Opening

Opening

Transcriber’s Note: Volume I is available as PG ebook #59997.

THE POETICAL WORKS OF SKELTON.

LONDON: PRINTED BY LEVEY, ROBSON, AND FRANKLYN, Great New Street, Fetter Lane.

THE POETICAL WORKS OF JOHN SKELTON:

WITH NOTES, AND SOME ACCOUNT OF THE AUTHOR AND HIS WRITINGS,

BY THE REV. ALEXANDER DYCE.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. II.

LONDON: THOMAS RODD, GREAT NEWPORT STREET. MDCCCXLIII.

THE POETICAL WORKS OF JOHN SKELTON.

SPEKE, PARROT.[1]

THE BOKE[2] COMPILED BY MAISTER SKELTON, POET LAUREAT, CALLED SPEAKE, PARROT.

[Lectoribus auctor recipit[3] opusculi hujus auxesim.

Crescet in immensum me vivo pagina præsens; Hinc mea dicetur Skeltonidis aurea fama.

Parot.]

[Sidenote: Lucanus.[4] Tigris et Euphrates uno se fonte resolvunt.]

My name is Parrot, a byrd of paradyse, By nature deuysed of a wonderous[5] kynde, Dyentely dyeted with dyuers dylycate spyce, Tyl Euphrates, that flode, dryueth me into Inde; Where men of that countrey by fortune me fynd, And send me to greate ladyes[6] of estate: Then Parot must haue an almon or a date;

[Sidenote: Topographia, quam habet hæc avicula in deliciis.]

A cage curyously caruen, with syluer pyn, 10 Properly paynted, to be my couertowre; A myrrour of glasse, that I may toote therin; These maidens ful mekely with many a diuers[7] flowre Freshly they dresse, and make swete my bowre, With, Speke, Parrot, I pray you, full curtesly they say; Parrot is a goodly byrd, a[8] prety popagey:

[Sidenote: Delectatur in factura sua, tamen res est forma fugax.]

With my becke bent, my[9] lyttyl wanton eye, My fedders freshe as is the emrawde grene, About my neck a cyrculet lyke the ryche rubye, My lyttyll leggys, my feet both fete and clene, 20 I am a mynyon to wayt vppon a[10] quene; My proper Parrot, my lyttyl prety foole; With ladyes I lerne, and go with them to scole.

[Sidenote: Psittacus a vobis aliorum nomina disco: Hoc per me didici dicere,[11] Cæsar, ave.]

Hagh, ha, ha, Parrot, ye can laugh pretyly! Parrot hath not dyned of al this[12] long day: Lyke your[13] pus cate, Parrot can mute and cry In Lattyn, in Ebrew, Araby, and Caldey;[14] In Greke tong Parrot can bothe speke and say, As Percyus, that poet, doth reporte of me, Quis expedivit psittaco suum chaire? 30

[Sidenote: Docibilem se pandit in omni idiomate. Polichronitudo Basileos.]

Dowse[15] French of Parryse Parrot can lerne, Pronounsynge my purpose after my properte, With, Perliez byen, Parrot, ou perlez rien; With Douch, with Spanysh, my tong can agre; In Englysh to God Parrot can supple,[16] Cryst saue Kyng Henry[17] the viii., our royall kyng, The red rose in honour to florysh and sprynge!

[Sidenote: Katerina universalis vitii ruina, Græcum est. Fidasso de cosso, i. habeto fidem in temet ipso. Auctoritate[m] inconsultam taxat hic. Lege Flaccum, et observa plantatum diabolum.]

With Kateryne incomparable, our ryall[18] quene also, That pereles pomegarnet, Chryst saue her noble grace! Parrot, saves[19] habler Castiliano, 40 With fidasso de cosso[20] in Turkey and in Trace; Vis consilii expers,[21] as techith me Horace, Mole ruit sua, whose dictes ar[22] pregnaunte, Souentez foys,[23] Parrot, en souenaunte.

[Sidenote: Sæpenumero hæc pensitans psittacus ego pronuntio.[24] Aphorismo, quia paronomasia certe incomprehensibilis.]

My lady maystres,[25] dame Philology, Gaue me a gyfte in my nest whan I[26] laye, To lerne all language, and it to spake aptely: Now pandez mory,[27] wax frantycke, some men[28] saye; Phroneses for[29] Freneses may not holde her way. An almon now for Parrot, dilycatly drest; 50 In Salve festa dies, toto theyr doth[30] best.

[Sidenote: Aptius hic loquitur animus quam lingua. Notum adagium et exasperans.]

Moderata juvant, but toto doth excede; Dyscressyon is moder of noble vertues all; Myden[31] agan in Greke[32] tonge we rede; But reason and wyt wantyth theyr prouyncyall When wylfulnes is vycar generall. Hæc res acu tangitur, Parrot, par ma foy: Ticez vous, Parrot, tenez vous coye.

Besy, besy,[33] besy, and besynes agayne! Que pensez voz, Parrot? what meneth this besynes? 60 Vitulus in Oreb troubled Arons brayne, Melchisedeck mercyfull made Moloc mercyles; To wyse is no vertue, to medlyng, to restles; In mesure is tresure, cum sensu maturato;[34] Ne tropo sanno,[35] ne tropo mato.

Aram was fyred with Caldies fyer called Ur; Iobab[36] was brought vp in the lande of Hus;[37] The lynage of Lot toke supporte of Assur; Iereboseth is Ebrue, who lyst the cause[38] dyscus. Peace, Parrot, ye prate, as ye were ebrius: 70 Howst thé, lyuer god van hemrik, ic seg; In Popering[39] grew peres, whan Parrot was an eg.

What is this to purpose? Ouer in a whynnymeg![40] Hop Lobyn of Lowdeon wald haue e[41] byt of bred; The iebet of Baldock was made for Jack Leg; An arrow vnfethered and without an hed, A bagpype[42] without blowynge standeth in no sted: Some run to far before, some run to far behynde, Some be to churlysshe, and some be to kynde.

Ic dien serueth for the[43] erstrych[44] fether, 80 Ic dien is the language of the land of Beme; In Affryc tongue byrsa is a thonge of lether; In Palestina there is Ierusalem. Colostrum now for Parot, whyte bred and swete creme! Our Thomasen[45] she doth trip, our Ienet she doth shayle: Parrot hath a blacke beard and a fayre grene tayle.

Moryshe myne owne shelfe, the costermonger sayth;[46] Fate, fate, fate, ye Irysh[47] water lag; In flattryng fables men fynde but lyttyl fayth: But moveatur terra, let the world wag; 90 Let syr Wrig wrag[48] wrastell with syr Delarag;[49] Euery man after his maner of wayes, Pawbe une aruer, so the Welche man sayes.

Suche shredis of sentence, strowed in the shop Of auncyent Aristippus and such other mo, I gader togyther and close in my crop,[50] Of my wanton conseyt, unde depromo Dilemmata docta in pædagogio Sacro vatum, whereof to you I breke: I pray you, let Parot haue lyberte to speke. 100

But ware the cat, Parot, ware the fals cat! With, Who is there? a mayd? nay, nay, I trow: Ware ryat, Parrot, ware ryot, ware that! Mete, mete for Parrot, mete, I say, how! Thus dyuers of language by lernyng I grow: With, Bas me, swete Parrot, bas me, swete swete; To dwell amonge ladyes Parrot is mete.

Parrot, Parrot, Parrot, praty popigay! With my beke I can pyke my lyttel praty too; My delyght is solas, pleasure, dysporte, and pley; 110 Lyke a wanton, whan I wyll, I rele to and froo: Parot can say, Cæsar, ave, also; But Parrot hath no fauour to Esebon: Aboue all other byrdis, set Parrot alone.

Ulula, Esebon, for Ieromy doth wepe! Sion is in sadnes, Rachell ruly doth loke; Madionita Ietro, our Moyses kepyth his shepe; Gedeon is gon, that Zalmane vndertoke, Oreb et Zeb, of Judicum rede the boke; Now Geball, Amon, and Amaloch,—harke, harke! 120 Parrot pretendith to be a bybyll clarke.

O Esebon, Esebon! to thé is cum agayne Seon, the regent Amorræorum, And Og, that fat hog of[51] Basan, doth retayne, The crafty coistronus Cananæorum;[52] And asylum, whilom refugium miserorum, Non fanum, sed profanum, standyth in lyttyll sted: Ulula, Esebon, for Iepte is starke ded!

Esebon, Marybon, Wheston next Barnet; A trym tram for an horse myll it were a nyse thyng; 130 Deyntes for dammoysels, chaffer far fet: Bo ho doth bark wel, but Hough ho he rulyth[53] the ring; From Scarpary to Tartary renoun therin doth spryng, With, He sayd, and we said, ich wot now what ich wot, Quod magnus est dominus Judas Scarioth.

Tholomye and Haly were cunnyng and wyse In the volvell, in the quadrant, and in the astroloby, To pronostycate truly the chaunce of fortunys dyse; Som trete of theyr tirykis, som of astrology, Som pseudo-propheta with chiromancy:[54] 140 Yf fortune be frendly, and grace be the guyde, Honowre with renowne wyll ren on[55] that syde.

Monon calon agaton, Quod Parato In Græco.

Let Parrot, I pray you, haue lyberte to prate, For aurea lingua Græca ought to be magnyfyed, Yf it were cond perfytely, and after the rate, As lingua Latina, in scole matter occupyed; But our Grekis theyr Greke so well haue applyed, 150 That they cannot say in Greke, rydynge by the way, How, hosteler, fetche my hors a botell of hay!

Neyther frame a silogisme in phrisesomorum, Formaliter et Græce, cum medio termino: Our Grekys ye walow in the washbol Argolicorum; For though ye can tell in Greke what is phormio, Yet ye seke out your Greke in Capricornio; For they[56] scrape[57] out good scrypture, and set in a gall, Ye go about to amende, and ye mare all.

Some argue secundum quid ad simpliciter, 160 And yet he wolde be rekenyd pro Areopagita; And some make distinctions multipliciter, Whether ita were before non, or non[58] before ita, Nether wise nor wel lernid, but like hermaphrodita: Set sophia asyde, for euery Jack Raker And euery mad medler must now be a maker.

In Academia Parrot dare no probleme kepe; For Græce fari[59] so occupyeth the chayre, That Latinum fari may fall to rest and slepe, And syllogisari was drowned at Sturbrydge fayre; 170 Tryuyals[60] and quatryuyals so sore now they appayre, That Parrot the[61] popagay hath pytye to beholde How the rest of good lernyng is roufled[62] vp and trold.

Albertus de modo significandi, And Donatus be dryuen out of scole; Prisians hed broken now handy dandy, And Inter didascolos is rekened for a fole; Alexander, a gander of Menanders[63] pole, With Da Cansales, is cast out of the gate, And Da Racionales dare not shew his pate. 180

Plauti[64] in his comedies a chyld shall now reherse, And medyll with Quintylyan in his Declamacyons,[65] That Pety Caton can scantly construe a verse, With Aveto in Græco, and such solempne salutacyons, Can skantly the tensis of his coniugacyons; Settynge theyr myndys so moche of eloquens, That of theyr scole maters lost is the hole sentens.

Now a nutmeg, a nutmeg, cum gariopholo,[66] For Parrot to pyke vpon, his brayne for to stable, Swete synamum styckis and pleris cum musco![67] 190 In Paradyce, that place of pleasure perdurable, The progeny of Parrottis were fayre and fauorable; Nowe in valle Ebron Parrot is fayne to fede: Cristecrosse and saynt Nycholas, Parrot, be your good spede!

The myrrour that I tote in, quasi diaphanum, Vel quasi speculum, in ænigmate, Elencticum,[68] or ells enthymematicum,[69] For logicions to loke on, somwhat sophistice: Retoricyons[70] and oratours in freshe humanyte, Support Parrot, I pray you, with your suffrage ornate, 200 Of confuse tantum auoydynge the chekmate.

But of that supposicyon that callyd is arte Confuse distributive, as Parrot hath deuysed, Let euery man after his merit take his parte, For in this processe Parrot nothing hath surmysed, No matter pretendyd, nor nothyng enterprysed, But that metaphora, allegoria with all, Shall be his protectyon, his pauys, and his wall.

For Parot is no churlish chowgh, nor no flekyd pye, Parrot is no pendugum, that men call a carlyng, 210 Parrot is no woodecocke, nor no butterfly, Parrot is no stameryng stare, that men call a starlyng; But Parot is my[71] owne dere harte and my dere[72] derling; Melpomene, that fayre mayde, she burneshed his beke: I pray you, let Parrot haue lyberte to speke.

Parrot is a fayre byrd for a lady; God of his goodnes him framed and wrought; When Parrot is ded, she dothe not putrefy: Ye, all thyng mortall shall torne vnto nought, Except mannes soule, that Chryst so dere bought; 220 That neuer may dye, nor neuer dye shall: Make moche of Parrot, the[73] popegay ryall.[74]

For that pereles prynce that Parrot dyd create, He made you of nothynge by his magistye: Poynt well this probleme that Parrot doth prate, And remembre amonge how Parrot and ye Shall lepe from this lyfe, as mery as we be; Pompe, pryde, honour, ryches, and worldly lust, Parrot sayth playnly, shall tourne all to dust.

Thus Parrot dothe pray you 230 With hert most tender, To rekyn with this recule now,[75] And it to remember.

Psittacus, ecce, cano, nec sunt mea carmina Phœbo Digna scio, tamen est plena camena deo.

Secundum Skeltonida famigeratum, In Piereorum catalogo numeratum.

Itaque consolamini invicem in verbis istis, &c.[76]

Candidi lectores, callide callete; vestrum fovete Psittacum, &c.[77]

[Galathea.

[Sidenote: Hic occurrat[78] memoriæ Pamphilus de amore Galatheæ.]

Speke, Parotte, I pray yow, for Maryes saake, Whate mone he made when Pamphylus loste hys make.

Parrotte.

[Sidenote: In ista cantilena[79] ore stilla plena abjectis frangibulis et aperit.]

My propire Besse, 240 My praty Besse, Turne ones agayne to me: For slepyste thou, Besse, Or wakeste thow, Besse, Myne herte hyt ys with thé.

[Sidenote: Quid quæritis tot capita, tot census?]

My deysy delectabyll, My prymerose commendabyll, My vyolet amyabyll, My ioye inexplicabill, Nowe torne agayne to me. 250

I wylbe ferme and stabyll, And to yow seruyceabyll, And also prophytabyll, Yf ye be agreabyll To turne agayne to me, My propyr Besse.

[Sidenote: Maro: Malo me Galatea petit, lasciva puella, Et fugit ad salices, &c.]

Alas, I am dysdayned, And as a man halfe maymed, My harte is so sore payned! I pray thé, Besse, vnfayned, 260 Yet com agayne to me! Be loue I am constreyned To be with yow retayned, Hyt wyll not be refrayned: I pray yow, be reclaymed, And torne agayne to me, My propyr Besse.

Quod[80] Parot, the popagay royall.

Martialis cecinit carmen fit mihi scutum:— Est mihi lasciva pagina, vita proba.[81]

Galethea.

[Sidenote: Zoe kai psyche.[82] Non omnes capiunt verbum istud, sed quibus datum est desuper.]

Now kus me, Parrot, kus me, kus, kus, kus:[83] Goddys blessyng lyght on thy swete lyttyll[84] mus! 270 Vita et anima, Zoe kai psyche.[85]

[Sidenote: Aquinates.[86]]

Concumbunt[87] Græce. Non est hic sermo pudicus.

[Sidenote: Sua consequentia[88] magni æstimatur momenti Attica sane eloquentia.]

Ergo[89] Attica[90] dictamina Sunt[91] plumbi lamina, Vel[92] spuria vitulamina: Avertat hæc[93] Urania![94]

[Amen.]

Amen, Amen,[95] And set to[96] a D, And then it is, Amend Our new found A, B, C.

Cum cæteris paribus.[97]

[Lenuoy primere.

Go, litell quayre, namyd the Popagay, 280 Home to resorte Jerobesethe perswade; For the cliffes of Scaloppe they rore wellaway, And the sandes of Cefas begyn to waste and fade, For replicacion restles that he of late ther made; Now Neptune and Eolus ar agreed of lyclyhode, For Tytus at Dover abydythe in the rode;

Lucina she wadythe among the watry floddes, And the cokkes begyn to crowe agayne the day; Le tonsan de Jason is lodgid among the shrowdes, Of Argus revengyd, recover when he may; 290 Lyacon of Libyk and Lydy hathe cawghte hys pray: Goe, lytyll quayre, pray them that yow beholde, In there remembraunce ye may be inrolde.

Yet some folys say that ye arre ffurnysshyd with knakkes, That hang togedyr as fethyrs in the wynde; But lewdlye ar they lettyrd that your lernyng lackys, Barkyng and whyning, lyke churlysshe currys of kynde, For whoo lokythe wyselye in your warkys may fynde Muche frutefull mater: but now, for your defence Agayne all remordes arme yow with paciens. 300

Monostichon.

Ipse sagax æqui ceu verax nuntius ito. Morda[98] puros mal desires. Portugues. Penultimo die Octobris, 33ᵒ.

Secunde Lenuoy.

Passe forthe, Parotte, towardes some passengere, Require hym to convey yow ovyr the salte fome; Addressyng your selfe, lyke a sadde messengere, To ower soleyne seigneour Sadoke, desire hym to cum home, Makyng hys pylgrimage by nostre dame de Crome; For Jerico and Jerssey shall mete togethyr assone As he to exployte the man owte of the mone.

With porpose and graundepose he may fede hym fatte, Thowghe he pampyr not hys paunche with the grete seall: 310 We haue longyd and lokyd long tyme for that, Whyche cawsythe pore suters haue many a hongry mele: As presydent and regente he rulythe every deall. Now pas furthe, good Parott, ower Lorde be your stede,[99] In this your journey to prospere and spede!

And thowe sum dysdayne yow, and sey how ye prate, And howe your poemys arre barayne of polyshed eloquens, There is none that your name woll abbrogate Then nodypollys and gramatolys of smalle intellygens; To rude ys there reason to reche to your sentence: 320 Suche malyncoly mastyvys and mangye curre dogges Ar mete for a swyneherde to hunte after hogges.

Monostichon.

Psittace, perge[100] volans, fatuorum tela retundas. Morda[101] puros mall desers. Portugues. In diebus Novembris, 34.

Le dereyn Lenveoy.

Prepayre yow, Parrot, breuely your passage to take, Of Mercury vndyr the trynall aspecte, And sadlye salute ower solen syre Sydrake, And shewe hym that all the world dothe coniecte, How the maters he mellis in com to small effecte; For he wantythe of hys wyttes that all wold rule alone; Hyt is no lytyll bordon to bere a grete mylle stone: 330

To bryng all the see into a cheryston pytte, To nombyr all the sterrys in the fyrmament, To rule ix realmes by one mannes wytte, To suche thynges ympossybyll reason cannot consente: Muche money, men sey, there madly he hathe spente: Parrot, ye may prate thys vndyr protestacion, Was neuyr suche a senatour syn Crystes incarnacion.

Wherfor he may now come agayne as he wente, Non sine postica sanna, as I trowe, From Calys to Dovyr, to Caunterbury in Kente, 340 To make reconyng in the resseyte how Robyn loste hys bowe, To sowe corne in the see sande, ther wyll no crope growe. Thow ye be tauntyd, Parotte, with tonges attayntyd, Yet your problemes ar preignaunte, and with loyalte acquayntyd.

Monostichon.

I, properans, Parrot[e],[102] malas sic corripe linguas. Morda puros mall desires. Portigues. 15 kalendis Decembris, 34.

Distichon miserabile.

Altior, heu, cedro, crudelior, heu, leopardo! Heu, vitulus bubali fit dominus Priami!

Tetrastichon,—Unde species Priami est digna imperio.

Non annis licet et Priamus sed honore voceris: Dum foveas vitulum, rex, regeris, Britonum; Rex, regeris, non ipse regis: rex inclyte, calle; 350 Subde tibi vitulum, ne fatuet nimium.

God amend all, That all amend may! Amen, quod Parott, The royall popagay.

Kalendis Decembris, 34.

Lenvoy royall.

Go, propyr Parotte, my popagay, That lordes and ladies thys pamflett may behold, With notable clerkes: supply to them, I pray, Your rudenes to pardon, and also that they wolde Vouchesafe to defend yow agayne the brawlyng scolde, 360

Callyd Detraxion, encankryd with envye, Whose tong ys attayntyd with slaundrys obliqui.

For trowthe in parabyll ye wantonlye pronounce, Langagys diuers, yet vndyr that dothe reste Maters more precious then the ryche jacounce, Diamounde, or rubye, or balas of the beste, Or eyndye sapher with oryente perlys[103] dreste: Wherfor your remorde[r]s ar madde, or else starke blynde, Yow to remorde erste or they know your mynde.

Distichon.

I, volitans,[104] Parrote, tuam moderare Minervam: 370 Vix tua percipient, qui tua teque legent.

Hyperbato[n].

Psittacus hi notus[105] seu Persius est puto notus, Nec reor est nec erit licet est erit.

Maledite soyte bouche malheurewse! 34

Laucture de Parott.

O my Parrot, O unice dilecte, votorum meorum omnis lapis, lapis pretiosus operimentum tuum!

Parrott.

Sicut Aaron populumque, sic bubali vitulus, sic bubali vitulus, sic bubali vitulus.

Thus myche Parott hathe opynlye expreste: Let se who dare make vp the reste.

Le Popagay sen va complayndre.[106]

Helas! I lamente the dull abusyd brayne, The enfatuate fantasies, the wytles wylfulnes Of on and hothyr at me that haue dysdayne: Som sey, they cannot my parables expresse; Som sey, I rayle att ryott recheles; 380 Some say but lityll, and thynke more in there thowghte, How thys prosses I prate of, hyt ys not all for nowghte.

O causeles cowardes, O hartles hardynes! O manles manhod, enfayntyd all with fere! O connyng clergye, where ys your redynes To practise or postyll thys prosses here and there? For drede ye darre not medyll with suche gere, Or elles ye pynche curtesy, trulye as I trowe, Whyche of yow fyrste dare boldlye plucke the crowe.

The skye is clowdy, the coste is nothyng clere; 390 Tytan bathe truste vp hys tressys of fyne golde; Iupyter for Saturne darre make no royall chere; Lyacon lawghyth there att, and berythe hym more bolde; Racell, rulye ragged, she is like to cache colde; Moloc, that mawmett, there darre no man withsay; The reste of suche reconyng may make a fowle fraye.

Dixit, quod Parrott, the royall popagay.

Cest chose maleheure[u]se, Que mall bouche.

Parrotte.

Jupiter ut nitido deus est veneratus Olympo; Hic coliturque deus. 400 Sunt data thura Jovi, rutilo solio residenti; Cum Jove thura capit. Jupiter astrorum rector dominusque polorum;[107] Anglica sceptra regit.

Galathea.

I compas the conveyaunce vnto the capitall Of ower clerke Cleros, whythyr, thydyr, and why not hethyr? For passe a pase apase ys gon to cache a molle, Over Scarpary mala vi, Monsyre cy and sliddyr: Whate sequele shall folow when pendugims mete togethyr? Speke, Parotte, my swete byrde, and ye shall haue a date, 410 Of frantycknes and folysshnes whyche ys the grett state?

Parotte.

Difficille hit ys to ansswere thys demaunde; Yet, aftyr the sagacite of a popagay,— Frantiknes dothe rule and all thyng commaunde; Wylfulnes and braynles no[w] rule all the raye; Agayne ffrentike frenesy there dar no man sey nay, For ffrantiknes, and wylfulnes, and braynles ensembyll, The nebbis of a lyon they make to trete and trembyll;

To jumbyll, to stombyll, to tumbyll down lyke folys, To lowre,[108] to droupe, to knele, to stowpe, and to play cowche quale, 420 To fysshe afore the nette, and to drawe polys; He make[th] them to bere babylles, and to bere a lowe sayle; He caryeth a kyng in hys sleve, yf all the worlde fayle; He facithe owte at a fflusshe, with, shewe, take all! Of Pope Julius cardys he ys chefe cardynall.

He tryhumfythe, he trumpythe, he turnythe all vp and downe, With, skyregalyard, prowde palyard, vaunteperler, ye prate! Hys woluys hede, wanne, bloo as lede, gapythe over the crowne: Hyt ys to fere leste he wolde were the garland on hys pate, Peregall with all prynces farre passyng hys estate; 430 For of ower regente the regiment he hathe, ex qua vi, Patet per versus, quod ex vi bolte harvi.

Now, Galathea, lett Parrot, I pray yow, haue hys date; Yett dates now ar deynte, and wax verye scante, For grocers were grugyd at and groynyd at but late; Grete reysons with resons be now reprobitante, For reysons ar no resons, but resons currant: Ryn God, rynne Devyll! yet the date of ower Lord And the date of the Devyll dothe shrewlye accord.

Dixit, quod Parrott, the popagay royall.

Galathea.

Nowe, Parott, my swete byrde, speke owte yet ons agayne, 440 Sette asyde all sophysms,[109] and speke now trew and playne.

Parotte.

So many[110] morall maters, and so lytell vsyd; So myche newe makyng, and so madd tyme spente; So myche translacion in to Englyshe confused; So myche nobyll prechyng, and so lytell amendment; So myche consultacion, almoste to none entente; So myche provision, and so lytell wytte at nede;— Syns Dewcalyons flodde there can no clerkes rede.

So lytyll dyscressyon, and so myche reasonyng; So myche hardy dardy, and so lytell manlynes; 450 So prodigall expence, and so shamfull reconyng; So gorgyous garmentes, and so myche wrechydnese; So myche portlye pride, with pursys penyles; So myche spente before, and so myche vnpayd behynde;— Syns Dewcalyons flodde there can no clerkes fynde.

So myche forcastyng, and so farre an after dele; So myche poletyke pratyng, and so lytell stondythe in stede; So lytell secretnese, and so myche grete councell; So manye bolde barons, there hertes as dull as lede; So many nobyll bodyes vndyr on dawys hedd; 460 So royall a kyng as reynythe vppon vs all;— Syns Dewcalions flodde was nevyr sene nor shall.

So many complayntes, and so smalle redresse; So myche callyng on, and so smalle takyng hede; So myche losse of merchaundyse, and so remedyles; So lytell care for the comyn weall, and so myche nede; So myche dowȝtfull daunger, and so lytell drede; So myche pride of prelattes, so cruell and so kene;— Syns Dewcalyons flodde, I trowe, was nevyr sene.

So many thevys hangyd, and thevys never the lesse; 470 So myche prisonment ffor matyrs not worthe an hawe; So myche papers weryng for ryghte a smalle exesse; So myche pelory pajauntes vndyr colower of good lawe; So myche towrnyng on the cooke stole for euery guy gaw; So myche mokkyshe makyng of statutes of array;— Syns Dewcalyons flodde was nevyr, I dar sey.

So braynles caluys hedes, so many shepis taylys; So bolde a braggyng bocher, and flesshe sold so dere; So many plucte partryches, and so fatte quaylles; So mangye a mastyfe curre, the grete grey houndes pere; 480 So bygge a bulke of brow auntlers cabagyd that yere; So many swannes dede, and so small revell;— Syns Dewcalyons flodde, I trow, no man can tell.

So many trusys takyn, and so lytyll perfyte[111] trowthe; So myche bely joye, and so wastefull banketyng; So pynchyng and sparyng, and so lytell profyte growthe; So many howgye howsys byldyng, and so small howse-holding; Suche statutes apon diettes, suche pyllyng and pollyng; So ys all thyng wrowghte wylfully withowte reson and skylle;— Syns Dewcalyons flodde the world[112] was never so yll. 490

So many vacabondes, so many beggers bolde; So myche decay of monesteries and of relygious places; So hote hatered agaynste the Chyrche, and cheryte so colde; So myche of my lordes grace, and in hym no grace ys; So many holow hartes, and so dowbyll faces; So myche sayntuary brekyng, and preuylegidde barrydd;— Syns Dewcalyons flodde was nevyr sene nor lyerd.

So myche raggyd ryghte of a rammes horne; So rygorous revelyng[113] in a prelate specially; So bold and so braggyng, and was so baselye borne; 500 So lordlye of hys lokes and so dysdayneslye; So fatte a magott, bred of a flesshe flye; Was nevyr suche a ffylty gorgon,[114] nor suche an epycure, Syn[s] Dewcalyons flodde, I make thé faste and sure.

So myche preuye wachyng in cold wynters nyghtes; So myche serchyng of loselles, and ys hymselfe so lewde; So myche coniuracions for elvyshe myday sprettes; So many bullys of pardon puplysshyd and shewyd; So myche crossyng and blyssyng, and hym all beshrewde; Suche pollaxis and pyllers, suche mvlys trapte with gold;— 510 Sens Dewcalyons flodde in no cronycle ys told.

Dixit, quod Parrot.

Crescet in immensum me vivo Psittacus iste; Hinc mea dicetur Skeltonidis inclyta fama.

Quod Skelton Lawryat, Orator Regius. 34.]

[1] Speke, Parrot] From the ed. by Lant of Certayne bokes compyled by mayster Skelton, &c., n. d., collated with the same work ed. Kynge and Marche, n. d., and ed. Day, n. d.; with Marshe’s ed. of Skelton’s Workes, 1568; and with a MS. in the Harleian Collection, 2252. fol. 133, which has supplied much not given in the printed copies, and placed between brackets in the present edition. The marginal notes are found only in MS.

[2] The boke, &c.... Speake, Parrot] So Marshe’s ed. Not in other eds.

[3] recipit] MS. “recepit.” The next two lines are given very inaccurately here in MS., but are repeated (with a slight variation) more correctly at the end of the poem. The Latin portions of the MS. are generally of ludicrous incorrectness, the transcriber evidently not having understood that language.

[4] Lucanus] See Phar. iii. 256. But the line here quoted is from Boethii Consol. Phil. lib. v. met. 1.

[5] wonderous] So other eds. Lant’s ed. “wonderuos.”

[6] to greate ladyes] MS. “to grece to lordes.”

[7] ful mekely with many a diuers] MS. “full meryly with many dyuors.”

[8] a] MS. “and a.”

[9] my] MS. “and my.”

[10] a] So MS. Eds. “the.”

[11] dicere] MS. (which alone has these marginal notes) “dictorem:” the whole runs in Martial thus:

“Psittacus a vobis aliorum nomina discam: Hoc didici per me dicere, Cæsar, ave.”

xiv. 73.

[12] this] Ed. of Kynge and Marche, “thie.”

[13] your] MS. “ower.”—In this line a friend would read “muie;” but MS. has “mewte.”

[14] Ebrew, Araby, and Caldey] MS. “Ebrue and in Caldee.”

[15] Dowse] Other eds. “Howse.” MS. “Dowche.”

[16] can supple] MS. “can shewe propyrlye.”

[17] Henry] MS. “herry.”

[18] ryall] Other eds. and MS. (with various spelling) “roial.”

[19] saves] So MS. Eds. “sauies:”—“habler” ought to be “hablar;” but throughout this work I have not altered the spelling of quotations in modern languages, because probably Skelton wrote them inaccurately.

[20] fidasso de cosso] So MS. Eds. of Lant, and of Kynge and Marche, “sidasso de cosso.” Eds. of Day, and of Marshe, “sidasso de costo.” See notes.

[21] expers] Not in MS.

[22] dictes ar] Other eds. “dices at.”

[23] Souentez foys, &c.] This line found only in Lant’s ed. and MS. The latter has “Souentem,” (or “Sonentem,”) &c.

[24] pronuntio] Probably not the right reading. The MS. seems to have either “pō sio” or “pō fio.”

[25] maystres] Other eds. “maysters” and “maisters.”

[26] I] MS. “he.”

[27] mory] MS. “mery:” but the context seems to confirm the other reading.

[28] men] MS. “mad.”

[29] for] Other eds. “sor” and “or.”

[30] theyr doth] MS. “ys the.”

[31] Myden] So MS. Eds. “Niden.”

[32] Greke] MS. “grekys.”

[33] Besy, besy, &c.] Instead of this stanza, MS. has,—

“Besy, besy, besy, and Besynes agayne Thus parott dothe pray yow with herte moste tentyr,” &c.

omitting what occurs between the first of these lines and the second (p. 11) in eds.

[34] maturato] Other eds. “marturato.”

[35] sanno] Marshe’s ed. “saung.”

[36] Iobab] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “Iob.” See notes.

[37] Hus] Ed. of Kynge and Marche, “Pus.”

[38] cause] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “law.”

[39] Popering] Other eds. “popeting.”

[40] whynnymeg] Other eds. (with various spelling) “whynnynmeg.”

[41] wald haue e] Other eds. “would (and “wold”) haue a:” but the reading of Lant’s ed. seems to have been intended for Scotch.

[42] bagpype] So other eds. (with various spelling). Lant’s ed. “Bagbyte.”

[43] the] Not in other eds.

[44] erstrych] So other eds. Lant’s ed. “exstrych.”

[45] Thomasen] Marshe’s ed. “thomase.”

[46] sayth] Other eds. “say.”

[47] Irysh] Marshe’s ed. “trysh.”

[48] Wrig wrag] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “wrig wag.”

[49] Delarag] Other eds. “declarag.”

[50] crop] Other eds. “cryp” and “crip.”

[51] Og, that fat hog of] Other eds. “hog that fat hog or.”

[52] Cananæorum] Eds. “canaueorum.”

[53] Hough ho he rulyth] Day’s ed. “hough he ruleth.” Marshe’s ed. “hough ho ruleth.”

[54] chiromancy] So Marshe’s ed. Other eds. “ciromancy.”

[55] on] Other eds. “of.”

[56] they] Qy. “ye” here—or “they” in the three preceding lines?

[57] scrape] Eds. of Kynge and Marche, and of Day, “scape.”

[58] non, or non] Lant’s ed. “non or uou.” Other eds. “uou or uou.”

[59] Græce fari] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “grecisari.”

[60] Tryuyals] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “Triuiale.”

[61] the] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “that.”

[62] roufled] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “roulled.”

[63] Menanders] See notes.

[64] Plauti] Lant’s ed. “Plautfi.” Other eds. “Plaut si.”

[65] Declamacyons] Eds. (with various spelling) “declaracyons.” See ante p. 374, note 5.

[66] gariopholo] See notes.

[67] pleris cum musco] Ed. of Kynge and Marche, “pleris com musco.” Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “pleris commusco.” Instead of “pleris,” the Rev. J. Mitford proposes “flarnis” (species placentæ).

[68] Elencticum] Eds. “Elencum.”

[69] enthymematicum] Eds. “Emtimematicum” and “Emtimaticum.”

[70] Retoricyons] Other eds. “Retorcions.”

[71] my] Other eds. “myne” and “mine.”

[72] dere] Not in eds. of Day, and Marshe.

[73] the] Other eds. “that.”

[74] ryall] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, (with various spelling), “royall.”

[75] now] Not in MS.

[76] Itaque consolamini invicem in verbis istis, &c.] “&c.” not in eds. of Day, and Marshe. MS. “Itaque consolamyni in verbis istibus.” Before these words eds. have “Galathea,” which MS. rightly, I think, omits.

[77] Candidi lectores, callide callete; vestrum fovete Psittacum, &c.] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “—— seuete psitacum,” omitting “&c.” MS. omits this passage here, but gives it after the words with which the eds. of Speke, Parrot conclude (see p. 14), having “callige” instead of “callete,” and wanting “&c.”

[78] Hic occurrat, &c.] Was no doubt intended for a marginal note, though in MS. (it is wanting in eds.) it is not clearly distinguished from the text.

[79] In ista cantilena, &c.] Grossly corrupted. The Rev. J. Mitford proposes “ore stillanti.” MS. has “eperit.”

[80] Quod] MS. “Quid.”

[81] Est mihi lasciva pagina, vita proba] “Lasciva est nobis pagina, vita proba est.” Ep. i. 5.

[82] Zoe kai psyche ... desuper] Is plainly a marginal note, though in MS. (it is not in eds.) it is placed after “Concumbunt Græce,” &c.

[83] kus, kus, kus] MS. “kus, kus.”

[84] lyght on thy swete lyttyll] MS. “lyghten thy lytyll swete.”

[85] Zoe kai psyche] Eds. “zoelzepsiche;” and so MS., with slight variation of spelling: the Latin which precedes shews the true reading. These words are followed in eds. by “Amen;” which MS. rightly gives a little after.

[86] Aquinates] Has crept into the text in eds., and is not clearly distinguished from the text in MS. But it is certainly a marginal note—meaning Juvenal, from whom “Concumbunt Græce,” &c. is quoted: see Sat. vi. 191.

[87] Concumbunt] Other eds. “Concubunt.”

[88] Sua consequentia, &c.] Another marginal note (not in eds.) which MS. does not clearly distinguish from the text.

[89] Ergo] Not in MS.

[90] Attica] So MS. Eds. “Actica.”

[91] Sunt] So MS. Eds. “Suus.”

[92] Vel] MS. “Ve.”

[93] hæc] So MS. Eds. “hoc.”

[94] Urania] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “Vxania.”

[95] Amen, Amen] Occurs twice in MS. by a mistake of the transcriber.

[96] to] Not in MS.

[97] Cum cæteris paribus] After these words, MS. has the passage “Candidi lectores ... fovete Psittacum,” which has been already given: see p. 11.

[98] Morda] So MS. afterwards: here “Merda.”

[99] stede] MS. “spede.”

[100] Psittace, perge] MS. “Psitago perage.”

[101] Morda] So MS. afterwards: here “Merda.”

[102] Parrot[e] Must be considered here as a Latin word, and a trisyllable—u.

[103] perlys] MS. “prelys.”

[104] volitans] MS. “vtilans”—not, I think, a mistake for “rutilans:” compare ante, “Psittace, perge, volans,” p. 16, and “I, properans, Parrot,” p. 17.

[105] notus] Qy. “motus?” but I have no idea what these two lines mean.

[106] complayndre] MS. “complayndra.”

[107] polorum] MS. “populorum.”

[108] lowre] Qy. “lowte?”

[109] sophysms] MS. “sophyns.”

[110] many] MS. “many many.”

[111] perfyte] MS. “profyte.”

[112] the world] MS. “the world the world.”

[113] revelyng] So MS. literatim,—meant for “ruelyng” (ruling).

[114] ffylty gorgon] MS. seems to have “ffyltyrͬgogon,”—the r in the word (apparently) having been drawn through, and another r placed over it, which, I suppose, ought to have stood above the og.

HERE AFTER FOLOWETH A LYTELL BOKE,[115] WHICHE HATH TO NAME WHY COME YE NAT[116] TO COURTE?

COMPYLED BY MAYSTER SKELTON, POETE LAUREATE.

The relucent mirror[117] for all Prelats and Presidents, as well spirituall as temporall, sadly to loke vpon, deuised in English by Skelton.

All noble men,[118] of this take hede, And beleue it as your Crede.

To hasty of sentence, To ferce for none offence, To scarce of your expence, To large in neglygence, To slacke in recompence, To haute in excellence, To lyght [in] intellegence, And to lyght in[119] credence; 10 Where these kepe resydence, Reson is banysshed thence, And also dame Prudence, With sober Sapyence.[120] All noble men, of this take hede, And beleue it as your Crede.

Than without collusyon, Marke well this conclusyon, Thorow[121] suche abusyon, And by suche illusyon, 20 Vnto great confusyon A noble man may fall, And his honour appall; And[122] yf ye thynke this shall Not rubbe you on the gall, Than the deuyll take all! All noble men, of this take hede, And beleue it as your Crede.

Hæc vates ille, De quo loquuntur mille.[123] 30

WHY COME YE NAT TO COURT?

For age is a page For the courte full vnmete, For age cannat[124] rage, Nor basse her swete swete: But whan age seeth that rage Dothe aswage and refrayne, Than wyll age haue a corage To come to court agayne. But Helas, sage ouerage So[125] madly decayes, 40 That age for dottage Is reconed[126] now adayes: Thus age (a[127] graunt domage) Is nothynge set by, And rage in arerage Dothe rynne lamentably. So That rage must make pyllage, To catche that catche may, And with suche forage Hunte the boskage, 50 That hartes wyll ronne away; Bothe hartes and hyndes, With all good myndes: Fare well, than, haue good day! Than, haue good daye, adewe! For defaute of rescew, Some men may happely rew, And some[128] theyr hedes mew; The tyme dothe fast ensew, That bales begynne to brew: 60 I drede, by swete Iesu, This tale wyll be to trew; In faythe, dycken, thou krew, In fayth, dicken, thou krew, &c. Dicken, thou krew doutlesse; For, trewly to expresse, There hath ben[129] moche excesse, With banketynge braynlesse, With ryotynge rechelesse, With gambaudynge thryftlesse, 70 With spende and wast witlesse, Treatinge of trewse restlesse, Pratynge for peace peaslesse. The[130] countrynge at Cales Wrang vs on the males:[131] Chefe counselour was carlesse, Gronynge, grouchyng, gracelesse; And to none entente Our talwod is all brent, Our fagottes are all spent, 80 We may blowe at the cole: Our mare hath cast her fole, And Mocke hath lost her sho; What may she do therto? An ende of an olde song, Do ryght and do[132] no wronge, As ryght as a rammes horne; For thrifte is threde bare worne, Our shepe are shrewdly shorne, And trouthe is all to-torne; 90 Wysdom is laught to skorne, Fauell is false forsworne, Iauell is nobly borne, Hauell and Haruy Hafter, Iack Trauell and Cole Crafter, We shall here more herafter; With pollynge and shauynge, With borowynge and crauynge,[133] With reuynge and rauynge, With swerynge and starynge, 100 Ther vayleth no resonynge, For wyll dothe rule all thynge, Wyll, wyll, wyll, wyll, wyll, He ruleth alway styll. Good reason and good skyll, They may garlycke pyll, Cary sackes to the myll, Or pescoddes they may shyll, Or elles go rost a stone: There is no man but one 110 That hathe the strokes alone; Be it blacke or whight, All that he dothe is ryght, As right as a cammocke croked. This byll well ouer loked, Clerely perceuye we may There went the hare away, The hare, the fox, the gray, The harte, the hynde, the buck: God sende vs better luck! 120 God sende vs better lucke, &c. Twit, Andrewe, twit, Scot,[134] Ge heme, ge scour thy pot; For we haue spente our shot: We shall haue a tot quot From the Pope of Rome, To weue all in one lome A webbe of lylse wulse, Opus male dulce: The deuyll kysse his[135] cule! 130 For, whyles he doth rule, All is warse and warse; The deuyll kysse his arse! For whether he blesse or curse, It can not be moche worse. From Baumberow to Bothombar[136] We haue cast vp our war, And made[137] a worthy trewse, With, gup, leuell suse! Our mony madly lent,[138] 140 And mor madly spent: From Croydon to[139] Kent, Wote ye whyther they went? From Wynchelsey to Rye, And all nat[140] worth a flye; From Wentbridge to Hull; Our armye waxeth dull, With, tourne all home agayne, And neuer a Scot slayne. Yet the good Erle of Surray, 150 The Frenche men he doth fray, And vexeth them day by day With all the power he may; The French men he hath faynted, And made[141] theyr hertes attaynted: Of cheualry he is the floure; Our Lorde be his soccoure! The French men he hathe so mated, And theyr courage abated, That they are but halfe men; 160 Lyke foxes in theyr denne, Lyke cankerd cowardes all, Lyke vrcheons[142] in a stone wall, They kepe them in theyr holdes, Lyke henherted cokoldes. But yet they ouer shote vs Wyth crownes and wyth scutus; With scutis and crownes of gold I drede we are bought and solde; It is a wonders warke: 170 They shote all at one marke, At the Cardynals hat, They[143] shote all at that; Oute of theyr stronge townes They shote at him with crownes; With crownes of golde enblased They make him so amased, And his eyen so dased, That he ne se can To know God nor man. 180 He is set so hye In his ierarchy Of frantycke frenesy And folysshe fantasy, That in the Chambre of Starres[144] All maters there he marres; Clappyng his rod on the borde, No man dare speke a worde, For he hathe all the sayenge, Without any renayenge; 190 He rolleth in his recordes, He sayth, How saye ye, my lordes? Is nat[145] my reason good? Good euyn, good Robyn Hood![146] Some say yes, and some Syt styll as they were dom: Thus thwartyng ouer thom, He ruleth all the roste With braggynge and with bost; Borne vp on euery syde 200 With pompe and with pryde, With, trompe vp, alleluya! For dame Philargerya[147] Hathe so his herte in holde, He loueth nothyng but golde; And Asmodeus of hell Maketh his membres swell With Dalyda to mell, That wanton damosell.[148] Adew, Philosophia, 210 Adew, Theologia! Welcome, dame Simonia, With dame Castrimergia, To drynke and for to eate Swete ypocras[149] and swete meate! To kepe his flesshe chast, In Lent for a repast He eateth capons[150] stewed, Fesaunt and partriche mewed, Hennes, checkynges, and pygges; 220 He foynes and he frygges, Spareth neither mayde ne wyfe: This is a postels lyfe! Helas! my herte is sory To tell of vayne glory: But now vpon this story I wyll no further ryme Tyll another tyme, Tyll another tyme, &c.[151] What newes, what newes?[152] 230 Small newes the[153] true is, That be worth ii. kues; But at the naked stewes, I vnderstande how that The sygne of the Cardynall Hat, That inne is now shyt vp, With, gup, hore, gup, now gup, Gup, Guilliam[154] Trauillian, With, iast you, I say, Jullian! Wyll ye bere no coles? 240 A mayny of marefoles, That occupy theyr holys, Full of pocky molys. What here ye of Lancashyre? They were nat[155] payde their hyre; They are fel as any fyre. What here ye of Chesshyre? They haue layde all in the myre; They grugyd,[156] and sayde Theyr wages were nat[157] payde; 250 Some sayde they were afrayde Of the Scottysshe hoste,[158] For all theyr crack[159] and bost, Wylde fyre and thonder; For all this worldly wonder, A hundred myle asonder They were whan they[160] were next; That is a trew text. What here ye of the Scottes? They make vs all sottes, 260 Poppynge folysshe dawes; They make vs to pyll strawes; They play their olde pranckes, After Huntley bankes: At the streme of Banockes burne They dyd vs a shrewde turne, Whan Edwarde of Karnaruan Lost all that[161] his father wan. What here ye of the Lorde Dakers? He maketh vs Jacke Rakers; 270 He sayes we ar but crakers; He calleth vs England men Stronge herted lyke an hen; For the Scottes and he To well they do agre, With, do thou for me, And I shall do for thé. Whyles the red hat doth endure, He maketh himselfe cock sure; The red hat with his lure 280 Bryngeth all thynges vnder cure. But, as the worlde now gose, What here ye of the Lorde Rose? Nothynge to purpose, Nat[162] worth a cockly fose: Their hertes be in thyr hose. The Erle of Northumberlande Dare take nothynge on hande: Our barons be so bolde, Into a mouse hole they wolde 290 Rynne[163] away and crepe, Lyke a mayny of shepe; Dare nat[164] loke out at dur[165] For drede of the mastyue cur, For drede of the bochers dogge Wold wyrry them lyke an hogge. For and this curre do gnar, They must stande all a far, To holde vp their hande at the bar. For all their noble blode 300 He pluckes them by the hode, And shakes them by the eare, And brynge[s] them in suche feare; He bayteth them lyke a bere, Lyke an oxe or a bull: Theyr wyttes, he saith, are dull; He sayth they haue no brayne Theyr astate to mayntayne; And maketh them to[166] bow theyr kne Before his maieste. 310 Juges of the kynges lawes, He countys them foles and dawes; Sergyantes of the coyfe eke, He sayth they are to seke In pletynge of theyr case At the Commune Place, Or at the Kynges Benche; He wryngeth them suche a wrenche, That all our lerned men Dare nat[167] set theyr penne 320 To plete a trew tryall Within Westmynster hall; In the Chauncery where he syttes, But suche as he admyttes None so hardy to speke; He sayth, thou huddypeke, Thy lernynge is to lewde, Thy tonge is nat[168] well thewde, To seke before our grace; And openly in that place 330 He rages and he raues, And cals them cankerd knaues: Thus royally he dothe deale Vnder the kynges brode seale; And in the Checker he them cheks; In the Ster Chambre he noddis and beks, And bereth him there so stowte, That no man dare rowte, Duke, erle, baron, nor lorde, But to his sentence must accorde; 340 Whether he be knyght or squyre, All men must[169] folow his desyre. What say ye of the Scottysh kynge? That is another thyng. He is but an yonglyng, A stalworthy[170] stryplyng: There[171] is a whyspring and a whipling, He shulde be hyder[172] brought; But, and it were well sought, I trow all wyll be nought, 350 Nat[173] worth a shyttel cocke, Nor worth a sowre calstocke. There goth many a lye Of the Duke of Albany, That of shulde go his hede, And brought in quycke or dede, And all Scotlande owers The mountenaunce of two houres. But, as some men sayne, I drede of some false trayne 360 Subtelly wrought shall be Vnder a fayned treatee; But within monethes thre Men may happely se The trechery and the prankes Of the Scottysshe bankes. What here ye of Burgonyons, And the Spainyardes onyons? They haue slain our Englisshmen Aboue threscore and ten: 370 For all your amyte, No better they agre. God saue my lorde admyrell! What here ye of Mutrell? There with I dare nat[174] mell. Yet what here ye tell Of our graunde counsell? I coulde say some what, But speke ye no more of that, For drede of the red hat 380 Take peper in the nose; For than thyne heed of gose, Of by the harde arse. But there is some trauarse Bytwene some and some, That makys our syre to glum; It is some what wronge, That his berde is so longe; He morneth in blacke clothynge. I pray God saue the kynge! 390 Where euer he go or ryde, I pray God be his gyde! Thus wyll I conclude my style, And fall to rest a whyle, And so to rest a whyle, &c. Ones[175] yet agayne Of you I wolde frayne, Why come ye nat[176] to court?— To whyche court? To the kynges courte, 400 Or to Hampton Court?— Nay, to the kynges court: The kynges courte Shulde haue the excellence; But Hampton Court Hath the preemynence, And Yorkes Place, With my lordes grace, To whose magnifycence Is all the conflewence, 410 Sutys and supplycacyons, Embassades of all nacyons. Strawe for lawe canon,[177] Or for the lawe common, Or for lawe cyuyll! It shall be as he wyll: Stop at law tancrete, An obstract or a concrete; Be it soure, be it swete, His wysdome is so dyscrete, 420 That in a fume or an hete, Wardeyn of the Flete, Set hym fast by the fete! And of his royall powre Whan him lyst to lowre, Than, haue him to the Towre, Saunz aulter remedy, Haue hym forthe by and by To the Marshalsy, Or to the Kynges Benche! 430 He dyggeth so in the trenche Of the court royall, That he ruleth them all. So he dothe vndermynde, And suche sleyghtes dothe fynde, That the kynges mynde By hym is subuerted, And so streatly coarted In credensynge his tales, That all is but nutshales 440 That any other sayth; He hath in him suche fayth. Now, yet all this myght be Suffred and taken in gre, If that that he wrought To any good ende were brought; But all he bringeth to nought, By[178] God, that me dere bought! He bereth the kyng[179] on hand, That he must pyll his lande, 450 To make his cofers ryche; But he laythe all in the dyche, And vseth suche abusyoun, That in the conclusyoun All commeth to confusyon. Perceyue the cause why, To tell the trouth playnly, He is so ambicyous, So shamles, and[180] so vicyous, And so supersticyous, 460 And so moche obliuyous From whens that he came, That he falleth into[181] a cæciam,[182] Whiche, truly to expresse, Is a forgetfulnesse, Or wylfull blyndnesse, Wherwith the Sodomites Lost theyr inward syghtes, The Gommoryans also Were brought to deedly wo, 470 As Scrypture recordis: A cæcitate cordis, In the Latyne synge we, Libera nos, Domine! But this madde Amalecke, Lyke to a Mamelek,[183] He regardeth lordes No more than potshordes; He is in suche elacyon Of his exaltacyon, 480 And the supportacyon Of our souerayne lorde, That, God to recorde, He ruleth all at wyll, Without reason or skyll: How be it the[184] primordyall Of his wretched originall, And his base progeny, And his gresy genealogy, He came of the sank royall, 490 That was cast out of a bochers stall. But how euer he was borne, Men wolde haue the lesse scorne, If he coulde consyder His byrth and rowme togeder,[185] And call to his mynde How noble and how kynde To him he hathe founde Our souereyne lorde, chyfe grounde Of all this prelacy, 500 And set hym nobly In great auctoryte, Out from a low degre, Whiche he can nat[186] se: For he was parde No doctor of deuinyte, Nor doctor of the law, Nor of none other saw; But a poore maister of arte, God wot, had lytell parte 510 Of the quatriuials, Nor yet of triuials, Nor of philosophy, Nor of philology, Nor of good pollycy, Nor of astronomy, Nor acquaynted worth a fly With honorable Haly, Nor with royall Ptholomy, Nor with Albumasar, 520 To treate of any star Fyxt or els mobyll; His Latyne tonge dothe hobbyll, He doth but cloute and cobbill In Tullis faculte, Called humanyte; Yet proudly he dare pretende How no man can him amende: But haue ye nat[187] harde this, How an one eyed man is 530 Well syghted when He is amonge blynde men? Than, our processe for to stable, This man was full vnable To reche to suche degre, Had nat[188] our prynce be Royall Henry the eyght, Take him in suche conceyght, That he set him on heyght, In exemplyfyenge 540 Great Alexander the kynge, In writynge as we fynde; Whiche of his royall mynde, And of his noble pleasure, Transcendynge out of mesure, Thought to do a thynge That perteyneth to a kynge, To make vp one of nought, And made to him be brought A wretched poore man, 550 Whiche his lyuenge wan With plantyng of lekes By the dayes and by the wekes, And of this poore vassall He made a kynge royall, And gaue him a realme to rule, That occupyed a showell, A mattoke, and a spade, Before that he was made A kynge, as I haue tolde, 560 And ruled as he wolde. Suche is a kynges power, To make within an hower, And worke suche a myracle, That shall be a spectacle Of renowme and worldly fame: In lykewyse now the same Cardynall is promoted, Yet with lewde condicyons cotyd,[189] As herafter ben notyd, 570 Presumcyon and vayne glory, Enuy, wrath, and lechery, Couetys and glotony, Slouthfull to do good, Now frantick, now starke wode. Shulde this man of suche mode Rule the swerde of myght, How can he do ryght? For he wyll as sone smyght His frende as his fo; 580 A prouerbe longe ago. Set vp a wretche on hye In a trone triumphantlye, Make him a great astate, And he wyll play checke mate With ryall[190] maieste, Counte him selfe as good as he; A prelate potencyall, To rule vnder Bellyall, As ferce and as cruell 590 As the fynd of hell. His seruauntes menyall He dothe reuyle, and brall, Lyke Mahounde in a play; No man dare him withsay: He hath dispyght and scorne At them that be well borne; He rebukes them and rayles, Ye horsons, ye vassayles, Ye knaues, ye churles sonnys, 600 Ye rebads, nat[191] worth two plummis, Ye raynbetyn beggers reiagged, Ye recrayed ruffyns all ragged! With, stowpe, thou hauell, Rynne, thou iauell! Thou peuysshe pye pecked, Thou losell longe necked! Thus dayly they be decked, Taunted and checked, That they ar so wo, 610 They wot not whether to go. No man dare come to the speche Of this gentell Iacke breche, Of what estate he be, Of spirituall dygnyte, Nor duke of hye degre, Nor marques, erle, nor lorde; Whiche shrewdly doth accorde, Thus he borne so base All noble men shulde out face, 620 His countynaunce lyke a kayser. My lorde is nat[192] at layser; Syr, ye must tary a stounde, Tyll better layser be founde; And, syr, ye must daunce attendaunce, And take pacient sufferaunce, For my lordes grace Hath nowe no tyme nor space To speke with you as yet. And thus they shall syt, 630 Chuse them syt or flyt, Stande, walke, or ryde, And his layser abyde Parchaunce halfe a yere, And yet neuer the nere. This daungerous dowsypere, Lyke a kynges pere; And within this xvi. yere He wolde haue ben ryght fayne To haue ben a chapleyne, 640 And haue taken ryght gret payne With a poore knyght, What soeuer he hyght. The chefe of his owne counsell, They can nat[193] well tell Whan they with hym shulde mell, He is so fyers and fell; He rayles and he ratis, He calleth them doddypatis; He grynnes and he gapis, 650 As it were iack napis. Suche a madde bedleme For to rewle this reame,[194] It is a wonders[195] case: That the kynges grace Is toward him so mynded, And so farre blynded, That he can nat[196] parceyue How he doth hym disceyue, I dought, lest by sorsery, 660 Or suche other loselry, As wychecraft, or charmyng; For he is the kynges derlyng, And his swete hart rote, And is gouerned by this mad kote: For what is a man the better For the kynges letter? For he wyll tere it asonder; Wherat moche I wonder, How suche a hoddypoule 670 So boldely dare controule, And so malapertly withstande The kynges owne hande, And settys nat[197] by it a myte; He sayth the kynge doth wryte And writeth he wottith nat[198] what; And yet for all that, The kynge his clemency Despensyth with his demensy. But what his grace doth thinke, 680 I haue no pen nor inke That therwith can mell; But wele I can tell How Frauncis Petrarke, That moche noble clerke, Wryteth how Charlemayn Coude nat[199] him selfe refrayne, But was rauysht with a rage Of a lyke dotage: But how that came aboute, 690 Rede ye the story oute, And ye shall fynde surely It was by nycromansy, By carectes and coniuracyon, Vnder a certeyne constellacion, And a certayne fumygacion, Vnder a stone on a golde ryng, Wrought to Charlemayn the king, Whiche constrayned him forcebly For to loue a certayne body 700 Aboue all other inordinatly. This is no fable nor no lye; At Acon it was brought to pas, As by myne auctor tried it was. But let mi masters mathematical Tell you the rest, for me they shal; They haue the full intellygence, And dare vse the experyens, In there obsolute consciens To practyue[200] suche abolete sciens; 710 For I abhore to smatter Of one so deuyllysshe a matter. But I wyll make further relacion Of this isagogicall colation, How maister Gaguine, the crownycler Of the feytis of war That were done in Fraunce, Maketh remembraunce, How Kynge Lewes of late Made vp a great astate 720 Of a poore wretchid man, Wherof moche care began. Iohannes Balua was his name, Myne auctor writeth the same; Promoted was he To a cardynalles dygnyte By Lewes the kyng aforesayd, With hym so wele apayd, That he made him his chauncelar To make all or to mar, 730 And to rule as him lyst, Tyll he cheked at the fyst, And agayne all reason Commyted open trayson And[201] against his lorde souerayn; Wherfore he suffred payn, Was hedyd, drawen, and quarterd, And dyed stynkingly marterd. Lo, yet for all that He ware a cardynals hat, 740 In hym was small fayth, As myne auctor sayth: Nat[202] for that I mene Suche a casuelte shulde be sene, Or suche chaunce shulde fall Vnto our cardynall. Allmyghty God, I trust, Hath for him dyscust That of force he must Be faythfull, trew, and iust 750 To our most royall kynge, Chefe rote of his makynge; Yet it is a wyly mouse That can bylde his dwellinge house Within the cattes eare[203] Withouten drede or feare. It is a nyce reconynge, To put all the gouernynge, All the rule of this lande Into one mannys hande: 760 One wyse mannys hede May stande somwhat in stede; But the wyttys of many wyse Moche better can deuyse, By theyr cyrcumspection, And theyr sad dyrrection, To cause the commune weale Longe to endure in heale. Christ kepe King Henry the eyght From trechery and dysceyght, 770 And graunt him grace to know The faucon from the crow, The wolfe from the lam, From whens that mastyfe cam! Let him neuer confounde The gentyll greyhownde: Of this matter the grownde Is easy to expounde, And soone may be perceyued,[204] How the worlde is conueyed. 780 But harke, my frende, one worde In ernest or in borde: Tell me nowe in this stede Is maister Mewtas dede, The kynges Frenshe secretary, And his vntrew aduersary? For he sent in writynge To Fraunces the French kyng Of our maisters counsel in eueri thing: That was a peryllous rekenyng!— 790 Nay, nay, he is nat[205] dede; But he was so payned in the hede, That he shall neuer ete more bred. Now he is gone to another stede, With a bull vnder lead, By way of commissyon, To a straunge iurisdictyon, Called Dymingis Dale, Farre byyonde Portyngale, And bathe his pasport to pas 800 Ultra Sauromatas, To the deuyll, syr Sathanas, To Pluto, and syr Bellyall, The deuyls vycare generall, And to his college conuentuall, As well calodemonyall As to cacodemonyall,[206] To puruey for our cardynall A palace pontifycall, To kepe his court prouyncyall, 810 Vpon artycles iudicyall, To contende and to stryue For his prerogatyue, Within that consystory To make sommons peremtory Before some prothonotory[207] Imperyall or papall. Vpon this matter mistycall I haue tolde you part, but nat[208] all: Herafter perchaunce I shall 820 Make a larger[209] memoryall, And a further rehersall, And more paper I thinke to blot, To the court why I cam not; Desyring you aboue all thynge To kepe you from laughynge Whan ye fall to redynge Of this wanton scrowle, And pray for Mewtas sowle, For he is well past and gone; 830 That wolde God euerychone Of his affynyte Were gone as well as he! Amen, amen, say ye, Of your inward charyte; Amen, Of your inward charyte. It were great rewth, For wrytynge of trewth Any man shulde be 840 In perplexyte Of dyspleasure; For I make you sure, Where trouth is abhorde, It is a playne recorde That there wantys grace; In whose place Dothe occupy, Full vngracyously, Fals flatery, 850 Fals trechery,[210] Fals brybery, Subtyle Sym Sly, With madde foly; For who can best lye, He is best set by. Than farewell to thé, Welthfull felycite! For prosperyte Away than wyll fle. 860 Than must we agre With pouerte; For mysery, With penury, Myserably And wretchydly Hath made askrye And outcry, Folowynge the chase To dryue away grace. 870 Yet sayst thou percase, We can lacke no grace, For my lordes grace, And my ladies grace, With trey duse ase, And ase in the face, Some haute and some base, Some daunce the trace Euer in one case: Marke me that chase 880 In the tennys play, For synke quater trey Is a tall man: He rod, but we ran, Hay, the gye and the gan! The gray gose is no swan; The waters wax wan, And beggers they ban, And they cursed Datan, De tribu Dan, 890 That this warke[211] began, Palam et clam, With Balak and Balam, The golden ram Of Flemmyng dam, Sem, Iapheth, or Cam. But howe comme to pas, Your cupbord that was Is tourned to glasse, From syluer to brasse, 900 From golde to pewter, Or els to a newter, To copper, to tyn, To lede, or alcumyn? A goldsmyth your mayre; But the chefe of your fayre Myght stande nowe by potters, And suche as sell trotters: Pytchars,[212] potshordis, This shrewdly accordis 910 To be a cupborde[213] for lordys. My lorde now and syr knyght, Good euyn and good nyght! For now, syr Trestram, Ye must weare bukram, Or canues of Cane, For sylkes are wane. Our royals that shone, Our nobles are gone Amonge the Burgonyons, 920 And Spanyardes onyons, And the Flanderkyns. Gyll swetis, and Cate spynnys, They are happy that wynnys; But Englande may well say, Fye on this wynnyng all way! Now nothynge but pay, pay, With, laughe and lay downe, Borowgh, cyte, and towne. Good Sprynge of Lanam 930 Must counte what became Of his clothe makynge: He is at suche takynge, Though his purse wax dull, He must tax for his wull By nature of a newe writ; My lordys grace nameth it A quia non satisfacit: In the spyght of his tethe He must pay agayne 940 A thousande or twayne Of his golde in store; And yet he payde before An[214] hunderd pounde and more, Whiche pyncheth him sore. My lordis grace wyll bryuge Downe this hye sprynge, And brynge it so lowe, It shall nat[215] euer flowe. Suche a prelate, I trowe, 950 Were worthy to rowe Thorow the streytes of[216] Marock To the gybbet of Baldock: He wolde dry vp the stremys Of ix. kinges realmys,[217] All ryuers and wellys, All waters that swellys; For with vs he so mellys That within Englande dwellys, I wolde he were somwhere ellys; 960 For els by and by He wyll drynke vs so drye, And suck vs so nye, That men shall scantly Haue peny or halpeny. God saue his noble grace, And graunt him a place Endlesse to dwell With the deuyll of hell! For, and he were there, 970 We nede neuer feere Of the fendys blake: For I vndertake He wolde so brag and crake, That he wolde than make The deuyls to quake, To shudder and to shake, Lyke a fyer drake, And with a cole rake Brose[218] them on a brake, 980 And bynde them to a stake, And set hell on fyer, At his owne desyer. He is suche a grym syer, And suche a potestolate, And suche a potestate, That he wolde breke the braynes Of Lucyfer[219] in his chaynes, And rule them echone In Lucyfers trone. 990 I wolde he were gone; For amonge vs is none That ruleth but he alone, Without all good reason, And all out of season: For Folam peason With him be nat[220] geson; They growwe very ranke Vpon euery banke Of his herbers grene, 1000 With my lady bryght and shene; On theyr game it is sene They play nat[221] all clene, And it be as I wene. But as touchynge dyscrecyon,[222] With sober dyrectyon, He kepeth them in subiectyon: They can haue no protectyon To rule nor to guyde, But all must be tryde, 1010 And abyde the correctyon Of his[223] wylfull affectyon. For as for wytte, The deuyll spede whitte! But braynsyk and braynlesse, Wytles and rechelesse, Careles and shamlesse, Thriftles and gracelesse, Together are bended, And so condyscended, 1020 That the commune welth Shall neuer haue good helth, But tatterd and tuggyd, Raggyd and ruggyd, Shauyn and shorne, And all threde bare worne. Suche gredynesse, Suche nedynesse, Myserablenesse, With wretchydnesse, 1030 Hath brought in dystresse And moche heuynesse And great dolowre Englande, the flowre Of relucent honowre, In olde commemoracion Most royall Englyssh nacion. Now all is out of facion, Almost in desolation; I speke by protestacion: 1040 God of his miseracyon Send better reformacyon! Lo, for to do shamfully He iugeth it no foly! But to wryte of his shame, He sayth we ar to blame. What a frensy is this, No shame to do amys, And yet he is ashamed To be shamfully named![224] 1050 And ofte prechours be blamed, Bycause they haue proclamed His madnesse by writynge, His symplenesse resytynge, Remordynge and bytynge, With chydyng and with flytynge,[225] Shewynge him Goddis lawis: He calleth the prechours dawis, And of holy scriptures sawis He counteth them for gygawis, 1060 And putteth them to sylence And[226] with wordis of vyolence, Lyke Pharao, voyde of grace, Dyd Moyses sore manase, And Aron sore he thret, The worde of God to let; This maumet in lyke wyse Against the churche doth ryse; The prechour he dothe dyspyse, With crakynge in suche wyse, 1070 So braggynge all with bost, That no prechour almost Dare speke for his lyfe Of my lordis grace nor his wyfe, For he hath suche a bull, He may take whom he wull, And as many as him lykys; May ete pigges in Lent for pikys, After the sectes of heretykis, For in Lent he wyll ete 1080 All maner of flesshe mete That he can ony[227] where gete; With other abusyons grete, Wherof for[228] to trete It wolde make the deuyll to swete, For all priuileged places He brekes and defaces, All placis of relygion He bathe them in derisyon, And makith suche prouisyon 1090 To dryue them at diuisyon, And fynally in conclusyon To bringe them to confusyon; Saint Albons to recorde Wherof this vngracyous lorde Hathe made him selfe abbot, Against their wylles, God wot. All this he dothe deale Vnder strength of the great seale, And by his legacy, 1100 Whiche madly he dothe apply Vnto an extrauagancy Pyked out of[229] all good lawe, With reasons that ben rawe. Yet, whan he toke first his hat, He said he knew what was what; All iustyce he pretended, All thynges sholde be amended, All wronges he wolde redresse, All iniuris he wolde represse, 1110 All periuris he wolde oppresse; And yet this gracelesse elfe, He is periured himselfe, As playnly it dothe appere, Who lyst to enquere In the regestry Of my Lorde of Cantorbury, To whom he was professed In thre poyntes expressed; The fyrst to do him reuerence, 1120 The seconde to owe hym obedyence,[230] The thirde with hole affectyon To be vnder his subiectyon: But now he maketh obiectyon, Vnder the protectyon Of the kynges great seale, That he setteth neuer a deale By his former othe, Whether God be pleased or wroth. He makith so proude pretens, 1130 That in his equipolens He iugyth him equiualent With God omnipotent: But yet beware the rod, And the stroke of God! The Apostyll Peter Had a pore myter And a poore cope Whan he was creat Pope, First in Antioche; 1140 He dyd neuer approche Of Rome to the see Weth suche dygnyte. Saynt Dunstane, what was he? Nothynge, he sayth, lyke to me:[231] There is a dyuersyte Bytwene him and me; We passe hym in degre, As legatus a latere. Ecce, sacerdos magnus, 1150 That wyll hed vs and hange vs, And streitly strangle vs And[232] he may fange vs! Decre and decretall, Constytucyon prouincyall, Nor no lawe canonicall, Shall let the preest pontyficall To syt in causa sanguinis. Nowe God amende that is amys! For I suppose that he is 1160 Of Ieremy the whyskynge rod, The flayle, the scourge of almighty God. This Naman Sirus, So fell and so irons, So full of malencoly, With a flap afore[233] his eye, Men wene that he is pocky, Or els his surgions they lye, For, as far as they[234] can spy By the craft of surgery, 1170 It is manus Domini. And yet this proude Antiochus, He is so ambicious, So elate, and so vicious, And so cruell hertyd, That he wyll nat[235] be conuertyd; For he setteth God apart, He is nowe so ouerthwart, And so payned with pangis, That all his trust hangis 1180 In Balthasor, whiche heled Domingos nose that was wheled; That Lumberdes nose meane I, That standeth yet awrye; It was nat[236] heled alderbest, It standeth somwhat on the west; I meane Domyngo Lomelyn, That was wont to wyn Moche money of the kynge At the cardys and haserdynge: 1190 Balthasor, that helyd Domingos nose[237] From the puskylde pocky pose,[238] Now with his gummys of Araby Hath promised to hele our cardinals eye; Yet sum surgions put a dout, Lest he wyll put[239] it clene out, And make him lame of his neder limmes: God sende him sorowe for his sinnes! Some men myght aske a question, By whose suggestyon 1200 I toke on hand this warke, Thus boldly for to barke? And men lyst to harke, And my wordes marke, I wyll answere lyke a clerke; For trewly and vnfayned, I am forcebly constrayned, At Iuuynals request, To wryght of this glorious gest, Of this vayne gloryous best, 1210 His fame to be encrest At euery solempne feest; Quia difficile est Satiram non scribere. Now, mayster doctor, howe say ye, What soeuer your name be? What though ye be namelesse, Ye shall nat[240] escape blamelesse, Nor yet shall scape shamlesse: Mayster doctor in your degre, 1220 Yourselfe madly ye ouerse; Blame Iuuinall, and blame nat[241] me: Maister doctor Diricum, Omne animi vitium, &c. As Iuuinall dothe recorde, A small defaute in a great lorde, A lytell cryme in a great astate, Is moche more inordinate, And more horyble to beholde, Than any other a thousand folde. 1230 Ye put to blame ye wot nere whom; Ye may weare a cockes come; Your fonde hed in your furred hood,[242] Holde ye your tong, ye can no goode: And at more conuenyent tyme I may fortune for to ryme Somwhat of your madnesse; For small is your sadnesse To put any man in lack, And say yll behynde his back: 1240 And my wordes marke truly, That ye can nat[243] byde thereby, For smegma non est cinnamomum, But de absentibus nil nisi bonum. Complayne, or do what ye wyll, Of your complaynt it shall nat[244] skyl: This is the tenor of my byl, A daucock ye be, and so shalbe styll.

Sequitur Epitoma De morbilloso Thoma, Necnon obscœno De Polyphemo, &c.

Porro perbelle dissimulatum Illum Pandulphum,[245] tantum legatum, Tum formidatum nuper prælatum, Ceu Naman Syrum nunc elongatum,[246] In solitudine jam commoratum, Neapolitano morbo gravatum, Malagmate, cataplasmate stratum,[247] Pharmacopolæ[248] ferro foratum, Nihilo magis alleviatum, Nihilo melius aut medicatum, 10 Relictis famulis ad famulatum, Quo[249] tollatur infamia, Sed major patet insania; A modo ergo ganea Abhorreat ille ganeus, Dominus male creticus, Aptius dictus tetricus, Fanaticus, phreneticus, Graphicus sicut metricus Autumat. 20 Hoc genus dictaminis Non eget examinis In centiloquio Nec centimetro Honorati Grammatici Mauri.

[115] Here after foloweth a lytell boke, &c.] From the ed. by Kele, n. d., collated with that by Wyght, n. d., with that by Kytson, n. d., and with Marshe’s ed. of Skelton’s Workes, 1568.

[116] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[117] The relucent mirror, &c.... by Skelton] So Marshe’s ed. Not in other eds.

[118] All noble men, &c.] These twenty-eight introductory lines, which are found in all the eds. of this poem, are also printed as a distinct piece, in the various editions of Certaine bokes compyled by Mayster Skelton, &c., n. d., and in Marshe’s ed. of Skelton’s Workes, 1568.

[119] in] Certayne bokes, &c., and the distinct piece in Marshe’s ed., “of.”

[120] Sapyence] Eds. of Kytson, and (in both places) Marshe, and all eds. but one of Certaine bokes, &c., “Pacyence” (with various spelling).

[121] Thorow] So (with various spelling) Certaine bokes, &c., and the distinct piece in Marshe’s ed. Other eds. “Through.”

[122] And] Certaine bokes, &c., and the distinct piece in Marshe’s ed., “That.”

[123] mille] Other eds. “in ille.”

[124] cannat] Other eds. “_can_not.”

[125] So] Other eds. “To.”

[126] reconed] Other eds. “recouered.”

[127] a] Not in eds. of Kytson, and Marshe.

[128] some] Not in other eds.

[129] ben] Other eds. “be.”

[130] The] Eds. “They.”

[131] males] Eds. “wales.” See notes.

[132] do] Not in eds. of Kytson, and Marshe.

[133] crauynge] Kele’s ed. “crauyne.” Other eds. “crauyng.”

[134] Scot] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “scote.”

[135] his] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “hes.”

[136] Bothombar] Other eds. “Bothambar.”

[137] made] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “mad.”

[138] lent] Marshe’s ed. “sent.”

[139] to] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “in to.”

[140] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[141] made] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “mad.”

[142] vrcheons] Eds. of Kytson, and Marshe, “heons.”

[143] They] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “Thy.”

[144] Starres] Kele’s ed. “sterres.” Other eds. “sters” and “stars.”

[145] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[146] Hood] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “hode.”

[147] Philargerya] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “Philargera.”

[148] damosell] Other eds. “damsell.”

[149] ypocras] Kele’s ed. “ypocrus.” Other eds. “ipocras.”

[150] capons] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “copons.”

[151] &c.] Not in other eds.

[152] newes] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “news” here, but not in the earlier part of this, nor in the next line.

[153] the] Eds. of Wyght, and Marshe, “that.”

[154] Guilliam] Other eds. “Gilliam.”

[155] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[156] grugyd] Other eds. “grudge.”

[157] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[158] hoste] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “hoost.”

[159] crack] Other eds. “crake.”

[160] they] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “the.”

[161] that] So other eds. Not in Kele’s ed.

[162] Nat] Other eds. “Not.”

[163] Rynne] Other eds. “Runne.”

[164] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[165] at dur] Other eds. “a dur.”

[166] maketh them to] Other eds. “make to.”

[167] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[168] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[169] must] Not in Marshe’s ed.

[170] stalworthy] Eds. of Kytson, and Marshe, “tall worthy.”

[171] There] Eds. of Kytson, and Marshe, “her” and “Her.”

[172] hyder] Other eds. “hither.”

[173] Nat] Other eds. “Not.”

[174] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[175] Ones] Other eds. “Once.”

[176] nat] Other eds, “not.”

[177] canon] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “conon.”

[178] By] Marshe’s ed. “But.”

[179] kyng] Kele’s ed. “dkeyng.” Other eds. “king.”

[180] and] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “an.”

[181] into] Marshe’s ed. “in.”

[182] a cæciam] Eds. “Acisiam:” see a similar misprint in v. 476. Compare v. 472. The Rev. J. Mitford conjectured “acrisiam” (judicii inopiam).

[183] a Mamelek] Eds. “Amamelek.”

[184] the] Eds. of Kytson, and Marshe, “they be.”

[185] togeder] Other eds. “together.”

[186] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[187] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[188] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[189] cotyd] Eds. of Kytson, and Marshe, “noted.”

[190] ryall] Other eds. “royall.”

[191] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[192] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[193] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[194] reame] Other eds. “realm.”

[195] wonders] Other eds. “wonderous.”

[196] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[197] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[198] wottith nat] Other eds. “wot not.”

[199] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[200] practyue] Other eds. “practique.”

[201] And] Perhaps ought to be thrown out. Compare v. 1062.

[202] Nat] Other eds. “Not.”

[203] eare] Marshe’s ed. “eares.”

[204] perceyued] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “perceyuid.”

[205] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[206] cacodemonyall] Eds. (with various spelling) “cac_a_demonyall:” but compare the preceding line.

[207] prothonotory] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “prothonetory.”

[208] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[209] larger] Marshe’s ed. “large.”

[210] trechery] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “terchery.”

[211] warke] Other eds. “worke.”

[212] Pytchars] The Editor of 1736 printed “Pytchars and”—without the authority, I believe, of any old ed.

[213] cupborde] So other eds. Kele’s ed. here (but not previously, see v. 898) “copborde.”

[214] An] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “And.”

[215] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[216] of] Not in other eds.

[217] realmys] Marshe’s ed. “realme.”

[218] Brose] Other eds. “Bruse.”

[219] Lucyfer] Kele’s ed. “Lucyfers.” Other eds. “Lucifer.”

[220] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[221] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[222] dyscrecyon] Eds. of Kele, Wyght, and Kytson (with various spelling), “dystrectyon.” Marshe’s ed. “discretion.”

[223] his] Other eds. “him.”

[224] named] Marshe’s ed. “name.”

[225] flytynge] Eds. of Kytson, and Marshe, “fiting.”

[226] And] Perhaps ought to be thrown out. Compare v. 735.

[227] ony] Other eds. “any.”

[228] for] Not in eds. of Kytson, and Marshe.

[229] of] Not in Marshe’s ed.

[230] obedyence] Kele’s ed. “obedynce.” Other eds. “obedience.”

[231] me] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “we.”

[232] And] Eds. of Kytson, and Marshe, “That.”

[233] afore] Eds. of Kytson, and Marshe, “before.”

[234] they] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “the.”

[235] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[236] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[237] nose] Marshe’s ed. “pose.”

[238] pose] Kytson’s ed. “nose.”

[239] put] Wyght’s ed. “but.”

[240] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[241] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[242] hood] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “hode.”

[243] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[244] nat] Other eds. “not.”

[245] Pandulphum] Other eds. “pandulohum.”

[246] elongatum] Marshe’s ed. “longatum.”

[247] cataplasmate stratum] Eds. “cataplasmati statum.”

[248] Pharmacopolæ] Eds. (with various spelling) “Pharmacapoli.”

[249] Quo] Marshe’s ed. “Quod.”

DECASTICHON VIRULENTUM IN GALERATUM LYCAONTA MARINUM, &c.

Proh dolor, ecce, maris lupus, et nequissimus ursus, Carnificis vitulus, Britonumque bubulcus iniquus, Conflatus vitulus vel Oreb, vel Salmane vel Zeb, Carduus, et crudelis Asaphque Datan reprobatus, Blandus et Achitophel regis, scelus omne Britannum, Ecclesias qui namque Thomas confundit ubique, Non sacer iste Thomas, sed duro corde Goleas, Quem gestat mulus,—Sathane, cacet,[250] obsecro, culus Fundens asphaltum, precor! Hunc versum lege cautum; Asperius nihil est misero quum surget in altum.[251] 10

[250] cacet] Other eds. “caret.”

[251] quum surget in altum] Not in Marshe’s ed.

APOSTROPHA AD[252] LONDINI CIVES (CITANTE[253] MULUM ASINO AUREO GALERATO) IN OCCURSUM ASELLI,[254] &c.

Excitat, en,[255] asinus mulum,[256] mirabile visu, Calcibus! O vestro cives occurrite asello, Qui regnum regemque regit, qui vestra gubernat Prædia, divitias, nummos, gazas, spoliando!

Dixit alludens, immo illudens, paradoxam de asino aureo galerato.

xxxiiii.

Hæc vates ille, De quo loquuntur mille.

[252] ad] Eds. “an.”

[253] citante] Eds. “citanto” and “citando.”

[254] aselli] Eds. “aguile:” compare the second line. The Editor of 1736 printed “asini.”

[255] en] Eds. “eu.”

[256] mulum] Other eds. “multum.”

SKELTON, LAUREATE, &c.

HOWE THE DOUTY DUKE OF ALBANY,[257] LYKE A COWARDE KNYGHT, RAN AWAYE SHAMFULLY, WITH AN HUNDRED THOUSANDE TRATLANDE SCOTTES AND FAINT HARTED FRENCHEMEN, BESIDE THE WATER OF TWEDE, &c.

Reioyse, Englande, And vnderstande These tidinges newe, Whiche be as trewe As the gospell: This duke so fell Of Albany, So cowardly, With all his hoost Of the Scottyshe coost, 10 For all theyr boost, Fledde lyke a beest; Wherfore to ieste Is my delyght Of this cowarde knyght, And for to wright In the dispyght Of the Scottes ranke Of Huntley banke, Of Lowdyan, 20 Of Locryan, And the ragged ray Of Galaway. Dunbar, Dunde, Ye shall trowe me, False Scottes are ye: Your hartes sore faynted, And so[258] attaynted, Lyke cowardes starke, At the castell of Warke, 30 By the water of Twede, Ye had euill spede; Lyke cankerd curres, Ye loste your spurres, For in that fraye Ye ranne awaye, With, hey, dogge, hay! For Sir William Lyle Within shorte whyle, That valiaunt knyght, 40 Putte you to flyght; By his valyaunce Two thousande[259] of Fraunce There he putte backe, To your great lacke, And vtter shame Of your Scottysshe name. Your chefe cheftayne, Voyde of all brayne, Duke of all Albany, 50 Than shamefuly He reculed backe, To his great lacke, Whan he herde tell That my lorde amrell Was comyng downe, To make hym frowne And to make hym lowre, With the noble powre Of my lorde cardynall, 60 As an hoost royall, After the auncient manner, With sainct Cutberdes banner, And sainct Williams also; Your capitayne ranne to go, To go, to go, to go, And brake vp all his hoost; For all his crake and bost, Lyke a cowarde knyght, He fledde, and durst nat fyght, 70 He ranne awaye by night. But now must I Your Duke ascry Of Albany With a worde or twayne In sentence playne. Ye duke so doutty, So sterne, so stoutty, In shorte sentens, Of your pretens 80 What is the grounde, Breuely and rounde To me expounde, Or els wyll I Euydently Shewe as it is; For the cause is this, Howe ye pretende For to defende The yonge Scottyshe kyng, 90 But ye meane a thyng, And ye coude bryng The matter about, To putte his eyes out And put hym downe, And set hys crowne On your owne heed Whan he were deed. Such trechery And traytory 100 Is all your cast; Thus ye haue compast With the Frenche kyng A fals rekenyng To enuade Englande, As I vnderstande: But our kyng royall, Whose name ouer all, Noble Henry the eyght, Shall cast a beyght, 110 And sette suche a snare, That shall cast you in care, Bothe Kyng Fraunces and thé, That knowen ye shall be For the moost recrayd Cowardes afrayd, And falsest forsworne, That euer were borne. O ye wretched Scottes, Ye puaunt pyspottes, 120 It shalbe your lottes To be knytte vp with knottes Of halters and ropes About your traytours throtes! O Scottes pariured, Vnhaply vred, Ye may be assured Your falshod discured It is and shal be From the Scottish se 130 Vnto Gabione! For ye be false echone, False and false agayne, Neuer true nor playne, But flery, flatter, and fayne, And euer to remayne In wretched beggary And maungy misery, In lousy lothsumnesse And scabbed scorffynesse, 140 And in abhominacion Of all maner of nacion, Nacion moost in hate, Proude and poore of state. Twyt, Scot, go kepe thy den, Mell nat with Englyshe men; Thou dyd nothyng but barke At the castell of Warke. Twyt, Scot, yet agayne ones, We shall breke thy bones, 150 And hang you vpon polles, And byrne you all to colles; With, twyt, Scot, twyt, Scot, twyt, Walke, Scot, go begge a byt Of brede at ylke mannes hecke: The fynde, Scot, breke thy necke! Twyt, Scot, agayne I saye, Twyt, Scot of Galaway, Twyt, Scot, shake thy dogge,[260] hay! Twyt, Scot, thou ran away. 160 We set nat a flye By your Duke of Albany; We set nat a prane By suche a dronken drane; We set nat a myght By suche a cowarde knyght, Suche a proude palyarde, Suche a skyrgaliarde, Suche a starke cowarde, Suche a proude pultrowne, 170 Suche a foule coystrowne, Suche a doutty dagswayne; Sende him to F[r]aunce agayne, To bring with hym more brayne From Kynge Fraunces of Frauns: God sende them bothe myschauns! Ye Scottes all the rable, Ye shall neuer be hable With vs for to compare; What though ye stampe and stare? 180 God sende you sorow and care! With vs whan euer ye mell, Yet we bear away the bell, Whan ye cankerd knaues Must crepe into your caues Your heedes for to hyde, For ye dare nat abyde. Sir Duke of Albany, Right inconuenyently Ye rage and ye raue, 190 And your worshyp depraue: Nat lyke Duke Hamylcar, With the Romayns that made war, Nor lyke his sonne Hanyball, Nor lyke Duke Hasdruball Of Cartage in Aphrike; Yet somwhat ye be lyke In some of their condicions, And their false sedycions, And their dealyng double, 200 And their weywarde trouble: But yet they were bolde, And manly manyfolde, Their enemyes to assayle In playn felde and battayle; But ye and your hoost, Full of bragge and boost, And full of waste wynde, Howe ye wyll beres bynde, And the deuill downe dynge, 210 Yet ye dare do nothynge, But lepe away lyke frogges, And hyde you vnder logges, Lyke pygges and lyke hogges, And lyke maungy dogges. What an army were ye? Or what actyuyte Is in you, beggers braules, Full of scabbes and scaules, Of vermyne and of lyce, 220 And of all maner vyce? Syr duke, nay, syr ducke, Syr drake of the lake, sir ducke Of the donghyll, for small lucke Ye haue in feates of warre; Ye make nought, but ye marre; Ye are a fals entrusar, And a fals abusar, And an vntrewe knyght; Thou hast to lytell myght 230 Agaynst Englande to fyght; Thou art a graceles wyght To put thy selfe to flyght: A vengeaunce and dispight On thé must nedes lyght, That durst nat byde the sight Of my lorde amrell, Of chiualry the well, Of knighthode the floure In euery marciall shoure, 240 The noble Erle of Surrey, That put thé in suche fray; Thou durst no felde derayne, Nor no batayle[261] mayntayne Against our st[r]onge captaine, But thou ran home agayne, For feare thou shoulde be slayne, Lyke a Scottyshe keteryng, That durst abyde no reknyng; Thy hert wolde nat serue thé: 250 The fynde of hell mot sterue thé! No man hath harde Of suche a cowarde, And such a mad ymage Caried in a cage, As it were a cotage; Or of suche a mawment Caryed in a tent; In a tent! nay, nay, But in a mountayne gay, 260 Lyke a great hill For a wyndmil, Therin to couche styll, That no man hym kyll; As it were a gote In a shepe cote, About hym a parke Of a madde warke, Men call it a toyle; Therin, lyke a royle, 270 Sir Dunkan, ye dared, And thus ye prepared Youre carkas to kepe, Lyke a sely shepe, A shepe of Cottyswolde, From rayne and from colde, And from raynning of rappes, And suche after clappes; Thus in your cowardly castell Ye decte you to dwell: 280 Suche a captayne of hors,[262] It made no great fors If that ye had tane Your last deedly bane With a gon stone, To make you to grone. But hyde thé, sir Topias, Nowe into the castell of Bas, And lurke there, lyke an as, With some Scotyshe [l]as, 290 With dugges, dugges, dugges: I shrewe thy Scottishe lugges, Thy munpynnys, and thy crag, For thou can not but brag, Lyke a Scottyshe hag: Adue nowe, sir Wrig wrag, Adue, sir Dalyrag! Thy mellyng is but mockyng; Thou mayst giue vp thy cocking, Gyue it vp, and cry creke, 300 Lyke an huddypeke. Wherto shuld I more speke Of suche a farly freke, Of suche an horne keke, Of suche an bolde captayne, That dare nat turne agayne, Nor durst nat crak a worde, Nor durst nat drawe his swerde Agaynst the Lyon White, But ran away quyte? 310 He ran away by nyght, In the owle flyght, Lyke a cowarde knyght. Adue, cowarde, adue, Fals knight, and mooste vntrue! I render thé, fals rebelle, To the flingande fende of helle. Harke yet, sir duke, a worde, In ernest or in borde: What, haue ye, villayn, forged, 320 And virulently dysgorged, As though ye wolde parbrake, Your auauns to make, With wordes enbosed, Vngraciously engrosed, Howe ye wyll vndertake Our royall kyng to make His owne realme to forsake? Suche lewde langage ye spake. Sir Dunkan, in the deuill waye, 330 Be well ware what ye say: Ye saye that he and ye,— Whyche he and ye? let se; Ye meane Fraunces, French kyng, Shulde bring about that thing. I say, thou lewde lurdayne, That neyther of you twayne So hardy nor so bolde His countenaunce to beholde: If our moost royall Harry 340 Lyst with you to varry, Full soone ye should miscary, For ye durst nat tarry With hym to stryue a stownde; If he on you but frounde, Nat for a thousande pounde[263] Ye durst byde on the grounde, Ye wolde ryn away rounde, And cowardly tourne your backes, For all your comly crackes, 350 And, for feare par case To loke hym in the face, Ye wolde defoyle the place, And ryn your way apace. Thoughe I trym you thys trace With Englyshe somwhat base, Yet, saue[264] voster grace, Therby I shall purchace No displesaunt rewarde, If ye wele can regarde 360 Your cankarde cowardnesse And your shamfull doublenesse. Are ye nat frantyke madde, And wretchedly bestadde, To rayle agaynst his grace, That shall bring you full bace, And set you in suche case, That bytwene you twayne There shalbe drawen a trayne That shalbe to your payne? 370 To flye ye shalbe fayne, And neuer tourne agayne. What, wold Fraunces, our friar, Be suche a false lyar, So madde a cordylar, So madde a murmurar? Ye muse somwhat to far; All out of ioynt ye iar: God let you neuer thriue! Wene ye, daucockes, to driue 380 Our kyng out of his reme? Ge heme, ranke Scot, ge heme, With fonde Fraunces, French kyng: Our mayster shall you brynge I trust, to lowe estate, And mate you with chekmate. Your braynes are ydell; It is time for you to brydell, And pype in a quibyble; For it is impossible 390 For you to bring about, Our kyng for to dryue out Of this his realme royall And lande imperiall; So noble a prince as he In all actyuite Of hardy merciall actes, Fortunate in all his faytes.[265] And nowe I wyll me dresse His valiaunce to expresse, 400 Though insufficient am I His grace to magnify And laude equiualently; Howe be it, loyally, After myne allegyaunce, My pen I will auaunce To extoll his noble grace, In spyght of thy cowardes face, In spyght of Kyng Fraunces, Deuoyde of all nobles, 410 Deuoyde of good corage, Deuoyde of wysdome sage, Mad, frantyke, and sauage; Thus he dothe disparage His blode with fonde dotage. A prince to play the page It is a rechelesse rage, And a lunatyke ouerage. What though my stile be rude? With trouthe it is ennewde: 420 Trouth ought to be rescude, Trouthe should nat be subdude. But nowe will I expounde What noblenesse dothe abounde, And what honour is founde, And what vertues be resydent In our royall regent, Our perelesse president, Our kyng most excellent: In merciall prowes 430 Lyke vnto Hercules; In prudence and wysdom Lyke vnto Salamon; In his goodly person Lyke vnto Absolon; In loyalte and foy Lyke to Ector of Troy; And his glory to incres, Lyke to Scipiades; In royal mageste 440 Lyke unto Ptholome, Lyke to Duke Iosue, And the valiaunt Machube; That if I wolde reporte All the roiall sorte Of his nobilyte, His magnanymyte, His animosite, His frugalite,[266] His lyberalite, 450 His affabilite, His humanyte, His stabilite, His humilite, His benignite, His royall dignyte, My lernyng is to small For to recount them all. What losels than are ye, Lyke cowardes as ye be, 460 To rayle on his astate, With wordes inordinate! He rules his cominalte With all benignite; His noble baronage, He putteth them in corage To exployte dedes of armys, To the domage and harmys Of suche as be his foos; Where euer he rydes or goos, 470 His subiectes he dothe supporte, Maintayne them with comforte Of his moste princely porte, As all men can reporte. Than ye be a knappishe sorte, Et faitez a luy grant torte, With your enbosed iawes To rayle on hym lyke dawes; The fende scrache out your mawes! All his subiectes and he 480 Moost louyngly agre With hole hart and true mynde, They fynde his grace so kynde; Wherwith he dothe them bynde At all houres to be redy With hym to lyue and dye, And to spende[267] their hart blode, Their bodyes and their gode, With hym in all dystresse, Alway in redynesse 490 To assyst his noble grace; In spyght of thy cowardes face, Moost false attaynted traytour, And false forsworne faytour. Auaunte, cowarde recrayed! Thy pride shalbe alayd; With sir Fraunces of Fraunce We shall pype you a daunce, Shall tourne you to myschauns. I rede you, loke about; 500 For ye shalbe driuen out Of your lande in shorte space: We will so folowe in the chace, That ye shall haue no grace For to tourne your face; And thus, Sainct George to borowe, Ye shall haue shame and sorowe.

Lenuoy.

Go, lytell quayre, quickly; Shew them that shall you rede, How that ye are lykely 510 Ouer all the worlde[268] to sprede. The fals Scottes for dred, With the Duke of Albany, Beside the water of Twede They fledde full cowardly. Though your Englishe be rude, Barreyne of eloquence, Yet, breuely to conclude, Grounded is your sentence On trouthe, vnder defence 520 Of all trewe Englyshemen, This mater to credence That I wrate with my pen.

SKELTON LAUREAT, OBSEQUIOUS ET LOYALL.[269]

TO MY LORDE CARDYNALS RIGHT NOBLE GRACE, &c.

Lenuoy.

Go, lytell quayre, apace, In moost humble wyse, Before his noble grace, That caused you to deuise This lytel enterprise; And hym moost lowly pray, In his mynde to comprise Those wordes his grace dyd saye Of an ammas gray.

Ie foy enterment en sa bone grace.

[257] Howe the douty Duke of Albany, &c.] From Marshe’s ed. of Skelton’s Workes, 1568.

[258] so] Qy. “sore?”

[259] thousande] Ed. “thausande.”

[260] thy dogge] Qy. “thé, dogge?” but see notes.

[261] Nor no batayle, &c.] The Editor of 1736 chose to give this passage thus;

“Nor a batayle mayntayne With our stronge captayne For you ran,” &c.

[262] hors] Ed. “fors.”

[263] pounde] Ed. “pouned.”

[264] saue] Ed. “saua.”

[265] faytes] Qy. “factes?”

[266] frugalite] Ed. “fragalite.”

[267] And to spende, &c.] This line and the next transposed in ed.

[268] worlde] Ed. “worlds.”

[269] Skelton Laureat, obsequious et loyall] Perhaps these words are a portion of the superscription to the Lenuoy which follows. The Lenuoy itself does not, I apprehend, belong to the poem on the Duke of Albany. See Account of Skelton, &c.

NOTES TO VOLUME I.

OF THE DEATH OF THE NOBLE PRINCE, KYNGE EDWARDE THE FORTH.

Page 1. “Indeed if he well weighed that Epitaph of King Edward the fourth, made by Skelton, which I find inserted amongst the vnprinted Workes of Lydgate, he would be more modest in this kinde.” Qvaternio, 1633, p. 239, by Nash, who cites a considerable portion of this poem from a MS.—Lydgate could not have been alive at the period of Edward’s decease: see Warton’s Hist. of E.P. ii. 51. ed. 4to. (note), Ritson’s Bibl. Poet., &c.

Edward the Fourth died April 9th, 1483, in the 41st year of his age and the 23d of his reign: see Sir H. Nicolas’s Chron. of Hist. pp. 325, 349, sec. ed. These lines were probably composed soon after the king’s death—per Skeltonidem laureatum having been subsequently added to the title.

v. 8. lykynge] i. e. joy, pleasure.

Page 2. v. 22. a chery fayre] If this is to be understood as cherry-fair (which I think doubtful), the line ought to be pointed,

“Not certayne, but as a chery fayre, full of wo.”

The first of the following parallel passages is cited by Richardson in his Dict. under Cherry (as also from the same work of Gower,

“And that endureth but a throwe, Right as it were a cherie feste.”

B. vi. fol. cxxxiii. ed. 1554).

and Mr. Halliwell has obligingly forwarded to me a letter from one of his friends, who states that “cherry-wakes or cherry-fairs used not long since to be held in Worcestershire on Sunday-evenings after divine service, and that in his own village there were three in the season, one for the early cherries, and two others for those of later growth.”

“For all is but a cherie feire This worldes good, so as thei tell.”

Gower’s Conf. Am., Prol. fol. 3. ed. 1554.

“This worlde ys but a chyrye feyre, whan ȝe be heyest ȝe mowe aslake.”

Lydgate’s verses entitled Make Amendes,—_MS. Cott. Calig._ A ii. fol. 67.

“Reuoluyng als this liif a chere fayre To loke how sone she deyde the fayrist wight.”

Poems by C. Duke of Orleans,—MS. Harl. 682. fol. 42.

“Thys werld hyt turnys euyn as a whele, All day be day hyt wyl enpayre, And so, sone, thys worldys wele, Hyt faryth but as a chery fare.”

How the wise man taught his son,—Pieces of An. Pop. Poetry, p. 90. ed. Ritson.

Page 2. v. 28. to contribute Fraunce] i. e. to take tribute of France. In 1475 Edward withdrew from France with his army on condition that Louis should pay him immediately 75 thousand crowns, settle on him an annuity for life of 50 thousand more, &c. See Lingard’s Hist. of Engl. v. 303. ed. 8vo.

v. 35. as who sayth] A not unfrequent expression in our early poetry, equivalent to—as one may say, as the saying is.

Page 3. v. 37. I se wyll, they leve that doble my ȝeris] i. e. I see well, that they live that double my years.

v. 38. This dealid this world] i. e. Thus dealed this world. Skelton elsewhere, like many of our old poets, uses this for thus; as in his Ware the Hauke;

“Where Christis precious blode Dayly offred is, To be poluted this.”

v. 179. vol. i. 161.

v. 40. Had I wyst] i. e. Had I known,—the exclamation of one who repents of a thing done unadvisedly. It is very common in our early poetry. In The Paradyse of daynty deuises, 1576, the second copy of verses is entitled Beware of had I wyst.

v. 52. occupy] i. e. possess,—or, rather, use: “Surgyons occupy oyntmentes, &c., Vulnarii medici vtuntur,” &c. Hormanni Vulgaria, sig. I. vi. ed. 1530.

v. 53. I made the Tower stronge] “Edward iv ... fortified the Tower, and made it strong.” Stow’s Survey, B. i. 79. ed. 1720.

v. 54. I purchased Tetersall] I have not found elsewhere any mention of Edward the Fourth having possessed Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire. “It does not appear into whose hands the Tattershall estate fell after the death of the Lord Treasurer Cromwell [in 1455], until the year 1487, when Henry VII. granted the manor to his mother Margaret Countess of Richmond,” &c. Hist. of the County of Lincoln, ii. 73.

v. 55. I amendid Douer] “K. Edw. iv., by the advice of Lord Cobham, expended 10,000_l._ in repairing and fortifying the several works, and beautifying the apartments in it [Dover Castle].” Hasted’s Hist. of Kent, iv. 63.

Page 3. v. 56. And London I prouoked to fortify the wall]—prouoked, i. e. incited, caused.—“In the Seventeenth of Edward iv., Ralph Josceline, Maior, caused part of the Wall about the City to be repaired, to wit, between Aldgate and Aldersgate,” &c. Stow’s Survey, B. I. 10. ed. 1720.

v. 57. I made Notingam a place full royall] Leland, describing Nottingham Castle, says; “But the moste bewtifullest Part and gallant Building for lodgyng is on the Northe side, wher Edward the 4. began a right sumptuus pece of Stone Work, of the which he clerely finichid one excellent goodly Toure of 3. Hightes yn Building, and brought up the other Part likewise from the Foundation with Stone and mervelus fair cumpacid Windoes to layyng of the first soyle for Chambers and ther lefte.” Itin. i. 107. ed. 1770.

v. 58. Wyndsore] “The present magnificent fabrick [St. George’s Chapel at Windsor], which exhibits one of the most beautiful specimens in this or any other kingdom, of that richly ornamented species of architecture, which prevailed towards the close of the fifteenth and the commencement of the 16th century, was begun by King Edward IV., who having found it necessary to take down the old chapel on account of its decayed state, resolved to build another on the same site, upon a larger scale, and committed the superintendence of the building to Richard Beauchamp, bishop of Salisbury. The work was not completed till the reign of King Henry VIII.,” &c. Lysons’s Berkshire, p. 424: see too p. 468 of the same volume.—An account of the manors, &c., granted by Edward to Windsor College, will be found in Pote’s Hist. of Wind. Castle, p. 107.

—— Eltam] “K. Edw. iv. repaired this house [Eltham Palace] with much cost, and inclosed Horne-Park,” &c. Hasted’s Hist. of Kent, i. 51.

Page 4. v. 64. solas] i. e. sport, amusement.

v. 66. Lady Bes] Edward married, May 1st, 1464, the Lady Elizabeth Grey, widow of Sir John Grey, and daughter of Wydevile Lord Rivers by Jacquetta (or Jacqueline) Duchess of Bedford.

v. 70. But Windsore alone, now I haue no mo]—mo, i. e. more.—“He [Edward IV.] lies buried at Windsor, in the new Chappel (whose Foundation himself had laid, being all the Works of Piety by him left) under a Monument of Steel, polish’d and gilt, [iron gilt—see Lysons’s Berkshire, p. 210.], representing a Pair of Gates, betwixt Two Towers, all of curious transparent Workmanship after the Gothick Manner, which is placed in the North-Arch, faced through with Touch-Stone, near to the High-Altar.” Sandford’s Geneal. Hist. p. 413. ed. 1707.

Page 4. v. 73.

Why should a man be proude or presume hye? Sainct Bernard therof nobly doth trete, Seyth a man is but a sacke of stercorry, And shall returne vnto wormis mete. Why, what cam of Alexander the greate? Or els of stronge Sampson, who can tell? Were not wormes ordeyned theyr flesh to frete? And of Salomon, that was of wyt the well? Absolon profferyd his heare for to sell, Yet for al his bewte wormys ete him also]

—stercorry, i. e. dung: frete, i. e. eat, devour: heare, i. e. hair.—In cap. iii. of Meditationes piissimæ de cognitione humanæ conditionis, a piece attributed to Saint Bernard, we find, “Nihil aliud est homo, quam sperma fœtidum, saccus stercorum, cibus vermium.... Cur ergo superbis homo.... Quid superbis pulvis et cinis,” &c. Bernardi Opp. ii. 335-36. ed. 1719. In a Rythmus de contemptu mundi, attributed to the same saint, are these lines;

“Dic ubi Salomon, olim tam nobilis? Vel ubi Samson est, dux invincibilis? Vel pulcher Absalon, vultu mirabilis? ... O esca vermium! O massa pulveris! O roris vanitas, cur sic extolleris?”

Opp. ii. 913-14. ed. 1719.

(This Rythmus is printed by Mr. Wright among The Latin Poems attributed to Walter Mapes, p. 147.) So also Lydgate in a poem on the mutability of human affairs;

“And wher is Salomon moost soueryn of konnynge, Richest of bildyng, of tresour incomparable? Face of Absolon moost fair, moost amyable? ... And wher is Alisaundir that conqueryd al?”

MS. Harl. 2255. fol. 4, 5.

—of wyt the well: so in Cæsar Augustus;

“Of witt art thou the welle.”—Townely Mysteries, p. 68.

v. 85. I haue played my pageyond] i. e. I have played my pageant,—my part on the stage of life. Compare

“Theyr pageandes are past And ours wasteth fast Nothynge dothe aye last But the grace of God.”

Feylde’s Contrav. bytwene a louer and a Iaye, sig. B iii. n. d. 4to.

“Playis heir thair padyanis, syne gois to graif.”

Dunbar’s Poems, i. 213. ed. Laing.

“To playe this parte or padgeant.” Palsgrave’s Acolastus, 1540, sig. S.—The word pageant was originally applied to the temporary erections (sometimes placed upon wheels) on which miracle-plays were exhibited, afterwards to the exhibition itself. See Sharp’s Diss. on Coventry Pag. and Myst., p. 2; Collier’s Hist. of Engl. Dram. Poet., ii. 151.

Page 4. v. 86. yeld] i. e. eld, age.

Page 5. v. 87. This] i. e. Thus: see note on v. 38.

SKELTON LAUREATUS LIBELLUM SUUM, &c.

Page 6. v. 3. leonis] See note on v. 109 of next poem.

VPON THE DOLOUR[U]S DETHE AND MUCHE LAMENTABLE CHAUNCE OF THE MOST HONORABLE ERLE OF NORTHUMBERLANDE.

This elegy must have been written soon after the earl’s murder: see v. 162.—“The subject of this poem ... is the death of Henry Percy, fourth earl of Northumberland, who fell a victim to the avarice of Henry vii. In 1489 the parliament had granted the king a subsidy for carrying on the war in Bretagne. This tax was found so heavy in the North, that the whole country was in a flame. The E. of Northumberland, then lord lieutenant for Yorkshire, wrote to inform the king of the discontent, and praying an abatement. But nothing is so unrelenting as avarice: the king wrote back that not a penny should be abated. This message being delivered by the earl with too little caution, the populace rose, and, supposing him to be the promoter of their calamity, broke into his house, and murdered him, with several of his attendants, who yet are charged by Skelton with being backward in their duty on this occasion. This melancholy event happened at the earl’s seat at Cocklodge, near Thirske, in Yorkshire, April 28, 1489. See Lord Bacon, &c. If the reader does not find much poetical merit in this old poem (which yet is one of Skelton’s best [?]), he will see a striking picture of the state and magnificence kept up by our ancient nobility during the feudal times. This great earl is described here as having, among his menial servants, KNIGHTS, SQUIRES, and even BARONS: see v. 32, 183, &c., which, however different from modern manners, was formerly not unusual with our greater Barons, whose castles had all the splendour and offices of a royal court, before the Laws against Retainers abridged and limited the number of their attendants.” PERCY.

Page 6. v. 4. Of the bloud royall descending nobelly] “The mother of Henry, first Earl of Northumberland, was Mary daughter to Henry E. of Lancaster, whose father Edmond was second son of K. Henry iii. The mother and wife of the second Earl of Northumberland were both lineal descendants of K. Edward iii. The Percys also were lineally descended from the Emperour Charlemagne and the ancient Kings of France, by his ancestor Josceline de Lovain (son of Godfrey Duke of Brabant), who took the name of Percy on marrying the heiress of that house in the reign of Hen. ii. Vid. Camdeni Britan., Edmondson, &c.” PERCY.

v. 6. again] i. e. against.

Page 7. v. 14. Elyconys] i. e. Helicon’s.

v. 16. astate] i. e. estate, high rank.

v. 20. nobles] i. e. nobless, nobleness.

v. 21. dites] i. e. ditties.

v. 24. hastarddis] “i. e. perhaps, hasty, rash fellows.” PERCY.—Jamieson gives “Hastard. Irascible.” Et. Dict. of Scot. Lang.

—— tene] i. e. wrath.

v. 26. Confetered] i. e. Confederated.

v. 27. slee] i. e. slay.

v. 30. ken] i. e. know.

v. 34. karlis of kind] i. e. churls by nature.

v. 35. slo] i. e. slay.

Page 8. v. 40. bode] i. e. abode.

v. 41. glose] “i. e. set a false gloss or colour.” PERCY.

v. 43. redouted] i. e. dreaded.

v. 45. great estates] i. e. persons of great estate or rank.

—— lowted] i. e. bowed, made obeisance.

v. 46. mayny] i. e. train, company, set.

v. 48. paues] i. e. shield (properly a large shield covering the body).

v. 49. mot] i. e. may.

v. 51. fyll] i. e. fell.

v. 53. agayne] i. e. against.

v. 59. worshyp] i. e. honour, respectability.

v. 62. againe] i. e. against (and so in the next line).

v. 63. slee] i. e. slay.

Page 9. v. 71. fals packing] i. e. false dealing (packing is—iniquitous combination, collusion, for evil purposes, for deceiving, &c.).

v. 73. occupied] i. e. used: see note, p. 86, v. 52.

—— shilde] i. e. shield.

v. 78. renyed] i. e. refused.

v. 81. buskt them] “i. e. prepared themselves, made themselves ready.” PERCY. Rather,—hied.

Page 9. v. 81. bushment] i. e. ambushment.

—— baile] i. e. sorrow, trouble.

v. 82. Againe] i. e. Against.

—— wring] “i. e. contend with violence.” PERCY.

v. 84. forsed] i. e. regarded.

v. 87. Presed] i. e. Pressed.

v. 88. faught them agagne] i. e. fought against them.

Page 10. v. 96. whose] i. e. whoso.

v. 98. sort] i. e. set, band.

v. 100. wode] i. e. frantic, wild.

v. 102. gode] i. e. good.

v. 106. spylt] i. e. destroyed.

v. 109. The myghty lyon] “Alluding to his crest and supporters.” PERCY.

—— doutted] i. e. dreaded.

v. 115. shoke] i. e. shook.

Page 11. v. 118. mysuryd] “i. e. misused, applied to a bad purpose.” PERCY.

v. 123. sleest] i. e. slayest.

v. 125. enharpit of mortall drede] “i. e. hooked, or edged with mortal dread.” PERCY.

v. 126. kit] i. e. cut.

v. 128. aureat] i. e. golden, excellent.

—— ellumynynge] i. e. embellishing.

v. 131. fuyson] i. e. abundance.

v. 134. Paregall] i. e. Equal (thoroughly equal).

v. 135. Surmountinge] i. e. Surpassing.

v. 136. reporte me] i. e. refer.

v. 142. enkankered] i. e. corroded.

v. 143. worshiply] i. e. honourably.

v. 145. supprised] i. e. overpowered, smitten.

—— lust] i. e. liking, desire.

Page 12. v. 151. Tretory] i. e. Traitory, treachery.

v. 152. holl] i. e. whole.

v. 154. sle] i. e. slay.

v. 155. hole quere] i. e. whole quire.

v. 160. holy] i. e. wholly.

v. 162. yonge lyon] See note on v. 109. The fifth Earl of Northumberland was only eleven years old at his father’s death.

v. 166. Agayn] i. e. Against.

v. 172. faytors] “i. e. deceivers, dissemblers.” PERCY.—“Faytoure, Fictor, Simulator.” Prompt. Parv. ed. 1499.

Page 12. v. 176. chere] i. e. countenance, or (as it may mean here) spirit.

Page 13. v. 179. Algife] i. e. Although.

—— thorow saught] i. e. sought through.

v. 181. complayne] i. e. lament for.

v. 186. worshyply] i. e. honourably.

v. 195. finaunce] i. e. fine, forfeiture.

v. 196. from the fendys pray] “i. e. from being the prey of the fiends.” PERCY.

v. 199. eterminable] i. e. interminable.

Page 14. v. 212. hole sorte] i. e. whole company.

v. 213. mot] i. e. may.

—— ad magistrum Rukshaw] The person here addressed was perhaps “William Rowkshaw, priest,” by whom a letter, dated from the Gilbertine priory of Watton in the east riding of Yorkshire, is printed among the Plumpton Correspondence, p. 82. Camd. Soc. ed.

AGAYNSTE A COMELY COYSTROWNE, THAT CURYOWSLY CHAWNTYD, AND CURRYSHLY COWNTRED, &c.

Page 15. Coystrowne (which Skelton uses again in his poem Howe the douty Duke of Albany, &c., v. 171. vol. ii. 73., and has Latinized in his Speke, Parot, v. 125. vol. ii. 7.) is written by Chaucer quistron;

“This God of Loue of his fashion Was like no knaue ne quistron, [Ne resembloit pas un garçon].”

Rom. of the Rose, fol. 113,—Workes, ed. 1602.

Urry renders it—a beggar (Fr. questeur); but Tyrwhitt observes, “I rather believe it signifies a scullion, un garçon de cuisine.” Gloss. to C.T.—Douce says that Tyrwhitt’s explanation is correct, citing the words “un quistron de sa cusyne” from the prose French chronicle of the Brut of England, and Caxton’s version of them, “a knave of his kychen.” See Gloss. to Weber’s Met. Rom.—Roquefort has “Questron: bâtard, enfant d’une prostituée.” Gloss. de la Lang. Rom.—In Scottish poetry custroun occurs several times: see Jamieson’s Et. Dict. of Scot. Lang. and Suppl., where are various conjectures on the derivation and meaning of the word.

In Prompt. Parv. we find “Cowntryn in songe. Occento.” ed. 1499. To counter is properly—to sing an extemporaneous part upon the plain chant. Skelton uses the word in other places, and perhaps not always in its strict sense.

v. 4.

In peuyshnes yet they snapper and fall, Which men the viii dedly syn call]

Snapper is commonly explained—stumble; but Palsgrave makes a distinction between the words: “I Snapper as a horse dothe that tryppeth, Ie trippette. My horse dyd nat stumble he dyd but snapper a lytell, Mon cheual ne choppyt poynt il ne fit que tripetter vng petit.” Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. ccclxv. (Table of Verbes.)—Compare the following lines;

“Not say y this but wel parcas that y In pevisshe synne myght happe me ī aseven Which is the viii synne to synnes vii.”

Poems by C. Duke of Orleans,—MS. Harl. 682. fol. 145.

Page 15. v. 6. prendergest] A word (probably the origin of the surname Prendergast) which I am unable to explain.

v. 8. bayardys bun] i. e. horse-loaf, a sort of bread formerly much used for feeding horses: bayard is, properly, a bay horse.

v. 9. sumdele] i. e. somewhat.

v. 11. maunchet] Properly, a small loaf of fine white bread.

—— morell] Properly, a dark-coloured, a black horse.

v. 13. carp] Which generally means—speak, talk,—is sometimes found applied to music, and here, perhaps, is equivalent to—make a noise.

v. 14. Lo, Jak wold be a jentylman!] So in Heywood’s Dialogue;

“Iacke would be a gentleman, if he could speake French.”

Sig. D 2,—Workes, ed. 1598.

See also Ray’s Proverbs, p. 124. ed. 1768.

v. 15.

Wyth, Hey, troly, loly, lo, whip here, Jak, Alumbek sodyldym syllorym ben! Curyowsly he can both counter and knak Of Martyn Swart and all hys mery men]

Hey, troly, loly, Ritson observes, is a chorus or burden “of vast antiquity;” see Anc. Songs, ii. 8. ed. 1829: counter; see note on title of the poem: knak, i. e. triflingly, or affectedly shew off his skill in singing about, &c. In A very mery and Pythie Commedie, called The longer thou liuest, the more foole than art, &c. Newly compiled by W. Wager, 4to. n. d. (written in the early part of Elizabeth’s reign), Moros sings, among other fragments of songs,

“Martin swart and his man, sodledum sodledum, Martin swart and his man, sodledum bell.”

Sig. A 3.

and in a comparatively recent drama we find;

“The Beare, the Boare, and Talbot with his tuskish white, Oh so sore that he would bite, The Talbot with his Tuskish white, Soudledum Soudledum; The Talbot with his Tuskish white, Soudledum bell. The Talbott with his Tuskish white, Oh so sore that he would bite, Orebecke soudledum, sing orum bell.”

The Varietie (by the Duke of Newcastle), 1649. 12mo. p. 41.

Martin Swart, “a noble man in Germany, and in marciall feactes verye expert,” (Hall’s Chron. (Henry VII.) fol. ix. ed. 1548), headed the auxiliaries sent by the Duchess of Burgundy with Lambert Simnel, and fell, fighting with great valour, at the battle of Stoke.

Page 15. v. 19. pohen] i. e. pea-hen.

Page 16. v. 21. An holy water clarke] Aquæbajulus; an office generally mentioned with contempt.

v. 23. solfyth to haute] i. e. solfas too haughtily,—highly.

v. 25. to sharp is hys my] “The syllable Mi used in solmisation.” Hawkins’s Hist. of Music, iii. 41.

v. 26. pyrdewy] Compare Hycke Scorner;

“Than into loues daunce we were brought, That we played the pyrdewy.”

Sig. A v. ed. W. de Worde.

and Colkelbie Sow;

“Sum Perdowy sum Trolly lolly.”

v. 303. Laing’s Early Pop. Poet. of Scotland.

v. 27. besy] i. e. busy.

v. 29. a lewde lewte] i. e. a vile lute.

—— Roty bully joyse] “The initial words of some old song.” Hawkins’s Hist. of Music, iii. 41.—In our author’s Magnyfycence, Courtly Abusyon exclaims,

“Rutty bully, ioly rutterkyn, heyda!”

v. 757, vol. i. 249.

Perhaps the same air is alluded to in Colkelbie Sow;

“Sum Rusty bully with a bek.”

v. 320.—Laing’s Early Pop. Poet. of Scotland.

v. 33. and he wyst] i. e. if he knew.

v. 34. sped] i. e. versed.

—— tauellys] “Tauell an instrument for a sylke woman to worke with.” Palsgrave’s Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. lxix. (Table of Subst.)

v. 36. a payre of clauycordys] i. e. a clavichord (so, formerly, an organ was called a pair of organs); of which see an engraving in Hawkins’s Hist. of Music, ii. 443.

v. 43. jet] Is explained in modern dictionaries—strut.—“I Get I vse a proude countenaunce and pace in my goyng, Ie braggue.” “I Iette with facyon and countenaunce to set forthe myselfe, Ie braggue.” “I Go a iettynye or a ryottynge, Ie raude.” Palsgrave’s Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fols. ccxlvi, cclxv, ccli. (Table of Verbes.)

Page 16. v. 47. dumpys] i. e. dumps.

v. 48. prycke songe] i. e. music pricked or noted down; when opposed (see v. 54) to plain song, it meant counter-point, as distinguished from mere melody.

v. 49. a larg and a long] Characters in old music: one large contained two longs, one long two breves, &c.

v. 50. iape] i. e. jest, joke.

v. 51. solayne] i. e. sullen.

Page 17. v. 53. fayne] Palsgrave gives, “I feyne in syngyng, Ie chante a basse voyx. We maye nat synge out we are to nere my lorde, but lette vs fayne this songe,” &c. Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. ccxxxv. (Table of Verbes.) But here, I apprehend, fayne can only mean—sing in falsetto. Our author, in The Bowge of Courte, has

“His throte was clere, and lustely coude fayne.”

v. 233. vol. i. 39.

v. 55. Thys docter Deuyas commensyd in a cart] So again Skelton in his Colyn Cloute,

“Auaunt, syr doctour Deuyas!”

v. 1159. vol. i. 356.

Compare a much later writer: “What, a graue Doctor, a base Iohn Doleta the Almanack-maker, Doctor Deuse-ace and Doctor Merryman?” Nash’s Haue with you to Saffron-Walden, 1596. sig. L 3.—commensyd, i. e. who took his degree.

v. 60. ne] i. e. nor.

v. 61. wark] i. e. work, business.

v. 62. walk, and be nought!] Equivalent to—away, and a mischief on you!

v. 68. Take thys in worth] “I Take in worthe or I take in good worthe, Ie prens en gré.” Palsgrave’s Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. ccclxxxiiii. (Table of Verbes.)

v. 69. Wryten at Croydon by Crowland in the Clay] Concerning this line, the Rev. Joseph Hunter has obligingly remarked to me: “I was in hope of finding ‘Croydon by Crowland in the Clay’ by looking in Ingulphus and his Continuator, where all the places are mentioned in which the Abbey of Crowland (Croyland) had estates. No such name as Croydon appears; and as it is not in Speed’s maps, I see little chance of meeting with the place so called by Skelton. It would be a very bold emendation to read,—

‘Wryten in Hoyland by Crowland in the Clay:’

the parts of Lincolnshire in which Crowland is situated are called Holland or formerly Hoylande.”—To G. Steinman Steinman, Esq., author of the Hist. of Croydon, I am indebted for the following observations: “The passage has been a puzzle to me. The distance is very great between Crowland and Croydon in Cambridgeshire; and in Croydon in Surrey there is no such place as Crowland, though I can point out to you ‘the Clays’ there. The manor of Crou_ham_ is in the Surrey Croydon, but far away from ‘the Clays.’”

Page 18. Qd] i. e. Quod, quoth.

VPPON A DEEDMANS HED, &c.

couenable, i. e. befitting: sentence, i. e. sense, meaning. The pointing perhaps ought to be thus;—“in Englysh couenable, in sentence commendable,” &c.

v. 13. shyderyd] i. e. split, splintered.

v. 18. fell] i. e. skin.

Page 19. v. 24. mell] i. e. meddle.

v. 29.

Oure days be datyd, To be chekmatyd With drawttys of deth]

Checkmate, the term at chess when the king is made prisoner, and the game consequently finished, is often used figuratively by our early writers. With the present lines compare the following passages:

“Wyth a draght he was chek mate.”

Kyng Roberd of Cysylle,—MS. Harl. 1701. fol. 93.

“But she had taken suche cold for the defaute of helpe that depe draughtes of deth toke her, that nedes she must dye,” &c. Morte d’Arthur, B. viii. c. i. vol. i. 247. ed. Southey.

v. 36. brynnyng] i. e. burning.

v. 40. rew] i. e. have pity.

v. 43. shylde] i. e. shield.

v. 45. dyne] i. e. dun, dark.

v. 46. boteles bale] i. e. remediless sorrow.

v. 48. fendys blake] i. e. fiends black.

v. 54. solace] i. e. pleasure.

“WOMANHOD, WANTON, YE WANT,” &c.

Page 20. v. 4. recheles] i. e. reckless.

v. 6. draffe] i. e. refuse: in our author’s Elynour Rummyng, v. 171. vol. i. 100, it means hog-wash,—the coarse liquor, or brewers’ grains, with which swine are fed.

Page 20. v. 13. pohen] i. e. peahen.

v. 18. auayle] i. e. advantage, profit.

v. 19. shayle] Is several times used by Skelton. “Schayler that gothe awrie with his fete boytevx.” Palsgrave’s Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. lxi. (Table of Subst.) “I Shayle as a man or horse dothe that gothe croked with his legges: Ie vas eschays. It is to late to beate him for it nowe, he shal shayle as longe as he lyueth ... il yra eschays ... I Shayle with the fete, Ientretaille des pieds.” Id. fol. cccxlviii. (Table of Verbes). “A shayle with yᵉ knees togyther and the fete outwarde: A eschays.” Id. fol. ccccxxxvii. (Table of Aduerbes).

v. 20. pyggysny] “The Romans,” says Tyrwhitt, “used oculus as a term of endearment, and perhaps piggesnie, in vulgar language, only means ocellus; the eyes of that animal being remarkably small.” Note on Chaucer’s Cant. Tales, v. 3268.—In confirmation of this etymology, Todd (Johnson’s Dict. in v. Pigsney) has shewn that the word was occasionally written pigs eie.

v. 21. quyte] i. e. requite.

Page 21. v. 26. doute] i. e. fear.

v. 28. all beshrewde] i. e. altogether cursed.

v. 29. that farly swete] i. e. that strange sweet one.

v. 30. wonnes] i. e. dwells.

—— Temmys strete] i. e. Thames’ street.

DYUERS BALETTYS AND DYTIES, &c.

solacyous] i. e. pleasant, amusing.

Page 22. v. 2. quod] i. e. quoth.

v. 4. hardely] i. e. boldly, with confidence.

v. 7. kepe] i. e. heed, regard, care.

v. 8.

With ba, ba, ba, and bas, bas, bas, She cheryshed hym both cheke and chyn]

i. e. With kissings,—with, kiss me.

“Come ner my spouse, and let me ba thy cheke.”

Chaucer’s Wif of Bathes Prol. v. 6015. ed. Tyr.

“I wald him chuk, cheik and chyn, and cheris him so mekill.”

Dunbar’s tale of The Tua Maryit Wemen and the Wedo,—Poems, i. 71. ed. Laing.

v. 10. wyst] i. e. knew.

v. 11. He had forgoten all dedely syn] Compare our author’s Phyllyp Sparowe, v. 1080. vol. i. 84.

v. 13. He trusted her payment, and lost all hys pray] In the note below the text I inconsiderately queried if “pray” should be “pay.” Compare the last of Skelton’s Poems against Garnesche;

“And thus there ye lost yower pray [i. e. prey].”

v. 61. vol. i. 128.

Page 22. v. 15. rowth] i. e. rough.

—— waters wan] Many passages of our early poetry might be cited where this epithet is applied to water: see note on Why come ye nat to Courte, v. 887, where a wrong reading has misled H. Tooke and Richardson.

v. 18. halsyd] i. e. embraced (round the neck).

v. 19. cought] i. e. caught.

Page 23. v. 20. lefe] i. e. dear.

—— rowtyth] i. e. snoreth.

v. 21. I wys] i. e. truly, certainly (i-wis, adv.).

v. 23. lust and lykyng] “Luste pleasure delyt ... volupté.” Palsgrave’s Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. xlvi. (Table of Subst.): lykyng; see note, p. 85. v. 8. This somewhat pleonastic expression (used again more than once by Skelton) is not uncommon in our old writers: “Allas my swete sones thenne she sayd, for your sakes I shalle lese my lykynge and lust.” Morte d’Arthur, B. xi. c. x. vol. ii. 174. ed. Southey. Nay, in the interlude of The Worlde and the Chylde, 1522, one of the characters bears the name of Lust and Lykynge.

v. 24. blowboll] “Blowbole yuroigne.” Palsgrave’s Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. xx. (Table of Subst.).

“To blowe in a bowle, and for to pill a platter,” &c.

Barclay’s First Egloge, sig. A iiii. ed. 1570.

“Farewell Peter blowbowle I may wel call thee.”

Enterlude of Kyng Daryus, 1565. sig. B.

Among the contents of MS. Rawlinson marked C. 86., Bodl. Libr., is a ludicrous poem entitled Colyne Blowbols Testament: see Sir F. Madden’s Introd. to Syr Gawayne, &c. p. lxvi.

v. 25. luggard] i. e. heavy fellow, sluggard.

v. 28. powle hachet] So again in our author’s Garlande of Laurell;

“Powle hatchettis, that prate wyll at euery ale pole.”

v. 613. vol. i. 386.

—— bleryd thyne I] (I—eye) i. e. imposed on, put a cheat on you.

Qd.] i. e. Quod, quoth.

v. 4. pastaunce] i. e. pastime.

v. 7. corage] i. e. heart.

Page 23. v. 8. fauorable] i. e. well-favoured, beautiful.

v. 11. Menolope] In a “ballade” entitled The IX. Ladies Woorthie, printed among Chaucer’s Workes, the writer, after celebrating the eighth, “Quene Semiramys,” concludes thus;

“Also the ladie Menalip thy sister deere, Whose marcial power no man coud withstand, Through the worlde was not found her pere, The famous duke Thes[e]us she had in hand, She chastised hym and [conquered] all his land, The proude Greekes mightely she did assaile, Ouercame and vanquished them in battaile.”

fol. 324. ed. 1602.

Compare Hawes;

“There was quene Phantasyle with penalape Quene helayne and quene menalape.”

The Pastime of pleasure, sig. T iii. ed. 1555.

v. 16. curtoyl] i. e. curtal.

—— set nowght by] i. e. set no value, or regard, on.

Page 24. v. 17.

Gup, morell, gup, With jayst ye——]

morell; see note, p. 93. v. 11.—Gup and jayst are exclamations applied to horses; compare our author’s Elynour Rummyng, v. 390. vol. i. 107., and his third Poem against Garnesche, v. 13. vol. i. 120. So too in Camelles Rejoindre to Churchyarde (fol. broadside);

“Then gip fellowe asse, then jost fellowe lurden.”

v. 19. corage] i. e. heart, affection, inclination.

—— haggys] I know not in what sense Skelton uses this word: so again in his Colyn Cloute;

“I purpose to shake oute All my connyng bagge, Lyke a clerkely hagge.”

v. 50. vol. i. 313.

and in his poem Howe the douty Duke of Albany, &c.;

“For thou can not but brag, Lyke a Scottyshe hag.”

v. 294. vol. ii. 76.

v. 20. Haue in sergeaunt ferrour] i. e. Bring in sergeant farrier. “Ferrour. Ferrarius. Ferrator.” Prompt. Parv. ed. 1499. The title sergeant belongs properly to certain of the king’s servants: so in an unpublished Liber Excerpt. Temp. Hen. vii. et Hen. viii. in the Chapter-house, Westminster;

(xix. of “Item payd to the sergeant plummer and } Hen. vii.) bartram opon their indentures for grenewiche } xxli.”

Page 24. v. 23. keylyth] i. e. (perhaps) cooleth—but I do not understand the passage.

v. 24. neuer a dele] i. e. not a bit.

v. 25. wrenche] “Wrenche, a wyle gauche, ruse.” Palsgrave’s Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. lxxvi. (Table of Subst.).

v. 30. dyntes] i. e. blows.

v. 31. He bresyth theyr braynpannys] i. e. He bruiseth, breaketh their skulls, heads: “Pan of the hede. Cranium.” Prompt. Parv. ed. 1499.

v. 32. all to-brokyn] A writer in the new ed. of Boucher’s Gloss. (in v. All) justly observes that it is a mistake to suppose that in such expressions all is coupled with to, and that it becomes equivalent to omnino from being thus conjoined. The augmentative to is connected with the following word as a prefix, and often occurs without being preceded by all: so in our author’s Bowge of Courte,

“A rusty gallande, to-ragged and to-rente.”—v. 345. vol. i. 43.

—— clappys] i. e. strokes.

v. 33. to lepe the hach] i. e. to run away:—(hatch—the fastened half or part of the door, the half-door).

“I pretende [i. e. intend] therefore to leape ouer the hatche.”

The Triall of Treasure, 1567. sig. E ii.

v. 34. By theyr conusaunce knowing how they serue a wily py] Conusaunce is cognizance,—a badge worn by servants; py is magpie: there seems to be some allusion to armorial bearings.

v. 36. It can be no counsell that is cryed at the cros] i. e. It can be no secret that is proclaimed at the market-place.

v. 38. furst] i. e. first.

—— los] May mean loss, but, rather, it would seem, “Loos or bad name. Infamia.” Prompt. Parv. ed. 1499.

v. 39. warke] i. e. work.

Qd] i. e. Quod, quoth.

Page 25. v. 3. Corage wyth lust] See notes, p. 98. v. 23., p. 99. v. 19: but the whole stanza is very obscure.

v. 7. surmountyng] i. e. surpassing.

v. 8. Allectuary] i. e. Electuary.

—— arrectyd] i. e. perhaps, considered sovereign; to arrect is to impute: or it may simply mean—raised up; our author’s Garlande of Laurell begins

“Arectyng my syght towarde the zodyake.”—vol. i. 361.

—— redres] i. e. relieve, remedy.

v. 9. axys] i. e. fits, paroxysms.

“Yet I haue felt of the sicknesse through May Both hote and cold, and axes euery day.”

Chaucer’s Cuckow and Nightingale,—Workes, fol. 316. ed. 1602.

“Ther comyth a quarteyn, seith in his gret accesse,” &c.

Lydgate’s verses Against Self-love,—MS. Harl. 2255. fol. 8.

“Help feuerous folk that tremble in ther accesse.”

Lydgate’s Prayer to St. Leonard,—MS. Harl. 2255. fol. 114.

In some parts of England and Scotland access is still used to denote the ague.—Lest any reader should think this note unnecessarily long, I may observe that in two recently published works the word “axes” is erroneously explained,—aches.

Page 25. v. 10. Of thoughtfull hertys plungyd in dystres] Skelton borrowed this line from Lydgate, whose Lyf of our Lady begins

“O thoughtful herte plungyd in distresse.”

In the Bibl. Poet. p. 82, Ritson gives these words as the commencement of a poem by Lydgate, Cott. Ap. viii., not knowing that this reference is to a MS. of the Lyf of our Lady.—Thoughtfull is anxious, heavy, sad.

“For thought and woe pyteously wepynge.”

Lydgate’s Warres of Troy, B. iv. sig. T v. ed. 1555.

v. 13. Herber] Warton appears to limit the signification of this word in old poetry to “an herbary for furnishing domestic medicines,” which, says he, “always made a part of our ancient gardens;” note on Hist. of E. P. ii. 231. ed. 4to. But Jamieson observes, that it would seem to be used for arbour by James I., Kings Quair, ii. 12, 13., and in the romance of Sir Egeir, v. 356. Et. Dict. of Scot. Lang. (in v. Herbere). See also The Flower and the Leaf, and The Complaint of the Black Knight, by Chaucer.

v. 14. lusty somer] i. e. pleasant summer.

v. 16. ruddys] i. e. ruddy tints of the cheek, complexion.

v. 17. Saphyre of sadnes]—sadnes, i. e. steadiness, constancy:

“For hit is write and seide how the safere Doth token trowthe.”

Poems by C. Duke of Orleans,—MS. Harl. 682. fol. 44.

—— enuayned with indy blew] enuayned, i. e. enveined. “Inde. Fr., Azure-coloured.” Tyrwhitt’s Gloss. to Chaucer’s Cant. Tales. “Inde, ynde: couleur de bleu foncé, d’azur, indicum.” Roquefort’s Gloss. de la Lang. Rom. So again our author in his Magnyfycence;

“The streynes of her vaynes as asure inde blewe.”

v. 1571. vol. i. 276.

See too his Garlande of Laurell, v. 478. vol. i. 381. Compare Hawes;

“Lyke to a lady: for to be moost trewe She ware a fayre: and goodly garment Of moost fyne veluet: al of Indy blewe With armynes powdred: bordred at the vent.”

The Pastime of pleasure, sig. K iiii. ed. 1555.

and Nevil, son of Lord Latimer, in a poem of great rarity;

“On the gates two scryptures I aspyed Theym for to rede my mynd than I applyed Wryten in gold and indye blewe for folkes fortheraunce.”

The Castell of pleasure, sig. A v. 1518.

Chaucer has

“Of grasse and floures, Inde and Pers.”

Romaunt of the Rose,—Workes, fol. 109. ed. 1602.

(monstrously explained in Urry’s ed. “Indian and Persian”): and Lydgate,

“Nor stonys al by nature, as I fynde, Be not saphires that shewethe colour ynde.”

The Chorle and the Bird,—MS. Harl. 116. fol. 150.

Sir John Mandeville says that the beak of the Phœnix “is coloured blew as ynde.” Voiage and Travaile, &c., p. 58. ed. 1725.

Page 25. v. 20. Geyne] i. e. Against.

———— the emeraud comendable; Relucent smaragd]

Emeraud (emerald) and smaragd are generally considered as synonymous; but here Skelton makes a distinction between them. So too Drayton in his Muses Elizium, 1630. p. 78; and Chamberlayne in his Pharonnida, 1659. B. ii. c. 4. p. 150. And so R. Holme: “The Emrauld is green.”—“The Smaradge is of an excellent fresh green, far passing any Leaf.” Ac. of Armory, 1688. B. ii. pp. 39, 41. James I. in his Quair mentions

“The panther like unto the smaragdyne.”

Chalmers’s Poet. Rem. of Scot. Kings, p. 85.

v. 22. perspectyue] Which generally signifies a glass to look through, seems here, from the context, to mean some sort of reflecting glass.

v. 23. Illumynyd] i. e. Adorned.

v. 26. Gayne] i. e. Against.

Page 25. v. 29. Remorse] Means commonly in early writers,—pity; but that sense is unsuited to the present passage: it seems to be used here for—remembrance, recollection.

—— most goodlyhod] i. e. perfect goodness.

v. 33. praty] i. e. pretty.

Page 26. v. 40. mastres] i. e. mistress.

v. 41. nys] i. e. ne is—is not.

v. 43. more desyrous] i. e. more desirable.

Qd] i. e. Quod, quoth.

v. 11. rede] i. e. advise.

v. 12. fals poynt] “This fals poynt ... Hæc fraus.” Hormanni Vulgaria, sig. s viii. ed. 1530.

v. 13. fell] i. e. skin.

Page 27. v. 15. lesard] In the Latin above, the corresponding word is anguis: long after Skelton’s time, the poor harmless lizard was reckoned venomous; so in Shakespeare’s Third Part of Henry VI., act ii. sc. 2., “lizards’ dreadful stings.”

v. 1. rasyd] i. e. torn, wounded. Skelton in his Woffully Araid has

“See how a spere my hert dyd race.”

v. 45. vol. i. 142.

v. 3. vaynys i. e. veins.

—— blo] i. e. livid. “Blo, blewe and grene coloured, as ones body is after a drie stroke, iaunastre.” Palsgrave’s Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. lxxxiiii. (Table of Adiect.).

v. 5. ouerthwart] i. e. cross, perverse, adverse.

v. 7. dyscure] i. e. discover.

MANERLY MARGERY MYLK AND ALE.

Skelton mentions this piece among his works, in the Garlande of Laurell, v. 1198. vol. i. 409. Sir John Hawkins, who printed it together with the music, says that it “appears to have been set by William Cornish of the Chapel Royal in the reign of Henry vii.” Hist. of Music, iii. 2.

Page 28. v. 1. besherewe yow] i. e. curse you,—confound you!

—— be my fay] i. e. by my faith.

v. 2. This wanton clarkes be nyse all way] i. e. These wanton scholars be always foolish, inclined to folly, to toyish tricks: compare our author’s Phyllyp Sparowe;

“Phyllyp, though he were nyse, In him it was no vyse,” &c.

v. 173. vol. i. 56.

Page 28. v. 3. Avent] i. e. Avaunt.

—— popagay] i. e. parrot.

v. 5. Tully valy] Or Tilly vally—an exclamation of contempt, the origin of which is doubtful.

v. 6. Gup] See note, p. 99. v. 17.

—— Cristian Clowte] Compare our author’s Colyn Cloute;

“He coud not syng himselfe therout But by the helpe of Christyan Clout.”

v. 880. vol. i. 345.

—— Jak of the vale] So our author in his Magnyfycence; “some iangelynge Jacke of the vale,” v. 260. vol. i. 234. Compare two pieces of a much later date;

“I am not now to tell a tale Of George a Greene, or Jacke a Vale.”

The Odcombian Banquet, 1611. sig. C 3.

“And they had leauer printen Jacke a vale Or Clim o Clough,” &c.

J. Davies,—Other Eglogues annexed to The Shepheards Pipe, 1614. sig. G 4.

v. 8. Be] i. e. By.

—— praty pode]—praty, i. e. pretty: pode, i. e., perhaps, toad. Compare Roy’s satire, Rede me, and be nott wrothe, &c.;

“A littell, pratye, foolysshe poade.”

Harl. Miscell. ix. 19. ed. Park.

v. 10. Strawe, Jamys foder, ye play the fode] The meaning of Jamys foder,—and whether “fode” is used here in the sense of—deceiver, one who feeds another with words (compare our author’s Magnyfycence, v. 1719. vol. i. 281.),—I must leave the reader to determine.

v. 12. bole] i. e. (I suppose) bull.

v. 15. I wiss] i. e. truly, certainly (i-wis, adv.).

v. 17. piggesnye] See note, p. 97. v. 20.

v. 19. Be] i. e. By.

—— hardely] i. e. assuredly.

v. 20. japed bodely] See Palsgrave’s Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. cclxv. (Table of Verbes); Puttenham’s Arte of English Poesie, B. iii. c. xxii. p. 212. ed. 1589; and the Prologue to the anonymous old play, Grim the Collier of Croydon.

Page 29. v. 27. thought] i. e. sadness, grief: see note, p. 101. v. 10.

THE BOWGE OF COURTE.

“It is a bouge of courte. Ceremonia aulica est.” Hormanni Vulgaria, sig. s iii. ed. 1530. “Bouche à Court. Budge-a-Court, diet allowed at Court.” Cotgrave’s Dict. “The Kings Archers ... had Bouch of Court (to wit, Meat and Drink) and great Wages of six Pence by the Day.” Stow’s Survey, B. vi. 49. ed. 1720.

“The poem called the BOUGE OF COURT, or the Rewards of a Court, is in the manner of a pageaunt, consisting of seven personifications. Here our author, in adopting the more grave and stately movement of the seven lined stanza, has shewn himself not always incapable of exhibiting allegorical imagery with spirit and dignity. But his comic vein predominates.” Warton’s Hist. of E. P., ii. 347. ed. 4to.

“Bouge of court, a corruption of bouche, Fr. An allowance of meat and drink for the tables of the inferior officers, and others who were occasionally called to serve and entertain the court. Skelton has a kind of little drama called Bouge of Court, from the name of the ship in which the dialogue takes place. It is a very severe satire, full of strong painting, and excellent poetry. The courtiers of Harry must have winced at it.” Gifford, note on Ben Jonson’s Works, vii. 428.

Page 30. v. 7. to werre hym dyde dres] i. e. did address, apply himself to war.

v. 15. rede] i. e. conceive, consider.

Page 31. v. 17. aforce] i. e. attempt.

v. 18. dyscure] i. e. discover.

v. 20. illumyne] i. e. embellish a subject.

v. 21. Auysynge] i. e. Advising.

v. 22. he so] i. e. who so.

v. 23. connynge] i. e. knowledge.

v. 30. ne wyste] i. e. knew not.

v. 31. sore enwered]—enwered means simply—wearied. Richardson (Dict. in v. En) observes that “Skelton appears to have wantoned in such compounds.”

v. 33. I me dreste] i. e. I addressed, applied myself.

v. 36.

Methoughte I sawe a shyppe, goodly of sayle, Come saylynge forth into that hauen brood, Her takelynge ryche and of hye apparayle]

Of this passage Mr. Wordsworth has a recollection in one of his noble Sonnets;

“A goodly Vessel did I then espy Come like a giant from a haven broad; And lustily along the bay she strode, Her tackling rich, and of apparel high.”

Works, iii. 34. ed. 1836.

Page 31. v. 39. kyste] i. e. cast.

v. 40. what she had lode] i. e. what she had been freighted with.

Page 32. v. 44. prece] i. e. press,—the throng.

v. 49. hyghte] i. e. is called.

v. 50. estate] i. e. high rank, dignity.

v. 54. chaffre] i. e. merchandise.

v. 58. traues] Means here a sort of low curtain or screen.—Hall, describing the preparations for combat between the Dukes of Hereford and Norfolk, tells us that the former, having entered the lists, “set hym doune in a chayer of grene veluet whiche was set in a trauers of grene and blewe veluet,” &c.; and that the latter “satte doune in his chayer whiche was Crimosen Veluet, cortened [curtained] aboute with white and redde Damaske.” Chron. (Henry IV.) fol. iii. ed. 1548.—At a later period, curtains, which were used on the stage as substitutes for scenes, were called traverses. See also Singer’s note on Cavendish’s Life of Wolsey, p. 167. ed. 1827, and Sir H. Nicolas’s note on Privy Purse Expenses of Elizabeth of York, p. 259.

v. 60. trone] i. e. throne.

v. 61. spere] i. e. sphere.

v. 63. connynge] i. e. knowledge,—skill.

Page 33. v. 71. prese] i. e. press.

v. 72. she trowed that I had eten sause] Compare our author’s Magnyfycence;

“Ye haue eten sauce, I trowe, at the Taylors Hall.”

v. 1421. vol. i. 271.

v. 78. quod] i. e. quoth.

v. 80. glome] i. e. glum,—sullen look, frown.

v. 82. daynnously] i. e. disdainfully.

—— fro me she dyde fare] i. e. from me she did go.

v. 83. mased] i. e. amazed, confounded.

v. 87. Abasshe you not] i. e. Be not abashed.

—— hardely] i. e. confidently.

v. 88. Auaunce] i. e. Advance.

v. 89. chaffer] i. e. merchandise.

v. 90. I auyse you to speke, for ony drede] i. e. I advise you to speak, notwithstanding any dread you may feel. Compare Lydgate;

“And for al strengthe that gad yaf hym [Samson] before, Thei hym captived.”

The prohemy of a mariage, &c.,—MS. Harl. 372. fol. 48.

Page 33. v. 92. quod] i. e. quoth.

Page 34. v. 94. And this an other] i. e. And this is another reason.

v. 95. not worth a bene] Bene (bean) is frequently used by our early poets to express any thing worthless:

“I yeue not of her harme a bene.”

Chaucer’s Rom. of the Rose,—Workes, fol. 137. ed. 1602.

v. 96. lene] i. e. lend, furnish with.

v. 100. cheuysaunce] i. e. achievement,—profit, gain.

v. 101. nys] i. e. ne is,—is not.

v. 106. werne] i. e. warn.

v. 107. styreth] i. e. steereth, directeth.

v. 108. quod] i. e. quoth.

v. 114. luste] i. e. pleasure, liking.

Page 35. v. 117. casseth] “Casser ... to casse, cassere, discharge, turne out of service, deprive of entertainment.” Cotgrave’s Dict.

v. 120. route] i. e. company, crowd.

v. 122. thronge] i. e. thronged.

v. 134. Fauell] Our author in his Magnyfycence has,

“My tonge is with fauell forked and tyned.”

v. 737. vol. i. 249.

Some readers need not be told how Fauel figures in Pierce Plowman. Ritson (An. Pop. Poetry, p. 77) explains the word by deceit, referring to the present passage of The Bowge of Courte; but Mason (note on Hoccleve’s Poems, p. 42) observes that here “Favel and Disceyte are distinct personages, though the latter (for the sake of rhyme,) is first called Subtylte,” and considers that Carpentier, in his Sup. to Du Cange, gives the truest explanation of Favel by Cajolerie. See also Supplement to Roquefort’s Gloss. de la Lang. Rom. in v. Favelle. The origin of the word, after all that has been written on it, seems still uncertain.

v. 137. Mysdempte] i. e. Misdeemed.

v. 138. Haruy Hafter] Eds., as already noticed, have “Haruy Haster;” and in the fourth of Skelton’s Poems against Garnesche, v. 164. vol. i. 131, the MS. gives the name with the same error. Compare our author’s Why come ye nat to Courte;

“Hauell and Haruy Hafter.”

v. 94. vol. ii. 29.

and his Magnyfycence;

“Nowe, benedicite, ye wene I were some hafter.”

v. 259. vol. i. 233.

“Craftynge and haftynge contryued is by me.”

v. 707. vol. i. 248.

“For to vse suche haftynge and crafty wayes.”

v. 1698. vol. i. 280.

“And from crafters and hafters I you forfende.”

v. 2485. vol. i. 307.

The sense in which Skelton employs these words is fully illustrated by the following passages of Hormanni Vulgaria, ed. 1530: “This was a subtyle and an haftynge poynt. Astus fuit, et versatilis ingenii argumentum. He is a hafter of kynde. Est versutiæ ingenitæ homo.” sig. N vi. “A flaterynge hafter is soone espyed of a wyse man. Sedulus captator,” &c. sig. O ii. “There is nothynge more set by nowe than subtyle hafters ... callidis.” sig. O iii. “There is an haftynge poynt, or a false subtylte. Stellionatus crimen est.” sig. n iiii. “—— haftynge ... dolus malus.” sig. s viii.

Page 35. v. 138. male] i. e. bag, wallet, pouch.

Page 36. v. 143. auaunce] i. e. advance.

v. 144. solace] i. e. sport.

v. 149. connynge] i. e. knowledge.

v. 150. Deynte to haue with vs suche one in store] In Chaucer’s Clerkes Tale, v. 8988, Tyrwhitt explains (and rightly, I believe) “it was deintee”—it was a valuable thing. But both in the present passage, and in a subsequent stanza of the same poem—

“Trowest thou, dreuyll, I saye, thou gawdy knaue, That I haue deynte to see thé cherysshed thus?”

v. 337—

“deynte” seems to be equivalent to—pleasure: compare

“Bycause that he hath ioye and great deintye To reade in bokes of olde antiquitye.”

Lydgate’s Warres of Troy (Prologue), sig. B i. ed. 1555.

“Adew, dolour, adew! my daynte now begynis.”

Dunbar’s tale of The Tua Maryit Wemen and the Wedo,—Poems, i. 76. ed. Laing.

v. 154. it is surmountynge] i. e. it is surpassing, it excels.

v. 155. ony i. e. any.

Page 37. v. 173. lewde cok wattes]—lewde, i. e. ignorant, vile. Compare our author’s third copy of verses Against venemous tongues;

“Than ye may commaunde me to gentil Cok wat.”—vol. i. 132.

and his Magnyfycence;

“What canest thou do but play cocke wat?”

v. 1206. vol. i. 264.

Is cock wat only another form of cockward, i. e. cuckold? See Arthur and the King of Cornwall, p. 279,—Syr Gawayne, &c., edited by Sir F. Madden.

Page 37. v. 174. hardely] i. e. assuredly.

v. 175. but no worde that I sayde] i. e. but mention not a word that I said.

v. 180. reboke] i. e. belch, cast up.

“As grunting and drinking, reboking vp agayne.”

Barclay’s Ship of Fooles, fol. 229. ed. 1570.

v. 181. at a brayde] i. e. at a start, at a turn, on a sudden, forthwith.

v. 183. quod] i. e. quoth.

v. 184. lete] i. e. hinder.

v. 186. Twyst] i. e. Tush.

—— ne reke] i. e. reck not.

v. 187. a soleyne freke]—soleyne, i. e. sullen: freke is here equivalent to—fellow. See Jamieson’s Et. Dict. of Scot. Lang. in v. Freik, for the various senses in which the word was used.

v. 189. Ye] i. e. Yea.

v. 191. whom and ha] i. e. hum and ha.

v. 193. quoke] i. e. quaked.

Page 38. v. 198. commaunde] i. e. communed, conversed.

—— party space] May mean—a short space; but (as I have noticed ad loc.) “party” is probably a misprint for “praty” (pretty).

v. 199. auowe] i. e. vow.

“That hyr auowe maad of chastyte.”

Lydgate’s Lyf of our Lady, sig. b i.

v. 210. auyse] i. e. advice.

v. 215. shryue me] i. e. confess myself, tell my mind.

v. 216. plenarely] i. e. fully.

v. 219. dyscure] i. e. discover.

v. 221. with all my besy cure] i. e. with all my busy care,—a common expression in our early poetry.

Page 39. v. 225. quod] i. e. quoth.

v. 226. all and some] Another expression frequently used by our early poets. “All and some: Tout entierement.” Palsgrave’s Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. ccccxlviii. (Table of Aduerbes).

v. 228. he wolde be come] i. e. he would go.

v. 231. lyghte as lynde] So in Annunciacio;

“A, what, I am light as lynde!”

Towneley Myst. p. 80.

and in Chaucer’s Clerkes Tale;

“Be ay of chere as light as lefe on linde.”

v. 9087. ed. Tyr.

Lynde is properly the linden or lime-tree,—used for a tree in general.

Page 39. v. 232. a versynge boxe] Does it mean—a dice-box?

v. 233. fayne] See note, p. 95. v. 53.

v. 234. foxe] i. e. fox-skin.

v. 235. Sythe I am no thynge playne] i. e. Since I, &c.—the commencement of some song.

v. 236. pykynge] i. e. picking, stealing.

—— payne] i. e. difficulty.

v. 239. sadde] i. e. grave, serious.

v. 243. auowe] See note on v. 199.

v. 245. and ye wolde it reherse] i. e. if you would recite it.

Page 40. v. 252. Heue and how rombelow] A chorus of high antiquity, (sung chiefly, it would seem, by sailors):

“They sprede theyr sayles as voyde of sorowe Forthe they rowed saynt George to borowe For ioye theyr trumpettes dyde they blowe And some songe heue and howe rombelowe.”

Cocke Lorelles bote, sig. C i.

“Synge heaue and howe rombelowe, trolle on away.”

Burden to the Ballad On Thomas Lord Cromwell,—Percy’s _Rel. of A. E. P._, ii. 64. ed. 1794.

Varied thus:

“Wit[h], hey, howe, rumbelowe.”

Skelton’s Epitaphe, &c., v. 61. vol. i. 171.

“They rowede hard, and sungge thertoo, With heuelow and rumbeloo.”

Richard Coer de Lion,—Weber’s Met. Rom. ii. 99.

“Maydens of Englande sore may ye morne For your lemmans ye haue loste at Bannockys borne, Wyth heue a lowe. What weneth the king of England So soone to haue wone Scotland, Wyth rumbylowe.”

Scottish Song on the Battle of Bannockburn,—Fabyan’s Chron., vol. ii. fol. 169. ed. 1559.

“Your maryners shall synge arowe Hey how and rumby lowe.”

The Squyr of Lowe Degre,—Ritson’s Met. Rom. iii. 179.

“I saw three ladies fair, singing hey and how, Upon yon ley land, hey: I saw three mariners, singing rumbelow, Upon yon sea-strand, hey.”

Song quoted ibid., iii. 353.

“Where were many shippes and maryners noyse with hale & how.”

Morte d’Arthur, B. vii. c. xv. vol. i. 209. ed. Southey.

“Hope, Calye, and Cardronow, Gathered out thick-fold, With heigh, and how, rumbelow, The young fools were full bold.”

Peblis to the Play,—Chalmers’s Poet. Rem. of Scot. Kings, p. 108.

“Robin Hood and Little John They are both gone to fair O! And we will go to the merry green wood, To see what they do there O! With Hel-an-tow And Rum-be-low,” &c.

Cornish Song,—Gent. Mag. for Dec. 1790. vol. lx. (part sec.) 1100.

Among the songs enumerated in The Complaynt of Scotland is “Sal i go vitht zou to rumbelo fayr,” p. 101. ed. Leyden: and in Hycke Scorner mention is made of

“the londe of rumbelowe Thre myle out of hell.”

Sig. A vii. ed. W. de Worde.

Page 40. v. 252. row the bote, Norman, rowe!] A fragment of an old song, the origin of which is thus recorded by Fabyan: “In this. xxxii. yere [of King Henry the Sixth] Jhon Norman foresaid, vpon the morowe of Simon and Judes daie, thaccustomed day when the newe Maior vsed yerely to ride with greate pompe vnto westminster to take his charge, this Maior firste of all Maiors brake that auncient and olde continued custome, and was rowed thither by water, for the whiche yᵉ Watermen made of hym a roundell or song to his greate praise, the whiche began: Rowe the bote Norman, rowe to thy lemman, and so forth with a long processe.” Chron. vol. ii. fol. 457. ed. 1559.

v. 253. Prynces of yougthe can ye synge by rote?] The meaning of this line seems to be—Can you sing by rote the song beginning, Princess of youth? Skelton, in his Garlande of Laurell, calls Lady Anne Dakers

“Princes of yowth, and flowre of goodly porte.”

v. 897. vol. i. 398.

Page 40. v. 254. Or shall I sayle wyth you a felashyp assaye] i. e., I suppose,—Or try, of good fellowship, (or, perhaps, together with me,) the song which commences Shall I sail with you? Compare the quotation from The Complaynt of Scotland in preceding page.

“Nowe, of good felowshyp, let me by thy dogge.”

Skelton’s Magnyfycence, v. 1095. vol. i. 260.

“Yng. But yf thou wylt haue a song that is good I haue one of robynhode The best that euer was made.

Hu. Then a feleshyp let vs here it.”

Interlude of the iiii Elementes, n. d. sig. E vii.

v. 259. bobbe me on the noll] i. e. beat me on the head.

v. 261. connynge] i. e. knowledge.

v. 262. gete] i. e. got.

v. 269. wyste] i. e. knew.

v. 275. vnneth] i. e. scarcely, not without difficulty.

Page 41. v. 276. But I requyre you no worde that I saye] i. e. But I beg you not to mention a word of what I say.

v. 277. ony] i. e. any.

v. 278. agayne you] i. e. against you, to your disadvantage.

—— wetynge] i. e. knowledge, intelligence.

v. 283. wonderly besene] i. e. of strange appearance, or array. “Well bysene: Bien accoustré.” Palsgrave’s Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. ccccxlvi. (Table of Aduerbes).

v. 284. hawte] i. e. haughty.

v. 285. scornnys] i. e. scorns.

v. 286. hode] i. e. hood.

v. 287. by Cockes blode] i. e. by God’s blood (Cock a corruption of God). “The Host’s oath in Lydgate,” says Warton, note on Hist. of E. P., ii. 349. ed. 4to. It occurs often in other writers.

v. 288. bote] i. e. bit.

v. 289. His face was belymmed, as byes had him stounge] i. e. His face was disfigured, as if bees had stung him.—In a fragment of Lydgate’s Fall of Prynces, MS. Harl. 2251. fol. 97, we find

“So that a by myght close hem both two Vnder his wynges;”

where Wayland’s ed. (B. ii. leaf li.) has “a Bee.”

v. 290. jape] i. e. jest, joke.

Page 41. v. 294. this comerous crabes hyghte] i. e. (I suppose) this troublesome crab was called.—Warton (Hist. of E. P. ii. 350) cites, without the authority of any ed., “—— crab is hyghte.”

v. 297. quod] i. e. quoth.

v. 298. euyll apayed] i. e. ill satisfied, ill pleased.

v. 301. Dawes] Equivalent to—simpleton; the daw being reckoned a silly bird: so again, in the next line but one, “doctour Dawcocke.”

Page 42. v. 302. in conceyte] i. e. in the good opinion, favour of our Lady Fortune: compare v. 270.

v. 303. hyghte] i. e. is called.

v. 304. sleyte] i. e. sleight, artful contrivance.

v. 311. layne] i. e. conceal.

v. 312. beyte] i. e. bait.

v. 315. And soo outface hym with a carde of ten] “A common phrase,” says Nares, “which we may suppose to have been derived from some game, (possibly primero), wherein the standing boldly upon a ten was often successful. A card of ten meant a tenth card, a ten.... I conceive the force of the phrase to have expressed originally the confidence or impudence of one who with a ten, as at brag, faced, or outfaced one who had really a faced card against him. To face meant, as it still does, to bully, to attack by impudence of face.” Gloss. in v. Face it, &c. “The phrase of a card of ten was possibly derived, by a jocular allusion, from that of a hart of ten, in hunting, which meant a full grown deer, one past six years of age.” Ibid. in v. Card of ten.

v. 316. assawte] i. e. assault.

v. 317. meuyd all in moode] i. e. moved all in anger.

v. 318. fawte] i. e. fault.

v. 320. I wende he had be woode] i. e. I thought he had been mad.

v. 327. hayne] i. e. (perhaps) hind, slave, peasant.

v. 329. suche maysters to playe] i. e. to play such pranks of assumed superiority. Compare v. 341. See Jamieson’s Et. Dict. of Scot. Lang. in v. Maistryss.

Page 43. v. 330. I am of countenaunce] i. e. perhaps, I am a person of credit, good means, consequence (see Gifford’s note on B. Jonson’s Works, ii. 111).

v. 332. dyspleasaunce] i. e. displeasure.

v. 334. no force] i. e. no matter.

v. 336. auenture] i. e. adventure.

v. 337. dreuyll] i. e. drudge, low fellow. “Dryuyll seruaunt.” Prompt. Parv. ed. 1499; and see also Todd’s Johnson’s Dict. in v. Drivel.

Page 43. v. 338. have deynte] See note on v. 150. p. 108.

v. 340. Well, ones thou shalte be chermed, I wus] i. e. Well, one time or other thou shalt be charmed (quelled, as if by a charm), certainly (I wus—i-wis, adv.).

v. 344. Ryotte] “Is forcibly and humorously pictured.” Warton, Hist. of E. P. ii. 348. ed. 4to.

v. 345. A rusty gallande, to-ragged and to-rente] i. e. A shabby gallant, utterly ragged and tattered: see note on v. 32. p. 100.

v. 346. bones] i. e. dice.

v. 348. by saynte Thomas of Kente] i. e. by saint Thomas a Becket:

“Thought I, By saint Thomas of Kent,” &c.

Chaucer’s House of Fame,—Workes, fol. 267. ed. 1602.

The picture of Ryotte in the present passage and in v. 389 sqq. gave birth no doubt to the following lines in a poem called Syrs spare your good;

No by my faith he saide incontinente But by saint Thomas of Kente I woulde haue at the hasarde a cast or two For to learne to caste the dyce to and fro And if here be any body that wyll for money playe I haue yet in my purse money and pledges gaye Some be nobles some be crownes of Fraunce Haue at all who wyll of this daunce One of them answered with that worde And caste a bale of dyce on the borde,” &c.

I quote from Brit. Bibliog. ii. 371, where are extracts from an ed. of the poem printed by Kytson, n. d.: it originally appeared from the press of W. de Worde; see Cens. Liter. i. 55. sec. ed.

v. 349. kyst I wote nere what] i. e. cast I know never (not) what.

v. 350. His here was growen thorowe oute his hat] i. e. His hair, &c. Compare Barclay’s Argument of the first Egloge;

“At diuers holes his heare grewe through his hode.”

Sig. A i. ed. 1570.

and Heywood’s Dialogue;

“There is a nest of chickens which he doth brood That will sure make his hayre growe through his hood.”

Sig. G 2.,—Workes, ed. 1598.

Ray gives, “His hair grows through his hood. He is very poor, his hood is full of holes.” Proverbs, p. 57. ed. 1768.

Page 43. v. 351. how he dysgysed was] i. e. what a wretched plight he was in:

“Ragged and torne, disguised in array.”

Chaucer’s Court of Loue, fol. 329,—Workes, ed. 1602.

v. 352. watchynge ouer nyghte] i. e. over-night’s debauch:

“Withdraw your hand fro riotous watchyng.”

Lydgate’s Fall of Prynces, B. ix. fol. xxxi. ed. Wayland.

v. 354. ne couer myghte] i. e. might not cover.

v. 355. he wente so all for somer lyghte]—somer, i. e. summer.

Compare;

“For he sente hem forth selverles, in a somer garnement.”

Peirs Plouhman, Pass. Dec. p. 153. ed. Whit.

“It semed that he caried litel array, Al light for sommer rode this worthy man.”

Chaucer’s Chanones Yemannes Prol. v. 16035. ed. Tyr.

See too Bale’s Kyng Iohan, p. 34. ed. Camd. Soc.; and our author’s Phyllyp Sparowe, v. 719. vol. i. 73.

v. 356. His hose was garded wyth a lyste of grene] i. e. his breeches were faced, trimmed with, &c. “There was an affectation of smartness in the trimming of his hose.” Warton, note on Hist. of E. P. ii. 348. ed. 4to.

Page 44. v. 359. Of Kyrkeby Kendall was his shorte demye] Kendal, or Kirkby in Kendal, was early famous for the manufacture of cloth of various colours, particularly green. Here the word “Kendall” seems equivalent to—green: so too in Hall’s Chronicle, where we are told that Henry the Eighth, with a party of noblemen, “came sodainly in a mornyng into the Quenes Chambre, all appareled in shorte cotes of Kentishe Kendal ... like outlawes, or Robyn Hodes men.” (Henry viii.) fol. vi. ed. 1548.—demye; i. e., says Warton, note on Hist. of E. P. ii. 348. ed. 4to., “doublet, jacket:” rather, I believe, some sort of close vest,—his “cote” having been mentioned in the preceding line.

v. 360. In fayth, decon thou crewe] The commencement of some song; quoted again by our author in A deuoute trentale for old Iohn Clarke, v. 44. vol. i. 170, and in Why come ye nat to Courte, v. 63. vol. ii. 28.

v. 361. he ware his gere so nye] i. e., I suppose, he wore his clothes so near, so thoroughly. But Warton explains it “his coat-sleeve was so short.” Note on Hist. of E. P. ii. 348. ed. 4to.

v. 363. whynarde] i. e. a sort of hanger, sword.

Page 44. v. 363.

—— his pouche, The deuyll myghte daunce therin for ony crouche]

—ony crowche, i. e. any piece of money,—many coins being marked with a cross on one side. “The devil might dance in his purse without meeting with a single sixpence.” Warton, note on Hist. of E. P. ii. 348. ed. 4to. So in Massinger’s Bashful Lover;

“The devil sleeps in my pocket; I have no cross To drive him from it.”

Works (by Gifford), iv. 398. ed. 1813.

v. 365. Counter he coude O lux vpon a potte]—Counter; see note, p. 92:—i. e. he could sing O lux, playing an accompaniment to his voice on a drinking-pot. O lux beata Trinitas was an ancient hymn, “which,” says Hawkins, “seems to have been a very popular melody before the time of King Henry viii.” Hist. of Music, ii. 354. In a comedy by the Duke of Newcastle is a somewhat similar passage: “I danced a Jig, while Tom Brutish whistled and play’d upon the head of a pint pot.” The Humorous Lovers, 1677, act i. sc. 1. p. 5.

v. 366. eestryche fedder] i. e. ostrich-feather.

v. 367. fresshely i. e. smartly.

v. 368. What reuell route] Compare;

“And euer be mery lett reuell rought.”

A Morality,—Anc. Mysteries from the Digby MSS. p. 187. ed. Abbotsf.

“Then made they revell route and goodly glee.”

Spenser’s Mother Hubberds Tale,—Works, vii. 428. ed. Todd.

—— quod] i. e. quoth.

v. 370. Felyce fetewse]—Felyce, i. e. Phillis: fetewse, i. e. feateous; “Fetyce and prety. Paruiculus. Elegantulus.” Prompt. Parv. ed. 1499.

v. 371. klycked] i. e. fastened. In Chaucer’s Marchantes Tale, v. 9991. ed. Tyr., “clicket” means a key. Todd (Johnson’s Dict. in v.) cites Cotgrave and Skinner for its having the signification of the ring, knocker, or hammer of a door. Richardson (Dict. in v.) remarks that the word was “applied to any fastening which was accompanied by a clicking, snapping noise.”

v. 372. rebaudrye] i. e. ribaldry.

v. 375. in the deuylles date] An exclamation several times used by Skelton.—In Pierce Plowman, a charter, which is read at the proposed marriage of Mede, is sealed “in the date of the deuil,” sig. C i. ed. 1561.

v. 378. auowe] i. e. vow: see note on v. 199. p. 109.

Page 44. v. 380. done] i. e. do.

v. 382. wake] See note on v. 352. p. 115.

—— none] i. e. noon.

v. 383. mone] i. e. moon.

Page 45. v. 386. Plucke vp thyne herte vpon a mery pyne] “Vpon a mery pynne: De hayt, as Il a le cueur de hayt.” Palsgrave’s Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. ccccxlvi. (Table of Aduerbes). The expression occurs often in our early poetry; and is found even in one of Wycherley’s comedies.

v. 387. And lete vs laugh a placke or tweyne at nale]—“plucke,” as I have observed ad loc., seems to be the right reading, though the word occurs in the preceding line: compare Thersytes, n. d.

“Darest thou trye maystries with me a plucke.”

p. 60. Rox. ed.

and a song quoted in the note on our author’s Magnyfycence, v. 757;

“A stoupe of bere vp at a pluk.”

at nale, (atten ale, at then ale; see Price’s note, Warton’s Hist. of E. P. ii. 501. ed. 1824), i. e. at the ale-house.

v. 389. of dyce a bale] i. e. a pair of dice.

v. 390. A brydelynge caste] An expression which I am unable to explain. It occurs (but applied to drinking) in Beaumont and Fletcher’s Scornful Lady;

“Let’s have a bridling cast before you go. Fill’s a new stoop.”

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