John the Baptist

John the Baptist
God, that mayde both more and les,
Heuen and erth, at his awne wyll,
And merkyd man to his lyknes,
As thyng that wold his lyst ffulfyll,
Apon the erth he send lightnes,
Both son and moyne lymett thertyll,
He saue you all from synfulnes,
And kepe you clene, both lowd and styll.
Emang prophetys then am I oone
That god has send to teche his law,
And man to amend, that wrang has gone,
Both with exampyll and with saw.
My name, for sothe, is baptyst Iohn,
My fader zacary ye knaw,
That was dombe and mayde great mone,
Before my byrth, and stode in awe.
Elezabeth my moder was,
Awntt vnto mary, madyn mylde;
And as the son shynys thorow the glas,
Certys, in hir wombe so dyd hir chyld.
Yit the Iues inqueryd me has
If I be cryst; thay are begyld,
For ihesus shal amend mans trespas,
That with freylte of fylthe is fylyd.
I am send bot messyngere
ffrom hym that alkyn mys may mend;
I go before, bodword to bere,
And as forgangere am I send,
his wayes to wyse, his lawes to lere,
Both man and wyfe that has offende.
ffull mekyll barett mon he bere,
Or tyme he haue broght all tyll ende,
Thise Iues shall hyng hym on a roode,
Man’s saull to hym it is so leyfe,
And therapon shall shede his bloode,
As he were tratoure or a thefe,
Not for his gylt bot for oure goode,
Because that we ar in myschefe;
Thus shall he dy, that frely foode,
And ryse agane tyll oure relefe.
In water clere then baptyse I
The pepyll that ar in this coste;
Bot he shall do more myghtely,
And baptyse in the holy goost;
And with the bloode of his body
wesh oure synnes both leste and moost,
Therfor, me thynk, both ye and I
Agans the feynde ar well endoost.
I am not worthy for to lawse
The leste thwong that longys to his shoyne;
Bot god almyghty, that all knawes,
In erth thi will it must be done.
I thank the, lord, that thi sede sawes
Emong mankynde to groyf so sone,
And euery day that on erth dawes
ffeydys vs with foode both euen and none.
we ar, lord, bondon vnto the,
To luf the here both day and nyght,
ffor thou has send thi son so fre
To saue mans saull that dede was dight
Thrugh adam syn and eue foly,
That synnyd thrugh the feyndis myght;
Bot, lord, on man thou has pyte,
And beyld thi barnes in heuen so bright.

Primus Angelus
harkyn to me, thou Iohn baptyst!
The ffader of heuen he gretys the weyll,
ffor he has fon the true and tryst,
And dos thi dever euery deyll;
wyt thou well his will thus ist,
Syn thou art stabyll as any steyll,
That thou shall baptyse ihesu cryst
In flume Iordan, mans care to beyll

John the Baptist
A, dere god! what may this be?
I hard a steuen, bot noght I saw.

Primus Angelus
Iohn, it is I that spake to the;
To do this dede haue thou none aw.

John the Baptist
Shuld I abyde to he com to me?
That that shall neuer be, I traw;
I shall go meyt that lord so fre,
As far as I may se or knaw.

Secundus Angelus
Nay, Iohn, that is not well syttand;
his fader will thou must nedys wyrk.

Primus Angelus
Iohn, be thou here abydand,
Bot when he commys be then not yrk.

John the Baptist
By this I may well vnderstand
That childer shuld be broght to kyrk,
ffor to be baptysyd in euery land;
To me this law yit is it myrk.

Secundus Angelus
Iohn, this place it is pleassyng,
And it is callyd flume Iordan;
here is no kyrk, ne no bygyng,
Bot where the fader wyll ordan,
It is godys wyll and his bydyng.

John the Baptist
By this, for sothe, well thynk me than
his warke to be at his lykyng,
And ilk folk pleasse hym that thay can.
Sen I must nedys his lyst fulfyll
he shall be welcom vnto me;
I yeld, me holy to his will,
where so euer I abyde or be.
I am his seruande, lowd and styll,
And messyngere vnto that fre;
whethere that he will saue or spyll
I shall not gruch in no degre.

Jesus
Iohn, godys seruand and prophete,
My fader, that is vnto the dere,
has send me to the, well thou wytt,
To be baptysyd in water clere;
ffor reprefe vnto mans rytt
The law I will fulfyll right here;
My fader ordynance thus is it,
And thus my wyll is that it were.
I com to the, baptym to take,
To whome my fader has me sent,
with oyle and creme that thou shal make
vnto that worthi sacrament.
And therfor, Iohn, it not forsake,
Bot com to me in this present,
ffor now will I no farther rake
Or I haue done his commaundement.

John the Baptist
A, lord! I loue the for thi commyng!
I am redy to do his will,
In word, in wark, in all kyn thyng,
what soeuer he sendys me tyll;
This bewteose lord to bryng to me,
his awne seruande, this is no skyll,
A knyght to baptyse his lord kyng,
My pauste may it not fulfyll.
And if I were worthy
ffor to fulfyll this sacrament,
I haue no connyng securly,
To do it after thyn intent;
And therfor, lord, I ask mercy;
hald, me excusyd as I haue ment;
I dar not towche thi blyssyd body,
My hart will neuer to it assent.

Jesus
Of thi connyng, John, drede the noght;
My fader his self he will the teche;
he that all this warld, has wroght,
he send the playnly forto preche;
he knawys mans hart, his dede, his thoght;
he wotys how far mans myght may reche,
Therfor hedir haue I soght;
My fader lyst may none appeche.
Behold, he sendys his angels two,
In tokyn I am both god and man;
Thou gyf me baptym or I go,
And dyp me in this flume Iordan.
Sen he wyll thus, I wold wytt who
Durst hym agan stand? Iohn, com on than,
And baptyse me for freynde or fo,
And do it, Iohn, right as thou can.

Primus Angelus
Iohn, be thou buxom and right bayn,
And be not gruchand in no thyng;
Me thynk thou aght to be ful fayn
ffor to fulfyll my lordis bydyng
Erly and late, with moyde and mayn,
Therfor to the this word I bryng,
My lord has gyffen the powere playn,
And drede the noght of thi conyng.

Secundus Angelus
he sendys the here his awne dere chylde,
Thou welcom hym and make hym chere,
Born of a madyn meke and mylde,
That frely foode is made thi fere;
with syn his moder was neuer fylde,
Ther was neuer man neghyd hyr nere,
In word ne wark she was neuer wylde,
Therfor hir son thou baptyse here.

Primus Angelus
And, securly, I will thou knaw
whi that he commys thus vnto the;
he commys to fulfyll the law,
As pereles prynce most of pauste;
And therfor, Iohn, do as thou awe,
And gruch thou neuer in this degre
To baptyse hym that thou here saw,
ffor wyt thou well this same is he.

John the Baptist
I am not worthy to do this dede;
Neuer the les I will be godys seruande;
Bot yit, dere lord, sen I must nede,
I will do as thou has commaunde.
I tremyll and I whake for drede!
I dar not towche the with my hande,
Bot, certys, I will not lose my mede;
Abyde, my lord, and by me stande.
I baptyse the, Ihesu, in hy,
In the name of thi fader fre,
In nomine patris & filii,
Sen he will that it so be,
Et spiritûs altissimi,
And of the holy goost on he;
I aske the, lord, of thi mercy,
here after that thou wold blys me.
here I the anoynt also
with oyle and creme, in this intent,
That men may wit, where so thay go,
This is a worthy sacrament.
Ther ar sex othere and no mo,
The which thi self to erthe has sent,
And in true tokyn, oone of tho,
The fyrst on the now is it spent.
Thou wysh me, lord, if I do wrang;
My will it were forto do weyll;
I am ful ferd yit ay emang,
If I dyd right I shuld done knele.
Thou blys me, lord, hence or thou gang,
So that I may thi frenship fele;
I haue desyryd this sight ful lang,
ffor to dy now rek I no dele.

Jesus
This beest, Iohn, thou bere with the,
It is a beest full blyst;
Iohn, it is the lamb of me,
Beest none othere ist;
It may were the from aduersyte,
And so looke that thou tryst;
By this beest knowen shall thou be,
That thou art Iohn baptyst.

John the Baptist
ffor I haue sene the lamb of god
which weshys away syn of this warld,
And towchid hym, for euen or od,
My hart therto was ay ful hard.
ffor that it shuld be better trowed,
An angell had me nerehand mard,
Bot he that rewlys all with his rod
he blys me when I draw homward.

Jesus
I graunt the, Iohn, for thi trauale,
Ay lastand ioy in blys to byde;
And to all those that trowys this tayll,
And saw me not yit gloryfyde.
I shalbe boytt of all thare bayll,
And send them socoure on euery syde;
My fader and I may thaym auayll,
Man or woman that leyffys thare pryde.
Bot, Iohn, weynd thou furth and preche
Agans the folk that doth amys;
And to the pepyll the trowthe thou teche;
To rightwys way look thou tham avys,
And as far as thi wyt may reche
Byd thaym be bowne to byde my blys;
ffor at the day of dome I shall thaym peche
That herys not the nor trowys not this.
Byd thaym leyfe syn, for I it hate;
ffor it I mon dy on a tre,
By prophecy ffull well I wate;
My moder certys that sight mon se,
That sorowfull sight shall make hir maytt,
ffor I was born of hir body.
ffarwell Iohn, I go my gaytt;
I blys the with the trynyte!

John the Baptist
Almyghty god in persons thre,
All in oone substance ay ingroost,
I thank the, lord in mageste,
ffader and son and holy goost!
Thou send thi son from heuen so he,
To mary mylde, into this cooste,
And now thou sendys hym vnto me,
ffor to be baptysid in this oost.
ffarwell! the frelyst that euer was fed!
ffarwell! floure more fresh then foure de lyce!
ffarwell! stersman to theym that ar sted
In stormes, or in desese lyse!
Thi moder was madyn and wed;
ffarwell! pereles, most of pryce!
ffarwell! the luflyst that euer was bred!
Thi moder is of hell emprise.
ffarwell! blissid both bloode and bone!
ffarwell! the semelyst that euer was seyn!
To the, ihesu, I make my mone;
ffarwell! comly, of cors so cleyn!
ffarwel! gracyouse gome! where so thou gone,
ffull mekill grace is to the geyn;
Thou leyne vs lyffyng on thi lone,
Thou may vs mende more then we weyn.
I wyll go preche both to more and les,
As I am chargyd securly;
Syrs, forsake youre wykydnes,
Pryde, envy, slowth, wrath, and lechery.
here gods seruice, more & lesse;
Pleas god with prayng, thus red I;
Be war when deth comys with dystres,
So that ye dy not sodanly.
Deth sparis none that lyf has borne,
Therfor thynk on what I you say;
Beseche youre god both euen and morne
you for to saue from syn that day.
Thynk how in baptym ye ar sworne
To be godis seruandis, withoutten nay;
let neuer his luf from you be lorne,
God bryng you to his blys for ay. Amen.