From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama
The York Cycle, Play 27 - The Last Supper
Baxteres
001 Jesus. Pees be both be day and nyght
002 Vntill this house and till all that is here.
003 Here will I holde as I haue hight
004 The feeste of Paas with frendis in feere.
005 Marcellus. Maistir, we haue arayed full right
006 Seruise that semes for youre sopere.
007 Oure lambe is roste and redy dight,
008 As Moyses lawe will lely lere.
009 Jesus. That is, ilke man that has
010 Pepill in his awne posté
011 Shall roste a lambe at Paas,
012 To hym and his meyné
013 Andrew. Maistir, the custome wele we knawe
014 That with oure elthers euer has bene,
015 How ilke man with his meynéawe
016 To roste a lambe and ete it clene.
017 Jesus. I thanke yoou sothtly of youre sawe,
018 For yoe saye as youreselffe has sene.
019 Therfore array yoou all on rawe,
020 Myselfe schall parte itt yoou betwene.
021 Wherfore I will that yoe
022 Ette therof euere-ilkone,
023 The remelaunt parted schall be
024 To the poure that purueyse none.
025 Of Moyses lawes here make I an ende
026 In som party, but noght in all.
027 My comaundement schall othirwise be kende
028 With tham that men schall craftely call.
029 But the lambe of Pase that here is spende,
030 Whilke Jewes vses grete and small,
031 Euere forward nowe I itt deffende
032 Fro Cristis folke what so befall.
033 In that stede schall be sette
034 A newe lawe vs bytwene,
035 But who therof schall ette
036 Behoues to be wasshed clene.
037 For that new lawe whoso schall lere,
038 In harte tham bus be clene and chaste.
039 Marcelle myn awne discipill dere,
040 Do vs haue watir here in hast.
041 Marcellus. Maistir, it is all redy here,
042 And here a towell clene to taste.
043 Jesus. Commes forthe with me all in feere,
044 My wordis schall noght be wroght in waste.
045 Settis youre feete fourth, late see,
046 They schall be wasshen sone.
047 Peter. A, lorde, with thi leue, of thee
048 þat dede schall noyot be done.
049 I schall neuere make my membres mete,
050 Of my souerayne seruice to see.
051 Jesus. Petir, bott if thou latte me wasshe thi feete
052 þou getis no parte in blisse with me.
053 Peter. A, mercy lorde and maistir swete,
054 Owte of that blisse that I noght be-
055 Wasshe on my lorde to all be wete,
056 Both hede and hande, beseke I the.
057 Jesus. Petir, thou wotiste noyot yoitt
058 What this werke will bemene.
059 Hereaftir schall thou witte,
060 And so schall yoe all bedene.
061 3oure lorde and maistir yoe me call,
062 And so I am, all welthe to welde.
063 Here haue I knelid vnto yoou all,
064 To wasshe youre feete as yoe haue feled.
065 Ensaumple of me take yoe schall
066 Euer for to yoeme in yoouthe and elde,
067 To be buxsome in boure and hall,
068 Ilkone for to bede othir belde.
069 For all-if yoe be trewe
070 And lele of loue ilkone,
071 3e schall fynde othir ay newe
072 To greue whan I am gone.
073 Jacobus. Now sen oure maistir sais he schall
074 Wende and will not telle vs whedir,
075 Whilke of vs schall be princepall?
076 Late loke now whils we dwell togedir.
077 Jesus. I wotte youre will both grete and small,
078 And youre high hartis I here tham hedir;
079 To whilke of yoou such fare schulde fall
080 þat myght yoe carpe when yoe come thedir,
081 Where it so schulde be tyde
082 Of such materes to melle.
083 But first behoues yoou bide
084 Fayndyngis full ferse and felle.
085 Here schall I sette yoou for to see
086 þis yoonge childe for insaumpills seere,
087 Both meke and mylde of harte is he,
088 And fro all malice, mery of chere;
089 So meke and mylde but if yoe be
[... ...]
090 Jesus. Quod facis fac cicius:
091 þat thou schall do, do sone.
092 Thomas. Allas, so wilsom wightis as we
093 Was neuere in worlde walkand in wede,
094 Oure maistir sais his awne meyné
095 Has betrayed hym to synfull seede.
096 Jacobus. A, Jhon, sen thou sittist nexte his kne,
097 We pray the spire hym for oure spede.
098 John. Domine, quis est qui tradit te?
099 Lord, who schall do that doulfull dede?
100 Allas, oure playe is paste,
101 þis false forward is feste.
102 I may no lenger laste,
103 For bale myn herte may breste.
104 Judas. Now is tyme to me to gang,
105 For here begynnes noye all of newe.
106 My fellaws momellis thame emang
107 þat I schulde alle this bargayne brewe-
108 And certis thai schall noyot wene it wrang.
109 To the prince of prestis I schall pursue,
110 And thei schall lere hym othir ought long
111 That all his sawes sore schall hym rewe.
112 I wotte whedir he remoues
113 With his meynéilkone,
114 I schall telle to the Jewes
115 And tyte he schalle be tane.
116 Jesus. I warne yoou nowe my frendis free,
117 Sese to ther sawes that I schall say:
118 The fende is wrothe with yoou and me
119 And will yoou marre if that he may.
120 But Petir, I haue prayed for the,
121 So that thou schall noyot drede his dray;
122 And comforte thou this meyné
123 And wisse hem whan I am gone away.
124 Peter. A, lorde, where wilte thou lende?
125 I schall lende in that steede,
126 And with the schall I wende
127 Euermore in lyffe and dede.
128 Andrew. No wordely drede schall me withdrawe
129 That I schall with the leue and dye.
130 Thomas. Certis, so schall we all on rawe,
131 Ellis mekill woo were we worthy.
132 Jesus. Petir, I saie to the this sawe
133 þat thou schalte fynde no fantasie:
134 þis ilke nyght or the cokkys crowe
135 Shall thou thre tymes my name denye,
136 And saye thou knewe me neuere
137 Nor no meynéof myne.
138 Peter. Allas, lorde, me were lever
139 Be putte to endles pyne.
140 Jesus. As I yow saie so schall it bee,
141 Ye nedis non othir recours to craue.
142 All that in worlde is wretyn of me
143 Shall be fulfilled, for knyght or knave.
144 I am the herde, the schepe are yoe,
145 And whane the herde schall harmes haue
146 The flokke schall be full fayne to flee,
147 And socoure seke thameselffe to saue.
148 3e schall whan I am slayne
149 In grete myslykyng lende,
150 But whanne I ryse agayne
151 þan schall youre myrthe be mende.
152 3e haue bene bowne my bale to bete,
153 Therfore youre belde ay schall I be.
154 And for yoe did in drye and wete
155 My comaundementis in ilke contré
156 The kyngdome of heuen I you behete
157 Euen as my fadir has highte itt me.
158 With gostely mete there schall yoe mete
159 And on twelffe seeges sitte schall yoe,
160 For yoe trewlye toke yoeme
161 In worlde with me to dwell,
162 There shall yoe sitte to deme
163 Xij kyndis of Israell.
164 But firste yoe schall be wille of wone,
165 And mo wathes then yoe of wene
166 Fro tyme schall come that I be tone,
167 þan schall yoe turne away with tene.
168 And loke that yoe haue swerdis ilkone,
169 And whoso haues non yoou bytwene
170 Shall selle his cote and bye hym one,
171 þus bidde I that yoe do bedene.
172 Satcheles I will yoe haue,
173 And stones to stynte all striffe,
174 Youreselffe for to saue
175 In lenghyng of youre liff.
176 Andrew. Maistir, we haue here swerdis twoo
177 Vs with to saue on sidis seere.
178 Jesus. Itt is inowe, yoe nedis no moo,
179 For fro all wathis I schall yoou were.
180 Butt ryse now vppe, for we will goo,
181 By this owre enemyes ordand are;
182 My fadir saide it schall be soo,
183 His bidding will I noyot forbere.
184 Loke yoe lere forthe this lawe
185 Als yoe haue herde of me,
186 Alle that wele will itt knawe
187 Ay blessid schall thei bee.
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Proper Citation: NeCastro, Gerard. The York Cycle, Play 27 - The Last Supper. From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. http:www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. Date Visited.