The Agony in the Garden and the Arrest of Jesus

Here Jesus goth to Betany-ward, and his dyscipulys folwyng with sad contenawns, Jesus seyng:

Now, my dere frendys and bretheryn echon,1
Remembyr þe wordys þat I xal sey.
þe tyme is come þat I must gon
For to fulfylle þe prophesey

þat is seyd of me, þat I xal dey,5
þe fendys power fro 3ow to flem;
Weche deth I wole not deney
Mannys sowle, my spovse, for to redem.

þe oyle of mercy is grawntyd playn9
Be þis jorné þat I xal take.
Be my fadyr I am sent , sertayn,
Betwyx God and man an ende to make.

Man for my brother may I not forsake,13
Nor shewe hym vnkendenesse be no wey.
In peynys for hym my body schal schake,
And for love of man, man xal dey.

Here Jesus and his discipulys go toward þe Mount of Olyvet; and whan he comyth a lytyl þerbesyde in a place lych to a park, he byddyt his dyscipulys abyde hym þer, and seyth to Petyr or he goth:

Petyr, with þi felawys here xalt þu abyde
And weche tyl I come ageyn.
I must make my prayere here 3ou besyde.
My flesch qwakyth sore for fere and peyn.

Here Jesu goth to Olyvet and settyth hym down on his knes, and prayth to his fadyr, þus seyng:

Here Jesus goth to his dyscipulis and fyndyth hem sclepyng, Jesus þus seyng to Petyr:

Petyr, Petyr, þu slepyst fast!33
Awake þi felawys and sclepe no more.
Of my deth 3e are not agast —
3e take 3oure rest and I peyn sore.

Here Cryst goth ageyn þe second tyme to Olyvet, and seyth knelyng:

Fadyr in hevyn, I beseche þe,37
Remeve my peynes be þi gret grace,
And lete me fro his deth fle,
As I dede nevyr no trespace.
The watyr and blood owth of my face
Dystyllyth for peynes þat I xal take.
My flesche qwakyth in ferflul case43
As þow þe joyntys asondre xuld schake.

Here Jesus goth a3en to his discipulis and fyndyth hem asclepe; Jesus þus seyng, latyng hem lyne:

Fadyr, þe thrydde tyme I come ageyn45
Fulleche myn erdon for to spede:
Delyuere me, fadyr, fro þis peyn,
Weche is reducyd with ful gret drede.
Onto þi sone, fadyr, take hede;
þu wotyst I dede nevyr dede but good.
It is not for me, his peyn I lede,51
But for man I swete bothe watyr and blode.

Here an aungel descendyth to Jesus and bryngyth to hym a chalys with an host þerin.

þis chalys ys þi blood, þis bred is þi body,
For mannys synne evyr offeryd xal be.
To þe Fadyr of Heffne þat is almythty
þi dyscipulis and all presthood xal offere fore the.

Here þe aungel ascendyth a3en sodeynly.

Here goth Cryst ageyn to his dyscipulys and fyndyth hem sclepyng stylle.

Awake, Petyr, þi rest is ful long!69
Of sclep þu wylt make no delay.
Judas is redy wit h pepyl strong,
And doth his part me to betray.
Ryse up, serys, I 3ou pray,
Onclose 3oure eyne for my sake.
We xal walke into þe way75
And sen hem come þat xul me take.

Petyr, whan þu seyst I am forsake77
Amonge myn frendys, and stond alone,
All þe cher þat þu kanst make
Geve to þi bretheryn everychone.

Here Jesus with his dyscipulis goth into þe place; and þer xal come in a x personys weyl beseen in white arneys and breganderys, and some dysgysed in odyr garmentys,. with swerdys, gleyvys, and other straunge wepoun, as cressettys, with feyr, and lanternys, and torchis lyth; and Judas formest of al, conveyng hem to Jesu be contenawns; Jesus þus s[eyng]:

Serys, in 3oure way 3e haue gret hast81
To seke hym þat wyl not fle.
Of 3ow I am ryth nowth agast.
Telle me, serys, whom seke 3e?

Here all þe Jewys falle sodeynly to þe erde whan þei here Cryst speke; and quan [he] byddyth hem rysyn, þei rysyn a3en, Cryst þus seyng:

Aryse, serys, whom seke 3e? Fast haue 3e gon.93
Is howth 3oure comyng hedyr for me?
I stond beforn 3ow here echon
þat 3e may me bothe knowe and se.

Here Judas kyssyth Jesus; and anoon all þe Jewys come abowth hym and ley handys on hym and pullyn hym as þei were wode, and makyn on hym a gret cry all atonys. And aftyr þis Petyr seyth:

And forthwith he smytyth of Malchus here, and he cryeth, 'Help! Myn here, myn here!'And Cryst blyssyth it and 'tys hol.

A, Judas, þis treson cowntyrfetyd hast þu,
And þat þu xalt ful sore repent!
þu haddyst bettyr a ben vnborn now;
þi body and sowle þu hast shent.

Why dede 3e not me dysprave,141
And herd me preche bothe lowd and lowe?
But now as woodmen 3e gynne to rave
And do thyng þat 3e notwth knove.

Here þe Jewys lede Cryst outh of þe place with gret cry and noyse, some drawyng Cryst forward, and some bakward, and so ledyng forth with here weponys alofte and lytys brennyng. And in þe menetyme, Marye Magdalene xal rennyn to oure Lady and telle here of oure Lordys takyng, þus seyng:

Of 3oure swete sone and my reverent Lord, Jésu,
þat was 3oure dayly solas, 3oure gostly consolacyon.

A, Jesu, Jesu, Jesu, Jesu!165
Why xuld 3e sofere his trybulacyon and advercyte?
How may thei fynd in here hertys 3ow to pursewe
þat nevyr trespacyd in no maner degré?
For nevyr thyng but þat was good thowth 3e;
Wherefore þan xuld 3e sofer his gret peyn?
I suppoce veryly it is for þe tresspace of me.
And I wyst þat, myn hert xuld cleve on tweyn.

For þese langowrys may I [not] susteyn,173
þe swerd of sorwe hath so thyrlyd my meende!
Alas, what may I do? Alas, what may I seyn?
þese prongys, myn herte asondyr þei do rende.

O Fadyr of Hefne, wher ben al þi behestys177
þat þu promysy[d] me whan a modyr þu me made?
þi blyssyd sone I bare betwyx tweyn bestys,
And now þe bryth colour of his face doth fade.

A, good Fadyr, why woldyst þat þin owyn dere sone xal sofre al þis?
And dede he nevyr a3ens þi precept, but evyr was obedyent;
And to every creature most petyful, most jentyl and benyng, iwys;
And now for all þese kendnessys is most shameful schent.

Why wok bu, gracyous Fadyr, þat it xal be so?
May man not ellys be savyd be non other kende?
3et, Lord Fadyr, þan þat xal comforte myn wo
Whan man is savyd be my chylde and browth to a good ende.

Now, dere sone, syn þu hast evyr be so ful of mercy
þat wylt not spare þiself for þe love þu hast to man,
On all mankend now have þu pety —
And also thynk on þi modyr, þat hevy woman.

The Procession of Saints