Volume 2 — THE HISTORY OF JACOB AND ESAU. (continued 2)

ACTUS QUINTI, SCAENA OCTAVA.

JACOB. REBECCA.

JACOB. Mother Rebecca, did ye send for me hither?

REBECCA. Yea, and the cause is this, thou must go somewhither, To hide thee from thy brother Esau a space.

JACOB. Indeed, to men's malice we must sometime give place.

REBECCA. He lieth in await to sle thee, if he can: Thou shalt therefore, by my reed, fle hence to Haran: And lie with my brother Laban, a man aged, Till Esau's wrath be somewhat assuaged. When all things are forgotten, and his fury passed, I shall send for thee again in all goodly haste.

JACOB. Yea, but, how will my father herewith be content?

REBECCA. Thou shalt see me win him thereto incontinent. And here he cometh happily: Jacob, hear me; Make a sign to Mido, that he do not name thee, Then get thee in privily, till I do thee call.

JACOB. As ye command me, mother Rebecca, I shall.

ACTUS QUINTI, SCAENA NONA.

ISAAC. MIDO. REBECCA. JACOB.

ISAAC. Where be ye, good wife?

MIDO. My dame Rebecca is here.

REBECCA. I am glad, sweet husband, that I see you appear, For[287] I have a word or two unto you to say.

ISAAC. Whatsoever it be, tell it me, I you pray.

REBECCA. Sir, ye know that now our life-days are but short, And we had never so great need of comfort. Now Esau his wives being Hittites both, Ye know, to please us are much unwilling and both. That if Jacob eke would take any Hittite to wife, Small joy should we both have or comfort of our life.

ISAAC. Wife, ye speak this well, and I will provide therefore, Call Jacob quickly, that he appear me before.

MIDO. I can run apace for him, if ye bid me go.

REBECCA. Go, hie thee at once then, like a good son, Mido.

[Exit Mido, but returns directly with Jacob.

ISAAC. O Lord, save thou my son from mis-carrying.

MIDO. Come, master Jacob, ye must make no tarrying, For I it is that shall be shent, if you be slack, Here is your son Jacob now, master Isaac.

ISAAC. Son Jacob, make thee ready, as fast [as] thou can, And in all haste possible get thee unto Laban. He is thine own uncle, and a right godly man, Marry of his daughters, and not of Canaan. In Mesopotamia shalt thou lead thy life. The Lord prosper thee here without debate or strife; And the God of Abraham prosper thee in peace; He multiply thy seed, and make it to increase! Now kiss me, dear son Jacob, and so go thy way.

REBECCA. Kiss me also, sweet son, and hence without delay.

JACOB. Now, most tender parents, as well with heart and word I bid you well to fare, and leave you to the Lord.

MIDO. Nay, master Jacob, let me have an hand also.

JACOB. Even with all my heart: farewell, little Mido. [Exit Jacob.

ISAAC. Now will I depart hence into the tent again.

REBECCA. As pleaseth God and you, but I will here remain.

ACTUS QUINTI, SCAENA DECIMA.

ESAU. RAGAN. REBECCA. ISAAC. MIDO.

ESAU. And is he gone indeed to mine uncle Laban, In Mesopotamia at the town of Haran? And is Jacob gone to the house of Bethuel? The whirlwind with him, and flinging fiend of hell! But I shall meet with him yet one day well enough. And who is this? my mother? whom I see here now.

RAGAN. She stood here all this while, sir, did ye not her see?

ESAU. Didst thou see her stand here, and wouldest not warn me?

REBECCA. Son Esau, afore God, thou art much to blame, And to do, as I hear of thee, is a foul shame.

ESAU. Mother, what is it ye heard of me of late?

REBECCA. That thou dost thy brother Jacob deadly hate.

ESAU. Hate Jacob? I hate him, and will do, till I die, For he hath done me both great wrong and villainy; And that shall he well know, if the Lord give me life.

REBECCA. Fie upon thee, to speak so, like a lewd caitiff!

RAGAN. My master Esau is of nature much hot, But he will be better than he saith, fear not.

ESAU. My birthright to sell did he not make me consent?

REBECCA. But the same to do wert not thyself content? There is no man to blame for it but thine own self.

ESAU. Yea, mother, I see that ye hold with that mopish elf. It is your dainty darling, your prinkox, your golpol; He can never be praised enough of your soul; He must ever be extolled above the moon: It is never amiss that he hath said or done. I would he were rocked or dandled in your lap; Or I would with this falchion I might give him pap. I marvel why ye should so love him, and me not? Ye groaned as well for the one as thother, I wot. But Jacob must be advanced in any wise: But I shall one day handle him of the new guise.[288]

REBECCA. Both on thy father's blessing and mine, I charge thee, That thy soul intend never such iniquity; Beware by the example of Cain, I thee reed, That thou bring not the Lord's curse upon thy head.

ESAU. And what, should I take all this wrong at Jacob's hand?

REBECCA. Forgive, and the Lord shall prosper thee in the land. My son Esau, hear me; I am thy mother: For my sake, let pass this grudge against thy brother.

RAGAN. Sir, your mother's request is but reasonable, Which for you to grant shall be much commendable.

ESAU. Mother, though it be a great thing that ye require: Yet must all malice pass at your desire; And for your cause, mother, this mine anger shall slake.

REBECCA. I thank thee, my son, that thou dost it for my sake.

ESAU. For your sake, with Jacob I will be at accord.

REBECCA. And shall I call thy father to be as record?

ESAU. As pleaseth you, mother, I can be well content.

REBECCA. Then will I go call him hither incontinent. And where he doth already love thee very well, This will make him to love thee better a great deal.

RAGAN. Truly, sir, this is of you a right gentle part: At least, if it come from the bottom of your heart.

ESAU. It must now be thus; but when I shall Jacob find, I shall then do as God shall put into my mind.

__Enter_ ISAAC and MIDO with REBECCA.

REBECCA. He hath at my word remitted all his quarrel.

ISAAC. Forsooth! love him the better a great deal. And if he be here, I would commend his doing.

ESAU.[289] All prest here, father, to tarry on your coming.

ISAAC. Son Esau, thou hast thyself well acquitted, That all quarrel to Jacob thou hast remitted. It was the Lord's pleasure that it should thus be, Against whose ordinance to stand is not for thee: But now, to the intent it may please the Lord, To knit your hearts one day in a perfect concord, We shall first in a song give laud unto His name, And then with all gladness within confirm the same.

REBECCA. As ye think best, dear husband, I agree thereto.

ESAU. Me ye may command to what ye will have me to do: And so may ye do also Ragan my man.

ISAAC. I see none; but praise we the Lord the best we can, Call forth all our household, that with one accord We may all with one voice sing unto the Lord.

[Ragan calleth all to sing.

_This song must be sung after the prayer.

O Lord, the God of our father Abraham, How deep and unsearchable are thy judgments! Thy almightiful hand did create and frame Both heaven and earth, and all the elements. Man of the earth thou hast formed and create; Some do thee worship, and some stray awry, Whom pleaseth thee, thou dost choose or reprobate, And no flesh can ask thee wherefore or why? Of thine own will thou didst Abraham elect, Promising him seed as stars of the sky, And them as thy chosen people to protect, That they might thy mercies praise and magnify. Perform thou, O Lord, thine eternal decree To me and my seed, the sons of Abraham; And whom thou hast chosen thine own people to be, Guide and defend to the glory of thy name_.

FINIS.

[Then entereth the Poet, and the rest stand still till he have done.

THE POET. When Adam, for breaking God's commandment, Had sentence of death, and all his posterity: Yet the Lord our God, who is omnipotent, Had in his own self by his eternal decree Appointed to restore man, and to make him free. He purposed to save mankind by his mercy, Whom he once had created unto his glory. Yet not all flesh did he then predestinate, But only the adopted children of promise: For he foreknew that many would degenerate, And wilfully give cause to be put from that bliss, So on God's behalf no manner default there is; But where he chooseth, he showeth his great mercy: And where he refuseth, he doth none injury, But thus far surmounteth man's intellection,[290] To attain or conceive, and (much more) to discuss: All must be referred to God's election And to his sacred judgment. It is meet for us, With Paul the apostle, to confess, and say thus: O, the deepness of the riches of God's wisdom! How unsearchable are his ways to man's reason? Our part therefore is first to believe God's word, Not doubting but that he will his elected save: Then to put full trust in the goodness of the Lord, That we be of the number, which shall mercy have: Thirdly, so to live, as we may his promise crave. Thus if we do, we shall Abraham's children be, And come with Jacob to endless felicity.

[All the rest of the actors answer, Amen.

Then followeth the prayer.

ISAAC. Now unto God let us pray for all the whole clergy, To give them grace to advance God's honour and glory.

REBECCA. Then for the Queen's majesty let us pray Unto God to keep her in health and wealth night and day, And that, of his mere mercy and great benignity, He will defend and maintain her estate and dignity; That she, being grieved with any outward hostility, May against her enemies always have victory.

JACOB. God save the Queen's councillors most noble and true, And with all godliness their noble hearts endue.

ESAU. Lord save the nobility and preserve them all: And prosper the Queen's subjects universal.

AMEN.

Thus endeth this Comedy or Enterlude of Jacob and Esau.