of the Scripture I wil refer it to him that shal speake of it in the conclusion praying you whosoeuer you be to accept this my small labour with as good will as I offer it you From Lausan the first of October 1550. THE ARGVMENT OF THIS TRAGEDIE TAKEN OVT OF THE TVVO AND twentith chapter of Genesis AFtervvard God tryed AbrahaÌ„ and sayd vnto him Abraham And he aunsvvered Here I am Then sayd he to him take thyne onely sonne out of hande euen Isaac vvhome thou louest goe into the country of Morea there offer him vp for a burnt sacrifice vppon one of the hills that I vvill shevve thee Abraham therefore rising earely sadled his asse tooke tvvo seruants vvith him Isaac his sonne And vvhen he had cut vvood for the burnt sacrifice he arose and vvent to the place that God had told him of The third day Abraham loking vp savv the place a farre of and sayd to his seruaunts tarry you here vvith the Asse for I and the ladde vvil goe yonder and vvhen vve haue 〈◊〉 vve vvill come to you againe Then Abraham tooke the vvood for the burnt sacrifice layd it vpon Isaac his sonne tooke the fire and a knife in his ovvne hand and so they vvent forth togither Then sayd Isaac to Abraham his father My father Abraham aunsvvered here I am my sonne And he said Beholde here is fire and vvood but vvhere is the Lambe for burnt sacrifice Abraham aunsvvered my sonne God vvill prouide him a lambe for burnt sacrifice And they vvent on both togither And vvhen they came to the place that God had spoken of he builded an altar there and layd the vvood in order vppon it and then bound Isaac his sonne laid him vpon the altar aboue the vvood and putting forth his hand cavvght the knife to stryke of his sonnes necke Then an Angell of the Lord cryed vnto him from heauen saying AbrahaÌ„ Abraham VVho aunsvvered loe here I am And he sayd vnto him lay not thy hand vpon the child nother doe anything vnto him For novv I knovve thou fearest God seeing thou hast not spared thine only soÌ„ne for my sake â–ª AbrahaÌ„ loked vp savv behold a sheep vvas cavvght behind him in a bush by the hornes Then Abraham vvent and tooke the sheepe and offered it vp for a burnt offering in steede of his sonne And Abraham called the name of the place The Lord shall see VVhereof it is sayd at this day of that mounteyne The Lord shal be seene And the Angell of the Lord called vnto Abraham from out of heauen the second tyme saying I haue svvorne by my selfe sayth the Lorde for as much as thou hast done this thing not spared thyne onely sonne I vvill blesse thee and multiply thy seede as the starres of the sky as the sand on the seas shore and thy seede shall possesse the gates of thyne enemies And all nations of the earth shall be blessed in thy seede because thou hast obeyed my voyce The speakers The Prologue Abraham Sara Isaac A companie of shepherds of Abrahams ovvne house diuided in tvvo partes The Angell Satan THE PROLOGE GOd saue you euery chone both great and small Of all degrees right welcom by you all It is now long at least as seemes to me Since here such preace togither I did see VVould God we might each weeke through all the yeare See such refort in Churches as is here Ye Gentlemen and Ladies I ye pray Giue eare and harken what I haue to say To hold your peace alonly I require VVhat weene you some wil say by that desire VVe nother can nor will away with that But yit you must or else I tell you flat That both of vs our labour lose togither In speaking I and you in comming hither VVherefore I craue but silence at your hand My wordes with patience for to vnderstand Both great and small alonly doe but heare And I will tel you straunge wondrous geere VVherefore now harken for the thing is great VVhereof I mind this present time to treate You thinke your selues ê‘chauÌ„ce to be in place VVhere as you be not now as standes the case For Lausan is not here it is farre hence But yit when neede requires I will dispence VVith all of you that hence within an hower Eche one may safely be within his bowre As now this is the land of Palestine VVhat do you woÌ„der at these words of myne I say yit further to you see you well Yon place It is the house wherein doth dwell A seruaunt of the liuing Gods whose name Hight Abraham the righteous man the same VVhose liuely faith hath woÌ„ him endles fame Anon you shall him tempted see and tryde toucht to quicke with grefs that shal betide And lastly you shall see him iustified By faith for killing in a certeine wise Isaac his dearest sonne in sacrifice And shortly you shall see straunge passions The flesh the world his owne affections Not onely shall be shewed in liuely hew But which more is his faith shal them subdue And that it is so many a faithfull wight Anon shall beare me record in your sight First Abraham and Sara you shall see And Isaac eke shall with them both agree Now are not these sufficient witnessings VVho minds therfore to see so woÌ„drous thiÌ„gs VVe pray him onely talking to forbeare And vnto vs to giue attentiue eare Assuring him that he shall see and heare No trifling toyes but graue woÌ„drous geere And that we will his eares to him restore to vse them as he listeth as before Abrahams Sacrifice Abraham commeth out of his house sayth ALas my God and was there euer any That hath indurde of coÌ„braÌ„ces so many As I haue done by fleeting too and fro Since I my natiue countrie did forgo Or is there any liuing on the ground Of benefits that hath such plenty found Loe how thou makest mortall men to see Thy passing goodnes by calamitie And as of nought thou madest euery thing So out of ill thou causest good to spring Was neuer wight so blessed at thy hand That could thy greatnes fully Vnderstand Full threescore yeares and thereto fifteene mo My life had lasted now in weale and woe According to the course in sundry wise Appointed by thy heauenly destinies Whose will it was I should be bred and borne Of parents rich in catell coyne and corne But vnto him that richest is in fee What ioy or comfort could his riches be When he compeld compelled was I say To see to serue and worship euery day A thowsand forged gods in steede of thee Which madst the heauen earth which we do see Thou then eftsoones didst will me to conuey My selfe from those same places quite away And I immediatly vpon thy call Left Parents countrie goods with gods all Yea Lord thou knowest I wist not whither theÌ„ Thou wouldst me lead nor where me stay agen But he that followeth thee
full well may say He goeth right and while he holds that way He neuer needes to feare that he shall stray Sara comming out of the same house sayth In thinking and bethinking me what store Of benefits I haue had erst heretofore Of thee my God which euer hast prouided To keepe my mind and bodie vndefiled And furthermore according to thy word Which I tooke then as spoken but in boord Hast blist mine aged time aboue all other By giuing me the happy name of mother I am so rauisht in my thought and mind That as I would full fayne no meane I find The least of all the benefits to commend Which thou my God doest daily still me send Yit sith alone with thee Lord here I am I will thee thanke at least wise as I can But is not yuu my husband whom I see I thought he had bin further of from me Abraham Sara Sara thy mind I well allow Nought hast thou sayd but I the same auow Come on and let vs both giue thankes togither For Gods great mercy since our cōming hither The frute thereof as both of vs hath found Let prayse thankes from both of us resownd Sara Contented Sir how might I better doe Than you to please in all you set me too And euen therefore hath God ordeyned me Agein wherein can time spent better be Than in the setting forth of Gods dew praise Whose maiestie doth shew it selfe alwayes Aboue and eke beneath before our eyes Abraham Of truth no better can a man deuise Than of the Lord to sing the excellence For none can pay him other recompence For all his giftes which daily he doth send Than in the same his goodnes to commend The Song of Abraham and Sara Come on then let vs now begin to sing with hartes in one accord The prayses of the souerein heauenly king our onely God and Lord. His onely hand doth giue vs whatsoeuer We haue or shall hereafter haue for euer It is alonly he that doth mainteine the he auen that is so hie So large in compasse and in space so mayne and eke the starrie skie The course whereof he stablisht hath so sure That ay withouten fayle it doth endure The skorching heate of sommer he doth make the haruest and the spring And winters cold that maketh folke to quake in season he doth bring Both wethers faire and fowle both sea land Both night and day be ruled by his hand Alas good Lord and what are we that thou didst choose and enterteyne Alonly vs of all the world and now doth safely vs mainteine So long a time from all the wicked rowtes In towne coūtry where we come throughouts Thou of thy goodnes drewest us away from places that are giuen To serue false gods and at this present day hast wandringly vs driuen To trauell still among a thowsand daungers In nacions vnto whom we be but straungers The land of Egypt in our chiefest neede thou madst to haue a care Thy seruants bodies to mainteine and feede with fine and wholsom fare And in the ende compelledst pharao Full sore against his will to let vs goe Foure mightie Kinges that were already gon away with victorie I ouertooke and put to flight anon before they could me spie And so I saw the feeldes all stained red With blud of those which through my sword lay dead From God receiued well this benefite For he doth mind vs still As his deere freendes in whom he doth delight and we be sure he will Performe vs all thinges in dew time and place As he hath promist of his owne free grace To vs and vnto our posteritie this land belongs of right To hold in honor and felicitie as God it hath behight And we beleue it surely shall be so For from his promise God will neuer goe Now tremble you ye wicked wights therefore which sowed are so thicke Throughout the world worship now such store of gods of stone and sticke which you your selues with wicked hāds do carue To call vpon and vainly for to serue And thou O Lord whom we doe know to be the true and liuing God Come from thy place that we may one day see the vengeance of thy roode Upon thy foes that they may come to nowght With all their gods deuizd through wicked thowght Abraham Go to my Sara that great God of ours Hath blist vs to thintent that we all howres Should for his giftes which he alone doth giue Him serue and prayse as long as we doe liue Now let vs hence and chiefly take good heede We hazard not our sonne to much in deede By suffering him to haunt the company Of wicked folke with whom you see we be A new made vessell holdeth long the sent Of that that first of all is in it pent A child by nature nere so well dispozed By bringing vp is quite and cleane transpozed Sara Sir I doe hope my dewtie for to doe Therefore the thing that we must looke vnto Is that Gods will may be fulfild in him Right sure I am we shall him weeld so trim And that the Lord will blisse him so as all Shall in the ende to his high honor fall Satan in the habit of a Monke I goe I come I trauell night and day I beate my braynes that by no kind of way My labour be in any wise misspent Reigne God aloft aboue the firmament The earth at least to me doth wholly draw And that mislikes not God nor yet his lawe As God by his in heauen is honored So I on earth by myne am worshipped God dwells in heauen and I on earth likewize God maketh peace and I doe warres deuize God reignes aboue and I doe reigne belowe God causeth loue and I doe hatred sowe God made the starrie skies and earthy clodds I made much more for I did make the godds God serued is by Angells full of light And doe not my faire Angells glister bright I trow there is not one of all my swine Whose grooyn I make not goldlike for to shine These lechours drunkards gluttons ouerfedd Whose noses shine faire tipt with brazell redd Which weare fine precious stones vppon their Are my vpholders my Cherubins skinnes God neuer made a thing so perfect yit That could the makers full perfection hit But I haue made whereof I glory may A thowsand worser then my selfe farre way For I beleue and know it in my thought therz but one God that my self am nowght But yit I know there are whose foolish mind I haue so turned quite against the kind That some which now is commō long agone Had leuer serue a thowsand gods than one ▪ And others haue conceiued in their brayne That for to thinke there is a God is vayne Thus since the time the man on mowld was made With happy lucke I followed haue this trade And follow wil come losse or come there gain So long as I this habit may mainteine I say this habit
soe Abraham Alas alas what ment I so to sayne Forgiue me Lord and pluck me backe agein From this leawd race wherin my sin gan go O Lord my God deliuer me from this wo. This hand of mine shall certeinly him smight For sith it is thy will it is good right It should be doone Wherfore I will obey Satan But I will keepe you from it if I may Abraham So doing I should make my God vntrew For he hath told me that there should insew So great a people out of this my sonne As ouer all the earth should spred and ronne And therefore if that Isaac once were kild I see not how this couenant could be hild Alas Lord hast thou made him thē for nowght Alas Lord is it vaine that thou so oft Hast promist me such things in Isaake As thou wooldst neuer doo for others sake Alas and can the things repealed be Which thou so oft hast promist vnto me Alas and shall my hope haue such an end Wherto should then mans hope trusting tēd The summe of all I minded to haue sayd Is that to thee I hartily haue prayd To giue me yssue hoping that when thow Hadst graunted it I should haue liued now In ioy and pleasure but I see full well The contrary to my desire befell For of my sonns which were no mo but twayn To put away the one my selfe was fayne And of the other O hard extremitee Both father I and tormenter must be Yea tormenter yea tormenter alas But art not thou the selfe same God which was Contented for too heere me patiently When I did pray to thee so instantly Euen in the midds of all thy wrath and yre When Sodom thou didst mind to burne with fire Now then my God and King wilt thou say nay When for my selfe I vnto thee doe pray Whom I begate him must I now deface O God at leastwise graunt me yit this grace Satan Grace in my book that word I neuer found Abraham Some other man my sonne to death may wownd Alas my Lord and must this hand of myne To such a stroke against all kind declyne How will it towch his wofull mother neere Whē of his violent death she needes shal heere If I alledge thy will for my defence Who will beleue that thou wilt so dispence And if men doe not credit it what fame Will fly abrode to my perpetuall shame I shall be shund of all men more and lesse As paterne of extremest cruelnesse And as for thee who will vnto thee pray Or on thy word and promise euer stay Alas may these hore heares of myne abide The sorrow that is likely to betide Haue I alredy past so many daungers Haue I so traueld countries that are straūgers In heate and cold in thirst and hunger still Continewally obedient to thy will Haue I so long time liued lingringly Now in the end to dye vnhappily O hart of mine clyue clyue asunder clyue And linger heere no longer time aliue The speedier death the lesser is the greef Satan Now is he downe if God send no releef Abraham What sayd I what intend I O my God Which didst create and make me of a clod Thou art my Lord and I thy seruant trew Out of my natiue countrie thou me drew How oftentimes hast thou assured me That vnto mine this land should lotted be And when thou gaue me Isaac didst not thow Most faithfully and constantly auow That out of him such ofspring should be bred As should this land throughout all ouerspred Then if thou wilt needs take him now away What should I thereunto ageinst thee say He is thine owne I had him of thy gift Take him therfore Thou knowest best how to I know thou wilt to life him rayze againe Rather than that thy promis should be vaine Howbeit Lord thou knowest I am a man No good at all or doo or thinke I can But yit thy power which ay is inuincible Doth to beleef make all things possible Hence flesh hence fond affections euery chone Ye humane passions let me now alone Nothing to me is good or reasonable Which to Gods will is not agreeable Satan Well well then Isaac shall dye and wee What will insew therof shall after see O false old hag thou makste me soft to grone Abraham See where my sonne walks vp downe alone O silie child O wretched men death oft Within our bosoms lodgeth him full soft When furthest of we take him for too be And therfore right great need alwaies haue we To leade such life as if we fayne would die But wotest thou my sonne alas what I Intend to say Isaac What pleaseth you good father Abraham Alas that word doth kill my hart the rather Yit must I better corage to me take Isaac my sonne alas my hart doth quake Isaac Father me thinks that feare hath you dismayd Abraham O my deere child it is as thou hast sayd Alas my God. Isaac Sir if it may you pleaze Be bold to tell me what doth you diseaze Abraham Ah my deere child wist thou what thing it were Mercie good Lord thy mercie graunt vs here My sonne my sonne beholdest thou this lyne This wood this fire and eke this knife of myne This geere my Isac serueth all for thee Satan Of God and nature enmie though I bee Yit is this thing so hard a cace to see That euen almost it is a greef to mee Abraham Alas my sonne Isaac Alas my father deere Uppon my knees I humbly pray you heere My youthfull yeeres to pitie if you may Abraham O of mine age the only staffe and stay My derling O my derling faine would I That I for thee a thowsand times might dye But God will haue it otherwise as now Isaac Alas my father mercie I kry you Alas alas I want both tung and hand Ageinst you in mine owne defence to stand But see but see my teares for natures sake None other fence I can or will now make Ageinst you I am Isaac none other But Isaac your only by my mother I am your sonne that through your self hath life And will you let it be bereft with knife Howbeit if you do 't to ' hey the Lord Then on my knees I humbly doe accord To suffer all that euer God and yow Shall think expedient for too doo as now But yit what deeds what deeds of mine deserue This death O God my God my life preserue Abraham Alas my sonne God hath commaunded me To make an offring vnto him of thee To my great greef to my great greef and pine And endlesse wo. Isaac Alas poore mother mine ▪ How many deathes shall my death giue to thee But tell me yit my killer who shall be Abraham Who my deere son my God my God graunt grace That I may dy now presēt in this place Isaac O father mine Abraham Alas no whit that name Agrees to me yit should we be to blame If we obeyd not God. Isaac Sir I
am redy Satan Who would haue thought he would haue bin so stedie Isaac Now then my father well I see in deede That I must dye Lord help me at my neede My God my God now strengthen thou my mind And at thy hand such fauor let me find That of my selfe I may the vpper hand Obteyne ageinst this sodein death to stand Now bind me kill me burne me I am prest To suffer all sith God so thinks it best Abraham Ah what a thing a what a sight is heere Mercie good God now for thy mercie deere Isaac Thou Lord hast made me and created me Thou Lord upon the earth hast lodged me Thou hast me giuen the grace to knowledge thee Yit haue I not so well obeyed thee My Lord and God as dewtie doth require Which me to pardon lowd I thee desire And whereas I to you my Lord and father Haue not alwaies such honor yeelded rather As your great kindnesse did deserue to haue Therfore forgiuenesse humbly I doe craue My mother she is now a great way hence Wherfore my God vowtsafe hir thy defence And so preserue hir through thy speciall grace As she no whit be trubbled at my cace Here Isaac is bovvnd Alas I go to deepe and darksom night Farewell as now for ay all worldly light But sure I am I shall at Gods hand find Farre better things than these I leaue behind Good father I am redy at your will. Satan Was neuer child that spake with better skil I am ashamde and therfore take my flight Abraham Alas my sonne before thou leaue this light And that my hand doe giue thvnkindly blowe Upon thy mouth let me a kisse bestowe Isac my sonne let this same arme of mine Which must thee kil imbrace this neck of thine Isaac With right good will and hartie thankes Abraham Ye skyes the great gods woork ay glistring in our eyes Which well haue seene how God who still is trew Did me with frute by Isaac here indew And thou O land fiue times to me behight Beare witnesse that my fingers doo not smight This child of mine for hatred or for vengance But only for to yeeld my dew obeysance To that great God which hath created me And all the thinges that liue or moue or be Who saues the good that put in him their trust And stroyes the bad that serue their wicked lust Beare witnesse that I faithfull Abraham Through gods great goodnes stil so stedfast am As notwithstanding all that humane wit Can say or think to make me now to flit In one beleef I euer doo remaine That not one word of God doth happen vaine But now my hand high time it is that thow Doo gather strength to execute thy vow Heere the knife falles out of his hand That by thy killing of mine only sonne Thy deadly stroke may through my hart eke ronne Isaac What doe I heere Alas my father deere Abraham A a a a. Isaac I am at your will. Am I now well your pleasure then fulfill Abraham Did euer man so piteous cace yit find Was euer any frendship yit so kind And was there euer yit so piteous cace I dye my sonne I dye before thy face Isaac Away with all this feare of yours I pray Will you from God yit longer time me stay Abraham Heere he intendeth to stryke him Alas who euer yit so stowt a mind Within so weake a bodie erst did find Alas my sonne I prey thee me forgiue Thy death It kills me that thou may not liue The Angell Abraham Abraham Abraham My God heere I am Angell Into the sheath put vp thy knife And see thou doe not take his life Nor hurt the child in any wyse For now I see before mine eyes What loue thou bearest to the Lord And honor vnto him auord In that thou doost so willingly Thy sonne thus offer euen to dye Abraham O God. Isaac O God. Abraham O Lord a man may see Heere he takes the sheepe How good it is obedient for to bee To thee the cace is fitly furnished I will go take him tyed by the head Angell O Abraham Abraham Lord heere I am Angell Thus sayth the Lord I promis thee By my eternall maiestie And by my Godhead sith that thow Hast shewed thy self so willing now Me to obey as to forbeare Thine only Isaks life I sweare That mawgre Satan to his face I will thee blisse and all thy race Considrest thou the lighsom skye And on the shore the grauell drye I will increace thyne ofspring more Than starres in heauen or sand on shore Their enmies they shall ouercome And of thy bodie one shall come By whom my blissing shall spred foorth On all the nations of the earth By him the treasures of my loue And mightie power shall from aboue Be sheaded downe on all mankind Bycause thou hast obeyd my mind THE CONCLVSION SEE here the mightie power of earnest faith And what reward the trew obedience payth VVherfore ye Lords Ladies I you pray ▪ VVhen you from hence shall go agein away Let not this trew and noble storie part Out of the mind and tables of your hart It is no lye it is no peynted tale It is no feyned iest nor fable stale It is a deede a deede right trew of one That was Gods faithfull seruant long agone VVherfore ye maisters and ye mistresses Ye Lords and Ladies all both more and lesse Ye rich and poore ye sorie and ye sad And you also whose harts with mirth are glad Behold and looke vpon your selues ech one In this so fayre example heere foregone Such are trew glasses shewing to our sight The fayre the fowle the crooked and the right For whoso doth vnfeynedly indeuer As Abraham to keepe Gods sayings euer And notwithstanding all the reasons which His mind alledgeth backward him to twich Doth still referre him selfe and all his deedes To God with much more happy yssue speeds Than he can wish for come there stormes or winds Come greef come death come cares of sūdry kinds Let earthquake come ▪ let heauen skyes downe fall Let dark confuzion ouercouet all The faithfull hart so stedfastly is grownded As it abideth euer vnconfownded Contrariwise the man that trust 〈◊〉 His owne selfwit therafter for to doe And standeth in his owne conceyt shall find The more he goes the more he comes behind And euery litle puffe and sodein blast From his right course shal quite cleane him cast Agein his owne selfwilled nature will Him ouerthrowe and all his dooings spill Now thou great God which makest vs to knowe The great abuses which doo plainly showe The wretched world to be peruerted quite Make all of vs to take such warning by 'te As ech of vs may fare the better by The liuely faith set foorth before our eye In Abraham that holy personage VVhose dooings haue bin playd vpon this stage Lo maisters heere the happie recompence VVhich God doth giue you for your gentle silence FINIS All prayse and thanks bee giuen to god Amen