The Towneley Cycle, Play 6
Jacob
Iacob

001     Jacob. Help me, lord,adonay,
002     And hald, me in the right way
003     To mesopotameam;
004     ffor I cam neuer or now where I am;
005     I cam neuer here in this contre;
006     lord, of heuen, thou help me!
007     ffor I haue maide me, in this strete,
008     sore bonys & warkand feete.
009     The son is downe, what is best?
010     her purpose I all nyght to rest;
011     Vnder my hede this ston shal ly;
012     A nyghtis rest take will I.

013     God. Iacob, iacob, thi god I am;
014     Of thi forfader abraham,
015     And of thi fader, Isaac;
016     I shall the blys for thare sake.
017     This land, that thou slepys in,
018     I shall the gif, and thi kyn;
019     I shall thi seede multyply,
020     As thyk as powder on erth may ly.
021     The kynd of the shall sprede wide,
022     ffrom eest to west on euery syde,
023     ffrom the south vnto the north;
024     All that I say, I shall forth;
025     And all the folkis of thyne ofspryng,
026     shal be blyssyd of thy blyssyng.
027     Iacob, haue thou no kyns drede!
028     I shall the clethe, I shall the fede.
029     Whartfull shall I make thi gate;
030     I shal the help erly and, late;
031     And all in qwart shall I bryng the
032     home agane to thi countre.
033     I shall not fayll, be thou bold,
034     Bot I shall do as I haue told.

035     Jacob. A! lord! what may this mene?
036     what haue I herd, in slepe, and sene?
037     That god leynyd hym to a stegh,
038     And spake to me, it is no leghe;
039     And now is here none othere gate,
040     bot godis howse and heuens yate.
041     lord, how dredfull is this stede!
042     ther I layde downe my hede,
043     In godis lovyng I rayse this stone,
044     And, oyll will I putt theron.
045     lord, of heuen, that all wote,
046     here to the I make a hote:
047     If thou gif me mete and foode,
048     And close to body, as I behoued,
049     And bryng me home to kyth and kyn,
050     by the way that I walk in,
051     without skathe and in quarte,
052     I promyse to the, with stedfast hart,
053     As thou art lord, and god myne,
054     And I Iacob, thi trew hyne,
055     This stone I rayse in sygne to day
056     shall I hold, holy kyrk for ay;
057     And of all that newes me
058     rightwys tend, shall I gif the.
059     A, my fader, god of heuen,
060     that saide to me, thrugh thi steven,
061     when I in aran was dwelland,
062     that I shuld turne agane to land,
063     Ther I was both fed and borne,
064     warnyd thou me, lord, beforne,
065     As I went toward aran
066     with my staff, and passyd, Iordan:
067     And now I come agane to kyth,
068     with two ostes of men me with.
069     Thou hete me, lord, to do well with me,
070     to multyplye my seede as sand of see;
071     Thou saue me, lord, thrugh vertew,
072     ffrom veniance of Esaw,
073     That he slo not, for old, greme,
074     these moders with thare barne teme.

075     Rachel. Oure anguysh, sir, is many fold,
076     syn that oure messyngere vs told,
077     That Esaw wold, you slo,
078     with foure hundreth men and mo.

079     Jacob. ffor soth, rachell, I haue hym sent
080     of many beestis sere present.
081     May tyde he will oure giftis take,
082     And right so shall his wrath slake.
083     where ar oure thyngis, ar thay past Iordan?

084     Leah. Go and look, sir, as ye can.

085     God. The day spryngis; now lett me go.

086     Jacob. Nay, nay, I will not so,
087     Bot thou blys me or thou gang:
088     If I may, I shall hold, the lang.

089     God. In tokynyng that thou spekis with me,
090     I shall toche now thi thee,
091     That halt shall thou euermore,
092     bot thou shall fele no sore;
093     What is thy name, thou me tell?

094     Jacob. Iacob.

095     God. nay, bot Israell;
096     syn thou to me sich strengthe may kythe,
097     to men of erth thou must be stythe.

098     Jacob. what is thy name?

099     God. whi askis thou it?
100     `wonderfull,' if thou wil wyt.

101     Jacob. A, blys me, lord!

102     God. I shall the blys,
103     And be to the full propyce,
104     And gyf the my blyssyng for ay,
105     As lord and he that all may.
106     I shall grayth thi gate,
107     And full well ordeyn thi state;
108     when thou has drede, thynk on me,
109     And thou shal full well saynyd be,
110     And look thou trow well my sayes;
111     And farewell now, the day dayes.

112     Jacob. Now haue I a new name, israell;
113     this place shall [hight] fanuell,
114     ffor I haue seyn in this place,
115     god of heuen face to face.

116     Rachel. Iacob, lo we haue tythand,
117     that Esaw is here at hand.

118     Jacob. Rachell, stand thou in the last eschele,
119     ffor I wold, thou were sauyd wele;
120     Call Ioseph and beniamin,
121     And let theym not fro the twyn.
122     If it be so that Esaw
123     vs before all-to-hew,
124     Ye that ar here the last
125     Ye may be sauyd if ye fle fast.

126     Jacob. I pray the, lord, as thou me het,
127     thou saue me and, my gete.

128     Esau. welcom brother, to kyn and kyth,
129     thi wife and childre that comes the with.
130     how has thou faren in far land?
131     tell me now som good tythand.

132     Jacob. Well, my brother Esaw, 
133     If that thi men no bale me brew.

134     Esau. wemo! felows, hold youre hend,
135     ye se that I and he ar frend,
136     And frenship here will we fulfill,
137     syn that it is godis will.

138     Jacob. God yeld, you, brothere, that it so is
139     that thou thi hyne so wold, kys.

140     Esau. Nay, Iacob, my dere brothere,
141     I shall the tell all anothere;
142     Thou art my lord, thrugh destyny;
143     go we togeder both thou and I,
144     To my fader and, his wife,
145     that lofys the, brother, as thare lyfe.
146