The Towneley Cycle, Play 7 The Prophets Processus Prophetarum (Incomplete) 001 Moyses. Prophetam excitabit deus de fratribus vestris; 002 Omnis anima, que non audierit prophetam illum, 003 exterminabitur de populo suo; 004 Nemo propheta sine honore nisi in patria sua. 005 All ye folk of israell, 006 herkyn to me! I will you tell 007 Tythyngis farly goode; 008 All wote ys how it be fell 009 wherfor Adam was dampnyd, to hell, 010 he, and all his blode. 011 Therfor will god, styr and rayse 012 A prophete, in som man dayes, 013 Of oure brethere kyn; 014 And all trowes as he says, 015 And will walk in his ways, 016 ffrom hell he will theym twyn. 017 when his tyme begynnys to day, 018 I rede no man fro hym dray, 019 In way, ne stand on strut; 020 ffor he that will not here his sagh, 021 he be shewed, as an out-lagh, 022 And from his folkis be putt. 023 I warne you well that same prophete 024 shall com hereafterward, full swete, 025 And many meruels shew; 026 Man shall fall till his feete, 027 ffor cause he can bales beete, 028 Thrugh his awn thew. 029 All that will in trowth ren 030 shall he saue, I warne you then, 031 Trust shall his name be. 032 Bot all ouer will man prophete ken 033 with worship, amangis men, 034 Bot in his awne countre. 035 herkyns all, both yong and old! 036 God that has all in wold, 037 Gretys you bi me; 038 his commaundementis ar ten; 039 Behold, ye that ar his men, 040 here ye may theym se. 041 his commaundementis that I haue broght, 042 looke that ye hold, thaym noght 043 ffor tryfyls, ne for fables; 044 ffor ye shall well vnderstand, 045 That god wrote theym with his hand, 046 In thyse same tables. 047 Ye that thyse in hart will hald, 048 vnto heuen shall ye be cald, 049 That is fyrst to com; 050 And ye that will not do so, 051 Till hell pyne mon ye go, 052 And byde a bytter dome. 053 Do now as I shall you wys; 054 The fyrst commaundement is this 055 That I shall you say; 056 Make no god of stok ne stone, 057 And, trow in none god, bot oone, 058 That mayde both nyght and day. 059 Anothere bydis thou shall not swere, 060 ffor no mede, ne for no dere, 061 ffalsly, bi godis name; 062 If thou swere wrongwosly, 063 Wit thou well and wytterly, 064 Thou art worthi grete blame. 065 The thyrd, is, thou shall well yheme 066 Thi holy day, and serue to wheme 067 God with all thi hart. 068 The fourt commaundement is bi tayll, 069 ffader and moder worship thou shall, 070 In pouert and in qwarte. 071 The fyft commaundis thou shall forsake 072 ffornycacyon, and take the a make, 073 And lyf in rightwys state. 074 The sext commaundis thou shal not be 075 Man sloer, for gold, ne fee, 076 Ne for luf, ne for hate. 077 The seuenth commaundis that thou shall leue, 078 And nather go to stele ne reue, 079 ffor more then for les. 080 The aght bydis both old, and yong, 081 That thay be traw of thare tong, 082 And bere no fals witnes. 083 The nenth bydis the, bi thi lif, 084 Thou desyre not thi neghbur's wife, 085 Ne mayden that is his. 086 The tent bidis the, for no case, 087 Desyre not wranwosly thyng thi neghbur has; 088 Do thus, and do no mys. 089 I am the same man that god chase, 090 And toke the ten commaundementis of peasse 091 In the monte synay; 092 Thise wordis, I say, ar no les; 093 My name is callyd moyses; 094 And haue now all good day! 095 david. a Omnes reges adorabunt eum, omnes gentes seruient ei. 096 herkyn, all, that here may, 097 And perceyf well what I shall say, 098 All with righ[t]wisnes. 099 loke ye put it not away, 100 Bot thynk theron both nyght and day, 101 ffor it is sothfastnes. 102 Iesse son, ye wote I am; 103 Dauid is my right name, 104 And I bere crowne; 105 Bot ye me trow, ye ar to blame; 106 Of Israel, both wyld, and tame, 107 I haue in my bondon. 108 As god of heuen has gyffyn me wit, 109 shall I now syng you a fytt, 110 With my mynstrelsy; 111 loke ye do it well in wrytt, 112 And theron a knot knytt, 113 ffor it is prophecy. 114 Myrth I make till all men, 115 with my harp and fyngers ten, 116 And warn theym that thay glad; 117 ffor god will that his son down send, 118 That wroght adam with his hend, 119 And heuen and erth mayde. 120 He will lyght fro heuen towre, 121 ffor to be mans saueyoure, 122 And saue that is forlorne; 123 ffor that I harp, and myrth make, 124 Is for he will manhede take, 125 I tell you thus beforne; 126 And thider shall he ren agane, 127 As gyant of mych mayne, 128 Vnto the hyest sete; 129 Ther is nawther kyng, ne swayn, 130 Then no thyng that may hym layn, 131 Ne hyde from his hete. 132 he shall be lord, and kyng of all, 133 Tyll hys feete shall kyngis fall, 134 To offre to hym wytterly. 135 Blyssyd, be that swete blome, 136 That shall saue vs at his com! 137 Ioyfull may we be. 138 Riche gyftis thay shall hym bryng, 139 And till hym make offeryng, 140 kneland on thare kne; 141 well were hym that that lordyng, 142 And that dere derlyng, 143 Myght bide on lyfe and se. 144 Men may know hym bi his marke, 145 Myrth and lovyng is his warke, 146 that shall he luf most. 147 lyght shall be born that tyme in darke, 148 Both to lawd, man and to clark, 149 the luf of rightwys gost. 150 Therfor, both emperoure and kyng, 151 Ryche and poore, both old, and ying, 152 temper well youre gle, 153 Agans that kyng lyght downe, 154 ffor to lowse vs of pryson, 155 And make vs all free. 156 Thou shew thi mercy, lord, tyll vs, 157 ffor to thou com, to hell we trus, 158 we may not go beside; 159 lord, when thi will is for to dele 160 Tyll us thi salue and thi hele, 161 whom we all abyde. 162 Now haue I songen you a fytt; 163 loke in mynd that ye haue it, 164 I rede with my myght; 165 he that maide vs all with his wytt, 166 sheld, vs all from hell pytt, 167 And graunt vs heuen lyght! 168 sybilla Propheta. Iudicii signum tellus sudore madescit, 169 E celo rex adueniet per secla futurus, 170 Scilicet in carne presens vt iudicet orbem. 171 Who so wyll here tythyngis glad, 172 of hym that all this warld, made, 173 here me wytterly! 174 sibill sage is my name; 175 Bot ye me here, ye ar to blame, 176 My word, is prophecy. 177 All men was slayn thrugh adam syn, 178 And put to pyne that neuer shall blyn, 179 thrugh falsnes of the feynd; 180 A new kyng comes from heuen to fyght 181 Agans the feynd, to wyn his right, 182 so is his mercy heynd. 183 All the warld, shall he deme, 184 And that haue seruyd hym to wheme, 185 Myrth thaym mon betyde; 186 All shall se hym with thare ee, 187 Ryche and poore, low and hye, 188 No man may hym hyde; 189 Bot thay shall in thare flesh ryse, 190 That euery man shall whake and gryse, 191 Agans that ilk dome. 192 with his santis, many oone, 193 he shall be sene in flesh and, bone, 194 that kyng that is to com. 195 All that shall stand hym before, 196 All shal be les and more, 197 Of oone eld, ichon. 198 Angels shall qwake then for ferd, 199 And fyre shall bren this mydyll-erd, 200 yei, erth and, all ther apon. 201 shall nothyng here in erth be kend, 202 Bot it shall be strewyd, and brend, 203 All waters and the see. 204 sythen shall both hill and dale 205 Ryn togeder, grete and smale, 206 And all shall euen be. 207 At hys commyng shall bemys blaw, 208 That men may his commyng knaw; 209 ffull sorowfull shall be that blast; 210 Ther is no man that herys it, 211 Bot he shall qwake for all his witt, 212 Be he neuer so stedfast. 213 Then shall hell gape and gryn, 214 That men may know thare dome therin, 215 Of that hye iustyce; 216 That ill have done, to hell mon go; 217 And to heuen the other also, 218 that has been rightwys. 219 Therfor, I rede ilk a man, 220 kepe, as well as he can, 221 ffro syn and fro mysdede. 222 My prophecy now haue I told; 223 God, you saue, both yong and old, 224 And help you at youre nede! 225 daniel. Cum venerit sanctus sanctorum cessabit vncio vestra. 226 God that maide adam and eue, 227 whils thay dyd well, he gaf thaym leue 228 In paradise to dwell; 229 Sone when thay that appyll ete, 230 Thay were dampned, sone and skete, 231 Vnto the pyne of hell, 232 Thrugh sorow and paynes euer new; 233 Therfor wyll god apon vs rew, 234 And his son downe send, 235 Into erth, flesh to take, 236 That is all for oure sake, 237 oure trespas to amend. 238 fflesh with fleshe will be boght, 239 That he lose not that he has wroght 240 wyth hys awne hend; 241 Of a madyn shal he be borne, 242 To saue all that ar forlorne, 243 Euermore withoutten end. 244