TOWNELEY 31
The story of Lazarus appears in all four cycles. Its importance lay in being a figure of the Resurrection. The Towneley version differs from the York and is thought to have been included after the separation. It falls into two parts: a presentation of the story of Christ’s actions up to the Raising of Lazarus, closely based on John 11 1–44; a long monologue by Lazarus, lyrical in nature, addressed to all men – to the extent that the rest of the characters are simply ignored. Whilst the first part is written in couplets, the monologue by Lazarus is written in stanzaic verse. It envisages with grim intensity the decay of the body and the inevitability of death.
The play was included near the end of the cycle; there is no clear reason for this. It would normally appear immediately before the Passion as one of the miracles of the Ministry, and as an anticipation of the Resurrection.
[Scene: the road to Bethany.]
(1)
IHESUS: Commes now, brethere, and go with me;
We will pas furth untill Iude1;
To vyset Lazare that is oure freynde2.
Gladly I wold we with hym speke;
I tell you sothely he is seke.
PETRUS: I red not that ye thider go;
The Iues halden you for thare fo;
3 weynde go 4 vyset visit 6 seke sick
I red ye com not in that stede,
10 For if ye do then be ye dede3.
IOHANNES: Master, trist thou [not] on the Iue,
For many day sen thou thaym knewe,
And last tyme that we were thore
We wenyd till have bene ded therfor.
THOMAS: When we were last in that contre,
This othere day, both thou and we,
We wenyd that thou ther shuld have bene slayn;
Will thou now go thider agane?
IHESUS: Herkyn, breder, and takys kepe;
20 Lazare oure freynde is fallyn on slepe4;
The way till hym now will we take,
To styr that knyght and gar hym wake.
PETRUS: Sir, me thynke it were the best
To let hym slepe and take his rest;
And kepe that no man com hym hend,
For if he slepe then mon he mend.
IHESUS: I say to you, with-outten fayll,
No kepyng may till hym availl,
Ne slepe may stand hym in no stede.
30 I say you sekerly he is dede;
Therfor I say you now at last
Leyfe this speche and go we fast.
THOMAS: Sir, what so ever ye bid us do
We assent us well ther to;
I hope to God ye shall not fynde
None of us shall lefe behynde;
For any parell that may befall
Weynde we with oure master all.
MARTHA: Help me, Lorde, and gif me red!
40 Lazare my broder now is dede,
That was to the both lefe and dere;
He had not dyed had thou bene here.
11 trist trust 12 sen since 13 thore there 14 wenyd thought 15 contre country 19 kepe heed 22 gar cause 25 hend near 30 sekerly surely 32 Leyfe leave 37 parell peril 39 red advice
IHESUS: Martha, Martha, thou may be fayn,
Thi brothere shall rise and lif agayn.
MARTHA: Lorde, I wote that he shall ryse
And com before the good iustyce;
For at the dredfull day of dome
There mon ye kepe hym at his come,
To loke what dome ye will hym gif;
50 Then mon he rise, then mon he lyf.
IHESUS: I warne you, both man and wyfe,
That I am rysyng5, and I am life;
That I was ever and ay shall be,
Oone thyng I shall hym gif,
Though he be dede yit shall he lif.
Say thou, woman, trowys thou this?
MARTHA: Yee, for sothe, my Lorde of blys,
Ellys were I greatly to mysprase,
60 For all is sothe-fast that thou says.
IHESUS: Go tell thi sister Mawdlayn
That I com, ye may be fayn.
[Martha goes to Mary Magdalene.]
MARTHA: Sister, lefe this sorowful bande;
Oure Lorde commys here at hand,
And his apostyls with hym also.
MARIA: A, for Godys luf let me go!
Blissid be he that sende me grace,
That I may se the in this place.
Lorde, mekill sorow may men se
70 Of my sister here and me;
For our broder that thus is dede.
Had thou bene here and on hym sene,
Dede for sothe had he not bene.
IHESUS: Hider to you commen we ar
To make you comforth of youre care,
43 fayn joyful 48 come coming 53 trowys trusts 59 mysprase blame 60 sothe-fast true 71 lede lead 73 sene looked
Bot oke no fayntyse ne no slawth
Bryng you oute of stedfast trawthe,
Then shall I hold you that I saide.
80 Lo, where have ye his body laide?
MARIA: Lorde, if it be thi will,
For it is now the iiij day gone
Sen he was laide under yonde stone.
IHESUS: I told the right now ther thou stode
That thi trawth shuld ay be goode,
And if thou may that fulfill
All bees done right at thi will.
Et lacrimatus est Ihesus dicens6
(2)
Fader, I pray the that thou rase
And bryng hym oute of his mysese
And out of hell7 pyne.
When I the pray thou says all wayse
Mi will is sich as thyne,
Therfor will we now eke his dayse8,
To me thou will inclyne.
(3)
Com furth, Lazare, and stand us by;
In erth shall thou no langere ly;
Take and lawse hym foote and hande,
100 And from his throte take the bande,
And all that gere, and let hym go.
77 fayntyse cowardice slawth sloth 78 trawthe belief 82 hope think savers ill stinks 85 stode stood 89 rase raise 90 hyne servant 91 mysese suffering 98 langere longer 99 lawse untie 101 sudary shroud 102 gere wrapping
Lazarus9: Lorde, that all thyng maide of noght,
Lovyng be to thee,
That sich wonder here has wroght;
Gretter may none be.
When I was dede to hell I soght,
Rasid me up and thens me broght,
110 Behold and ye may se.
(5)
Ther is none so styf on stede,
Ne none so dughty in his dede,
No kyng, no knyght, no wight in wede,
From dede have maide hym seese,
Ne flesh he was wonte to fede,
(6)
120 Youre myrroure here ye loke,
And let me be youre boke,
Sich shall ye all be.
(7)
Ilkon in sich aray with dede thai shall be dight,
And closid colde in clay wheder he be kyng or knyght;
For all his garmentes gay that semely were in sight,
His flesh shall frete away with many a wofull wight.
Then wofully sich wightys
108 pauste power 111 styf upright stede horse 112 prese crowd 113 dughty brave 114 deese dais 115 wede clothes 118 mese food 119 coke cook 122 sampill example 123 cleke ?seize cloke ?claw 125 Ilkon everyone 128 frete wear, waste
130 Shall gnawe thise gay knyghtys,
Thare lunges and thare lightys,
Thare harte shall frete in sonder;
Thise masters most of myghtys
Thus shall thai be broght under.
(8)
Under the erthe ye shall thus carefully then cowche;
The royfe of youre hall youre nakyd nose shall towche11;
Nawther great ne small to you will knele ne crowche;
A shete shall be youre pall; sich todys shall be youre
nowche;
Youre flesh that fare was here
In stede of fare colore
Sich bandys shall bynde youre throte.
(9)
Youre rud that was so red, youre lyre the lylly lyke,
Then shall be wan as led and stynke as dog in dyke;
Wormes shall in you brede as bees dos in the byke,
And ees out of youre hede thus-gate shall paddokys pyke;
150 Many uncomly beest,
Thus thai shall make a feste
Of youre flesh and of youre blode.
For you then sorows leste
The moste has of youre goode13.
(10)
Youre goodys ye shall forsake if ye be never so lothe,
And nothing with you take bot sich a wyndyng clothe;
131 lightys lights 136 royfe roof 138 todys toads nowche jewel 139 dere hurt 140 fere terrify 142 rote rot 145 rud flesh colour lyre face 147 byke hive 148 ees eyes thus-gate in this way paddokys toads pyke (v) pick 149 pike peck preste ready
Youre wife sorow shall slake, youre chylder also both14,
Unnes youre mynnyng make if ye be never so wrothe;
160 That may be youre helpyng,
Therfor in youre levyng
Be wise and take good hede.
(11)
Take hede for you to dele whils ye ar on life;
Trust never freyndys frele nawthere of childe then wife;
For sectures ar not lele; then for youre good will stryfe;
To by youre saules hele there may no man thaym shrife.
To shrife no man thaym may,
170 After youre endyng day,
Youre saull for to glad;
Youre sectures will swere nay,
And say ye aght more then ye had.
(12)
Amende the, man, whils thou may;
Let never no myrthe fordo thi mynde;
Thynke thou on the dredefull day
When God shall deme all mankynde.
Thynke thou farys as dothe the wynde;
This warlde is wast and will away;
180 Man, have this in thi mynde,
And amende the whils that thou may.
(13)
Amende the, man, whils thou art here,
Agane thou go an othere gate15;
157 slake humble 158 Unnes scarcely mynnyng remembrance 159 myn remember 161 mes mass 162 almus dede almsgiving 165 dele share 166 frele frail 167 sectures executors lele loyal 168 by buy saules soul’s hele health, salvation shrife shrive 173 aght owed 175 fordo destroy 177 deme judge 178 farys farest 179 wast waste
When thou art dede and laide on bere,
Wyt thou well thou bees to late;
For if all the goode that ever thou gate
Were delt for the after thi day,
In heven it wolde not mende thi state.
Forthi amende the whils thou may.
(14)
190 If thou be right ryall in rente,
As is the stede standyng in stall,
In thi harte knowe and thynke
That thai ar Goddys goodys all.
He myght have maide the poore and small
As he that beggys fro day to day;
Wit thou well acountys gif thou shall;
Therfore amende the whils thou may.
(15)
And if I myght with you dwell
To tell you all my tyme,
That I have harde and sene,
Of many a great mervell,
Sich as ye wolde not wene,
In the paynes of hell
There as I have bene.
(16)
Bene I have in wo;
Therfor kepe you ther fro;
Whilst ye lif do so
If ye will dwell with hym
210 That can gar you thus go,
184 bere bier 186 gate got 187 delt shared 190 ryall royal rente rent, income 196 Wit know acountys accounts 200 cowthe could 211 hele heal lith joint
He is a lorde of grace;
And pray hym, full of myght,
He kepe you in this place
And have you in his sight.
Amen.
Explicit Lazarus.
213 Umthynke meditate
