CALISTO

¶ By you feyre melebea may be seen The grace the gifts the greatness of God But not of Melebea now I am sure And thought thou hadst praised me w to out measure And compared me without comparison yet she is above in every condition ¶ Behold her nobleness her auncyon lineage Her great patrimony her excellent wit Her resplendent verteu hie portly courage Her godly grace her suffereyn be wte perfect No tonge is able well to express it But yet I pray the let me speak a while My sell to refresh in rehearsing of my style ¶ I Begin at her herr which is so goodly Crisped to her helys tied with fine lase Far shining beyond fine gold of araby I trow the son coler to hit may gyff place That who to behold it might have the grace would say incomparison nothing cou ̄ teruaylys In taking effect of Dam ̄ e nature stren Nor yerthly but angellyke of likely Hod In dewte so passing the kind of woman hod Oh God I might in your presens be able To manifest my dolours inco ̄ perable ¶ Greater were that reward than the grace Heaven to optayn by works of pity Not so glorious be the saites that see gods face Ne Joy not so Much as I do you to see yet dyffereus there is between Them & me For they glorify by his assured presens And I in torment be cause of your absens a sir I shrew thy face ¶ why hast thou be from me so long absent melebea is her name marry for y fire is grettyst That brennyth verey soar and lastytꝭ lengyst ¶ And greater is the fire that bre ̄ nyth one soul Than that which bre ̄ nyth and hundred bodies why reprovest me than of ignorans it is playu because I love her and think surely To obtain my desire I am unworthy you marry what than Lryst make the strong ¶ The mighty and petdurable God be his guide As he guide the King in to bedleme From the est by the start and again did provide As their conduct to return to their own ream So speed my sempronio to quench the leme Of this fire which my heart does wast & spend And that I may come to my desired end ¶ To pass the time now will I walk Up and down within mine orchard And to my self go common and talk And pray that fortune to me be nothard Longing to here whither made or marred My message shall return by my seruannt sempronio Thus fare well my lords for a while I will go wottest who is here Sempronio that reuyuyth my cheer pesis of gold will you buy any thread Sempronio / Oh sempronio have pity on my distress For of all creature I am the woefullest ¶ For I serve in love to the goodliest thing That is or ever was. ¶ I pray the sempronio goo fetched me my lute And bring some chair or stole with the The argument of love that I may dispute which scyens I find the art without pity High the sempronio high the I pray the Then farewell Christ send the again soon ¶ Oh what fortune is equal unto mine Oh what woeful wight with me may compare The thirst of sorrow is my mixed wine which daily I drink with deep draught of Can ¶ Myry quod a / nay that will not be But I must needs fit for very feebleness Gyve me my lute and thou shalt see How I shall sing mine unhappiness This lute is out of tune now as I ges Alas in tune how should I set it when all armony to me discordith yche whyt ¶ As he to whose will reason's is unruly For I feel sharp nedyls within my breast Peas war truth haterad and injury Hope and suspect and all in one chest ¶ Greater is my fire and less pity showed me what sayest thou / None but such as list to make lies And if the fire of purgatory bren in such wise I had lever my spirete in bruit bestꝭ should be Than to go thydyr and than to the deyte why so / ¶ And vncredable thing thou dost promise me what counsel can rule him sempronio That keepeth in him keepeth no of counsel why. is not Eliceas love and thine met A woma ̄ Nay a God of goddesses. ¶ you and as a gods I here confess And I believe there is no such sufferayn In heaven though she be in earth. Than sith adam gaff him to their governance Am I greater than adam my self to auannce ¶ But what thynkyst thou by me yet for all this wherein. ¶ I love not to here this altar ion Between melebea and me her lover with what eyes. ¶ why with what eyes do I see now ¶ God bring that to pace so glad it is to me To here the thus though I hope not in thy doing God reward the for thy gentle intending I gyff the this thayn of gold in rewarding I am ontent so thou be not ne lygent How thynky to it can be show me thine intent ¶ How might I speak with her sempronio Else were I not worthy to attain grace But alas sempronio thou taryest to long ¶ Now the blessing that our lady gave her soon That same blessing I gyve now to you all That I come thus homely I pray you of done I am sought and sendfore as a woman universal Celestina of truth my name is to call Sempronio for me about does inquire And it was told me I should have found hyin here ¶ I am sure he will come hither anon But the whylyst I shall tell you a pretty game I have a wench of Sempronios a pretty one That soiornyth with e Elecea is her name But the last day we were both nigh a stark shame For sempron oh would have her to him self seuerell And she louyth one Cryto better or as well ¶ This Cryto and Elicea sat drinking In my house and I also making merry And as the devil would far from our thynkyug Sempronio almost cam on us suddenly But then wrought I my craft of bawdry I bade Cryto go up and make himself room To hide him in my chamber among the brome ¶ Then made I Elicea fit down a sowing And I with my rok began for to spyn As who sayeth of sempronio we had no knowing He knokkyd at the door and I lete him in And for a countenance I did Begin To catch him in mine arms and said see see who kyssyth me Elicea and will not kys the ¶ Elicea for a countenance made her grieved And would not speak but Still did sow why speak you not quod sempronio be you moved Have I not a cause quod she no quod he I trow A traitor quod she full well dost thou know where hast thou been these. iii. days from me That the inpostume and evil death take the ¶ Peas mine Elicea quod he why say you thus Alas why put you your self in this woe The hight fire of love so brennyth between us That my heart is with yours where ever I go And for .iii. days absens to say to me so In faith me thinketh you be to blame But now hark well for here begynnyth the game ¶ Cryto in my chamber above that was hyddyn I think lay not easily and began to romble Sempronio hard that and asked who was within Above in the chamber that so did Iomble who quod she a lover of mine / may hap you stumble Quod he on the truth as many one does Go up quod she and look whither it be sooth ¶ well quod he I go / nay thought I not so I said come sempronio let this fool alone For of thy long absens she is in such woe And half beside her self and her wit nigh gone well quod he above yet there is one Wilt thou know quod I you quod he I the require It is a wench quod I sent me by a frere ¶ what frere quod he wilt thou nedꝭ know I than ̄ It is the I pray Oh quod he what a load hath that woman To bear him / you vod I though women per case Bear heavy full oftyet they gall in no place Then he laughed / you quod I no more word of this For this time to long we spend here amys My son sempronio I am glad of our meeting And as I here say we go about to seek me Thou sayest well knowest not me Celestina I have the end of the matter and for more speed Thou shalt wade no further / for of this deed I am as glad as ever was the surgeon For saluys for broke heed to make provision ¶ And so intend I to do to Calisto To gyff him hope and assure him remedy For long hope to the heart Much trouble will do wherefore to the effect thereof I will hie Parmeno. Peas I Say parmeno or go out of the door Counterfeit ̄ mist thou to hinder me then dost thou me wrong I pray the help for to make me more strong To win this woman elle god forbad She hath equal power of my life under God ¶ how knowest all this dost thou know her For the third part sempronio we must get After that thy master shall come to skole To sing the fourth part y to his purs shall sweated For I so craftily the song can set Though thy master be Horse his purs shall sing clear And taught to solf that woman's flesh is dear ¶ How sayest to this thou praty parmeno Thou knowest not the world nor no delytis therein Dost understand me infeyth I tro no Thou art young enough the game to Begin Thy aisterhath waded himself so far in And to bring him out lies not in me old poor ¶ how sayest semptonio have I done well God be here I Lryst save you fair mestres & God be your sped And health be to you & all your kin And marry god mother that blessed virgin Preserve & prosper your womanly personage And well to enjoy your yough & pusell age ¶ For that time pleasurys are most eschyuyd And age is the hospital of all manner sickness The resting place of all thought vnreleuyd The sport of time passed the end of all quiknes Neybour to death a dry stok without sweetness Discomfort disease all age alowith A tre without sap that small charge boweth They desire hurt for them selfas all of will And the cause why they desire to come thereby Is for to life for death is so loathly He that is sorrowful would life to be soryer And he that is old would life to be elder ¶ Fair damesell who can show all the hurt of age His werynes feebleness his discontenting His chyldishnes forwardness of his rage wrynkelyng in the face lak of sight and hearing Holownes of mouth fallen of teth faint of going And worst of all possessed with poverty And the lymmys arrested with debylite Folys are they that are passed their passage To Begin again which be at the ending For better is possession than the desiring That you desire well I think not so ¶ For as soon goes to market the lambys fell As the ship / none so old but may life a year And there is none so young but you wot well May die in a day then no advantage is here Between youth & age y matter is clear you for sooth / ¶ Oh angelyk image oh ꝑle so p ̄ cyous Oh how thou speakest it reioysyth me to here Knowist thou not by the divine month gracious That against the infernal fiend lucyfe re we should not only life by bred here But by our good works where in I take some pain if you know not my mind now all is in vein My necessity nay God wot it is not for me As for mine I laft it at home surely To eat when I will & drink when I am dry And I thank God ever one penny hath be mine To by bred when Ilyst & to have. iiii. for wine ¶ Afore I was wyddow I cared never for it For I had wine enough of mine own to fell And w to a tossed in wine by the fire I could fit w to . ii. dosen sop the collyk to quell But now w to me it is not so well For I have nothing but that is brought me In a pytcher pot of quartys skant three ¶ Thus I pray God help them that be needy For I speak not for my self alone But as well for other how ever speed I The infirmity is not mine though that I groan It is for a neither y to I make moan And not for my self it is a neither way But what I must moan where I dare not say now gracious damsel I thank you than That to give audyens you be so pressed w to liberal readiness to me old woman which gyffyth me boldness to show what I can Of one that lies in danger by sickness Remyttyng his languor to your ge ̄ tyllnes ¶ I said I laft one in danger of sickness Drawing to death for ought that I can see Now chosen you or no to be murderes Or reuyue him w to a word to come from the ¶ In and yuyll hour cam I hither I may say I would I had broken my leg twain you more greater than if God would set me In heaven above all saints & more in regard And think it a more higher felicity ¶ Oh what foul comparison this fellow raylys Her gay glazing eyes so fair and bright Her brows her nose in a mean no fashion faylys Her mouth per & feat her teeth small & uvhyght er lyppis her body Straight upright Her lyttyll tetys to the eye is a pleasure Oh what Joy it is to see such a figure ¶ Her skin of whytnes endarkyth the snow with rose colour ennewed I the ensure Her lyttyll hand in mean manner this is no trow Her fingers small & long w to naylys ruddy most pure Of proportion none such in purtrayture without peer worthy to have for fairness The apple that Paris gave venus the gods Come hens permeno I love not this I And good mother grieve you not I you pray My mind I shall show now hark what I say ¶ Oh notable woman Oh ancient virtue O'gloryous hope of my desired intent Th'end of my delectable hope to renew My regeneration to this life present Resurreccon from death / so excellent Thou art above other / I desire humbly To kys thy hands wherein lies my remedy ¶ But mine unworthiness maketh resistance yet worship I the ground that thou ghost on Beseeching the good woman with most reuerens On my pain with thy pity to look upon without thy comfort my life is gone To revyue my deed sprite thou mayest prefer me with the words of thy mouth to make or mar me ¶ what sayeth she sewpronio alas my heart bledes That I with you good woman mistrust should be Loom on sempronio thou gyffyst me good counsel Mother as I promised to assoil thy doubt here I gyfe the and. Then Wilt thou do after my council After this old woman will thou be hyeng To remember & hast her in every thing Then go & bid ꝑmeno come I pray the ¶ Now God be their gyddys the post of my life My relief from death the mbassade of my wealth My hope my hap my quietness my strife My Joy my sorrow my sickness my health The hope of this old woman my heart telth That comfort shall come shortly as I Intend Or else come death & make of me and end what sayest ꝑmeno what sayest to we A ill tongued wretch will you not see Thynkyst thou lordeyn thou would ̄ delyst me fair why knave wouldst thou put me now in despair