From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama
The York Cycle, Play 1 - The Creation and the Fall of Lucifer
The Barkers
001 [Deus.] Ego sum Alpha et nouissimus.
002 I am gracyus and grete, God withoutyn begynnyng,
003 I am maker vnmade, all mighte es in me;
004 I am lyfe and way vnto welth-wynnyng,
005 I am formaste and fyrste, als I byd sall it be.
006 My blyssyng o ble sall be blendyng,
007 And heldand, fro harme to be hydande,
008 My body in blys ay abydande,
009 Vnendande, withoutyn any endyng.
010 Sen I am maker vnmade and most es of mighte,
011 And ay sall be endeles and noghte es but I,
012 Vnto my dygnyté dere sall diewly be dyghte
013 A place full of plenté to my plesyng at ply;
014 And therewith als wyll I haue wroght
015 Many dyuers doynges bedene,
016 Whilke warke sall mekely contene,
017 And all sall be made euen of noghte.
018 But onely the worthely warke of my wyll
019 In my sprete sall enspyre the mighte of me;
020 And in the fyrste, faythely, my thoghte to fullfyll,
021 Baynely in my blyssyng I byd at here be
022 A blys al-beledande abowte me,
023 In the whilke blys I byde at be here
024 Nyen ordres of aungels full clere,
025 In louyng ay-lastande at lowte me.
Tunc cantent ang[eli] Te Deum [laudamus te dominum confitemur].
026 Here vndernethe me nowe a nexile I neuen,
027 Whilke ile sall be erthe. Now all be at ones
028 Erthe haly, and helle, this hegheste be heuen,
029 And that welth sall welde sall won in this wones.
030 This graunte I yoowe, mynysters myne,
031 To-whils yohe ar stabill in thoghte-
032 And also to thaime that ar noghte
033 Be put to my presone at pyne.
034 Of all the mightes I haue made, moste nexte after me
035 I make the als master and merour of my mighte;
036 I beelde the here baynely in blys for to be,
037 I name the for Lucifer, als berar of lyghte.
038 Nothyng here sall the be derand;
039 In this blis sall be yohour beeldyng,
040 And haue all welth in yooure weledyng,
041 Ay-whils yohe ar buxumly berande.
Tunc cantant angeli, Samctus sanctus sanctus, dominus deus sabaoth.
042 Primus angelus seraphyn. A, mercyfull maker, full mekill es thi mighte,
043 That all this warke at a worde worthely has wroghte.
044 Ay loued be that lufly lorde of his lighte,
045 That vs thus mighty has made that nowe was righte noghte,
046 In blys for to byde in his blyssyng.
047 Ay-lastande in luf lat vs lowte hym,
048 At beelde vs thus baynely abowete hym,
049 Of myrthe neuermore to haue myssyng.
050 Primus angelus deficiens Lucifere. All the myrth that es made es markide in me!
051 þe bemes of my brighthode ar byrnande so bryghte,
052 And I so semely in syghte myselfe now I se,
053 For lyke a lorde am I lefte to lende in this lighte.
054 More fayrear be far than my feres,
055 In me is no poynte that may payre;
056 I fele me fetys and fayre,
057 My powar es passande my peres.
058 Angelus Cherabyn. Lorde, wyth a lastande luf we loue the allone,
059 þou mightefull maker that markid vs and made vs,
060 And wroghte us thus worthely to wone in this wone,
061 Ther neuer felyng of fylth may full vs nor fade vs.
062 All blys es here beeldande aboute vs;
063 To-whyls we are stabyll in thoughte
064 In the worschipp of hym that us wroght,
065 Of dere neuer thar vs more dowte vs.
066 Primus angelus deficiens. O, what I am fetys and fayre and fygured full fytt!
067 þe forme of all fayrehede apon me es feste,
068 All welth in my weelde es, I wote be my wytte;
069 þe bemes of my brighthede are bygged with the beste.
070 My schewyng es schemerande and schynande,
071 So bygly to blys am I broghte;
072 Me nedes for to noy me righte noghte,
073 Here sall neuer payne me be pynande.
074 Angelus seraphyn. With all the wytt at we welde we woyrschip thi wyll,
075 þou gloryus God that es grunde of all grace;
076 Ay with stedefaste steuen lat vs stande styll,
077 Lorde, to be fede with the fode of thi fayre face.
078 In lyfe that es lely ay-lastande,
079 Thi dale, lorde, es ay daynetethly delande,
080 And whoso that fode may be felande-
081 To se thi fayre face-es noght fastande.
082 Primus angelus deficiens Lucifere. Owe, certes, what I am worthely wroghte with wyrschip, iwys!
083 For in a glorius gle my gleteryng it glemes;
084 I am so mightyly made my mirth may noghte mys-
085 Ay sall I byde in this blys thorowe brightnes of bemes.
086 Me nedes noghte of noy for to neuen,
087 All welth in my welde haue I weledande;
088 Abowne yohit sall I be beeldand,
089 On heghte in the hyeste of hewuen.
090 Ther sall I set myselfe full semely to seyghte,
091 To ressayue my reuerence thorowe righte o renowne;
092 I sall be lyke vnto hym that es hyeste on heghte.
093 Owe, what I am derworth and defte-Owe! Dewes! All goes downe!
094 My mighte and my mayne es all marrande-
095 Helpe, felawes! In faythe I am fallande.
096 Secundus angelus deficiens. Fra heuen are we heledande on all hande,
097 To wo are we weendande, I warande.
[Another Scene. Hell.]
098 Lucifer deiabolus in inferno. Owte! Owte! Harrowe! Helples, slyke hote at es here;
099 This es a dongon of dole that I am to dyghte.
100 Whare es my kynde become, so cumly and clere?
101 Nowe am I laytheste, allas, that are was lighte.
102 My bryghtnes es blakkeste and blo nowe,
103 My bale es ay betande and brynande-
104 That gares ane go gowlande and gyrnande.
105 Owte! Ay walaway! I well euen in wo nowe.
106 Secundus diabolus. Owte! Owte! I go wode for wo, my wytte es all wente nowe,
107 All oure fode es but filth we fynde vs beforn.
108 We that ware beelded in blys, in bale are we brent nowe-
109 Owte on the Lucifer, lurdan, oure lyghte has thou lorne.
110 þi dedes to this dole nowe has dyghte us,
111 To spill vs thou was oure spedar,
112 For thow was oure lyghte and oure ledar,
113 þe hegheste of heuen hade thou hyght vs.
114 Lucifer in inferno. Walaway! Wa es me now, nowe es it war thane it was.
115 Vnthryuandely threpe yohe-I sayde but a thoghte.
116 Secundus Diabolus. We, lurdane, thou lost vs.
117 Lucifer in inferno. 3he ly! Owte, allas!
118 I wyste noghte this wo sculde be wroghte.
119 Owte on yohow, lurdans, yohe smore me in smoke.
120 Secundus Diabolus. This wo has thou wroghte vs.
121 Lucifer in inferno. 3he ly, yohe ly!
122 Diabolus. Thou lyes, and that sall thou by:
123 We, lurdane, haue at yoowe, lat loke!
124 Angelus cherubin. A, lorde, louid be thi name that vs this lyghte lente,
125 Sen Lucifer oure ledar es lighted so lawe,
126 For hys vnbuxumnes in bale to be brente-
127 Thi rightewysnes to rewarde on rowe
128 Ilke warke eftyr is wroghte-
129 Thorowe grace of thi mercyfull myghte
130 The cause I se itt in syghte,
131 Wharefore to bale he es broghte.
132 Deus. Those foles for thaire fayrehede in fantasyes fell,
133 And hade mayne of mi mighte that marked tham and made tham.
134 Forthi efter thaire warkes were, in wo sall thai well,
135 For sum ar fallen into fylthe that euermore sall fade tham,
136 And neuer sall haue grace for to gyrth tham.
137 So passande of power tham thoght tham,
138 Thai wolde noght me worschip that wroghte tham;
139 Forthi sall my wreth euer go with tham.
140 Ande all that me wyrschippe sall wone here, iwys;
141 Forthi more forthe of my warke, wyrke nowe I will.
142 Syn than ther mighte es for-marryde that mente all omys,
143 Euen to myne awne fygure this blys to fulfyll,
144 Mankynde of moulde will I make.
145 But fyrste wille I fourme hym before
146 All thyng that sall hym restore,
147 To whilke that his talente will take.
148 Ande in my fyrste makyng, to mustyr my mighte,
149 Sen erthe es vayne and voyde and myrknes emel,
150 I byd in my blyssyng yohe aungels gyf lyghte
151 To the erthe, for it faded when the fendes fell.
152 In hell sall neuer myrknes be myssande,
153 þe myrknes thus name I for nighte;
154 The day, that call I this lyghte-
155 My after-warkes sall thai be wyssande.
156 Ande nowe in my blyssyng I twyne tham in two,
157 The nighte euen fro the day, so that thai mete neuer,
158 But ather in a kynde courese thaire gates for to go.
159 Bothe the nighte and the day, does dewly yohour deyuer,
160 To all I sall wirke be yohe wysshyng.
161 This day warke es done ilke a dele,
162 And all this warke lykes me ryght wele,
163 And baynely I gyf it my blyssyng.
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Proper Citation: NeCastro, Gerard. The York Cycle, Play 1 - The Creation and the Fall of Lucifer. From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. http:www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. Date Visited.