York Cycle, Play 7
Sacrificium Cayme and Abell
(The Originall Perteynyng to the Craft of Gloueres)
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     Ŝis 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     Ŝerin to bide.

023     Ŝanne 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     Ŝe 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     Ŝe voice of his bloode cryeth vengeaunce
102     Fro erthe to heuen, with voice entere
103     Ŝis tyde.
104     That God is greved with thy greuaunce
105     Take hede, I schalle telle the tydandis,
106     Ŝerfore abide.

107     Ŝou 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     Ŝis 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     Ŝou 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.