Ludus Coventriæ : $b A collection of mysteries, formerly represented at Coventry on the feast of Corpus Christi
General
Ludus Coventriæ : $b A collection of mysteries, formerly represented at Coventry on the feast of Corpus Christi
English drama -- To 1500; English language -- Middle English, 1100-1500 -- Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.; Mysteries and miracle-plays, English
_Judas._ ȝe are resonable chapman to bye and selle,
This bargany with ȝow now xal I make;
Smyth up, ȝe xal have al ȝour wylle,
ffor mony wyl I non forsake.
_Leyon._ Now this bargany is mad ful and fast,
Noyther part may it forsake;
But Judas thou must telle us in hast,
Be what menys we xal hym take.
_Rewfyn._ ȝa ther be many that hym nevyr sowe,
Weche we wyl sende to hym in fere;
Therfor be a tokyn we must hym knowe,
That must be prevy betwyx us here.
_Leyon._ ȝa beware of that for ony thynge,
For o dyscypil is lyche thi mayster in al parayl;
And ȝe go lyche in alle clothyng,
So myth we of oure purpose fayl.
_Judas._ As for that, serys, have ȝe no dowth.
I xal ordeyn, so ȝe xal not mysse;
Whan that ȝe cum hym alle abowth,
Take the man that I xal kysse.
I must go to my maystyr ageyn,
Dowth not, serys, this matere is sure i-now.
_Gamalyel._ Farewel, Judas, oure frend serteyn,
Thi labour we xal ryth wel alow
_Judas._ Now wyl I sotely go seke my mayster ageyn,
And make good face, as I nowth knew;
I have hym solde to wo and peyn,
I trowe ful sore he xal it rew.
_Here Judas goth in sotylly wher as he cam fro._
_Annas._ Lo, serys, a part we have of oure entent,
For to take Jhesu now we must provyde;
A sotyl meny to be present,
That dare fyth and wele abyde.
_Gamalyel._ Ordeyn eche man on his party,
Cressetys, lanternys, and torchys lyth;
And this nyth to be ther redy,
With exys, gleyvis, and swerdys bryth.
_Cayphas._ No lenger than make we teryeng,
But eche man to his place hym dyth,
And ordeyn prively for this thyng,
That it be don this same nyth.
_Here the buschopys partyn in the place, and eche of hem takyn here
leve, be contenawns, resortyng eche man to his place with here meny to
make redy to take Cryst; and than xal the place ther Cryst is in xal
sodeynly unclose rownd abowt, shewyng Cryst syttyng at the table and hese
dyscypules eche in ere degré, Cryst thus seyng_,
_Jhesu._ Bredereyn, this lambe that was set us beforn,
That we alle have etyn in this nyth,
It was comawndyd be my fadyr to Moyses and Aaron,
Whan thei weryn with the chylderyn of Israel in Egythp.
And as we with swete bredys have it ete,
And also with the byttyr sokelyng,
And as we take the hed with the fete,
So dede thei in alle maner thyng.
And as we stodyn so dede thei stond,
And here reynes thei gyrdyn veryly,
With schon on here fete and stavys in here hond,
And as we ete it, so dede thei hastyly.
This fygure xal sesse, anothyr xal folwe therby;
Weche xal be of my body that am ȝour hed,
Weche xal be shewyd to ȝow be a mystery,
Of my fflesche and blood in forme of bred.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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