venlye ryghtoufneffe! come hyther and illumyne the prifoner, fyttynge now in the darke prifon and fhaddowe of eternall deathe.

Finit Actus fecundus.

INCIPIT ACTUS TERTIUS.

Pater cæleftis.

YNE hygh dyfspleasure must nedes returne to man,
Confyderynge the fynne that he doth daye by daye:
For neyther kyndeneffe, nor extreme handelynge can,
Make hym to knowe me by any faythfull waye,
But styll in myschefe he walketh to hys decaye.
If he do not fonc hys wyckedneffe confydre,
He is lyke, doubtleffe, to peryfh all togydre.

In my fyght, he is more venym than the spyder,
Through foch abuses as he hath exercyfed,
From the tyme of Noah, to this fame feafon hyder.
An uncomelye acte without fhame Cham commyfed,
When he of hys father the fecrete partes reveled.
In lyke cafe Nemrod against me wrought abusyon,
As he rayfed up the caftell of confufyon.

Ninus hath alfo, and all by the devyl's illufyon,
Through ymage makynge, up rayfed idolatrye,
Me to dyshonoure. And now in the conclufyon,
The vyle Sodomytes lyve fo unnaturallye,

That their fynne vengeaunce axeth contynuallye.
For my covenaunte's fake, I wyll not drowne with water,
Yet fhall I vyfyte their fynnes with other matter.
Abraham fidelis.

Yet, mercyfull Lorde, thy gracyoufnesse remembre
To Adam and Noah, both in thy worde and promes.
And lose not the fowles of men in fo great nombre,
But fave thyne owne worke, of thy most dyfcrete goodness.
I wote thy mercyes are plenty full and endles.

Never can they dye, nor fayle, thy felf endurynge,
Thys hath faythe fixed faft in my understandynge.
Pater cæleftis.

Abraham my fervaunt, for thy most faythfull meanynge,
Both thu and thy stocke fhall have my plentoufe bleflynge.
Where the unfaythfull, undre my curfe evermore,

For their vayne workynge, fhall rewe their wyckedneffe sore. Abraham fidelis.

Tell me, bleffed Lorde, where wyll thy great malyce lyght. My hope is, all fleshe shall not peryfh in thy fyght. Pater cæleftis.

No trulye Abraham, thu chaunçeft upon the ryght. The thynge I fhall do, I wyll not hyde from the, Whom I have bleflyd for thy true fydelyte.

For I knowe thou wilt caufe both thy chyldren and fervauntes
In my wayes to walke, and truft unto my covenauntes,
That I may perfourme with the my earnest promes.

Abraham fidelis.

All that wyll I do, by affyftence of thy goodnes.
Pater cæleftis.

For

From Sodom and Gomor, the abhomynacyons call
my great vengeaunce, whych wyll upon them fall.
Wylde fyre and brymftone fhall lyght upon them all.
Abraham fidelis.

Pytiefull maker, though they have kyndled thy furyo,
Caft not awaye yet the just fort with the ungodlye.
Paraventure there maye be fiftye ryghteoufe perfones
Within those cyties, wylt thu lofe them all at ones?
And not fpare the place, for those fyftye ryghteouse sake?
Be it farre from the foch rygoure to undertake.

I hope there is not in the fo crueli hardeneffe,
As to caft awaye the juft men with the recheleffe,
And fo to destroye the good with the ungodlye.
In the judge of all, be never foch a furye.

Pater cæleftis.

At Sodom, if I may fynde just perfones fiftye, The place wyll I fpare for their fakes verelye. Abraham fidelis.

I take upon me, to fpeake here in thy presence, More then become me, Lorde pardon my neglygence. I am but afhes, and were lothe the to offende.

Pater cæleftis.

Saye fourth, good Abraham, for yll doft thu non intende.
Abraham fidelis.

Happlye there maye be fyve leffe in the fame nombre;
For their fakes I trust thu wylt not the rest accombre *.
Pater cæleftis.

If I amonge them myght fynde but fyve and fortye,
Them wolde I not lofe for that just cumpanye.

Abraham fidelis.

What if the cytie maye fortye ryghteouse make?
Pater cæleftis.

Then wyll I pardone it for those fame fortye's fake.
Abraham fidelis.

Be not angrye, Lorde, though I fpeake undyscretelye.
Pater cœleftis.

Utter thy whole mynde, and fpare me not hardelye.
Abraham fidelis.

Parauventure there maye be thirty founde amonge them.
Pater cæleftis.

Maye I fynde thirty, I wyll nothynge do unto them.
Abraham fidelis.

I take upon me to moche, Lorde, in thy fyght.

Pater cæleftis.

No, no, good Abraham, for I knowe thy faythe is right.
Abraham fidelis.

No leffe, I suppose, than twenty can it have.

* Chaucer, in his Canterbury Tales, 1, 509. describing the Parson, says, "He fette not his benefice to hire,

"And lette his shepe acombred in the mire, &c."

Dr. Morell fpells the word acumbrit, and explains it in this manner : "Acumbrit may be interpreted to wallow, to lie down, qu accumbere. But "Chaucer fometimes ufes it in another fenfe.

"That they were acombrit in their own distreyt.

Merchants 2d Tale, 2910.

❝i. e. they were encumbred, brought into great Streights. A vet. Gall.
"Combre or Comble.

"Thro' Wine and Women ther was Loth acombred."
Pierce Plowman's Vifions.

None of these explanations exactly agree with the text. Bishop Bale certainly means, agreably to the paffage in the Bible to which he alludes, to defiray or overwhelm.

Pater

Pater cœleftis.

Coulde I fynde twenty, that cytie wolde I save.

Abraham fidelis.

Ones yet wyll I speake my mynde, and than no more.
Pater cæleftis.

Spare not to utter fo moche as thu haft in store.

Abraham fidelis.

And what if there myght be ten good creatures founde?
Pater cæleftis.

The reft for their fakes myght fo be fafe and founde,
And not destroyed for their abhomynacyon.
Abraham fidelis.

O mercyfull maker, moche is thy tolleracyon
And fufferaunce of fynne. I fe it now in dede,
Witfave yet of faver out of those cyties to leade
Thofe that be faythfull, though their flocke be but small.
Pater cæleftis.

Loth and hys howfholde, I wyll delyver all,
For ryghteousneffe fake, whych is of me and not them.
Abraham fidelis.

Great are thy graces in the generacyon of Sem.
Pater cæleftis.

Well Abraham, well, for thy true faythfulnes,
Now wyll I geve the my covenaunt, or third promes.
Loke thu beleve it, as thu covetyst ryghtuoufneffe.
Abraham fidelis.

Lorde fo regarde me, as I receyve it with gladnesse.
Pater cæleftis.

Of manye peoples the father I wyll make the,
All generacyons in thy fede fhall be bleffyd.
As the ftarres of heaven, fo fhall thy kyndred be;
And by the fame fede the worlde fhall be redressed.
In cyrcumcyfyon fhall thys thynge be expreffed,
As in a fure feale, to prove my promyfe true,
Prynt thys in thy faythe, and it fhall thy fowle renue.
Abraham fidelis.

I wyll not one jote, Lorde, from thy wyll dyffent,
But to thy pleasure be alwayes obedyent,

Thy lawes to fullfyll, and most precy oufe commaundement.

Pater cæleftis.

Farwele Abraham, for heare in place I leave the.
Abraham fidelis.

Thankes wyll I rendre, lyke as it shall behove me.
Everlaftynge prayfe to thy moft gloryouse name,
Whych favedyit Adam through faythe in thy fweet promes
Of the womannys fede, and now contyrmeft the fame.
In the fede of me. Fofoth great is thy goodnes
I can not perceyve, but that thy mercye is endles,
To foch as feare the, in every generacyon,
For it endureth without abrevyacyon.

Thys have I prynted in depe confyderacyon,
No worldly matter can race it out of mynde.
For ones it wyll be the fynall reftauracyon
Of Adam and Eve, with other that hath fynde.
Yea, the fure helthe and rayfe of all mankynde.
Helpe have the faythfull therof, though they be infect,
They condempnacyon where as it is reject.

Mercyfuil maker, my crabbed voyce dyrect,
That it maye breake out in fome fwete prayfe to the,
And fuffre me not thy due lawdes to neglect,
But lete me fhewe forth thy commendacyons fre.
Stoppe not my wynde pypes, but geve them lyberte,
To founde to thy name, whych is most gracyoufe,
And in it rejoyce with hart melodyoufe.

Tunc alta voce canit Antiphonam, O rex gentium, choro eandem profequente cum organis, ut prius:

Vel Anglice boc modo.

O moft myghtye governour of thy people, and in hart most defyred, the harde rocke and true corner ftone, that of two maketh one, unynge the Jews with the Gentyles in one churche, come now and releve mankynde whom thu haft fourmed of the vyle earthe.

Finit actus tertius.

INCIPIT