reading Everyman (15th Century)
"O Death, thou comest when I had thee least in mind; In thy power it lieth me to save, Yet of my good will I give thee, if ye will be kind, Yea, a thousand pound shalt thou have, And defer this matter till another day."
"We have in the world so many a day, Be on good friends in sport and play."
"If I my heart should to you break, And then you to turn your mind from me, And would not me comfort, when you hear me speak, Then should I ten times sorrier be."
"Farewell, good Fellowship; for this my heart is sore; Adieu for ever, I shall see thee no more."
"Lo, fair words maketh fools feign; They promise and nothing will do certain."
"And all my life I have had joy and pleasure in thee. Therefore I pray thee go with me, For, peradventure, thou mayst before God Almighty, My reckoning help to clean and purify."
"As for a while I was lent thee, A season thou hast had me in prosperity."
"My Good-Deeds, where be you? Here I lie cold in the ground; Thy sins hath me sore bound, That I cannot stir."
"Everyman, I will go with thee, and be thy guide, In thy most need to go by thy side."
"When with the scourge of penance man doth him bind, The oil of forgiveness then shall he find."
"Now, Everyman, be merry and glad; Your Good-Deeds cometh now; ye may not be sad; Now is your Good-Deeds whole and sound, Going upright upon the ground."
"My heart is light, and shall be evermore; Now will I smite faster than I did before."
"Alas, I am so faint I may not stand, My limbs under me do fold; Friends, let us not turn again to this land, Not for all the world's gold, For into this cave must I creep, And turn to the earth."
"Thou art but a fool to complain, You spend your speech and waste your brain; Go thrust thee into the ground."
"Thy reckoning is crystal-clear. Now shalt thou into the heavenly sphere, Unto the which all ye shall come, That liveth well before the day of doom."