"Everyman," With Other Interludes, Including Eight Miracle Plays Part 40

Thou sentest them also a law from heaven above, And daily shewedst them many tokens of great love.

The brazen serpent thou gavest them for their healing, And Balaam's curse thou turnedst into a blessing.

I hope thou wilt not disdain to help them still.

_Pater Clestis._ I gave them precepts, which they will not fulfil Nor yet acknowledge me for their G.o.d and good Lord, So do their vile deeds with their wicked hearts accord Whilst thou hast talked with me familiarly On Sinai's mountain, the s.p.a.ce but of days forty, These sights all they have forgotten clearly, And are turned to shameful idolatry.

For their G.o.d, they have set up a golden calf.

_Moses._ Let me say something, sweet Father, in their behalf.

_Pater Clestis._ I will first conclude, and then say on thy mind.

For that I have found that people so unkind, Not one of them shall enjoy the promise of me, For entering the land, but Caleb and Josue.[615]

_Moses._ Thy eternal will evermore fulfilled be.

For disobedience thou slewest the sons of Aaron, The earth swallowed in both Dathan and Abiron.

The adders did sting other wicked persons else, In wonderful number. Thus hast thou punished rebels.

_Pater Clestis._ Never will I spare the cursed iniquity.

Of idolatry, for no cause, thou mayst trust me.

_Moses._ Forgive them yet, Lord, for this time, if it may be.

_Pater Clestis._ Thinkest thou that I will so soon change my decree?

No, no, friend Moses, so light thou shalt not find me.

I will punish them all; Israel shall it see.

_Moses._ I know, thy people have wrought abomination, Wors.h.i.+pping false G.o.ds, to thy honour's derogation, Yet mercifully thou mayest upon them look; And if thou wilt not, thrust me out of thy book.

_Pater Clestis._ Those great blasphemers shall out of my book clean, But thou shalt not so, for I know what thou dost mean.

Conduct my people, mine angel shall a.s.sist thee, That sin in a day will not uncorrected be.

And for the true zeal that thou to my people hast, I add this covenant unto my promises past.

Raise them up I will a prophet from among them, Not unlike to thee, to speak my words unto them.

Whoso heareth not that he shall speak in my name, I will revenge it to his perpetual shame.

The pa.s.sover lamb will be a token just Of this strong covenant. This have I clearly discussed, In my appointment this hour for your deliverance.

_Moses._ Never shall this thing depart from my remembrance.

Praise be for ever to thee, most merciful Lord, Who never withdrawest from man thy heavenly comfort, But from age to age thy benefits do record What thy goodness is, and hath been to his sort.

As we find thy grace, so ought we to report.

And doubtless it is to us most bounteous, Yea, for all our sins most ripe and plenteous.

Abraham our father found thee benevolous,[616]

So did good Isaac in his distress among.

To Jacob thou wert a guide most gracious.

Joseph thou savedst from dangerous deadly wrong, Melchisedec and Job felt thy great goodness strong, So did good Sarah, Rebecca, and fair Rachel, With Zephorah my wife, the daughter of Raguel.

To praise thee, sweet Lord, my faith doth me compel, For thy covenant's sake wherein rests our salvation, The seed of promise, all other seeds excel, For therein remaineth our full justification.

From Adam to Noah, in Abraham's generation, That seed procureth G.o.d's mighty grace and power; For the same seed's sake, I will sing now this hour.

[_Then he begins to sing an antiphon in a clear voice, "O Emmanuel,"

which the chorus (as before) follows with instruments._

O high king Emmanuel, and our liege Lord! the long expectation of the Gentiles, and the mighty Saviour of their mult.i.tude, the health and consolation of sinners, come now to save us, as our Lord and our Redeemer.

ACT V

OF PIUS KING DAVID

_Pater Clestis._ For all the favour I have shewed Israel, Delivering it from Pharaoh's tyranny, And giving the land, _fluentem lac et mel_,[617]

Yet will it not leave its old idolatry, Nor know me for G.o.d. I abhor its misery.

Vexed it I have with battles and decays, Still must I plague it, I see no other ways.

_David._ Remember yet, Lord, thy worthy servant Moses, Walking in thy sight, without rebuke of thee.

Both Aaron, Jethro, Eleazar, and Phinees,[618]

Evermore feared to offend thy majesty, Much thou acceptedst thy servant Josue.[619]

Caleb and Othniel sought thee with all their heart, Aioth and Sangar for thy folk did their part.

Gideon and Tholus thy enemies put to smart, Jair and Jephtha gave praises to thy name.

These, to leave idols, thy people did court.

Samson the strongest, for his part did the same.

Samuel and Nathan thy messages did proclaim.

What though fierce Pharaoh wrought mischief in thy sight, He was a pagan, lay not that in our light.

I know the Benjamites abused the ways of right, So did Eli's sons, and the sons of Samuel.

Saul in his office was slothful day and night, Wicked was s.h.i.+mei, so was Ahitophel.

Measure not by them the faults of Israel, Whom thou hast loved of long time so entirely, But of thy great grace remit its wicked folly.

_Pater Clestis._ I cannot abide the vice of idolatry, Though I should suffer all other villany.

When Joshua was dead, that sort from me did fall To the wors.h.i.+pping of Ashteroth and Baal, Full unclean idols, and monsters b.e.s.t.i.a.l.

_David._ For it they have had thy righteous punishment, And forasmuch as they did wickedly consent To the Philistines and Canaanites unG.o.dly Idolaters, taking to them in matrimony, Thou threwest them under the King of Mesopotamy, After thou subduedst them for their idolatry.

Eighteen years to Eglon, the King of Moabites, And twenty years to Jabin, the King of Canaanites, Oppressed they were seven years by the Midianites, And eighteen years vexed by the cruel Ammonites.

In three great battles, of three score thousand and five, Of this thy people, not one was left alive.

Have mercy now, Lord, and call them to repentance.

_Pater Clestis._ So long as they sin, so long shall they have grievance.

David my servant, something must I say to thee, For that thou lately hast wrought such vanity.

_David._ Spare not, blessed Lord, but say thy pleasure to me.

_Pater Clestis._ Of late days thou hast misused Bathsheba, The wife of Uriah, and slain him in the field.

_David._ Mercy, Lord, mercy; for doubtless I am defiled.

_Pater Clestis._ I const.i.tute thee a king over Israel, And thee preserved from Saul, who was thine enemy.

Yea, in my favour, so much thou didst excel, That of thine enemies I gave thee victory.

Philistines and Syrians to thee came tributary.

Why hast thou then wrought such folly in my sight.

Despising my word, against all G.o.dly right?

_David._ I have sinned, Lord, I beseech thee, pardon me,

_Pater Clestis._ Thou shalt not die, David, for this iniquity, For thy repentance; but thy son by Bathsheba Shall die, forasmuch as my name is blasphemed Among my enemies, and thou the worse esteemed.