AT PRIME.
Vith pietius hert at prime þou suld behald,
How þai þam dres for to condampe þe king,
The cruell panis, quhilk befor is tauld,
May þam nocht meiss, quhill þai to ded him bring.
Thai gadderit alsone as þe day couth spring;
In thair counsail þai gart him be present,
For in his ded þai wald agane consent.
Gif þow be Crist, þai said, ws schaw planly
The sone of God, promitit Saluiour.
Crist said: I am, as ȝe haue tald trewly,
Thoucht now I stand dispitit as a pure.
The sone of man ȝe sall se haue in cure
To gife gude glore and ewill eternall pane,
Cum in þe clude to jugement agane.
Off witnes, quod þai, we haue no neid,
For we haue her of his mouth .
The king to bind without delay þai speid,
As of befor þai had him hurt na thing.
His fair handis þai strenȝeit with a string,
And þus to Pilat þai him bundin led,
As be thair law he had seruit þe ded.
Na thing mycht cule þe hatrent of þair hert,
Quhill be to de to Pilat wes present,
Quhilk be þe law wes justice in þat art,
In caus of blude to schaw þe sentement.
Thai ȝeid nocht in, bot Pilat furth he went,
Sperit at þame, gif ony causs þai had,
As bund to ded, as þai him bundin had.
Fals occasioun richt reddely þai fand,
To gar him de þai had sa gret ferour.
Than said þai: We find him pervertand,
Forbidand tribut to gife to þe empriour,
Calland him king and Crist our Saluitour.
Pilat said: Of ȝour awne ȝe haue lawis,
Juge him thair by, for I trow nocht ȝour sawis.
Thai with ire ansuerit and said agane:
It is nocht lauchfull, þat we ony slaa.
Judas forthoucht and restorit agane
The thretty pennyis, and syne a cord couth ta,
Hangit himself, his brist in twa,
Tuke þe reuard of his iniquite,
His avarice sa pervinst verite.
With þai pennyis þe preistis of þe law
To berry pilgrames bocht ane sepultour.
Na cherite nor piete gart þaim schaw,
Bot gret malice gart þair hert indure,
That þai thocht euer be þai pilgrames pure
In strang landis þe fame for to gar fle,
As fals propheit þai had gart him de.
In þe tolbuth Pilat enterit in,
Callit on Crist, and sperit, gif he wes king
Crist ansuerit, inquirand first at him,
Gif of himself or vthiris rehersing
He sa inquirit, gif he as prince suld ring?
Pilat ansuerit: I am na Jow to knaw,
Thy awne pepill hes brocht þe to my law.
Crist said: My kinrik into þis warld is nocht;
Bot heir I come to schaw þe verite;
As wardly king to regne, and I had thocht,
My ministeris had maid debait for me,
Quhilkis fra þe Jowis gret iniquite
Had me defendit, and keipit fra þair handis,
Thairfor to regne I come nocht in þir landis.
Pilat to þe Jowis ȝeid agane,
Sayand: Na causs I find to gar him de.
The Jowis cryand, sayand, he suld be slane,
For all þe pepill commouit now hes he,
Till all þe land techeand of Jowry,
Fra Galale, quhair þat he first began,
To þis ciete, inquire at euery man.
Fra Pilat hard þam speik of Galale,
To Herod sone he gart him be present,
Trowand, be him he suld deliuerit be,
For, as sum sayis, þat wes his entent.
Bot Herod cled him in a quhit westiment,
Als with his court maid at him derisioun,
Send him agane to eik his confusioun.