Wit. And wish to mary speedyly:

Wisdome. For why? allthough the turtle long

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Ware parted from her mate,

Wit. Now, God be thanked, thay are met

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That we departe away

To celebrate the nuptiales

With joy, this wedding-day!

Wit. Goe you before, my father deare,
And you, good master, straight;

And then both I and Wisdome to

Upon you will awaite.

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[Goe forth all.]

JOHN HEYWOOD

THE FOURE PP

Palmer. Now God be here, Who kepeth this place!
Now, by my fayth, I cry you mercy;
Of reason I must sew for grace,
My rudnes sheweth me now so homely.
Wher of your pardon axt and wonne,
I sew now, as curtsey doth me bynde,
To tell this whiche shall be begonne
In order as may come beste in mynde.
I am a palmer, as you se,

Which of my life muche part hath spent
In many a farre and fayre cuntre,
As pylgrimes do of good intent.
At Jerusalem have I bene

Before Christes blessed sepulture;
The Mount of Calvary have I sene,
A holy place, ye may be sure;
To Josaphat and Olyvete

5

ΙΟ

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On fote, God wote, I wente ryght bare-
Many a salt teare dyde I sweete
Before this carkes wolde come thare;
Yet have I been at Rome also,
And gone the stacions all arowe,
Saynt Peters shryne and many mo
Then, yf I tolde, all ye do know-
Except that there be any suche
That hath bene there, and dilygently
Hath taken hede and marked muche,
Then can they speke as muche as I.
Then at the Roodes also I was;

And rounde about to Amias;

At Saynt Toncomber; and Saynt Tronion;

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At Saynt Bothulph; and Saynt Anne of Bucston;
On the hilles of Armony, where

sawe Noes arke;

With holy Job; and Saynt George in Suthwarke;

At Waltam; and at Walsingam;

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And at the good roode of Dagnam;

At Saynt Corneles; at Saynt James in Gales;

And at Saynt Winefrides well in Wales;

At Our Lady of Boston; at Saint Edmundes-bery;

And streyght to Saynt Patrikes Purgatory;

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At Rydibone; and at the bloud of Hayles,

Where pilgrimes paynes right muche avayles;

At Saynt Davis; and at Saynt Denis;

At Sainte Mathewe; and Saynt Marke in Venis;

At Mayster John Shorne; at Canterbury;

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The great God of Katewade; at Kynge Herry;

At Saynt Saviours; at Our Lady of Sothwell;

At Crome; at Wylsdom; and at Muswell;
At Saynte Rycharde; and at Saynte Roke;

And at Our Lady that standeth in the oke.

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Who seketh sayntes for Cristes sake-
And namely suche as payne do take

On fote to punyshe their frayle body-
Shall therby merite more hyely

Then by any thynge done by man.

Pardoner. And whan ye have gone as farre as

you can,

For all your labour and ghostly entent

Yet welcome home as wyse as ye went!

Palmer. Why, syr, dispise ye pylgrymage?

бо

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Pardoner. Nay, fore God, syr, then dyd I rage!

I thyncke ye ryght well occupyed

To seke these sayntes on every syde.
Also your payne I not disprayse it,
But yet I dyscommende your wyt;
And, or we go, even so shall ye,
Yf you in this wyll answere mee:

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I praye you, shewe what the cause is
Ye went al these pylgrymages.

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As all your wyde wanderyng shall do,
Though ye went thrise to Jericho.

Now, syns ye myght have spedde at home,
What have ye won by ronning to Rome?

Palmer. If this be true that ye have moved,
Then is my wytte in-dede reproved;

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But let us heare first what ye are.

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Pardoner. Truely I am a pardoner.

Palmer. Truely a pardoner-that may be trewe;

With suche lyes that ofte tymes, Chryste wot,
Ye seme to have that ye have not.

Wherfore I went my-selfe to the selfe thynge
In every place, and, without faynynge,
Had as muche pardon there assuredly
As ye can promyse me here doutfully.
How-be-it I thynke ye do but scoffe;
But if ye had all the pardon ye speke of,
And no whyt of pardon graunted
In any place where I have haunted,

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120

Yet of my laboure I nothyng repent.

God hath respect howe eche tyme is spent,
And, as in His knowledge all is regarded,
So by His goodnes all is rewarded.

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Pardoner. By the fyrst part of this last tale
It semeth ye come to late from the ale,
For reason on your syd so farre doth faile
That ye leve resonyng and begyn to rayle;
Wherin ye forget your owne part clerely,
For ye be as untrewe as I;

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That, yf there were a thousand soules on a hepe,

I wolde brynge them al to heaven as good chepe

As ye have brought your-selfe on pylgrimage
In the least quarter of your vyage,

Which is farre a this side heaven, by God!

There your labour and pardon is od,

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With small coste and without any payne

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These pardons bryngeth them to heaven playne:
Geve me but a peny or two pence,

And as sone as the soule departeth hens,

In halfe a houre, or three quarters at moste,
The soule is in heaven with the Holy Ghoste.
Poticarye. Sende ye any soules to heaven by
water?

Pardoner. Yf we do, syr, what is the mater?

Potycary. By God, I have a drye soule shulde

thyther!

I pray you let our soules go to heaven togyther.
So busy you twayne be in soule helth,
May not a potycary come in by stelth?
Yes, that I wyll, by Saynte Antony!
And, by the leve of this company,
Prove ye false knaves both, or we go,

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155

In parte of your sayinges, as this, lo:

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Thou by thy travayle thinkest heaven to get;

And thou by pardons and reliques countest no let
To sende thyne owne soule to heaven sure,

And all other whom thou lyste to procure:

Yf I toke an action, then were they blanke;
For lyke theves the knaves rob away my thank.
All soules in heaven havinge relefe,

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Shall they thank your craftes? nay, thank myne chefe!

No soule, ye knowe, entreth heaven gate

Tyll from the body he be seperate;

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And whome have ye knowne die honestli
Without helpe of the poticary?

Nay, all that commeth to our handlinge—

Except ye hap to come to hangynge;
That way, parchaunce, ye shall not mister
To go to heaven without a glyster!

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But, be ye sure, I wolde be wo

Yf ye should chaunce to begyle me so.