A Select Collection of Old English Plays Volume I Part 62

PATER COELESTIS. 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 Joshua.

MOSES SANCTUS. Thy eternal will evermore fulfilled be.

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

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

PATER COELESTIS. Never will I spare the cursed iniquity Of idolatry for no cause, thou mayest trust me.

MOSES SANCTUS. Forgive them yet, Lord, for this time, if it may be.

PATER COELESTIS. 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 SANCTUS. I wot, thy people hath wrought abhomination.

Worshipping false G.o.ds, to thy honour's derogation.

Yet merciful thou mayest upon them look And if thou wilt not, thrust me out of thy book.

PATER COELESTIS. 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 at 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 SANCTUS. Never shall this thing depart from my remembrance.

Laud be for ever to thee, most merciful Lord, Which never withdrawest from man thy heavenly comfort, But from age to age thy benefits doth 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 the benevolence.

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, Rebeccah, and fair Rachel, With Zipporah my wife, the daughter of Revel, To praise thee, sweet lord, my faith doth me compel, For thy covenants' sake, wherein rest our salvation, The seed of promise all other seeds excel, For therein remaineth our full justification.

From Adam and 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.

_Clara tunc voce Antiphonam incipit_, O Emmanuel, _quam chorus (ut prius) prosequetur c.u.m organis_.

_Vel Anglice canat_:

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

_Finit Actus quartus_.

INCIPIT ACTUS QUINTUS.

PATER COELESTIS. For all the favour I have showed Israel, Delivering her from Pharaoh's tyranny, And giving the land _fluentem lac & mel_, Yet will she not leave her old idolatry, Nor know me for G.o.d. I ahhor her misery: Vexed her I have with battles and decays, And must I plague her, I see no other ways.

DAVID REX PIUS. Remember yet, lord, thy worthy servant Moses, Walking in thy sight, without rebuke of thee.

Both Aaron, Jethro, Eleazar, and Phineas, Evermore feared to offend thy majesty, Much thou acceptedst thy servant Josua.

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

Gideon and Tola 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 wot the Benjaminites 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 Shimei, so was Ahithophel.

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

PATER COELESTIS. 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 worshipping of Ashteroth and Baal, Full unclean idols, and monsters b.e.s.t.i.a.l.

DAVID REX PIUS. For it they have had thy righteous punishment, And for as much 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 Mesopotamia, 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 of the Midianites, And eighteen years vexed of the cruel Ammonites.

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

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

PATER COELESTIS. So long as they sin, so long shall they have grievance.

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

DAVID REX PIUS. Spare not, blessed lord, but say thy pleasure to me.

PATER COELESTIS. Of late days thou hast misused Beersheba, The wife of Uriah, and slain him in the field.

DAVID REX PIUS. Mercy, Lord, mercy, for doubtless I am defiled.

PATER COELESTIS. I const.i.tute thee a king over Israel, And thee preserved from Saul, which was thy enemy.

Yea, in my favour so much thou didst excel, That of thy 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 REX PIUS. I have sinned, Lord; I beseech thee, pardon me.

PATER COELESTIS. Thou shalt not die, David, for this iniquity, For thy repentance; but thy son by Beersheba Shall die, for as much as my name is blasphemed Among my enemies, and thou the worst esteemed.

From thy house for this the sword shall not depart.

DAVID REX PIUS. I am sorry, Lord, from the bottom of my heart.

PATER COELESTIS. To further anger thou dost me yet compel.

DAVID REX PIUS. For what matter, Lord? I beseech thy goodness tell.

PATER COELESTIS. Why didst thou number the people of Israel?

Supposest in thy mind therein thou hast done well?

DAVID REX PIUS. I cannot say nay, but I have done indiscreetly, To forget thy grace for a human policy.

PATER COELESTIS. Thou shalt of these three choose which plague thou wilt have For that sinful act, that I thy soul may save: A scarceness seven years, or else three months' exile, Either for three days the pestilence most vile, For one thou must have: there is no remedy.