The grettest meracle that evyr Jhesus
In erthe wrouth beforn his passyon,
In xxij," pagent we purpose us
To shewe in dede the declaracion.
That pagent xal be of Lazarus,
In whos place and habytacion
Cryst was logyd, the Gospelseyth thus,
And ofte tymes toke ther consolacion.
But 3yt
Lazarus, as I 3ow say,
Was iiij. days ded and beryed in clay,
ffrom deth to lyve the iiij". day,
Cryst reysed hym from that pyt.
In the xxiij." pagent, Palme Sunday,
In pley we purpose for to shewe,
How chylderyn of Ebrew with floures ful gay,
The wey that Cryst went thei gun to strewe.
In the xxiiij."pagent, as that we may,
Cryst and his apostelys alle on rewe,
The mawnde of God ther xal they play,
And sone declare it with wordys ffewe.
And than
Judas that fals traytour,
for xxx." platys of werdly tresour,
Xal betray oure Savyour
To the Jewys certan.
for grevous peyn, this is no les,
In the xxv." pagent, Cryst xal pray
To the fadyr of hevyn that peyn for to ses,
His shamful deth to put away.
Judas that traytour, befor gret pres,
Xal kys his mouthe and hym betray,
Alle his dyscyples than do dyscres,
And forsake Cryst, the sothe to say,
for doute thei do hem hede.
Hese dyscyplys alle everychone
Do renne awey and leve hym alone,
They lete hym stondyn amonge his fon,
And ronne away for drede.
Than in the xxvi." pagent,
To Cayphas Cryst xal be brouth,
Tho Jewys ful redy ther xul be bent,
Cryst to acuse with worde and thouth.
Seynt Petyr doth folwe with good intent,
To se with Cryst what xuld be wrouth;
for Crystes dyscyple whan he is hent,
Thryes he doth swere he knew hym nowth,
A kok xal crowe and crye;
Than doth Petyr gret sorwe make,
for he his lord thus dede forsake,
But God to grace hym sone doth take,
Whan he doth aske mercye.
In the xxvij. pagent, sere Pylat
Is sett in sete as hy justyce;
Whan he is set in his astat,
Thre thevys be brout of synful gyse,
And Cryst that lovyd nevyr stryff nor bat,
But trewthe and goodnesse on every wyse,
As for a thef with ryth gret hat,
Is browth to stondyn at that same syse.
And than, as I 3ow say,
The wyff of Pylat goth to rest,
Coveryd with clothis al of the best,
Than for to slepe she is ful prest,
Alie this we thenke to play.
In the xxviij. pagent xal Judas,
That was to Cryst a fals traytour,
With wepyng sore evyr crye, alas,
That evyr he solde oure Savyour.
He xal be sory for his trespas,
And brynge agen alle his tresour,
Alle xxx. pens to sere Cayphas,
He xal them brynge with gret dolowre,
for the whiche Cryst was bowth.
for gret whanhope, as 3e xal se,
He hangyth hymself upon a tre,
for he noth trostyth in Godys peté,
To helle his sowle is browth.
In the xxix. pagent, to Pylatus wyff
In slepe aperyth the devyl of helle,
for to savyn Crystes lyff,
The devyl here temptyth, as I 3ow telle.
Sche sendyth to Pylat anon ful ryff,
And prayth that Cryst he xuld not qwelle;
Than Pylat is besy and ryth blyff,
Cryst for to savyn he 3evyth councelle,
for he dede nevyr trespas.
The Jewys do crye fast for to kylle,
The rythful man thei aske to spylle,
A thes the save with herty wylle,
That callyd is Barrabas.
In the xxx. pagent thei bete out Crystes blood,
And nayle hym al nakyd upon a rode tre,
Betwen ij- thevys, i-wys they were to wood,
They hyng Cryst Jhesu, gret shame it is to se.
Vij. wurdys Cryst spekyth hangyng upon the rode,
The weche 3e xal here alle tho that wyl ther be,
Than doth he dye for oure allether good;
His modyr doth se that syth, gret mornyng makyth she,
for sorwe she gynnyth to swowne.
Seynt John evyn ther as I 3ow plythe,
Doth chere oure lady with al his mythe,
And to the temple anon forth rythe,
He ledyth here in that stownde.
We purpose to shewe in oure pleyn place,
In the xxxj." pagent, thorwe Godys mythe,
How to Crystes herte a spere gan pace,
And rent oure lordys bryst in ruly plyth.
for Longeus that olde knyth, blynd as he was,
A ryth sharpe spere to Crystes hertexal pythe,
The blod of his wounde to his oyn xal tras,
And thorwegret meracle ther hath he syth.
Than in that morn,
Crystes soule goth downe to helle,
And ther ovyrcomyth the fend so felle,
Comfortyth the soulys that therin dwelle,
And savyth that was forlorn.
Joseph and Nycodemus to Cryst trew servaunt
'':e xxxii. page (nt) the body thei aske to have.
Pylat ful redyly the body doth hem graunt,
Than thei with reverens do put it in grave.
The Jewys more wyckyd than ony geawunt,
for Crystes ded body kepers do thei crave,
Pylat sendyth iiij. knytes that be ryth hardaunt,
To keep the blody body in his dede conclave.
And 3it be his owyn myth,
The body that was hevy as led,
Be the Jewys nevyr so qued,
Aryseth from grave that ther lay ded,
And frayth than every knyth.
In the xxiij pagent the soule of Cryst Jhesu
Xal brynge alle his ffrendys from helle to paradyse,
The soule goth than to the grave, and be ryth gret vertu
That body that longe ded hath loyn tolyfajendoth ryse.
Than doth Cryst Jhesu onto his modyr sew,
And comfortyth alle here care in temple ther she lyse,
With suche cher and comforth his modyr he doth indew,
That joy it is to here ther speche for to devyse.
And than
Oure lady of hefne so cler,
In herte sche hath ryth glad chere,
Whan here sone thus doth apere,
Here care awey is tan.
In the xxxiiij. pagent xal Maryes thre
Seke Cryst Jhesu in his grave so coolde;
An aungel hem tellyth that aresyn is he ;
And whan that this tale to them is tolde,
To Crystes dyscyplis with wurdys ful fre,
They telle these tydynges with brest ful bolde.
Than Petyr and John, as 3e xal se,
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