From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama
The York Cycle, Play 7 - Cain and Abel
The Glovers
001 Angelus. That lord of lyffe lele ay-lastand
002 Whos myght vnmesured is to meyne,
003 He shoppe the sonne, bothe see and sande,
004 And wroughte this worlde with worde, I wene.
005 His aungell cleere as cristall clene,
006 Here vnto you thus am I sente
007 þis tide.
008 Abell and Cayme, yei, both bydeyne
009 To me enteerly takis entent;
010 To meve my message haue I ment
011 If that ye bide.
012 Allemyghty God of myghtes moste,
013 When he had wrought this world so wide,
014 No thynge hym thoughte was wroughte in waste,
015 But in his blissyng boune to bide
016 Neyne ordurs for to telle, that tyde,
017 Of aungeles bryght he bad ther be.
018 For pride
019 And sone the tente part it was tried,
020 And wente awaye as was worthye;
021 They heild to helle alle that meyné
022 þerin to bide.
023 þanne made he manne to his liknes
024 That place of price for to restore,
025 And sithen he kyd hym such kyndnes
026 Somwhat wille he wirke therfore:
027 The tente to tyne he askis, no more,
028 Of alle the goodes he haues you sent.
029 Full trew
030 To offyr loke that ye be yore,
031 And to my tale yhe take entent,
032 For ilke a lede that liffe has lente
033 So shalle you sewe.
034 Abell. Gramercy God, of thy goodnes
035 That me on molde has marked thi man,
036 I worshippe the with worthynes,
037 With alle the comforte that I can.
038 Me for to were fro warkes wanne,
039 For to fulfille thy comaundement,
040 þe teynd
041 Of alle the gode sen I beganne
042 Thow shalle it haue, sen thou it sent.
043 Come, brothir Cayme, I wolde we wente
044 With hert ful hende.
045 Caym. We! Whythir now, in wilde waneand?
046 Trowes thou I thynke to trusse of towne?
047 Goo, jape the, robard jangillande,
048 Me liste noyot nowe to rouk nor rowne.
049 Abell. A, dere brothir, late vs be bowne
050 Goddis biddyng blithe to fulfille,
051 I tell the.
052 Caym. Ya, daunce in the devil way, dresse the downe,
053 For I wille wyrke euen as I will.
054 What mystris the, in gode or ille,
055 Of me to melle the?
056 Abell. To melle of the myldely I may.
057 Bote goode brothir, go we in haste,
058 Gyffe God oure teynde dulye this day-
059 He byddis vs thus, be nouyot abassed.
060 Caym. Ya, deuell, methynketh that werke were waste,
061 That he vs gaffe geffe hym agayne
062 To se.
063 Nowe fekyll frenshippe for to fraste
064 Methynkith ther is in hym sarteyne.
065 If he be moste in myghte and mayne
066 What nede has he?
067 Abell. He has non nede vnto thi goode,
068 But it wille please hym principall
069 If thou, myldly in mayne and moode,
070 Grouche noyot geue hym tente parte of all.
[...At least a couple lines are missing...]
071 Angelus. It shall be done evyn as ye bydd,
072 And that anone.
073 Brewbarret. Lo, maister Cayme, what shaves bryng I,
074 Evyn of the best for to bere seyd,
075 And to the feylde I wyll me hye
076 To fetch you moo, if ye haue neyd.
077 Cayme. Cume vp, sir knave, the devyll the speyd,
078 Ye will not come but ye be prayd.
079 Brewbarret. O, maister Caym, I haue broken my to!
080 Cayme. Come vp syr, for by my thryft,
081 Ye shall drynke or ye goo.
082 Angelus. Thowe cursyd Came, where is Abell?
083 Where hais thowe done thy broder dere?
084 Cayme. What askes thowe me that taill to tell,
085 For yit his keper was I never?
086 Angelus. God hais sent the his curse downe,
087 Fro hevyn to hell, maladictio dei.
088 Cayme. Take that thyself, evyn on thy crowne,
089 Quia non sum custos fratris mei,
090 To tyne.
091 Angelus. God hais sent the his malyson,
092 And inwardly I geve the myne.
093 Cayme. The same curse light on thy crowne,
094 And right so myght it worth and be
095 For he that sent that gretyng downe,
096 The devyll myght speyd both hym and the.
097 Fowll myght thowe fall!
098 Here is a cankerd company,
099 Therefore Goddes curse light on you all.
. . . . . .
100 Angelus. What hast thou done? Beholde and heere,
101 þe voice of his bloode cryeth vengeaunce
102 Fro erthe to heuen, with voice entere
103 þis tyde.
104 That God is greved with thy greuaunce
105 Take hede, I schalle telle the tydandis,
106 þerfore abide.
107 þou shall be curssed vppon the grounde,
108 God has geffyn the his malisonne;
109 Yff thou wolde tyll the erthe so rounde
110 No frute to the ther shalle be fonne.
111 Of wikkidnesse sen thou arte sonne,
112 Thou shalle be waferyng here and there
113 þis day.
114 In bittir bale nowe art thou boune,
115 Out-castyn shal thou be for care;
116 No man shal rewe of thy misfare
117 For this affraie.
118 Cayme. Allas for syte, so may I saye,
119 My synne it passis al mercie,
120 For ask it the lord I ne maye,
121 To haue it am I nouyot worthy.
122 Fro the shalle I be hidde in hye,
123 þou castis me, lorde, oute of my kyth
124 In lande.
125 Both here and there oute-caste am I,
126 For ilke a man that metis me with
127 They wille slee me, be fenne or frith,
128 With dynte of hande.
129 Angelus. Nay Cayme, nouyot soo, haue thou no drede;
130 Who that the slees shalle ponnysshed be
131 Sevene sithis for doyng of that dede.
132 Forthy a token shal thou see,
133 It shalle be prentyd so in the
134 That ilke a man shalle the knowe full wele.
135 Cayme. Thanne wolle I fardir flee
136 For shame.
137 Sethen I am sette thus out of seill,
138 That curse that I haue for to feill,
139 I giffe you the same.
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Proper Citation: NeCastro, Gerard. The York Cycle, Play 7 - Cain and Abel. From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. http:www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. Date Visited.