"Everyman," with other interludes, including eight...

Pater Cœlestis. Of many peoples the father I will make thee, All generations in thy seed shall be blessed: As the stars of heaven, so shall thy kindred be; And by the same seed the world shall be redressed In circumcision shall this thing be expressed, As in a sure seal, to prove my promise true, Print this in thy faith, and it shall thy soul renew.

Abraham. Thanks will I render, like as it shall behove me. Everlasting praise to thy most glorious name, Which savedst Adam through faith in thy sweet promise Of the woman's seed, and now confirmest the same In the seed of me. Forsooth great is thy goodness. I cannot perceive but that thy mercy is endless. To such as fear thee, in every generation, For it endureth without abbreviation. This have I printed in deep consideration, No worldly matter can rase it out of mind. For once it will be the final restoration Of Adam and Eve, and other that hath sinned; Yea, the sure health and race of mankind. Help have the faithful thereof, though they be infect; They, condemnation, where as it is reject. Merciful Maker, my crabbed voice direct, That it may break out in some sweet praise to thee; And suffer me not thy due lauds to neglect, But let me show forth thy commendations free. Stop not my windpipes, but give them liberty, To sound to thy name, which is most gracious, And in it rejoice with heart melodious.

O most mighty Governor of thy people, and in heart most desired, the hard rock and the true corner-stone, that of two maketh one, uniting the Jews with the Gentiles in one church, come now and relieve mankind, whom thou hast formed of the vile earth.

Pater Cœlestis. Still so increaseth the wickedness of man, That I am moved with plagues him to confound. His weakness to aid, I do the best I can, Yet he regardeth me no more than doth a hound, My word and promise in his faith taketh no ground; He will so long walk in his own lusts at large, That naught he shall find his folly to discharge. Since Abraham's time, which was my true elect, Ishmael have I found both wicked, fierce and cruel: And Esau in mind with hateful murder infect. The sons of Jacob to lusts unnatural fell, And into Egypt did they their brother sell. Laban to idols gave faithful reverence, Dinah was corrupt through Shechem's violence. Reuben abused his father's concubine, Judah got children of his own daughter-in-law: Yea, she in my sight went after a wicked line. His seed Onan spilt, his brother's name to withdraw. Achan lived here without all godly awe. And now the children of Israel abuse my power In so vile manner that they move me every hour.

Moses. Pacify thy wrath, sweet Lord, I thee desire, As thou art gentle, benign, and patient, Lose not that people in fierceness of thine ire For whom thou hast shewed such tokens evident, Converting this rod into a lively serpent, And the same serpent into this rod again, Thy wonderful power declaring very plain. For their sakes also puttest Pharaoh to pain By ten divers plagues, as I shall here declare. By blood, frogs, and lice; by flies, death, botch and blain;614 By hail, by grasshoppers, by darkness, and by care; By a sudden plague, all their first gotten ware, Thou slewest, in one night, for his fierce cruelness. From that thy people withhold not now thy goodness.

Moses. Dear Lord, I know it, alas! yet weigh their weakness, And bear with their faults, of thy great bounteousness. In a flaming bush having to them respect, Thou appointedst me their passage to direct, And through the Red Sea thy right hand did us lead Where Pharaoh's host the flood overwhelmed indeed. Thou wentest before them in a shining cloud all day And in the dark night in fire thou shewedst their way. Thou sentest them manna from heaven to be their food. Out of the hard stone thou gavest them water good. Thou appointedst them a land of milk and honey. Let them not perish for want of thy great mercy.

Moses. Most glorious Maker, all that is to thy glory. 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 Cœlestis. I gave them precepts, which they will not fulfil Nor yet acknowledge me for their God 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 space but of days forty, These sights all they have forgotten clearly, And are turned to shameful idolatry. For their God, they have set up a golden calf.

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 Cœlestis. 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 assist 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 passover 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 God's mighty grace and power; For the same seed's sake, I will sing now this hour.

Pater Cœlestis. 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 God. 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 Shimei, 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.

David. For it they have had thy righteous punishment, And forasmuch as they did wickedly consent To the Philistines and Canaanites ungodly 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.