. I, Celestina, am the best known of those who sum-mon you, I conjure you through the virtue and force of these crim-son letters

You may even think you want to advise Celestina on how totend to her trade. But when you were born, I had all my teeth to eata hard loaf.

I am saying that either a woman loves the onewho is wooing her or she loathes him;

Money will flow andmay the contest be long-lasting

because anything foul hesays of me would strike her first

Time will tell me what to do, for before everything collapses therewill be a sign, like a house tilting before it collapses.

suffer for being loyal; others win by being evil, I lose by beinggood. The way of the world

Pon my soul, if they would drive a lance into my master’sheel he would lose more brains from it than from his head.

In defaming the old woman, you ques-tion my love

You are a fool andyou speak with a light heart

I say, Señor, that your generosity would be betteremployed in presents and services for Melibea

Iwould rather give this woman a hundred coins than five to another

Pretend to be happy and that is howyou will be; for often what we think carries us where it wishes, not inorder to change truth, but to moderate our feelings and control ourjudgment

I feel that you are loyal and I hold you to be a good servant

There is no doubt that using riches is better than possessingthem.

By my oath, yes, you did well! In addition to im-proving your life, you won great honor.

For that reason, forgive me, talk to me; not onlydo I want to hear you and believe you, I will consider your counsel arare favor

sweet powders of affection blinded the eyes of reason

I tremble when I hear what you say. I donot know what to do. This is confusing.

Who? Pármeno, son of Alberto, your old friend.I lived with you a month. My mother gave me to you when youdwelled near the tanneries, on the bank of the river

Even worse; its bite does not cause swelling,while yours leaves its results for nine months.

nd on earth you are worshiping the oldest andmost whorish bawd whose shoulders have rubbed the slats of everybrothel in town! You are undone, vanquished, fallen! You are beyondredemption, or counsel, or effort.

This idiot master of yours is

Leave Pármeno to me,for I will make him one of us,

e place my self-interest or dis-pleasure before your well-bei

, Pármeno, notto allow your envy of Sempronio

, she three times sold him one of herservants as a virgin

to be stitched

: seamstress, perfumer, wondrous concocter of paints and pow-ders, and restorer of maidenheads, procuress, and, on occasion,witch.

it is with her they pass time.

p á r m e n o

And since he needs both ofus, we will profit togethe

Mother

Who? Why one of my lovers

bearded old crone

he is the imperfect cop

a man of ob-vious intelligence

You see? The more you tell me and the more obsta-cles you pose, the more I love her.

Consider the miniscule brain hidden beneath those talland elegant toques!

their moods, their fickleness, their whimpering,their arguments

O weakling! O whoreson! Think of Nim-rod! Of an Alexander the Great! They judged themselves worthy torule not only the world, but the heavens as well

I am a Melibean, and I worship Melibea and I putmy faith in Melibea and I adore Melibe

This lute is out of tune

then let him die

he will kill himself; if I go in, he will kill me

Calisto, has been what would be expected from the wit ofa man like you, but your words will be wasted against the virtue of awoman like me

undeserving as Iam, the grace of seeing you