N-Town Cycle, Play 22

[The Baptism of Christ]

  1  JOHANNES. Ecce vox clamantes in deserto.
  2  I am țe voys of wyldirnese
  3  țat her spekyth and prechy[t]h yow to.
  4  Loke 3e forsake all wrecchidnesse;
  5  Forsake all synne țat werkyth woo,
  6  And turne to vertu and holynese.
  7  Beth clene of levyng in your sowle also.
  8  Than xall 3e be savyd from peynfulnese
  9  Of fyere brynnyng in hell.
 10  If țat 3e forsak synne,
 11  Hevyn blysse xall 3e wyne.
 12  Drede 3e not be devyllys gynne,
 13  With angellys xall yow dwell.

 14  Penitenciam nunc agite
 15  Appropinquabit regnum celorum:
 16  For your trespas penaunce do 3e
 17  And 3e xall wyn hevyn Dei Deorum.
 18  In hevyn blyse ye xall wyn to be
 19  Among țe blyssyd company omnium supernorum,
 20  țeras is all merth, joye, and glee
 21  Inter agmina angelorum,
 22  In blyse to abyde.
 23  Baptyme I cowncell yow for to take
 24  And do penaunce for your synnys sake.
 25  And for your offens amendys 3e make,
 26  Your synnys for to hyde.

 27  I gyff baptym in watyr puere
 28  țat is callyd Flom Jordon.
 29  My baptym is but sygnyfure
 30  Of his baptym țat his lyke hath non.
 31  He is a lord of gret valour;
 32  I am not worthy to onbokyll his schon.
 33  For he xall baptyze, as seyth Scryptour,
 34  țat comyth of hem all euerychone,
 35  In țe Holy Goost.
 36  He may dampne and he may save,
 37  All goodnese of hem we haue.
 38  țer may no man his werkys deprave,
 39  For he is Lord of myghtys most.

Hic accedit Jesus ad Johannem, quem intuens Johannes dicat, digito demonstrans Jesum:

 40  Ecce Agnus Dei qui tollit peccata mundi.

 41  Beholde, țe Lombe of God is this
 42  țat comyth now here beforne,
 43  țe wich xall wasch țe worldys mys
 44  And save all țat that was forlorne.
 45  This same lombe, forsoth, it is
 46  țat of a mayd full clene was borne.
 47  Shamfull deth țis lambe, iwys,
 48  Xall suffer for us, and be all to-torne
 49  And rent on a roode.
 50  He xall suffer for mannys sake
 51  Lytyll rest and moch gret sorow and wrake:
 52  Hys bake xall be bowndyn to a stake
 53  And betyn owt all his bloode.

 54  JESUS Johan Baptyste, myn owyn good frende
 55  țat feythffully doth prech my wylle,
 56  I the thanke with all my mende
 57  For țat good servyse țu dost me tylle.
 58  Thy desyre is synne to shende,
 59  All synful lyff țu woldyst spylle.
 60  Thyn entente hath a good hende;
 61  țe lawe of God țu dost fulffylle
 62  țis tyde.
 63  Baptym to take I come to the,
 64  And conferme țat sacrement țat nowe xal be.
 65  In Flom Jordon țu baptyze me,
 66  In watyr țat is wyde.

 67  JOHANNES. My Lorde God, țis behovyth me nought,
 68  With myn hondys to baptyze the.
 69  I xulde rather of the haue sought
 70  Holy baptym țan țu of me.
 71  JESUS Suffyr now, Johan, my wyl were wrought;
 72  All ryghtffullnes țus fulfyll we.
 73  Me to baptyze take țu no dowth;
 74  țe vertu of mekenes here tawth xal be,
 75  Euery man to lere
 76  And take ensawmple here by me,
 77  How mekely țat I come to țe.
 78  Baptym confermyd now xal be;
 79  Me to baptyze take țu no dwere.

 80  JOHANNES. All men may take exaunple, lo,
 81  Of lowly mekenes evyn ryght here
 82  Be oure Lorde God țat comyth me to,
 83  Hese pore servaunt and his su[w]tere.
 84  Euery man lere to werke ryght so,
 85  Bothe kynge, and caysere, and grett empere;
 86  Be meke and lowe țe pore man to,
 87  And put out pryde in all manere—
 88  God doth here țe same.
 89  To ți byddynge, my Lord so dere,
 90  I me obey with gladsum chere,
 91  And baptyze the with watyr clere.
 92  Euyr halwyd be ți name.

Spiritus Sanctus hic descendat super ipsum, et Deus, Pater Celestis, dicet in celo:

 93  [DEUS] This is my wel-belovyd chylde,
 94  Ouyr whom my Spryte doth ouyrsprede,
 95  Clene, and pure and vndefylyd
 96  Of body, of sowle, for thought, for dede.
 97  That he is buxhum, meke, and mylde
 98  I am wel plesyd, withowtyn drede,
 99  Wysly to wysse 3ow from weys wylde.
100  To lysten his lore all men I rede,
101  And 3oure erys to herke.
102  Take good heed what he doth preche
103  And folwyth țe lawys țat he doth teche.
104  For he xal be 3oure altheris leche,
105  To saue 3ow from deuelys derke.

106  JOHANNES BAP[TYST] Here I se with opyn syght
107  The Sone of God țat țu erte:
108  The Holy Goost ouyr the doth lyght,
109  ți faderys voys I here ful smerte.
110  The childe of God, as I țe plyght,
111  țat țu be, whilys I am qwerte,
112  I xall wyttnes to every whyght
113  And teche it trewly with all myn hert.
114  To sese, it were grett synne.
115  For Goddys sone I wurchypp the,
116  From hevyn țin hy3 magesté.
117  Thu comyst hedyr from dygnité,
118  Mannys sowle to wynne.

119  JESUS Johan Baptyste, țu be wyttnes,
120  The trewth loke țat țu nat hyde.
121  For now I passe forth into wyldernes,
122  The Holy Gost xal be my gyde.
Hic Jesus transit in desertum dicens et cetera:

123  In whylsum place of desertnes
124  XIti days, a terme ful wyde,
125  And fourty nyghtys, both more and lesse,
126  Withowtyn bodyly fode țer to abyde—
127  For man țus do I swynke.
128  Into deserte I passe my way
129  For mannys sake, as I 3ow say.
130  XIti nyghtys and xlti day
131  I xal nowther ete nor drynke.

132  JOHAN BAPTYST In place where I passe wyttnes I bere,
133  The trewth xal I telle wheresoevyr I go:
134  țat Cryst, țe Sone of God, is become oure fere,
135  Clad in oure clothynge to sofer for us wo.
136  I baptyzid with myn owyn handys Cryst Jesu ryght here.
137  And now he is to wyldyrnes, penawns țer to do,
138  Informyng so all us, țat lord țat hath no pere,
139  To do for oure trespace penawnce here also.
140  Of penawnce do I preche.
141  In wyttnes ryght be this
142  țat what man for his mys
143  Doth penawns here, iwys,
144  His sowle he doth wel leche.

145  All men on ground țat be 3itt on lyue,
146  For 3oure grett offens loke 3e be repentaunt.
147  Of all 3oure venym synne, I rede țat 3e 3ow shryve,
148  For God is ful redy mercy for to graunt.
149  Be contryte for 3oure trespas and penauns do belyve;
150  Reconsyle 3oureself and be to God plesaunt.
151  With contryscyon, schryffte, and penauns, țe devil may 3e dryve;
152  Fer fro 3oure felachep he xal not be erraunt,
153  3ow for to meve.
154  Do penauns and synne forsake,
155  Shryfte of mowth loke țat 3e make;
156  And țan țe fende in helle so blake,
157  He xal 3ow nevyrmore greve.

158  A tre țat is bareyn and wyl bere no frute,
159  țe ownere wyl hewe it down and cast it on țe fyre.
160  Ryght so it be [țe] man țat folwyth țe fowle sute
161  Of țe devyl of helle, and werkyth his desyre.
162  God wyl be vengyd on man țat is both dum and mute,
163  țat Wyl nevyr be shrevyn, but evyrmore doth delyre.
164  Clothe the in clennes, with vertu be indute,
165  And God with his grace he wyl be sone inspyre
166  To amendynge of ți mys.
167  Schryfte of mowthe may best be saue,
168  Penauns for synne what man wyl haue,
169  Whan țat his body is leyd in grave,
170  His sowle xal go to blys.

171  Corne țat is good, men kepe it ful clene;
172  Chaff țat is sympyl is sett wul nere at nought.
173  So good men of levynge to God chosyn bene
174  Whan synful men be lyke chaff, and to helle xul be brought.
175  Good penauns 3ow to preche ful hertyly do I mene,
176  Shryfft and satysfaccyon evyrmore to haue in thought.
177  What man in good penauns and schryfte of mowth be sene,
178  Of God he is wel-belovyd, țat all țis worlde hath wrought,
179  And allținge of nowth dede make.
180  Now haue I tawght 3ow good penauns.
181  God graunt 3ow grace at his plesauns
182  To haue of synne delyverauns,
183  For now my leve I take.