From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama
The York Cycle, Play 42 - Incredulity of Thomas
Escreueneres
001 Peter. Allas, to woo that we wer wrought,
002 Hadde never no men so mekill thought,
003 Sen that oure lorde to dede was brought
004 With Jewes fell;
005 Oute of this steede ne durste we noght,
006 But here ay dwelle.
007 John. Here haue we dwelte with peynes strang;
008 Of oure liffe vs lothis, we leve to lange,
009 For sen the Jewes wrought vs that wrong
010 Oure lorde to sloo,
011 Durste we neuere come thame emang,
012 Ne hense to goo.
013 Jacobus. þe wikkid Jewes hatis vs full ille,
014 And bittir paynes wolde putte vs till.
015 Therfore I rede that we dwelle stille
016 Here ther we lende,
017 Vnto that Criste oure lorde vs wille
018 Some socoure sende.
019 God. Pees and reste be with yowe.
020 Peter. A, brethir dere, what may we trowe?
021 What was this sight that we saughe nowe
022 Shynand so bright,
023 And vanysshed thus and we ne wote how,
024 Oute of oure sight?
025 John. Oute of oure sight nowe is it soghte,
026 Itt makith vs madde, the light it broght,
027 What may it be?
028 Jacobus. Sertis, I wotte noght,
029 But sekirly
030 Itt was vanytéin oure thought,
031 Nought ellis trowe I it be.
032 God. Pees vnto yowe euermore myght be,
033 Drede you noyot, for I am hee.
034 Peter. On Goddis name, benedicite!
035 What may this mene?
036 Jacobus. Itt is a sperite forsothe, thynketh me,
037 þat dose vs tene.
038 John. A sperite it is, that trowe I right,
039 All thus appered here to oure sight.
040 Itt makis vs madde of mayne and myght,
041 So is vs flaied;
042 3one is the same that broughte the light
043 þat vs affraied.
044 God. What thynke yoe, madmen, in youre thought?
045 What mournyng in youre hertis is brought?
046 I ame Criste, ne drede yoou noght;
047 Her may yoe se
048 þe same body that has you bought
049 Vppon a tre.
050 þat I am comen yoou here to mete,
051 Behalde and se myn handis and feete,
052 And grathely gropes my woundes wete
053 Al that here is.
054 þus was I dight youre balis to beete,
055 And bring to blis.
056 For yowe ther gatis thanne haue I gone.
057 Felys me grathely euerilkone,
058 And se that I haue flessh and bone.
059 Gropes me nowe,
060 For so ne has sperite none,
061 þat schall yoe trowe.
062 To garre yoou kenne and knowe me clere
063 I schall you schewe ensaumpillis sere.
064 Bringe nowe forthe vnto me here
065 Some of youre mette,
066 If yoe amange you all in fere
067 Haue ought to ete.
068 Jacobus. þou luffand lorde that laste schall ay,
069 Loo, here is mette that thou ete may,
070 A hony kombe the soth to saye,
071 Roste fecche thertill.
072 To ete therof here we the praie
073 With full goode will.
074 God. Nowe sen yoe haue broughte me this mete,
075 To make youre trouthe stedfast and grete,
076 And for yoe schall wanhope forgete
077 And trowe in me,
078 With youe than here wol I ete,
079 þat yoe schalle see.
080 Nowe haue I done, yoe haue sene howe,
081 Boldely etyng here with youe.
082 Stedfastly loke that yoe trowe
083 Yitt in me efte,
084 And takis the remenaunte sone to you
085 þat her is lefte.
086 For yooue thus was I reuyn and rayst,
087 þerfore some of my peyne yoe taste;
088 And spekis now nowhare my worde waste,
089 þat schall yoe lere,
090 And vnto yoou the holy goste
091 Resave yow here.
092 Beis now trewe, and trowes in me,
093 And here I graunte youe in youre posté
094 Whome that yoe bynde, bounden schall be
095 Right at youre steuene,
096 And whome that yoe lowys, losed schal be
097 Euermore in heuene.
098 Thomas. Allas for sight and sorowes sadde,
099 Mornyng makis me mased and madde;
100 On grounde nowe may I gang vngladde
101 Bothe even and morne.
102 þat hende that I my helpe of hadde
103 His liffe has lorne.
104 Lorne I haue that louely light,
105 þat was my maistir moste of myght.
106 So doulfully as he was dight
107 Was neuere no man;
108 Such woo was wrought of that worthy wighte
109 With wondis wan.
110 Wan was his wondis and wonderus wette,
111 With skelpis sore was he swongen, that swette,
112 All naked nailed thurgh hande and feete.
113 Allas, for pyne,
114 þat bliste, that beste my bale myght bete,
115 His liffe schulde tyne.
116 Allas, for sorowe myselffe I schende
117 When I thynke hartely on that hende,
118 I fande hym ay a faithfull frende,
119 Trulie to telle.
120 To my brethir nowe wille I wende
121 Wherso thei dwell.
122 So wofull wyghtis was neuere none,
123 Oure joie and comforte is all gone.
124 Of mournyng may we make oure mone
125 In ilka lande.
126 God blisse you brether, bloode and bone,
127 Same ther yoe stande.
128 Peter. Welcome Thomas, where has thou bene?
129 Wete thou wele withouten wene
130 Jesu oure lorde than haue we sene
131 On grounde her gang.
132 Thomas. What saie yoe men? Allas, for tene,
133 I trowe yoe mang.
134 John. Thomas, trewly it is noght to layne,
135 Jesu oure lorde is resen agayne.
136 Thomas. Do waie, thes tales is but a trayne
137 Of fooles vnwise.
138 He that was so fully slayne,
139 Howe schulde he rise?
140 Jacobus. Thomas, trewly he is on lyue
141 þat tholede the Jewes his flessh to riffe,
142 He lete vs fele his woundes fyue,
143 Oure lorde verray.
144 Thomas. That trowe I nought, so motte I thryue,
145 Whatso yoe saie.
146 Peter. Thomas, we saugh his woundes wette,
147 Howe he was nayled thurgh hande and feete;
148 Hony and fisshe with vs he eette,
149 þat body free.
150 Thomas. I laye my liff it was some sperit
151 3e wende wer hee.
152 John. Nay Thomas, thou haste misgone,
153 Forwhy he bad vs euerilkon
154 To grope hym grathely, bloode and bone
155 And flessh to feele.
156 Such thyngis, Thomas, hase sperite none,
157 þat wote thou wele.
158 Thomas. What, leue felawes, late be youre fare.
159 Tille that I see his body bare
160 And sithen my fyngir putte in thare
161 Within his hyde,
162 And fele the wounde the spere did schere
163 Riyot in his syde,
164 Are schalle I trowe no tales betwene.
165 Jacobus. Thomas, that wounde haue we seene.
166 Thomas. 3a, yoe wotte neuere what yoe mene,
167 Youre witte it wantis.
168 Ye muste thynke no syne me thus to tene
169 And tule with trantis.
170 God. Pees, brethir, be vnto you;
171 And Thomas, tente to me takis thou,
172 Putte forthe thy fyngir to me nowe.
173 Myn handis thou see,
174 Howe I was nayled for mannys prowe
175 Vppon a tree.
176 Beholde my woundis are bledand;
177 Here in my side putte in thi hande,
178 And fele my woundis and vndirstande
179 þat this is I,
180 And be no more mistrowand,
181 But trowe trewly.
182 Thomas. Mi lorde, my God, full wele is me.
183 A, blode of price, blessid mote thou be;
184 Mankynd in erth, behold and see
185 þis blessid blode.
186 Mercy nowe lorde ax I the,
187 With mayne and mode.
188 God. Thomas, for thou haste sene this sight,
189 þat I am resen as I the hight,
190 þerfore thou trowes it-but ilka wight,
191 Blissed be they euere
192 þat trowis haly in my rising right,
193 And saw it neuere.
194 My brethir, fonde nowe forthe in fere,
195 Ouereall in ilke a contréclere.
196 My rising both ferre and nere
197 Preche it schall yoe;
198 And my blissyng I giffe yoou here,
199 And my menyoe.
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Proper Citation: NeCastro, Gerard. The York Cycle, Play 42 - Incredulity of Thomas. From Stage to Page - Medieval and Renaissance Drama. http:www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/drama. Date Visited.