IN THE FIRST COMPLYN.
In þe first complyn think with compassioun,
How þat þe king panis to his deid,
Furth to thole sa bitter passioun,
Quhilk for thy self mycht neuer mair mak remeid;
Thocht þat þi hert wer closit into leid,
Ȝit wald it melt and gar þe watter spring
Profound to think quhat desiris þi king.
He passit furth vnto þe hill to pray,
As he wes wont; syne his discipillis schew,
At þat samin nycht þai suld all pass him fra.
Peter said: Lord, thocht þai be all vntrew,
Ȝit, or I suld sic tratoury persew,
As presoner leuer de wald I.
Crist said: þis nycht þou sall me thrice deny.
Sedron he passit, syne enterit in þe ȝard;
He bad þame walk, for he to pray wald pas.
Methink þis King had bot ane sempill gard,
That ȝeid to sleip, quhen he to battall wes.
The feir of ded him put in sic distres,
That he swet blud, for he knew perfitlie,
That him behuffit to de richt cruelie.
Thai sleippit thris, and thris he wesyit þaim;
He bad walk, for he to pray wald ,
Sayand: Be blith, for sone sall ȝour pane,
Quhilk ȝour fader directit hes, to bring
The banist man agane hame to his ring.
Till his discipillis he said: Lat ws ga,
For he is neir, þat seikis me to slaa.
Judas said: Quhom þat ȝe se me kiss,
Hald him fast, and richt warly him leid.
He halsit Crist, as a discipill of his,
Bot with his hert he soucht him to þe ded.
O God abone, in quhom begane þis feid,
Maid nocht him Crist in his court cardinall?
t auerice wes into his hert ifall.
Thai laithly lippis vntit with fals tressoun,
Kissit his mouth fer sueitar þan balm.
That warijt wolf, wild, fra wit and ressoun,
Passit to þe Lambe, quhilk maid him na demand,
Bot with þat face mair sueiter þan þe lawn
Sweitlie resauit þe sone of Lucifeir,
Sayand: Freind, quhat maid þe cum heir?
At þe Jowis he sperit, quhom þai soucht.
Thai said: We seik Jhesu .
I am Jhesu, he said, þat all thing wrocht.
Bot with þat woce þai fell apoun þe greyne;
For be vertu of his Godheid vnseyne,
Vnder the claith of his huminite,
Mycht nocht systeyne mannis fragilite.
Quhen he þam fred to do quhat euir þai wald,
As seik vnthankfull to þe medicinar,
With all þair mycht þai schup him for to hald,
Castand him doun, quhill his body wes sair.
Quhen Peter saw, his hert wes full of cair;
Thairfor to his kind king he wes boun;
Fra Malcuss sone þe richt eir cutit doun.
Thai strenȝeit þai fair handis with a string,
Quhill his fingeris, quhilk quhit wes, wox bla.
Me think, þai schew him sempill cherising
For lang laubour, quhilk he couth for þame ma.
His appostilis all for dreid fled him fra,
Left him allane full freindles in þe feild,
With cruell men, quhilk handillit him full wild.
Thai gart him ryn, thocht he wes neuer so tirit,
Agane þe hill, quhill þat þai maid him faynt.
Intill his ded becauss þai had consprit,
Thai gart þam haist, for ony suld þaim taynt.
I haue wit þair wickitnes to paynt,
For in þair deidis is sic Innormite,
That all meins þai soucht to gar him de.