Therfore a wey herein thou se, And lete Jhesu from the clere pace; The Jewys thei wole begyle the, And put on the alle the trespace. _Pylat._ Gramercy, myn wyf, for evyr ȝe be trewe; ȝour cowncel is good and evyr hath be! Now to ȝour chawmer ȝe do sewe, And alle xal be weyl, dame, as ȝe xal se. XXXII. THE CONDEMNATION AND CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST. _Here the Jewys bryng Jhesus aȝen to Pylat._ _Primus doctor._ Sere Pylat, gode tydandys thou here of me,— Of Herowd the kyng thou hast good wyl; And Jhesus he sendyth aȝen to the, And byddyth the chese hym to save or spylle! _Secundus doctor._ ȝa! ser, alle the poer lyth now in the, And thou knowyst oure feyth he hath nere schent: Thou knowyst what myschef therof may be, We charge the to gyf hym jwgement. _Pylat._ Serys, trewly ȝe be to blame, Jhesus thus to bete, dyspoyle, or bynde; Or put hym to so gret schame; ffor no defawth in hym I fynde. Ne Herowdys nother to whom I sent ȝow, Defawte in hym cowde fynde ryth non; But sent hym aȝen to me be ȝow, As ȝe knowe wel everychon. Therfore undyrstande what I xal say, ȝe knowe the custom is in this londe, Of ȝour Pasche day that is ner honde, What theff or tretour be in bonde, For worchep of that day xal go fre away Without any price. Now than me thynkyth it were ryth, To lete Jhesus now go qwyte, And do to hym no mo dyspyte,— I wolde wete what ȝe say. Seres, this is myn avyse. _Here alle thei xul cryen, “Nay! nay! nay!”_ _Primus doctor._ Delyvere us the theff Barabas, That for mansclawth presonde was. _Pylat._ What xal I than with Jhesu do? Whether xal he abyde or go? _Secundus doctor._ Jhesus xal on the cros be don, _Crucifigatur_ we cry echon! _Pylat._ Seres, what hath Jhesus don amys? _Populus clamabunt._ _Crucifigatur_ we sey at onys. _Pylat._ Serys, syn al gatys ȝe wolyn so, Puttyn Jhesu to wo and peyn; Jhesu a wyle with me xal go, I wole hym examyne betwyx us tweyn. _Here Pylat takyth Jhesu, and ledyth hym into the cowncel hous, and seyth_, Jhesus, what seyst now? lete se, This matere now thou undyrstonde; In pes thou myth be for me, But for thi pepyl of thi londe. Busshoppys and prestys of the lawe, Thei love the not, as thou mayst se; And the comon pepyl aȝens the drawe, In pes thou myth a be for me,— This I telle the pleyn! What seyst, Jhesus? whi spekest not me to? Knowyst not I have power on the cros the to do, And also I have power to lete the forth go! What kanst thou here to seyn?