Opening the text

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

Alle men dwellyng upon the grownde,
    Beware of me, be myn councel;
  ffor feynt felachep in me is fownde, —
    I kan no curtesy, as I ȝow tel;
  ffor be a man nevyr so sownde,
    Of helthe in herte nevyr so wel,
  I come sodeynly within a stownde, —
    Me withstande may no castel,
            My jurnay wyl I spede.
  Of my comyng no man is ware,
  ffor whan men make most mery fare,
  Than sodeynly I cast hem in care,
            And sle them evyn indede.
  Thow I be nakyd and pore of array,
    And wurmys knawe me all abowte,
  ȝit loke ȝe drede me nyth and day,
    ffor whan deth comyth, ȝe stande in dowte;
  Evyn lyke to me, as I ȝow say,
    Shulle alle ȝe be here in this rowte;
  Whan I ȝow chalange at my day,
    I xal ȝow make ryght lowe to lowth,
            And nakyd for to be.
  Amonges wormys, as I ȝow telle,
  Undyr the erthe xul ȝe dwelle,
  And thei xul etyn bothe flesche and felle,
            As thei have don me.




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.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

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

Alle men dwellyng upon the grownde,
    Beware of me, be myn councel;
  ffor feynt felachep in me is fownde, —
    I kan no curtesy, as I ȝow tel;
  ffor be a man nevyr so sownde,
    Of helthe in herte nevyr so wel,
  I come sodeynly within a stownde, —
    Me withstande may no castel,
            My jurnay wyl I spede.
  Of my comyng no man is ware,
  ffor whan men make most mery fare,
  Than sodeynly I cast hem in care,
            And sle them evyn indede.
  Thow I be nakyd and pore of array,
    And wurmys knawe me all abowte,
  ȝit loke ȝe drede me nyth and day,
    ffor whan deth comyth, ȝe stande in dowte;
  Evyn lyke to me, as I ȝow say,
    Shulle alle ȝe be here in this rowte;
  Whan I ȝow chalange at my day,
    I xal ȝow make ryght lowe to lowth,
            And nakyd for to be.
  Amonges wormys, as I ȝow telle,
  Undyr the erthe xul ȝe dwelle,
  And thei xul etyn bothe flesche and felle,
            As thei have don me.




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.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Ludus Coventriæ : $b A collection of mysteries, formerly represented at Coventry on the feast of Corpus Christi

Ludus Coventriæ : $b A collection of mysteries, formerly represented at Coventry on the feast of Corpus Christi

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