XXIX. KING HEROD.
Primus doctor. O thou altitude of al gostly ryches!
O thou incomprehensibele of grete excyllence!
O thou luminarye of pure lyghtnes!
Shete oute thi bemys ontyl this audyens.
Secundus doctor. O fili Altissimi! clepyd by eternalyté!
Hele this congregacion with the salve of thi passyon!
And we prey the, Spiritus paraclyté!
With the ffyre of thi love to slake alle detraccion.
Primus doctor. To the pepyl not lernyd I stonde as a techer,
Of this processyon to ȝeve informacion;
And to them that be lernyd, as a gostly precher,
That in my rehersayl they may have delectacion.
Secundus doctor. Welcome of the aposteyls, the gloryous qwere,
ffyrst Petyr ȝour prynce and eke ȝour presydent,
And Andre we ȝour half brother, togedyr in ffere,
That ffyrst ffowlyd Cryst be on assent.
Primus doctor. O ȝe tweyn luminaryes, Jamys and John!
Contynually brennyng as bryght as the sonn bem!
With the chene of charyté, bothe knyt in on,
And offeryd of ȝour modyr to Cryst in Jherusalem.
Secundus doctor. Welcome, Phelypp, that convertyd Samaryan!
And convertyd the tresorere of the qwene Cabdas!
With Jamys the lesser, that apud Jherosolyman
Was made fyrst patryarke, by the ordenauns of Cephas.
Primus doctor. Heyl, Mathew the apostel and also Evangelyst!
That was clepyd to the fflok of gostly conversacion
ffrom thyrknes of concyens that ȝe were in ffest,
With Bertylmew that ffled alle carnalle temptacion.
Secundus doctor. Heyl, Symeon Zelotes! thus be ȝour name,
And Judas, that bothe wel lovyd oure Lord!
Therffore ȝe have bothe joye and game,
Wher nevyr is sstryff but good acorde.
Primus doctor. Heyl, Poul, grett doctour of the ffeyth,
And vessel chosyn be trewe eleccion!
Heyl Thomas, of whom the gospel seyth,
In Crystys wounde was ȝour refleccion!
Secundus doctor. Heyl, John Baptyst, most sovereyn creature
That evyr was born be naturalle conseyvyng!
And hyest of prophetys, as wytnessyth Scrypture;
Heyl voys that in desert was allewey cryeng!
What tyme that processyon is enteryd into the place, and the Herowdys takyn his schaffalde, and Pylat and Annas and Cayphas here schaffaldys; also than come ther an exposytour, in doctorys wede, thus seyng,
Contemplacio. Sofreynes and frendys, ȝe mut alle be gret with gode;
Grace, love, and charyté evyr be ȝou among;
The maydenys sone preserve ȝou that for man deyd on rode;
He that is o God in personys thre, defende ȝou fro ȝour fon!
Be the leve and soferauns of allemythty God,
We intendyn to procede the matere that we lefte the last ȝere;
Wherefore we beseche ȝow that ȝour wyllys be good,
To kepe the passyon in ȝour mende that xal be shewyd here.
The last ȝere we shewyd here how oure Lord for love of man
Cam to the cety of Jherusalem mekely his deth to take;
And how he made his mawndé, his body ȝevyng than,
To his apostelys evyr with us to abydyn for mannys sake.
In that mawnd he was betrayd of Judas, that hym solde
To the Jewys for xxxᵗⁱ. platys to delyvyr hym that nyth.
With swerdys and gleyvys to Jhesu they come with the tretour bolde,
And toke hym amonges his apostelys about myndnyth.
Now wold we procede, how he was browth than
Beforn Annas and Cayphas, and sythe beforn Pylate:
And so forth in his passyon how mekely he toke it for man,
Besekyng ȝou for mede of ȝour soulys to take good hede theratte.
Here the Herowndys xal shewe hymself and speke.
Herodes Rex. Now sees of ȝour talkyng, and gevyth lordly audyence;
Not o word I charge ȝow, that ben here present,
Noon so hardy to presume in my hey presence
To onlose hese lyppys ageyne myn intent.
I am Herowde, of Jewys kyng most reverent,
The lawys of Mahownde my powere xal fortefye;
Reverens to that Lord of grace moost excyllent,
ffor be his powere alle thinge doth multyplye.
ȝef ony Crystyn be so hardy his feyth to denye,
Or onys to erre ageyns his lawe;
On gebettys with cheynes I xal hangyn hym heye,
And with wylde hors tho traytorys xal I drawe.
To kylle a thowsand Crystyn I gyf not an hawe;
To se hem hangyn or brent to me is very plesauns,
To dryvyn hem into doongenys dragonys to knawe,
And to rende here flesche and bonys onto here sustenauns.
John the Baptyst crystenyd Cryst, and so he dede many on,
Therfore myself dede hym brynge o dawe;
It is I that dede hym kylle, I telle ȝou everychon,
ffor and he had go forth he xuld a dystroyd our lawe.
Where as Crystyn apperyth to me is gret grevauns,
It peynyth myn hert of tho tretowrys to here;
ffor the lawys of Mahownde I have in governawns,
The whiche I wele kepe, that Lord hath no pere!
ffor he is God most prudent!
Now I charge ȝou, my lordys, that ben here,
Yf any Crystyn doggys here doth apere,
Bryng tho tretores to my hey powere,
And thei xal have sone jewgement.
Primus miles. My sovereyn Lord, heyest of excillens,
In ȝou alle jewgement is termynabyle;
Alle Crystyn dogges that do not here dyligens,
ȝe put hem to peynes that ben inportable.
Secundus miles. Nothing in ȝou may be more comendable,
As to dysstroye tho traytores that erre
Ageyn oure lawys, that ben most profytable;
Be rythwysnesse that lawe ȝe must profferre.
Rex Herowdes. Now, be gloryous Mahownd, my sovereyn Savyour,
These promessys I make, as I am trewe knyth!
Thoo that excede his lawys by ony errour,
To the most xamefullest deth I xal hem dyth.
But o thyng is sore in my gret delyte,
Ther is on Jhesus of Nazareth, as men me tellyth;
Of that man I desyre to han a sythte,
ffor with many gret wondrys oure lawe he fellyth.
The son of God hymself he callyth,
And kyng of Jewys he seyth is he,
And many woundrys of hym he fallyth—
My hert desyryth hym for to se.
Seres, yf that he come in this cowntré,
With oure jurresdyccion loke ȝe aspye,
And anon that he be brouth onto me,
And the trewth myself than xal trye.
Primus miles. Tomorwe my jorné I xal begynne,
To seke Jhesus with my dew dilygens;
ȝyf he come ȝour provynce withinne,
He xal not askape ȝour hey presens.
Secundus miles. Myn sovereyn, this is my cowncel that ȝe xal take,
A man that is bothe wyse and stronge,
Thurwe alle Galylé a serge to make,
Yf Jhesu be enteryd ȝour pepyl among,
Corrette hese dedys that be do wronge,
ffor his body is undyr ȝour bayle,
As men talkyn hem among,
That he was born in Galylé.
Rex. Thanne of these materys, serys, take hede;
ffor a whyle I wele me rest,
Appetyde requyryth me so indede,
And ffesyk tellyth me it is the best.