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To a fayre castell of lyme and stone,
For strength I know nat suche a one;
Whiche stode upon a hyll full hye,
At fote wherof a ryver ranne bye,
So depe tyll chaunce had it forbydden,
176 Well myght the Regent there have ryden.
But when this thampyon at this '77 castell did lyght,
It put the castell so farre to flyght,
That downe they came eche upon other,
No stone left standynge, by Goddes mother,
But rolled downe so faste the hyll
In suche a nomber, and so dyd fyll
From botom to bryme, from shore to shore,
Thys foresayd ryver, so depe before,
That who lyste nowe to walke thereto
May wade it over and wet no shoo.
So was thys castell layd wyde open,
That every man myght se the token.

But in a good houre maye these 178 wordes be spoken:

After the thampyon on the walles was wroken, And pece by pece in peces broken,

And she delyvered, with suche violens,

Of all her inconveniens,

I left her in good helth and luste;
And so she doth continew, I truste.

179

Ped. Syr, in your cure I can nothynge tell;
But to your purpose ye have sayd well.
Pard. Well, syr, marke what I can say:
I have ben a pardoner many a day,
And done more cures gostely,
Then ever he dyd bodely;

Namely thys one, whiche ye shall here
Of one departed within thys seven yere,
A frende of myne, and lykewyse I
To her agayne was as frendly;
Who fell so syke so sodeynly,
That dede she was even by and by,
And never spake with preste nor clerke,
Nor had no whyt of holy warke.
For I was thens, it coulde nat be;
Yet harde I say she asked for me.

But when I bethought me howe thys chaunced,
And that I have to heven avaunced

So many soules to me but straungers,
And coude nat kepe my frende from daungers,
But she to dy so daungerously,
For her soule helth especially ;
That was the thynge that greved me soo,
That nothynge could release my woo
Tyll I had tryed, even out of hande,
In what estate her soule dyd stande.
For which tryall, short tale to make,
I toke thys journey for her sake.
Geve ear, for here begynneth the story:
From hens I went to purgatory,
And toke with me thys gere in my fyste,
Whereby I may do there what I lyste.
I knocked, and was let in quyckly;
But Lorde, how lowe the souls made curtesy !
And I to every soule agayne

180 Dyd gyve a beck them to retayne,
And axed them thys question than,
If that the soule of such a woman
Dyd late among them there appere?
Wherto they sayd, she came nat here.
Then ferd I muche it was nat well;
Alas, thought I, she is in hell.
For with her lyfe I was so acqueynted,
That sure, I thought, she was nat saynted.
With thys, it chaunced me to snese;

Christe help, quoth a soule, that ley for his fees,
Those wordes, quoth I, thou shalt nat lees;
Then with these pardons of all degrees,

I payed his tole, and set hym so quyght,
That strayt to heven he toke his flyght;
And I from thens to hell that uyght,
To help this woman yf I myght:
Nat as who sayth by authorite,
But by the waye of entreate.

And fyrst to the devyll that kept the gate

I came, and spake after this rate:

All bayle, Syr Devyll; and made lowe curtesy Welcome, quoth he, thus 181 smillyngly.

176 Well myght the Regent there have ryden-The Regent was one of the largest ships of war in the time of King Henry the Eighth. In the fourth year of his reign, Sir Thomas Knevet, master of the horse, and Sir John Carew of Devonshire, were appointed captains of her, and, in company with several others, she was sent to fight the French fleet near Brest haven. An action accordingly ensued, and the Regent grappled with a French Carrick, which would have been taken had not a gunner on board the vessel, to prevent her falling into the hands of the English, set fire to the powder-room. This communicating the Hames to both ships, they shared the same fate together, being both burnt. On the part of the French 900 men were lost, and on that of the English more than 700. See Hall's Chronicle, tempore Henry VIII. fol. 21.

177 This-on thys castell lyght, 1st edit.

179 Your-our, 1st edit.

178 These-this, edit. 1569.

180 Dyd gyve a beck them to retayne—A beck, among other significations, has that of a salutation with the head. So, in Shakspeare's Timon of Athens:

"A serving of becks, and jutting out of bums." S.

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He knew me well; and I, at laste,
Remembred him syns longe time paste.
For, as good bappe wolde have it chaunce,
This devyll and I were of olde acqueyntaunce;
For oft, in the play of Corpus Cristi,
He hath playd the devyll at Coventry.
By his acqueyntance, and my behavoure,
He showed to me ryght frendly favoure.
And, to make my returne the shorter,
I sayd to this devyll, Good mayster porter,
For all olde love, yf it lie in your power,
Helpe me to speke with my lorde, and your.
Be sure, quoth he, no tongue can tell,
What tyme thou coudest have come so well.
For, as on 183 thys daye Lucyfer fell,
Whiche is our festyvall in hell,
Nothynge unreasonable craved thys day,
That shall in hell have any nay.
But yet be ware thou come nat in,
Tyll tyme thou may 184 thy pasporte wyn;
Wherfore stand styll, and I will wyt,
Yf I can get thy save condyt.
He taryed nat, but shortely gat it
Under seale, and the devyl's hande at it,
In ample wyse, as ye shall here.
Thus it began: I, Lucifere,

185

By the power of God chefe devyll of hell,
To all the devyls that there do dwell,
And every of them, we sende gretynge,
Under streyght charge and commaundynge,
That they aydynge and assystent be
To such a Pardoner, and named me,
So that he may, at lybertie,
Passe save without any 186 jeopardy,

Tyll that he be from us extyncte,
And clerely out of helle's precincte.
And, hys pardons to kepe in savegarde,
We wyll they lye in the porter's warde.

182 For oft, in the play of Corpus Cristi,

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190

As for that day there metely fell.
Theyr hornes well gylt, theyr clowes full clene,
Theyr taylles wel kempt, and, as I wene,
With sothery 189 butter theyr bodyes anoynted;
I never sawe devylls so well appoynted.
The mayster devyll sat in his jacket;
And all the soules were playinge at racket.
None other rackettes they hadde in hande,
Save every soule a good fyre-brand;
Wherwith they played so pretely,
That Lucyfer laughed merely.
And all the resedew of the feends,
192 Did laugh thereat ful wel like freends.
But of my frende I sawe no whyt,
Nor durst not ax for her as yet.
Anone all this rout was brought in silens,
And I by an usher brought to presens
193 Of Lucyfer; then lowe, as wel I could,
I knelyd, whiche he so well alowde,
That thus he beckte, and by Saynt Antony
He smyled on me well favouredly,

191

Bendynge his browes, as brode as barne durres;
Shakynge bys eares, as ruged as burres;

Rolynge his eyes, as rounde as two bushels;
Flastynge the fyre out of his nosethryls;
Gnashinge hys teeth so vayngloriously,
That me thought tyme to fall to flattery,

He hath playd the devyll at Coventry." Before the suppression of the monasteries, this city (i. e Coventry) was very famous for the pageants that were play'd therein upon Corpus Christi day, (this is one of their ancient faires,) which occasioning very great confluence of people thither from far and near, was no small benefit thereto; which pageants being acted with mighty state and reverence by the friers of this house, had theaters for the several scenes very large and high, placed upon wheels, and drawn to all the eminent parts of the city, for the better advantage of spectators, and contained the story of the New Testament, composed in old English rithme, as appeareth by an ancient MS. entitled, Ludus Corporis Christi, or Ludus Coventriæ, in Bibl. Cotton. (sub Effigie Vesp. D. 9.).”—DUGDALE's Warwickshire, p. 116.

183 As on-Add. in the 2d edit.

185 Wyt-Mr Dodsley's has write.

187 Amain-for playne, 1st edit.

184 May-maist, edit. 1569. 186 Any-hys, 1st edit. 188 Euer-cure, edit. 1569.

189 Sothery-Sweet, or fresh, made from the old word sote.

190 Well appointed-See note 3. to The Ordinary, in Dodsley's Old Plays.

191 Feends-frendes, 1st edit.

192 Did, &c.-First edition reads,

"Dyd laugh full well togyther lyke frendes."

193 Of Lucyfer, &c.-First edition reads,

"Then to Lucyfer low as I coude."

Wherwithe I tolde, as I shall tell :
O plesant pycture! O prince of hell!
Feutred 194 in fashyon abominable,
And syns that it is inestimable
For me to prayse the worthyly,
I leve of prayse, as unworthy
To geve the prayse, besechynge the
To heare my sewte, and then to be
So good to graunt the thynge I crave;
And, to be shorte, thys wolde I have:
The soule of one which hyther flytted,
Delivered 195 hence, and to me remitted.
And, in thys doynge, though al be nat quyt,
Yet in some parte I shall 196 deserve it;
As thus, I ani a pardoner,

And over soules as controller,
Throughout the erthe my power doth stande,
Where many a soule lyeth on my haude,
That spede in maters as I use them,
As I receyve them, or refuse them.
Wherby, what tyme thy pleasure is,
Ye 197 shall requyre any part of this,
The leste devyll here that can come thyther,
Shall chose a soule, and brynge him hyther.
Ho,198 ho, quoth the devyll, we are well pleased;
What is hys name thou woldest have eased?
Nay, quoth I, be it good or evyll,
My comynge is for a she-devyll.

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What calste her, (quoth he,) thou whoorson? 199
Forsooth, (quoth I,) Margery Coorson.
Now, by our honour, sayd Lucyfer,
No devyll in hell shall withholde her;
And, yf thou woldest have twenty mo,
Wert not for justyce, they shulde goo.
For all we 200 devylls, within thys den,
Have more to do with two women,
Then with all charge we have besyde;
Wherfore, yf thou our frende wyll be tryed,
Aply thy pardons to women so,
That unto us there come uo mo.
To do my beste I promysed by othe;
Whiche I have kepte, for, as the fayth goth
At thys day,201 to heven I do procure
Ten women to one man, you may be sure.
Then of Lucyfer my leave I toke,
And streyght unto the mayster coke
I was hadde, into the kechyn,

For Margerie's offyce was therin.

All thynges handled there discretely,
For every soule bereth offyce metely:
Woiche myght be sene to se her syt
So bysely turnynge of the spyt.
For many a spyt here hath she turned;
And many a good spyt hath she burned;
And many a spyt ful hote hath tosted;
Before the meat coulde be halfe rosted.
And or 202 the meate were halfe rosted in dede,
I toke her then fro the spyt with spede.
But, when she sawe thys brought to pas,
To tell the joy wherin she was,
And of all the devylls, for joy, how they
Did rore at her delyvery,

And how the cheynes in hell dyd rynge,
And how all the soules therin dyd synge,
And how we were brought to the gate,
And how we toke our leve therat,
Be suer lacke of tyme sufferyth nat
To reherse the twentie parte of that.
Wherfore, thys tale to conclude brevely,
Thys woman thanked me chyefly,
That she was ryd of thys endles deth,
And so we departed on Newmarket heth.
And, yf that any man do mynde her,
Who lyste to seke her, there shalle he fynde her.
Ped. Syr, ye have sought her wunderous 203 well;
And where ye founde her as ye tell,

To here the chaunce ye had 204 in heil,
I find ye were in great peril.2

205

Palm. His tale is all muche perilous; 206 But parte is muche more mervaylous. As where he sayde the devylls complayne, That women put them to suche payne. Be theyr condicions so croked and crabbed, Frowardly fashonde, so wayward and wrabbed,207 So farre in devision, and sturryuge suche stryfe, That all the devylls be wery of theyr life? This, 208 in effect, he tolde for 209 trueth; Wherby muche marvell to me ensueth, That women in hell suche shrewes can be, And here so gentyll as farre as I se. Yet have I sene many a myle, And many a woman in the whyle. Nat one good cytye, towne, ror borough, In Cristendom, but I have been thorough, And this I wolde ye shulde understande,

I have sene women five hundred thousande;

194 Feutred in fashyon abominable-Feutrer, Fr.; faire de feutre; garnir de feutre.-To stuff with felt. Feutre d'herbe, overgrown with grass. S.

196 Shall-wil, edit. 1569.

198 Ho-Nowe, 1st edit.

200 We-the, edit. 1569.

195 Delivered-deliver, edit. 1569.

197 Ye-I, 1st edit.

199 Whoorson-horyson, 1st edit.

201 Day-dayes, 1st edit.

202 Or-ere.

204 Had-founde, 1st edit.

203 Wunderous-wonders, 1st edit.
205 Peril-parell, 1st edit.

206 Perilous-parellous, 1st edit.

207 Wayward and wrabbed-I suppose wrabbed to be a word coined for the sake of rhyme. S

208 This-thus, edit. 1569.

209 For-of, edit. 1569.

And oft with them have longe tyme taried. 210
Yet in all places where I have ben,
Of all the women that I have sene,
I never sawe, nor knewe, in my consciens,
Any one woman out of patiens.

Pot. By the masse, there is a great lye!
Pard. I never harde a greater, by our Lady!
Ped. A greater! nay, knowe ye any so great?
Palm. Syr, whether that I lose or get,
For my parte judgement shall be prayd.
Pard. And I desyer as he hath sayd.
Pot. Procede, and ye shall be obeyd.
Ped. Then shall nat judgement be delayd.
Of all these thre, yf eche mannes tale
In Paule's churche-yarde were set on sale,
In some mannes hande that hath the sleyghte,
He shulde sure sell these tales by weyght:
For as they wey, so be they worth,
But whiche weyth beste, to that now forth.
Syr, all the tale that ye dyd tell,
I bere in mynde, and yours as well.
And as ye sawe the mater metely,
So lyed ye bothe well and discretely.
Yet were your lyes with the lest, truste me;
For yf ye had said, that ye had made fle
Ten thampyons out of ten womens tayles,
Ten tymes ten myle, to ten castels or jayles,
And fild ten ryvers ten tymes so depe,

As ten of that whiche your castell stones did kepe;
Or yf ye ten tymes had bodely
211 Fet ten soules out of purgatory,
And ten tymes so many out of hell;
Yet, by these ten bonnes, I coulde right well,
Ten tymes sooner all that have beleyved,
Then the tenthe parte of that he hath meved.
Pot. Two knaves before one, lacketh two knaves
of fyve;

Then one, and then one, and bothe knaves alyve.
Then two, and then two, and thre at a cast,
Thou knave, and thou knave, and thou knave at
laste.

Nay, knave, yf ye tryme by nomber,
I will as knavyshly you accomber. 212
Your mynde is all on your pryvy tythe;
For all in ten me thynketh your wit lythe.

213 Now ten tymes I beseche hym that hye syttes, Thy wives ten commaundementes may serch thy five wyttes.

Then ten of my tordes in ten of thy teth;
And ten on thy nose, whiche every man seth;
And twentie tymes ten, this wyshe I wolde,
That thou haddest been banged at ten yere olde;
For thou goest about to make me a slave;
I wyll thou knowe yf I am a gentleman,214 knave;
And here is another shall take my parte.

Pard. Nay fyrst I beshrew your knave's herte, Or I take parte in your knavery. 215 Lady.

I wyll speak fair, by our

Syr, I beseche your mashyp to be
As good as ye can 216 be unto me.

Ped. I wolde be glade to do you good;
And hym also, be he never so wood. 216
But dout you not, I wyll now do
The thynge my consciens ledeth me to.
Both your tales I take farre unpossyble,
Yet take I his farther incredyble.
Not only the thynge itselfe alloweth it;
But also the boldenes therof avoweth it.
I knowe nat where your tale to trye;
Nor yours, but in hell or purgatorye.
But hys boldnes hath faced a lye,
That may be tryed evyn in thys companye.
As yf ye lyste to take thys order,
Amonge the women in thys border.

Take thre of the yongest, and thre of the oldest,
Thre of the hotest, and thre of the coldest,
Thre of the wysest, and thre of the shrewdest,
Thre of the chastest, and thre of the lewdest,217
Thre of the lowest, and thre of the hyest,
Thre of the farthest, and thre of the nyest,
Thre of the fayrest, and thre of the maddest,
Thre of the foulest, and thre of the saddest;
And when all these thres be had asonder,
Of eche thre, two justly by nomber
Shall be founde shrewes, excepte thys fall,
That ye hap to fynde them strewes all.
Hymselfe, for trouth, all this doth knowe;
And oft hath tryed some of thys rowe.
And yet he swereth by his consciens,
He never saw woman breke patiens,

210 Taried-maryed, 1st edit.

211 Fet ten soules, &c.-i. e. fetched. The word is used by Tusser, Spenser, and Shakespeare. S. 212 Accomber-overcome.

213 Now ten tymes I beseche hym that hje sylles,

Thy wives ten commaundementes may serch thy five wyttes. So Eleanor, in The Second Part of King Henry VI, act i. scene 3. says,

"I'd set my ten commandments in your face."

Ten commandments seem to have been cant terms for the nails of the hands. See also Mr Steevens's note on

the above passage.

214 Gentleman-gentle, edit. 1569,

216 Ye can-you may, edit. 1569.

215 Our-one, 1st edit.

*

216 Wood-mad, furious.

17 Addition in the second edit.

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Wherfore, consydered with true entente,
Hys lye to be so evident,
And to appere so evydently,
That both you affyrmed it a lye;
And that my consciens so depely,

So depe hath sought thys thynge to try,
And tryed it with mynde indyfferent;
Thus I awarde by way of judgement:
Of all the lies ye all have spent,
Hys lie to be most excellent.

Palm. Syr, though ye were bounde of equite
To do as ye have done to me;
Yet do I thanke you of your payne,
And wyll requyte some parte agayne.

Pard. Mary, syr, ye can no les do,
But thanké hym asmuche as it cometh to;
And so wyll I do for my parte:
Now a vengeance on thy knave's hearte,
I never knewe a Pedler a judge before,
Nor never wyll truste pedlynge knave more.
What doest thou there, thou horson nody?

Pot. By the masse, lerne to make curtesy,
Curtesy before, and curtesy behynde hym,
And then, on eche syde, the devyll blynde hym.
Nay, when ye 218 have it perfytly,

Ye shall have the devyll and all of curtesy.
But it is nat sone lerned, gentle 219 brother,
One knave to make curtesy to another.
Yet when I am angry, that is the worste,
I shall call my mayster knave at the fyrste.
Palm. Then wolde some mayster perhappes
clowt you,

But, as for me, ye nede not doute you:
For I had lever 220 be without ye,
Then have suche besynesse about ye.

Pot. So helpe me God, so were ye better!
What, shulde a begger be a jetter 221
It were no whyt your honestie,
To have us twayne jet after ye.

Pard. Syr, be you sure he telleth you true,
Yf we shulde wayte thys wolde ensew;
It wolde be sayd, truste me at a worde,
Two knaves made 222
curtesy to the thyrde.

Ped. Now, by my trouth, to speke my mynde, Syns they be so loth to be assyned,223

224

To let them lose I thynke it beste;
And so shall ye lyve the better in rest.
Palm. Syr, I am nat on them so fonde,
To compell them to kepe theyr bonde.
And, syns ye lyste nat to wayte on me,
Lelerely of waytinge do dyscharge ye.

Pard. Marry, syr, I hertely thanke you.
Pot. 225 And likewise I, to God I vow.
Ped. Now be ye all even as ye begoon;
No man hath loste, nor no man hath woon.
Yet in the debate, wherewith ye began,
By waye of advyce I wyll speke as I can.
1 doo perceyve, that pylgrymage
Is chyefe 226 the thynge ye have in usage;
Wherto, in effect, for the love of Chryst,
Ye have, or shulde have been, entyst.
And who so doth with suche intent,
Doth well declare hys tyme well spent.
And so do ye in your pretence,
If ye procure thus 227 indulgence
Unto your neyghbours charytably,
For love of them in God onely.
All thys may be ryght well applyed

To show 228 you both well occupyed.
For though ye walke nat bothe one waye,
Yet walkynge thus, thys dare I saye,
That bothe your walkes come to one
229 end;
And so for all that do pretende
By ayde of Goddes grace to ensewe
Any maner kynde of vertue.
As some, great almyse for to gyve;
Some, in wyllfull povertie to lyve;
Some to make hye wayes, and suche lyke warkes;239
And some to mayntaine prestes and clarkes,
To synge and praye for soule departed;
These, with all other vertues well marked,
Although they be of sondry kyndes,
Yet be they nat used with sondry myndes;
But as God only doth all those move,
So every man onely for his love,
With love and dred obediently,
Worketh in these vertues unyformly.
Thus every vertue, yf we lyste to scan,
Is pleasaunt to God, and thankfull to man.
And who that, by grace of the Holy Goste,

218 Ye-I, Ist edit.

220 Lever-rather, edit. 1569.

219 Gentle-Addition in the second edit.

221 A jetter-i. e. one who struts or agitates his body in a pompous manner. So, in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night:

"How he jets under his advanced plumes." S.

222 Made-make, edit. 1569.

223 Assyned-I believe we should read affin'd, i. e. joined by affinity to each other. So, in Othello, "If partially affin'd or leagued in office." S.

224 Better-beste, 1st edit.

225 And likewise I, &c.-First edition reads,

“And I lykewyse, I make God a vowe."

226 Chyefe-cheefest, edit. 1569. 228 Shew-shewell, Ist edit. 230 Like-other, 1st edit.

227 Thus-this, edit. 1569,

229 One-on, edit. 1569.

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