The Tailors' Play: The Ascension

Peter
O mightfull God, how standis it nowe,1
In worlde thus will was I neuere are;
Butte he apperes, bot I ne wote howe-
He fro vs twynnes whanne he will fare.
And yoitt may falle that for oure prowe,
And alle his wirkyng lesse and mare.
A, kyng of comforte, gudde arte thou7
And lele, and likand is thy lare.

John
The missing of my maistir trewe9
That lenghis not with vs lastandly,
Makis me to morne ilke a day newe
For tharnyng of his company.
His peere of gudnes neuere I knewe,
Of myght ne wisdome yoit any.

Peter
That we hym tharne sore may vs rewe,15
For he luffed vs full faithfully.
Bot yoitt in all my mysselykyng
A worde that Criste saide comfortis me:
Oure heuynes and oure mournyng,
He saide, to joie turned schuld be.
That joie, he saide in his hetyng,21
To reue vs none schulde haue no posté,
Wherfore abouen all othir thyng
That joie me longis to knowe and see.

Mary
Thou Petir, whanne my sone was slayne25
And laide in graue, yoe wer in were
Whedir he schulde rise, almoste ilkane;
But nowe yoe wotte thurgh knowyng clere.
Some that he saide schulde come is gane,
And some to come; but ilkane sere,
Whedir it be to come or none,31
Vs awe to knowe it all in fere.

Jesus
Almyghty God, my fadir free,33
In erthe thi bidding haue I done
And clarified the name of the;
To thyselffe clarifie the sone.
Als thou haste geuen me pleyne posté
Of ilke a flesh, graunte me my bone,
That thou me gaffe myght lyffand be39
In endles liffe and with the wonne.
That liffe is this that hath none ende,
To knawe the, fadir, moste of myght;
And me thy sone, whame thou gon sende
To dye for man withouten plight.
Mankynde was thyne, whome thou bekende45
And toke me to my yoemyng right.
I died for man, mannes misse to mende,
And vnto spitous dede was dight.
Thy wille vnto them taughte haue I,
That wolde vnto my lare enclyne.
Mi lare haue they tane buxsomly,51
Schall none of them ther trauaile tyne.
Thou gaffe them me but noght forthy,
Yitt are they thyne als wele as myne;
Fleme them not fro oure companye,
Sen thyne are myne and myne er thyne.
Sen they are oures, if thame nede ought57
Thou helpe them, if it be thy will;
And als thou wate that I thame boght,
For faute of helpe latte them not spill.
Fro the worlde to take them pray I noght,
But that thou kepe thame ay fro ill,
All thois also that settis thare thoght63
In erthe my techyng to fulfill.
Mi tythandis tane has my menyoe
To teche the pepull wher they fare,
In erthe schall thei leue aftir me
And suffir sorowes sadde and sare.
Dispised and hatted schall thei be,69
Als I haue bene, with lesse and mare,
And suffer dede in sere degré,
For sothfastnesse schall none them spare.
Thou halowe thame fadir, forthy,
In sothfastnes so that thei may
Be ane as we ar, thowe and I,75
In will and werke, both nyght and day,
And knawe that I ame verilye
Both sothfastnes and liffe alway,
Be the whilke ilke man that is willy
May wynne the liffe that laste schall ay.
Bot yoe, my postelis all bedene81
That lange has wente abowte with me,
In grete wanne-trowyng haue yoe bene,
And wondir harde of hartis ar yoe.
Worthy to be reproued, I wene,
Ar yoe forsothe, and yoe will see
In als mekill als yoe haue sene87
My wirkyng proued and my posté.
Whan I was dede and laide in graue
Of myne vpryse yoe were in doute,
And some for myne vprysing straue
When I was laide als vndir clowte
So depe in erthe. But sithen I haue93
Ben walkand fourty daies aboute,
Eten with yoou, youre trouthe to saue,
Comand emange yoou inne and oute.
And therfore beis no more in were
Of myne vpperysing, day nor nyght.
Youre misbeleue leues ilkone seere,99
For witte yoe wele, als man of myght
Over whome no dede may haue poure,
I schall be endles liffeand right.
Bot for to schewe you figure clere,
Schewe I me thusgatis to youre sight.
Howe man by cours of kynde schall ryse,105
Allthogh he be roten ontill noyot.
Oute of his graue in this same wise
At the daye of dome schall he be broght
Wher I schall sitte as trewe justise,
And deme man aftir he has wroght,
The wikkid to wende with ther enmyse,111
The gode to blisse thei schall be broght.
Anodir skill forsoth is this:
In a tre man was traied thurgh trayne;
Ane man, forthy to mende that misse
On a tree boght mankynde agayne,
In confusioune of hym and his117
That falsely to forge that frawde was fayne,
Mankynde to bringe agayne to blisse,
His foo, the fende, till endles peyne.
The thirde skille is, trewly to tell,
Right als I wende als wele will seme,
So schall I come in flessh and fell123
Atte the day of dome, whan I schall deme
The goode in endles blisse to dwell,
Mi fomen fro me for to fleme
Withouten ende in woo to well,
Ilke leuand man here to take yeme.
But intill all the worlde wendand,129
The gospell trewly preche schall yoe
Tille ilke a creatoure liffand.
Who trowes, if that he baptised be
He schall, als yhe schall vndirstande,
Be saued, and of all thraldome free.
Who trowis it not, as mistrowand135
For faute of trouthe dampned is he.
But all ther tokenyngis bedene
Schall folowe tham that trowis it right,
In my name deuellis crewell and kene
Schall thei oute-caste of ilka wight,
With newe tongis speke, serpentis vnclene141
Fordo; and if thei day or nyght
Drinke venym wik, withouten wene,
To noye thame schall it haue no myght.
On seke folke schall thei handes lay
And wele schall thei haue sone at welde,
This poure schall thei haue alway,147
My menyohe, bothe in towne and felde;
And witte yoe wele, so schall thei
That wirkis my wille in youthe or elde-
A place for thame I schall purveye
In blisse with me ay in to belde.
Nowe is my jornay brought till ende,153
Mi tyme that me so lang was lente.
To my fadir nowe vppe I wende,
And youre fadir that me doune sente-
Mi God, youre God, and ilk mannes frende
That till his techyng will consente,
Till synneres that no synne thame schende,159
That mys amendis and will repente.
But for I speke thes wordis nowe
To you, youre hartis hase heuynes.
Fullfillid all be it for youre prowe
That I hense wende, als nedfull is.
And butte I wende comes noght to yowe165
The comforteoure of comforteles,
And if I wende yoe schall fynde howe
I schall hym sende, of my goodnesse.
Mi fadirs will fullfillid haue I,
Therfore fareswele ilkone seere;
I goo make youe a stede redye171
Endles to wonne with me in feere.
Sende doune a clowde, fadir, forthy
I come to the my fadir deere.
The fadir blissing moste myghty
Giffe I you all that leffe here.

Mary
A, myghtfull God, ay moste of myght,177
A selcouth sight is this to see,
Mi sone thus to be ravisshed right
In a clowde wendande vppe fro me.
Bothe is my herte heuy and light,
Heuy for swilke twynnyng schulde be,
And light for he haldis that he hight183
And thus vppe wendis in grette posté.
His hetyngis haldis he all bedene,
That comfortis me in all my care.
But vnto whome schall I me mene?
Thus will in worlde was I neuere are,
To dwelle amonge thes Jewes kene-189
Me to dispise will thei not spare.

John
All be he noght in presens seene,191
Yitt is he salue of ilka sare.
But lady, sen that he betoke
Me for to serue you as youre sonne,
You nedis nothyng, lady, but loke
What thyng in erthe yoe will haue done.
I ware to blame if I forsoke197
To wirke youre wille, midday or none,
Or any tyme yoitt of the woke.

Mary
I thanke the John, with wordis fune:200
Mi modirhed, John, schall thou haue,
And for my sone I wolle the take.

John
That grace, dere lady, wolde I craue.203

Mary
Mi sone sawes will I neuere forsake,204
Itt were not semand that we straue
Ne contraried noyot that he spake;
But John, tille I be broght in graue,
Schall thou never see my sorowe slake.

Jacob
Owre worthy lorde, sen he is wente209
For vs, lady, als is his will,
We thanke hym that vs the hath lente
With vs on lyue to lenge her stille.
I saie for me with full concente,
Thi likyng all will I fulfille.

Andrew
So wille we all with grete talent,215
Forthy lady, giffe the noght ill.

Angel 1
Ye men of the lande of Galilé,217
What wondir yoe to heuene lokand?
This Jesus whome yoe fro youe see
Vppe-tane, yoe schall wele vndirstande,
Right so agayne come doune schall he.
When he so comes with woundes bledand,
Who wele has wrought full gladde may be,223
Who ill has leved full sore dredand.

Angel 2
Ye that has bene his seruauntis trewe225
And with hym lengand nyght and day,
Slike wirkyng als yoe with hym knew
Loke that yoe preche it fourthe alway.
Youre mede in heuene beis ilke day newe,
And all that seruis hym wele to paye.
Who trowes you noght it schall thame rewe,231
Thei mon haue peyne encresand ay.

Jacobus
Loued be thou lorde ay moste of myght,233
That thus, in all oure grete disease,
Vs comfortist with thyne aungellis bright.
Nowe aught ther Jewes thare malise meese,
That sawe thameselue this wondir sight
Thus nere thame wroght vndir ther nese-
And we haue mater day and nyght239
Oure God more for to preyse and plese.

Andrew
Nowe may ther Jewes be all confused241
If thai on-thinke thame inwardly,
Howe falsely thei haue hym accused
And sakles schente thurgh ther envy.
Ther falsed, that thei longe haue vsed,
Nowe is it proued here opynly;
And they were of this mater mused247
Itt schulde thame stirre to aske mercy.

Peter
That wille thei noyot Andrewe, late be,249
For thei are full of pompe and pride.
Itt may noyot availe to the ne me
Ne none of vs with thame to chide.
Prophite to dwelle can I none see,
Forthy late us no lenger bide,
But wende we vnto seere contré255
To preche thurgh all this worlde so wide.

John
That is oure charge, for that is beste,257
That we lenge nowe no lenger here,
For here gete we no place of reste
To lenge so nere the Jewes poure.
Vs to fordo thei will thame caste,
Forthy come forthe my lady dere
And wende vs hense; I am full preste263
With you to wende with full goode chere.
Mi triste is nowe euer ilk a dele
In yowe, to wirke aftir youre counsaill.

Jacobus
Mi lady dere, that schall yoe fele267
In oght that euere vs may availe.
Oure comforte, youre care to kele,
Whill we may leue we schall not faile.

Mary
Mi brethir dere, I traste itt wele,271
Mi sone schall quyte yoou youre trauaile.

Peter
To Jerusalem go we agayne273
And loke what fayre so aftir fall,
Oure lorde and maistir moste of mayne
He wisse youe, and be with youe all.