The Middle-English Harrowing of hell and Gospel of Nicodemus. Now first ed. from all the known manuscripts, with introduction and glossary, by William Henry Hulme.

Auchinleck MS. TEXT E.

[Initial letters of lines always touched with red.] Vntil crist loked þaim vnto, [leaf 36] as man auȝt to prisouns do; he liȝted out of his heiȝe tour Into seynt mari bour; [ 32] he was born for our misdede In þis world in pouer wede, In þis world he suffred dede, forto deliuer ous fram þe qued; [ 36] þan ihesu hadde spilt his blod for our sinnes on þe rode, he nam him þe riȝt way vnto helle for soþe to say; [ 40] þan he com þer þan seyd he, as y schal now telle þe.

dominus ait.

Hard gates haue y gon [& is the contraction always used for and.] & suffred pines mani on; [ 44] þritti winter & þridde half ȝere haue y wond in lond here; almast is so michel gan seþþen y bicom first man; seþþen haue y fond & wist hot & cold, hunger & þrest; Man haþ don me schame & þouȝ wiþ word, wiþ dede & michel wouȝ;

þai tok me wiþouten sake, [53. Laing toke.] þai bond min honden bihinde mi bac, þai bete me til y ran on blode, þai dempt me to hong on rode; [ 56] alle for adams sinne ywis, þan haue y þoled þis. adam, þus dere haue y bouȝt, & þou no louedest me neuer nouȝt; [ 60] adam, y haue bouȝt ful sare & y wil suffre it na mare; to-day y schal bring of pine adam, þe & alle þine. [ 64]

satanas dixit.

Who is þat ich here þare? [65. Varn. Wo.] y rede þat he spek na mare, for he may so michel do þat he schal comen ous vnto [ 68] forto ben our fere & loke hou we playen here.

dominus ait.

Þou may wele wite mi play þat min wil y haue oway; [ 72] wele þou wost wat ich am, More þan þritti winter is gan þat þou hast frained me [75. Laing framed.]

forto wite what y be; [ 76] seþþen fondestow neuer nan [77. Laing, foundestow.] Wiþ me as wiþ anoþer man, & þou wost wele for þan þat ich am more þan ani man; [ 80] þou schalt wite þis ich day þat y schal haue min oway, & y schal þe leue here In sorwe among þine fere. [ 84]

satanas dixit.

Par ma fay! ich hald mine al þat ben hereinne; Wiþ resoun wil y telle þe þat þer ogain may þou nouȝt be, [ 88] þat me bihoueþ haue & hald & wiþouten ende wald; for whoso biggeþ aniþing, It owe to ben his wiþouten lesing; [ 92] [92. Laing Nowe.] adam hungri come me to, manred y made him me to do; [94. y: Laing I.] for an appel þat y ȝaf him [95. y: Laing I.] he is min & al his kin. [ 96]

dominus ait.

Satanas, he seyd, it was min, þe appel þat þou ȝaf him, þe appel & þe appeltre, boþe war maked þurch me; [ 100] hou may þou on ani wise of oþer mennes þing mak marchandise?

seþþen þou bouȝtest him wiþ mine, Wiþ resoun schuld ichaue him. [ 104]

satanas dixit.

Ihesu, wele y knawe þe, þat ful sore reweþ me; þou art lord ouer al, & euer was & ay be schal; [ 108] heuen & erþe weld þou þe, þe soules in helle lat þou be; lat me haue þat ich halde, [lf. 36, bk.] þat þou hast wele mot þou it wald. [ 112]

dominus ait.

Sitte now stille, satanas! þe is fallen amesas. Wenestow þat y dyed for nouȝt? [115. Laing, Wenestou.] Wiþ mi dede was mankin bouȝt; [ 116] þai þat haue serued me, In blis schal þai euer be; þai þat noþing serued me, þai schal in helle be wiþ þe; [ 120] bot þou schalt ben in more pine þan ani oþer þat is þereinne.

satanas dixit.

Þer may me no man wers do þan ichaue had hiderto; [ 124] Ich haue hadde so michel wo, þat me no rek whider y go; Ȝif þou bireuest me of mine, y schal bireue þe of þine; [ 128] y schal go fro man to man & bireue þe mani an.

[d]ominus ait.

So y schal speke þe wiþ, þat y schal do þe hold griþ; [ 132]

so fast schal y binde þe, þat fewe schaltow binim me; were þou vnbounde among men, al þou wost binim me hem; [ 136] þe smale deuels þat er vnstrang, þai schal among mankin gang, & al schul þai haue pain þat wil nouȝt stond hem oȝain. [ 140] helle ȝates, y com ȝou to, now ich wil þat ȝe vndo; whare is he þat ȝateward? Ich hold him for a coward. [ 144]

Iannator ait.

Ich haue herd wordes hard whi y no may be no steward; y lete hem stond & ren oway, lete hem ȝeme whoso may. [ 148] [148. Laing Let.]

dominus ait.

Helle ȝates, here ȝou felle, & seþþen wil ich herwe helle; lucifer, here y þe binde, schaltow neuer heþen winde [ 152] vntil it com domesday. fare þou seþþen whare þou may,

fare þou seþþen ware þou fare, no dostow neuer man care. [ 156]

adam dixit.

Welcom, lord god of lond, godes sone & godes sond, welcom, lord, mot þou be, long haues ous þouȝt after þe; [ 160] [160. haues: Varn. (176) haves.] lord, seþþen þou art comen to ous, þou bring ous out of þis hous; lord, þou wost what ich am þou me schope of erþe man, [ 164] & þou me madest formast man, [165. A 2nd me marked for erasure in MS. Laing omits this line.] & þou me clepetest sone, adam; & ȝif ich haue sinnes wrouȝt, ful dere now here ichaue hem bouȝt; whoso sinneþ ani wiȝt, [ 169] þe sinne is more þan þe pliȝt. ȝa, leue lord, godes sone, welcom be þou & worþ come; [ 172] al, lord, þat here be haue ȝerned, lord, after þe; we hope wele of þi coming of our sinnes haue botening. [ 176]

eua ait.

Knawe me, lord, ich am eue, adam & ich ware þe so leue, þou ȝaue ous to ȝeme paradis, & we it ȝemed as vnwise [ 180] when we þi comandment forlete, when we of þat appel ete; so long haue we ben herinne,

þat wele haue we bet our sinne; [ 184] leue lord, ȝiue ous leue, adam & his wiif eue, to fare out of þis foule wike [187. Laing foul.] Into þe blis of heuenrike. [ 188]

dominus ait.

Adam, y haue ȝouen mi liif for þe & for eue þi wiif; wenestow ichadde ben ded for nouȝt? for mi ded is mankin bouȝt. [leaf 37] [ 192]

abraham ait.

Lord crist, ich it am þat þou cleptest abraham; þou schust com to helle pine [195. Laing schult.] forto haue ous, lord, for þin[e]; [ 196] [196. Letters and words in brackets sup∣plied by Laing; a strip torn from leaf in MS.] do astow bihet me, bring me lord to heuen wiþ[þe].

dominus dixit.

Abraham, it was wel þat þou seydest, eueri del, [ 200] for mi swete moder wes born & schapen of þi fles.

dauid dixit.

[This initial is not an L as it should be.] Hord, ich am dauid þe king, þat was born of þine of∣s[pring] also astow me bihet þurch þe lore of þat prophete, [ 206] þou bring ous of þis foule [hous] to þe blis of heuen ycore[n ous]. [ 208] [207-208. hous—ous supplied from Varn.]

dominus ait.

Dauid, þou was born of mi[kin] for þi godenes þou art m[in], more for þi godenesse þan for ani sibbenesse. [ 212]

Iohannes dixit.

[This initial is not an L as it should be.] Hord crist, ich am Iohan þat þe hof in þe flom Iordan; now a gode while is agon, þat y suffred martirdom; [ 216] þou sentest me þe riȝt way Into helle, for soþ to say, þat þou schust deliuer of hell[e pine] [219. Laing, schult.] þat þou þerin fond, lord, of þi[ne];

now artow comen forto do þat þou saidest me vnto.

dominus ait.

Iohan, Iohan, ich it wat þat y sent þe þe gat; [ 224] þou schalt se þat y schal do þat þou seydest me vnto.

moyses dixit.

Lord þou ȝaue me al wiþ skil þe lay sinay on þe hil. [ 228]