Dives and Lazarus

As it fell out up­on one day

Rich Di­vès made a feast

And he in­vit­ed all his friends

And gen­try of the best.

Then La­za­rus laid him down and down

And down at Di­vès’ door:

Some meat and drink

bro­ther

Di­ver­us

Bestow up­on the poor.

Thou’rt none of my bro­thers

La­za­rus

That li­est beg­ging at my door;

No meat

nor drink will I give thee

Nor be­stow up­on the poor.

Then La­za­rus laid him down and down

All un­der Divès’ wall:

Some meat

some drink

bro­ther Di­ver­us

For hun­ger starve I shall.

Thou’rt none of my bro­thers

La­za­rus

That li­est beg­ging at my gate;

No meat

no drink will I give thee

For Je­sus Christ His sake.

Then Di­vès sent out his hun­gry dogs

To bite him as he lay;

They hadn’t the pow­er to bite one bite

But licked his sores away.

Then Di­vès sent to his mer­ry men

To wor­ry poor La­za­rus away;

They’d not the pow­er to strike one stroke

But flung their whips away.

As it fell out up­on one day

Poor La­za­rus sick­ened and died;

There came two an­gels out of Heav­en

His soul there­in to guide.

Rise up! rise up! bro­ther La­za­rus

And go along with me;

For you’ve a place pre­pared in Heav­en

To sit on an an­gel’s knee.

As it fell out up­on one day

Rich Divès sick­ened and died;

There came two ser­pents out of hell

His soul there­in to guide.

Rise up! rise up! bro­ther Di­ver­us

And come along with me;

There is a place pro­vid­ed in hell

For wick­ed men like thee.

Then Divès looked up with his eyes

And saw poor La­za­rus blest;

Give me one drop of wa­ter

bro­ther La­za­rus

To quench my flam­ing thirst.

O

was I now but alive again

The space of one half hour!

O

that I had my peace again

Then the de­vil should have no pow­er.