INCIPIT ACTUS QUARTUS.

Pater cæleftis.

TYLL fo increaseth the wyckedneffe of man,

ST

That I am moved with plages hym to confounde.
Hys weakeneffe to ayde, I do the best I can,

Yet he regardeth me no more than doth an hounde.
My worde and promyfe, in hys faythe taketh no grounde,
He wyll fo longe walke in hys owne luftes at large,
That nought he fhall fynde hys folye to dyfcharge.

Sens Abraham's tyme, whych was my true elect,
Ifmael have I founde both wycked, fearce, and cruell,
And Efau in mynde with hatefull murther infect.
The fonnes of Jacob to luftes unnatural fell,
And into Egypte ded they their brother fell.
Laban to ydolles gave faythfull reverence,
Dina was corrupt through Sichem's vyolence.
Ruben abufed hys father's concubyne,

Judas gate chyldren of his own doughter in lawe.
Yea, her in my fyght went after a wycked lyne.
Hys fede Onan spylte, his brother's name to withdraw
Achan lyved here without all godlye awe.

And now the chyldren of Ifrael abuse my powre,
In fo vyle maner, that they move me everye howe
Mofes fanctus.

Pacyfye thy wrathe, fwete Lorde, I the defy
As thu art gentyll, benygne and pacyent.
Lofe not that people in fearceneffe of thyne yre,
For whom thu haft fhewed foche tokens evydent,
Convertynge thys rodde into a lyvelye ferpent,
And the fame ferpent into thys rodde agayne,
Thy wonderfull power declarynge very playne.
For their fakes alfo putteft Pharao to payne
By ten dyverfe plages, as I fhall here declare.

By bloude, frogges, and lyce, by flyes, death, botche, and

blayne,

By hayle, by graffoppers, by darkeneffe, and by care.
By a foden plage, all their first-gotten ware

Thu fleweft in one nyght, for hys fearce cruelneffe.
From that thy people, witholde not now thy goodneffe.
Pater cæleftis.

I certyfye the, my chofen fervaunt Mofes,
That people of myne is full of unthankefulnes.
Mofes fanctus.

Dere Lorde, I knowe it, alas, yet waye their weakeneffe.
And beare with their faultes, of thy great bounteoufneffe.
In a flamynge bufhe, havynge to them refpect,
Thu appoyntedeft me their paffage to direct.

And through the reade fee thy ryght hande ded us lede,
Where Pharaoe's hooft the floude overwhelmed in dede.
Thu wentest before them in a fhynynge cloude all daye,
And in the darke nyght, in fyre thu fhewedeft their waye.
Thu fenteft them manna from heaven, to be their food.
Out of the harde ftone thu gaveft them water good.
Thu appoyntedeft them a lande of mylke and honye,
Let them not peryfh for want of thy great mercye.
Pater cæleftis.

Content they are not with foule nor yet with fayre,
But murmour and grudge, as people in dyfpayre.
As I fent manna, they had it in dysdayne,
Thus of their welfare they manye tymes complayne.
Over Amalech I gave them the vyctorye.

Mofes fanctus.

Moft gloryoufe maker, all that is to thy glorye.
Thu fenteft them also a lawe from heaven above,
And daylye fhewedeft them manye tokens of great love.
The brazen ferpent thu gaveft them for their healynge,
And Balaam's curfe thu turnedeft into a bleffynge.
I hope thu wilt not dyfdayne to help them ftyll.
Pater cœleftis.

I gave them preceptes, which they will not fulfyll.
Nor yet knowledge me for their God and good Lorde,
So do their vyle dedes with their wycked hartes accorde.
Whyis thu haft talked with me famylyarlye

In Synai's mountayne, the fpace but of dayes fortye,

Thofe

Thofe fightes all, they have forgotten clerely,
And are turned to fhamefull ydolatrye.

For their God, they have fett up a golden calfe.
Mofes janctus.

Let me faye fumwhat, fwete Father, in their behalfe.
Pater cæleftis.

I wyll first conclude, and then faye on thy mynde.
For that I have founde that people fo unkynde,
Not one of them fhall enjoye the promyfe of me,
For enterynge the lande, but Caleb and Jofue.
Mofes fanctus.

Thy eternall wyll evermore fulfylled be.

For dyfobeydence thu fleweft the fonnes of Aaron,
The earthe fwellowed in both Dathan and Abiron.
The adders ded ftynge other wycked perfones els,
In wonderfull nombre. Thus haft thu ponnyshed rebels.
Pater cæleftis.

Never wyll I fpare the curfed inyquyte
Of ydolatrye, for no caufe, thu mayft truft me.
Mofes fanctus.

Forgeve them yet Lorde for thys tyme, if it may be.
Pater cæleftis.

Thynkeft thu that I wyll fo fone change my decre?
No, no, frynde Mofes; fo lyght thu fhalt not fynde me,
I wyll ponnysh them, all Ifrael fhall it fe.

Mofes fanctus.

I wote, thy people hath wrought abhomynacyon,
Worthyppynge falfe goddes, to thy honour's derogacyon,
Yet mercyfullye thu mayeft upon them loke.

And if thu wylt not, thruft me out of thy boke.
Pater cæleftis.

Those great blafphemers fhall out of my boke cleane,
But thu fhalt not fo, for I knowe what thu doest meane.
Conduct my people, myne angell shall affyft the,
That fynne at a day wyll not uncorrected be.
And for the true zele that thu to my people haft,
I adde thys covenaunt unto my promyfes past.
Rayfe them up I wyll a prophete from amonge them,
Not onlyke to the, to fpeake my wordes unto them.

Wholo

Whofo heareth not that he fhall speake in my name,
I wyil revenge it to hys perpetual shame.
The paffover lambe wyll be a token just,

Of thys ftronge covenaunt. Thys have I clerely dyfcufte,
In my appoyntement thys houre for your delyveraunce.
Mofes fanctus.

Never fhall thys thynge depart from my remembraunce.
Laude be for ever to the most mercyfull Lorde,
Whych never withdraweft from man thy heavenlye confort,
But from age to age thy benefytes doth recorde
What thy goodneffe is, and hath bene to hys fort.
As we fynde thy grace, fo ought we to report.
And doubtleffe it is to us moft bounteouse,
Yea, for all our fynnes moft rype and plenteouse.
Abraham our father founde the benyvolouse.
So ded good Ifaac in hys dyftreffe amonge.
To Jacob thu wert a gyde moft gracyoufe.
Jofeph thu favedeft from daungeroufe deadlye wronge.
Melchifedech and Job felt thy great goodneffe ftronge,
So ded good Sara, Rebecca, and fayre Rachel,
With Sephora my wyfe, the doughter of Raguel.
To prayle the, fwete Lorde, my faythe doth me compell,
For thy covenauntes fake, wherin reft our falvaeyon.
The fede of promyfe, all other fedes excell,
For therin remayneth our full juftyfycacyon,
From Adam and Noah, in Abraham's generacyon.
That fede procureth God's myghty grace and powre,
For the fame fede's fake, I wyll fynge now thys howre.

Clara tunc voce Antiphonam incipit, O Emanuel, quam Chorus (ut prius) profequetur cum organis.

Vel Anglice canat:

O hygh kynge Emanuel, and our lege Lorde! the longe expectacyon of Gentyles, and the myghtye faver of their multytude, the helthe and confolacyon of fynners, come now for to fave us, as our Lorde and our Redemer.

Finit actus quartus.

INCIPIT

INCIPIT ACTUS QUINTUS.

FOR

Pater cæleftis.

OR all the faver I have fhewed Ifrael,
Delyverynge her from Pharaoe's tyrannye,
And gevynge the lande, fluentem lac & mel,
Yet wyll the not leave her olde ydolatrye,
Nor know me for God. I abhorre her myferye.
Vexed her I have with battayles and decayes,
Styll muft I plage her, I fe no other wayes.
David rex pius.

Remembre yet, Lorde, thy worthye fervaunt Mofes,
Walkynge in thy fyght, without rebuke of the.
Both Aaron, Jetro, Eleazar, and Phinees,
Evermore feared to offende thy mageste,
Moch thu acceptedeft thy fervaunt Jofue.
Caleb and Othoniel fought the with all their hart,
Aioth and Sangar for thy folke ded their part.
Gedeon and Thola thy enemyes put to smart,
Jayr and Jephte gave prayfes to thy name.
Thefe, to leave ydolles, thy people ded coart.
Samfon the strongest, for hys part ded the fame.
Samuel and Nathan thy meffages ded proclame.
What though fearce Pharao wrought myfchef in thy fight:
He was a pagane, laye not that in our lyght.

I wote the Benjamytes abused the wayes of ryght,
So ded Helye's fonnes, and the fonnes of Samuel.
Saul in hys offyce was flouthful daye and night,
Wycked was Semei, fo was Achitophel.
Measure not by them the faultes of Ifrael,
Whom thu haft loved of longe tyme fo inteyrlye,
But of thy great grace remyt her wycked folye.
Pater cæleftis.

I cannot abyde the vyce of ydolatrye,
Though I fhuld fuffer all other vyllanye.

Whan