And Knowledge shall gyve you counseyll at Your Good-dedes cometh now, ye may not be wyll,

sad;

Now is your Good-dedes hole and sounde,
Goynge upryght upon the grounde.

EVERYMAN. My herte is lyght, and shalbe

How your accounte ye shall make clerely. 580
EVERYMAN. O eternall God, O hevenly fygure,
O way of ryghtwysnes, O goodly vysyon,
Whiche descended downe in a vyrgyn pure
Because he wolde Everyman redeme,
Whiche Adam forfayted by his dysobedyence,
O blessyd Godheed, electe and hye devyne,
Forgyve my grevous offence;

Here I crye the mercy in this presence;
O ghostly treasure, O raunsomer and redemer!
Of all the worlde, hope and conduyter1, 590
Myrrour of joye, foundatour2 of mercy,
Whiche enlumyneth heven and erth therby,
Here my clamorous complaynt, though it late
be!

Receyve my prayers; unworthy in this hevy lyfe

600

Though I be, a synner moost abhomynable,
Yet let my name be wryten in Moyses table.3
O Mary, praye to the maker of all thynge
Me for to helpe at my endynge,
And save me fro the power of my enemy;
For Deth assayleth me strongly:
And, Lady, that I may by meane of thy prayer | Fro payne it wyll you borowe7;
Of your sones glory to be partynere,
By the meanes of his passyon4, I it crave;
I beseche you, helpe my soule to save!-
Knowledge, gyve me the scourge of penaunce,
My flesshe therwith shall gyve acqueyntaunce;
I wyll now begyn, yf God gyve me grace.
KNOWLEDGE. Everyman, God gyve you tyme

Contrycyon it is,

and space;

Thus I bequeth you in the handes of our
Savyour;

Now may you make your rekenynge sure. 610
EVERYMAN. In the name of the holy Trynyte
My body sore punysshyd shall be,
Take this, body, for the synne of the flesshe;
Also thou delytest to go gay and fresshe;
And in the way of dampnacyon thou dyd me
brynge;

619

Therfore suffre now strokes of punysshynge;
Now of penaunce I wyll wade the water clere,
To save me from purgatory, that sharpe fyre.
GOOD-DEDES. I thanke God, now I can walke
and go,
And am delyvered of my sykenesse and wo;
Therfore with Everyman I wyll go, and not
spare,
His good workes I wyll helpe hym to declare.
KNOWLEDGE. Now, Everyman, be mery and

glad;

evermore;

Now wyll I smyte faster than I dyde before.
GOOD-DEDES. Everyman, pylgryme, my spe-
cyall frende,

Blessyd be thou without ende;
For the is preparate the eternall glory.
Ye have me made hole and sounde,
Therfore I will byde by the in every stounde5.
EVERYMAN. Welcome, my Good-dedes! Now
I here thy voyce

I wepe for very sweteness of love.
KNOWLEDGE. Be no more sad, but ever rejoyce.
God seeth thy lyvynge in his trone above;
Put on this garment to thy behove®,
Whiche is wette with your teres,
Or elles before God you may it mysse,
Whan ye to your journeys ende come shall.
EVERYMAN. Gentyll Knowledge, what do ye
it call?

KNOWLEDGE. It is a garmente of sorowe,

630

That getteth forgyvenes,
He pleasyth God passynge well.

GOOD-DEDES. Everyman, wyll you were it for
your heles?
EVERYMAN.

Now blessyd be Jesu, Maryes

sone,
For now have I on true contrycyon,
And lette us go now without taryenge.—
Good-dedes, have we clere our rekenynge?
GOOD-DEDES. Ye, in dede, I have here.
EVERYMAN. Than I trust we nede not fere.
Now, frendes, let us not parte in twayne.
KYNREDE.9 Nay, Everyman, that wyll we not

640

certayne.

GOOD-DEDES. Yet must thou led10 with t Thre persones of grete myght.

EVERYMAN. Who sholde they be?

GOOD-DEDES. Dyscrecyon and Strength they hyght11,

660

5 hour

6 profit

7 redeem

650

And thy Beaute may not abyde behynde.
KNOWLEDGE. Also ye must call to mynde
Your Fyve-wyttes12, as for your counseylours.
GOOD-DEDES. You must have them redy at

12 The five senses

all houres.

EVERY MAN. Howe shall I gette them hyder

9 Probably error for

KNOWLEDGE

10 lead

8 wear it for your heal- 11 are called

ing

KYNREDE. You must call them all togyder, | And receyve of him in ony wyse
And they wyll here you in contynent1.
EVERYMAN. My frendes, come hyder, and be
present,
Dyscrecyon, Strengthe, my Fyve-wyttes and
Beaute.

BEAUTE. Here at your wyll we be all redy. What wyll ye that we sholde do?

671

GOOD-DEDES. That ye wolde with Everyman go,
And helpe hym in his pylgrymage.
Advyse you, wyll ye with him or not in that
vyage?

STRENGTHE. We wyll brynge hym all thyder
To his helpe and comforte, ye may beleve me.
DYSCRECYON. So wyll we go with hym all
togyder.
EVERYMAN.

thou be;

I gyve the laude2 that I have hyder brought Strength, Dyscrecyon, Beaute, & Fyve-wyttes, lacke I nought:

680

And my Good-dedes, with Knowledge clere,
All be in my company at my wyll here;
I desyre no more to my besynes.
STRENGTHE.

And I, Strength, wyll by you
stande in dystres,
Though thou wolde in batayle fyght on the
ground.

FYVE-WYTTLS. And though it were thrugh the worlde rounde,

I praye God rewarde you in his heven spere.
Now herken all that be here,

The holy sacrament and oyntement togyder,
Than shortly se ye tourne agayne hyder,
We wyll all abyde you here.
FYVE-WYTTES. Ye, Everyman, hye you that
ye redy were?.

He bereth the keyes, and thereof hath the cure9.
For mannes redempcyon it is ever sure
Whiche God for our soules medycyne
Gave us out of his herte with grete payne.
Here in this transytory lyfe, for the and me

Almyghty God, loved myght The blessyd sacramentes vii. there be:
Baptym, confyrmacyon, with preesthode good,
And the sacrament of Goddes precyous flesshe
and blod,

Maryage, the holy extreme unceyon10 and pen

1 without delay

2 praise

3 admonition

There is no Emperour, King, Duke, ne Baron
That of God hath commycyon

As hath the leest preest in the worlde beynges;
For of the blessyd sacramentes pure and
benynge

710

We wyll not departe for swete ne soure,
BEAUTE. No more wyll I unto dethes houre,
What so ever therof befall.

DYSCRECYON. Everyman, advyse you fyrst of
all,
690
Go with a good advysement and delyberacyon.
We all gyve you vertuous monyeyon3
That all shall be well.

God wyll you to salvacyon brynge,
For preesthode excedeth all other tuyng
To us holy scrypture they do teche,
And converteth man fro synne, heven to reche;
God hath to them more power gyven
Than to ony aungell that is in heven.
With v. wordes he may consecrate
Goddes body in flesshe and blode to make,
And handeleth his Maker bytwene his handes.

EVERYMAN. My frendes, harken what I wyll The preest byndeth and unbyndeth all bandes
Both in erthe and in heven.

741

tell;

4 under promise

5 where

6 out of his power

aunce:

These seven be good to have in remembraunce,
Gracyous sacramentes of hye devynyte.
EVERYMAN. Fayne wolde I receyve that holy
body

For I wyll make my testament

Here before you all present;

In almes, halfe my good I wyll gyve with my Bute all onely preesthode.

handes twayne.

And mekely to my ghostly fader I wyll go. FYVE-WYTTES. Everyman, that is the best that ye can do;

730

719

Thou mynystres11 all the sacramentes seven.
Though we kysse thy fete thou were worthy.
Thou arte surgyon that cureth synne deedly.
No remedy we fynde under God

Every man, God gave preest that dygnyte

In the way of charyte with good entent, 700 And setteth them in his stede amonge us to
And the other halfe styll shall remayne
In queth to be retourned there it ought

to be.

This I do in despyte of the fende of hell,
To go quyte out of his perello

Ever after and this daye.

be.

Thus be they above aungelles in degree.
KNOWLEDGE. If preestes be good, it is so

suerly, 750 But whan Jesu hanged on the crosse with grete smarte,

KNOWLEDGE. Everyman, herken what I saye; There he gave out of his blessyd herte
Go to presthode I you advyse,
The same sacrament in grete tourment;

I thanke God, that ye have taryed so longe.
Now set eche of you on this roddes your

honde,

I wyll never parte you fro.
Everyman, I wyll be as sure by the

As ever I dyde by Judas Machabee7.

dempeyon,

And than myne extreme unccyon.
Blessyd be all they that counseyled me to take I wyll hye me from the fast,

it!

And now frendes, let us go without longer

respyte.

gyde.

STRENGTH. Everyman, we wyll not fro you go Tyll we have done this vyage longe. DYSCRECYON. I, Dyscreeyon, wyll byde by you also.

Though thou wepe to11 thy herte to brast12. EVERYMAN. Ye wolde ever byde by me, ye sayd.

STRENGTHE. Ye, I have you ferre13 ynoughe
conveyde.

Ye be olde ynoughe, I understande,
Your pylgrymage to take on hande.

And shortely folowe me.

I go before there I wolde be. God be your I repent me, that I hyder came.

780

BEAUTE. And what, sholde I smoder here? EVERYMAN. Ye, by my fayth, and never more appere!

EVERYMAN. Strength, you to dysplease I am to blame;

820

Wyll ye breke promyse that is dette11?
STRENGTHE. In fayth, I care not!
Thou arte but a foole to complayne;

KNOWLEDGE. And though this pylgrymage be You spende your speche, and wast your brayne; never so stronges

Go, thryst15 the into the grounde!

EVERYMAN. I had wende16 surer I shulde you have founde:

He that trusteth in his Strength,

In this worlde lyve no more we shall,

But in heven before the hyest Lorde of all. BEAUTE. I crosse out all this! adewe, by saynt Johan!

800

I take my tappe in my lappe, and am gone.
EVERYMAN. What, Beaute, whyder wyll ye?
BEAUTE. Peas! I am defe, I loke not be-
hynde me,

Not and thou woldest gyve me all the golde
in thy chest.

EVERYMAN. Alas! whereto may I truste?
Beaute gothe fast awaye fro me.
She promysed with me to lyve and dye.
STRENGTHE. Everyman, I wyll the also for-
sake and denye,

Thy game lyketh10 me not at all.
EVERYMAN. Why than ye wyll forsake me
all!

810

EVERYMAN. Alas! I am so faynt I may not She hym deceyveth at the length;

stande,

Leader of the Jews
against the Syrians
in the recovery of
Jerusalem, 164 B. C.
See I. Maccabees,
iii.

8 high and low alike

Swete Strength, tary a lytell space.
STRENGTHE. Nay, syr, by the rode of grace,

830

Bothe Strength and Beaute forsaketh me,
Yet they promysed me fayre and lovyngly.
DYSCRECION. Everyman, I wyll after Strength
be gone;

As for me I wyll leve you alone.

EVERYMAN. Why, Dyscrecyon, wyll ye forsake me?

EVERYMAN. Yet, I pray the, for the love of the Trynyte,

Loke in my grave ones pyteously.

DYSCRECION. Nay, so nye wyll I not come! Fare well, every chone.1 840

EVERYMAN. O all thynge fayleth, save God alone,

GOOD-DEDES. Fere not, I wyll speke for the.
EVERYMAN. Here I crye, God mercy.
GOOD-DEDES. Shortes our ende and myn-
ysshe our payne;

Let us go and never come agayne.
EVERYMAN. Into thy handes, Lorde, my soule
I commende,

880

Receyve it, Lorde, that it be not lost!
As thou me boughtest, so me defende,
And save me from the fendes boost5,

Everyman, my leve now of That I may appere with that blessyd hoost
That shall be saved at the ay of dome.

Beaute, Strength, and Dyscrecyon;
For, whan Deth bloweth his blast,
They all renne fro me full fast.
FYVE-WYTTES.

the I take;

I wyll folowe the other, for here I the for- In manus tuas, of myghtes moost,
For ever commendo spiritum meum?.

Alas, than may I wayle and

sake. EVERYMAN. wepe,

For I. toke you for my best frende.

FYVE-WYTTES. I wyll no lenger the kepe; Now farewell, and there an ende. 850 EVERYMAN. O Jesu, helpe! all hath forsaken

me.

GOOD-DEDES. Nay, Everyman, I wyll byde
with the,
I wyll not forsake the in dede;
Thou shalte fynde me a good frende at nede.
EVERYMAN. Gramercy, Good-dedes, now may
I true frendes se;

|

be gone

To make my rekenynge and my dettes paye;
For I se my tyme is nye spent awaye.-
Take example, all ye that this do here or se,
How they that I love best do forsake me,
Excepte my Good-dedes, that bydeth truely.
GOOD-DEDES. All erthly thynges is but

870

vanyte, Beaute, Strength, and Dyscrecyon, do man forsake, Folysshe frendes, and kynnesmen that fayre spake,

All fleeth save Good-dedes and that am I.

every one

KNOWLEDGE. Now hath he suffred thats we
all shall endure,

The Good-dedes shall make all sure.
Now hath he made endynge,

Me thynketh that I here aungelles synge,
And make grete joy and melody,
Where every mannes soule receyved shall be.
THE AUNGELL. Come excellente electe spouse
to Jesu!

They have forsaken me everychone,

I loved them better than my Good-dedes alone. Unto the whiche all ye shall come
Knowlege, wyll ye forsake me also?

KNOWLEDGE. Ye, Everyman, whan ye to deth
shall go;

mynde;

But not yet for no maner of daunger. 860 EVERYMAN. Gramercy, Knowledge, with all my herte.

Ye herers, take it of worth, olde and yonge, And forsake Pryde, for he deceyveth you in the ende,

KNOWLEDGE. Nay, yet I wyll not from hens2 And remembre Beaute, Fyve-wyttes, Strength, departe, and Dyscrecyon,

Tyll I se where ye shall be come.

They all at the last do Everyman forsake,

EVERYMAN. Me thynke, alas, that I must Saves his Good-dedes there doth he take.

Here above thou shalt go,

Bycause of thy synguler vertue.
Now the soule is taken the body fro
Thy rekenynge is crystall clere;
Now shalte thou in to the hevenly spere,

2 hence

But be ware, and10 they be small,
Before God he hath no helpe at all.

890

That lyveth well before the daye of dome.
DOCTOUR.* This morall, men may have in

None excuse may be there for Everyman!
Alas! how shall he do than?

900

910

For after dethe amendes may no man make,
For than mercy and pyte doth hym forsake;
If his rekenynge be not clere whan he doth

come,

God wyll saye-Ite maledicti, in ignem aeter

num11.

3 shorten

4 diminish

EVERYMAN. Have mercy on me, God moost

8 what

9 only

myghty,

5 fiend's boast

10 for if

And stande by me, thou moder & mayde, holy 6 into Thy hands

Mary.

7 I commend my spirit
To the Doctour (i. e.,

11 go, ye accursed, into everlasting fire learned man, or teacher) is assigned the epilogue, which emphasizes the moral of the play.

And he that hath his accounte hole and sounde
Hye in heven he shall be crounde ;

Unto whiche place God brynge us all thyder,
That we may lyve body and soule togyder!
Therto helpe the Trynyte!

Amen, saye ye, for saynt Charyte!

FINIS
Thus endeth this morall playe of Everyman.

920

countries of Brabant, Flanders, Holland, and Zealand; and thus when all these things came before me, after that I had made and written five or six quires, I fell in despair of this work, and purposed no more to have continued therein, and those laid apart, and in two years after labored no more in this work, and was fully in will to have left it, till on a time it fortuned that the right high, excellent, and right virtuous princess, my right redoubted Lady, my Lady Margaret, by the grace of God sister unto the King of England and of France, my sovereign lord, Duchess of Burgundy, of Lotryk, of Brabant, of Limburg, and of Lux. embourg, Countess of Flanders, of Artois, and of Burgundy, Palatine of Hainault, of Holland, of Zealand, and of Namur, Marquesse of the Holy Empire, Lady of Frisia, of Salins, and of Mechlin, sent for me to speak with her good Grace of divers matters, among the which I let her Highness have knowledge of the foresaid beginning of this work, which5 anon commanded me to show the said five or

six quires to her said Grace; and when she had seen them, anon she found a default in my English, which she commanded me to amend, and moreover commanded me straitly to continue and make an end of the residue then not translated; whose dreadful commandment I durst in no wise disobey, because I am a serv

ant unto her said Grace and receive of her

WILLIAM CAXTON (1422?-1491)

THE RECUYELL OF THE HISTORIES
OF TROY.*

PROLOGUE

When I remember that every man is bounden by the commandment and counsel of the wise man to eschew sloth and idleness, which is mother and nourisher of vices, and ought to put myself unto virtuous occupation and business, then I, having no great change of occupation, following the said counsel took a French book, and read therein many strange and marvellous histories1, wherein I had great pleasure and delight, as well for the novelty of the same, as for the fair language of the French, which was in prose so well and compendiously set and written, which methought I understood the sentence and substance of every matter. And for so much of this book was new and late made and drawn into French, and never had seen it in our English tongue, I thought in myself it should be a good business to translate it into our English, to the end that it might be had as well in the royaumes of England as in other lands, and also for to pass therewith the time, and thus concluded in my self to begin this said work. And forthwith took pen and ink, and began boldly to run forth as blind Bayardt in this present work, which is named "The Recuyell of the Trojan Histories." And afterward when I remembered myself of my simpleness and unperfectness that I had in both languages, that is to wit in French and in English, for in France was I never, and was born and learned my English in Kent, in the Weald, where I doubt not is spoken as broad and rude English as in any place of England; and have continued by the space of thirty years for the most part in the

1 stories 2 sense

3 realm

"The collection of the stories of Troy." This book, printed at Bruges in Flanders about 1474, was the first book printed in English. See Eng. Lit., p. 68. The spelling is here modernized.

A legendary horse in the Charlemagne romances. "As bold as blind Bayard" was an old proverb for recklessness.

yearly fee and other many good and great benefits, (and also hope many more to receive of her Highness), but forthwith went and labored in the said translation after my simple and poor cunning, alsos nigh as I can follow my author, meekly beseeching the bounteous Highness of my said Lady that of her benevolence list9 to accept and take in gree10 this simple and rude work here following; and if there be anything written or said to her pleasure, I shall think my labor well employed, and whereas11 there is default, that she arette12 it to the simpleness of my cunning, which is full small in this behalf; and require and pray all them that shall read this said work to correct it, and to hold me excused of the rude and simple translation.

And thus I end my prologue.