The Cappers and Lynnan Drapers Playe

Incipit Pagina Quinta de Moyses et de lege sibi data.

I wyll you hould your holy daye
and worshippe yt eke alwaye,
father and mother all that yee maye,
and slea noe man noewhere.

Fornication yee shall flee.
Noe meanes goodes steale yee,
nor in noe place lenge ne bee
false wytnes for to beare.

Your neighbours wyefe desyre you nought,
servante nee goodes that bee bath bought,
oxe nor asse, in deede nor thought,
nor nothinge that is his,
nor wrongefullye to have his thinge
agaynst his love and his likinge.
In all these keepe my byddinge,
that yee doe not amysse.

Tunc Moyses in monte dicat populo:

Good folke, dread yee nought.
To prove you with God bath this wrought.
Take theese wordes in your thought;
nowe knowne yee what ys sinne.
By this sight nowe yee may see
that bee is pearles of postee.
Therfore this token looke doe yee,
therof that yee ne blynne.

After, wee reden of this storye
that in this monte of Synaye
God gave the lawe witterlye
wrytten with his hand
in stonye tables, as reede I;
before, men honored mawmentrye.
Moyses brake them hastelye,
for that hee would not wond.

But after, played as yee shall see,
other tables owt carved hee
which God bade wrytten should bee,
the wordes bee sayde before.
The which tables [shryned] were
after, as God can Moyses leare;
and that [shryne] to him was deare
therafter evermore.

Here God appereth agayne to Moyses.

And in the morninge looke thou hye
into the monte of Synaye.
Lett noe man wott but thow onlye,
of companye noe more.

Tunc Moyses faciet signum quasi effoderet tabulas de monte et, super ipsas scribens, dicat populo.

Whoe doth not this, dye shall hee.
In howses forever shall noe man see
firste fruyctes — to God offer yee,
for soe himselfe beode;
purpur and [byse] both too
to him that shall save you from woo
and helpe you in your neede.

Tunc descendet de monte, et veniet rex Balaack equitando juxta montem et dicat.

What natyon doth them anoy,
Moyses prayeth anon in hye;
then have the ever the victorye
and there cncmyes the worse.
Therfore, how I will wroken bee
I am bethought, as mote I thee:
Balaham shall come to mee,
that people for to curse.

Florish.

Noe knife nor sworde maye not avayle
that ylke people to assayle.
That foundes to fight, hee shall fayle,
for sycker yt is noe boote.

Caste up.

All natyons they doe anoye,
and my folke commen for to distroye,
and oxe that graweth buselye
the grasse right to the roote.

Whosoever Balaham blesseth, iwys,
blessed that man sothlye is;
whosoever he cursys fareth amyse,
such name over all bath bee.

But yett I truste venged to bee
with dynte of sword or pollicye
on these false losells, leaves mee.
Leeve this withowten dowbte,
for to bee wroken is my desyre;
my heart brennys as whott as fyre
for vervent anger and for ire,
till this bee brought abowte.

'Surgite dei patriae et opitulamini nobis et in necessitate nos defendite.'

Therfore, my god and godes all,
O mightye Mars, one thee I call!
With all the powers infernall
ryse now and helpe at neede.
I am enformed by trewe reporte
how the mediators doeth resorte
to wynne my land to there comforte,
desended of Jacobs seede.

Now shewe your power, you godes mighty,
soe that these caytiffes I may destroye,
havinge of them full victorye,
and them brought to mischance.

Sworde.

Beate them downe in playne battell,
those false losells soe cruell,
that all the world may here tell
wee take on vengeance.

Owt of Egipte fled the bee
and passed through the Red Sea.
The Egiptians that them pursued trewlye
were drowned in that same fludd.
The have on God mickell of might
which them doeth ayde in wronge and right.
Whosoever with them foundeth to fight,
hee wynneth little good.

They have slayne — this wott I well —
through helpe of God of Israell
both Seon and Ogge, kinges so fell,
and playnly them distroye.
Thearefore ryse up, ye goodes eiche one!
Ye be a hundrethe godes for one.
I would be wroken them upon,
for all there pompe and pryde.

Therefore goe fetche hym, batchelere,
that he may curse these people heare.
For sycker on them in no manere
may we not wroken be.

Miles rex Balack loquitur:

Syr, on your errannde will I goon,
that yt shalbe donne anone.
And he shall wreake you on your fanne,
the peopell of Isarell.

to destroye them as bee cann,
these freekes that bine soe fell.

Tunc Miles regis Balack ibit ad Balaham et dicat:

Balaham, my lorde greetes well thee
and prayeth thee soone at him to bee,
to curse the people of Judee
that done him great anoye.

Tunc ibit Balaham ad consulendum dominum in oratione. Sedens dicat Deus:

Balaham, I commande thee
kinge Balackes byddinge for to flee.
That people that blessed is of mee
curse thou by noe waye.

Tunc Balaham et Miles equitabunt simul, et dicat

Tunc Balaham ascendit super asinam et cum Milite equitabit; et in obviam venit Angelus domini cum gladio extricto; et asina videt ipsum et non Balaham, ad [terram] prostrata jacebit; et dicat

Tunc percutiet Balaham asinam suam. Et hic oportet aliquis transformiari in speciem asinae; et quando Balaham percutit, dicat asina:

Mayster, thow doest ill secerly,
soe good an asse as mee to nye.
Now hast thow beaten mee here thrye,
that bare the thus abowte.

Am not I, mayster, thy owne asse
to beare thee whyther thow will passe,
and many winter readye was?
To smyte me hyt ys shame.
Thow wottest well, mayster, perdee,
that thow haddest never non like to mee,
ne never yett soe served I thee.
Now am I not to blame.

Tunc videns Balaham Angelum evaginatum gladium habentem [adorans] ipsum dicat Balaham (Balaham on his knees shall fall sodenly downe and speaketh to the Angell).

If this asse had not downe gonne,
I would have slayne thee here anon.

Tunc Balaham et Miles equitabunt simul et in obviam veniet rex Balaack, et dicat rex

Tunc Balaack descendit de equo et Balaham de asina et ascendent in montem, et dieat Balaack rex.

Tunc Balaham versus austrem dicat.

I saye this folke shall have there will,
that noe natyon shall them gryll;
the goodnes that they shall fulfyll
nombred may not bee.
Theire God shall them keepe and save
and other rcproffe shall they none wave;
but such death as they shall have
I pray God send to mee.

Tunc Balaack rex addueet Balaham ad borialem partem montis, et dicat alta voce

I wott well that God made all this,
his folke to lyve in joye and blys.
That eursys them, cursed bee is;
whoe blesseth them to God is deare.

Tunc Balaham vertit se ad orientalem in plagam montis, et respiciens coelum spiritu prophetico dicit: 'Orietur stella ex Jacobb et exurget homo de Israell et consurget omnes duces alienigenarum, et erit omnis terra possessio eius.'

Here Balaham speaketh to Balaack: 'Abyde a while.'

Ther maye no pestylenee them dismaye,
neyther battell them affraye.
Plenteefull they shalbee aye
of gould, cattell, and corne.
There God of them takes the cure
from passions that hee makes them sure,
them to preserve in greate pleasure
as hee before hath sworne.

Yee shall not them distroye for aye,
but for a tyme vexe them yee maye.
Marke well now what I shall saye
and worke after my bore.
Send forth woomen of thy contrye —
namely, those that bewtyfull bee —
and to thy cnimyes lett them drawe nye,
as stales to stand them before.

When the yonge men that lustye bee
have percayved there great bewtye,
they shall desyre there companye,
love shall them soe inflame.

Then when they see the have them sure
in there love withowten cure,
the shall denye them theyre pleasure,
except the grante this same —

to love theyre great solempnitye
and worshipp the godes of thy contrye,
and all things commenlye
with other people to use.
Soe shall the theyre God displease
and tome themselves to great disease.
Then may thow have thy hartes ease,
there law when they refuse.

Spare thou neyther ryche ne poore,
wyddowe, mayde, ne ylke whoore;
yf shee bee fresh of coloure,
bringe her with thee, I saye.

The Doctor speaketh:

Lordes and ladyes that here bine lente,
this messenger that forth was sente
as yee have hard — to that intente,
these women for to bringe —
soe craftelye bee hath wrought,
the fearest women hee hath owt sought;
and to Godes people bee bath them brought —
God knoweth, a perlouse thinge.

For when they had of them a sight,
manye of them agaynste might
gave themselfe with all theyre might
those women for to please.
And then soone to them they went;
to have theyre [love] was there intent,
desyminge those women of theyr consent
and soe to live in pease.

But those women them denyed
there love; the sayd yt should be tryed,
which they might not elles abyde
for fere of great disceyte.
Those blynde people sware many an othe
that neythcr for leeffe nor for lothe
at any tyme they would have them wrothe,
nor never agaynst them pleade.

Soe by these women full of illusion
Godes people were brought to great confusion
and his displeasure; in conclusion,
his law they sett at naught.

God to Moyses — leeve yee now —
bade him sett up a gallowes tree,
the princes of the tribes there hanged to bee
for sinnes that they had wrought.

With that Moyses was sore greved,
and generally hee them repryved.
Therfore the would him have mischived,
but God did him defend.
For the good people that tendered the lawe,
when they that greate mischyefe sawe,
wholye together the can them drawe
upon those wretches to make [an] ende.

Anon Phinees, a yonge man devowte,
captayne bee was of that whole rowte,
and of these wretches, withowt dowbt,
xxiiii thowsand the slewe.
And then God was well content
with Phinees for his good intent,
as the prophett wryteth verament,
and here wee shall yt shewe:

'Stetit Phinees, et placavit, et cessavit quassatio, et reputatum est ei ad justitiam in generatione sua' etc.

Soone after, by Godes commandement,
to the Madianytes the went,
and ther they slewe verament
Balaham with fyve gyants moe.
Lordings, mych more mattere
is in this storye then yee have hard here.
But the substans, withowten were,
was played you beforen.

And by this prophecye, leeve yee mee,
three kinges, as yee shall played see,
honored at his nativitye
Christe when hee was borne.
Now, worthye syrs both great and smale,
here have wee shewed this storye before;
and yf hit bee pleasinge to you all,
tomorrowe nexte yee shall have more.

Prayenge you all, both east and west
where that yee goe, to speake the best.
The byrth of Christe, feare and honest,
here shall yee see; and fare yee well.

Finis