Four Plays of Gil Vicente Part 13

95 Fainting then with grief if failed Thy tears, yet Him they might not fail, Thy Life, thy Son, Who unto the Cross was nailed, Even fresh tears that could avail, In prayer begun.

96 For far greater woe was His When He saw thee faint and languish In thy distress, More than His own agonies, And doubled is All His torture at thy anguish Measureless.

97 For no words have ever told No prayer or litany wailed Such grief and loss: Our weak thought may not enfold Nor thee behold As thou wert when He was nailed Upon the Cross.

98 For to thee, O lovely face, Wherein Heaven's beauty shone, What woe was given When the Cross on high they place And thereupon Nailed the Son of Heaven, Even thy Son!

99 Over the crowd's heads on high He who was ever thy delight Came to thy sight, To the Cross nailed cruelly, Thou standing by, Thou the mother of Him who died There crucified!

100 O frail Queen of Holiness, Who would not thus weep to see Thee fainting fall And lie there all motionless, Thou patroness Who dost still uphold and free The life of all!

101 _St Ambrose._ Thus of yore did Jeremiah On Mount Sion make lament In days long spent, For he knew that the Messiah Was for our salvation sent.

102 And he mourned the misery Of ill-starred Jerusalem, The murderess, Who should kill unnaturally Her G.o.d born in Bethlehem Our life to bless.

103 _St Jerome._ O the Holy Lamb to see Humble amid the wolves' despite, With mockery fraught, Condemned to suffer cruelly Upon the Tree, And that face, so fair and white, Thus set at nought!

_St Augustine. (He blesses the table.)_

104 The Eternal Father's blessing rest, And of the Son, who suffered thus Even for us, And of the Spirit holiest, On thee our guest: Spirit immortal, Father, Son, The Three in One.

105 _Church._ Come now, bring water for the hands.

_St Aug._ But thou must wash in tear on tear Shed for thy past sins' misery, Most thoroughly, And then to this fair towel here Thou mayst draw near, A towel that is kept for thee Worked cunningly 106 With finest silk in painlessness From out the Holy Virgin's veins That issued, Silk that was spun in bitterness And dark distress, And woven with increasing pains And finished.

107 Yet never shall thine eyes be dried: This pattern sad will ever make Thy tears downflow, Such st.i.tches here on either side Doth it provide That one's very heart must break To see such woe.

108 Presented here thou mayest see With lovely face most natural --And seeing weep-- Embroidered with agony, O mystery!

G.o.d fas.h.i.+oned, who created all, In human shape.

(_The towel here described is the veronica, which St Augustine takes from among the dishes and shows to the Soul, and the Mother Church and the Doctors adore it on their knees, singing _Salve sancta Facies_, and the Mother Church then says:_)

109 _Church._ Let the first viand be brought.

_St Jerome._ It was prepared joylessly On a sad day, With no pleasure was it fraught, With suffering bought, And its cook was Cruelty, Eager to slay.

110 With seasoning of tears and shame Must this course by thee be eaten, Sorrowfully, Since the Messiah's holy frame, Pure, free from blame, Cruelly was scourged and beaten For love of thee.

(_The viand so described consists of the scourge which at this stage is taken from the dishes and presented to the Soul and all kneel and adore, singing _Ave flagellum_; and Jerome then says:_)

111 _St Jerome._ This second viand of n.o.ble worth, This delicacy, Must be slowly eaten by thee In contemplation Of what the Lord of all the earth In agony Suffered for thy salvation.

112 This new torture suddenly He allowed to reach His brain, That so thy wit And sense might be restored to thee, That perished from thee utterly, Yea that thou Paradise mightst gain Endured He it.

(_This second viand so described is the crown of thorns, and at this stage they take it from the plates, and kneeling the holy Doctors sing _Ave corona spinarum_ and afterwards the Mother Church says:_)

113 _Church._ Another bring in the same strain.

_St Jerome._ This third viand that is brought to thee Was prepared thrice In places three, in each with gain Of subtler pain, With the wood of the Holy Tree, Wood of great price.

114 It must be eaten sorrowfully, Since the Virgin glorious Saw it garnished, Her treasure nailed cruelly Then did she see, And her pearl most precious Pierced and tarnished.

(_At this station St Augustine brings the nails and all kneel and adore them, singing _Dulce lignum, dulcis clavus_, and when the adoration is ended the Angel says to the Soul:_)

115 _Angel._ These trappings must thou lay aside, This new fare cannot, thou must know, Be eaten thus: By them are men's souls vilified And in their pride Puffed up with overweening show Presumptuous.

(_The Soul casts off the dress and jewels that the enemy gave her._)

116 _St Augustine._ O soul, well counselled! well bestowed To each what is of each by right, And earth to earth: Now shalt thou speed along thy road, Free of this load, Faring by faith from this stern fight Victorious forth.

117 _Church._ To the last course I thee invite.

_St Jerome._ This fourth viand is of a kind So seasoned, It is of value infinite, Most exquisite, Prepared by the Divine mind And perfected: 118 Entrusted first in mystery To a holy virgin came from Heaven This secret thing, Encompa.s.sed by divinity And sanct.i.ty, Then to the Eternal Father given As offering.

(_St Jerome presents to the Soul a Crucifix, which he takes from among the dishes, and the Doctors adore it, singing _Domine Jesu Christe_, and afterwards the Soul says:_)

119 _Soul._ With what heart and mind contrite May I praise Thee sadly now Who am nought, Seeing Thee, G.o.d infinite, To such plight Of suffering and sorrow bow, By my sin brought!

120 Lord, how art Thou crushed and broken, Thou, the Son of G.o.d, to die!

And Thy death By whom ordered, by what token The word spoken Thee to judge and crucify, Who gav'st us breath?

121 _St Aug._ For the fruit to end this feast, On the altar given thee thus Lovingly, To the orchard go we all in quest, Where lies at rest The Redeemer, He who died for us And set us free.

(_And all with the Soul, singing _Te deum laudamus_, went to adore the tomb._)

LAVS DEO.

EXHORTAcO DA GUERRA

_Exhortaco da Guerra[154]._

_Interlocutores_: -- Nigromante, ZEBRON, DANOR, Diabos, POLICENA, PANTASILEA, ARCHILES, ANIBAL, EYTOR, CEPIAM.

_A Tragicomedia seguinte seu nome he Exortaco da guerra. Foi representada ao muyto alto & n.o.bre Rey dom Manoel o primeyro em Portugal deste nome na sua cidade de Lixboa na partida pera Azamor do ill.u.s.tre & muy magnifico senhor d Gemes Duque de Barganca & de Guimares, &c. Era de M.D.xiiij annos._

-- _Entra primeyramente hum clerigo nigromante & diz:_

CL. Famosos & esclarecidos principes mui preciosos, na terra vitoriosos & no ceo muyto queridos, 5 sou clerigo natural de Portugal, venho da coua Sebila onde se esmera & estila a sotileza infernal.

10 E venho muy copioso magico & nigromante, feyticeyro muy galante, astrologo bem auondoso.

Tantas artes diabris 15 saber quis que o mais forte diabo darey preso polo rabo ao iffante Dom Luis.

Sey modos dencantamentos 20 quaes nunca soube ninguem, artes para querer bem, remedios a pensamentos.

Farey de hum coracam duro mais que muro 25 como brando leytoayro, e farei polo contrayro que seja sempre seguro.

Sou muy grande encantador, faco grandes marauilhas, 30 as diabolicas sillas sam todas em meu favor: farey cousas impossiveis muy terribeis, milagres muy euidentes 35 que he pera pasmar as gentes, visiueis & invisiueis.

Farey que hua dama esquiua por mais cafara que seja quando o galante a veja 40 que ella folgue de ser viua; farey a dous namorados mui penados questem cada hum per si, & cousas farey aqui 45 que estareis marauilhados.

Farey por meo vintem que hua dama muito fea que de noyte sem candea nam pareca mal nem bem; 50 e outra fermosa & bella como estrella farey por sino forcado que qualquer homem hrrado nam lhe pesa.s.se um ella.

55 Faruos ey mais pera verdes, por esconjuro perfeyto, que caseis todos a eyto o milhor que vos poderdes; e farey da noite dia 60 per pura nigromanciia se o sol alumear, & farey yr polo ar toda a van fantesia.

Faruos ey todos dormir 65 em quanto o sono vos durar & faruos ey acordar sem a terra vos sentir; e farey hum namorado bem penado 70 se amar bem de verdade que lhe dure essa vontade atee ter outro cuydado.

Faruos ey que desejeis cousas que esto por fazer, 75 e faruos ey receber na hora que vos desposeis, e farey que esta cidade estee pedra sobre pedra, e farey que quem nam medra 80 nunca t~e prosperidade.

Farey per magicas rasas chuuas tam desatinadas que estem as telhas deytadas pelos telhados das casas; 85 e farey a torre da See, a.s.si grande como he, per graca da sua clima que tenha o alicesse ao pee & as ameas em cima.

90 Nam me quero mais gabar.

Nome de San Cebriam esconjurote Satam.

Senh.o.r.es no espantar!

Zeet zeberet zerregud zebet 95 oo filui soter rehe zezegot relinzet oo filui soter oo chaues das profundezas abri os porros da terra!

100 Princepe[*] da eterna treua parecam tuas grandezas!

conjurote Satanas, onde estaas, polo bafo dos drages, 105 pola ira dos lies, polo valle de Jurafas.

Polo fumo peconhento que sae da tua cadeyra e pola ardente fugueyra, 110 polo lago do tormento esconjurote Satam, de coracam, zezegot seluece soter, conjurote, Lucifer, 115 que oucas minha oracam.

Polas neuoas ardentes que estam nas tuas moradas, pollas pocas pouoadas de bibaras & serpentes, 120 e pello amargo tormento muy sem tento que daas aos encacerados, pollos grytos dos danados que nunca cessam momento: 125 conjurote, Berzebu, pola ceguidade Hebrayca e polla malicia Judayca, com a qual te alegras tu, rezeegut Linteser 130 zamzorep tisal siroofee nafezeri.