N-Town Cycle, Play 42

[The Last Judgment]

Hic incipit Dies Judicii, et Jesu descendente cum Michaele et Gabriele Archangelis; et Michael dicit et cetera:

  1  MICHAEL Svrgite! All men aryse!
  2  Venite ad Judicium!
  3  For now is sett ŝe hy3 justyce
  4  And hath assygnyd ŝe Day of Dom.
  5  Rape 3ow redyly to ŝis grett assyse,
  6  Bothe grett and small, all an sum!
  7  And of 3oure answere 3ow now avyse,
  8  What 3e xal sey whan ŝat 3e cum,
  9  3owre ansuere for to telle.
 10  For whan ŝat God xal 3ow appose,
 11  Then is non helpe of no glose.
 12  The trewth ful trewlye he wyl tose
 13  And send 3ow to hevyn or helle.

 14  GABRYELL Bothe pope, prynce, and prysste with crowne,
 15  Kynge, and caysere, and knyhtys kene,
 16  Rapely 3e renne, 3oure resonys to rowne!
 17  For this xal be ŝe day of tene.
 18  Nowther pore ne ryche of grett renowne,
 19  Ne all be develys in helle ŝat bene,
 20  From ŝis day 3ow hyde not mowne;
 21  For all 3oure dedys here xal be sene
 22  Opynly in syght.
 23  Who ŝat is fowndyn in deedly gylte,
 24  He were bettyr to ben hylte!
 25  In hendeles helle he xal be spylte.
 26  His dedys his deth xal dyght.

Omnes resurgentes subtus terram clamau [erunt], “Haaa, haaa, haaa!” Deinde surgentes dica[n]t, “Haaa,” et cetera:

 27  Haaa! Cleue asundyr, 3e clowdys of clay,
 28  Asundyr 3e breke and lete us pas!
 29  Now may oure songe be “weleaway,”
 30  ŝat evyr we synnyd in dedly trespas!

Omnes demones clamant:

 31  Harrow and owt! What xal we say?
 32  Harraw, we crye, owt and alas!
 33  Alas! Harrow! Is ŝis ŝat day
 34  To endles peyne ŝat vs must pas?
 35  Alas, harrow, and owt, we crye!

Omnes anime resurgentes dicant et cetera:

 36  A, mercy, Lorde, for oure mysdede,
 37  And lett ŝi mercy sprynge and sprede!
 38  But, alas, we byden in drede—
 39  It is to late to aske mercye.

 40  DEUS Venite, benedicti, my bretheryn all,
 41  Patris mei 3e childeryn dere!
 42  Come hedyr to me, to myn hy3 hall,
 43  All ŝo myn suterys and servauntys [were]!
 44  All ŝo fowle wyrmys from 3ow falle.
 45  With my ryght hand I blysse 3ow here.
 46  My blyssynge burnyschith 3ow as bryght as berall;
 47  As crystall clene it clensyth 3ow clere,
 48  All fylth from 3ow fade.
 49  Petyr, to hevyn 3atys ŝu wende and goo;
 50  ŝe lokkys ŝu losyn and hem vndo.
 51  My blyssyd childeryn ŝu brynge me to,
 52  Here hertys for to glade.

 53  PETRUS The 3atys of hevyn I opyn ŝis tyde.
 54  Now welcome, dere bretheryn, to hevyn, iwys!
 55  Com on and sytt on Goddys ryght syde
 56  Where myrthe and melody nevyr may mys.
 57  OMNES SALUATI On kne we crepe, we gon, we glyde
 58  To wurchepp oure Lorde, ŝat mercyfful is.
 59  For thorwe his woundys, ŝat be so wyde,
 60  He hath brought us to his blys.
 61  Holy Lorde, we wurchepp ŝe!
 62  DEUS Welcome 3e be in hevyn to sitt!
 63  Welcum, fro me xul 3e nevyr flitt,
 64  So sekyr of blys 3e xul be 3itt;
 65  To myrth and joye welcum 3e be.

 66  ANIME DAMPNANDUM Ha! Ha! Mercy! Mercy, we crye and crave!
 67  A, mercy, Lorde, for oure mysdede!
 68  A, mercy, mercy! We rubbe, we rave!
 69  A, help us, good Lord, in ŝis nede.
 70  DEUS How wolde 3e wrecchis any mercy haue?
 71  Why aske 3e mercy now in ŝis nede?
 72  What haue 3e wrought 3oure sowle to saue?
 73  To whom haue 3e don any mercyful dede,
 74  Mercy for to wynne?

 75  PRIMUS DIABOLUS Mercy? Nay, nay, they xul haue wrake!
 76  And ŝat on here forehed wyttnes I take.
 77  For ŝer is wretyn with letteris blake
 78  Opynly all here synne.

 79  DEUS To hungry and thrusty ŝat askyd in my name
 80  Mete and drynke wolde 3e 3eve non;
 81  Of nakyd men had 3e no shame;
 82  3e wold nott vesyte men in no preson;
 83  3e had no peté on seke nor lame—
 84  Dede of mercy wold 3e nevyr don.
 85  Vnherborwed men 3e servyd ŝe same;
 86  To bery the deed pore man wold 3e not gon.
 87  These dedys doth 3ow spylle!
 88  For 3oure love was I rent on rode,
 89  And for 3oure sake I shed my blode.
 90  Whan I was so mercyfull and so gode,
 91  Why haue 3e wrought a3ens my wylle?

 92  SECUNDUS DIABOLUS I fynde here wretyn in ŝin forheed
 93  ŝu wore so stowte and sett in pryde
 94  ŝu woldyst nott 3eve a pore man breed,
 95  But from ŝi dore ŝu woldyst hym chyde.
 96  TERCIUS DIABOLUS And in ŝi face here do I rede
 97  ŝat if a thrysty man com any tyde,
 98  For thrust ŝow he xulde be deed,
 99  Drynk from hym ŝu woldyst evyr hyde.
100  On covetyse was all thy thought.
101  PRIMUS DIABOLUS In wratth ŝi neybore to bakbyte,
102  Them for to hangere was ŝi delyte.
103  ŝu were evyr redy them to endyte.
104  On ŝe seke man rewyst ŝu nought.

105  SECUNDUS DIABOLUS Evyrmor on envye was all ŝi mende:
106  ŝ[u] woldyst nevyr vesyte no presoner;
107  To all ŝi neyborys ŝu were vnkende;
108  ŝu woldyst nevyr helpe man in daunger.

109  TERCIUS DIABOLUS The synne of slauth ŝi sowle xal shende!
110  Masse nore mateynes woldyst ŝu non here,
111  To bery ŝe deed man ŝu woldyst not wende.
112  ŝerfore ŝu xalt to endles fere.
113  To slowth ŝu were ful prest.

114  PRIMUS DIABOLUS Thou haddyst rejoyse in glotonye,
115  In dronkeshepp and in rebawdye!
116  Vnherborwyd with velonye
117  ŝu puttyst from here rest.

118  SECUNDUS DIABOLUS Sybile Sclutte, ŝu ssalte sewe,
119  All 3oure lyff was leccherous lay.
120  To all 3oure neyborys 3e wore a shrewe,
121  All 3oure plesauns was leccherous play.
122  Goddys men 3e lovyd but fewe;
123  Nakyd men and febyl of array
124  3e wolde nott socowre with a lytel drewe,
125  Nott with a thred, ŝe soth to say,
126  Whan they askyd in Godys name.
127  OMNES DAMPNANDI A, mercy, Lord, mekyl of myght,
128  We aske ŝi mercy and not ŝi ryght;
129  Not after oure dede so us quyth.
130  We haue synnyd. We be to blame.

131  DEUS [The manuscript breaks off here.]