William Dunbar: Ane Ballat of the Passioun 

Pages	Line number	Line
34	1	Amang thir freiris within ane cloister
	2	I enterit in ane oritorie,
	3	And knelit doun with ane pater noster
	4	Befoir the michtie king of glorie,
	5	Haveing his passioun in memorie;
	6	Syn to his mother I did inclyne,
	7	Hir halsing with ane gaude flore,
	8	And sudanlie I sleipit syne.
	9	Methocht Iudas with mony ane Iow
	10	Tuik blissit Iesu our saluatour,
	11	And schot him furth with mony ane schow,
	12	With schamefull wourdis of dishonour,
	13	And lyk ane theif or ane tratour
	14	Thay leid that hewinlie prince most hie,
	15	With manassing attour messour,
	16	O mankynd, for the luif of the.
	17	Falslie condamnit befoir ane iuge,
	18	Thay spittit in his visage fayr,
	19	And as lyounis with awfull ruge
	20	In yre thay hurlit him heir and thair,
	21	And gaif him mony buffat sair
	22	That it wes sorow for to se.
	23	Of all his claythis thay tirvit him bair,
	24	O mankynd, for the luif of the.
	25	Thay terandis, to revenge thair tein,
	26	For scorne thai cled him in to quhyt,
35	27	And hid his blythfull glorious ene,
	28	To se quham angellis had delyt;
	29	Dispituouslie syn did him smyt,
	30	Saying, ‘Gif sone of God thow be,
	31	Quha straik the now thow tell ws tyt’,
	32	O mankynd, for the luif of the.
	33	In tene thay turvit him agane,
	34	And till ane pillar thai him band.
	35	Quhill blude birst out at everie vane,
	36	Thay scurgit him bayth fut and hand.
	37	At everie straik ran furth on strand
	38	Quhilk mycht haue ransonit warldis thre.
	39	He baid in stour quhill he mycht stand,
	40	O mankynd, for the luif of the.
	41	Nixt all in purpyr thay him cled,
	42	And syn with thornis scharp and kene
	43	His saikles blude agane thay sched,
	44	Persing his heid with pykis grene.
	45	Vnneis with lyf he micht sustene
	46	That croun on thrungin with crueltie,
	47	Quhill flude of blude blindit his ene,
	48	O mankynd, for the luif of the.
	49	Ane croce that wes bayth large and lang,
	50	To beir thay gaif this blissit lord,
	51	Syn fullelie as theif to hang
	52	Thay harlit him furth with raip and corde.
	53	With bluid and sweit was all deflorde
	54	His face, the fude of angellis fre,
	55	His feit with stanis was rewin and scorde,
	56	O mankynd, for the luif of the.
36	57	Agane thay turvit him bak and syd,
	58	Als brim as ony baris woid.
	59	The clayth that claif to his cleir hyd
	60	Thay raif away with ruggis rude,
	61	Quhill fersly followit flesche and blude,
	62	That iy was pietie for to se.
	63	Na kynd of torment he ganestude,
	64	O mankynd, for the luif of the.
	65	On to the crose of breid and lenth
	66	To gar his lymmis langar wax,
	67	Thay straitit him with all thair strenth,
	68	Quhill to the rude thay gart him rax,
	69	Syn tyit him on with greit irne takkis,
	70	And him all nakit on the tre,
	71	Thay raissit on loft be houris sax,
	72	O mankynd, for the luif of the.
	73	Quhen he was bendit so on breid,
	74	Quhill all his vanis brist and brak,
	75	To gar his cruell pane exceid
	76	Thay leit him fall doun with ane swak,
	77	Quhill cors and corps and all did crak.
	78	Agane thay rasit him on hie,
	79	Reddie may turmentis for to tak,
	80	O mankynd, for the luif of the.
	81	Betuix tue theiffis the spreit he gaif
	82	On to the fader most of micht.
	83	The erde did trimmill, the stanis claif,
	84	The sone obscurit of his licht,
	85	The day wox dirk as ony nicht,
	86	Deid bodies rais in the cite.
37	87	Goddis deir sone all thus was dicht,
	88	O mankynd, for the luif of the.
	89	In weir that he wes #it on lyf
	90	Thay rane ane rude speir in his syde,
	91	And did his precious body riff
	92	Quhill blude and watter did furth glyde.
	93	Thus Iesus with his woundis wyde
	94	Ane marter sufferit for to de,
	95	And tholit to be crucifyid,
	96	O mankynd, for the luif of the.
	97	Methocht Compassioun, vode of feiris,
	98	Than straik at me with mony ane stound,
	99	And soir Contritioun, bathit in teiris,
	100	My visage all in watter drownit,
	101	And Reuth in to my eir ay rounde:
	102	‘For schame allace, behald, man, how
	103	Beft is with mony bludy wound
	104	Thy blissit saluatour Iesu’.
	105	Than rudlie come Remembrance,
	106	Ay rugging me withouttin rest,
	107	Quhilk crose and nalis, scharp scurge and lance,
	108	And bludy crowne befoir me kest. 
	109	Than Pane with Passioun me opprest,
	110	And evir did Petie on me pow,
	111	Saying, ‘Behald how Iowis hes drest
	112	Thy blissit saluatour Chryst Iesu.’
	113	With greiting glaid be than come Grace,
	114	With wourdis sweit saying to me,
	115	‘Ordane for him ane resting place,
	116	That is so werie wrocht for the.
	117	The lord within thir dayis thre
38	118	Sall law vndir thy lyntell bow,
	119	And in thus hous sall herbrit be
	120	Thy blissit saluatour Chryst Iesu.’
	121	Than swyth Contritioun wes on steir,
	122	And did eftir Confessioun ryn,
	123	And Conscience me accusit heir
	124	And kest out mony cankerit syn.
	125	To rys Repentence did begin,
	126	And out at the #ettis did schow.
	127	Pennance did walk the hous within,
	128	Byding our saluitour Chryst Iesu.
	129	Grace become gyd and gouernour
	130	To keip the hous in sicker stait,
	131	Ay reddie till our saluatour,
	132	Quhill that he come, air or lait.
	133	Repentence ay with cheikis wait
	134	No pane nor pennence did eschew,
	135	The hous within evir to debait,
	136	Onlie for luif of sweit Iesu.
	137	For grit terrour of Chrystis deid
	138	The erde did trymmill quhair I lay,
	139	Quhairthrow I waiknit in that steid,
	140	With spreit halflingis in effray.
	141	Than wrayt I all without delay,
	142	Richt heir as I haue schawin to #ow,
	143	Quhat me befell on Gud Fryday
	144	Befoir the crose of sweit Iesu.

