From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama
The Towneley Cycle, Play 31 - Lazarus
001 Jesus. Commes now, brethere, and go With me;
002 We Will pas furth vntill Iude,
003 To betany will we weynde,
004 To vyset Lazare that is oure freynde.
005 Gladly I wold, we with hym speke,
006 I tell you sothely he is seke.
007 Peter. I red, not that ye thider go,
008 The Iues halden you for thare fo;
009 I red ye com not in that stede,
010 Ffor if ye do then be ye dede.
011 John. Master, trist thou [not] on the Iue,
012 Ffor many day sen thou thaym knewe,
013 And last tyme that we were thore
014 We wenyd till haue bene ded, therfor.
015 Thomas. When we were last in that contre,
016 This othere day, both thou and we,
017 We wenyd thou ther shuld haue bene slayn;
018 Will thou now go thider agane?
019 Jesus. Herkyn, breder, and takys kepe;
020 Lazare oure freynde is fallyn on slepe;
021 The way till hym now will we take,
022 To styr that knyght and gar hym wake.
023 Peter. Sir, me thynke it were the best
024 To let hym slepe and take his rest;
025 And kepe that no man com hym hend,
026 Ffor if he slepe then mon he mend.
027 Jesus. I say to you, With outten fayll,
028 No kepyng may till hym availl,
029 Ne slepe may stand hym in no stede,
030 I say you sekerly he is dede;
031 Therfor I say you now at last
032 Leyfe this speche and go we fast.
033 Thomas. Sir, What so euer ye bid vs do
034 We assent vs well ther to;
035 I hope to god ye shall not fynde
036 None of vs shall lefe behynde;
037 Ffor any parell that may befall
038 Weynde we With oure master all.
039 Martha. Help me, lorde, and gif me red!
040 Lazare my broder now is dede,
041 That was to the both lefe and dere;
042 He had not dyed had thou bene here.
043 Jesus. Martha, martha, thou may be fayn,
044 Thi brothere shall rise and lif agayn.
045 Martha. Lorde, I wote that he shall ryse
046 And com before the good iustyce;
047 Ffor at the dredfull day of dome
048 There mon ye kepe hym at his come,
049 To loke What dome ye Will hym gif;
050 Then mon he rise, then mon he lyf.
051 Jesus. I warne you, both man and wyfe,
052 That I am rysyng, and I am life;
053 And whoso truly trowys in me,
054 That I was euer and ay shall be,
055 Oone thyng I shall hym gif,
056 Though he be dede yit shall he lif.
057 Say thou, Woman, trowys thou this?
058 Martha. Yee, for sothe, my lorde of blys,
059 Ellys were I greatly to mysprase,
060 Ffor all is sothe-fast that thou says.
061 Jesus. Go tell thi sister mawdlayn
062 That I com, ye may be fayn.
063 Martha. Sister, lefe this sorowful bande,
064 Oure lorde commys here at hand,
065 And his apostyls with hym also.
066 Mary. A, for godys luf let me go!
067 Blissid, be he that sende me grace,
068 That I may se the in this place.
069 Lorde, mekill sorow may men se
070 Of my sister here and me;
071 We ar heuy as any lede,
072 Ffor our broder that thus is dede.
073 Had thou bene here and on hym sene,
074 Dede for sothe had he not bene.
075 Jesus. Hider to you commen we ar
076 To make you comforth of youre care,
077 Bot loke no fayntyse ne no slawth
078 Bryng you oute of stedfast trawthe,
079 Then shall I hold, you that I saide.
080 Lo, where haue ye his body laide?
081 Mary. O, lorde, if it be thi Will,
082 I hope be this he sauers ill,
083 Ffor it is now the ferth day gone
084 Sen he Was laide vnder yonde stone.
085 Jesus. I told, the right now ther thou stode
086 That thi trawth shuld, ay be goode,
087 And if thou may that fulfill
088 All bees done right at thi will.
089 Ffader, I pray the that thou rase
090 Lazare that was thi hyne,
091 And bryng hym oute of his mysese
092 And oute of hell pyne.
093 When I the pray thou says all wayse
094 Mi will is sich as thyne,
095 Therfor Will we now eke his dayse,
096 To me thou will inclyne.
097 Com furth, lazare, and stand vs by,
098 In erth shall thou no langere ly;
099 Take and lawse hym foote and hande,
100 And from his throte take the bande,
101 And the sudary take hym fro,
102 And all that gere, and let hym go.
103 Lazarus. Lorde, that all thyng maide of noght,
104 Louyng be to thee,
105 That sich Wonder here has Wroght,
106 Gretter may none be.
107 When I was dede to hell I soght,
108 And thou, thrugh thi pauste,
109 Rasid me vp and thens me broght,
110 Behold, and ye may se.
111 Ther is none so styf on stede,
112 Ne none so prowde in prese,
113 Ne none so dughty in his dede,
114 Ne none so dere on deese,
115 No kyng, no knyght, no Wight in wede,
116 Ffrom dede haue maide hym seese,
117 Ne flesh he was wonte to fede,
118 It shall be Wormes mese.
119 Youre dede is Wormes coke,
120 Youre myrroure here ye loke,
121 And let me be youre boke,
122 Youre sampill take by me;
123 Ffro dede you cleke in cloke,
124 Sich shall ye all be.
125 Ilkon in sich aray / With dede thai shall be dight,
126 And closid colde in clay / Wheder he be kyng or knyght
127 Ffor all his garmentes gay / that semely were in sight,
128 His flesh shall frete away / With many a wofull wight.
129 Then wofully sich wightys
130 Shall gnawe thise gay knyghtys,
131 Thare lunges and thare lightys,
132 Thare harte shall frete in sonder;
133 Thise masters most of myghtys
134 Thus shall thai be broght vnder.
135 Vnder the erthe ye shall / thus carefully then cowche;
136 The royfe of youre hall / youre nakyd nose shall towche;
137 Nawther great ne small / To you will knele ne crowche;
138 A shete shall be youre pall / sich todys shall be youre nowche;
139 Todys shall you dere,
140 Ffeyndys will you fere,
141 Youre flesh that fare was here
142 Thus rufully shall rote;
143 In stede of fare colore
144 Sich bandys shall bynde youre throte.
145 Youre rud that was so red / youre lyre the lylly lyke,
146 Then shall be wan as led / and stynke as dog in dyke;
147 Wormes shall in you brede / as bees dos in the byke,
148 And ees out of youre hede / Thus-gate shall paddokys pyke;
149 To pike you ar preste
150 Many vncomly beest,
151 Thus thai shall make a feste
152 Of youre flesh and youre blode.
153 Ffor you then sorows leste
154 The moste has of youre goode.
155 Youre goodys ye shall forsake / If ye be neuer so lothe,
156 And nothing With you take / Bot sich a wyndyng clothe;
157 Youre Wife sorow shall slake / youre chylder also both,
158 Vnnes youre mynnyng make / If ye be neuer so wrothe;
159 Thai myn you with nothyng
160 That may be youre helpyng,
161 Nawther in mes syngyng,
162 Ne yit with almus dede;
163 Therfor in youre leuyng
164 Be wise and take good hede.
165 Take hede for you to dele / Whils ye ar on life,
166 Trust neuer freyndys frele / Nawthere of childe then wife;
167 Ffor sectures ar not lele / Then for youre good Will stryfe;
168 To by youre saules hele / There may no man thaym shrife.
169 To shrife no man thaym may,
170 After youre endyng day,
171 Youre saull for to glad;
172 Youre sectures will swere nay,
173 And say ye aght more then ye had.
174 Amende the, man, Whils thou may,
175 Let neuer no myrthe fordo thi mynde;
176 Thynke thou on the dredefull day
177 When god shall deme all mankynde.
178 Thynke thou farys as dothe the wynde;
179 This warlde is wast & will away;
180 Man, haue this in thi mynde,
181 And amende the Whils that thou may.
182 Amende the, man, whils thou art here,
183 Agane thou go an othere gate;
184 When thou art dede and laide on bere,
185 Wyt thou well thou bees to late;
186 Ffor if all the goode that euer thou gate
187 Were delt for the after thi day,
188 In heuen it wolde not mende thi state,
189 Fforthi amende the Whils thou may.
190 If thou be right ryall in rente,
191 As is the stede standyng in stall,
192 In thi harte knowe and thynke
193 That thai ar goddys goodys all.
194 He myght haue maide the poore and small
195 As he that beggys fro day to day;
196 Wit thou well acountys gif thou shall,
197 Therfore amende the whils thou may.
198 And if I myght with you dwell
199 To tell you all my tyme,
200 Ffull mekill cowthe I tell
201 That I haue harde and sene,
202 Of many a great meruell,
203 Sich as ye wolde not wene,
204 In the paynes of hell
205 There as I haue bene.
206 Bene I haue in wo,
207 Therfor kepe you ther fro;
208 Whilst ye lif do so
209 If ye will dwell with hym
210 That can gar you thus go,
211 And hele you lith and lym.
212 He is a lorde of grace,
213 Vmthynke you in this case,
214 And pray hym, full of myght,
215 He kepe you in this place
216 And haue you in his sight.
217 Amen
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Proper Citation: NeCastro, Gerard. The Towneley Cycle, Play 31 - Lazarus. From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. http://www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. Date Visited.