will certefie þe same.
Vxor.
Gracious lorde, gramercye, youre gode worde is gayne.
Pil.
Yhitt for to comforte my corse, me must kisse you, madame!
Vx.
To fulfille youre forward, my fayre lorde, in faith I am fayne.
Pil.
Howe! howe! felawys, nowe in faith I am fayne
Of theis lippis, so loffely are lappid,
In bedde is full buxhome and bayne.
Domina.
Yha, sir, it nedith not to layne,/All ladise we coveyte þan
Bothe to be kyssed and clappid.
[Enter Beadle (of the court).]
7.
Bed.My liberall lorde, O leder of lawis,
O schynyng schawe þat all schames escheues,
I beseke you my souerayne, assente to my sawes,
As ye are gentill juger and justice of Jewes.
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Do herke, howe þou, javell, jangill of Iewes!
Why, go bette, horosonne boy, when I bidde þe.
Bed.
Madame, I do but þat diewe is.
Dom.
But yf þou reste of thy resoune, þou rewis,
For all is a-cursed carle, hase in, kydde þe!
8.
Pil.Do mende you, madame, and youre mode be amendand,
For me semys it wer sittand to se what he sais.
Dom.
Mi lorde, he tolde nevir tale þat to me was tendand,
But with wrynkis and with wiles to wend me my weys.
Bed.
Gwisse of youre wayes to be wendand,/Itt langis to oure lawes.
Dom.
Loo! lorde, þis ladde with his lawes,/Howe thynke ye it prophitis wele
His prechyng to prayse?
Pil.
Yha, luffe, he knawis
All oure custome, I knawe wele.
9.
Bed.
My seniour, will ye see nowe þe sonne in youre sight,
For his stately strengh he stemmys in his stremys,
Behalde ovir youre hede how he holdis fro hight
And glydis to þe grounde with his glitterand glemys.
To þe grounde he gois with his bemys,
And þe nyght is neghand anone;
Yhe may dome aftir no dremys,
But late my lady here/With all her light lemys,
Wightely go wende till her wone.
For his stately strengh he stemmys in his stremys,
Behalde ovir youre hede how he holdis fro hight
And glydis to þe grounde with his glitterand glemys.
To þe grounde he gois with his bemys,
And þe nyght is neghand anone;
Yhe may dome aftir no dremys,
But late my lady here/With all her light lemys,
Wightely go wende till her wone.
10.
For ye muste sitte, sir, þis same nyght of lyfe and of lyme;
Itt is noȝt leeffull for my lady,/By the lawe of this lande,
In dome for to dwelle/Fro þe day waxe ought dymme;
For scho may stakir in þe strete/But scho stalworthely stande.
Late hir take hir leve whill þat light is.
Itt is noȝt leeffull for my lady,/By the lawe of this lande,
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For scho may stakir in þe strete/But scho stalworthely stande.
Late hir take hir leve whill þat light is.
Pil.
Nowe wiffe, þan ye blythely be buskand.
Dom.
I am here, sir, hendely at hande.
Pil.
Loo! þis is renke has vs redde als right is.
11.
Dom.Youre comaundement to kepe to kare forþe y caste me,
My lorde, with youre leue, no lenger y lette yowe.
Pil.
Itt were appreue to my persone/Þat preuely ȝe paste me,
Or ye wente fro this wones/Or with wynne ȝe had wette yowe.
Ye schall wende forthe with wynne/Whenne þat ȝe haue wette yowe.
Gete drinke! what dose þou! haue done!
[Calls out.
Come semely, beside me, and sette yowe,
Loke! nowe it is even here, þat I are behete you,
Ya, 'saie it nowe sadly & sone.
12.
Dom.Itt wolde gladde me, my lorde, if ȝe gudly begynne.
Pil.
Nowe I assente to youre counsaille, so comely & clere;
Nowe drynke [ȝe], madame: to deth all þis dynne!
Dom.
Iff it like yowe myne awne lorde, I am not to lere;
This lare I am not to lere.
Pil.
Yitt efte to youre damysell, madame.
Dom.
In thy hande, holde nowe, and haue here.
Anc.
Gramarcy, my lady so dere.
Pil.
Nowe fares-wele, and walke on youre way.
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13.
Dom.Now fare wele, ye frendlyest, youre fomen to fende.
Pil.
Nowe fare wele, ye fayrest figure þat euere did fode fede,
And fare wele, ye damysell, in dede.
An.
My lorde, I comande me to youre ryalte.
Pil.
Fayre lady, he þis schall you lede,
[To his son]
Sir, go with þis worthy in dede,
And what scho biddis you doo,/Loke þat buxsome you be.
14.
Fil.I am prowde and preste to passe on a passe,
To go with þis gracious, hir gudly to gyde.
Pil.
Take tente to my tale, þou turne on no trayse,
Come tyte and telle me yf any tythyngis be-tyde.
Fil.
If any tythyngis my lady be-tyde,
I schall full sone sir, witte you to say.
This semely schall I schewe by hir side,
Be-lyffe sir, no lenger we byde.
[Exeunt Percula, son, and damsel.
Pil.
Nowe fares-wele, and walkes on youre way.
15.
Nowe wente is my wiffe, yf it wer not hir will,
And scho rakis tille hir reste as of no thyng scho rought.
Tyme is, I telle þe, þou tente me vntill,
And buske þe belyue, belamy, to bedde þat y wer broght.
And loke I be rychely arrayed.
And scho rakis tille hir reste as of no thyng scho rought.
Tyme is, I telle þe, þou tente me vntill,
And buske þe belyue, belamy, to bedde þat y wer broght.
And loke I be rychely arrayed.
Bed.
Als youre seruaunte I haue sadly it sought,
And þis nyght, sir, newe schall ye noght,
I dare laye, fro ye luffely be layde.
[Pilate goes to his couch.
16.
Pil.I comaunde þe to come nere, for I will kare to my couche,
Haue in thy handes hendely and heue me fro hyne,
But loke þat þou tene me not with þi tastyng, but tendirly me touche,
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A! sir, yhe whe wele!/
Pil.
Yha, I haue wette with me wyne.
Yhit helde doune and lappe me even [here],
[Is laid down.
For I will slelye slepe vnto synne.
Loke þat no man nor no myron of myne
With no noyse be neghand me nere.
17.
Bed.Sir, what warlowe yow wakens/With wordis full wilde,
Þat boy for his brawlyng/Were bettir be vn-borne.
Pil.
Yha, who chatteres, hym chastise,/Be he churle or childe,
For and he skape skatheles/Itt were to vs a grete skorne.
Yf skatheles he skape, it wer a skorne;
What rebalde þat redely will rore,
I schall mete with þat myron to-morne,
And for his ledir lewdenes hym lerne to be lorne.
Bed.
Whe! so sir, slepe ye, and saies nomore.
| The Tapiteres and Couchers | |