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Appendix: The Hanging of Judas

[fol. 131v]

JUDAS



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[fol. 132r]
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Suspencio Jude. 1

Alas, alas and walaway!
Waryd and cursyd I have beyn ay.
I slew my father and syn bylay
My moder der,
And falsly aftur I can betray
Myn awn mayster.

My fathers name was Ruben right,
Sibaria my moder hight;
Als he her knew apon a nyght
All fleshlé,
In her sleyp sche se a sighte,
A great ferlé.

Her thoght ther lay her syd within
A lothly lumpe of fleshly syn,
Of the which distruccion schuld begyn
Of all Jury;
That cursyd clott of Camys kyn
Forsoth was I.

Dreyd of that sight mad her awake,
And all hir body did tremyll and qwake;
Her thoght hir hert did all to-brake.
No wonder was
The first word my moder spake
Was “alas, alas.”

“Alas, alas” sche cryed faste,
With that on weping owt sche braste.
My father wakyd at the laste
And her afranyd;
Sche told hym how she was agaste
And nothyng laynyd.

My father bad “let be thy woo.
My cowncel is, if hit be soo
A child be gettyn betwixt hus too,
Doghter or son,
Lett hit never on erth go
Bot be fordon.

Bettur hit is fordon to be
Then hit fordo both thee and me,
For in a while then schall we se
And full well knaw
Wheder that swevyns be vanité
Or on to traw.”

The tyme was comyn that I was borne
Os my moder sayd beforn.
Alas, that I had beyn forlorn
Within hir syd,
For ther then spronge a schrewid thorn
That spred full wyd.

For I was born withowtyn grace,
Thay me namyd and callyd Judas.
The father of the child ay hays
Great petye;
He myght not thoyle afor his face
My deth to se.

My ded to se then myght he noght.
A lytyll lep he gart be wroght
And ther I was in bed broght
And bondon faste;
To the salt se then thay soght
And in me caste.

The wawes rosse, the wynd blew;
That I was cursyd full well thai knew.
The storme unto the yle me threw,
That lytill botte,
And of that land my to-name drew:
Judas Skariott.

Thor os wrekke in sand I lay, 2
The qweyn com passyng theraway
With hir madyns to sport and play.
And prevaly
A child sche fond in slyk aray
And had ferly.

Neverthelesse sche was well payd
And on hir lap sche me layd;
Sche me kissid and with me playd
For I was fayre.
“A child God hays me send,” sche sayd,
“To be myn ayre.”

Sche mad me be to norice done
And fosterd os hir awn son,
And told the kyng that sche had gon
All the yer with child,
And with fayr wordys os wemen con
Sche hym begild.

Then the kyng gart mak a fest
To all the land of the best,
For that he had gettyn a gest,
A swetly thyng,
When he wer ded and broght to rest,
That myght be kyng.

Sone aftur, within yers too,
In the land hit befell soo
The qweyn hirself with child can goo.
A son sche bayr;
A fayrer child from tope to too
Man never se ayre.

Finis huius. 3
 



Afflicted and cursed; always; t-note
then lay with; t-note
mother dear

master


named
t-note

sleep; she saw
wonder


loathly

Jewry
clot (lump); Cain’s kin; (see note)


Dread; made; t-note
tremble
heart; break [to pieces]





weeping; burst
finally awoke
questioned
aghast
concealed

bade
counsel; it; t-note
between us two
Daughter

destroyed

Better
destroy

t-note
Whether dreams are false
to believe in [them]


As
been lost
side
dangerous
wide

Because; t-note; (see note)

always has; (see note)
pity
suffer
death

death
basket; he had made

bound securely
sea; approached
threw

waves rose

isle
little boat
surname; (see note)
Judas Iscariot


queen; in that direction
her maidens
alone
found; such [miserable] condition
wonder

pleased
t-note

fair
has
heir

had me nurtured
fostered as her own son
gone
year
[such] as women know
tricked

(see note)

begotten a guest
sweet little thing
dead


two years
it so happened
got with child
bore
fairer; head to toe
saw before; t-note