From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama
The York Cycle, Play 24 - Woman Taken in Adultery. Raising of Lazarus
Cappemakers
001 Judeus. Steppe fourth, late vs no lenger stande,
002 But smertely that oure gere wer grayde;
003 þis felowe that we with folye fande,
004 Late haste vs fast that she wer flayed.
005 Judeus. We will bere witnesse and warande
006 How we hir raysed all vnarayed,
007 Agaynste the lawes here of oure lande
008 Wher sche was with hir leman laide.
009 Judeus. 3aa, and he a wedded man,
010 þat was a wikkid synne.
011 Judeus 2. þat bargayne schall sche banne
012 With bale nowe or we blynne.
013 Judeus 1. A, false stodmere and stynkand stroye,
014 How durste thou stele so stille away
015 To do so vilaunce avowtry
016 þat is so grete agaynste oure lay?
017 Judeus 2. Hir bawdery schall sche dere abye,
018 For as we sawe so schall we saye,
019 And also hir wirkyng is worthy
020 Sho schall be demed to ded this day.
021 Judeus 1. The maistirs of the lawe
022 Are here even at oure hande.
023 Judeus 2. Go we reherse by rawe
024 Hir fawtes as we tham fande.
025 Judeus 1. God saue yoou maistirs, mekill of mayne,
026 þat grete clergy and counsaille can.
027 Judeus 3. Welcome frendis, but I wolde frayne
028 How fare yoe with that faire woman?
029 Judeus 2. A, sirs, we schall yoou saie certayne
030 Of mekill sorowe sen sche began.
031 We haue hir tane with putry playne,
032 Hirselff may noyot gaynesaie it than.
033 Judeus 4. What hath sche done, folye
034 In fornicacioun and synne?
035 Judeus 1. Nay, nay, in avowtery
036 Full bolde, and will noyot blynne.
037 Judeus 3. Avowtery? Nemyn it noght for schame!
038 It is so foule opynly I it fye.
039 Is it sothe that thei saie the dame?
040 Judeus 2. What sir, scho may it noyot denye.
041 We wer than worthy for to blame
042 To greve hir but sche wer gilty.
043 Judeus 4. Now certis, this is a foule defame
044 And mekill bale muste be tharby.
045 Judeus 3. 3a sir, yoe saie wele thore
046 By lawe and rightwise rede,
047 Ther falles noght ellis therfore
048 But to be stoned to dede.
049 Judeus 1. Sirs, sen yoe telle the lawe this tyde
050 And knawes the course in this contré
051 Demes hir on heght, no lenger hyde,
052 And aftir yooure wordis wirke schall we.
053 Judeus 4. Beis noght so bryme, bewsheris, abide,
054 A new mater nowe moues me. [... ...]
055 Judeus 3. He shewes my mysdedis more and myne,
056 I leue yoou here, late hym allone.
057 Judeus 4. Owe, here will new gaudes begynne-
058 3a, grete all wele, saie that I am gone.
059 Judeus 1. And sen yoe are noght bolde,
060 No lengar bide will I.
061 Judeus 2. Pees, late no tales be tolde,
062 But passe fourth preuylye.
063 Jesus. Woman, wher are tho wighte men went
064 That kenely here accused the?
065 Who hase the dampned, toke thou entent?
066 Mulier. Lord, no man has dampned me.
067 Jesus. And for me schall thou noyot be schent.
068 Of all thy mys I make the free,
069 Loke thou no more to synne assentte.
070 Mulier. A, lord, ay loued mott thou bee.
071 All erthely folke in feere
072 Loves hym and his high name,
073 þat me on this manere
074 Hath saued fro synne and schame.
075 Apostolus 1. A, lorde, we loue the inwardly
076 And all thi lore, both lowde and still,
077 That grauntes thy grace to the gilty
078 And spares tham that the folke wolde spill.
079 Jesus. I schall yoou saie encheson why:
080 I wote it is my fadirs will,
081 And for to make tham ware therby
082 To knawe thamselffe haue done more ill.
083 And euermore of this same
084 Ensample schall be sene,
085 Whoso schall othir blame
086 Loke firste thamself be clene.
087 Apostolus 2. A, maistir, here may men se also
088 How mekenes may full mekill amende,
089 To forgeue gladly where we goo
090 All folke that hath vs oght offende.
091 Jesus. He that will noyot forgiffe his foo
092 And vse mekenesse with herte and hende,
093 The kyngdom may he noght come too
094 þat ordande is withouten ende.
095 And more sone schall we see
096 Here or yoe forther fare,
097 How that my fadir free
098 Will mustir myghtis more.
099 Nuncius. Jesu that es prophett veray,
100 My ladys Martha and Marie,
101 If thou fouchesaffe thai wolde the pray
102 For to come vnto Bethany.
103 He whom thou loues full wele alway
104 Es seke, and like, lord, for to dye.
105 Yf thou wolde come, amende hym thou may
106 And comforte all that cumpany.
107 Jesus. I saie yoou that sekeness
108 Is noyot onto the dede,
109 But joie of Goddis gudnesse
110 Schal be schewed in that stede.
111 And Goddis sone schall be glorified
112 By that sekenesse and signes seere,
113 Therfore brethir no lenger bide,
114 Two daies fully haue we ben here.
115 We will go soiourne here beside
116 In the Jurie with frendis in feere.
117 Apostolus 1. A, lorde, thou wote wele ilke a tyde
118 þe Jewes thei layte the ferre and nere,
119 To stone the vnto dede
120 Or putte to pereles payne,
121 And thou to that same stede
122 Covaites to gange agayne?
123 Jesus. 3e wote by cours wele for to kast,
124 þe daie is now of xij oures lange,
125 And whilis light of the day may last
126 It is gode that we grathely gange.
127 For whan daylight is pleynly past
128 Full sone than may yoe wende all wrang,
129 Therfore takes hede and trauayle fast
130 Whills light of liffe is yoou emang.
131 And to yoou saie I more,
132 How that Lazar oure frende
133 Slepes nowe, and I therfore
134 With yoou to hym will wende.
135 Apostolus 2. We will be ruled aftir thi rede,
136 But and he slepe he schall be saue.
137 Jesus. I saie to yoou, Lazare is dede,
138 And for yoou all grete joie I haue
139 3e wote I was noght in that stede
140 What tyme that he was graued in graue.
141 His sisteres praye with bowsom beede
142 And for comforte thei call and craue,
143 Therfore go we togedir
144 To make there myrthis more.
145 Apostolus 1. Sen he will nedes wende thedir,
146 Go we and dye with hym thore.
147 Maria. Allas, owtane Goddis will allone,
148 þat I schulld sitte to see this sight,
149 For I may morne and make my mone,
150 So wo in worlde was neuere wight.
151 þat I loued most is fro me gone,
152 My dere brothir that Lazar hight,
153 And I durst saye I wolde be slone
154 For nowe me fayles both mynde and myght.
155 My welthe is wente for euere,
156 No medycyne mende me may.
157 A, dede, thou do thy deuer
158 And haue me hense away.
159 Martha. Allas, for ruthe now may I raue
160 And febilly fare by frith and felde,
161 Wolde God that I wer grathed in graue,
162 þat dede hadde tane me vndir telde.
163 For hele in harte mon I neuere haue
164 But if he helpe that all may welde,
165 Of Crist I will som comforte craue
166 For he may be my bote and belde.
167 To seke I schal noyot cesse
168 Tille I my souereyne see.
169 Hayle, pereles prince of pesse,
170 Jesu my maistir so free.
171 Jesus. Martha, what menes thou to make such chere? .
[... ...]
172 This stone we schall full sone
173 Remove and sette on syde.
174 Jesus. Fadir, that is in heuyn on highte,
175 I thanke the euere ouere all thyng
176 That hendely heres me day and nyght,
177 And takis hede vnto myn askyng.
178 Wherfore fouchesaffe of thy grete myght
179 So that this pepull, olde and yoyng,
180 That standis and bidis to se that sight
181 May trulye trowe and haue knowyng,
182 This tyme here or I pas
183 How that thou has me sent.
184 Lazar, veni foras,
185 Come fro thy monument.
186 Lazarus. A, pereles prince, full of pitee,
187 Worshipped be thou in worlde alway
188 That thus hast schewed thi myght in me,
189 Both dede and doluen, this is the fourthe day.
190 By certayne singnes here may men see
191 How that thou art Goddis sone verray.
192 All tho that trulye trastis in the
193 Schall neuere dye, this dar I saye.
194 Therfore yoe folke in fere,
195 Menske hym with mayne and myght,
196 His lawes luke that yoe lere,
197 þan will he lede yoou to his light.
198 Maria. Here may men fynde a faythfull frende
199 þat thus has couered vs of oure care.
200 Martha. Jesu my lord and maistir hende,
201 Of this we thanke the euermore.
202 Jesus. Sisteres, I may no lenger lende,
203 To othir folke nowe bus me fare,
204 And to Jerusalem will I wende
205 For thyngis that muste be fulfilled there.
206 Therfore rede I you right,
207 My men, to wende with me.
208 3e that haue sene this sight
209 My blissyng with yoo be.
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Proper Citation: NeCastro, Gerard. The York Cycle, Play 24 - Woman Taken in Adultery. Raising of Lazarus. From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. http:www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. Date Visited.