University of Virginia Library

The furst scene

Simo
the old man/Socia his seruant.
Haue in thys gere now/sirs get ye hens
Socia cō hether/for speke wyll I wyth the

So.
Syr kepe your tale/for I know your pretence
Is me to se these thingis well ordryd to be

Si.
No it is a nother thing for a suerte

So.
why what other thing in the world now is
wherin my craft may stede you more than this

Si.
This craft of thyn ys now to me nedeles
for my purpose/but other thyngys whych I
haue euer known in the as trewth & secretnes

So.
Than to know your wyll I desyre gretly

Si.
After I had bought the in thyne infancy
for thy seruice shuld be good & iust to me
Thow knowyst that of a bōdmā I made the free
I gaue the there the best Iowell I had
Because thou diddist me diligent seruice

So.
I wot well/

Si/
I repent not.

So.
& I am glad
yf I haue dō or do in any wyse
That that may you symo please & suffice
And that it hath lykyd your godnes
So to accept it I thank your gentilnes
But this thyng yet take I somewhat in grefe
For this thing which that ye to me do say
Is as yt were a maner of reprefe
As owt of my mynd I had cast away
The good tornys done to me before this day


But now syr shortly I requyre you that ye
wold tell me at onys what ye wold wyth me

Si.
That shall I do but furst hark me lo
The weddinges shall not be that thow lokist after

So.
why feyn ye them thā.

Si.
that thou shalt know
From the begynnyng all the hole matter
And my sonnys lyfe in thys thow shalte here
And my counsell shalt thow know also
And what I wolde haue the in this thing to do
For doutles Socia after that tyme whan
My son had ouer passid his infancy
He was more able to rule hym self than
For as thou wottyst wel before that surely
How cowd a man know his mynd fully
whyle that his age & the drede also
Of his maister were impedimentis therto

So.
Treuth.

Si.
thē for the most ∥t all yong men be wont.
Theyr myndes to set to some maner study
Some to norish horsis some houndes to hunt
And some to lernyng of phylozophy
But non of all these he studyed only
Aboue all other nor gaf his mynd & hart
But of euerychone he lernyd a parte
Then was I glad.

So.
so myght ye well be
For yt is a thing most proffitable
For a mannys lyfe in no wyse that he
Study thing to moch but euer mesurable

Si.
Then soch was his lyf & custome cōmendable
All other men gladly for to p̄fer
And to obey in all goodly maner
wyth whō that he was he did hym self ordayne
To folow theyr myndes as moch as he myght
And neuer was he ony man agayne
Nor hym self p̄farrid before an other wight
So that by soch mean ye know a man might
Get hym lawd withowt any enuy
And frendes also.

So.
syr he dyd wysely


For now adays we se it playne at eye
That trewth gettith hatred and dilygens
Gettith frendis this is sene playnly

Si.
well in the mene tyme abowt .iii. yere hens
A woman of androw cā hydyr from thens
For lak of frendis constreynid here to be
Hole & yong & of excellent bewte

So.
Alas for now I do gretly fere
Lest that some mychefe this androw do bryng

Si.
Furst she lyuyd in good honest maner
Skarcely and hardly getting her lyuing
wyth her handis as spynnyng & carding
But after onis that there cam a louer
Furst one and after that an other
Promysyng money as is the condicion
Of all soch myndid on soch folyshnes
From labour euyn to plesure falling down
Redy and prone vnto voluptuousnes
So that she fell in to the same lewdnes
And in that thing incresid more & more
And toke grete rewardis of men therefore
Than they that did vnto this woman long
My son on a tyme wyth theym can take
To kepe company wyth theym among
Then to my self thought I and spake
He is in loue wyth that noughty pake
Than wachid I both day & night
wyth some of theyre seruaūtes to speke if I might
I callid one/childe I pray the qd I
who had Chrysis yesterday tell thow me
For that was her name of androw truly

So.
well.

Si.
Phedria Clinia or Nicerat quod he
For louers all atonis were these thre
what dyd pamphylus quod I Ithe pray
But suppyd and payd his shot that I cowd se


Then was I glad he nought ells cowd say
A nother day eke of this inquere dyd I
But nothing belōgyng to hym cowd I see
Than I thought hym prouyd soffycyētly
And that in hym was grete chastyte
Seing hym so famylyar to be
wyth theym that vsid soch maner of game
And his mynde not mouyd to the same
Then thow mayst know that able was he
Of his owne lyfe to haue the gouernaūs
It plesyd me also that it shold so be
All men seyd well of hym wythowt varyaunce
And all wyth one voyce praysid my chauns
That I had a sonne of soch condicōn
And eke indewid wyth soch disposycyon
To make short tale Chremes of his own swīg
Striken wyth this fame cam vnto me
His doughter to my sonne than profferyng
And to gyue wyth her a grete dowere
It plesyd me well that yt shold so be
The weddingys appoyntid as this day were

So.
why be they not done thē.

Si.
that shalt thou here
This Chrisis our neybour fortunyd to dye
In the meane tyme that these thingys were

So.
O that happid well for euer more I
As in my mynde this Chrysis dyd fere

Si.
And my sonne wyth theym that folowid the bere
That louid her & to make short tale I also
Bycawse of my sonne with theym did go
My sonne than lokid very heuyly
And from his eye let fall many a tere
yet was I then glad for this thought I
For the lyttyll aquoyntaunce that he hath here
yt greuith hym as though her louer he were
How cowd he for me haue shewyd more kyndnes
yet I thought all that came of gentylnes


yet thoght I nō ill.

so.
what ist.

si.
thou shalt kno
The corps went forth we folowid the bere
Among the wymyn that there did go
I happid to aspy a yong woman ther

So.
peraduenture good.

Si.
& that ryght proper
In countenaunce & fauorid so well
That no wyght myght her bewty excell
whose sorow excedid all that there were
And for that she was semlyest of theym ychone
I askyd of theym that folowid the bere
who she was/Chrysis syster than sayd one
It stroke than to my hart for I thought anon
ffor this is his pyte and also his kyndnes
ffor this is his wepyng for this is hys heuynes

So.
O that I fere what end thy tale will haue

Si.
In the meane whyle the corps forthe did pas
we folowid/when we cam to the graue
In to the fyre than put she was
Thys forseyd syster being in the place
ffolyshly and lyke a mad woman
All perelowsly in to the fyre ran
Then pamphylus in mynd all dismayd
his hid before loue owt shewid he tho
He ran and toke her by the myddill & sayd
My Glycery qd he what wilt thow do
Thy self for to sle why doste thow go
Then she as the wont loue one may well espye
Tornyd to hym weping famylyarly.

So.
what sayst.

Si.
angry from thēs wēt I my way
Nor yet this was not so god me mend
Cause to chyde hym for this myght he say
why father what dyd I offend
I did but saue one that wold her self haue brend
This shold haue bene his skuce at the lest
And it ne had bene but good & honest

So.
ye say well for if you shold hym chyde


That helpith a woman in soch distres
what more ponyshment ought they to abyde
That doth theym hurt.

Si.
than cam Chremes
Crieng to me & sayd he saw dowtles
That pamphylus had chosyn for suerte
This straunger this woman his wyfe to be
I sayd nay and he ye presysely
In conclusion he yed his way me fro
As he that to gyue his doughter did deny

So.
Didist not chyde thy son than.

Si.
forsoth no
There was no cawse why I shold do so.

So.
No was? shew why.

Si.
for this might he haue sayd
ye haue an ende to all these thinges purueid
For the tyme is comyng that chaūgid must be
This maner of lyuīg and after an other wyse
Must I shortly lyue in mene whyle soffer me
For to lyue I pray you after myne old gyse

So.
For what cause ought he now be chid

Si.
yf he for loue no wyfe will mary
That wrong in hym must furst be ponishid
And this thyng to know inquere now do I
By fayned weddinges which yf he deny
To chyde hym tham iust cawse may I haue
Also Dauus that vngracious knaue
yf he haue any cownsell that he may spend
Though his disseytes can do vs no dere
whom I thynk full bysyly will tend
wyth handis fete and all his other gere
All thing to do that lyeth in his power
So that he may hurt me therby
And folow my sonnys mynd.

So.
what the dyuell why

Si.
A shrewd mīd an yllwill whō if I kno
But of these wordis now what is it nede
Let it pas. but that that I wyll to Pamphylo
Haue done suffer me that matter to spede
But one thing restyth now in very dede


which is that Chremes I must now intrete
And I trust his good will to obtayn & get
Now is thy dewty wysely for to fayne
These mariagis and to fere alway
This knaue dauus & eke also agayn
My son for to wach both night & day
what he doth & what counsell he takith ay

So.
Sir I shall take hede let vs go in now

Si.
Mary go before and I will folow.