The Creation

God
Ego sum alpha et o,
I am the first, the last also,
Oone god in mageste;
Meruelus, of myght most,
ffader, & son, & holy goost,
On god in trinyte.
I am without begynnyng,
My godhede hath none endyng,
I am god in trone;
Oone god in persons thre,
Which may neuer twynnyd be,
ffor I am god alone.
All maner thyng is in my thoght,
Withoutten me ther may be noght,
ffor all is in my sight;
hit shall be done after my will,
that I haue thoght I shall fulfill
And manteyn with my myght.
At the begynnyng of oure dede
make we heuen & erth, on brede,
and lyghtys fayre to se,
ffor it is good, to be so;
darknes from light we parte on two,
In tyme to serue and be.
Darknes we call the nyght,
and lith also the bright,
It shall be as I say;
after my will this is furth broght,
Euen and morne both ar thay wroght,
and thus is maid a day.
In medys the water, bi oure assent,
be now maide the firmament,
And parte ather from othere,
Water aboue, I-wis;
Euen and morne maide is this
A day, [so was] the tothere.
Waters, that so wyde ben spred,
be gedered to geder in to one stede,
that dry the erth may seym;
that at is dry the erth shall be,
the waters also I call the see;
this warke to me is queme.
Out of the erth herbys shal spryng,
Trees to florish and frute furth bryng,
thare kynde that it be kyd.
This is done after my will;
Even & morn maide is ther till
A day, this is the thryd.
Son & moyne set in the heuen,
With starnes, & the planettys seuen,
To stand in thare degre;
The son to serue the day lyght,
The moyne also to serue the nyght;
The fourte day shall this be.
The water to norish the fysh swymand,
The erth to norish bestys crepeand,
That fly or go may.
Multiplye in erth, and be
In my blyssyng, wax now ye;
This is the fyft day.

Cherubim
Oure lord god in trynyte,
Myrth and lovyng be to the,
Myrth and lovyng ouer al thyng;
ffor thou has made, with thi bidyng,
Heuen, & erth, and all that is,
and giffen vs Ioy that neuer shall mys.
Lord, thou art full mych of myght,
that has maide lucifer so bright;
we loue the, lord, bright ar we,
bot none of vs so bright as he:
He may well hight lucifere,
ffor lufly light that he doth bere.
He is so lufly and so bright
It is grete ioy to se that sight;
We lofe the, lord, with all oure thoght,
that sich thyng can make of noght.

Lucifer
Certys, it is a semely sight,
Syn that we ar all angels bright,
and euer in blis to be;
If that ye will behold, me right,
this mastre longys to me.
I am so fare and bright,
of me commys all this light,
this gam and all this gle;
Agans my grete myght
may [no]thyng stand [ne] be.
And ye well me behold
I am a thowsand fold,
brighter then is the son;
my strengthe may not be told,
my myght may no thyng kon;
In heuen, therfor, wit I wold,
Above me who shuld won.
ffor I am lord of blis,
ouer all this warld, I-wis,
My myrth is most of all;
the[r]for my will is this,
master ye shall me call.
And ye shall se, full sone onone,
How that me semys to sit in trone
as kyng of blis;
I am so semely, blode & bone,
my sete shall be ther as was his.
Say, felows, how semys now me
To sit in seyte of trynyte?
I am so bright of ich a lym
I trow me seme as well as hym.

Angelus Malus 1
Thou art so fayre vnto my syght,
thou semys well to sytt on hight;
So thynke me that thou doyse.

Angelus Bonus 1
I rede ye leyfe that vanys royse,
ffor that seyte may non angell seme
So well as hym that all shall deme.

Angelus Bonus 2
I reyde ye sese of that ye sayn,
ffor well I wote ye carpe in vayne;
hit semyd hym neuer, ne neuer shall,
So well as hym that has maide all.

Angelus Malus 2
Now, and bi oght that I can witt,
he semys full well theron to sytt;
He is so fayre, withoutten les,
he semys full well to sytt on des.
therfor, felow, hold thi peasse,
and vmbithynke the what thou saysse.
he semys as well to sytt there
as god hymself, if he were here.

Lucifer
leyf felow, thynk the not so?

Angelus Malus 1
Yee, god wote, so dos othere mo.

Angelus Bonus 1
Nay, forsoth, so thynk not vs.

Lucifer
Now, therof a leke what rekys vs?
Syn I my self am so bright
therfor will I take a flyght.

Demon 1
Alas, alas, and wele-wo!
lucifer, whi fell thou so?
We, that were angels so fare,
and sat so hie aboue the ayere,
Now ar we waxen blak as any coyll,
and vgly, tatyrd as a foyll.
What alyd the, lucifer, to fall?
was thou not farist of angels all?
Brightist, and best, & most of luf
With god hym self, that syttys aboyf?
thou has maide [neyn,] there was [ten,]
thou art foull comyn from thi kyn;
thou art fallen, that was the teynd,
ffrom an angell to a feynd.
thou has vs doyn a vyle dispyte,
and broght thi self to sorow and sitt.
Alas, ther is noght els to say
bot we ar tynt for now and ay.

Demon 2
Alas, the ioy that we were In
haue we lost, for oure syn.
alas, that euer cam pride in thought,
ffor it has broght vs all to noght.
We were in myrth and Ioy enoghe
When lucifer to pride drogh.
Alas, we may warrie wikkyd pride,
so may ye all that standys be side;
We held, with hym ther he saide leasse,
and therfor haue we all vnpeasse.
Alas, alas, oure Ioye is tynt,
We mon haue payne that neuer shall stynt.

God
Erthly bestys, that may crepe and go,
bryng ye furth and wax ye mo,
I se that it is good;
now make we man to oure liknes,
that shall be keper of more & les,
of fowles and fysh in flood.
spreyte of life I in the blaw,
good and ill both shall thou knaw;
rise vp, and stand bi me.
All that is in water or land,
It shall bow vnto thi hand,
and sufferan shall thou be;
I gif the witt, I gif the strenght,
of all thou sees, of brede & lengthe;
thou shall be wonder wise.
Myrth and Ioy to haue at will,
All thi likyng to fulfill,
and dwell in paradise.
This I make thi wonnyng playce,
ffull of myrth and of solace,
and I seasse the therin.
It is not good to be alone,
to walk here in this worthely wone,
In all this welthly wyn;
therfor, a rib I from the take,
therof shall be [maide] thi make,
And be to thi helpyng.
Ye both to gouerne that here is,
and euer more to be in blis,
ye wax in my blissyng.
ye shall have Ioye & blis therin,
whils ye will kepe you out of syn,
I say without[ten] lese.
Ryse vp, myn angell cherubyn,
Take and leyd theym both in,
And leyf them there in peasse.
Heris thou adam, and eue thi wife,
I forbede you the tre of life,
And I commaund, that it be gat,
Take which ye will, bot negh not that.
Adam, if thou breke my rede,
thou shall dye a dulfull dede.

Cherubim
Oure lord, oure god, thi will be done;
I shall go with theym full sone.
ffor soth, my lord, I shall not sted
till I haue theym theder led.
we thank the, lord, with full good chere,
that has maide man to be oure feere.
Com furth, adam, I shall the leyd;
take tent to me, I shall the reyd.
I rede the thynk how thou art wroght,
and luf my lord, in all thi thoght,
That has maide the thrugh his will,
angels ordir to fulfill.
Many thyngys he has the giffen,
and maide the master of all that liffen;
He has forbed, the bot a tre;
look that thou let it be,
ffor if thou breke his commaundment,
thou skapys not bot thou be shent.
Weynd here in to paradise,
and luke now that ye be wyse,
And kepe you well, for I must go
vnto my lord, ther I cam fro.

Adam
Almyghty lord, I thank it the
that is, and was, and shall be,
Of thi luf and of thi grace,
ffor now is here a mery place;
Eue, my felow, how thynk the this?

Eue
A stede me thynk of Ioye and blis,
That god has giffen to the and me;
Withoutten ende blissyd be he.

Adam
Eue, felow, abide me thore,
ffor I will go to viset more,
To se what trees that here been;
here ar well moo then we have seen,
Gresys, and othere small floures,
that smell full swete, of seyr coloures.

Eue
Gladly, sir, I will full fayne;
When ye haue sene theym, com agane.

Adam
Bot luke well, eue, my wife,
that thou negh not the tree of life;
ffor if thou do he bese ill paide;
then be we tynt, as he has saide.

Eue
Go furth and play the all aboute,
I shall not negh it while thou art oute;
ffor be thou sekyr I were full loth
ffor any thyng that he were wroth.

Lucifer
Who wend euer this tyme haue seyn?
We, that in sich myrth haue beyn,
That we shuld suffre so mych wo?
Who wold euer trow it shuld be so?
[Ten] orders in heuen were
of angels, that had offyce sere;
Of ich order, in thare degre,
the [teynd] parte fell downe with me;
ffor thay held with me that tyde,
and mantenyd me in my pride;
Bot herkyns, felows, what I say-
the Ioy that we haue lost for ay,
God has maide man with his hend,
to haue that blis withoutten end,
The neyn ordre to fulfill,
that after vs left, sich is his will.
And now ar thay in paradise;
bot thens thay shall, if we be wise.