University of Virginia Library

[Scene, Golgotha, afterwards Mount Calvary.]
i Miles.
Sir knyghtis, take heede hydir in hye,
This dede on-dergh we may noght drawe,
Ȝee wootte youre selffe als wele as I,
Howe lordis and leders of owre lawe
Has geven dome þat þis doote schall dye.

ii Mil.
Sir, alle þare counsaile wele we knawe,
Sen we are comen to Caluarie,
Latte ilke man helpe nowe as hym awe.

iii Mil.
We are all redy, loo,
Þat forward to fullfille.

iv Mil.
Late here howe we schall doo,
And go we tyte þer tille.

i Mil.
It may noȝt helpe her for to hone,
If we schall any worshippe wynne.

ii Mil.
He muste be dede nedelyngis by none.

iii Mil.
Þan is goode tyme þat we begynne.

iv Mil.
Late dynge hym doune, þan is he done,
He schall nought dere vs with his dynne.

i Mil.
He schall be sette and lerned sone,
With care to hym and all his kynne.

ii Mil.
Þe foulest dede of all
Shalle he dye for his dedis.

iii Mil.
That menes crosse hym we schall.

iv Mil.
Behalde so right he redis.

i Mil.
Thanne to þis werke vs muste take heede,
So þat oure wirkyng be noght wronge.

ii Mil.
None othir noote to neven is nede,
But latte vs haste hym for to hange.

iii Mil.
And I haue gone for gere, goode speede,
Bothe hammeres and nayles large and lange.

iv Mil.
Þanne may we boldely do þis dede,
Commes on, late kille þis traitoure strange.

i Mil.
Faire myght ȝe falle in feere,
Þat has wrought on þis wise.

ii Mil.
Vs nedis nought for to lere,
Suche faitoures to chastise.

iii Mil.
Sen ilke a thyng es right arrayed,
The wiselier nowe wirke may we,

iv Mil.
Þe crosse on grounde is goodely graied,
And boorede even as it awith to be.

i Mil.
Lokis þat þe ladde on lengthe be layde,
And made me þane vnto þis tree.

ii Mil.
For alle his fare he schalle be flaied,
That one assaie sone schalle ye see.

iii Mil.
Come forthe, þou cursed knave,
Thy comforte sone schall kele.

iv Mil.
Thyne hyre here schall þou haue.

i Mil.
Walkes oon, now wirke we wele.

Jesus.
Almyghty god, my Fadir free,
Late þis materes be made in mynde,
Þou badde þat I schulde buxsome be,
For Adam plyght for to be pyned.
Here to dede I obblisshe me
Fro þat synne for to saue mankynde,
And soueraynely be-seke I þe,
That þai for me may fauoure fynde;
And fro þe fende þame fende,
So þat þer saules be saffe,
In welthe withouten ende;
I kepe nought ellis to craue.

i Mil.
We! herke, sir knyghtis, for mahoundis bloode!
Of Adam-kynde is all his þoght.

ii Mil.
Þe warlowe waxis werre þan woode,
Þis doulfull dede ne dredith he noght.

iii Mil.
Þou schulde haue mynde, with mayne and moode,
Of wikkid werkis þat þou haste wrought.

iv Mil.
I hope þat he had bene as goode
Haue sesed of sawes þat he vppe sought.

i Mil.
Thoo sawes schall rewe hym sore
For all his saunteryng sone.

ii Mil.
Ille spede þame þat hym spare
Tille he to dede be done!

iii Mil.
Haue done belyue, boy, and make þe boune,
And bende þi bakke vn-to þis tree.

[Jesus lies down.
iv Mil.
Byhalde, hym-selffe has laide hym doune,
In lenghe and breede as he schulde bee.

i Mil.
This traitoure here teynted of treasoune,
Gose faste and fette hym þan, ȝe thre.
And sen he claymeth kyngdome with croune,
Even as a kyng here haue schall hee.

ii Mil.
Nowe, certis, I schall noȝt feyne
Or his right hande be feste.

iii Mil.
Þe lefte hande þanne is myne,
Late see who beres hym beste.

iv Mil.
Hys lymmys on lenghe þan schalle I lede,
And even vnto þe bore þame bringe,

i Mil.
Vnto his heede I schall take hede,
And with myne hande helpe hym to hyng.

ii Mil.
Nowe sen we foure schall do þis dede,
And medill with þis vnthrifty thyng,
Late no man spare for speciall speede,
Tille þat we haue made endyng.

iii Mil.
Þis forward may not faile,
Nowe are we right arraiede.

iv Mil.
This boy here in oure baile
Shall bide full bittir brayde.

i Mil.
Sir knyghtis, saie, howe wirke we nowe?

ii Mil.
Ȝis, certis, I hope I holde þis hande.

iii Mil.
And to þe boore I haue it brought,
Full boxumly with-outen bande.

? iv Mil.
Strike on þan harde, for hym þe boght.

? i Mil.
Ȝis, here is a stubbe will stiffely stande,
Thurgh bones and senous it schall be soght.
This werke is well, I will warande.

ii Mil.
Saie, sir, howe do we þore,
Þis bargayne may not blynne.

iii Mil.
It failis a foote and more,
þe senous are so gone ynne.

iv Mil.
I hope þat marke a-misse be bored.

ii Mil.
Þan muste he bide in bittir bale.

iii Mil.
In faith, it was ouere skantely scored;
Þat makis it fouly for to faile.

i Mil.
Why carpe ȝe so? faste on a corde,
And tugge hym to, by toppe and taile.

iii Mil.
Ȝa, þou comaundis lightly as a lorde,
Come helpe to haale, with ille haile.

i Mil.
Nowe certis þat schall I doo,
Full suerly as a snayle.

iii Mil.

iv Mil.
Go we all foure þanne to his feete,
So schall oure space be spedely spende.

ii Mil.
Latte see, what bourde his bale myght beete,
Tharto my bakke nowe wolde I bende.

iv Mil.
Owe! þis werke is all vnmeete,
This boring muste all be amende.

i Mil.
A! pees man, for mahounde,
Latte noman wotte þat wondir,
A roope schall rugge hym doune,
Yf all his synnous go a-soundre.

ii Mil.
Þat corde full kyndely can I knytte,
Þe comforte of þis karle to kele.

i Mil.
Feste on þanne faste þat all be fytte,
It is no force howe felle he feele.

ii Mil.
Lugge on ȝe both a litill ȝitt.

iii Mil.
I schalle nought sese, as I haue seele.

iv Mil.
And I schall fonde hym for to hitte.

ii Mil.
Owe, haylle!

iv Mil.
Hoo nowe, I halde it wele.

i Mil.
Haue done, dryue in þat nayle,
So þat no faute be foune.

iv Mil.
Þis wirkyng wolde noȝt faile,
Yf foure bullis here were boune.

i Mil.
Ther cordis haue evill encressed his paynes,
Or he wer tille þe booryngis brought.

ii Mil.
Ȝaa, assoundir are both synnous and veynis,
On ilke a side, so haue we soughte.

iii Mil.
Nowe all his gaudis no thyng hym gaynes,
His sauntering schall with bale be bought.

iv Mil.
I wille goo saie to oure soueraynes
Of all þis werkis howe we haue wrought.

i Mil.
Nay sirs, a nothir thyng
Fallis firste to youe me,
I badde we schulde hym hyng,
On heghte þat men myght see.

ii. Mil.
We woote wele so ther wordes wore,
But sir, þat dede will do vs dere.

i Mil.
It may not mende for to moote more,
Þis harlotte muste be hanged here.

ii Mil.
The mortaise is made fitte þerfore.

iii Mil.
Feste on youre fyngeres þan, in feere.

iv Mil.
I wene it wolle neuere come þore.
We foure rayse it noȝt right, to yere.

i Mil.
Say man, whi carpis þou soo?
Thy liftyng was but light.

ii Mil.
He menes þer muste be moo
To heve hym vppe on hight.

iii Mil.
Now certis, I hope it schall noght nede
To calle to vs more companye.
Me-thynke we foure schulde do þis dede,
And bere hym to ȝone hille on high.

i Mil.
It muste be done, with-outen drede,
Nomore, but loke ȝe be redy;
And þis parte schalle I lifte and leede,
On lenghe he schalle no lenger lie.
Therfore nowe makis you boune,
Late bere hym to ȝone hill.

iv Mil.
Thanne will I bere here doune,
And tente his tase vntill.

ii Mil.
We twoo schall see tille aythir side,
For ellis þis werke will wrie all wrang.

iii Mil.
We are redy, in Gode, sirs, abide,
And late me first his fete vp fang.

ii Mil.
Why tente ȝe so to tales þis tyde?

i Mil.
Lifte vppe!

[All lift the cross together.
iv Mil.
Latte see!

ii Mil.
Owe! lifte a-lang.

iii Mil.
Fro all þis harme he schulde hym hyde,
And he war God.

iv Mil.
Þe deuill hym hang!

i Mil.
For grete harme haue I hente,
My schuldir is in soundre.

ii Mil.
And sertis I am nere schente,
So lange haue I borne vndir.

iii Mil.
This crosse and I in twoo muste twynne,
Ellis brekis my bakke in sondre sone.

iv Mil.
Laye doune agayne and leue youre dynne,
Þis dede for vs will neuere be done. [They lay it down.]


i Mil.
Assaie, sirs, latte se yf any gynne,
May helpe hym vppe, with-outen hone;
For here schulde wight men worschippe wynne,
And noght with gaudis al day to gone.

ii Mil.
More wighter men þan we
Full fewe I hope ȝe fynde.

iii Mil.
Þis bargayne will noght bee,
For certis me wantis wynde.

iv Mil.
So wille of werke neuere we wore,
I hope þis carle some cautellis caste.

ii Mil.
My bourdeyne satte me wondir soore,
Vnto þe hill I myght noght laste.

i Mil.
Lifte vppe, and sone he schall be þore,
Therfore feste on youre fyngeres faste.

iii Mil.
Owe, lifte!

[They take up the cross again.
i Mil.
We, loo!

iv Mil.
A litill more.

ii Mil.
Holde þanne!

i Mil.
Howe nowe!

ii Mil.
Þe werste is paste.

iii Mil.
He weyes a wikkid weght.

ii Mil.
So may we all foure saie,
Or he was heued on heght,
And raysed in þis array.

iv Mil.
He made vs stande as any stones,
So boustous was he for to bere.

i Mil.
Nowe raise hym nemely for þe nonys,
And sette hym be þis mortas heere.
And latte hym falle in alle at ones,
For certis þat payne schall haue no pere.

iii Mil.
Heue vppe!

iv Mil.
Latte doune, so all his bones
Are a-soundre nowe on sides seere. [The cross is reared.]


i Mil.
Þis fallyng was more felle,
þan all the harmes he hadde,
Nowe may a man wele telle,
Þe leste lith of þis ladde.

iii Mil.
Me thynkith þis crosse will noght abide,
Ne stande stille in þis mo[r]teyse ȝitt.

iv Mil.
Att þe firste tyme was it made ouere wyde,
Þat makis it wave, þou may wele witte.

i Mil.
Itt schall be sette on ilke a side,
So þat it schall no forther flitte,
Goode wegges schall we take þis tyde,
And feste þe foote, þanne is all fitte.

ii Mil.
Here are wegges arraied
For þat, both grete and smale.

iii Mil.
Where are oure hameres laide,
þat we schulde wirke with all?

iv Mil.
We haue þem here euen atte oure hande.

ii Mil.
Gyffe me þis wegge, I schall it in dryue.

iv Mil.
Here is anodir ȝitt ordande.

iii Mil.
Do take it me hidir belyue.

i Mil.
Laye on þanne faste.

iii Mil.
Ȝis, I warrande.
I thryng þame same, so motte I thryve.
Nowe will þis crosse full stabely stande,
All yf he raue þei will noght ryve.

i Mil.
Say, sir, howe likis þou nowe,
Þis werke þat we haue wrought?

iv Mil.
We praye youe sais vs howe,
Ȝe fele, or faynte ȝe ought?

Jesus.
Al men þat walkis by waye or strete,
Takes tente ȝe schalle no trauayle tyne,
By-holdes myn heede, myn handis, and my feete,
And fully feele nowe or ȝe fyne,
Yf any mournyng may be meete
Or myscheue mesured vnto myne.
My Fadir, þat alle bales may bete,
For-giffis þes men þat dois me pyne.
What þai wirke wotte þai noght,
Therfore my Fadir I craue
Latte neuere þer synnys be sought,
But see þer saules to saue.

i Mil.
We! harke! he jangelis like a jay.

ii Mil.
Me thynke he patris like a py.

iii Mil.
He has ben doand all þis day,
And made grete meuyng of mercy.

iv Mil.
Es þis þe same þat gune vs say,
That he was Goddis sone almyghty?

i Mil.
Therfore he felis full felle affraye,
And demyd þis day for to dye.

ii Mil.
Vah! qui destruis templum.

iii Mil.
His sawes wer so, certayne.

iv Mil.
And sirs, he saide to some
He myght rayse it agayne.

i Mil.
To mustir þat he hadde no myght,
For all the kautelles þat he couthe kaste,
All yf he wer in worde so wight,
For all his force nowe he is feste.
Als Pilate demed is done and dight,
Therfore I rede þat we go reste.

ii Mil.
Þis race mon be rehersed right,
Thurgh þe worlde þoth este and weste.

iii Mil.
Ȝaa, late hym hynge here stille,
And make mowes on þe mone.

iv Mil.
Þanne may we wende at wille.

i Mil.

ii Mil.
Nay, nay, sir, we will loke be lotte,
Whilke of vs foure fallis to to haue.

iii Mil.
I rede we drawe cutte for þis coote,
Loo, se howe sone alle sidis to saue.

iv Mil.
The schorte cutte schall wynne, þat wele ȝe woote,
Whedir itt falle to knyght or knave.

i Mil.
Felowes, ȝe thar noght flyte,
For this mantell is myne.

ii Mil.
Goo we þanne hense tyte,
Þis trauayle here we tyne.