Chapter 18

PARDONER. Well, sir, then mark what I can say. I have been a pardoner many a day, And done greater[508] cures ghostly Than ever he did bodily. Namely this one, which ye shall hear, Of one departed within this seven year, A friend of mine, and likewise I To her again was as friendly: Who fell so sick so suddenly, That dead she was even by and by, And never spake with priest nor clerk, Nor had no whit of this holy work; For I was thence, it could not be, Yet heard I say she asked for me. But when I bethought me how this chanced, And that I have to heaven avanced So many souls to me but strangers, And could not keep my friend from dangers, But she to die so dangerously, For her soul-health especially; That was the thing that grieved me so, That nothing could release my woe, Till I had tried even out of hand, In what estate her soul did stand. For which trial, short tale to make, I took this journey for her sake.[509] Give ear, for here beginneth the story: From hence I went to Purgatory, And took with me this gear in my fist, Whereby I may do there what I list. I knocked and was let in quickly: But, Lord, how low the souls made curtesy; And I to every soul again Did give a beck[510] them to retain, And asked them this question then, If that the soul of such a woman Did late among them there appear? Whereto they said, she came not here. Then feared I much it was not well; Alas, thought I, she is in hell; For with her life I was so acquainted, That sure I thought she was not sainted. With this it chanced me to sneeze; Christ help, quoth a soul that lay for his fees. Those words, quoth I, thou shalt not lese; Then with these pardons of all degrees I paid his toll and set him so quit, That straight to heaven he took his flight, And I from thence to hell that night, To help this woman, if I might; Not as who saith by authority, But by the way of entreaty. And first to the devil that kept the gate I came, and spake after this rate: All hail, sir devil, and made low curtesy: Welcome, quoth he thus smilingly.[511] He knew me well, and I at last Remembered him since long time past: For, as good hap would have it chance, This devil and I were of old acquaintance; For oft, in the play of Corpus Christi,[512] He hath played the devil at Coventry. By his acquaintance and my behaviour, He showed to me right friendly favour, And to make my return the shorter, I said to this devil: Good master porter, For all old love, if it lie in your power, Help me to speak with my lord and your. Be sure, quoth he, no tongue can tell, What time thou couldst have come so well: For as on[513] this day Lucifer fell, Which is our festival in hell. Nothing unreasonable craved this day, That shall in hell have any nay. But yet beware thou come not in, Till time thou may[514] thy passport win. Wherefore stand still, and I will wit,[515] If I can get thy safe-conduit. He tarried not, but shortly got it Under seal, and the Devil's hand at it, In ample wise, as ye shall hear; Thus it began: Lucifer, By the power of God, chief devil of hell, To all the devils that there do dwell And every of them, we send greeting, Under strait charge and commanding, That they aiding and assistant be To such a Pardoner, and named me, So that he may at liberty Pass safe without any[516] jeopardy, Till that he be from us extinct, And clearly out of hell's precinct. And his pardon to keep in safeguard, We will they lie in the porter's ward. Given in the furnace of our palace, In our high court of matters of malice, Such a day and year of our reign. God save the devil, quoth I, amain.[517] I trust this writing to be sure: Then put thy trust, quod he, in ure[518], Since thou art sure to take no harm. This devil and I walked arm in arm So far, till he had brought me thither, Where all the devils of hell together Stood in array in such apparel, As for that day there meetly fell. Their horns well-gilt, their claws full clean, Their tails well-kempt, and, as I ween, With sothery[519] butter their bodies annointed; I never saw devils so well appointed.[520] The master-devil sat in his jacket, And all the souls were playing at racket. None other rackets they had in hand, Save every soul a good firebrand: Wherewith they played so prettily, That Lucifer laughed merrily; And all the residue of the fiends[521] Did laugh thereat full well like friends.[522] But of my friend I saw no whit, Nor durst not ask for her as yet. Anon all this rout was brought in silence, And I by an usher brought in presence Of Lucifer; then low, as well I could,[523] I kneeled, which he so well allowed, That thus he becked, and, by St Anthony, He smiled on me well-favouredly, Bending his brows as broad as barn-doors, Shaking his ears as rugged as burrs; Rolling his eyes as round as two bushels; Flashing the fire out of his nosthrils; Gnashing his teeth so vaingloriously, That me-thought time to fall to flattery, Wherewith I told, as I shall tell: O pleasant picture! O prince of hell! Feutred[524] in fashion abhominable, And since that is inestimable For me to praise thee worthily. I leave of praise, as unworthy To give thee praise, beseeching thee To hear my suit, and then to be So good to grant the thing I crave; And, to be short, this would I have: The soul of one which hither is flitted, Delivered[525] hence, and to me remitted. And in this doing, though all be not quit, Yet in some part I shall[526] deserve it, As thus: I am a pardoner, And over souls as controller, Thorough out the earth my power doth stand, Where many a soul lieth on my hand, That speed in matters as I use them, As I receive them or refuse them. Whereby what time thy pleasure is, I[527] shall requite any part of this, The least devil here that can come thither, Shall choose a soul and bring him hither. Ho,[528] ho! quoth the devil, we are well pleased; What is his name thou wouldst have eased? Nay, quoth I, be it good or evil, My coming is for a she devil. What callst her, quoth he, thou whoreson?[529] Forsooth, quoth I, Margery Corson. Now, by our honour, said Lucifer, No devil in hell shall withhold her; And if thou wouldest have twenty mo, Wert not for justice, they should go. For all we[530] devils within this den Have more to do with two women, Than with all the charge we have beside; Wherefore, if thou our friend will be tried, Apply thy pardons to women so, That unto us there come no mo. To do my best I promised by oath; Which I have kept, for, as the faith goeth, At this day[531] to heaven I do procure Ten women to one man, be sure. Then of Lucifer my leave I took, And straight unto the master-cook I was had into the kitchen, For Margery's office was therein. All things handled there discreetly, For every soul beareth office meetly: Which might be seen to see her sit So busily turning of the spit. For many a spit here hath she turned, And many a good spit hath she burned: And many a spitful hot hath roasted, Before the meat could be half roasted, And ere the meat were half-roasted indeed, I took her then fro the spit with speed. But when she saw this brought to pass, To tell the joy wherein she was! And of all the devils, for joy how they Did roar at her delivery! And how the chains in hell did ring. And how all the souls therein did sing; And how we were brought to the gate, And how we took our leave thereat, Be sure lack of time suffereth not To rehearse the twentieth part of that, Wherefore, this tale to conclude briefly, This woman thanked me chiefly, That she was rid of this endless death, And so we departed on Newmarket-heath. And if that any man do mind her, Who lists to seek her, there shall he find her.

PEDLAR. Sir, ye have sought her wonders[532] well, And where ye found her as ye tell, To hear the chance ye had[533] in hell, I find ye were in great peril.[534]

PALMER. His tale is all much perilous;[535] But part is much more marvellous: As where he said the devils complain, That women put them to such pain. Be their conditions so crooked and crabbed, Frowardly fashioned, so wayward and wrabbed. [536] So far in division, and stirring such strife, That all the devils be weary of their life. This[537] in effect he told for[538] truth. Whereby much marvel to me ensueth, That women in hell such shrews can be, And here so gentle, as far as I see. Yet have I seen many a mile, And many a woman in the while. Not one good city, town, or borough In Christendom, but I have been thorough, And this I would ye should understand, I have seen women five hundred thousand: And oft with them have long time tarried.[539] Yet in all places where I have been, Of all the women that I have seen, I never saw nor knew in my conscience Any one woman out of patience.

'POTHECARY. By the mass, there is a great lie.

PARDONER. I never heard a greater, by our Lady.

PEDLAR. A greater! nay, know ye any so great?

PALMER. Sir, whether that I lose or get, For my part judgment shall be prayed.

PARDONER. And I desire, as he hath said.

'POTHECARY. Proceed, and ye shall be obeyed.

PEDLAR. Then shall not judgment be delayed, Of all these three, if each man's tale In Paul's Churchyard were set on sale, In some man's hand that hath the sleight, He should sure sell these tales by weight; For as they weigh, so be they worth, But which weigheth best, to that now forth. Sir, all the tale that ye did tell I bear in mind, and yours as well: And as ye saw the matter meetly, So lied ye both well and discreetly; Yet were your lies with the least, trust me; For if ye had said ye had made flee Ten tampions out of ten women's tails, Ten times ten mile to ten castles or jails, And filled ten rivers ten times so deep, As ten of that which your castle-stones did keep; Or if ye ten times had bodily Fet[540] ten souls out of purgatory; And ten times so many out of hell: Yet, by these ten bones, I could right well, Ten times sooner all that believed, Than the tenth part of that he hath meved.

'POTHECARY. Two knaves before one lacketh two knaves of five:[541] Then one, and then one, and both knaves alive. Then two, and then two, and three at a cast, Thou knave, and thou knave, and thou knave at last. Nay knave, if ye try me by number, I will as knavishly you accumber[542] Your mind is all on your privy tithe, For all in ten me-thinketh your wit li'th. Now ten times I beseech him that high sits, Thy wife's ten commandments may search thy five wits. Then ten of my turds in ten of thy teeth, And ten on thy nose, which every man seeth; And twenty times ten this wish I would That thou hadst been hanged at ten year old: For thou goest about to make me a slave. I will thou know that I am a gentle[543] knave. And here is another shall take my part.

PARDONER. Nay, first I beshrew your knave's heart, Ere I take part in your knavery: I will speak fair, by our[544] lady. Sir, I beseech your maship to be As good as ye can[545] be unto me.

PEDLAR. I would be glad to do you good, And him also, be he ever so wood;[546] But doubt you not I will now do The thing my conscience leadeth me to. Both your tales I take for impossible, Yet take I his farther incredible. Not only the thing itself alloweth it, But also the boldness thereof avoweth it. I know not where your tale to try; Nor yours, but in hell or purgatory. But his boldness hath faced a lie, That may be tried even in this company. As if ye list to take this order, Among the women in this border, Take three of the youngest, and three of the oldest, Three of the hottest, and three of the coldest, Three of the wisest, and three of the shrewdest, Three of the chastest, and three of the lewdest,[547] Three of the lowest, and three of the highest, Three of the farthest, and three of the nighest, Three of the fairest, and three of the maddest, Three of the foulest, and three of the saddest, And when all these threes be had asunder Of each three, two justly by number Shall be found shrews, except this fall, That ye hap to find them shrews all. Himself for truth all this doth know, And oft hath tried some of this row; And yet he sweareth by his conscience, He never saw woman break patience. Wherefore, considered with true intent, His lie to be so evident, And to appear so evidently, That both you affirmed it a lie; And that my conscience so deeply So deep hath sought this thing to try, And tried it with mind indifferent; Thus I award by way of judgment: Of all the lies ye all have spent, His lie to be most excellent.

PALMER. Sir, though ye were bound of equity To do as ye have done to me, Yet do I thank you of your pain, And will requite some part again.

PARDONER. Marry, sir, ye can no less do, But thank him as much as it cometh to; And so will I do for my part. Now a vengeance on thy knave's heart, I never knew a pedlar a judge before, Nor never will trust pedling knave more. What doest thou there, thou whoreson noddy?

'POTHECARY. By the mass, learn to make courtesy: Courtesy before, and courtesy behind him, And then on each side, the devil blind him! Nay, when ye[548] have it perfitly, Ye shall have the devil and all of courtesy: But it is not soon learned, gentle[549] brother, One knave to make courtesy to another. Yet when I am angry, that is the worst, I shall call my master knave at the first.

PALMER. Then would some master perhaps clout ye, But, as for me, ye need not doubt ye; For I had liever[550] be without ye, Than have such business about ye.

'POTHECARY. So help me God, so were ye better; What, should a beggar be a jetter?[551] It were no whit your honesty To have us twain jet after ye.

PARDONER. Sir, be your sure he telleth you true, If we should wait, this would ensue: It would be said, trust me at a word, Two knaves made[552] courtesy to the third.

PEDLAR. Now, by my troth, to speak my mind, Since they be so both to be assigned,[553] To let them lose I think it best. And so shall ye live the better[554] in rest.

PALMER. Sir, I am not on them so fond, To compel them to keep their bond; And since ye list not to wait on me, I clearly of waiting do discharge ye.

PARDONER. Marry, sir, I heartily thank you.

'POTHECARY. And likewise I, to God I vow.[555]

PEDLAR. Now be ye all even as ye began; No man hath lost, nor no man hath wan. Yet in the debate wherewith ye began, By way of advice I will speak as I can. I do perceive that pilgrimage Is chief[556] the thing ye have in usage; Whereto in effect, for the love of Christ, Ye have, or should have been enticed: And who so doth with such intent, Doth well declare his time well-spent. And so do ye in your pretence, If ye procure thus[557] indulgence Unto your neighbours charitably, For love of them in God only. All this may be right well applied To show[558] you both well occupied: For though ye walk not both one way, Yet walking thus, this dare I say, That both your walks come to one[559] end; And so for all that do pretend By aid of God's grace to ensue Any manner kind of virtue; As some great alms for to give: Some, in wilful poverty to live: Some, to make highways and such like[560] works, And some to maintain priests and clerks To sing and pray for soul departed: These, with all other virtues well marked, Although they be of sundry kinds, Yet be they not used with sundry minds. But as God only doth all those move, So every man only for his love, With love and dread obediently Worketh in these virtues uniformly. Thus every virtue, if we list to scan, Is pleasant to God and thankful to man. And who that, by grace of the Holy Ghost, To any one virtue is moved most, That man by that grace that one apply, And therein serve God most plentifully,[561] Yet not that one so far wide to wrest: So liking the same, to mislike the rest. For who so wresteth, his work is in vain; And even in that case I perceive you twain: Liking your virtue in such wise, That each other's virtue ye do despise. Who walketh this way for God, would find him, The farther they seek him, the farther behind him. One kind of virtue to despise another, Is like as the sister might hang the brother.

'POTHECARY. For fear lest such perils[562] to me might fall, I thank God I use no virtue at all.

PEDLAR. That is of all the very worst way; For more hard it is, as I have heard say, To begin virtue where none is pretended, Than where it is begun, th' abuse to be mended. How be it, ye be[563] not all to begin, One sign of virtue ye are entered in: As this, I suppose ye did say true, In that ye said ye use no virtue. In the which words I dare well report, You are well beloved of all this sort, By your railing here openly At pardons and relics so lewdly.

'POTHECARY. In that I think my fault not great; For all that he hath I know counterfeit.

PEDLAR. For his and all other that ye know feigned, You be not[564] counselled nor constrained To any such thing in any such case, To give any reverence in any such place. But where ye doubt, the truth not knowing. Believing the best, good may be growing, In judging the best, no harm at the least; In judging the worst, no good at the best. But best in these things it seemeth to me, To make[565] no judgment upon ye; But as the church doth judge or take them, So do ye receive or forsake them. And so be you sure ye cannot err, But may be a fruitful follower.

'POTHECARY. Go ye before, and as I am true man, I will follow as fast as I can.

PARDONER. And so will I, for he hath said so well, Reason would we should follow his counsel.

PALMER. Then to our reason God give us his grace, That we may follow with faith so firmly His commandments, that we may purchase His love, and so consequently To believe his church fast and faithfully; So that we may, according to his promise, Be kept out of error in any wise. And all that hath scaped[566] us here by negligence, We clearly revoke and forsake it; To pass the time in this without offence, Was the cause why the Maker did make it; And so we humbly beseech you to take it, Beseeching our Lord to prosper you all In the faith of his Church Universal.[567]

A NEW INTERLUDE, CALLED THERSITES.

EDITION

_A new Enterlude called Thersytes. This Enterlude followynge dothe declare howe that the greatest boesters are not the greatest doers_.

THE NAMES OF THE PLAYERS.

THERSITES, _a boster_. MATER, _a mother_. MULCIBER, _a smyth_. MILES, _a knyght_. TELEMACHUS, _a childe_.

[Col.] Imprinted at London, by John Tysdale and are to be solde at hys shop in the vpper ende of Lvmbard streete, in Alhallowes Churche yarde neare vntoo grace church. 4°. Black letter.

HASLEWOOD'S PREFACE.[568]

In the comic movements of life, the chief dependence of society will ever be upon the drama; still the history of the English stage remains very imperfect, obscure, and unsatisfactory. Perhaps of no period are fewer particulars known than that in, which a struggle for precedence arose between "the moral new interlude" and "the merry new interlude;" or when common sense, being partially relieved from bigotry and cold superstition, gave licence to the infant votaries of the drama to drive from thespian scaffolds old _Vice_, the prosing, loquacious hero of "Mysteries and Moralities." Somewhere near that period, the two following pieces, written for "buskined boys," were performed, and being undoubtedly esteemed popular, both printed, but without dates. An entry was made of the first as "Jack Juggeler and Mrs Boundgrace," in the stationers' book, by William Copland, in 1562-63. In "Thersites," the author, by the epilogue, has noted the precise time of its being written, in mentioning the birth of Prince Edward (afterwards King Edward VI.), which happened the 12th of August 1537, and invoking the Almighty to save the "Queen, lovely Lady Jane," who is supposed to have died the second day after that event. If then acted, it was probably revived on the accession of Queen Elizabeth, and printed by Tysdale, whose typographical labours did not commence in All-Hallows' Churchyard until 1561. So rare were both interludes, that their existence had long been doubted, when, in 1810, they were discovered in a private collection of ancient plays.[569] That collection was so large, and contained specimens of the early drama so little known, as to induce a spirited bibliopolist to purchase the whole, projecting a republication of "Old English Mysteries, Moralities, Interludes, Pageants, and Plays." It was to have extended to twenty octavo volumes. Unfortunately, an announcement of a similar nature, although upon a smaller scale (and afterwards meagrely executed), deterred the intended proprietors from the venture of the large capital necessary to complete so extensive an undertaking. Hence the whole collection was promiscuously dispersed, and so widely, as to prevent a reference to these interludes, when needed, to ascertain the character and size of the black letter type used. That circumstance has occasioned a deviation from the strict rule of a facsimile, followed in all other respects, except adding, for convenience, a pagination. By the use of modern type, however, another specimen is secured from the valuable private press of an absent member. At the same time, convinced such a deviation can seldom be tolerated, there can only be pleaded the opportunity of extending some knowledge of two unique copies: the now almost "olden" venial transgression of him who will, probably, continue sinning, until the forced guest to banquet with the doctor and his associate.

_May_ 29, 1820.

Mr Child observes:[570] "The play does not require particular notice. Its lively absurdity could not have failed to be entertaining to an easy audience, and is not tiresome now. _Thersites_ indulges plentifully in one of the privileges of the old _Vice_--that of talking incoherent nonsense. There is a vigour in some parts quite unusual in these things, and many of the lines in Skelton's metre have some of his power, together with all his coarseness. The passage, pp. 84-86, may remind the reader of that remarkable poem, 'Elynour Rummyng.'"

THERSITES.

_Thersites cometh in, first having a club upon his neck_.[571]

Have in a ruffler forth of the Greek land, Called Thersites, if ye will me know: Aback, give me room, in my way do ye not stand; For if ye do, I will soon lay you low. In Homer of my acts ye have read, I trow: Neither Agamemnon nor Ulysses I spared to check: They could not bring me to be at their beck. Of late from the Siege of Troy I returned, Where all my harness except this club I lost. In an old house there it was quite burned, While I was preparing victuals for the host. I must needs get me new, whatsoever it cost; I will go seek adventures, for I can not be idle; I will hamper some of the knaves in a bridle. It grieveth me to hear how the knaves do brag; But by supreme Jupiter, when I am harnessed well, I shall make the dasters[572] to renne[573] into a bag, To hide them fro me as fro the devil of hell, I doubt not but hereafter of me ye shall hear tell: How I have made the knaves for to play couch-quail. But now to the shop of Mulciber to go I will not fail.

[_Mulciber must have a shop made in the place, and Thersites cometh before it saying aloud_:

Mulciber, whom the poets doth call the god of fire, Smith unto Jupiter, king over all: Come forth of thy office, I thee desire, And grant me my petition, I ask a thing but small. I will none of thy lightning, that thou art wont to make For the gods supernal, for ire when they do shake; With which they thrust the giants down to hell That were at a convention heaven to buy and sell. But I would have some help of Lemnos and Ithalia,[574] That of their steel by thy craft _condatur mihi galea_.

MULCIBER.

What, fellow Thersites, do ye speak Latin now? Nay then, farewell, I make God a vow, I do not you understand, no Latin is in my pallet. [_And then he must do, as he would go away_.

THERSITES.

I say, abide, good Mulciber, I pray thee make me a sallet.[575]

MULCIBER.