"Everyman," With Other Interludes, Including Eight Miracle Plays Part 42

_Esaias._ Thy praises condign no mortal tongue can tell, Most worthy maker and king of heavenly glory, For all capacities thy goodness doth excel, Thy plenteous graces no brain can compa.s.s truly, No wit can conceive the greatness of thy mercy, Declared of late in David thy true servant, And now confirmed in this thy later covenant.

Of goodness thou madest Solomon of wit more pregnant, Asa and Josaphat, with good king Hezechiah, In thy sight to do that was to thee right pleasant.

To quench idolatry thou raisedst up Elijah Jehu, Elisha, Micah, and Obdiah, The Syrian Naaman thou purgedst of a lepry[623]

Thy works wonderful who can but magnify?

Arise, Jerusalem, and take faith by and by,[624]

For the very light that shall save thee is coming.

The Son of the Lord appear will evidently, When he shall resort, see that no joy be wanting.

He is thy saviour, and thy life everlasting, Thy release from sin, and thy whole righteousness, Help me in this song t' acknowledge his great goodness.

[_Then in a tuneful voice he begins an antiphon, "O radix Jesse," which the chorus follows with instruments._

O fruitful root of Jesse, that shall be set as a sign among people, against the worldly rulers shall fiercely open their mouths, whom the Gentiles wors.h.i.+p as their heavenly Lord. Come now to deliver us, and delay the time no longer.

ACT VII

OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

_Pater Clestis._ I have with fierceness mankind oft-times corrected, And again I have allured him by sweet promise.

I have sent sore plagues, when he hath me neglected, And then by and by, most comfortable sweetness.

To win him to grace, both mercy and righteousness I have exercised, yet will he not amend.

Shall I now lose him, or shall I him defend?

In his most mischief, most high grace will I send To overcome him by favour, if it may be.

With his abuses no longer will I contend But now accomplish my first will and decree.

My word being flesh, from hence shall set him free, Him teaching a way of perfect righteousness, That he shall not need to perish in his weakness.

_John the Baptist._ Mana.s.seh is past, who turned from thee his heart.

Ahaz and Ammon have now no more ado, Jechoniah with others who did themselves avert From thee to idols, may now no farther go.

The two false judges, and Baal's wicked priests also, Pha.s.sur and Semaiah, with Nebuchadnosor, Antiochus and Triphon, shall thee displease no more.

Three score years and ten, thy people into Babylon Were captive and thrall for idols' wors.h.i.+pping.

Jerusalem was lost, and left void of dominion, Burnt was their temple, so was their other building, Their high priests were slain, their treasure came to nothing; The strength and beauty of thine own heritage, Thus didst thou leave them in miserable bondage.

Oft had they warnings, sometimes by Ezekiel And other prophets, as Isay and Jeremy, Sometimes by Daniel, sometimes by Hosea and Joel, By Amos and Abdiah, by Jonah and Sophonya,[625]

By Nahum and Micah, Haggai and by Zachary, By Malachias, and also by Habakkuk, By Olda the widow, and by the prophet Baruch.

Remember Josiah, who took the abomination From the people, then restoring the laws again.

Of Rahab consider the faithful generation, Whom to wine drinking no friends.h.i.+p might constrain.

Remember Abimelech, the friend of truth certain, Zerubabel the prince, who did repair the temple, And Jesus Josedech, of virtue the example.

Consider Nehemiah, and Esdras the good scribe, Merciful Tobias, and constant Mardocheus;[626]

Judith and Queen Esther, of the same G.o.dly tribe, Devout Matthias and Judas Maccabaeus.

Have mind of Eleazer, and then Joannes Hirca.n.u.s, Weigh the earnest faith of this G.o.dly company, Though the other clean fall from thy memory.

_Pater Clestis._ I will John, I will, for as I said before, Rigour and hardness I have now set apart, Minding from henceforth to win man evermore By wonderful kindness to break his stubborn heart, And change it from sin. For Christ shall suffer smart, In man's frail nature for his iniquity, This to make open, my messenger shalt thou be.

_John the Baptist._ As thy pleasure is, so blessed Lord appoint me, For my health thou art, and my soul's felicity.

_Pater Clestis._ Long ere I made thee, I the predestinate, Before thou wert born I thee endued with grace.

In thy mother's womb wert thou sanctificate By my G.o.dly gift, and so confirmed in place, A prophet, to shew a way before the face Of my most dear son, who will come: then until Apply thee apace thine office to fulfil.

Preach to the people, rebuking their negligence, Dip them in water, acknowledging their offence; And say unto them, The kingdom of G.o.d doth come.

_John the Baptist._ Unmeet, Lord, I am, _Quia puer ego sum_.[627]

And other than that, alas, I have no science Fit for that office, neither yet clean eloquence.

_Pater Clestis._ Thou shalt not say so, for I have given thee grace, Eloquence and age, to speak in desert place.

Thou must do therefore as I shall thee advise, My appointed pleasure forth utter in any wise; My strong mighty words put I into thy mouth, Spare not, but speak them to east, west, north and south.

[_G.o.d stretching out his hand, touches John's lips with his finger and confers upon him a golden tongue._

Go now thy way forth, I shall thee never fail, The spir't of Elijah have I given thee already.

Persuade the people, that they their sins bewail; And if they repent their customable folly, Long shall it not be ere they have remedy.

Open thou their hearts: tell them their health is coming As a voice in a desert; see thou declare the thing.

I promise thee sure, thou shalt wash him among them In Jordan, a flood not far from Jerusalem.

_John the Baptist._ Shew me yet, good Lord, whereby shall I know that man, In the mult.i.tude which will resort to Jordan.

_Pater Clestis._ In thy mother's womb of him hadst thou cognition.

Have thou no fear John, him shalt thou know full well, And one special token afore will I thee tell.

_Super quem videris spiritum descendentem et manentem Super eum, hic est qui baptizat spiritu sancto:_ Among all other whom thou shalt baptise there Upon whom thou seest the Holy Ghost descend In shape of a dove, resting upon his shoulder, Hold him for the same, that shall the world amend, By baptism of spirit, and also to man extend Most special grace. For he must repair his fall, Restoring again the justice original.

Take now thy journey, and do as I thee advise, First preach repentance, and then the people baptise.

_John the Baptist._ High honour, wors.h.i.+p, and glory be unto thee, My G.o.d eternal, and patron of all purity.

Repent good people, for sins that now are past, The kingdom of heaven is at hand very nigh.

The promised light to you approacheth fast, Have faith, and apply now to receive him boldly.

I am not the light, but to bear testimony Of him am sent, that all men may believe, That his blood he will for their redemption give.

He is such a light as all men doth illumine, That ever were here, or shall be after this.

All the world he made by his mighty power divine, And yet that rude world will not know what he is.

His own he entering, is not regarded of his.

They that receive him, are G.o.d's true children plain, In spir't regenerate, and all grace shall attain.

Many do reckon, that I John Baptist am he, Deceived are they, and that will appear in s.p.a.ce.

Though he come after, yet he was long afore me.

We are weak vessels, he is the well of grace, Of his great goodness all that we have we purchase.

By him are we like to have a better increase Than ever we had by the laws of Moses.

For Moses' hard law we had not else but darkness, Figure and shadow, all was not else but night, Punishment for sin, much rigour, pain, and roughness, An high charge is there, where all is turned to light, Grace and remission anon will s.h.i.+ne full bright.

Never man lived that ever saw G.o.d afore, Which now in our kind man's ruin will restore.

Help me to give thanks to that Lord evermore, Which am unto Christ a crier in the desert, To prepare the paths and high ways him before For his delight is on the poor, simple heart.

That innocent lamb from such will never depart, As will faithfully receive him with good mind.

Let our voice then sound in some sweet musical kind.

[_Then in a resounding voice he begins an antiphon, "O clavis David,"

which the chorus follows with instruments, as before._

O perfect key of David, and high sceptre of the kindred of Jacob, which openest and no man sperith,[628] thou speakest and no man openeth; come and deliver thy servant mankind, bound in prison, sitting in the darkness of sin and bitter d.a.m.nation.

EPILOGUE

_Baleus Prolocutor._ The matters are such as we have uttered here, As ought not to slide from your memorial; For they have opened such comfortable gear, As is to the health of this kind universal, Graces of the Lord and promises liberal, Which he given to man for every age, To knit him to Christ, and so clear him of bondage.