Ludus Coventriæ

by Unknown

VI. MOSES AND THE TWO TABLES.

Introitus Moyses.

He that made alle thynge of nought,

Hevyn and erthe, bothe sunne and mone,

Save alle that his hand hath wrought,

Allemyghty God in hevyn trone!

I am Moyses that make this bone,

I pray the, Lord God, with alle my mende,

To us inclyne thi mercy sone,

Thi gracyous lordchep lete us fynde.

The to plesyn in alle degré,

Gracyous God and Lord ovyr alle,

Thou graunte us grace, wher so we be,

And save us sownd fro synfulle falle.

Thy wylle to werke to us thi thralle,

Enforme and teche us all thi plesans,

In purenesse put us that nevyr not falle,

And grounde us in grace ffrom alle grevauns.

Hic Moyses videns rubrum ardentem admirande dicit,

A! mercy, God, what menyth ȝon syte?

A grene busche as fyre doth flame,

And kepyth his colowre fayr and bryghte,

ffresche and grene withowtyn blame.

It fyguryth sumthynge of ryght gret fame,

I kan not seyn what it may be,

I wylle go nere, in Goddys name,

And wysely loke this busche to se.

Deus. Moyses, how! Moyses,

Herke to me anon this stounde.

Moyses. I am here, Lorde, withowtyn les,

ȝowre gracyous wylle to do I am bounde.

Deus. Thu take thi schon anon ful rownde

Of thi fete in hast, lete se,

fful holy is that place and grownde,

Ther thou dost stonde, I sey to the.

Moyses. Barfoot now I do me make,

And pulle of my schon fro my fete:

Now have I my schon of take,

What is ȝour wylle, Lord? fayn wold I wete.

Deus. Com nere, Moyses, with me to mete,

These tabelleis I take the in thin honde,

With my ffynger in hem is wrete

Alle my lawys, thou undyrstonde.

Loke that thou preche alle abowte,

Hoo so wylle have frenshipp of me,

To my lawys loke thei lowte,

That thei be kept in alle degré.

Go forthe and preche anon, let se,

Loke thou not ses nyght nor day.

Moyses. ȝour byddyng, Lord, alle wrought xal be,

ȝour wylle to werk I walk my way.

“Custodi precepta domini Dei tui.” Deutronomini vj.ᵗᵒ

The comaundment of thi Lord God, man, loke thou kepe,

Where that thou walk, wake, or slepe,

Every man take good hede,

And to my techynge take good intent;

For God hath sent me now indede,

ȝow for to enforme his comaundment;

ȝow to teche God hath me sent,

His lawys of lyff that arn ful wyse;

Them to lern be dyligent,

ȝoure soulys may thei save at the last asyse.

The preceptes that taught xal be,

Be wretyn in these tablys tweyn:

In the fyrst ben wretyn thre,

That towche to God, this is serteyn.

In the secund tabyl be wretyn ful pleyn,

The tother vij. that towche mankende:

Herk now welle, man, what I xal seyn,

And prent thise lawys welle in thi mende.

Primum mandatum. “Non habebis Deos alienos.”

The fyrst comaundement of God, as I ȝow say,

Of the fyrst tabyl forsothe is this,

Thou xalt have, neythyr nyght nore day,

Noon other God but the kyng of blysse.

Undyrstonde wele what menyth this,

Every man in his degré,

And sett nevyr ȝour hert amys,

Upon this werdlys vanyté.

ffor if thou sett thi love so sore

Upon ryches and werdly good,

Thi wurdly rycches thou takyst evermore

Evyn for thi God, as man ovyr wood;

Amend the, man, and chaunge thi mood,

Lese not thi sowle for werdlys welthe,

Only hym love whiche bodyly ffood

Doth ȝeve alle day, and gostly helthe.

Secundum mandatum. “Non assumens nomen Dei tui in vanum.”

The secund precept of the fyrst tabylle,

The name of God take nevyr in vayne,

Swere none othis be noon fals fabylle,—

The name of God thou nevyr dysteyn.

Bewhare of othis for dowte of peyn,

Amonges ffelachepp whan thou dost sytt,

A lytyl othe, this is serteyn,

May dampne thy sowle to helle pytt.

Man, whan thou art sett at the nale,

And hast thi langage as plesyth the,

Loke thin othis be non or smale,

And ȝett alwey loke trewe thei be.

But swere not oftyn by rede of me,

ffor yf thou use oftyn tyme to swere,

It may gendyr custom in the;

Byware of custom, ffor he wyl dere.

Tercium mandatum. “Memento ut sabbatum sanctificet.”

The iij.ᵈᵉ comaundment of God, as I rede,

Dothe bydde the halwe welle thin halyday,

Kepe the welle ffro synfulle dede,

And care not gretly ffor ryche aray.

A ryght pore man, this is non nay,

Of sympyl astat in clothis rent,

May be bettyr than ryche with garmentes gay,

Oftyn tyme doth kepe this comaundment.

ffor ryche men do shewe oftyntyme pompe and pride,

On halydayes, as oftyn is sene;

Whan pore men passe and go besyde,

At wurthy festys riche men wolle bene.

Thyn halyday thou kepyst not clene

In gloteny to lede thi lyff,

In Goddys hous ȝe xulde be-dene

Honoure your God, bothe mayden and wyff.

Quartum Mandatum. “Honora patrem tuum et matrem tuam.”

Off the secunde tabylle the fyrst comaundment,

And in the ordyr the iiij.ᵗᵉ, I sey in fay,

He byddyth the evermore with hert bent,

Bothe ffadyr and modyr to wurchep alway.

Thow that thi fadyr be pore of array,

And ȝow never so ryche of golde and good,

ȝitt loke thou wurchep hym nyght and day,

Of whom thou hast bothe fflesche and blood.

In this comaundmente includyd is

The bodyli fadyr and modyr also,

Includyd also I fynde in this,

Thi gostly fadyr and modyr therto.

To thi gostly ffadyr evyr reverens do,

Thi gostly modyr is holy cherche;

These tweyn save thi sowle fro woo,

Ever them to wurchep loke that thou werche.

Quintum mandatum. “Non occides.”

The ffyfft comaundement byddyth alle us,

Scle no man, no whight that thou kylle;

Undyrstonde this precept thus,

Scle no wyght with wurd nor wylle.

Wykkyd worde werkyht oftyntyme grett ille,

Be war therfore of wykkyd langage,

Wyckyd speche many on doth spylle,

Therfore of speche bethe not owtrage.

Sextum mandatum. “Non makaberis.”

The sexte comaundement byddith every man,

That no wyght lede no lecherous lay,

fforfett never be no woman,

Lesse than the lawe alowe thi play.

Trespas nevyr with wyff, ne may,

With wedow, nor with non othyr wyght;

Kepe the clene, as I the say,

To whom thou hast thi trowth plyght.

Septimum mandatum. “Non furtum facies.”

Do no thefte, no thynge thou stele,

The vij.ᵗᵉ precept byddyth the ful sore;

Whylle thou arte in welthe and wele,

Evylle gett good loke thou restore.

Off handys and dede be trewe evyrmore,

ffor yf thin handys lymyd be,

Thou art but shent, thi name is lore,

In ffelde and towne, and in alle countré.

Octavum mandatum. “Non loqueris contra proximum tuum falsum testimonium.”

The viij.ᵗᵉ precept thus doth the bydde,

ffals wyttnes loke non thou bere,

The trowthe nevyr more loke that thou hyde,

With ffals wyttnes no man thou dere.

Nowther ffor love, ne dred, ne fere,

Sey non other than trowthe is,

ffals wytnes yf that thou rere,

Aȝens God thou dost grettly amys.

Nonum mandatum. “Non desiderabis uxorem proximi tui, etc.”

The ix.ᵗᵉ precept of lawe of lyff,

Evyn thus doth bydde every man,

Desyre not thi neybores wyff,

Thow she be fayr and whyte as swan,

And thi wyff brown; ȝitt natt for-than

Thi neybores wyff thou nevyr rejoyse,

Kepe the clene, as evyr thou can,

To thin owyn wyff, and thin owyn choyse.

Decimum mandatum. “Non concupisces domum proximi tui, non servum, non ancillam, non bos, non asinum, nec omnia quæ illius sunt, etc.”

The x.ᵈᵉ comaundement of God and last is this,

Thi neybores hous desyre thou nowth,

Maydon, nor servaunt, nor nowth of his,

Desyre hem nevyr in wylle nor thowth.

Oxe nere asse that he hath bought,

Nere no thynge that longyht hym to,

Godys lawe must nedys be wrought,

Desyre no thynge thin neybore ffro.

The vj.ᵗᵉ comaundement of lechery

Doth exclude the synfulle dede,

But theys tweyn last most streytly,

Bothe dede and thought thei do forbede.

In wylle nere thought no lechory thou lede,

Thi thought and wylle thou must refreyn,

Alle thi desyre, as I the rede,

In clennes of lyff thiself restreyn.

ffrendys, these be the lawys that ȝe must kepe,

Therfore every man sett welle in mende,

Wethyr that thou do wake or slepe,

These lawys to lerne thou herke ful hynde.

And Godys grace xal be thi ffrende,

He socowre and save ȝow in welthe fro woo!

ffare welle, gode frendys, for hens wyll I wende,

My tale I have taught ȝow, my wey now I goo.

Explicit Moyses.