Ludus Coventriæ

by Unknown

XX. CHRIST DISPUTING IN THE TEMPLE.

Modo de doctoribus disputantibus cum Jhesu in templo.

Primus doctor. Scripturæ sacræ esse dinoscimur doctos,

We to bere the belle of alle maner clergyse.

Secundus doctor. Velud rosa omnium florum flos,

Lyke onto us was nevyr clerke so wyse.

Primus doctor. Loke what scyens ȝe kan devyse,

Of redynge, wrytynge, and trewe ortografye;

Amonges alle clerkys we bere the prysse,

Of gramer, cadens, and of prosodye.

Secundus doctor. No clerke abyl to bere oure book

Of versyfyeng, nor of other scyens;

Of swete musyke who so wylle look,

Seke no ferther but to oure presens.

Of dyaletyk we have the hyȝ excellence,

Of sophestrye, logyk, and phylosophye;

Ageyn oure argemente is no recystence,

In metaphesyk ne astronomye.

Primus doctor. Of calculacion and negremauncye,

Also of augrym and of asmatryk;

O[f] lynyacion that longyth to jematrye,

Of dyetis and domys that longyth to phesyk;

In alle this scyens is non us lyke,

In Caton, Gryscysme, nor Doctrynal;

And for endytynge with retoryke,

The hyest degré is oure over alle.

Secundus doctor. In grett canon and in cevyle lawe,

Also in scyens of polycye,

Is non to us wurthe an hawe,—

Of alle cunnynge we bere the maystrye;

Therfore in this temple we sytt on hye,

And of most wurchep kepe the sovereynté;

Ther is on erthe no man so wurthye

The hyȝ stat to holdyn, as we tweyn be.

Jhesus. Omnis sciencia a Domino Deo est:

Al wytt and wysdam of God it is lent;

Of alle ȝour lernynge withinne ȝour brest,

Thank hyghly that Lord that hath ȝow sent;

Thorwe bost and pryde ȝour soulys may be shent,

Of wytt and wysdome ȝe have not so meche,

But God may make, at hese entente,

Of alle ȝour connynge many man ȝow leche.

Primus doctor. Goo hom, lytyl babe, and sytt on thi moderes lappe,

And put a mokador aforn thi brest;

And pray thi modyr to fede the with the pappe,

Of the for to lerne we desyre not to lest.

Secundus doctor. Go to thi dyner, for that behovyth the best,

Whan thou art a threste than take the a sowke;

Aftyr go to cradyl therin to take thi rest,

ffor that canst do bettyr than for to loke on book.

Jhesus. Stondynge that ȝe be so wytty and wyse,

Can ȝe owth tellyn how this werde was wrought?

How longe xal it laste can ȝe devyse,

With alle the cunnynge that ȝe han sought?

Primus doctor. Nay alle erthely clerkys that telle can nought,

It passyth oure wytt that for to contryve;

It is not possyble abought to be brought,—

The worldys endyng no man kan dyscryve.

Jhesus. How it was wrought, and how longe it xal endure,

That I can telle be good delyberacion;

Not only therof, but of every creature,

How it is wrought, I knowe the phasmacion.

Secundus doctor. Of thi wurdys I have skorne and derysone;

How schulde a chylde, that nevyr lettyr dyde lere,

Com to the wytt of so hyȝ cognysion

Of tho grete werkys that so wundyrfoille were?

Jhesus. Alle thynge is brought to informacion,

Be thre personys, oo God in Trynité!

And on of tho thre hath take incarnation,

Bothe flesche and blood of a mayd ffre;

And be that myght of tho personys thre,

Hevyn and erthe and alle thynge is wrought;

And as it plesyth that hyȝ magesté,

Alle thynge xal leste and lenger nowght.

Primus doctor. I grawnt weyl alle thynge that God dyde make,

And withowtyn hym nothynge may be;

But o thynge thou seydyst, and that I forsake,

That oo God alone was personys thre;

Ryght onpossyble that is to me,

That on is thre I kannot thynke:

If thou canst preve it, anon lett se,

ffor in oure hertys it may nevyr synke.

Jhesus. In the sunne consydyr ȝe thynges thre,

The splendure, the hete, and the lyght;

As tho thre partys but oo sunne be,

Ryght so thre personys be oo God of myght.

Secundus doctor. In very feyth this reson is ryght;

But ȝitt, fayr babe, oo thynge we pray ȝow:—

What do alle tho thre personys hyght

Us to enforme? ȝe sey to me now.

Jhesus. The fyrst is calde the fadyr of myght,

The secunde the sone of wysdam and wytt;

The holy gost the iijᵈᵉ. of grace he is lyght,

And in oo substauns alle these iij. be knyt.

Primus doctor. Another questyon I aske ȝow ȝitt,

ȝe seyd on of these iij. toke flesche and blood;

And sche a clene mayde, I kannot beleve it,

Clene mayde and modyr never ȝit in oo persone stood.

Jhesus. Lyke as the sunne doth pers the glas,

The glas not hurte of his nature;

Ryght so the Godhede entryd has

The virgynes wombe, and sche mayd pure;

That maydonys childe xal do grett cure,

Convicte the devyl in the opyn folde;

And with his bolde berst fecche hom his creature,

Mankende to save his brest xal be the schelde.

Secundus doctor. This childys doctryne dothe passe our wytt,

Sum aungel of hevyn I trowe that he be;

But, blyssyd babe, of oo dowte ȝitt,

We pray ȝow enforme us for charyté—

Whiche toke flesche of the personys thre,

Ageyn the fende to holde suche batayle?

Jhesus. The secunde persone forsothe is he,

Xal fray the fende withowte fayle.

Primus doctor. Why rather he than any of that tother,

The fyrst or the thyrde, why come they nowth?

Jhesus. This is the cawse why, sertys, and non other,

Ageyn the secunde the trespas was wrought;

Whan the serpent Adam to synne browth,

He temptyd hym nowght be the faderes myght;

Of the gostys goodnes spak he ryght nowght,

But in connynge he temptyd hym ryght.

Myght is the Faderys owyn propyrté;

To the Gost apperyd is goodnes;

In none of these tweyn temptyd he

Mankende to synne, whan he dede dresse:

To the Sone connynge doth longe expres,

Therwith the serpent dyd Adam asay,—

“Ete of this appyl,” he seyd no lesse,

“And thou xalt have connynge as God verray.”

Thus the secunde person attrybute,

Was only towchyd by temptacion;

Wherfore hymself wyl holde the sewte,

And kepe his propyrté fro maculacion.

Secundus doctor. This is an hevynly declaracion,

Oure naturalle wytt it doth excede;

So ȝonge a childe of suche informacion

In al this werld nevyr er non ȝede.

Primus doctor. We be not worthy to kepe this sete,

Whylle that oure mayster is in presens;

The maystry of us this childe doth gete,—

We must hym wurchep with hyȝ reverens!

Come forthe, swete babe of grett excellens,

The whysest clerke that evyr ȝett was born;

To ȝow we ȝeve the hyȝ resydens,

Us more to teche, as ȝe have done beforn.

Hic adducunt Jhesum inter ipsos et in scanno altiori ipsum sedere faciunt, ipsis in inferioribus scannis sedentibus, et ait.

Secundus doctor. So ȝonge a chylde suche clergye to reche,

And so sadly to say it, we woundyr sore.

Who was ȝoure mayster? who dede ȝow teche?

Of what man had ȝe this wurthy lore?

Jhesus. My wytt and my lernynge is no ȝonge store;

Or this worde was wrought alle thinge dede I knowe;

ffyrst or ȝe wore borne ȝeres many score,

Thorwe the myght of my fadyr, my wytt in me dede flowe.

Primus doctor. Or that we weryn born, nay that may nat be;

The ȝongest of us tweyn is iij. score ȝere of age,

And thiselfe art but a chylde, al men may wel se,

Late camst out of cradyl, as it semyth be thi vesage.

Jhesus. I am of dobyl byrthe and of dobyl lenage;

ffyrst, be my Fadyr I am without gynnynge,

And lyke as he is hendeles in his hyȝ stage,

So xal I also nevyr mor have endynge.

ffor be my ffadyr, kynge celestyalle,

Without begynnyng I am endles;

But be my modyr that is carnalle,

I am but xij. ȝere of age, that is expres;

My body of ȝoughe doth shewe wyttnes,

Whiche of my modyr here I dude take;

But myn hyȝ godhede, this is no lesse,

Alle thinge in this worlde forsothe dude I make.

Secundus doctor. Be ȝour fadyr that endles is:

Who is ȝour modyr? telle us we pray.

Jhesus. Be my fadyr, the hyȝ kynge of blys,

A modyrles chylde I am veray.

Primus doctor. Who was ȝour fadyr to us than say?

Be ȝour modyr a woman that was.

Jhesus. I am ffadyrles; as for that may,

Of fleschly luste she dude nevyr trespas.

Secundus doctor. Telle us, I pray ȝow, what is ȝour name?

What hyght ȝoure modyr? telle us also.

Jhesu. Jhesu of Naȝareth, I am the same,

Born of a clene mayd, prophetys seyd so;

Ysaye seyd thus,—“Ecce virgo!”

A mayd xal conceyve in clennes a chylde:

ȝitt ageyn nature and alkende, loo!

ffrom alle wenn of synne pure and undefylde.

Mary, the chylde of Joachym and Anne,

Ys that clene mayd, and here childe am I;

The frute of here wombe xal save every manne

ffrom the grett dowte of the ffyndys tormentry.

Primus doctor. Alle the clerkys of this worlde trewly

Cannot brynge this to declaracion;

Lesse than thei have of God Almyghty

Sum influens of informacion.

Secundus doctor. No, jentyl Jhesu, we ȝow pray,

Whyl that we stodye a whyle to dwelle;

In cas mo dowtys that we fynde may,

The trewthe of hem ȝe may us telle.

Jhesu. Goo, take ȝour stodye and avyse ȝow welle,

And alle ȝour leysere I xal abyde;

If any dowtys to me ȝe melle,

The trewthe therof I xalle unhyde.

Maria. Alas! alas! myn hert is wo,

My blyssyd babe awey is went;

I wott nevyr whedyr that he is go:

Alas! for sorwe myn hert is rent!

Jentyl hysbond, have yow hym sent

Out on herrande to any place?

But yf ȝe knowe were he is bent,

Myn hert for woo asondyr wyl race.

Joseph. On my massage I hym not sent,

Forsothe, good wyff, in no degré;

How longe is it that he hens went?

What tyme dude ȝe ȝour childe last se?

Maria. Trewly, gode spowse, not these days thre;

Therfore myn herte is cast in care:

Hym for to seke, wher so he be;

In hast, good husbonde, lete us forthe fare.

Joseph. Than to Hierusalem lete us streyte wende,

ffor kynred gladly togedyr wole gon;

I hope he is ther with sum good ffrende;

Ther he hath cosyns ryght many on.

Maria. I am aferde that he hath fon,

ffor his grett wyttes and werkys good;

Lyke hym of wytt fforsothe is non,—

Every childe with hym is wrothe and wood.

Alas, my babe! my blys! my blood!

Whedyr art thou thus gon fro me?

My sowle! my swetyng! my frute! myn ffood!

Send me sum wurd where that thou be!

Telle me, good seres, ffor charyté,

Jhesu, my childe, that babe of blysse,

Among this compayné dude ȝe hym se?

ffor Godys love, telle where he is!

Primus doctor. Of oo qwestyone I am bethought,

Alle of ȝour modyr, that blessed may;

In what governauns is she brought?

How is sche rewlyd be nyght and day?

Jhesu. An old man, Joseph, as I ȝow say,

Here weddyd be meracle onto his wyff;

Here for to fede and kepe alway,

And bothyn in clennesse be maydenys olyff.

Secundus doctor. What nede was it here to be wedde

Onto a man of so grett age?

Lesse than thei myght bothe a go to bedde,

And kept the lawe of maryage.

Jhesus. To blynde the devyl of his knowlache,

And my byrthe from hym to hyde,—

That holy wedlok was grett stopage,

The devyl in dowte to do abyde.

Also, whan sche xulde to Egypte gon,

And fle from Herowde, for dowte of me;

Becawse she xulde nat go alon,

Joseph was ordeyned here make to be,

My ffadyr, of his hyȝ magesté,

Here for to comforte in the way:

These be the cawsys, as ȝe may se,

Why Joseph weddyd that holy may.

Maria. A! dere childe! dere chylde! why hast thou thus done?

ffor the we have had grett sorwe and care;

Thy ffadyr and I thre days have gone,

Wyde the to seke of blysse ful bare.

Jhesus. Why have ȝe sought me with hevy fare?

Wete ȝe not wele that I muste bene

Amonge hem that is my faderes ware,

His gostly catel for to ovyrsen?

Maria. ȝour ffaderes wyl must nedys be wrought,

It is most wurthy that it so be;

ȝitt on ȝour modyr have ȝe sum thought,

And be nevyr more so longe fro me.

As to my thynkynge, these days thre,

That ȝe absente have ben away,

Be more lengere in ther degré

Than alle the space of xij. ȝere day.

Jhesus. Now, ffor to plese my modyr mylde,

I xal ȝow folwe with obedyence;

I am ȝour sone and subjecte childe,

And owe to do ȝow hyȝ reverence.

Home with ȝow I wyl go hens:—

Of ȝow, clerkys, my leve I take.

Every childe xulde, with good dyligens;

His modyr to plese, his owyn wyl to forsake.

Primus doctor. O blyssyd Jhesu! with ȝow we wende,

Of ȝow to have more informacion;

fful blyssyd is ȝour modyr hende,

Of whom ȝe toke ȝour incarnacion!

We pray ȝow, Jhesu, of consolacion,

At oure most nede of ȝow to have,—

All that hath herd this consummacion

Of this pagent, ȝour grace them save! Amen!