The Fishemongeres Playe

Petrus
My deare brethren, everye eichone,
You knowe well all and wan,
Howe our Lorde is from us gone,
To blesse that lasteth [aye].
Comforte nowe maye we have non,
Save his beheiste to truste uppon;
Therfore leeve we in this wonne,
That never on wende awaie:
Lenge we stiffe in our praier,
For well I wotte, withouten were,
He will sende us a counscelere,
His Ghoste, as he behighte.
Therfore lenge we righte here,
This faithfull felowshipe in feare,
Tell our Lorde, as he can us lere,
Sende us of heaven lighte.

Tunc eocurgens Petrus in medio f rat-rum, et dicat Petrus.

My deare brethren, fayer and free,
Holye Scripture, leeve you me,
Fullye muste fulfilled be
That David saide before;
Also of the Holye Ghoste hade he,
Touchinge Judas wytten ye,
That soulde our maister for moneye,
And nowe is cleane forlorne.
Amonge us nombred that wrech was,
The faith to preach in eich place,
And nowe his hier fullye he has,
For hanged hym selfe has he:
His bodye borsen for his treasspas,
Soule dampned as a man bout grace;
Theirfore, as the Psaulter mynd mase,
Fulfilled nowe muste be.

Fiat habitacio ejus deserta, et non sit qui habitet in ea; episcopatum ejus accipiat alter. Dicat Petrus,

Therfore, men that nowe bene heare,
And ffelowes that ever with us were,
While Jesus Christe our maister deare
In yeairth livinge was,
That you that seene his power,
His mirackles in mannere,
Dyeinge, risinge bouth in feare,
Maye beste nowe beare wittnes:
Mathias I rede here be one,
And Josephe with us that ever hath gone,
For whom we caste towe lottes anon,
And buske us all to praye,
Wheither of them it is Godes will
This office to fulfill.

Tunc respondent omnes.

All speake togeither.
We assente all theirtyll,
For this is the beste waye.

Tunc omnes apostoli genu jlectent, et dicat Petrus,

Thou Lorde, that knoweth all thinge,
Eich harte and will of man livinge,
Shewe us here, by some tockeninge,
Whom that we shall take,
And wheither of these is thy likinge,
In Judas stead that be standinge,
Thy name to preach to oulde and yonge,
And wheither that thou wylte take.

Tunc Petrus mittet sortem, et sors cadet super Mathiam, et dicat

Petrus
This lotte is fallne, brethren free,
On Mathewe, all men maye see:
To us, therfore, I take thee,
And apostell thee make.
Mathias.
Yea, honoured be God in Trenitie,
Though I unworthy theirto be,
That to you hath chossen me,
Dye will I for his sake.

Andrewas
Nowe, Petter, brother, goe we and praye,
For ever more [I] myne maye
My soveraigne howe I harde hym saie,
Heare in your companye.
Jacobus Major.
He woulde not leeve us by noe waye
Fatherles children, in good faye,
But riche us sone in better araye,
With his Ghoste, graciouslye.
Johannes Evangeleste.
Yea, brethren, also veramente,
To us he sayde to good intente,
In yeairth here while he was presente,
And with us coulde lende.

Thomas
But yf so were that ne wente,
His ghoste to us shoulde not be sente;
And yf he youde wher he lente,
Hit he woulde us sende.
Jacobus Minor.
Yea, sweate and likinge was his lore,
And well ye witten that their wore,
But a littill while before,
Or he to heaven stead.
Phillippus.
He bydde me I should not goe awaie
From Jerusalem to no cuntreye;
But their abyde, south to saie,
His heiste from an highe.

Bartholomewe
Also he sayde to us eichone,
That his foregoer saynte John
With watter baptiste manye one,
While that he was heare.
Matheus.
But we shall baptise, without boste,
Fullye with the Hollye Ghoste,
Through helpe of hym that is moste,
Sone after, without were.

Tunc Johannes quidem baptizavit aqua, vos autem haptazabimini spiritu sancto non post mullos hodies.

Symion.
We mynde theiron lesse and more;
Yet some that standeth hym before,
Asked wheither he shoulde restore
That tyme all Isarell.

Jude.
And he answered anon righte,
That tyme knowe you ne mighte,
That in his fathers will was pighte,
For that he muste conseale.

Non est vestrum nosse tempora vel momenta que pater posuit in sua poteste.

Mathias.
Yea, brethren, that tyme he us behighte,
The Holye Ghoste shoulde in us lighte,
That we mighte tell to eich wighte
His deedes all bedene,
In Jerusalem and Judye,
Wher in worlde so ever walke we,
And Samaria, that men shoulde see,
As after maye be seene.

Accipietis virtutem supervenientis spiritus sancti in vos, et eritis mihi testes in Jerusalem et in omni Judea, Samaria, et usque ad ultimum terre. Dicat Petrus:

Petrus
Kneele we downe upon our knye,
And to that Lorde nowe praye we;
Sone I hope that he will see
To his disciples all.

Andreas
Yea, in his life so taughte he,
Aske and have with harte free;
Rightewise dome shall graunted be,
When men will on hym calle.

Tunc apostoli omnes genu Jlectentes cantent, Veni creator, spiritus.

Jacobus Major.
Come, Holye Ghoste, come creator,
Viscitte our thoughtes in this stowre;
Thou arte mans conqueroure;
And graunte us, Lorde, thy grace.
Johannes.
Thou that arte called counscelor,
And sende from heaven as Savyour,
Well of life, leache of langor,
That pray en heare in this place.

Thomas
Yea, that in seven monthes woulde conseayle
Grace of thy ghoste aboute to deale,
As thou promised for mans heale,
Appeare nowe, since I praye.
Jacobus Minor.
Lighte our wittes with thy wayle;
Put life in our thoughtes lele;
Lixom thy frendes that bene frayle,
With vertues lastinge [aye].
Phillipus.
Vanishe our enemyes farre awaie,
And graunte us peace, Lorde, to our paie;
For while thou arte our leader aye,
We maye eshewe anye.

Bartholomes
Through thy mighte knowe we may,
The father of heaven full in good faye,
And ye, his sonne, in south to saye,
Thou arte in companye.
Mathieus.
Worshipped be thou ever and oo,
The father and the sonne also;
Let thy ghoste nowe from thee goe.
And faith that we maie fynde.

God the Sonne
Gloryous father, fayer and free,
Ye knowe well of dewtye.

Tunc omnes apostoli contemplantes vel orantes quousque spiritus sanctus missus fuit.

Deus dicat
My sonne beloved, liffe and deare,
Your health full askinge ever here,
That you aske is not to deare,
To knowe your cleane intente;
With will full liberall and cleare,
My ghoste to them shall appeare,
To make them wiser then the were;
That is my full assente.
My ghoste to eirth shall goe downe,
With seven geistes of renowne,
Their to have my devocion,
Confirme them to be sadde,
That the maie be ever readye bowne
In heaven blesse to weare the crowne;
Ever to raigne in possession,
Ther to be merye and glade.
My patrickes and prophettes heare,
That through your faith to me were deare,
Angelles and arckeangelles cleare
All in my blesse woninge,
You wotten well, withouten were,
Howe I have mended, in good manere,
Man that was lorne through Lucifier,
And through his owine likinge.
My sonne I sende down from my see
Into a virgene faier and free,
And manhoode toke, as liked me
On man to have mercye,
That rightious mighte saved be,
Since man had loste his libertie:
I made man in on degree,
His bale behoveth to bye.
Nowe manfullye have I boughte,
And out of balle to blesse broughte,
His kinde also, as me good taughte,
Is mighte within my godhead:
Thus man, that I made of naughte,
That Sathanas through synne had soughte,
By this waye I have so wroughte,
Non good in hell bene leade.
But while I was in that degree,
In eirth woninge as man shoulde be,
Chosen I have a good meanye,
On which I muste have mynde.
Nowe the have made ther mone to me,
And prayed speciallye, as I see,
Which I muste suffice with harte free,
Or elles I were unkinde.
Throughout the worlde the shall gone,
My dedes to preache to manye a one;
Yet steadfastnes in them is non,
To suffer for me anye.
Fleittinge jet the bene ichone;
But when my ghoste is them upon,
Then shall the after be as stiffe as stonne,
My deedes to certifie:
That to speake and expresse
All languages that ever yett was,
The shall have cuninge more and lesse,
Through force of heavenlye fier.
Also the shall have full power
To baptise men in watter cleare,
That beleven in good mannere,
To have full mynde on me;
And on all suche, withouten were,
The holye ghoste, at their praier,
Shall lighte on them, that the maye lere
In faith steadfaste to be.
Nowe will I sende anon in hye
To my brethren in companye
My ghoste to glade them graciously;
For that is their willinge:
In licknes of fier freelye,
That the maie stiffned be theirby,
My worckes to preach more steadfastly,
And theirby more cuninge.

Tunc Deus emittit spiritum in specie ignis, et in mittendo cantent duo angeli antiphonam, Acipite spiritum sanctum, quorum remiseritis peccata remittantur eis, etc. et cantando projicient ignem super apostolos; primus angelus in celo dicit.

Primus Angellus
Reste well, all that bene heare,
My lorde you greetes, and his ghoste heare;
He byddes you dread no boste nor beare
Of Jewes farre ner nere;
But loke ye goe anon in hie
Into all the worlde by and by,
And also preach the faith meeklye,
And his worckes so dreade.

Secundus Angellus
And through his ghoste that you bringe
You shall have understandinge
Of everye lande speakinge,
Whatsoever the saie;
And this worlde that is flittinge
You shall dispice over all thinge,
And heaven at your endinge
You shall have at youer paie.

Petrus
A! mercye, Lorde, full of mighte,
Bouth I feile and see in sighte
The holye ghoste is on us lighte:
Of fler this howse is full.

Andrewas
Nowe have we that was us beheighte,
For full of love my harte is plighte,
And wiser then is anye wighte
Me thinke I am, i-wisse.
Jacobus Major.
Yea, Lorde, blessed muste thou be,
For bouth I feele and eke I see
The holye ghoste is lighte on me,
This quitte I am my mede.
Johannes.
For suche love, by my lewtie,
With this fier in my harte can Hie,
That death to dye for my mayster free,
I have no manner dreed.

Thomas
And I thanke thee, bouth God and man,
For since this fier lighte me upon,
Of all languages well I can,
And speake them at my will.
Jacobus Minor.
I before that [was] but a fone
Am waxen as wise as Salomon;
Ther is no scyence but I can thereon,
And cuninge to fullfill.
Phillippus.
And I that never coulde speake thinge,
Save Ebrewe that I learned yonge,
Nowe I can speake at my likinge
All languages loe and hye.

Bartholomes
And so stiffe I am of beleevinge,
That I doute no prince ne kinge,
My maysters myrackles for to mynge,
And for his love to dye.
Mathieus.
A! blessed be my maister deare,
So littill while can us lere
All languages that ever were
Upon my tonge bene lighte.

Symon
My beleffe is nowe so cleare,
And love in harte so printed here,
To move my mynde in no manere
Ther is no man hath mighte.

Jude.
Yea, since this tier came from an highe,
I am waxen so wounder slighte,
That all languages farre and nighe
My tonge will speake nowe righte.
Mathias.
Nowe seithen my Lorde to heaven steegh,
And sende his ghoste as he behighte,
To all destresses nowe am I dighte,
And will dye for the love of God almighte.

Petrus
Nowe, brethren, I rede us all in feare,
Make we the creede in good manere
Of my Lordes deedes deare,
That gladdeth hath us to daie;
And I will firste begine here,
Since Christe betoke me his power,
The lawe heareafter that we maie lere,
To further them in the faye.

Tunc Petrus incipiat, Credo in Deum patrem omnipotentem, creatorem celt et terre.

Petrus
I beleeve in God omnipotente,
That made heaven and eirth and firmament,
With steadfaste harte and trewe intente,
And he is my comforte.

Et in Jesum Christum filium ejus unicum dominum nostrum, et dicat

Andreas
And I beleeve more I be lente,
In Jesu his sonne from heaven sente,
Vereye Christe that us hath kente,
And is our elders lore.

Qui conceptus est de spiritu sanclo, natus ex Maria virgine, dicit

Jacobus Major.
And I beleeve, with boste,
In Jesu Christe, in mightest moste,
Conseveith through the holye ghoste,
And borne was of Marye.

Passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus, et dicat Johannes:

Johannes.
And I beleeve, as I cane see,
That under Pilate suffred he,
Skourged and nayled on roode tree,
And buryed was his fayer bodye.

Descendit ad inferna, tercia die resurrexit a mortuis, dicit Thomas:

Thomas
And I beleeve, and south can tell,
That he ghostlye wente to hell:
Delivered his that their did dwell,
And rose the thirde daie.

Ascendit ad celos, sedet ad dextram dei patris omnipotentis, dicit

Jacobus Minor.
And I beleeve fullye this,
That he steyed up to heaven blesse,
And on his fathers righte hande is,
To raigne for ever and aye.

Unde venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos, dicat

Phillippus.
And I beleeve, with harte steadfaste,
That he will come at the laste,
And deenie mankinde as he hath caste,
Bouth the quicke and the dead.
Credo in spirilum sanctum.

Barthelemewe
And my beleffe shalbe moste
In vertue of the holye ghoste,
And through his helpe, without boste,
My life I thinke to leade.

Sanctum ecclesiam catholicam, sanctorum communionem, dicat

Mathieus.
And I beleeve, through Godes grace,
Suche beleffe as holye chourch has,
That Godes bodye graunted us was
To use in forme of bredde.

Remissioiem peccalorum.

Symon
And I beleve with devocion
Of synne to have remission,
Through Christes bloode and passion,
And heaven, when I am dead.

Carnis resurrexionem.

Jude.
And I beleeve, as all we mon,
In the generall resurrexcion
Of eiche bodye, when Christe is borne
To deme bouth good and evill.

Et vitam eternam.

Matheus.
And I beleeve, as all we maye,
Everlastinge life after my daye
In heaven to have ever and aye,
And so overcome the devill.

Petrus
Nowe, brethren, I rede all we
Goe ichone to divers cuntreye,
And preache to shier and to cittye
The faith, as Christe us bade.

Andreawas
Yea, leffe brethren, kisse nowe we
Icheon another before we dye,
For Godes will muste fulfilled be,
And that is nowe greate nede.

Tunc venient duo alienigene, quorum dicat primus

Primus alienigena
A! ffelowe! felowe! for cockes pittie!
Are not thes men of Gallalye I
Our language the can as well as we,
As ever eate I brede.

Secundus alienigena
Well I wotte, by my lewtye,
That within thes daies three,
On of them coulde not speake with me,
For to have bene dead.

Primus alienigena
Of all languages that be hereby
That come to Mesopotamye,
Capodorye and Jurye,
The jangle without wene,
Of the yle of Ponthus and Asye,
Friceland and Pamphani,
Egipte righte into Billi,
That is besyde Syren.

Secundus alienigena
Yea, also, men of Rabie,
And of Grece that is theirby,
Harden them prayse full tenderlye,
God of his owine grace;
And we harden them witterlye
Prayse God faste, bouth thou and I;
Folowe we therfbre, and spye
Howe goes this wounderous case.