The Towneley Cycle, Play 32
The Hanging of Judas
Suspencio Iudae
(Incomplete)

001     Judas. Alas, alas, & walaway!
002     waryd & cursyd I haue beyn ay;
003     I slew my father, & syn by-lay
004     My moder der;
005     And falsly, aftur, I can betray
006     Myn awn mayster.
007     My fathers name was ruben, right;
008     Sibaria my moder hight;
009     Als he her knew apon a nyght
010     All fleshle,
011     In her sleyp she se a sighte,
012     A great ferle.
013     her thoght ther lay her syd with-in
014     A lothly lumpe of fleshly syn,
015     Of the which distruccion schuld begyn
016     Of all Iury;
017     That Cursyd Clott of Camys kyn,
018     fforsoth, was I.
019     Dreyd of that sight mad her awake,
020     & all hir body did tremyll & qwake;
021     her thoght hir hert did all to-brake-
022     No wonder was-
023     the first[e] word my moder spake
024     was alas, alas!
025     Alas, alas! sche cryed faste,
026     with that, on weping owt sche braste:
027     My father wakyd, at the laste,
028     & her afranyd;
029     Sche told hym how she was agaste,
030     & nothyng laynyd.
031     my father bad, "[let be thy woo!
032     my Cowncel is, if hit be soo,
033     A child be gettyn betwixt hus too,
034     Doghter or son,
035     lett hit neuer on erth[e] go,
036     Bot be fordon.
037     bettur hit is fordon to be
038     then hit fordo both the & me;
039     ffor in a while then schall we se,
040     & full well knaw,
041     wheder that swevyns be vanite
042     or on to traw."]
043     The tyme was comyn that I was borne,
044     os my moder sayd beforn;
045     Alas, that I had beyn forlorn
046     With-In hir syd!
047     for ther then spronge a schrewid thorn
048     That spred full wyd.
049     for I was born with owtyn grace,
050     Thay me namyd & Callyd Iudas;
051     The father of the child ay hays
052     Great petye;
053     He myght not thoyle afor his face
054     My deth to se.
055     My ded to se then myght he noght;
056     A lytyll lep he gart he wroght,
057     & ther I was in bed [i-]broght
058     & bondon faste;
059     To the salt se then thay soght,
060     & In me Caste.
061     The wawes rosse, the wynd[e] blew;
062     That I was Cursyd full well thai knew;
063     The storme vnto the yle me threw,
064     That lytill botte;
065     And of that land my to-name drew,
066     Iudas skariott.
067     Thor os wrekke in sand I lay,
068     The qweyn Com passyng ther away,
069     With hir madyns to sport & play;
070     And prevaly
071     A child she fond in slyk aray,
072     & had ferly.
073     Neuer-the-lesse sche was well payd,
074     And on hir lap[pe] sche me layd;
075     Sche me kissid & with me playd,
076     ffor I was fayre;
077     "[A child god hays me send,"] sche sayd,
078     "[to be myn ayre."]
079     Sche mad me be to norice done,
080     And fosterd as her awn[e] sone,
081     And told the kyng that sche had gone
082     All the yer with child;
083     And with fayr wordys, as wemen Con,
084     sche hym begild.
085     Then the kyng gart mak a fest
086     To all the land [right] of the best,
087     ffor that he had gettyn a gest,
088     A swetly thyng,
089     When he wer ded & broght to rest,
090     that myght be kyng.
091     Sone aftur with in yer[e]s too,
092     In the land hit befell soo,
093     The qweyn hir selff with child Can goo;
094     A son sche bayr;
095     A fayrer child, from tope to too
096     Man neuer se ayre.