The Bowchers Playe

Diabolus
Nowe by [my] soverante I sweare,
And principallitie that I beare
In hell pyne, when I am their,
A gamon I will assaie;
Ther is a dossiberde I woulde dere,
That walkes abrode wilde were,
Whoe is his father I wotte nere,
The south yf I shoulde saye.
What master mon ever be this,
That nowe into the worlde comen is,
His mother I wotte did never amisse,
And that nowe marvailes me.
This can not I fynde i-wysse,
For all my crafte and my countise,
Yt seemes that heaven shoulde al be his,
So stowte a sire is he.
He is man from foote to crowne,
And gotten without corrupt cion,
So cleane of conversacion
Knewe I never non before.
All men of hym marvile mon,
For as man he goeth up and downe,
But as God with devocion
His hasse hym honer yore.
Since the worlde firste beganne,
Knewe I never such a man,
Borne of a deadlike woman,
And howe it wembles.
Amonge synfull syn dose he non,
And cleaneer then ever was any one,
Blottles of blude and bone,
And wiser then ever man was.
Averice nor anye envye
In hym coulde I never espie,
He hath no goulde in treasurye,
Ner tempted is by no sighte.
Pryde hath he non nor glotanye,
Ne nor no likinge of lecherye;
His mouth harde I never lye,
Nether by daye nor nighte.
My highnes he puttes ever behynde,
For in hym faulte cane I non fynde.
Yf he be God in mans kinde,
My crafte then fullye fayleth.
And more than man I wotte he is,
Elles some thinge he did amisse,
Save onlye hongarye he is, i-wisse,
Elles wotte I not what hym ayles.
And this thinge dare I southlye saye.
Yf that he be God vereye,
Honger shall greve hym by no waie,
That were againste reason.
Therfore nowe I woulde assaie
With speache of bread hym to betraye;
For he hasse fasted nowe manye a daie,
Therfore bredde were in season.

Diabolus dicit
Thou man, abyde and speake with me:
Godes sonne and yf thou be,
Make of these stonnes, nowe lettes see,
Breade, through thy blessinge.

Deus
Sathan, I tell thee sickerlye,
Bread man liveth not onlye by,
But through Godes worde verelye,
Of his mouth cominge.
Therfore thou pynes thee, Sathanfas],
To supplante me of my place
By meate, as somtyme Addam was,
Of blesse when he was broughte.
Deceived he was that tyme through thee,
But nowe muste faile thy postie;
Therfore to move that thinge to me,
It shall serve thee of naughte.
Sathan, through thy intisemente,
Honger shall naughte torne my intente;
For Godes will omnipotente
Is my meate, boute fayle,
And his worde perfecte sustenance,
And to me also without distance;
For thou shall fynde no variance
In me, that shall thee avayle.

Diabolus
Out, alas! what is this?
This matter fares all amisse!
Hongarye I se well he is,
As man shoulde kindlye be;
But through no crafte nor no countise,
I cane not torne his will, i-wisse,
That neede of anye bodelye blesse
In hym no thinge has he.
For he maie suffer all maner anoye,
As man shoulde well and steadfastlye,
But ever he wyneith the victorye,
As godheade in hym were.
Some other sleighte I muste espye,
This doscibeirde for to destroye,
For of me he hath the maisterye
Unhappelye nowe heare.
Adam, that God hym selfe wroughte,
Through my deceate in balle I broughte;
But this sir, that I have soughte,
Borne of one woman,
For no nede that hym selfe hase,
With no counscell in this case,
To greve hym I maie have no grace,
For no crafte that I can.
Yett will I seache some suttiltie. —
Come fourth thou, Jesus, come with me,
To this hollye cittie;
I have an errand to saie.
Vereye God, and if thou be,
Now I shall full sone see;
For I shall shape honour for thee,
Or that thou wende awaie.

Tunc statuet Jesu super pinnaculum templi y et dicat

Diabolus
Saye, thou that siteth nowe so highe,
Yf thou be Godes sonne, by sleighte,
Come downe, and I will see in sighte
That thou dideste a fayer maisterye;
Thy owine angelles mone kepe to thee,
That thou hurte no foote nor kneye,
Shewe thy power, nowe lettes see.
That thou maie have maisterye their-by.

Jesus dicit ad Diabolus. (sic)

Sathan, sickerlye I thee saie,
It is wrytten that thou ney maie
Tempte God thy Lorde by no waie,
What matter so ever be mente.

Descendens de pinnaculo dicat Diabolus.

Alas! that me is wo to daie!
This have I fayled of my praye!
Was I never rente in such araye,
Ner halfe so fowle deprived.

Tunc Sathan adducet Jesus super montem, et dicat:

Diabolus
Yet, felowe, if it be thy will,
Goe we plaie us to a hill,
Another poynte I muste fulfill,
For oughte that maie befall;
Loke aboute thee nowe and see
Of all this realme the royaltie:
For, to kneele downe and worshipe me,
Thou shalte be lorde of all.

Deus
Goe fourth, Sathanas, goe fourth, goe!
It was wrytten it shalbe so,
Thy Lorde God thou shalt honer,
And serve hym through thyn eye.

Diabolus
Out, alas! that me is woe!
For founde I never so create a foe,
Though I to the people were never so thro,
I am overcome thrise.
Alas! my sleighte nowe am I quitte:
Adam I founded with a fitte,
And hym in cumberances sone I knitte,
Through countise of my crafte.
Nowe, sone of sorowe he mone be sutte,
And I punished in hell pitte:
Knewe I never non of suche witte,
As he that I have laste.
Alas! for shame I am shente,
With hell houndes when I am hente,
I muste be ragged and all to -rente,
And dreven to the fier;
And in sorowe and wo nowe am I broughte,
And all my cuninge is sette at naughte:
Endles paine muste I have un soughte,
To my rewarde and hier.
But I am nowe of good intente,
To houlde a courte full dilligente,
And call my servantes, veramente,
Shortlye for to apeare;
Them to rewarde with dignitie,
That all ther life have served me,
In borninge blesse their shall the be,
And sitte with Lucifier.

Doccter
Loe, lordinges, Godes rightiousnes,
As Gregorye maketh mynde exspres,
Synce our forfather overcomen was,
By three thinges to doe evill;
Glotanye, vaine glorye, their be towe,
Covetouse of highnes also,
By thes three poyntes, boute moe,
Christe hase overcomen the devill.
That Adam was tempted in glorye
I maye well prove appeartlye,
When of that frute falsclye
The devill made hym to eate;
And tempted he was in vayne glorye
When he heighte hym greate magistie,
And have godhead unworthelye,
Through eatinge of that meate.
Also he was tempted in averice,
When he heighte hym to be wise,
Knowe good and evill at his devise,
More then he was worthy.
For covetousnes Gregeorye saith expresse,
Synnes naughte onlye in riches,
But in willinge of highenes
And state unskillfullye.
Also Christe in thes signes three
Was tempted, as ye maie well see,
For in glotanye, leve you me.
He moved hym yea sleilye here,
When he intisced hym through his read,
To tome the stones into breade,
And so to move his godheade,
Which he was in a were.
In vayne glorye he tempted hym also,
When he bade hym downe to goe
The pynackle of the temple froe,
An unskillfull gate;
And in covetousnes he tempted was,
When he shewed hym suche riches,
And heighte hym landes more and lesse,
And that through greate estate.
This overcome thrise in this case
The devill, as played was in this place,
Of the three synnes that Adam was
Of wayle into woe wayved;
But Adam fell through his treaspas,
And Jesu withstood hym through his grace,
For of his godhead southnes
That tyme was cleane deceived.

Tunc veniet Domino Pharasei adducentes mulierem in adulterio deprehensam, dicat primuz Phareseus:

Maysters, I rede by God allmighte,
That we leade this wreched wighte,
That was tacken thus to nighte
In fowle advoultrye,
Before Jesu in his sighte,
For to tempte hym I have tighte,
To se wheither he will deme the righte,
Or els unlawfullye.

Secundus Pharaseus
That is well rede, felowe, by my faye!
Soe maye we cache hym by some waye,
For if he doe her grace to daie,
He dose againste the lawe;
And yf he byde punishe her sore,
He dose againste his owine lore,
That he hase preached here before,
To mercye man shoulde drawe.

Tunc adducent mulierem inter se coram Jesu, et dicat

Primuz Pharaseus
Master, this woman that is heare
Was wedded lawfullye this other yeaire,
But with another then her feare
We founde her doe amisse.
And Moyses lawe bydes us stone
All suche as be uncleane:
Therfore to thee we can us meane,
To geve a dome of this.
Jesus scribens in terra, dicat

Jesus
Nowe which of you everye ichone
Is bout synne, buske hym anon,
And caste at her the firste stone,
Belive, or that ye blyne,

Primuz Pharaseus
Speake on, master, and somewhat saie,
Shall shee be stoned, or elles neye?
Or doe her mercye as thou maie,
To forgeve her this synne.

Secundus Pharaseus
Maister, why arte thou so still?
What wrytteste thou? yf it be thy will,
Wheither shall we spare or spill
This woman founde in blame?
What wrytteste thou, master I nowe lettes see;—
Out, alas! that woes me!
For no longer dare I here be,
For dreade of worldye shame.
Etfugiet, et dicat postea Primuz Pharaseus:
Why fleyeste thou, fellowe, by thy faye I
I will se sone and assaye.
Alas! that I were awaie
Ferre behynde France!
Stand ye, Sible, hym besyde;
No longer here dare I abyde
Againste thee for to chyde,
As have I good chaunce!
Etfugiet, et dicat Jesus ad mulierem:
Woman, wher be thes men eicheone,
That putten this gilte thee uppon?
To dampne thee nowe their is non
Of thoes that were before.
MULIER ADULTERA.
Lorde, to dampne me their is non,
For all the bene awaie gone.

Jesus
Nowe I dampne thee not, woman:
Goe fourth, and synne no more.
Mulier.
A! Lorde, blessed muste thou be,
That of mischeiffe hasse holpen me;
Hensefourth nowe I will fleye,
And serve thee in good faye;
For godheade full in thee I see,
That knowes worckes that done we,
I honoure thee kneelinge on my knye,
And so will I doe [aye].

Doccter
Nowe, lordes, I praye you marcke here
The great goodnes of Godes deere,
I will declare, as it is need,
These thinges that plaied was,
As Austyne speaketh expresslie
Of it in his homilye
Upon Saynte John Evangelye,
This he sayes in that case:
Towe wayes the casten hym to anoye,
Synce he hade preached moch of mercye,
And the lawe comaunded expresslye
Suche wemen for to stone
That treasspassen in advoultrye;
Therfore the hopen witterlye
Varyence in hym to espie,
Or blemyshe the lawe cleane.
That wiste Jesu well their thoughte,
And all their wittes he sette at naughte;
But bade which synne hade not wroughte
Caste firste at her a stone,
And wrote in claye, leeve you me,
Ther owine synnes that the maie se,
That eichone fayne was to fleye,
And the lefte her aloone.
For eichon of them hade grace
To see ther synnes in that place,
Yet non of them wiser was,
But his synnes eich man knewe;
And fayne the were to take the waie,
Leste the hade dampned bene that daie.
This helped that woman, in good faye,
Our sweete Lorde Jesu.