The Parliament in Hell and the Temptation of Christ in the Desert

Sathan
Now Belyard and Belzabub, 3e derwurthy devel of helle,
And wysest of councel amongys all þe rowte,
Herke now what I sey, a tale I xall 3ow telle
þat trobelyth sore my stomak; þerof I haue grett dowte.
Belyall
Syr Sathanas, oure souereyn syre, with þe wol we dwelle.
All redy at þi byddynge, to þe do we lowte.
If þu haue any nede of oure wyse counselle,
Telle us now þi qwestyon all out and oute;
Sey al þi dowt beden[e].
Belsabub
3a, sere, telle us þi dowte by and by,10
And we xul telle þe so sekyrly
þat þu xalt knowe verryly
What þi dowte doth mene.
Sathan
The dowte þat I haue, it is of Cryst, iwys.14
Born he was in Bedleem, as it is seyd,
And many a man wenyth þat Goddys sone he is,
Born of a woman, and she a clene mayd.
And all þat evyr he prechyth, it is of hevyn blys.
He wyl lese oure lawe, I am ryght sore afrayd!
Fayn wolde I knowe who were fadyr his,20
For of kis grett dowte I am sore dysmayd,
Indede.
If þat he be Goddys childe
And born of a mayd mylde,
Than be we rygh sore begylde,
And short xal ben oure spede!26
Therfore, serys, sumwhat þat 3e shewe27
In þis grett dowth what is best to do.
If he be Goddys sone, he wyl brede a shrewe
And werke us mech wrake, both wrech and woo!
Sorwe and care he wyl sone strewe;
All oure gode days þan xulde sone be goo.
And all oure lore and all oure lawe he wyl down hewe,
And þan be we all lorn, if þat it be soo —
He wyll don vs all tene!
He wyll be lorde ouyr hevyn and helle,
And feche awey all oure catelle.
þerfore shewe now sum good counselle,
What comfort may best bene.39
Belyall
The best wytt þat I kan say,40
Hym to tempte, forsoth, it is.
With sotyl whylys, if þat þu may,
Asay to make hym to don amys.
If þat he synne, þis is no nay,
He may nat be Kynge of Blys.
Hym to tempte go walke þi way,46
For best counsell I trowe be this.
Go forth now and assay.
Belsabub
The best wytt I hold it be49
Hym to tempte in synnys thre,
The whiche mankendeis frelté
Doth falle sonest alway.
Sathan
So afftyr 3oure wytt now wyll I werke;53
I wyll no lengere now here abyde.
Be he nevyr so wyse a clerke,
I xal apposyn hym withinne a tyde.
Belsabub
Now, louely Lucyfer in helle so derke,57
Kynge and lorde of synne and pryde,
With sum myst his wyttys to merke,
He send þe grace to be þi gyde,
And evyrmore be þi spede.
Belyall
All be deuelys þat ben in helle62
Shul pray to Mahound, as I þe telle,
þat þu mayst spede þis jurney well,
And comforte the in þis dede.
Jesus
Xlti days and xlti nyght66
Now haue I fastyd for mannys sake.
A more grett hungyr had neuyr no wyght
Than I myself begynne to take.
For hungyr in peyn stronge am I pyght,
And bred haue I non myn hungyr for to slake.
A lytel of a loof relese myn hungyr myght,72
But mursele haue I non my comforte for to make.
This suffyr I, man, for the.
For þi glotenye and metys wronge
I suffyr for þe þis hungyr stronge.
I am afferde it wyl be longe
Or þu do þus for me.78
Sathan
The Sone of God if þat þu be,79
Be þe grett myght of þi Godhede,
Turne these flyntys, anon lett se,
From arde stonys to tendyr brede!
More bettyr it is, as I telle the,
Wysely to werke aftyr my reed
And shewe þi myght of grett majesté,85
Than thorwe grett hungyr for to be dede.
These stonys now bred þu make.
Goddys sone if þat þu be,
Make these stonys bred, lett se;
þan mayste þu ete ryght good plenté,
Thyn hungyr for to slake.91
Jesus
Nott only be bred mannys lyff 3itt stood,92
But in þe wurde of God, as I þe say.
To mannys sowle is neuyr mete so good
As is þe wurd of God, þat prechid is alway.
Bred materyal doth norch blood,
But to mannys sowle, þis is no nay,
Nevynnore may be a betyr food98
þan þe wurd of God, þat lestyth ay.
To here Goddys wurde, þerfore, man, loue.
Thi body doth loue materal brede;
Withoute þe wurde of God þi soule is but dede.
To loue prechynge, þerfore, I rede,
If þu wylt duellyn in blysse above.104
Sathan
For no grett hungyr þat I kan se105
In glotony þu wylt not synne.
Now to þe temple com forth with me,
And þer xal I shewe þe a praty gynne.
Vp to þis pynnacle now go we,
I xal be sett on þe hy3est pynne.
Ther I preue what þat þu be.111
Or þat we tweyn part atwynne,
I xal knowe what myght þu haue.

Hic ascendit Deus pinnaculum templi dum diabolus dicit quod sequitur:


Whan þu art sett upon þe pynnacle,114
þu xalt her pleyn a qweynt steracle,
Or ellys shewe a grett meracle;
Thysself from hurte þu saue.

Hic Satanas ponit Jesum super pinnaculum dicens:


Now if þu be Goddys Ssone of Myght,118
Ryght down to þe erth anon þu falle,
And saue þisylf in every plyght
From harm, and hurte, and scappys alle.
For it is wretyn [þat] aungelys bryght
þat ben in hevyn, þi faderys halle,
The to kepe both day and nyght124
Xul be ful redy as þi thralle,
Hurt þat þu non haue.
þat þu stomele not ageyn þe ston
And hurt þi fote as þu dost gon,
Aungell be redy all everychon
In weys be to saue.130
Jesus
It is wretyn in holy book,131
þi Lorde God þu xalt not tempte.
Allthynge must obeye to Goddys look:
Out of his myght is non exempt.
Out of þi cursydnes and cruel crook
By Godys grace man xal be redempt,
Whan þu to helle, þi brennynge brook,137
To endles peyne xal evyr be dempt,
Therin aiwey to abyde.
Thi Lorde God þu tempt no more!
It is nott syttenge to þi lore.
I bydde þe sese anon, þerfore,
And tempte God in no tyde.143
Sathan
Ow! In gloteny nor in veynglory it doth ryght nott avayl!
Cryst for to tempt it profyteth me ryght nought.
I must now begynne to haue a newe travayl:
In covetyse to tempt hym it comyth now in my thought.
For if I went þus away and shrynkyd as a snayle,
Lorn were þe labore all þat I haue wrought.
þerfore in covetyse oure syre I xal asayle,150
And assay into þat synne yf he may be brought
Anon forthryght.
Syr, 3itt onys I pray to the,
To his hy3 hyl com forth with me.
I xal þe shewe many a ceté
And many a wurthy syght.156

Tunc Jesus transit cum diabolo super montem, et diabolus dicit:


Into be northe loke forth evyn pleyn;157
The Towre of Babolony þer mayst þu se.
The ceté of Jerusalem stondyth her ageyn,
And evyn fast þerby stondyth Galylé;
Nazareth, Naverne, and þe kyngdom of Spayn;
Zabulon and Neptalym, þat is a rych countré;
Bothe Zebee and Salmana þu mayst se, serteyn;
Itayl and Archage, hat wurthy remys be;
Bothe Januense and Jurye;
Rome doth stonde before þe ryght;
The temple of Salamon, as sylver bryght,
And here mayst þu se opynly with syght
Both Fraunce and Normandye.169
Turne þe now on þis syde and se here Lumbardye;
Of spycery her growyth many an C balys.
Archas, and Aragon, and grett Almonye,
Parys, and Portyngale, and be town of Galys;
Pownteys, and Poperynge, and also Pycardye,
Erlonde, Scottlonde, and be londe of Walys;
Grete pylis and castellys þu mayst se with eye,
3a, and all be wyd werde, withoute mo talys.
All þis longygh to me.
If þu wylt knele down to þe grownde
And wurchepp me now in his stownde,
All his world þat is so rownd,
I xal it gyve to the.182
Jesus
Go abak, þu fowle Sathanas!183
In Holy Scrypture wretyn it is,
Thi Lorde God to wurchipp in every plas
As for his thrall, and þu servaunt his.
Sathan
Out! Out! Harrow! Alas! Alas!187
I woundyr sore what is he this?
I cannot brynge hym to no trespas,
Nere be no synne to don amys.
He byddyth me gon abakke!
What þat he is I kannot se;
Whethyr God or man, what þat he be193
I kannot telle in no degré.
For sorwe I lete a crakke.

Hic uenient angeli cantantes et ministrantes ei, "Gloria tibi Domine" dicens.


Jesus
Now all mankende exaunple take196
By these grete werkys þat þu dost se,
How hathe þe devyll of helle so blake
In synne was besy to tempte me.
For all hise maystryes þat he dyd make,
He is ouyrcom and now doth fle.
All his I suffyr for mannys sake,202
To teche þe how þu xalt rewle the
Whan þe devylle dothe the assayle.
Loke þu concente nevyr to synne
For no sleytys ne for no gynne.
And þan be victory xalt þu wynne;
þe devyl xal lesyn all his travayl.208
To suffyr temptacyon, it is grett peyn.209
If þu withstonde it, þu wynnyst grett mede.
Of God be more grace þu hast, serteyn,
If þu withsett þe devyl in his dede.
Thow þat þe fende tempt þe ageyn,
Of his power take þu no drede,
For God hath the 3ovyn both myght and mayn215
Hym for to withsytt evyr at nede —
þu hast more myght than he!
Whan þe devyl doth tempte the thoo,
Shewe þi myght a3ens þi foo.
Whan þi sowle partyth the froo,
In blysse þan xal it be.221
Amen222


2024 Mar 19  14:56:36