From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama
The York Cycle, Play 22 - Temptation of Jesus
Smythis
001 Diabolus. Make rome belyve, and late me gang!
002 Who makis here all this thrang?
003 High you hense, high myght yoou hang
004 Right with a roppe.
005 I drede me that I dwelle to lang
006 To do a jape.
007 For sithen the firste tyme that I fell
008 For my pride fro heuen to hell,
009 Euere haue I mustered me emell
010 Emonge mannekynde,
011 How I in dole myght gar tham dwell
012 þer to be pynde.
013 And certis, all that hath ben sithen borne
014 Has comen to me, mydday and morne,
015 And I haue ordayned so tham forne
016 None may thame fende,
017 þat fro all likyng ar they lorne
018 Withowten ende.
019 And nowe sum men spekis of a swayne,
020 Howe he schall come and suffre payne
021 And with his dede to blisse agayne
022 þei schulde be bought.
023 But certis this tale is but a trayne,
024 I trowe it noyot.
025 For I wotte ilke a dele bydene
026 Of the mytyng that men of mene,
027 How he has in grete barett bene
028 Sithen he was borne,
029 And suffered mekill traye and tene
030 Bothe even and morne.
031 And nowe it is brought so aboute
032 þat lurdayne that thei loue and lowte
033 To wildirnesse he is wente owte,
034 Withowtyne moo;
035 To dere hym nowe haue I no doute,
036 Betwyxte vs two.
037 Before this tyme he has bene tent
038 þat I myght gete hym with no glent,
039 But now sen he allone is wente
040 I schall assay,
041 And garre hym to sum synne assente
042 If that I may.
043 He has fastid-that marris his mode-
044 Ther fourty dayes withowten foode.
045 If he be man in bone and bloode
046 Hym hungris ill;
047 In glotonye than halde I gude
048 To witt his will.
049 For so it schall be knowen and kidde
050 If Godhed be in hym hidde,
051 If he will do as I hym bidde
052 Whanne I come nare.
053 þer was neuere dede that euere he dide
054 þat greued hym warre.
055 þou witty man and wise of rede,
056 If thou can ought of Godhede
057 Byd nowe that ther stones be brede,
058 Betwyxte vs two;
059 þan may thei stande thyselfe in stede,
060 And othir moo.
061 For thou hast fastid longe I wene,
062 I wolde now som mete wer sene
063 For olde acqueyntaunce vs bytwene,
064 Thyselue wote howe.
065 Ther sall no man witte what I mene
066 But I and thou.
067 Jesus. My fadir, that all cytte may slake,
068 Honnoure eueremore to the I make
069 And gladly suffir I for thy sake
070 Swilk velany,
071 And thus temptacions for to take
072 Of myn enmy.
073 þou weried wight, thi wittis are wode,
074 For wrytyn it is, whoso vndirstode,
075 A man lyvis noght in mayne and mode
076 With brede allone,
077 But Goddis wordis are gostly fode
078 To men ilkone.
079 Iff I haue fastid oute of skill,
080 Wytte thou me hungris not so ill
081 þat I ne will wirke my fadirs will
082 In all degré
083 þi biddyng will I noyot fullfill,
084 þat warne I the.
085 Diabolus. A, slyke carping neuere I kende,
086 Hym hungres noyot, as I wende.
087 Nowe sen thy fadir may the fende
088 Be sotell sleghte,
089 Late se yf thou allone may lende
090 þer vppon heghte,
091 Vppon the pynakill parfitely.
092 Aha, nowe go we wele therby;
093 I schall assaye in vayne-glorie
094 To garre hym falle,
095 And if he be Goddis sone myghty,
096 Witte I schall.
097 Nowe liste to me a litill space:
098 If thou be Goddis sone, full of grace,
099 Shew som poynte here in this place
100 To proue thi might.
101 Late se, falle doune vppon thi face
102 Here in my sight.
103 For it is wretyn, as wele is kende,
104 How God schall aungellis to the sende,
105 And they schall kepe the in ther hende
106 Wherso thou gose,
107 þat thou schall on no stones descende
108 To hurte thi tose.
109 And sen thou may withouten wathe
110 Fall and do thyselffe no skathe,
111 Tumbill downe to ease vs bathe
112 Here to my fete;
113 And but thou do I will be wrothe,
114 þat I the hette.
115 Jesus. Late be, warlowe, thy wordis kene,
116 For wryten it is, withouten wene,
117 Thy God thou schall not tempte with tene
118 Nor with discorde,
119 Ne quarell schall thou none mayntene
120 Agaynste thi lorde.
121 And therfore trowe thou, withouten trayne,
122 þat all thi gaudes schall nothyng gayne;
123 Be subgette to thi souereyne
124 Arely and late.
125 Diabolus. What, this trauayle is in vayne
126 Be ought I watte.
127 He proues that he is mekill of price,
128 þerfore it is goode I me avise,
129 And sen I may noyot on this wise
130 Make hym my thrall,
131 I will assaye in couetise
132 To garre hym fall,
133 For certis I schall noyot leue hym yoitt.
134 Who is my souereyne, this wolde I witte?
135 Myselffe ordande the thore to sitte,
136 þis wote thou wele,
137 And right euen as I ordande itt
138 Is done ilke dele.
139 þan may thou se sen itt is soo
140 þat I am souerayne of vs two,
141 And yoitt I graunte the or I goo
142 Withouten fayle,
143 þat if thou woll assente me too
144 It schall avayle.
145 For I haue all this worlde to welde,
146 Toure and toune, forest and felde;
147 If thou thyn herte will to me helde
148 With wordis hende,
149 3itt will I baynly be thy belde
150 And faithfull frende.
151 Behalde now ser, and thou schalt see
152 Sere kyngdomes and sere contré
153 Alle this wile I giffe to the
154 For euermore,
155 And thou fall and honour me
156 As I saide are.
157 Jesus. Sees of thy sawes, thou Sathanas,
158 I graunte nothyng that thou me asse,
159 To pyne of helle I bide the passe
160 And wightely wende,
161 And wonne in woo, as thou are was,
162 Withouten ende.
163 Non othyr myght schal be thy mede,
164 For wretyn it is, who right can rede,
165 Thy lord God the aught to drede
166 And honoure ay,
167 And serue hym in worde and dede
168 Both nyyot and day.
169 And sen thou dose not as I the tell
170 No lenger liste me late the dwell,
171 I comaunde the thou hy to hell
172 And holde the thar,
173 With felawschip of fendis fell
174 For euermar.
175 Diabolus. Owte! I dar noyot loke, allas,
176 Itt is warre than euere it was.
177 He musteres what myght he has,
178 Hye mote he hang.
179 Folowes fast, for me bus pas
180 To paynes strang.
181 Angel 1. A, mercy lorde, what may this mene?
182 Me merueyles that yoe thole this tene
183 Of this foule fende cant and kene
184 Carpand yoou till,
185 And yoe his wickidnesse, I wene,
186 May waste at will.
187 Methynke that yoe ware straytely stedde
188 Lorde, with this fende that nowe is fledde.
189 Jesus. Myn aungell dere, be noyot adred,
190 He may not greue;
191 The haly goste me has ledde,
192 þus schal thow leue.
193 For whan the fende schall folke see
194 And salus tham in sere degré
195 þare myrroure may thei make of me
196 For to stande still,
197 For ouerecome schall thei noyot be
198 Bot yf thay will.
199 Angel 2. A, lorde, this is a grete mekenesse
200 In yow in whome al mercy is,
201 And at youre wille may deme or dresse
202 Als is worthy;
203 And thre temptacions takes expres,
204 þus suffirrantly.
205 Jesus. My blissing haue thei with my hande
206 þat with swilke greffe is noyot grucchand,
207 And also that will stiffely stande
208 Agaynste the fende.
209 I knawe my tyme is faste comand,
210 Now will I wende.
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Proper Citation: NeCastro, Gerard. The York Cycle, Play 22 - Temptation of Jesus. From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. http:www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. Date Visited.