Internet Shakespeare Editions

Author: John Bale
Editor: Nicola Goshulak
Not Peer Reviewed

Kynge Johann (Old-spelling)

1155Here the Pope go owt, and SEDYCYON and NOBYLYTE cum in and say:
NOBELYTE. It petyeth my hart to se the controvercye
That now a dayes reygnethe betwyn the Kyng and the clargy.
All Cantorbery monks are now the realme exyled,
The prysts and bysshopps contymeally revyled,
1160The Cystean monkes are in soche perplexyte
That owt of Englond they reken all to flee.
I lament the chaunce, as I wold God shuld me save.
SEDWSYON. Yt is gracyously sayd; Godes blyssyng myght ye have.
Blyssyd is that man that wyll graunte or condyssend
1165To helpe relygyon, or Holy Churche defend.
NOBELYTE. For ther mayntenance I have gevyn londes full fayer;
I have dysheryted many a laufull ayer.
SEDWSYON. Well, yt is yowr owne good: God shall reward yow for ytt,
And in hevyn full hyghe for soch good workes shall ye sytt.
1170NOBELYTE. Yowr habyte showyth ye to be a man of relygeon.
SEDWSYON. I am no worse, sur: my name is Good Perfectyon.
NOBELYTE. I am the more glad to be aquented with ye.
SEDWSYON. Ye show yowr selfe here lyke a noble man, as ye be.
I perseyve ryght well yowr name ys Nobelyte.
1175NOBELYTE. Yowr servont and umfrey; of trewthe, father, I am he.
SEDWSYON. From Innocent, the pope, I am cum from Rome evyn now.
A thowsand tymes I wene he commendyth hym unto yow,
And sent yow clene remyssyon to take the Chyrches parte.
NOBELYTE. I thanke his holynes, I shall do yt with all my harte.
1180Yf ye wold take paynes for heryng my confessyon,
I wold owt of hand resayve this cleane remyssyon.
SEDWSYON. Mary, with all my hart I wyll be full glad to do ytt.
NOBELYTE. Put on yowr stolle then, and I pray yow in Godes name sytt.
Here sett downe, and NOBELYTE shall say benedycyte.
1185NOBELYTE. Benedicite.
SEDWSYON. Dmns: In nomine Domini Pape amen. Say forth yowr mynd in Godes name.
NOBELYTE. I have synnyd a gaynst God, I knowlege my selfe to blame.
In the vij dedly synnys I have offendyd sore:
Godes ten commandyments I have brokyn ever more:
1190My v boddyly wytes I have ongodly kepte:
The workes of charyte in maner I have owt slepte.
SEDWSYON. I trust ye beleve as Holy Chyrch doth teache ye,
And from the new lernyng ye are wyllyng for to fle.
NOBELYTE. From the new lernyng, mary, God of hevyn save me!
1195I never lovyd yt of a chyld, so mote I the.
SEDWSYON. Ye can say yowr crede, and yowr laten Ave Mary?
NOBELYTE. Yea, and dyrge also, with sevyn psalmes and letteny.
SEDWSYON. Do ye not beleve in purgatory and holy bred?
NOBELYTE. Yes, and that good prayers shall stand my soule in stede.
1200SEDWSYON. Well than, good enowgh; I warant my soulle for yowr.
NOBELYTE. Than execute on me the holy fatheres power.
SEDWSYON. Naye, whyll I have yow here underneth benedicite,
In the popes behalfe I must move other thynges to ye.
NOBELYTE. In the name of God, saye here what ye wyll to me.
1205SEDWSYON. Ye know that Kyng Johan ys a very wycked man,
And to Holy Chyrch a contynuall adversary.
The pope wyllyth yow to do the best ye canne
To his subduyng for his cruell tyranny;
And for that purpose this privylege gracyously
1210Of clene remyssyon he hath sent yow this tyme,
Clene to relesse yow of all yowr synne and cryme.
NOBELYTE. Yt is clene agenst the nature of Nobelyte
To subdew his kyng with owt Godes autoryte;
For his princely estate and power ys of God.
1215I wold gladly do ytt, but I fere his ryghtfull rode.
SEDWSYON. Godes holy vycare gave me his whole autoryte.
Loo, yt is here, man; beleve yt, I beseche the,
Or elles thow wylte faulle in danger of damnacyon.
NOBELYTE. Than I submyt me to the chyrches reformacyon.
1220SEDWSYON. I assoyle the here from the kynges obedyence
By the auctoryte of the popys magnifycence.
Auctoritate Roma in pontyficis ego absolve te.
From all possessyons gevyn to the spiritualte,
In nomine Domini Pape, amen.
1225Kepe all thynges secrett, I pray yow hartely.
Go owt NOBELYTE.
NOBELYTE. Yes, that I wyll, sur, and cum agayne hether shortly.
Here enter CLARGY and CYVYLL ORDER together, and SEDYSYON shall go up and down a praty whyle.
THE CLARGY. Ys not yowr fatherhod Archbysshope of Canterbery?
1230SEDWSYON. I am Stevyn Langton. Why make ye here inquyry?
Knele and say both.
[Both]. Ye are ryght welcum to this same regyon trewly.
SEDWSYON. Stond up, I pray yow: I trow, thu art the Clargy.
1235THE CLARGY. I am the same, sur, and this is Cyvyle Order.
SEDWSYON. Yf a man myght axe yow, what make yow in this border?
THE CLARGY. I herd tell yester daye ye were cum in to the land:
I thowght for to se yow sum newes to understand.
SEDWSYON. In fayth thow art welcum: ys Cyvyll Order thy frynd?
1240THE CLARGY. He is a good man, and beryth the Chyrch good mynd.
CYVYLL ORDER. Ryght sory I am of the great controvarsy
Betwyn hym and the kyng, yf I myght yt remedy.
SEDWSYON. Well, Cyvyll Order, for thy good wyll gramercy:
That mater wyll be of an other facyon shortly.
1245Fyrst to begyne with, we shall interdyte the lond.
CYVYLL ORDER. Mary, God forbyde we shuld be in soche bond.
But who shall do yt, I pray yow hartyly?
SEDWSYON. Pandulphus and I: we have yt in owr legacy.
He went to the kyng for that cawse yester daye,
1250And I wyll folow so fast as ever I maye.
Lo, here ys the bull of myn auctoryte.
THE CLARGY. I pray God to save the popes holy maieste.
SEDWSYON. Sytt downe on yowr kneys, and ye shall have absolucion
A pena et culpa, with a thowsand dayes of pardon.
1255Here ys fyrst a bone of the blyssyd trynyte,
A dram of the tord of swete seynt Barnabe.
Here ys a fedder of good seynt Myhelles wyng,
A toth of seynt Twyde, a pece of Davyds harpe stryng,
The good blood of Haylys, and owr blyssyd ladys mylke;
1260A lowse of seynt Frauncis in this same crymsen sylke.
A scabbe of seynt Job, a nayle of Adams too,
A maggot of Moyses, with a fart of saynt Fandigo.
Here is a fygge leafe and a grape of Noes vyneyearde,
A bede of saynt Blythe, with the bracelet of a berewarde.
1265The devyll that was hatcht in maistre Johan Shornes bote,
That the tree of Jesse did plucke up by the roote.
Here ys the lachett of swett seynt Thomas shewe,
A rybbe of seynt Rabart, with the huckyll bone of a Jewe.
Here ys a joynt of Darvell Gathyron,
1270Besydes other bonys and relyckes many one.
In nomine Domini Pape, amen.
Aryse now lyke men, and stande uppon yowr fete,
For here ye have caught an holy and a blyssyd hete.
Ye are now as clene as that day ye were borne,
1275And lyke to have increase of chylderne, catell, and corne.
CYVYLL ORDER. Chyldryn he can have non, for he ys not of that loade.
SEDWSYON. Tushe, thowgh he hath non at home, he may have sume abroade.
Now, Clargy, my frynd, this must thow do for the pope,
And for Holy Chyrch: thow must mennys conscyence grope,
1280And as thow felyst them so cause them for to wurke:
Leat them show Kyng Johan no more faver than a Turke.
Every wher sture them to make an insurreccyon.
THE CLARGY. All that shall I do, and to provoke them more
This interdyccyon I wyll lament very sore
1285In all my prechyngs, and saye throwgh his occasyon
All we are under the danger of dampnacyon.
And this wyll move peple to helpe to put hym downe,
Or elles compell hym to geve up septur and crowne.
Yea, and that wyll make those kynges that shall succede
1290Of the Holy Chyrche to stond evermore in drede.
And by sydes all this, the chyrch dores I wyll up scale,
And closse up the bells that they ryng never a pele:
I wyll spere up the chalyce, crysmatory, crosse and all,
That masse they shall have non, baptym nor beryall,
1295And thys I know well wyll make the peple madde.
SEDWSYON. Mary, that yt wyll; soche sauce he never had.
And what wylte thow do for Holy Chyrche, Cyvyll Order?
CYVYLL ORDER. For the clargyes sake I wyll in every border
Provoke the gret men to take the commonys parte.
1300With cautyllys of the lawe I wyll so tyckle ther hart,
They shall thynke all good that they shall passe upon,
And so shall we cum to ower full intent anon;
For yf the Church thryve than do we lawers thryve,
And yf they decay ower welth ys not alyve.
1305Therfore we must helpe yowr state masters to uphold,
Or elles owr profyttes wyll cache a wynter colde.
I never knew lawer whych had ony crafty lernyng
That ever escapte yow with owt a plentyows levyng,
Therfore we may not leve Holy Chyrchys quarell,
1310But ever helpe yt, for ther fall ys owr parell.
SEDWSYON. Gods blyssyng have ye: this gere than wyll worke I trust.
CYVYLL ORDER. Or elles sum of us are lyke to lye in the dust.
SEDWSYON. Let us all avoyde: be the messe, the Kyng cummyth here.
THE CLARGY. I wold hyde my selfe for a tyme yf I wyst where.
1315CYVYLL ORDER. Gow we hence apace, for I have spyed a corner.
Here go owt all, and KYNG JOHN cummyth in.