Pithy pleasaunt and profitable workes of maister Skelton, Poete Laureate. Nowe collected and newly published. Anno 1568 Works Skelton, John, 1460?-1529. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A12291 of text S111019 in the English Short Title Catalog (STC 22608). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 418 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 191 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2018 A12291 STC 22608 ESTC S111019 99846451 99846451 11420 2240893600

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A12291) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 11420) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 471:2) Pithy pleasaunt and profitable workes of maister Skelton, Poete Laureate. Nowe collected and newly published. Anno 1568 Works Skelton, John, 1460?-1529. Stow, John, 1525?-1605. [384] p. In Fletestreate, neare vnto saint Dunstones churche by Thomas Marshe, Imprinted at London : [1568] In verse. Editor's initials appear on pi4v: I.S., i.e. John Stow. Signatures: pi⁴ A-Z 2A⁴. Reproduction of the original in the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery. eng eebo Pithy pleasaunt and profitable workes of maister Skelton, Poete Laureate. Nowe collected and newly published. Anno 1568. Skelton, John, 1568 382 59768 88 0 0 0 0 2 115.11 F The rate of 115.11 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the F category of texts with 100 or more defects per 10,000 words. 2005-10 Assigned for keying and markup 2005-11 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2006-01 Sampled and proofread 2006-01 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion

Pithy pleasaunt and profitable workes of maister Skelton , Poete Laureate . Nowe collected and newly published . ANNO 1568.

❧ Imprinted at London in Fletestreate , neare vnto saint Dunstones churche by Thomas Marshe .

Salue plus decies quam sunt momenta dierum , Quot generum species , quot res quot nomina rerum , Quot prati flores , quot sunt in orbe colores , Quot Pisces , quot aues , quot sunt in equore naues , Quot volucrum penne , quot sunt tormenta gehenne , Quot coeli stelle , quot sunt in orbe puelle , Quot sancti rome , quot sunt miracula thome , Quot sunt virtutes , tot vobis mitto salutes .
IF slouth and tract of time , ( that wears eche thing away ) Should rust and canker worthy artes , Good works would soen decay . If suche as present are , For goeth the people past : Ourselus should soen in silence slepe , And loes renom at last . No soyll nor land so rude , But som odd men can shoe : Than should the learned pas vnknowne , whoes pen & skill did floe . God shéeld our sloulth wear sutch , Or world so simple nowe : That knowledge scaept without reward , Who sercheth vertue throwe And paints forth vyce a right , And blames abues of men : And shoes what lief desarues rebuke , And who the prayes of pen . You sée howe forrayn realms , Aduance their Poets all : And ours are drowned in the dust , Or flong against the wall . In Fraunce did Marrot raigne , and neighbour thear vnto : Was Petrark , marching full with dantte , Who erst did wonders do Among the noble Grekes , Was Homere full of skill : And where that Ouid norisht was , The soyll did florish still . With letters hie of style , But Uirgill wan the fraes , And past them all for deep engyen , And made them all to gaes Upon the bookes he made , Thus eche of them you sée Wan prayse and fame and honor had , Eche one in their degrée . I pray you then my friendes , Disdaine not for to vewe : The workes and sugred verses fine , Of our raer poetes newe Whoes barborus language rued , Perhaps ye may mislike , But blame them not that ruedly playes If they the ball do strike . Nor skorne not mother tunge , O babes of englishe breed , I haue of other language séen , And you at full may reed . Fine verses trimly wrought , And coutcht in comly sort , But neuer I nor you I troe , In sentence plaine and short . Did yet beholde with eye , In any forraine tonge : A higher verse a staetly style , That may be read or song . Than is this daye in déede , Our englishe verse and ryme : The grace wherof doth touch the gods , And reatch the cloudes somtime . Thorow earth and waters déepe , The pen by skill doth passe : And featly nyps the worldes abuse , And shoes vs in a glasse , The vertu and the vice , Of eury wyght a lyue : The hony combe that bée doth make , Is not so swéete in hyue . As are the golden leues , That drops from poets head : Which doth surmount our common talke As farre as dros doth lead . The flowre is sifted cleane , The bran is cast aside . And so good corne is knowen from chaffe , And each fine graine is spide . Peers plowman was full plaine , And Chausers spréet was great : Earle Surry had a goodly vayne , Lord Uaus the marke did beat . And Phaer did hit the pricke , In thinges he did translate : And Edwards had a special gift , And diuers men of late . Hath helpt our Englishe toung , That first was baes and brute Ohe shall I leaue out Skeltons name , The blossome of my frute The trée wheron in deed , My branchis all might groe , Nay skelton wore the Lawrell wreath , And past in schoels ye knoe , A poet for his arte , Whoes iudgment suer was hie , And had great practies of the pen , His works they will not lie . His terms to taunts did lean , His talke was as he wraet : Full quick of witte , right sharp of words , And shilfull of the staet . Of reason riep and good , And to the haetfull mynd : That did disdain his doings still , A skornar of his kynd . Most pleasant euery way , As poets ought to be : And seldom out of Princis grace , And great with eche degre . Thus haue you heard at full , What Skelton was in deed : A further knowledge shall you haue , If you his bookes do réed . I haue of meer good will , Theas verses written heer : To honour vertue as I ought , And make his fame apéer . That whan the Garland gay , Of lawrel leaues but laet , Small is my pain , great is his prayes , That thus sutch honour gaet . Finis ꝙ Churchyarde .
Workes of Skelton newly collected by I. S. as foloweth . 1 The crowne of lawrel . 2 The bouge of court . 3 The duke of Albany 4 Speake parrot . 5 Edward the fourth . 6 Against the Scottes 7 Ware the hauke . 8 Howe euery thinge must haue a time . 9 A prayer to the father of heauen . 10 To the second person . 11 To the holy ghost . 12 The tunning of Elinour Rumming . 13 The relucent mirror 14 Why come ye not to court . 15 Colyn Clout . 16 Philip sparowe . 17 Of a comly Coystrowne . 18 Upon a deadmans héed 19 To maistris Anne . 20 Of thre fooles . 21 En parlement a Paris . 22 Epitaphes of two knaues of dise . 23 Lamentation for Nor wiche . 24 Against the Scottes . 25 Praise of the palmtre 26 Bedel quondam Belial . 27 The dolorus death of the Lord Percie Erle of Northumberlande . 28 Epitaphium Margarete countisse de Derbi . 29 Epita . Hen. septi . 30 Eulogium pro suorum temporum . 31 A parable by William Cornishe in that Fléete . 32 Against venemous tongues . 33 Of Calliope .
The crowne of Lawrell
ARrectynge my syght towarde the zodiake The signes . xij . for to beholde a farre Whan Mars retrograunt reuersed his backe Lorde of the yere in his orbicular Put vp his sworde , for he coude make no warre And whan Lucina plenary dyd shyne Scorpion ascendynge degrees twyse nyne In place alone , than musynge in my thought How all thing passeth , as doth the somer flowre On euery halfe my reasons forthe I sought Howe often fortune varyeth in an howre Now clere wether , forth with a stormy showre All thyng compassed , no perpetuyte , But nowe in welthe , nowe in aduersyte . So depely drowned I was in this dumpe Encraumpysshed so sore was my conceyte That me to rest , I lent me to a stumpe Of an oke , that somtyme grewe full streyghte A myghty tre and of a noble heyght whose beaute blasted was with the boysturs winde His leaues loste , the sappe was from the rynde . Thus stode I in the frytthy forest of Galtres Ensowked with sylt of the myry mose Where hartes belluyng embosed with distres Ra●on the raunge so longe , that I suppose Fewe men can tell where the hynde calfe gose . F●re fal the forster that so wel can bate his hounde But of my purpose now turne we to the grounde Whylis I stode musynge . in this meditacion In slumbrynge I fell , and halfe in a slepe And whether it were of ymaginacion Or of humors superflue , that often will crepe In to the brayne by drynkyng ouer depe Or it proceded of fatall perswasion I can nat tell you what was the occasion But sodaynly at ones as I me aduysed ( As one in a trans or in an extasy ) I sawe a pauylion wondersly disguised Garnysshed fresshe after my fantasy Enhachyde with perle and stones preciously The grounde engrosed and bet with bourne gold That passynge goodly it was to be holde Within that a princes excellente of porte But to recounte her riche abilyment And what estates to her dyd resorte Therto am I full insuffycient A goddesse immortall she dyd represent As I harde saye Dame Pallas was her name To whom supplyed the royall quene of fame
The quene of Fame to dame Pallas . PRinces most pusant of hygh preeminence Renowned lady aboue the sterry heuyn All other transcendynge of very congruence Madame regent of the sciences seuyn To whose astate all noblenesse most lenen My suppitcacion to you I arrecte Wherof I beseche you to tendre the effecte . Nat vnremembred it is vnto your grace Howe ye gaue me a ryall commaundement That in my courte Skelton shulde haue a place Bycause that he his tyme studiously hath spent In your seruice : and to the accomplysshement Of your request , regestred is his name With laureate triumphe in the courte of Fame But good madame the accustome and vsage Of auncient poetes ye wote full wele hath bene Themselfe to embusy with all their hole corage So that theyr workes myght famously be sene In figure wherof they were the laurell grene But howe it is , Skelton is wunder slacke And as we dare we fynde in hym a lacke For ne were onely he hath your promocion Out of my bokes full soone I shulde hym rase But sithe he hath tasted of the sugred pocion Of Heliconis well : refresshed with your grace And wyll nat endeuour hymselfe to purchace The fauour of ladys with wordes electe It is syttynge that ye must hym correcte .
Dame Pallas to the quene of Fame . THe sum of your purpose , as we are aduysed Is that our seruaunt is some what to dull Wherin this answere for hym we haue comprised Howe ryuers ren nat till the sprynge be full Be●●er a dumme mouthe than a brayneles scull For if he gloriously publysshe his matter Tha● men wyll saye howe he doth but flatter . And if so him fortune to write true and plaine As somtyme he must vices remorde Than some wyll say he hath but lytell brayne And how his wordes with reason wil nat accorde Beware , for wrytyng remayneth of recorde Displease nat an hundred for one mannes pleasure Who wryteth wysely hath a great treasure . Also to furnysshe better his excuse Ouide was banysshed for such a skyll , And many mo , whom I coude enduce . Iuuenal was thret parde for to kyll For certayne inuectiues : Yet wrote he none yll Sauynge he rubbed some vpon the gall , It was not for hym to abyde the triall . In general wordes I say nat greatly nay A poet somtyme may for his pleasure taunt Spekyng in parables , howe the fox , the grey The gander , the goose , and the huge oliphant Went with the pecocke agaynst the fesaunt The lesarde came leaping and sayd that he must With helpe of the ram lay all in the dust . Yet druerse there be industriouse of reason Som what wolde gadder in their coniceture Of suche an endarked chaptre some season Howe be it , it were harde to construe this lecture Soyhisticated craftely is many a confecture An other mannes mynde diffuse is to expou●●e Yet harde is to make but some faute be fou●●e .
☞ The quene of Fame to dame Pallas MAdame with fauor of your benigne suffraunce Unto your grace than make I this motiue Wherto made ye me hym to auaunce Unto the rowme of laureat promotyue ? Or wherto shulde he haue the prerogatiue But yf he had made some memoriall Wherby he myght haue a name immortall ? To passe the tyme in sloughtfull ydelnesse Of your royall palais it is nat the gyse But to do somwhat eche man doth hym dresse For howe shulde Cato els be called wyse But that his bokes , whiche he dyd deuyse Recorde the same ? Or why is had in mynde Plato , But for that he lefte wrytynge behynde For men to loke on ? Aristotille also Of philosophers called the principall . Olde Diogines , with other many mo Demosthenes that oratour royall That gaue Eschines suche a cordiall That banisshed was he through his proposicion Agaynst whom he coude make no contradiction .
Dame Pallas to the quene of Fame SOft my good syster , & make there a pauses And was Eschines rebuked as ye say ? Remembre you well , poynt well that clause Wherfore than rased ye nat away His name ? Or why is it I you praye , That he to your court is goynge and commyng Sith he is sklaundred for defaute of counnynge ?
The Quene of Fame to dame Pallas . MAdame your apposelle is well inferred And at your auauntage quickely it is Touched : and harde for to be barred Yet shall I answere your grace as in this With your reformacion if I say amis For but if your bounte dyd me assure Myne argument els could nat longe endure As touchyng that Eschines is remembred That he so shulde be , me semeth it syttynge All be it great parte he hath surrendred Of his honour , whose dissuasyue in wryttynge To corage Demosthenes was moche excitynge In settynge out fresshely his crafty persuasion From whiche Eschines had none euasion The cause why Demosthenes so famously is bruted Onely proceded , for that he did outray Eschines : whiche was nat shamefully confuted But of that famous oratour I say Whiche passed all other : wherfore I may Amonge my recordes suffre him named . For though he wer vanquished yet was he nat shamed As Hierome in his preamble frater Ambrosius From that I haue sayd in no poynt doth vary Wherin he reporteth of the coragious Wordes , that were moche consolatory By Eschines rehersed , to the great glory Of Demosthenes , that was his vtter fo Fewe shall ye fynde or none that wyll do so .
Dame Pallas to the quene of Fame . A Thanke to haue ye haue well deserued , your mynde that can maynteyne so apparently : But a great parte yet ye haue reserued Of that must folow than consequently Or els ye demeane you inordinatly For if ye laude hym , whom honour hath opprest Than he that dothe worst is as good as the best . But whom that ye fauour , I se well hath a name Be he neuer so lytell of substaunce And whom ye loue nat , ye wyll put to shame Ye counterwey nat euynly your balaunce As well foly as wysdome oft ye do auaunce For reporte ryseth many dyuers wayes Some be moche spoken of for makyng of frayes Some haue a name for thefte and bribery Some be called crafty , that can pyke a purse Some men be made of for their mockery Som careful cokolds , some haue their wiues curse Som famous witwoldes , & they be moche wurse Som lidderons , som losels , som naughty packes Som facers , som bracers , som make gret cracks . Some dronken dastards with their drye soules Some sluggysshe slouens the slepe day and night Ryot and Reuell be in your courte roules Maintenaunce & Mischefe these be men of myght Extorcion is counted with you for a knyght These people by me haue none assignement Yet they ryde and renne from Carlill to Rent . But lytell or nothynge ye shall here tell Of them that haue vertue by reson of counnyng Whiche soueraynely in honoure shulde excell Men of suche matters make but mummynge For wysdome and sadnesse be set out a sunnyng And suche of my seruauntes as I haue promoted One faute or other in them shal be noted Eyther they wyll say he is to wyse Or elles he can nought but whan he is at scole Proue his wytte sayth he at cardes or dyce And ye shall well fynde he is a very fole Twyshe , set hym a chayer or reche hym a stole To syt hym vpon , & rede Iacke a thr ūmis bibil For truly it were pite that he sat idyll .
☞ The quene of Fame to dame Pallas . TO make repugnance againe that ye haue said Of very dutie it may nat well accorde but your benigū suffrance for my discharge I laid For that I wolde nat with you fall at discorde But yet I beseche your grace that good recorde May be brought forth suche as can be founde with laureat triumphe why Skelton shulde be crounde . For elles it were to great a derogacion Unto your palais our noble courte of Fame That any man vnder supportacion Without deseruing shulde haue the best game If he to the ample encreace of his name Can lay any warkes that he hath compiled I am content that he be nat exiled From the laureat senate : by force of proscripcion Or elles ye knowe well I can do no lesse But I must bannysshe hym from my iurisdiction As he that aqueynteth hym with Idelnesse But if that he purpose to make a redresse What he hath done let it be brought to syght Graunt my peticion , I aske you but ryght .
Dame Pallas to the quene of Fame To your request we be well condiscended Call forth , let se where is your clarionar To blowe a blaste with his longe breth extended Eolus your trumpet that knowen is so farre That bararag bloweth in euery marciall warre Let hym blowe nowe , that we may take a vewe What poetes we haue at our retynewe . To se if Skelton wyll put hymselfe in prease Amonge the thickest of all the hole route Make noise ynoughe , for claterars loue no peace Let se my syster , nowe spede you , go aboute Anone I say this trumpet were founde out And for no man hardely let hym spare To blowe bararag , tyll both his eien stare .
Skelton poeta . FOr the with there rose among the throng A wonderfull noyse , and on euery syde They presed i fast , some thought thei wer to long Some were to hasty , and wolde no man syde Sue whispred , sūe rowned , sūe spake , & som cride with heuyng and shouyng , haue in and haue out Some ran the next waye , some ran about . There was suynge to the quene of Fame He plucked him backe , and he went afore . Nay hold thy tunge ꝙ an other let me haue that name Make rowme said an other ye prese all to sore Som sayd , holde thy peas thou gettest here no more A thousande thousande I sawe on a plumpe With that I harde the noyse of a trumpe That longe time blew a full tymorous blaste Like to the Boriall wyndes , whan they blowe That towres , and townes , and trees downe cast Droue clowdes to gether like dryftes of snowe The dredeful dinne droue all the route on a row Som trembled , som girned , som gasped , som gased As people halfe peuissh or men that were mased Anone all was whyshte , as it wer for the nones And eche man stode gasyng & staryng vpon other With that there come in wonderly at ones A murmur of minstrels , that suche an other Had I neuer sene , some softer some lowder Orpheus the Thracian harped melodiously With Amphion , and other musis of Archady . Whose heuenly armony was so passing sure So truly proporcioned , and so well dyd gree So duly entuned with euery measure That in the forest was none so great a tre But that he daunced for ioye of that gle The huge myghty okes themselfe did auaunce And lepe from the hilles to lerne for to daunce In so muche the stumpe , wherto I me lente Sterte all at ones an hundred fote backe With that I sprange vp towarde the tent Of noble dame Pallas , wherof I spake Where I sawe came after I wote full litel lacke Of a thousande poetes assembled to gether But Phebus was formest of al that came theder Of laurell leaues a cronell on his heed With heares encrisped yolowe as the golde Lamentynge Daphnes , whom with the darte of leed Cupide hath stryken so that she ne wolde Concente to Phebus to haue his harte in holde But for to preserue her maydenheed clene Transformed was she into the laurell grene . Medled with murning that most part of his muse O thou gatfull harte , was euer more his songe Daphnes my derlynge why do you me refuse ? Yet loke on me , that loued you haue so longe Yet haue compassion vpon my paynes stronge He sange also , howe the tre as he did take Betwene his armes he felte her body quake Than he assurded into this exclamacion Unto Diana the goddes immortall O merciles ma dame harde is your constellacion So close to kepe your cloyster virginall Enharded adyamant the sement of your wall Alas what ayle you to be so ouerth wart To banysshe pite out of a maydens harte ? why haue the goddes shewed me this crueltte Sith I contryued first principles medycinable I helpe all other of their infirmyte But nowe to helpe myselfe I am not able That profitteth all other is nothinge profitable Unto me , alas that herbe nor gresse The feruent axes of loue can not represse . O fatall fortune what haue I offended ? Odious disdayne why raist thou me on this facyon ? But sith I haue lost nowe that I entended And may nat atteyne it by no mediacion Yet in remembraunce of Daphnes transformation All famous poets ensuynge after me Shall we are a garlande of the laurell tre This said , a great nombre folowed by and by Of poetes laureat of many diuerse nacions Parte of their names I thynke to specifie First olde Quintilian with his Declamations Theocritus with his bucolicall relacions Hesiodus the Icononucar , And Homerus the fresshe historiar . Prince of eloquence Tullius Cicero , With Salust agaynst Lutius Catiline That wrote the history of Iugurtha also , Ouide enshryned with the Musis nyne , But blessed Bacchus the pleasant god of wyne Of clusters engrosed with his ruddy flotes These orators & poetes refresshed their throtes . Lucan with stacius in Achilliedos Percius presed forth with problemes diffuse Uirgill the mantuan with his enridos Inuenall satirray that men makythe to muse But blessed Bacchus the pleasant god of wyne Of clusters engrosed with his ruddy flotes These oraters & Poetes refreshed their throtes There Titus Liuius hymselfe dyd auaunce With decadis historious which that he mengleth with maters that amount the Romayns in substaunce Ennius that wrote of marciall warre at length But blessed Bacchus potenciall god of strengthe Of clusters engrosed with his ruddy dropes These orators & poetes refresshed their throtes . Aulus Gellius that noble historiar , Orace also with his newe poetry Maister Terence the famous comicar , With Plautus that wrote many a comedy But blessed Bacchus was in their company Of clusters engrosed with his ruddy dropes These orators & poetes refresshed their throtes . Senec full sobrely with his tragedies , Boece recomforted with his philosophie , And Marimiane with his madde dities , Howe dotynge age wolde iape with yonge foly But blessed Bacchus most reuerent and holy Of clusters engrossed with his ruddy dropes These orators & poetes refresshed their throtes . There came Iohn Boccas with his volūes grete Quintus Cursius full craftely that wrate Of Alexander : And Macrobius that did treate Of Scipions dreame what was the true probate But blessed Bacchus that neuer man forgate Of clusters engrosed with his ruddy dropes These orators & poetes refresshed their throtes . Pogius also that famous florentie Mustred there among them with many a mad tale With a frere of Fraunce men call syr Gaguine That frowned on me full angerly and pale But blessed Bacchus , that bote is of all bale Of clusters engrosed with his ruddy dropes These orators & poetes refresshed theyr throtes . Plutarke and Patrarke two famous clarkes Lucilius and Ualerius Marimus by name with Uincentius in speculo that wrote noble warkes Propercius and Pisandros poetes of noble fame But blessed Bachus that mastrise oft doth frame Of clusters engrosed with his ruddy dropes These notable poetes refresshed theyr throtes . And as I thus sadly among them aduysed I saw Gower , the first garnished our englishe rude And maister Chaucer , that nobly entreprised How the our englishe myght freshely be ennewed The monke of Bury than after them ensued Dane Iohn Lydgate : these englishe poetes thre As I ymagened repayred vnto me . to gether in armes as bretherne enbrased Their apparell farre passing beyond that I can tell with diamantes & rubies their taberdes were trased None so riche stones in Turkey to sell They wanted nothynge but the Laurell . And of their bounte they made me goodly chere In maner and forme as ye shall after here .
Maister Gower to Skelton . BRother Skelton your endeuorment So haue ye done , that meretoriously Ye haue deserued to haue an enplement In our collage aboue the sterry skye Bycause that ye encrease and amplifie The bruted Britons of Brutus Albion That welnere was lost whan that we were gone
Poeta Skelton to Maister Gower . MAister Gower I haue nothyng deserued To haue So laudabyle A commendacion To yow thre this honor shal be reserued Arrectinge vnto your wyse examinacion How all that I do is vnder Refformation For only the Substance of that I entend Is glad to please and loth to offend .
☞ Maister Chaucher Lawreat poete to Skelton . COunter waying your busy diligence Of that we beganne in the supplement Enforced are we you to recompence Of all our holle collage by the agrement That we shall brynge you personally present Of noble Fame before the quenes grace In whose courte poynted is your place .
❧ Poeta Skelton answereth O Noble Chaucer , whose pullisshed eloquēcs Our englisshe rude so freshely hath set out That bounde are we with all due reuerence with all our strengthe that we can bryng about To owe to you our seruice , & more if we mowte But what shulde I say , ye wote what I entende whiche glad am to please , and loth to offende .
Maister Lydgate to Skelton . SO am I preuented of my bretherne twayne In rendrynge to you thankes meretory That welnere nothynge there doth remayns wherwith to gyue you my regraciatory But that I poynt you to be protonotory Of Fames courte , by all our holle assent Auaunced by Pallas to laurell preferment .
❧ Poeta Skelton answereth . So haue ye me far passyng my merites extolled Maister Lydgate of your accustomable Bounte , and so gloriously ye haue enrolled My name . I knowe well beyonde that I am able That but if my warkes therto be agreable I am elles rebuked of that I entend whiche glad am to please and loth to offende So Finally , whan they had shewed their deuise Under the forme as I sayd before I made it straunge , and drewe backe ones or twise And euer they presed on me more and more Tyll at the last they forced me so sore That with them I went where they wold me bringe Unto the pauylion , where Pallas was syttyng . Dame Pallas commanded the they shuld me conuay In to the riche palace of the quene of Fame , There shall he here what she to hym will say Whan he is called to answere to his name , A crye anone forth with she made proclame , All orators and poetes shoulde thider go before With all the prease that there was lesse & more . Forthwith I say : thus wandring in my thought Howe it was , or elles within what howres I can nat tell you , but that I was brought In to a palace , with turrettes and towres Engalared goodly with halles and bowres So curiosly , so craftly , so counnyngly wrought That all the worlde I trowe and it were sought Suche an other , there could no man fynde Wherof partly I purpose to expounde Whiles it remayneth fresshe in my mynde with turks and grossolites enpaued was the ground Of birral enbosed were the pyllers round Of elephantes tethe , were the palace gates Enlosenged with many goodly plates Of golde entached with many a precious stone An hundred steppes mountynge to the halle ONe of iasper , an other of whales bone , Of diamantes poynted , was the Rokky wal . The carpettes within and tappettes of pall The chambres hanged with clothes of Arace Enuauted with rubies that v aute was of this Thus passed we forth . walkyng vnto the pretory Wher the postis wer ēbulioned with saphirs indy blew Englased glitteryng with many a clere story Iacictes & smaragdes out of that florth they grew . Unto this place all poetes there dyd sue Wherin was set of Fame the noble quene All other transcendyng most richely besene Under a glorious clothe of estate Fret all with orient perles of Garnate Encrowned as empresse of all this worldly fate So ryally , so richely , so passyngly ornate It was excedynge beyonde the commune rate This house enuiron was a myle about If. xii . were let in . xii . hundred stode without Than to this lady and souerayne of this palace Of purseuantes ther presed in which many diuers tale Some were of Poyle , and some were of Thrace Of Lymerik , of Lorein , of Spaine , of Portugale From Napuls , from Nauern , and from Koūceuale Some from Flaunders , some fro the see coste Some from the maine lande , some fro the french host with how doth that north , what tydinges in that south The west is wyndy , the Eest is metely wele It is harde to tell of euery mannes mouthe A slypper holde the tayle is of an ele And he halteth often that hath a kyby he le Sūe shewed his safeconduct , sūe shewed his chart Some loked ful smothely , and had a fals quart . With sir I praye you a litell tyne stande backe And let me come in to delyuer my letter An other tolde , howe shyppes went to wracke There were many wordes smaller and greatter With I as good as thou , I faith and no better Some came to tell treuthe , some came to lye . Some came to flatter , some came to spye , There were I saye of all maner of sortes Of dertmouth , of plymouth , of portesmouth also The burgeis and the bayliues of the. v. portes With nowe let me come , and nowe let me go And all tyme wandred I thus . to and fro , Tyll at the laste these noble poetes thre Anto me sayd lo syr nowe ye maye se , Of this hyghecourte the dayly busynes From you must we , but nat longe to tary Lo hither cometh a goodly maistres Occupacion , Fames regestary . Whiche shal be to you a souerayne accessary With singular pleasures to dryue away the tyme And we shall se you agayne or it be pryme . Whan they wer past , & went forth on their way This gentilwoman , that called was by name Occupacion , in ryght goodly araye Came towarde me , and smyled halfe in game . I sawe her smyle , and than I dyd the same With that on me she cast her goodly loke Under her arme me thought she had a boke .
Occupation to Skelton . LYke as the larke vpon the somers daye Whan Titan radiant burnisheth his bemes bright Mounteth on hye , with hir melodius laye Of the son shyne engladed with the lyght So am I supprised with pleasure and delyght To se this houre nowe , that I may saye Howe ye are welcome to this court of araye Of your aqueyntaunce I was in tymes paste Of studious doctrine whan at the port salu Ye fyrst arryued , whan broken was your maste Of worldly trust , than dyd I you reskew Your storme dryuen shyp I repared newe So well entacled , what wynde so euer blow No stormy tempest your barge shall ouer throw Welcome to me as hertly as herte can thinke , Welcome to me with all my holle desyre And for mysake spare neyther pen nor ynke Be well assured I shall aquyte your hyre . Your name recountyng beyonde the land o Tire From Sydony to the mount Olympian From Babyll towre to the hils Caspian .
Skelton Poeta answereth . I Thanked her moche of her most noble offer Affiaunsynge her myne hole assuraunce For her pleasure to make a large profer Empryntyng her wordes in my remembraunce To owe her my seruice with true perseueraunce Come on with me she sayd , let vs nat stande And with that worde she toke me by the hande So passed we forth into the forsayd place . With such communicacion as came to our mynde And than she sayd , whyles we haue tyme & space To walke where we lyst , let vs somwhat fynde To passe the time with ▪ but let vs wast no wynd For ydell Ianglers haue but lytell brayne Wordes be swordes and harde to call agayne Into a felde she brought me wyde and large Enwalled about with the stony flynt Strongly enbateld muche costious of charge To walke on this wal , she bed I should nat stint Go softly she said , the stones be full glynt She went before and bad me take good holde I sawe a thousande yates newe and olde Than questioned I her what these yates ment , Wherto she answered , and bryefly me tolde Howe from the Est vnto the Occident And from the South vnto the North so colde , These yates she said , whiche that ye beholde Be issues and portes from all maner of nacions and seriously she shewed me their denominacions They had wrytynge some greke , some ebrew , Some Romayne letters as I vnderstode Some were olde writen , some were writen new , Sūe carectis of Caldy , some frenche was ful good But one gate specially , where as I stode Had grauen in it of Calcidony a capitall . A. What gate call ye this ? and she sayd Anglia The buyldyng therof was passing commendable Wheron stode a lybbard crowned with gold & stones Terrible of countinaunce , & passing formidable As quickly touched as it were fleshe and bones As gastly that glaris , as grimly that gronis As fiersly frownyng as he had ben fyghtynge And which his forme fote , he shoke forth this writing . Cacosinthicon ex industria . Formidanda nimis Iouis ultima fulmina tollis Vnguibus ire parat loca singula liuida curuis Quam modo per Phebes nummos raptura Celenoz Arma , lues , luctus , fel , uis fraus barbara tellus Mille modis erras odium tibi querere martis . Spreto spineto cedat saliunca roseto . Than I me lent and loked ouer the wall Innumerable people presed to euery gate Shet were that gates , they might wel knocke & cal And turne home agayn , for they came al to late I her demaunded of them and their astate Forsothe ꝙ she , these be haskardes & rybaudes Dicers , carders , tumblars with gambaudes . Fordrers of loue , with baudrie a●neynted Brayneles blynkardes that blowe at the cole False forgers of money for coynnage atteynted Pope holy hypocrites as they were golde & hole , Poule hatchettes that prate well at euery ale pole Ryot , reueler , rayler , brybery , thefte , With other condicions that well might be lefte . Sūe fayne themself foles , & wold be called wyse Some medling spies , by craft to grope thy minde Some disdaynous daucockes that al men dispise False flatterers that faune the , & curres of kynd That speke faire before the , & shrewdly behynde Hither they come crowding to get them a name But hayled they be homwarde with sorow & shame With that I herde gunnes rushe out at ones Bowns , bowns , bowns , that all they out cryde It made some limpe legged & broised their bones Some were made pyuyshe porisshly pynke eyde That euermore after by it they were aspyde And one ther was there , I wondred of his hap For a gunstone I say had all to lagged his cap. Ragged and dagged and cunnyngly cut The blast of the brymston blew away his braine Mased as a marche hare , he ran lyke a scut And sir amonge all me thought I sawe twayne The one was a tumblar that afterward agayne Of a dyssour a deuyll way grewe a ientilman Persprater the seconde that quarelles began which a pellet of peuishenes thei had such a stroke That al the dayes of their lyf shal stick by their ribbes Foo , foisty baudias som smelled of the smoke I saw diuers that were caried away thens in cribbes Dasyng after dotrels lyke drunkardes that dribbes These titiuils which taūpins were touched & tapped moche mischef I hight you among them ther happed Somtyme as it semeth whan the mone lyght By meanes of a grosely endarked clowde , Sodainly is eclipsed in the wynter nyght In like maner of wyse , amyst dyd vs shrowde But wel may ye thinke . I was nothyng prowde Of that auentures , whiche made me sore agaste In darkenes thus dwelt we , tyll at the last The clowdes gon to clere , the mist was rarified In an herber I sawe brought where I was There byrdes on the brere sange on euery syde With aleys ensanded about in compas The bankes enturfed with singular solas Enrailed with rosers , and vines engraped It was a new comfort of sorowes escaped In the middes a cundite , that curiously was cast With pypes of golde , engusshyng out streames Of cristall , the clerenes these waters far past Enswimmyng with roches , barbils , & breames , Whose skales ensilured again the son beames Englisterd : that ioyous it was to be holde Than farthermore about me my sight I reuolde Where I sawe growyng a goodly laurell tre Enuerdured with leaue , continually grene , Aboue in the top a byrde of Araby Men call a phenix : her wynges bytwene She bet vp a fyre with the sparkes full kene With braunches & boughes of the swete olyue whose flagraunt flower was chefe preseruatiue . ●iua spe●osa in ●●pis . A geynst al infections , with rancour enflamed Ageynst all baratous broisiours of olde It passed all bawmes that euer were named Or gummes of Saby so derely that be solde Nota ex●elletiam ●irtutis ●● oliua . There blewe in that garden a soft piplyng colde Enbrethyng of zephirus with his pleasant wynde Al frutes & flowres grewe there in their kynde . Dryades there daunsed vpon that goodly soile With the nyne muses Pierides by name Phillis and Testalis there tresses with oyle Were newly enbybed : & rounde about the same Grene tre of laurell , moche solacious game They made with chapplettes and garlandes grene And formest of al Dame Flora the quene Of somer so formally she foted the daunce Ther Citheus sat twinklyng vpon his harpestriges And Iopas his instrument dyd auaunce The poemes and stories auncient in brynges Of Athlas astrology , and many noble thynges Of wandryng of the mone the course of the son Of men and of bestes , and whereof they begone , What thyng occasioned the showres of rayne Of fyre elementar in his supreme spere And of that pole artike , whyche doth remayne Behynde the tayle of vrsa so clere Of Pliades he preched with their drowsy chere Immoystred with mislyng and ay droppyng dry And where the two trions a man shoulde espye . And of the wynter dayes that hye theym so fast And of the wynter nyghtes that fary so longe And of the somer dayes , so longe that done lasts And of their short nightes : he brought i his songe How wronge was no right , & right was no wrong . There was counteryng of carols i meter & i verse So many , that longe in were to reherce .
Occupacion to Skelton . HOwe saye ye ? is this after your appetite ? May this content you & your mery mynde ? Here dwelleth pleasure , with lust and delyte Continuall comfort here ye may fynde Of welthe and solace nothynge lefte behynde All thynge couenably here is contryued Wherwith your sprites may be reuyued .
Poeta Skelton Answereth . QUestionles no doubte of that ye saye Iupiter himselfe this life myght endure This ioye excedeth all worldly sport and playe Paradyse , this place is of syngular pleasure O well were hym that herof might be sure And here to inhabite , and aye for to dwell But goodly maystres one thynge ye me tell
Occupacion to Skelton . OF your demaunde shew me the content What it is , and where vpon it standes And if there be in it any thynge ment , Wherof the answere restyth in my handes It shall be losed ful sone out of the bandes of scrupulus doubt wherfore your mid discharge And of your will the playnnes shewe at large
Poeta Skelton answereth . I thanke you goodly maistres to me most benign That of your bountie so well haue me assured But my request is nat so great a thynge That I ne force what thoughe it be discured I am nat wounded but that I may be cured I am nat laden of lyddyrnes with lumpes As dased doterdes that dreame in their dumpes .
Occupacion to Skelton . Nowe what ye meane I trowe I coniect God gyue you good yere ye make me to smyle Nowe by your fayth is nat this th effect Of your question ye make all this whyle To vnderstande who dwelleth in yone pile And what blūdrer is ponder the playeth diddil diddil . He fyndeth false mesures out of his fonde fiddill Interpolata ( que industriosum postulat interpretem ) satyra in uatis aduersarium . Tressis Agasonis species prior , altera Daui . Nota Al chimiam & septem metalla . Aucupium culicis limis dum torquet ocellum . Concipit . aligeras rapit , opetit , ●spice muscas , Maia quoque fouet , fouet aut que Iupiter , aut que Frigida Saturnus , Sol , Mars , Venus , Algida Luna , Si tibi contingat uerbo aut committere scripto Quam sibi mox tacita sudant precordia culpa ? Hinc ruit in flammas , stimulans huncurget & illum Inuocat ad rixas , uanos tamen excitat ignes . Labra mouens tacitus , rumpantur ut ilia Codro . 17. 4. 7. 2. 17. 5. 18. 18. 19. 1. 19. 8. 5. 12. HIs name for to knowe if that ye lyst Enuious Rancour truly he hight Beware of him I warne you : for if ye wyst Howe dangerous it were to stande in his lyght ye wold nat deale wyth him thought that ye might For by his deuillisshe drift & graceles , prouision An holle realme he is able to set at dyuision . For whan he speketh fairest than thiketh he most il Ful gloriously can he glose , thy mynd for to fele He wyl sett men a feighting & syt himselfe styll And smerke lyke a smythy cur at sperkes of stele He can neuer leaue warke whyles it is wele To tell all his touches it were to great wonder The deuyll of hell and he be seldome a sonder Thus talking we went forth in at a postern gate , Turning on the right hande , by a wynding stayre She brought me to a goodly chambre of astate , Where the noble countes of Surrey in a chaire Sate honorably , to whom dyd repayre Of ladyes a Beuy . with all dewe reuerence Syt downe fayre ladyes and do your diligence Come forth gentilwomen I pray you she said I haue contryued for you a goodly warke And who can worke best nowe shal be assayd A cronell of laurell with verdures light & darke I haue deuised for Skelton my clerke For to his seruyce I haue suche regarde That of our bountie we wyll hym rewarde . For of all ladyes he hath the library Their names recountyng in the court of Fame Of all gentylwomen he hath the scruteny In F●mes courte reportyng the same For yet of women he neuer sayd shame But if they were countrefettes that women them call That list of their lewdnesse with him for to bral . With that the tappettes & carpettes were layde Wheron these ladyes softely myght rest The saumpler to sowe on , the laces to enbrayde To weaue in the stole some were full prest with slaies , with tauels , with hedelles wel drest The frame was brought forth which his weauing pin God giue them good spede their warke to begin . Some to enbrowder put them in prease wel gyding their glotton to kepe streight their silk , Some pyrlyng of golde their worke to encrease With fingers smale , & handes as white as mylk With reche me that skayne of tewly sylke And wynde me that botoume of suche an hewe Grene , red , tawney , whyte , purple , and blewe , Of broken warkes wroght many a goodly thing In castyng , in turnyng , in florishing of flowres With burres rowgh and buttons surffyllyng In nedyll warke raysyng byrdes in bowres With vertue enbesed all tymes and howres And truly of theyr bountie thus were they bent To worke me this chaplet , by good aduisement .
Occupacion to Skelton . BEholde and se in your aduertisement , Howe these ladies and gentylwomen all For your pleasure do theyr edeuourment And for your sake , howe fast to warke they fall To your remembraunce wherfore ye must call In goodly wordes pleasauntly comprised That for them some goodly conceyte be deuised . Whith propre captacions of beneuolence Ornately pullyshed after your faculte Sith ye must nedes afforce it by pretence Of your profession vnto humanite Commensyng your proces after their degree To eche of them rendring thankes commendable With sentence fructuous , and termes couenable
Poeta Skelton answereth . AUansyng myselfe some thanke to deserue I me determyned for to sharpe my pen Deuoutly arrectyng my prayer to Minerue She to vouche safe me to enforme and ken To Mercury also hertely prayed I then Me to supporte , to helpe , and to assyst To gyde & to gouerne my dredful trembling fist As a mariner that amased is in a stormy rage Hardly be stad and dryuen is to hope Of that the tempestous wynde will a swage In trust wherof comfort his heart doth grope From the anker he cutteth the gabill rope Committeth al to god , and letteth his ship ryde So I beseche Iesu now to be my gyde
To the right noble countes of Surrey . AFter all duly ordred obeysaunce In humble wyse as lowely as I maye Unto you madame I make reconisaunce My lyfe enduryng I shall both wryte and saye Recounte , reporte , reherse without delaye The passynge bountie of your noble estate Of honour & worship which hath the formar date . Lyke to Argiua by iust resemblaunce The noble wyfe of Polimites kynge Prudent Rebecca , of whom remembraunce The bible maketh , with whose chaste lyuynge Your noble demenour is counterwaynge Whose passing bounte , and right noble estate Of honour and worshyp it hath the formar date . The noble Pamphilia quene of the grekes land Habilimentes royall founde out industriously Thamer also wrought with her goodly hande Many diuises passynge curiously Whom ye represent and exemplify Whose passynge bounte and right noble estate , Of honour and worship it hath the formar date , As dame Thamaris whiche toke the kyng of Perse Cyrus by name , as writeth the story . Dame Agrippina also I may reherse Of gentill corage the parfite memory So shall your name endure perpetually Whose passynge bounte and right noble estate Of honour and worship it hath the formar date .
To my lady Eilabet h Howarip To be your remembraunce madame I am bounde Lyke to Aryna maydenly of porte Of vertue & connyng the well and perfit grounde Whom dame nature , as well I may reporte Hath freshely enbeautied which many a goodly sorte Of womanly fetures , whose florishing tender age Is lusty to loke on , plesaunt , demeure , and sage , Goodly Creseid : fayrer than Polyxene For to enuyne Pandarus appetite Troilus I trowe , if that he had you sene In you he wolde haue set his holle delyte Of all your beaute I suffice nat to write But as I sayd your florisshyng tender age Is lusty to loke on , pleasaunt , demure , & sage .
To my lady Myrriall hawarde . MI lytell lady I may nat leaue behynde But to do you seruice nedes nowe I must Benigne curteyse of gentill harte and mynde Whom fortune and fate playnly haue discust Longe to enioye pleasure , delyte , and lust , The enbudded blossoms of roses redde of hewe With lilies white your beauty doth renewe . Compare you I may to Cidippes the mayde That of Aconcius whan she founde the byll In her bosome , lorde howe she was afrayde The ruddy shamefastnes in her vysage fyll Which maner of abasshement became her not yll Right so madame the roses redde of hewe With lillyes whyte your beuatie doth renewe
To my lady Anne Dakers of the sowth . zeusis that enpictured fayre Helene the quene You to deuise his crafte were to seke And if Apelles , your countenaunce had sene Of porturature , which was the famous greke He could not deuise the lest point of your cheke Princes of youthe and flowre of goodly porte Uertue , counnyng , solace , pleasure , comforte . Paregall in honour vnto Penolope That for her trouth is in remembraunce had Fayre Dianira surmountynge in beautie Demure Diana womanly and sad Whose lusty lokes make heuy hartes glad Princes of youthe , and flowre of goodly porte Uertue counnyng , solace , pleasure , comforte .
To maistres Margary wentworthe . With Margerain gentill The flowre of goodly hede Enbrowdered the mantyll Is of your maydenhede . Playnely I can nat glose Ye be as I deuyne The praty primerose The goodly columbyne . With margerain gentill The flowre of goodly hede Enbrowdered the mantill Is of your mayden hede Benygne , courteise , and meke , With wordes well deuysed In you who lyst to seke Be vertues well comprysed . With margerain gentill The flowre of goodly hede Enbrowdered the mantill Is of your mayden hede .
To maistres Margaret Tylney . I you assure Ful well I knowe , My busy cure To you I owe Humbly and lowe Commendyng me To your bounte . As Machareus Fayre Canace So I , I wys Endeuoure me Your name to se It be enrolde . Writen with golde Phedra ye may Well represent Intentyue ay And diligent No tyme myspent Wherfore delyte I haue to wryte Of Margarite Perle orient Lode sterre of lyght Moche relucent Madame regent I maye you call Of vertues all .
To maisters Iane Blenner-Haiset . What thoughe my penne waxe faynt And hath smalle lust to paynt Yet shall there no restraynt Cause me to cease , Amonge this prease , For to encrease Your goodly name . I wyll myselfe applye Truste me ententyuely You for to stellifye And so obserue That ye ne swarue For to deserue Immortall fame . Sith maistres Iane Haiset Smalle flowres helple to sette In my goodly chappelet Therfore I rendre , of her the memorie Unto the legende of fayre Leodomie .
To maisters Isabell Pennell . By saynt Mary my lady Your mammy and your dady Brought forthe a goodly baby My mayden Isabell , Reflarynge rosabell . The flagraunt cammamell , The ruddy rosary , Tho souerayne rosemary The praty strawbery , The columbyne , the nepte , The ieloffer well sette , The propre violet . Ennewed your colowre Is lyke the dasy flowre , After the Aprile showre . Sterre of the morowe graye , The blossome on the spraye , The fressheste flowre of Maye . Maydenly demure , Of woman hede the lure , Wherfore I make you sure , It were an heuenly helthe , It were an endelesse welthe , A lyfe for god hymselfe , To here this nyghtyngale Amonge the byrdes smale , Warbelynge in the vale Dug , dug , iug , iug , Good yere and good lucke , With chucke , chucke , chucke , chucke .
To maisties Margaret Hussey . Mirry Margaret As midsomer flowre Gentyll as faucoun Or hauke of the towre With solace & gladnes Moch mirth & no madnes All good and no badnes So ioyously So maydenly So womanly Her demenynge In euery thynge Far , far passynge That I can endite Or suffice to write Of mirry Margarete As mydsomer flowre Gentill as faucoun Or hauke of the towre As pacient & as styll And as ful of good wil As fayre Isiphill Coliander Swete pomaunder Oood Cassander Stefast of thought wel made , wel wroght Far may be sought Erst that ye can fynde So curteise so kynde As mirry Margarēte this midsomer flowre Gentyll as faucoun Or hauke of the towre .
To maistres Geretrude Statham . Thoughe ye were harde harted And I with you thwarted With wordes that smarted , Yet nowe doutles , ye gyue me cause To wryte of you this goodly clause Maistres Geretrude With wowan hede endude With vertue well renude . I wyll that ye shal be In all benignite , Lyke to dame Pasiphe . For nowe doutlesse , ye gyue me cause To write of you this goodly clause Maistres Geretrude With woman hede endude , With vertue well renude . Partly by your counsell . Garnysshed with laurell . Was my fresshe coronell . Wherfore doutles Ye gyue me cause To write of you this goodly clause Maistres Geretrude With womanhede endude With vertue well renude .
To maistres Isabēll Knyght BUt if I shoulde aquite your kyndnes Els saye ye myght That in me were great blyndnes I for to be so myndles And coulde nat wryte Of Isabell knyght It is nat my custome nor my gyse To leaue behynde Her , that is both womanly and wyse And specially whiche glad was to deuyse The meanes to fynde To please my mynde . In helpynge to warke my laurel grene , With sylke and golde Galathea the mayde wel besene . Was neuer halfe so fayre as I wene Whiche was extolde , A thousande folde By Maro the Mantuan prudent Who lyst to rede , But and I had leyser competent I coude shewe you suche a president In very dede , Howe ye excede .
Occupacion to Skelton . Withdrawe your hand , the time passeth faste Set on your heed this laurell which is wrought Here you nat Eolus . for you bloweth a blaste I dare well saye , that ye and I be sought . Make no delay , for now ye must be brought Before my ladys grace , the quene of Fame , Where ye must brefely answere to your name .
Skelton Poeta . CAstyng my syght the chambre about To se howe duly , eche thyng in ordre was Towarde the dore as we were commyng out I sawe maister Newton syt with his compas His plummet , his pensell , his spectacles of glas Deuysynge in picture by his industrious wit Of my laurell the proces euery whitte . Forth with vpon this as it were in a thought Gower , Chawcer , Lydgate these thre Before remembred , me courteisely brought Into that place , where as they lefte me Where all the sayd poetes sat in their degre But whan they saw my laurell richely wrought All other besyde were countrefet they thought . In comparison of that whiche I ware Some preysed the perle , some the stones bryght Well was hym that thervpon might stare Of this warke they had so great delyght The sylke , the golde , the flowres fresh to sight , They sayd my laurell was the goodlyest That euer they saw , & wrought it was the best , In her estate there sate the noble quene Of Fame , perceyuyng howe that I was cum She wondred me thought at my laurell grene She loked hautely , and gaue on me a glum There was amonge them no word than but mum For eche man herkened what she wolde to me say Wherof in substaunce I brought this awaye .
The quene of Fame to Skelton . MY frende sith ye are before vs here present , To answere vnto this noble audience Of that shal be reasoned ye must be content And for as moche as by the hye pretence That ye haue nowe by the preeminence Of laureat triumphe , your place is here reserued We will vnderstande howe ye haue it deserued .
Skelton poeta to the quene of Fame . RYght high and mighty princes of astate In famous glory all other transcendyng Of your bounte the customable rate Hath ben ful often , and yet is attendyng To all that to reason is condiscendyng But if hasty credence by maintenaunce of myght Fortune to stande betwene you and the lyght . But suche euidence I thynke for to enduce , And so largely to lay for myne indempnyte That I trust to make mine excuse Of what charge so euer ye lay against me For of my bokes , parte ye shal se Which in your recordes I know wel be enrolde And so occupacion your Regester me tolde . Forth with she commanded I shuld take my place Caliope pointed me where I shoulde sit With that . Occupacion preased in a pace Be mirry she sayd , be nat a ferde a whit Your discharge here vnder myn arme is it So than commaunded she was vpon this To shewe her boke : and she sayd here it is .
The quene of Fame to Occupacion . Your boke of remembrance we wil now that ye rede If any recordes in nombre can be found What Skelton hath compiled and written in dede Rehersynge by ordre , and what is the grounde Let se nowe for hym , howe ye can expounde For in our court ye wote wel his name can nat rise But if he write oftenner than ones or twyse .
Skelton Poeta . With that of the boke losende were the claspes The margent was illumined al with golden railes And bice enpictured , with grassoppes & waspes . With butterflies , and freshe pecocke tailes . Enflored with flowres and slymy snayles , Enuiued pictures well touched and quickely It wold haue made a man hole that had be right sikly To beholde , howe it was garnisshed and bound , Encouerde ouer with golde of tissue fine The clapses and bullions were worth a. M. pounde with balassis & carbuncles the borders dyd shyne With aurum musicum euery other lyne Was writen : and so she dyd her spede Occupacion immediately to rede .

Occupacion readeth and expoundeth some part of Skeltons bokes and balades with dities of pleasure : In asmoche as it were to longe a proces to reherce by name , that he hath compiled . &c.

OF your oratour and poete laureate Of Englande , his warkes here they begyne In primis the boke of Honorouse astate Item the boke howe men shoulde fle synne Item royall demenaunce , worshyp to wynne Item the boke to speke well or be styll . Item to lerne you , to dye whan ye will . Of vertue also , the souerayne enterlude The boke of the rostar , prince Arthuris creacion the false faith that now goth which daily is renude Item his dialogues of ymaginacion Item Antomedon of loues meditacion Item newe grammer in englishe compilled Item Bouge of courte , where drede was begylled His comedy , Achademios called by name Of Tullis familiars the translacion Item good aduisement that braineles doth blame The recule against Gaguine of the french nacion Item the Popingay , that hath in commendacion Ladies and gentilwomen suche as deserued And suche as be countrefettes they be reserued . And of soueraintie a noble pamphelet . And of magnificence a notable mater Howe countrefet countenaunce of the new get With crafty conueyaunce doth smater & flater And cloked collusion is brought in to clater with courtly abusion who printeth it wel in minde Moch doublenes of the world therin he may finde . Of manerly maistres Margery mylke and ale To her he wrote many maters of myrth Yet thoughe I saye it , therby lieth a tale For Margery wynsed & brake her hynder gyrth Lorde howe she made moche of her gentill byrth which gingerly go gingerly her taile was made of hay Go she neuer so gingerly her honestie is gone awaye . Harde to make ought of that is naked nought This fustian maistres and this giggisshe gase Wonder is to write what wrenches she wrought To face out her foly with a mydsomer mase with pitche she patched her pitcher should nat crase It may well ryme but shrewdly it doth accorde To pyke out honestie of suche a potshorde . Patet per uersus . Hinc puer hinc natus ? uir coniugis hinc spollatus Iure thori ? est ? fetus deli , de sanguine cretus . Hinc magis extollo , quod erit puer alter Apollo . Si queris qualis ? meretrix castissima talis . Et relis & ralis , & reliqualis A good herynge of these olde talis Fynde no mo such from wanflete to walis Et reliquà . ome lia de diuersis tactatibus . OF my ladis grace at the contemplacion Out of frenche into englisshe prose Of mannes lyfe the peregrinacion He dyd translate : interprete , and disclose The treatise of triumphes of the redde rose Wherin many stories are brefely contayned That vnremembred longe tyme remayned . The duke of Yorkes creaūcer whan Skelton was Nowe Henry the. viij . kynge of Englande A treatise he deuysed , and brought it to pas Galled Speculum principis , to beare in his hande Therin to rede , and to vnderstande All the demenour of princely astate To be our kynge of god preordinate . Also the tunnyng of Eiinor Rummyng With Colin clout , Iohn yue , with Ioforth Iacke To make suche trifels it asketh some counnyng In honest myrth parde requireth no lacke The white appereth the better for the blacke And after conueyaunce as the worlde gose It is no foly to vse the walshemannes hose . The vmbles of venison , the botels of wyne To faire maistres Anne , that shuld haue be sent He wrote therof many a praty lyne Where it became , and whither it went And howe that it was wantonly spent . The balade also of the mustarde tarte Suche problemes to paint it longeth to his arte . Of one Adam all a knaue late dead and gone Dormiat in pace like a dormous He wrote an epitaph for his graue stone With wordes deuout and sentence Egerdous For he was euer agaynst goddes house All his delite was to braule and to barke Agayne holy churche , the prest , and the clarke . Of Philip sparowe the lamentable fate The dolefull desteny , and the carefull chaunce Deuised by Skelton after the funerall rate Yet some there be there with that take greuaunce And grugge therat with frowning countenaunce But what of that ? harde it is to please all men Who lyst amende it , let hym set to his penne . For the gyse now adayes , Of some iangelynge da Iayes Is to discommende That they can nat amende Thoughe they wolde spende All the wittes they haue What ayle them to depraue Philippe sparowes graue His dirige , her commendacion Can be no derogacion But myrthe and consolacion Made by protestacion No man to myscontent With Philippis enterement Alas that goodly mayde Why should she be afrayde ? Why shoulde she take shame , That her goodly name Honorably reported , Should be set and sorted To be matriculate , with ladies of astate ? I coniure the Philip sparowe By Hercules that hell dyd harowe And with a venemous arowe Slewe of the Epidaures One of the Centaures Or Onocentaurus , Or Hippocentaurus By whose myght and mayne An hart was slayne with hornes twayne Of glitteryng golde , And the apples of golde Of Hesperides with holde And with a dragon kepte That neuer more slepte By marciall strength , He wan at length . And slewe Gerione , With thre bodyes in one With mighty corage , Adaunted the rage Of a lyon sauage . Of Diomedis stabyll , He brought out a rabill Of coursers and rounses With leapes and bounses And with mighty luggynge Wrastelynge and tuggynge , He plucked the bull , By the horned scul And offred to Cornucopia , And so forthe per cetera Also by Hecates bowre In Plutos gastly towre . By the vgly Eumenides , That neuer haue rest nor ease By the venemous serpent , That in hell is neuer brent . In Lerua the grekes fen That was engendred then By Chemeras flames , And all the deedly names , Of infernall posty Where soules frye and rosty . By the stygial flode , And the stremes wode Of Cocytus botomlesse well . By the feryman of hell Caron with his berde hore That roweth with a rude ore , And with his frounsed fore toppe Gydeth his bote with a proppe . I coniure Philippe and call In the name of kynge Saul . Primo regum expres , He bad the Phitones To wytche crafte her to dres , And by her abusions , And damnable illusions , Of merueylous conclusions , And by her supersticions , And wonderfull condicions , She raysed vp in that stede Samuel , that was dede . But wheder it were so , He were idem innumero The selfe same Samuel , Howe be it to Saul he dyd tell The Philistinis should hym askrye And the nexte daye he should dye , I wyll myselfe discharge To lettred men at large . But Philip I coniure the Nowe by these names thre Diana in the woddes grene , Luna that so bryght doth shene , Proserpina in hell , That thou shortly tell And shewe nowe vnto me , What the cause may be , Of this perplexite , Inferias Philippe tuas Scroupe pulchra Ioanna Instanter peciit , cur nostri carmints illam Nunc pudet , est sero , minor est infamia Vero Than suche as haue disdayned , And of this worke complayned , I praye god they by payned No worse than is contayned In verses two or thre , That folowe as ye maye se ▪ Luride cur liuor Volucris pia funera damnas Talia te rapiant , ●apiunt quae fata Volucrem , Est tamen inuidia mors tibi continua . The grounting & the groining of the groning swyne Also the Mournyng of the mapely rote Howe the grene couerlet suffred great pyne . Whan the flie net was set for to catche a cote Strake one with a byrdbolt to the heart rote Also a deuoute prayer to Moyses hornes Metrified merily , medled with scornes . Of paiantes that were played in ioyous garde He wrate of a mows through a mud wall Howe a doe cam trippyng in at the rere warde But lorde howe the parker was wroth with all And of castell Angell the fenestrall Glittryng and glistryng and gloriously glased It made some mennes eyen dasyld and dased . The repete of the recule of Rosamūdes bowre Of his pleasant paine there and his glad destres In plantyng & plucking a propre ieloffer flowre But howe it was , some were to recheles Nat withstandyng it is remedeles What myght she say ? what myght he do therto ? Though Iack sayd nay : yet mok ther lost her sho . Howe than lyke a man he wan the Barbican With a saute of solace at the longe last The colour deedly , swart , blo , and wan Of Ereone her lambe is dede and past The cheke and the necke but a shorte cast In fortunes fauour euer to endure No man lyuyng he sayth can be sure . How dāe Minerua first found thou oliue tre , she red & planted yet wher neuer before was none , vnshred An hynde vnhurt it by casuelte , nat bled Recouerd whan the forster was gone , and sped The hartes of the herd began for to grone , & fled The houndis began to yerne and to quest: & dred With lyttell busines standeth moche rest . in bed . His epitomis of the myller and his ioly make How herble was bryght as blossom on the spray A wanton wenche and well coulde bake a cake The myllar was loth to be out of the way But yet for all that be as be may Whether he rode to Swassham̄ or to Some The myllar durst nat leaue his wyfe at home With wofully arayd and shamefully betrayde Of his making deuoute medytacions Vexilla regis he deuysed to be desplayde , With Sacris solempnus , and other contemplacious That in them comprised consideracions Thus passeth he the time both night and day Somtime with sadnes , somtime with play Though Galene and Dioscorides With Hipocrates , and mayster Auicen By theyr phisike done many a man ease And though Albumasar can the enforme and ken What constellacions ar good or bad for men : Yet whan the raine raineth and the gose winketh Litell wotteth the gosling what the gose thinketh He is nat wise agayne the streame that striueth Dun is in the mire , dame reche me my spur Nedes must he ren that the deuill dryueth Whan the stede is stolen sparre the stable dur A gentyll hounde shoulde neuer playe the kur It is soone aspyed where the thorne pricketh And well woteth the cat whose berde she licketh With Marione clarione sol lucerne Grande iuir , of this frenche prouerbe olde Howe men were wont for to discerne By candelmas daye , what wether shoulde holde But Marione clariōe was caught which a colde And all ouercast with cloudes vnkinde This goodly flowre with stormes was vntwinde This ieloffer gentill , this rose , this lylly flowre , This prime rose pereles , this propre violet , This delicate dasy , this straubery prately set , This columbyne clere and fresshest of coloure With frowarde frostis alas was all to fret But who may haue more vngracious life Than a childes byrde and a knaues wife ? Thinke what ye will Of this wanton byll . By Mary Gipcie Quod scripsi scripst Vxor tua sicut Vitis Habetis in custodiam Custodite sicut scitis . Secundum Lucam . &c. Of the bone homs of Asshrige beside Barcāstede That goodly place to Skelton most kynde , where the sange royall is , Christis blode so rede whervpon he metrified after his mynde . A plesanter place than Ashrige is , hard were to finde As Skelton reherseth with wordes fewe & playne In his Distichon , made on verses twayne . Fraximus in cliuo frondetqne Viret sine riuo . Non est fub diuo similis siue flumini uiuo The Nation of foles he lefte nat behinde , Item Apollo that whirled vp his chare , That made some to snurre and snufe in the winde It made them to skip , to stampe , and to stare , whiche ( if they be happy ) haue cause to beware In rymynge and raylynge with him for to mell For drede that he lerne them theyr . A. B. C. to spell
Poeta Skelton with that I stode vp , halfe sodaynly afrayde Supplieng to Fame , I besought her grace And that it wolde please her full tenderly I prayd Out of her bookes Appollo to rase . Nay syr she sayd , what so in this place Of our noble courte is ones spoken out It muste nedes after ren all the worlde aboute . God wote these wordes made me full sad And whan that I sawe it wolde no better be But that my peticion wolde nat be had , What shoulde I do , but take it in gre ? For by Iupiter and his high maiestye , I dyd what I coulde to scarpe out the scrolles Apollo to rase out of her ragman rolles . Nowe here of it erketh me lenger to wryte , To Occupacion , I wyll agayne resort whiche redde on styll , as it came to her syght Rendrynge my deuises I made in disporte Of the mayden of Rent called comforte Of louers testamentes & of theyr wanton willis And howe Iollas loued goodly Phillis . Diodorus Siculus of my translation Out of fresshe latine into our englysshe playne Recountyng commodites of many a strange nacion who redeth it ones wolde rede it agayne Six volumes engrosed together it doth contayne . But whan of the laurell she made rehersall Al orators and poetes with other great and smal A thousande thousande I trowe to my dome Triumpha triumpha they cried all about Of trumpettes & clarions the noyse went to Rome The sterry heuen me thought shoke with that shout The ground groned & trembled the noyse was so stout The quene of Fame commaunded , shet fast the booke And therwith sodaynely out of my slepe I woke My minde of the great din was somdele amased I wyped myn eyen for to make them clere Than to the heauen sphericall vpwarde I gased where I sawe Ianus with his double chere Makynge his almanak for the newe yere He turned his tirickes his voluell ran fast Good lucke this newe yere the olde yere is past . Mens tibi sit consulta petis ? sic consule menti , Emula sis Iani , retro speculetur et ante . Skeltonis alloquitur librum suum . Ite Britannorum lux o radiosa Britannum Carmina nostra pium Vestrum celebrate Catullum Dicite Skeltonis Vester Adonis erat . Dicite Skeltonis Vester Homerus erat . Barbara cum lacio pariter iam currite Versu . Et licet est Verbo pars maxima texta Britanno , Non magis incompta nostra Thalia patet : Est magis inculta nec mea Caliope . Nec uos poenite at liuoris tela subire . Nec uos poeniteat rabiem tolerare caninam , Nam Maro dissmiles non tulit ille minas , Immunis necenim musa Nasonis erat .
Lenuoy . Go litell quaire Demeane you faire Take no dispaire Though I you wrate After this rate In englisshe letter So muche the better welcome shall ye To some men be For latin warkes Be good for clarkes Yet nowe and then Some latin men May happely loke Upon your boke And so procede In you to rede That so in dede your fame may sprede In lengthe and brede But that I drede you shall haue nede you for to spede To harnes bryght By force of might Agaynst enuy And obloquy And wote ye why Nat for to fyght Agaynst dispyght Nor to derayne Batayle agayne Scornfull disdayne Nor for to chyde Nor for to hyde You cowardly But courteisly That I haue pende For to defende Under the banner Of all good maner Under protection Of sad correction with toleration And support acion Of reformacion If they can spye Circumspectly Any worde defaced That myght be rased Els ye shall praye Them that ye may Continue styll with theyr good wyll . Adserenissimam maiestatem regiam , pariter cum dūo Cardinalilegato a latere honorisicatissimo ▪ &c.
Lautre enuoy . Perge Uber , celebrem pronus regem Veneraro Henricum octauum , resonans sua premia laudis . Cardineum dominum pariter Venerando salutes , Legatum a latere & fiat memor ipse precare , Prebende , quam promiset mihi credere quondam . Meque suum referas pignus sperare salutis Inter spemque metum . Twene hope & drede My lyfe I lede But of my spede Small sekernes . Howe be it I rede Both worde & dede Should be agrede In noblenes . Or els . &c.
The Prolgue to the Bouge Of Courte . IN Autumpne whan the sonne in vyrgyne By radyante hete enryped hath our corne Whan luna full of mutabylyte As Emperes the dyademe hath worne Of our pole artyke , smylynge halfe in scorne At our foly , and our vnstedfastnesse The tyme whan Mars to warre hym dyd dres , I callynge to mynde the greate auctoryte Of poetes olde , whiche full craftely Under as couerte termes as coulde be Can touche a trouth , and cloke subtylly With fresshe vtteraunce full sentencyously Dyuerse in style some spared not vyce to wryte Some of mortalitie nobly dyd endyte Wherby I rede , theyr renome and theyr fame Maye neuer dye , but euermore endure I was sore moued to a forse the same But Ignoraunce full soone dyde me dyscure And shewed that in this arte I was not sure For to Illumine she sayd I was to dulle Aduysynge me my penne awaye to pulle And not to wryte , for he so wyll atteyne Excedyng ferther than his connynge is His heed maye be harde , but feble is brayne Yet haue I knowen suche er this But of reproche surely he maye not mys That clymmeth hyer than he may fotinge haue What and he slyde downe , who shall hym saue ? Thus vp & downe my mynde was drawen & cast That I ne wyste what to do waa best So sore enwered that I was at the laste Enforsed to slepe , and for to take some reste And to lye downe as soone as I my dreste At har wyche porte slumbrynge as I laye In myne hostes house called powers keye Me thought I sawe , a shyppe goodly of sayle Come saylyng forth in to that hauen brood Her takelyng ryche and of hye apparayle She kast an anker and there she laye at rode Marchauntes her borded to se what she had There in they founde Royall marchaundyse Fraghted with pleasure of what ye could deuise But than I thought I wolde not dwell behynde Amange all other I put myselfe in prece Than there could I none aquentaunce fynde There was moche noyse anone one cryed cese Sharpely commaundynge eche man holde his pece Maysters he sayd , the shyp that ye here se The bowge of courte it hyghte for certeynte . The owner therof is lady of estate Whoos name to tell is dame saunce pere Her marchaundyse is ryche and fortunate But who will haue it muste paye therfore dere This royall chaffre that is shypped here Is called fauoure to stonde in her good grace Than should ye se there pressynge in a pace . Of one and other that wolde this lady se Which sat behynde a tranes of sylke fyne Of golde of tessew the fynest that myght be In a trone whiche ferre clere dyd shyne Than Phebus in his spere celestyne Whoos beautie bonoure goodly porte I haue to lytyll connynge to reporte But of eche thynge there as I toke hede Amonge all other was wryten in her trone In golde leters this worde whiche I dyd rede Garde le fortune que est mauelz et bone And as I stode redyng this verse myselfe alone Her chyef gentylwoman daunger by her name Gaue me ataunte and sayd I was to blame . To be so perte to prese so proudely vppe She sayd she trowed that I had eten sause She asked yf euer I dranke of sauces cuppe And I than softely answered to that clause That so to saye , I had gyuen her no cause Than asked she me Syr so god the spede What is thy name ? and I sayd it was drede What moued the quod she hydder to come Forsoth quod I to bye some of your ware And with that worde on me she gaue a glome With browes bente and gan on me to stare Full daynously and fro me she dyd fare Leuynge me stondynge as a mased man To whome there came an other gentilwoman . Desire her name was and so she me folde Sayenge to me brother be of good chere Abasshe you not but hardely be bolde Auaunce yourselfe to aproche and come nere What though our chaffer be neuer so dere Yet I auyse you to speke for ony drede Who spareth to speke , in faith he spareth to sped Maistres quod I , I haue none aquentaunce That wyll for me be medyatoure and mene But this an other I haue but smale substaunce Peace quod Desyre ye speke not worth a bene Yf ye haue not in fayth I will you lene A precious Iewell no rycher in this londe Boneauenture haue here nowe in your honde . Shyfte now therwith let se as ye can In Bowge of courte cheuysaunce to make For I dare saye that there nys erthly man But and he can bone auenture take There can no fauoure nor frendshyp him forsake Bone auenture may brynge you in suche case That ye shall stonde in fauoure and in grace . But of one thynge I warne you er I goo She that styreth the shyp make her your frende Maystres quod I , I praye you tel me why so And how I may that waye & meanes fynde Forsoth quod she how euer blowe the wynde Fortune gydeth and ruleth all our shyppe Whom she hateth shall ouer the shyp borde skyp . Whome she loueth of all pleasure is riche Whyles she laugheth and hath luste for to playe Whome she hateth she casteth in the dyche For whan she froūeth she thinketh to make a fray She cherysshed hym and hym she chasseth away Alas quod I how myght I haue her sure In fayth quod she by bone auenture . Thus in a row of marchauntes a grete route Sued to fortune that she wolde be theyr frynde They thronge in faste and flocked her aboute And I with them prayed her to haue in mynde She promysed to vs all she wolde be kynde of bowge of court she asketh what we wold haue And we asked fauoure , and fauoure she vs gaue Thus endeth the Prologue .
Drede . THe sayle is vp fortune ruleth our helme We wante no wynde to passe now ouer all Fauoure we haue tougher then any elme That will abide and neuer frome vs fall But vnder honie ofte time lieth bytter gall For as me thoughte in our shippe I did se Full subtell persones in nombre foure and thre The first was fauell full of flaterie With fables false that well coude fayne a tale The seconde was Suspecte whiche that dayly Mysdempte eche man with face deedly & pale And Haruy haster that well coulde picke a male With other foure of theyr affynyte Dysdayne . Ryotte . Dyssymuler , Subtylte . Fortune theyr frende with whom oft she dyd daunce They coude not fayle they thought they were so sure And oftentimes I wold myselfe auaunce With them to make solace and pleasure But my dysporte they coulde not well endure They sayd they hated for to dele with Drede Than Fauell gan with fayre speche me to sede
Fauell , Nothinge erthly that I wonder so sore As of your conninge that is so excellent Deynte to haue with vs suche one in store So vertuously that hath his dayes spente Fortune to you gyftes of grace hathe lente Lo what it is a man to haue conninge All erthly tresoure it is surmountinge Ye be an apte man as ony can be found To dwell with vs & serue my ladyes grace Ye be to her yea worth a thousande pounde I herde her speke of you within shorte space when there were dyuerse that sore did you manace And though I saye it , I was myselfe your frend For here be dyuerse to you that be vnkinde But this one thinge ye maye be sure of me For by that lorde that bought dere all mankinde I cannot flatter I must be playne to the And ye nede ought man shew to me your minde For ye haue me whome faythfull ye shall finde Whyles I haue ought by god thou shalte not lacke And if nede be , a bolde worde I dare cracke Naye naye be sure whiles I am on your syde Ye may not fall truste me ye maye not fayle Ye stande in fauoure and fortune is your gyde And as she wyll so shall our greate shyppe sayle These lewd cok witts shal neuermore preuaile Againste you hardely therfore be not afrayde Fare well till soone but no worde that I sayde
Drede . Than thanked I him for his great gentylnes But as me thought he ware on him a cloke That lyned was with doubtfull doublenes Me thoughte of wordes that he had full a poke His stomake stuffed ofte tymes dyde reboke Suspycyon me thoughte mett hym at a brayde And I drewe nere to herke what they two sayde In fayth qd suspecte , spake drede no worde of me Why what than wylte thou lette men to speke He sayth he can not well accorde with the Twysshē qd suspecte go● playe him I ne reke By chryst qd fauell drede is soleyne freke What lete vs holde hym vp man for a whyle Ye so qd suspecte , he maye vs bothe begyle And whan he came walkinge soberly With whom , and , ha , and with a croked loke Me thoughte his heed was full of gelousy His eyen rollynge his hondes fast they quoke And to me warde the strayghte way he toke God sped brother to me quod he than And thus to talke with me he began ,
Suspicion Ye remembre the gentylman ryght now That commaund with you me thought a party spake Beware of hym for I make god auowe He wyll begyle you and speke fayre to your face Ye neuer dwelte in suche an other place For here is none that dare well other truste But I wolde tell you athinge and I durste Speke he a fayth no wordeto you of me I wote and he dyde ye wolde me tell I haue a fauoure to you wherof it be That I muste shewe you muche of my counselle But I wonder what the deuyll of hell He sayd of me whan he with you dyd talke By myne aduyse vse not with him to walke The soueraynst thinge that any man may haue Is litill to saye , and muche to here and se For but I trusted you so god me saue I wolde nothing so playne be To you onely me thynke I durste shryue me For nowe am I plenarely dysposed To shewe you thyngs that may not be disclosed
Drede , Than I assured hym my fydelyte His counseyle secrete neuer to dyscure Yf he could fynde in herte to truste me Els I prayed hym with all my besy cure To kepe it hymselfe for than he myght be sure That no man erthly could hym bewreye Whyles of his mynd it were lockte with that keye By god quod he this and thus it is And of his mynde he shewed me al and some Farre well quod he we will talke more of this So he departed there he wolde be come I dare not speke I promised to be dome But as I stode musinge in my minde Haruy haster came lepinge light as linde , Upon his breste he bare a versinge boxe His throte was clere and lustely coulde fayne Me thought his gowne was all furred with foxe And euer he sange , sithe I am nothinge plaine To kepe him from pikinge it was a grete paine He gased on me with his gotishe berde Whan I loked on him me purse was halfaferde
Heruy Haster Syr god you saue why loke ye so sadde What thinge is that I maie do for you A wonder thinge that ye waxe not madde For and I studie sholde , as ye do nowe My witte wolde waste I make god auowe Tell me your minde me thinke ye make a verse I could it skan and ye wolde reherse But to the pointe shortelie to procede Wher hathe your dwelling ben er ye came here For as I trowe I haue sene you in dede Er this whan that ye made me roiall chere Holde vp the helme loke vp & lete god stere I wolde be merie what wind that euer blowe Heue & how rombelow row that bote norman rowe Princes of youghtecan ye singe by rote Or shall I saile with you a feloship assaie For on the booke I can not singe a note Wolde to god it wolde please you some daye A ballade booke before me for to laye And lerne me to singe ( Re mi fa sol ) And when I faile bobbe me on the noll Loo what is to you a pleasure great To haue that coninge & waies that ye haue By goddes soule I wonder howe ye gete Soo great pleasure or who to you it gaue Sir pardone me I am an homelie knaue To be with you thus perte and thus bolde But ye be welcome to our houssholde And I dare saie there is no man here Inne But wolde be glade of your companie I wiste neuer man that so av coude winne The fauoure that ye haue with my lady I praye to god that it maie neuer dy It is your fortune for to haue that grace As I be saued it is a wonder case For as for me I serued here many a daie And yet vnneth I can haue my lyuynge But I requyre you no worde that I saye For and I knowe ony erthly thynge That is agayne you ye shall haue wetynge And ye be welcome syr so god me saue I hope here after a frende of you to haue
Drede . With that as he departed so frome Anone there mette with hym as me thoughte A man , but wonderly besene was he He loked hawtie he sette eche man at nouhte His gawdy garment with scornes was all wrought With Indygnacion lyned was his hode He frowned as he wolde swere by cockes blode . He bote the lyppe he loked passynge coye His face was belymmed as byes had hym stounge It was no tyme with hym to Iape nor toye Enuye hath wasted his lyuer & his lounge Hatred by the herte so had hym wrounge That he loked pale as asshes to my syghte Dysdayne I wene his comerous crabes hyghte To heruy haster than he spake of me And I drewe nere to harke what they two sayde Now quod Dysdayne as I shall saued be I haue grete scorne & am ryght euyll apayed Than quod Heruy why arte thou so dysmayde By chryst quod he for it is shame to saye To se Iohan dawes that came but yester daye How he is now taken in conceyte This doctour dawcocke Drede I wene he hyght By goddes bones but yf we haue some sleyte It is lyke he wyll stonde in your lyghte By god quod heruy & it so happen myghte Lete vs therfore shortly at a worde Fynde some mene to caste hym ouer the borde By him that me bought than quod Dysdayne I wonder sore he is in suche conceite Turde qd Haster I wyll the nothynge sayne There must for him be layde some prety beyte We tweyne I trowe be not without dysceyte Fyrste pycke a quarell & fall out with him then And so out face hym with a carde of ten , Forth with he made on me a proude assawte With scorfull loke meuyd all in moode He wente about to take me in a fawte He frounde he stared he stampped where he stoode I loked on hym I wende he had be woode He set the arme proudly vnder the syde And in this wise he gan with me to chyde
Dysdayne Remembrest thou what thou sayd yester nyghte Wilte thou abide by the wordes againe By god I haue of the now grete dispite I shall the angre ones in euery vaine It is grete scorne to se suche an haine As thou arte one that came but yesterdaie With vs olde seruantes suche maisters to plaie I tell the I am of countenaunce What wenest I were , I trowe thou know not me , By goddes woundes but for displesaunce Of my querell soone wolde I venged be But no force I shall ones mete with the Come whan it will oppose the I shall What som euer auenture therof fall Trowest thou dreuill I saie thou gawdie knaue That I haue deinte to se the cherisshed thus By goddis side my sworde thy berde shall shaue well ones thou shalte be cherined I wus Naie strawe for tales thou shalt not rule vs we be thy betters and so thou shalte vs take Or we shall the out of thy clothes shake
Drede , With that came Ryotte rushing al at ones A rustie galande to ragged and to rente And on the borde he whirled a paire of bones Quarter treye dews he clattered as he went Noue haue at all by saint thomas of kente And euer he threwe & kyst I wote nere what His here was growen thorowe out his hat Than I behylde how he dysgysed was His heed was heuy for watchinge ouer night His eyeu blered his face shone like a glas His gowne so shorte that it ne couer myght His rumpe he wente so all for somer light His hose was garded with a lyste of grene Yet at the knee they were broken I wene His cote was checkerd with patches rede & blewe Of kyrkeby kendall was his shorte demye And ay he sange in fayth decon thou crewe His elbowe bare he ware his gere so nye His nose droppinge , his lippes were full drye And by his syde his whynarde & his pouche The deuyll might dance therin for any crouche Counter he coude ( O lux ) vpon a potte And eestriche fedder of a capons tayle He set vp frasshely vpon his hat a lofte What reuell route quod he and gan to rayle How ofte he hit Ienet on the tayle Of felyce fetewse and lytell prety cate How ofte he knocked at her klycket gate What should I tell more of his rybaudrye I was a shamed so to here hym prate He had no pleasure but in harlotrye Ay quod he in the deuylles date What arte thou I sawe the nowe but late Forsoth quod I in this courte I dwel nowe Welcome quod Ryote I make god auowe
Ryoct And syr in fayth why comste not vs amonge To make the mery as other felowes done Thou must sware and stare man aldaye longe And wake all nyght and slepe tyll it be none Thou mayste not studye or muse on the mone This worlde is nothing but ete drynke and slepe And thus with vs good company to kepe Plucke vp thyne herte vpon a mery pinne And let vs laugh a plucke or twayne at nale What the deuyll man myrth is here within What lo man se here of dyce a bale A brydelynge caste for that is in thy male Now haue at all that lyeth vpon the burde Fye on this dyce they be not worth a turde Haue at the hasarde or at the dosen browne Or els I pas a penny to a pounde . Now wolde to god thou wold leye money down Lorde how that I wolde caste it full rounde Ay in mp pouche a buckell I haue founde The armes of calyce I haue no coyne nor crosse I am not happye I renne ay on the losse Now renne muste I to the stewes syde To wete yf malkyn my lemman haue gete ought I lete her to hyre that men may on her ryde Her armes easy ferre and nere is soughte By goddis sydes syns I her thyder broughte She hath gote me more money with her tayle Than hath some shyppe that into bordews sayle Had I as good an hors as she is a mare I durste auenture to Iourney through Fraunce Who rydeth on her he nedeth not to care For she is trussed for to breke a launce It is a curtel that well can wynche & praunce To her wyll I nowe all my pouerty lege And tyll I come haue here myne hat to plege
Drede Gone is this knaue this rybaude foule and leude He ranne as faste as euer that he myghte Unthryftynes in him maye well be shewed For whome tyborne groneth both daie & nighte And as I stode and caste a syde my syghte Dasdayue I sawe with Dyssymulacyon Standynge in sadde communicacyon But there was poyntynge & noddyng with the hede And many wordes sayd in secrete wyse They wandred ay and stode styll in no stede Me thoughte alwaye Dissymular dyde deuyse Me passynge sore myne herte than gan aryse I dempte and drede their talkynge was not good Anone dyssimular came where I stode Than in his hode I sawe there faces tweyne That one was lene & lyke a pyned ghost That other loked as he wolde me haue slayne And to me warde as he gan for to coost Whan that he was euen at me almoost I sawe a knyfe hyd in his one sleue Wheron was wryten this worde mysch efe And in his other sleue me thought I sawe A spone of golde , full of hony swete To fede a fole , and for to preye a dawe And on that sleue these wordes were wrete A false abstracte cometh frome a fals concrete His hode was syde his cope was roset graye These were the wordes that he to me dyde saye .
Dyssymulacyon . How do ye maister ye loke so soberly As I be saued at the dredefull daye It is a perilous vyce this enuy Alas a connynge man ne dwelle maye In no place well but foles with fraye But as for that conninge hath no foo Saue him that noughte can scripture saith soo . I knowe your vertue and your lytterkture By that lytell conninge that I haue Ye be maligned sore I you ensure But ye haue crafte yourselfe alwaie to saue It is grete skorne to se a misproude knaue With a clerke that conning is to prate Let them go , lowse them in the deuilles date For all be it that this longe not to me Yet on my backe I bere suche lewde delyng Right now I spake with one I trowe I se But what a strawe I maye not tell all thing By god I saie there is grete herte brenning Betwene the personne ye wote of Iou Alas I coulde not dele so with an yew I wold eche man were as playne as I It is a worlde I saye to here of some I hate this fayninge fye vpon it fye A man can not wote where to become I wis I coulde tell but humlery home I dare not speke we be so layde awaite For all our courte is full of desceite Now by saint frauncys that holy man & frere I hate this wayes agayne you that they take Where I as you I wolde ryde them full nere And by my trouthe but yf an ende they make Yet wyll I saye some wordes for your sake That shall them angre I holde thereon a grote For some shall wene be hanged by the throte . I haue a stoppynge oyster in my poke Truste me and yf it come to a nede But I am lothe for to reyse a smoke Yf ye could be otherwyse agrede And so I wolde it were so god me spede For this maye brede to a confusyon Without god make a good conclusyon . Naye se where yonder stondeth the feder man A flaterynge knaue & false he is god wote The dreuill stondeth to herken and he can It were more thryfte he bought him a new cote It will not be , his purse is not on flote All that he woreth it is borowed ware His wytte is thynne his hode is threde bare . More could I saye but what this is ynowe A dewe till soone we shall speke more of this Ye muste be ruled as I shall tell you howe Amendes maye be of that is now a mys And I am your syr so haue I blys In euery poynte that I can do or saye Gyue me your honde farewell & haue good daye
Drede Sodaynly as he departed me fro Came pressynge in one in a wonder araye Er I was ware behynde me he sayde bo Than I astonyed of that sodeyne fraye Sterte all at ones I lyked nothynge his playe For yf I had not quyckely fledde the touche He had plucte oute the nobles of my pouche . He was trussed in a garmente strayte I haue not sene suche an others page For he coude well vpon a casket wayte His body all pounsed and garded lyke a cage Lyghte lyme fynger he toke none other wage Harken quod he lo here myne honde in thyne To vs welcome thou arte by sainct Quyntyne .
Disceyte . But by that lorde that is one two and thre I haue an errande to rounde in your ere He tolde me so by god ye may trust me Parte remembre whan ye were there There I wynked on you , wote ye not where In ( A ) loco I mene iuxta ( B ) Woo is hym that is blynde and maye not se But to here the subtylte and the crafte
And the ragged ray Of Galaway . Dunbar , Dunde Ye shall trowe me False scottes are ye Your hartes sore faynted And so attaynted Lyke cowardes starke At the castell of warke 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 Putte you to flyght By his valyaunce Two thausande of Fraunte There he putte backe To your great lacke And vtter shame Of your scottysshe name . Your chefe Cheftayne Uoyde of all brayne Duke of all Albany 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 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 : 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 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 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 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 And sette suche a snare That shall cast you in care Bothe kyng Fraunces and the 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 It shal be your lottes To be knytte vp with knottes Of halters and ropes About your traytours throtes : Oscottes pariured Unhaply vred Ye may be assured Your falshod discured It is , & shal be . From the scottish se Unto 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 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 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 hay Twyt scot thou ran away 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 Suche a foule Coystrowne Suche a doutty dagswayne Sende him to fraunce 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 God sende you sorow and care With vs whan euer ye mell Yet we bear away the bell Whan ye cankerd knaues Must crepe in to your caues Your heedes for to hyde For ye dare nat abyde . Sir duke of Albany Right inconuenyently Ye rage and ye raue 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 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 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 and of all maner vyce . Syr duke : nay syr ducke Syr drake of the lake : sir ducke Of the donghyll , for smalllucke 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 Agaynst Englande to fyght Thou art a graceles wyght To put thyselfe to flyght A vengeaunce and dispight On the 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 The noble erle of Surrey That put the in suche fray Thou durst no felde derayne Nor no batayle mayntayne Against our stonge 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 the The fynde of hell mot sterue the. No man hath harde Of suche a cowarde And such a mad ymage Caried in a cage : As it were a cotage Or of suchea mawment Caryed in a tent In a tent : nay nay But in a mountayne gay Lyke a great hill . For awyndmil Therin to couche styll That no man hym kyll As it were a gote In ashepe cote About hym a parke Of a madde warke Men call it a toyle Therin lyke a royle Sir Dunkanye dared And thus ye prepared Youre carkas to kepe Lyke a sely shepe ● 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 Suche a captayne of fors 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 the sir Topias Nowe into the castell of Bas And lurke there lyke an as With some scotyshe as With dugges dugges dugges I shrewe thy scottishe lugges Thy munpynnys and thy crag For thou can not but brag Lyke a scottyshe hag A due nowe sir wrig wrag A due sir dalyrag Thy mellyng is but mockyng Thou mayst giue vp thy cocking Gyue it vp . And cry creke Lyke an huddy peke : 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 aworde Nor durst nat drawe his swerde Agaynst the lyon white But ran away quyte He ran away by nyght In the owle flyght Lyke a cowarde knyght A due cowarde a due Fals knight and mooste vntrue I render the fals rebelle To the flingande fende of helle . Harke yet sir duke aworde In ernest or in borde What haue ye villayn forged ? And virulently dysgorged As though ye wolde parbrake Your auauns to make With wordes enbosed Ungraciously 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 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 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 pouned Ye durst byde on the grounde Ye wolde ryn away rounde And cowardly fourne your backes For all your comly crackes 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 frace With englyshe somwhat base Yet saua voster grace Therby I shall purchace No displesaunt rewarde If ye wele can regarde 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 shal be drawen a trayne That shal be to your payne To flye ye shal be 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 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 chek mate : Your braynes are ydell It is time for you to brydell And pype in a quibyble For it is impossible 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 : And nowe I wyll me dresse His valiaunce to expresse 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 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 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 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 Lyke vnto 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 fragalite His lyberalite 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 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 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 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 Their bodyes and their gode And to spende their hart blode With hym , in all dystresse Alway in redynesse . To assyst his noble grace In spyght of thy cowardes face Moost false attaynted traytour And false forsworne faytour . Auaunte cowarde recrayed Thy pride shal be alayd With sir Fraunces of Fraunce We shall pype you a daunce Shall tourne you to myschauns : I rede you loke about For ye shal be 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 Ouer all the worlds 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 Of all trewe englyshemen This mater to credence That I wrate with my pen .

Skelton Laureat : obsequious et loyall .

To my lorde Cardynals right noble grace . &c.

Lenuoy . Go lytell quayre apace In moost humble wyse Before his noble grace That caused yon 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 .

The boke compiled by maister Skelton , Poet Laureat called speake Parrot . MY name is parrot , a bird of paradise By nature deuised , of a wonderous kynd Dienteli dieted , with diuers delicate spice Tyl Euphrates that floud , driueth me into Inde Where men of that countrey , bi fortune me find And send me , to great Ladyes of estate Then parrot must haue an almon or a date . A cage curiously caruen , with siluer pin Properly painted , to be my couertowre A myrrour of glasse , that I may tote therin These maidens ful mekely which many a diuers flour Freshly they dresse , and make swete my boure with speke parrot I prai you , ful courteously thei say Parrot is a goodly byrd , a prety Popagey With my becke bent , my litle wanton eye My feders freshe , as is the Emrawde grene About my necke a circulet , lyke the ryche rubye My lyttle legges , my fete both fete and cleane I am a minion , to wayt vpon the quene My proper parrot , my lytle prety foole With ladies I learne , and go with them to scole . Hagh , ha , ha , parrot , ye can laugh pretely Parrot hath not dined , of al this long day Lyke your pus cat parrot can mute and cry In lattyn , in Ebrew , Araby and Caldey In greke tonge , parrot , can both speake and saye As percius that poet , doth report of me Quis expediuit psitatio suum Chire . Howse frenche of parrise , Parrot can learne Pronousynge my purpose , after my properte With perliez bien , Parrot ou perlez rien With Duche , with Spanish , my tonge can agre In English , to God Parrot can supple Christ saue king Henry the eight our roial king The red rose in honour , to florish and spring . With Katherin incomparable : our roial quene also That parelespōgarnet christ saue her noble grace Parrot sauies , habler castiliano With sidasso de costo , in turkey and in trace Uis consilii expers , as teacheth me horace Mole ruit sua , whose dices at pregnaunte . My lady maisters , dame Philology Gaue me a gift , in my nest whan I lay To learne al language , and it to speke aptely Now pandez mory , wax franticke som men saye Proneles or freneses , may not hold her way An almon now for Parrot , delicatly drest In salue festa dies toto , their doth best . Moderata iuuant , but toto doth excede Dicression is mother of noble vertues all Niden agan , in greke tonge we rede But reason , and wit wanteth their prouinciall When wilfulnes , is virar generall Hec res acu tangitur , Parrot parmafoy Ticez vous Parrot , Tenez vous coye . Besy , besy , besy , and besines agayne Que pensez voz parrot , what meneth this besines Uitulus in Oreb , troubled Arons brayn Melchisedecke mercifull , made Moloe merciles To wise is no vertue , to medling , to restles In measure is treasure , cum sensu marturat● Ne tropo saung , ne tropo mato . Aram was fired , with caldies fire called Ur Iob was brought vp , in the land of Hus The linage of lot , toke supporte of Assur Iereboseth is Ebrue , who list the law discus Peace Parrot ye prate , as ye were ebrius Howst the lyuer god , van hemrick ic seg In popeting grew peres , whan parrot was ancg What is this to purpose , ouer in a whinninmeg Hop Lobin of Lowdeon , wold haue a bit of bread The Iebet of Baldock , was made for Iacke leg A narow vnfethered , and without an hed A bagpype without blowyng , standeth in no sted Some run to far before , some run to far behinde Some be to churlish , and some be to kynd . Ic dien serueth for Erstrych fether Ic dien , is the lauguage of the land of Beme In Affric tongue , Byrsa is a tonge of lether In Palestina , there is Ierusalem Collustrū now for parot , whit bred & swete creme our thomase she doth trip , our ienet she doth shall Parrot hath a blackebeard , & a faire grene tayle . Morysh myne owne shelf , the ostermonger say Fate , fate , fate , ye trysh water lag In flettering fables , men fynde but lytle fayth But moueatur terra , let the world wag Let syr wrig wag , wrastle wyth sir declarag Euery man , after his maner of wayes Pawbe uene aruer , so the welche man sayes Such shredis of sentence , strowed in the shop Of auncient Aristippus , and such other mo I gather together , and close in my crip Of my wanton conceyt , vnde do promo Dilemata docta , in pedagogio Sacro vatum , wherof to you I breake I pray you , let parrot haue lybertie to speke : But ware the cat parrot , ware the false cat With who is there , a mayd , nay , nay , I trow Ware ryat parrot , ware ryot , ware that Meate , meate for parrot : meate I say how Thus diuers of language , by learnyng I grow with bas me swete parrot : bas me swete swete To dwel amonge Ladies , parrat is j . Parrot , parrot , parrot , praty popigay With my beke I can pyke , my lytle prety too My delight is solas , pleasure : disport and play Lyke a wanton whan I will , I rele to and froo Parrot can say , Cesar , aue , also But Parrot , hath no fauour to Esebon Aboue all other byrdes , set parrot alone . Ulula , Esebon , for Ieremy doth wepe Sion is in sadnes , Rachel ruly doth loke Madionita , Ietro , our moyses kepeth hys shepe Gedeon is gon , that Zalmane vndertoke Oreb et zeb , of Iudicum rede the boke Nowe Gebal , Amon , and Amoloch , harke , harke Parrot pretendeth to be a bibil clarke . O Esebon Esebon , to the is come agayne Seon the regent amoreorum And hog that fat hog , or basan dothe retayne The crafty coistroinus canaueorum And assilum , whilom , refugium miserorum Non phanum sed prophanum , standeth in little sted Ulula Esebon , for iept is starke ded . Estbon , Maribon , wheston , nexte Barnet A trim tram for an hors mil it wer a nise thinge Deintes for dammoysels , Chaffer far fet Bo ho doth barkwel , but hough ho ruleth that ring From scarpary to tartari renoun therin doth spring With he said , & we said ich wot now what ich wot Quod magnus est dominus iudas scarioth . Ptholomie , and haly were cunnyng and wyse In the vol vel , in the quadrant , & in the astroloby To pronosticate truli the chaunce of fortunes dise Some trete of their tirikis , some of astrology Some pseudo propheta with Chiromancy If fortune be frendly , and grace be the guyde Honoure with renowne , will renne of that side

Manon calon

Agaton quod parato . In greca

Let parrot I pray you , haue liberty to prate For aurea lingua greca , ought to be magnified If it wer cond perfitely , and after the rate As lingua latina , in schole matter occupied But our grekis , their greke so wel haue applied That they cannot say in greke , riding by the way How hosteler , fetche my horse a bottel of hay . Neither frame a silogisme , in phriese somorū For maliter et grece , cum medio termino Our grekes ye walow , in the washbol argolicorū For though ye can tel in greke what is phormio Yet ye seke out your greke , in Capricornio For they scrape out good scripture , & set in a gal Ye go about to amend , and ye mar all . Some argue , secundum quid ad simpliciter And yet he would be rekened , pro ario pagita And some make distinctions , multipliciter Whether ita were before uou , or uou before ita Nether wise nor well lerned but like hermophra dita Set sophia a side , for euery Iacke raker . And euery mad medler must now be a maker . In achademia Parrot , dare no probleme kepe For grecisari , so occupieth the chayre That letinum fari , may fal to rest and slepe And silogisari , was drowned at sturbridge faire Triuiale , & quatriuials , so sore now they appair That Parrot that Popagay , hath pity to beholde How that rest of good lerning , is roulled vp & trolde Albertus de modo significandi And Donatus , be dryuen out of schole Prisians hed broken , now handy dandy And inter did ascolos , is rekened for a fole Alexander , a gander of Menanders pole With da cansales , is cast out of the gate And da racionales , dare not shew his pate , Plaut si in his comedies , a child shal now rehers And medil with Quintilian , in his declarations That pety Caton , can scantly construe a verse With Aueto , in Greco , & such solempn salutacions Can skantly the tensis , of his comugacions Setting their mindes , so much of eloquence That of theyr scole maters , lost is the hole sentence Now a nutmeg , a nutmeg , cum gariopholo For parrot to pike vpon , his brayne for to stable Swete synamum stickes , and pleris commusco In paradise . that place of pleasure perdurable The progeny of parrottis , wer faire & fanorable Now in valle ebron , parrot is fayne to fede Christ crosse , & sanct nicolas , parrot be your good pede The myrour that I tote in , quasi diaphonum Uel quasi speculum , in Enigmate Elencum , or elles , Emtimaticum For logicions to loke on , somwhat sophistice Retorcions and oratours , in freshe humanite Support parrot , I pray you with your suffrage ornat Of confuse tantum , auoyding the checkmate But of that suposicion , that called is arte Confuse distrubitiue , as parrot hath deuised Let euery man , after his merit , take hys part For in this proces , parrot nothing hath surmised No matter pretended , nor nothyng enterprysed But that metaphora , alegoria with all Shall be his protection , his pauis and his wall . For parrot is no churlish chough nor no flekid py Parrot is no pendugum , that men call a carlyng Parrot is no woodcocke , nor no butter fly Parrot is no stamring stare , that men cal a stariing But parrot is mine own dere harte , & my derling Melpomene the fair maid , she burnished his beke I pray you let parrot , haue libertie to speke . Parrot is a fayre byrd for a Lady God of his goodnes him framed and wrought Whan parrot is dead she doth not putrify Ye all thinge mortall shall turne vnto noughte Except mannes soule , that Christ so dere bought That neuer may dye , nor neuer dye shall Make much of parrot , that popegay royal . For that pereles prynce , that parrot did creat He made you of nothing , by his magisty Point wel this probleme , that parrot doth prate And remembre among , how parrot and ye Shal lepe from this life , as merye as we be Pompe , pryde , honour , ryches and worldly luste Parrot saith plainly , shall tourne all to dust .

Thus parrot doth pray you

With heart most tender

To reken with this recule nowe

And it to remember

Psitacus ecce cauo nec sunt mea carmina phebo

Dignascio Tamen est

Plena camena dec .

Secundum Skeltonida famigeratum

In picreorum Cathalago numeratum

Galathea .

Itaque Consolanimi inuicem

In uerbis istis .

Candidi lectores callide callete

Vestrum seuete , psitacum .

Galethea .

Now kus me parrot , kus me , kus , kus , kus

Gods blessing light on thy swete litle mus

Vita & anima

zoelzepsiche

Aquinates Amen ,

Concubunt grece , Non

est hic sermo pudicus

Actica dictamina

Ergo Suus plumbilamina

Vel spuria Vitulamino

Auertat hoc Vxania .

Amen amen

and set to a. d

And then it is amend

Our new found a. b. c.

Cum ccrteris

Paribus .

Of the death of the noble Prince kynge Edward the forth , per Skeltonidem Laureatum . MIseremini mei , ye that be my frendes This worlde hath formed me down to fall How may I endure when that euery thynge endes What creature is borne , to be eternall Now there is no more , but pray for me all Thus say I Edward , that late was your kyng And. xxiii . yeres ruled , this imperiall Some vnto pleasure , and some to no likyng Mercy I aske of my misdoyng What auaileth it , frendes to be my fo Sith I can not resist , nor amend your complaining Quia ecce nunc in puluere dormio . I slepe now in molde , as it is naturall As earth vnto earth , hath his reuerture What ordeyned god , to be terrestriall Without recours , to the earth of nature Who to liue euer , may be sure What is it to trust , on mutabilite Sith that in this world , nothing may indure For now am I gone , that late was in prosperite To presume ther vppon , it is but a vanitie Not certaine : but as a chery fayre ful of wo Raygned not I of late : in great felicite Et ecce nunc in puluere dormio . Where was in my lyfe , such one as I While lady fortune : with me had continuaunce Graunted not she me , to haue victory In England to raine , and to contribute Fraunce She toke me by the hand , and led me a daunce And with her sugred lips , on me she smyled But what for her dissembled countenaunce I could not beware , til I was begiled Now from this world , she hath me excild When I was lothest , hens for to go And I am in age , but as who saith a child . Et ecce nunc in puluere dormio . I had ynough , I held me not contente Without remembraunce , that I should dye And more ouer to incroche , redy was I bente I knew not how long , I should it occupy I made the tower stronge , I wyst not why I knew not to whom , I purchased Tetersall I amended Douer , on the mountayne hye And London I prouoked to fortify the wal I made Notingam , a place royal Wyndsor , Eltam , and many other mo Yet at the last , I went from them al Et ecce nunc in puluere dormio . Where is now , my conquest and victory Where is my riches , and my royal araye Where be my coursers , and my horses hye Where is my myrth , my solas , and play As vanite to nought , al is wandred away O lady Besse , longe for me may ye cal For I am departed , til domes day . But loue ye that lord , that is soueraygne of all Where be my castels , and buildinges royall But Winsore alone , nowe I haue no mo And of Eton , the prayers perpetuall Et ecce nunc in puluere dormio . Why shoulde a man , be proud or presume hye Sainct Bernard , therof nobly doth treate Sythe a man , is nothing but a sacke of stercorri And shall returne , vnto wormes meate Whye , what came of Alexander the great Or elsse of stronge Sampson , who can tell Wher no wormes ordened , theyr flesh to freat And of Salomon , that was of wit the well Absolon , profered his heare for to sel Yet for al his beutie , wormes eat him also And I but late in honour did excell Et ecce nunc in puluere dormio . I haue played my pageyond , now am I paste Ye wot wel all , I was of no great yeld This al thing concluded , shal be at the last When death approcheth , then lost is the felde Then sithen this worlde , me no longer vp helde Nor nought wold conserue me , here in my place In manus tuas domine , my spirite vp I yealde Humbly beseching , the God of his grace O ye curtesse commens , your hartes vnbrace Boningly now to pray for me also For right wel you know , your kyng I was Et ecce nunc in puluere dormio . FINIS .
Skelton Laureate against the Scottes . Against the proud Scottes clatteryng That neuer wyll leaue theyr tratlyng Wan they the felde , and lost their kynge They may wel say , fye on that winning .
LO these fond sottes . And tratling scottes How they are blind . In their owne minde And will not know . Their ouerthrow At Branxston more . They are so srowre So frantike mad . They say they had And wan the felde . With speare and shield That is as trew . As blacke is blew And grene is gray . What euer they say Iemmy is dead . And closed in leade That was theyr own king . Fy on that winning At Flodden hilles . Oure bowes our bylles Slewe all the floure . Of theyr honoure . Are not these scottes . Foles and settes Suche boste to make . To prate and crake To face to brace All voyde of grace So proud of hart . So ouerth wart So out of frame . So voyd of shame As it is enrold . Wrytten and told Within this quaire . Who list to repair And ther in reed . Shal finde in deed A mad rekening . Considering all thing That the scottes may sin . Fye on the winning
When the Scotte lyued . IOly Iemmy , ye scornefull Scot Is it come vnto your lot A solempne sumner for to be It greeth nought for your degre Our kyng of England for to fight Your soueraine lord , our prince of might Ye for to send , such a Citacion It shameth al your noughty nacion In comparison , but kynge roppyng Unto our prince , annointed kyng Ye play Hop Lobbyn of Lowdean Ye shew ryght wel , what good ye can Ye may be Lord of Locrian Christ sence you , with a frying pan Of Edingborrow , and saincte Ionis towne A dieu syr sommer , cast of your crowne .
When the Scot was slayne . COntinually I shall remember The mery moneth of September With the ▪ xi . day of the same For than began , our myrthe and game So that now I haue deuised And in my minde , I haue comprised Of the proude Scot , kyng Iemmy To wryte some lyttell tragedy For no manner consideration Of any sorowful lamentation But for the special consolacion Of al our royal englysh nacion Melnomone , O muse tragediall Unto your grace , for grace now I call To guyde my pen , and my pen to enbibe Illumine me , your Poet , and your scribe That with mixture of Aloes and bitter gall I may compound , confectures for Accordiall To angre the Scottes , & Irish kiteringes withal That late were discomfect , with battaile marcial Thalia , my muse , for you also cal I To touche them with tauntes of your armonye A medley to make , of mirth with sadnes The hartes of England , to comfort with gladnes And now to begyn , I wyll me a dres To you rehersyng , the somme of my proces .
KYnge Iamy , Iemmy , Iocky my ioye Summond our king , why did ye so To you , nothing it did accord To Summon our king , your soueraigne Lorde A kyng a Summer , it was great wonder Knowye not suger , and salt a sonder Your Summer to saucye , to malapert Your harrold in armes , not yet halfe expert Ye thought ye did , yet valiauntlye Not worth thre skippes of a Pye Syr skyr galyard , ye were so skit Your wil , than ran before your wyt . Your lege ye layd , and your aly Your franticke fable , not worth a fly Frenche kynge , or one or other Regarded you should your lord your brother Trowed ye sir Iemy , his nobel grace From you sir scot , would tourne his face With gup syr scot , of Galawey Now is your pryde fall to decay Male vrid , was your fals entent For to offende your president Your soueraigne Lord , most reuerente Your Lord , your brother and your regent . In him is figured , Melchisedecke And ye were disloyall Amalecke He is oure noble Scipione Annoynted kynge , and ye were noue Thoughe ye vntrulye your father haue slayne His tytle is true , in Fraunce to raygne And ye proude Scot , Dunde , Dun●ar Pardy ye were , his homager And suter to his Parliament For your vntruthe , nowe are ye shent Ye bare your self , somwhat to bold Therfore ye lost , your copy hold Ye were bonde tenent , to his estate Lost is your game , ye are checke mate Unto the castell of Norram I vnderstande , to sone ye came At Branxston more , and Flodden hilles Our Englysh bowes , our Englysh bylles Against you gaue so sharpe a shower That of Scotland , ye lost the flower The white Lyon : there rampaunte of moode He raged and rente out your hart bloude He the White , and you the Red The white there slewe the red starke ded Thus for your guerdon quyt are ye Thanked be God in trinite And swete sainct George our ladyes knyghte Your eye is oute , a dewe good nyghte . Ye were starke mad to make a fray His grace beyng out of the way But by the power and might of God For your tayle ye made a rod Ye wanted wit , sir at a worde Ye lost your spurs : ye lost your sword Ye mighte haue busked you to huntly bankes Your pryde was peuysh to play suche prankes Your pouerte could not attayne With our kyng royal , war to maintaine . Of the kyng of Nauerne , ye myght take heed Ungraciously howe he dothe speede An double dealynge , so he dyd dreame That he is kynge , wythoute a Reame And for exaumple , he woulde none take Experiens hath brought you in such a brake Your wealthe , your ioy , your sport , your play Your braggyng bost , your royal aray Your beard so brym , as bore at baye Your seuen systers , that Gun so gay All haue ye lost , and caste awaye . Thus fortune hath turned you : I dare wel saye Now from a kyng , to a clot of clay Oute of Robes , ye were shaked And wretchedly ye lay , starke all naked For lacke of grace , harde was your hap The Popes cures , gaue you that clap . Of the out yles , the rough foted Scottes We haue wel eased them of the bottes The rude rancke Scottes , lyke droncken dranes At Englysh bowes haue fetched theyr banes It is not sitting , in tower and towne A Summer , to were a kynges crowne Fortune on you , therfore dyd frowne Ye were to hye , ye are cast downe Syr sumner now , where is your crowne Cast of your crowne , cast vp your crowne Sir Summer , now ye haue lost your crowne Quod Skelton Laureate , Oratoure to the kynges most royal estate .
SCotica redicta in formam prouincie Regis parebit nutibus anglie : Alioquin ( per desertum sin ) super Cherubim Cherubin , seraphim , seraphin que ergo . &c. Unto diuers people that remord this ryming againste the Scot Iemmy .
I Am now constrayned With wordes nothynge fayned This inuectiue to make For som people sake That lyst for to iangell And waywardly to wrangell Againste this my makynge Their males thereat shakynge At it reprehending . And venemously stingyng Rebukynge and remordyng And nothynge accordynge Cause they haue none other But for that he was hys brother Brother vnnaturall . Unto our kyng royall Against whome he dyd fighte Faslye agaynst all ryghte Lyke that vtrue rebell Falsse Cayne agaynst Abell . But who so there at pyketh mood The tokens are not good To be true Englysh blood For if they vnderstood His traitourly dispight He was a recrayed knighte A subtill sysmatike Righte neare an heritike Of grace out of the state And died excommunicate And for he was a kynge The more shameful rekenynge Of hym shoulde men reporte In earnest and in sporte He scantlye loueth oure kynge That grudgeth at this thinge That caste suche ouerth wartes Percase haue hollowe hartes
Si veritatem dico , quare non creditis michi . Chorus de Dys contra Scottes , cum omni processionali festiuitate solempne sauit hoc Epitoma . xxii . die Septembris . &c. SAlue festa dies toto resonabilis euo Qua scottus iacobus obiuius en se cadit Barbara scottorum gens perfda plena maloruns Vincitur ad Norran , uertitut inque fugam Vasta paulus sed campestris ( borie memoratur Branxion more ) scottins terra perosa fuit Scottica castra fremunt Floddun sub montibus altis . Que Valide inuadens dissipat angla manus Millia scottorum trusit gens anglica passim Luxuriat tepido sanguine pi g●us humus Pas animas miseri miseras , misere sub umbras Pars ruit in foueas , pars subiit latebras Iam quid ag't Iachobus , damnorum gremine cretus Persidus Vt nemro'th lapsus ad iam ruit Dic modo scottorum dudum male fane malorum Rector nunc Regeris mortuus exce iaces Sic Leo te Rapidus Leo candidus inclitus ursit quo Leo in Rubins ultim● f●ta luis Anglia doc choreas Resonent tua tempana psallas Da laudes domino . Da pia uot a deo .
Hec Laureatus Skeltonis Regine orator .

Chorus de dis. &c. supar triumph ali victoīa centra gallos . &c. cantauit solemniter hoc Elogium in profesto diui Iohannis ad de colationem .

SAlue festa dies toto memorabilis euc . Qua rex Henricus gallico bella premit Henricus Rutilans Octauus noster in armis Tir winne gentis menit strauit humi Sceptriger anglorum bello ualiaissimus hector Francorum gentis colla superba terit Dux armis nuper celebris modo dux mermis De longuile modo dic quo tuo pomparuit De cleremount clarus dudum dic galle superbe Vnde superbus eris ? carcere nonne gemis ? Discite francorum gens cetera capt● , britannum Noscite magnanimum , subdite uos que sibi Gloria cappa docis diue miles que Marie Illius hic sub ope Gallica regna reget . Hoc insigne bonum diuino Numine gestum Anglica gens referat sempar , ouans que canat Per Skeltonida Laureatum , Oratorem Regium .
Here after foloweth the booke , entituled . Ware the Hawke . Per skelton Laureat .
Prologus Skeltonidis Laureati super ware the Hawke . THis worke deuised is For such as do a mis And specially to controule Suche as haue cure of soule That be so farre abused They can not be excused By reason nor by lawe But that they play the dawe To hawke or elsse to hunte From the Aulter to the funte With crye vnreuerente Before the Sacramente Within the holy church boundis That of our faith , the ground is That pryest that hawkes so All grace is farre him fro He semeth a sismatike Or elsse an heritike For faith in him is faynte Therefore to make complaynte Of suche mysaduised Parsons , and disgised This boke we haue deuised Compendiouslye comprised No good priest to offend But such dawes to amend In hope that no man shall Be miscontent withall . I Shall you make relacion By waye of a pestrofacion Under supportacion Of your pacient tolleracion How I Skelton Laureat Deuised and also wrate Upon a lewde Curate A parson beneficed But nothing well aduised He shall be as now nameles But he shall not be blameles Nor he shall not be shameles For sure he wrought a mis To hawke in my churche of Dis This fonde frantike fauconer With hys poluted pawtner As priest vnreuerent Straight to the Sacrament He made his Hawke to fly With hogeous showte and crye The hye aulter he strypt naked There on he stode and craked He shoke downe al the clothes And sware horrible othes Before the face of God By Moyses and Arons rod Or that he thence yede His hawke should pray and fede Upon a pigeons mawe The bloude ran downe raw Upon the auter stone The hawke tyred on a bonne And in the holy place She muted there a chase Upon my corporas face Such sacrificium laudis He made with such gambawdis .
Obseruate . His second hawke waxed gerye And was with flying wery She had flow in so oft That on the rode loft She perked her to rest The Fauconer then was prest , Came running with a dow And cryed stow stow stow But she would not bowe He then to be sure Called her with a lure Her meate was very crude She had not wel endude She was not cleane ensaymed She was not wel reclaymed But the fawconer vnfayned Was much more febler brained The hawke had no lyst To come to hys fyst She loked as she had the fronce With that he gaue her a bounce Ful vpon the gorge I wyl not fayne nor forge The hawke with that clap Fell downe with euil hap The church dores wer sparred Fast bolted and barred Yet with a prety gin I fortuned to come in This rebell to beholde Whereof hym I contrould But he sayd that he wolde Agaynst my mynde and will In my churche hawke styll .
Considerate . On sainct Iohn decollacion He hawked on this facion Tempore , vesperarum Sed , non secundum sarum But lyke a marche harum His braynes were so parum He sayde he would not let His houndes for to fet To hunte there by lyberte In the dispite of me And to halowe there the foxe Downe went my offeryng box Boke bel and candell Al that he might handell Cros staffe , lectrine and banner Feldone on thys manner .
Deliberate . With troll , citrace and trouy They ranged hankin bouy My church all about Thys fawconer gan shoute These be my gospellers These be my pistillers These be my queristers to helpe me to singe My hawkes to mattens ring In this priestly giding His hawke then flew vpon The rode with Mary and Ihon Delt he not lyke a fon Delt he not lyke a daw Or elsse is this goddes law Decrees or Decretals Or holy sinodals Or elsse prouincials Thus within the wals Of holy church to deale Thus to ringe a peale With his hawkes belles Doutles suche losels Make the church to be In smal aucthorite A curate in speciall To snapper and to fall Into this open crime To loke on this were time
Vigilate . But who so that lokes In the officials bokes Ther her may see and reed That this is matter in deed How be it mayden meed Made them to be agreed And so the scribe was feed And the Pharasaye Than durst nothing say But let the matter slip And made truth to trip And of the spituall law They made but a gew gaw And toke it out in drynke And this the cause doth shrink The church is thus abused Reproched and polluted Correction hath no place And al for lacke of grace
Deplorate . Loke now in Exodi And de archa domini With regum by and by The Bibel wyl not lye How the temple was kept How the temple was swept Where sanguis taurorum Aut sanguis vitulorum Was offred within the wals After ceremonials When it was poluted Sentence was executed By way of expiacion
Diuinitate . Then much more by the rode Where christes precious bloud Daily offred is To be poluted this And that he wished with all That the dowues donge downe might fall Into my chalis at mas When consecrated was The blessed sacrament O priest vnreuerent He sayde that he would Hunt From the aulter to the Funt
Reformate . Of no tyrande I rede That so farre dyd excede Neither yet Dioclesian Nor yet domisian Nor yet croked Cacus Nor yet dronken Baccus Nother Olibrius Nor D●●●●●ius Nother Phalary Rehersed in valery Nor Sardanapall Unhappiest of all Nor Nero the worst Nor Clawdius the curst Nor yet Egeas Nor yet syr Pherumbras Nother zorobabell Nor cruell Iesabell Nor yet tarquinius Whome Titus Liuius In writinge doth enroll I haue red them poll by pol The storye of Aristobel And of Constantinobel Whiche citye Miscreantes wan And slue many a christen man Yet the Sowden nor the turke Wrought neuer such a worke For to let their hawkes flye In the church of Saint Sophy With much matter more That I kepe in store
Pensitate Then in a tabel playne I wrote a verse or twayne Where at he made disdayne The pekyshe parsons brayne Coulde not reache nor attaine What the sentence mente He sayde for a croked intent The wordes were paruerted And this he ouerthwarted Of the whiche processe Ye maye knowe more expresse If it please you to loke In the residue of this booke .
Here after followeth the Table . LOke on this tabul Whether thou art a bul To rede or to spel Whar these verses tel . Sicculo lutueris est colo bunraard Nixphedras uisarum caniuter ●auntantes . Raterplas Natanbrian um sudus itnugenus , 18. 10. 2. 11. 19. 4. 13. 3. 3. 1. tēualet . Cartula stet precor hec uello temer and a petulco Hos rapiet Numeros non homo sz mala bos . Ex parte . Rem carte aduerte aperte , pone musam are thusam hanc . Where to shoulde I rehers The sentence of my vers. In them be no scholes For braynsicke franticke foles Construas hoc , domine dawcocke , Ware the hawke . Maister Sophista Ye simplex , silogista The Deuelyshe dogmatista Your hawke on your fista To hawke when your lista In ecclesia ista domine cacapisti With thy hawke on thy fisty Nunquid sic dixisti . Nunquid sic fecisti Sed vbi hoc legisti Aut vnde hoc , doctor dawcocke . Ware the hawke . Doctor Dialetica Where finde you in Ipotetica Or in Cathagoria . Latina , siue dorica To vse your hawkes , forica In propiciatorio , tanquam , diuersorio Unde hoc , domine dawcocke Ware the Hawke . Saye to me Iacke haris Quare accuparis Ad sacramentum altaris For no reuens thou spares To shake my pygeons federis Super , arcam federis Unde hoc , doctor dawcocke Ware the Hawke . Sir dominus vobiscum Par aucupium Ye made your hawke to cum De super candelabrum Christi crucifixi To fede vpon your fistye Dic inimice crucis christi . Ubi didicisti Facere hoc , domine dawcocke Ware the Hawke Apostata Iulianus Nor yet Nestorianus Thou shalt no where rede That they dyd such a dede To let theyr hawkes fly Ad ostium tabernaculi In quo est corpus domini Caue hoc , doctor dawcocke Ware the Hawke This doutlesse ye raued Dis churche ye thus depraued Wherfore as I be saued Ye are therefore be knaued Quare , quia euangelia Concha , et conchelia Ancipiter , & sonalia Cetera , quoque talia Tibi sunt equalia Unde hoc domine dawcocke Ware the Hawke Et relis et ralis Et reliqualis From Granado to galis From winchelsee to wales Non est brainsicke tales Nec minus racionalis . Nec magis bestis That singges with a chalis Construas hor doctor dawcocke Ware the Hawke . Mased witles smery smyth Hampar with your hammer vpon thy styth And make here of a sickel or a saw For though ye liue . a. c. yere ye shal dye a daw Uos valete doctor indiscrete
S̄keltonis Apostrophat ad diuum Iohannem decollatum in cuius profesto ficbat hoc a ucupium .

O Memoranda dies qua decolare Iohannes Acupiū facit hod quandam quod fecerit infra ecclesiam de dis uiolans sua sacra sacrorum rector de Whiphstocke doctor cognomine daucocke , & dominus Wodcocke , probatis . probat hic . probat , hec hoc .

Idem . de liber a dicacitate poetica , in cextolem da probitate et in per fricam da ignobilate .

LIbertas ueneran da piis concessa poetis , discendi est quecunque placent querunque iuuabunte uell quecunque ualent ius●●s defendere causas uell quecunque uolent stolidos mordere peculcos . Ergo da bi●ueniam .

Quod Skelton Laureat
All noble men of this take hede And beleue it as your crede . TO hastye of sentence To fearse for none offence To scarce of your expens To large in necligence To slacke in recompens To hawte in excellence To lighte intelligence And to lyghte of credence Where these kepe residence Reason is banyshed thence And also dame Prudence With sober pacience . All noble men of this take hede And beleue it as your crede Then wythoute collusyon Marke well this conclusion Thorowe suche abusion And by suche Illusion Unto greate confusion A nobell man may fall And hys honoure appall That yf ye thinke this shall Not rub you on the gall Then the deuill take all All nobell men of this take hede . &c. Quod Skelton Laureate . Ye may heare now , in this Rhime How euery thing , must haue a time . TIme is a thing , that no man may resist Time is transitory , and Irreuocable Who saith the contrary , time passeth as him Time must be taken , in season couenable Take time when time is , for time is ay mutable list All thing hath time , who can for it prouide Bide for time who wil , for time wil no man abide Tyme to be sad , and time to play and sporte Time to take rest , by way of recreation Tyme to study , and time to vse comfort Tyme of pleasure , and time of consolation Thus time hath his time , of diuers maner facion Tyme for to eate and drynke , for thy repast Tyme to be liberall , and time to make no wast Tyme to trauel , and time for to rest Time for to speake , and time for to hold thi peace Time woulde be vsed , when time is best Time to begin , and time for to cease And when time is , put thyself in prease And when time is , to holde thyselfe a backe For time wel spent , can neuer haue lacke . The rotes take their sap , in time of vere In time of sommer , floures freshe and grene In time of haruest , men their corne shere In time of winter the North wind waxeth kene So bitterly biting , the floures be not sene The Ralendis of Ianus , with his frostes hore That time is , when people must liue vpon the store Quod Skelton Laureat .
A prayer to the father of heauen . O Radiant luminary of light interminable Celestiall father , potenciall God of might Of heauen and earth . O lorde incomperable Of al perfections the essenciall most perfighte O maker of mankind , that formed day and night Whose power imperial , comprehendeth euery place Mine hart , my mind , my thought , my hole delite Is after this lyfe , to se thy glorious face . Whose magnificence , is incomprehensible Al argumentes of reason , whiche far doth excede Whose de●te doutles , is indiuisible From whom al goodnes , and vertue doth procede Of thy support , al creatures haue nede Assist me good Lord , and graunt me of thy grace To liue to thy pleasure , in word thought & dede And after this lyfe to see thy glorious face .
To the seconde Parsone . OBenigne Iesu , my souerain lorde and kynge The only sonne of God , by filiacion The second parson , without beginning Both god & man , our faith maketh plain relacion Mary the mother , by way of incarnacion Whose glorious passion , our soules doth reuiue Again al bodely , and ghostly tribulacion Defend me with thy piteous woundes fiue O pereles prynce , paynted to the death Rufully rent , thy body wan and blo For my redempcion , gaue vp thy vytal breathe Was neuer sorow , lyke to thy deadly wo Graunt me , out of this world when I shal go Thine endles mercy , for my preseruatiue Against the world , the flesh , the deuill also Defende me with thy piteous woundes fiue .
To the holy ghost . OFiry sentence , inflamed with all grace Enkyndeling hertes , with brandes charitable The endlesse rewarde , of pleasure and solace To the father , and the son , thou art communicable In vnitate , which is inseperable O water of lyfe , O wel of consolacion Against al suggestions deadly , and dampnable Rescu me good Lorde , by your preseruacion . To whome is appropryed , the holy ghost by name The third parson , one god in Trinite Of perfyt loue , thou art the ghostlye flame O mirrour of mekenes , peace and tranquilitye My confort , my counsel , my parfit charity O water of lyfe , O wel of consolacion Against all stormes , of hard aduersitie Rescu me good Lord , by thy preseruation . Amen . Quod Skelton Laureate . Here after foloweth the boke called Elinour Rumming .
The tunnyng of Elynour Rummyng . Per. Skelton Laureate . TEll you I chill If that ye wyll A whyle be still Of a comelye gyll That dwelt on a hyll But she is not gryll For she is somewhat sage And well worne in age For her visage It woulde asswage A mannes courage Her lothelye leare Is nothynge cleare But vglye of cheare . Droupye and drowsye Scuruy and lowsy Her face all bowsy Comelye crinckled Wondersly wrynkled Lyke a roste pigges eare Brystled with here Her lewde lyppes twayne They slauer men sayne Lyke a ropye rayne A gummy glayre She is vglye fayre Her nose some dele hoked And camouslye croked Neuer stoppinge But euer dropping Her skin lose and slacks Grained like a sacke With a croked backe Her eyen gowndye Are full vnsowndy For they are blered And she graye heared Iawed lyke a Ietty A man would haue pity To se how she is gumbed Fingered and thumbed Gently ioynted Gresed and annointed Up to the knockels The bones her buckels Together made faste Her youthe is farre paste Foted lyke a plane Legges like a crane And yet she wyl iet Lyke a iolly set In her furred flocket And gray russet rocket With simper the cocket Her huke of Lyncole grene It hadde bene hers I wene More then fortye yeare And so it dothe appeare And the grene bare thredes Looke lyke sere wedes Wythered lyke Haye The woll worne awaye And yet I dare saye She thinketh herselfe gaye Uppon the holye daye Whan she dothe her araye And girdeth in her getes Stitched and pranked with pletes Her kirtell Bristowe red With clothes vppon her heade That they way a sowe of leade Wrythen in a wonder wise After the Sarazins gise With a whim wham Knit with a trim tram Uppon her brayne panne Like an Egiptian Capped aboute Whan she goeth oute Herselfe for to shewe She driueth downe the Dewe With a paire of heles As brode as two wheles She hobbles as a Gose With her blauket hose Her shone smered with talow Gresed vpon dyrt That baudeth her skyrt
Primus passus . And this comelye dame I vnderstande her name Is Elynoure Rumminge At home in her wonnyng And as men say She dwelt in Sothray In a certaine stede By syde Lederhede She is a tonnishe gyb The deuell and she be sib . But to make vp my tale She brueth noppy ale And maketh therof poorte sale To traueilers , to tinkers To sweters , to swinkers And all good ale drynkers That wyll nothinge spare But dryncke tyll they stare And bringe themselfe bare With nowe away the mare And let vs sley care As wise as an hare Come who so wil To Elinour on the hil With fil the cup fill And sit there by still Earelye and late Thither commeth Rate Ci●●ye and Sare With their legges bare And also theyr fete Hardely full vnswete With their heles dagged Theyr kyrtelles all to iagged Theyr smockes all to ragged With titters and tatters Brynge dyshes and platters With all theyr mighte runnyng To Elynoure rumminge To haue of her tunninge She leaneth them of the same And thus beginneth the game Some wenches come vnbrased Wyth theyr naked pappes That flippes and flappes It wygges and it wagges Lyke tawny saffron bagges A sorte of foule drabbes All scuruy with scabbes Some be flye bytten Some skewed as a kytten Some with a sho cloute Bynde their heades aboute Some haue no herelace Theyr lockes about their face Theyr tresses vntruste All full of vnluste Some looke strawrye Some cawrye mawrye Full vntidye tegges Lyke rotten egges Suche a lewde sorte To Elynoure resorte From tyde to tyde Abyde abyde And to you shall be toulde Howe her ale is soulde To mawte and to molde
Secundus passus Some haue no monye That thither commye For their ale to paye That is a shrewde a ray Elinoure sweared naye Ye shall not beare awaye My ale for noughte By him that me boughte With hey dogge haye Haue these dogges awaye With gette me a staffe The swyne eate my draffe Strike the hogges with a clubbe They haue dronk vp miswilling tub For be there neuer so much prese These swine go to the hye dese The sowe with her pygges The bore his taile wrygges Against the hye bench . With fo , ther is astench Gather vp thou wench . Seest thou not what is fall Take vp drit and all . And beare out of the hal God geue it il preuing . Clenly as euel cheuing But let vs turne plain , Ther we left againe For as ill a patch as that . The hens run in the mash fat For they go to roust Straight ouer the ale ioust And donge whan it commes In the ale tunnes Then Elinour taketh . The mash bol and shaketh The hennes donge away . And skommeth it in a tray Where as the yest is . With her maungy fistis And somtime she blens . The donge of her hennes And the ale together . And sayth gossip come hither This ale shal be thicker And floure the more quicker For I may tel you I learned it of a Iewe Wham I began to brewe And I haue founde it trew Drinke nowe while it is new And ye may it broke It shall make you loke Yonger then ye be Yeres two or thre For ye may proue it by me Behold she sayd and see How bright I am of ble Ich am not cast away That can my husband saye Whan we kyste and playe In luste and in likynge He calleth me his whiting His mullinge and his nittine His nobbes and his connye His sweting and hys honny With basse my prety bonny Thou arte worthe good and monny This make I my falyre fanny Tyll that he dreame and dronnye For after all oure sport Than will he rout and snort Then swetely together we ly As two pygges in a stye . To cease me semeth best And of this tale to reast And for to leaue this letter Because it is no better And because it is no swetter We wyll no farther ryme Of it , at this time But we wyl turne playne Where we left agayne .
Tertius passus . In stede of coine and monny Somme brynge her a conny And some a pot with honni Some a salt , and some a spone Some their hose , some ther shone Some ran a good trot With a skyllet or a pot Some fyll their pot full Of good Lemster woll An huswife of truste Whan she is a thrust Suche a webbe can spyn Her thryfte is full thyn Some go strayghte thyther Be it slaty or slider They holde the hye waye They care not what men saye Be that as be maye Some lothe to be espyde Some start in at the backe syde Ouer the hedge and pale And all for the good ale Some renne tyll they swete Bryng with them malt or whete And dame Elinoure entreaet To byrle them of the best Than cometh an other gest She swered by the rode of rest Her lyppes are so drye Without drynke she must dye Therefore tyll it by and by And haue here a pecke of ry Anone cometh another As drye as the other And wyth her dothe bryng Mele , salt , or other thing Her harnest girdle , her wedding ringe To paye for hir scot As cometh to her lot Som bringeth her husbandes hood Because the ale is good A nother brought her his cap To offer to the ale tap With flaxe and with towe And some brought soure dow With hey and with howe Syt we downe a rowe And dryncke tyll we blowe And pype tirlye tyrlowe Some layde to pledge Theyr hatchet and their wedge Their hekell and their rele Their rock , their spinning whele And some went so narrow They laid to pledge their wharrow Their rihskin and theyr spindell Theyr nedel and their thimbell Here was scante thryste Whan they made such shyfte Their thrust was so great They asked neuer for meate But drincke still drynke And let the cat winke Let vs washe oure gommes From the dry crommes
Quartus passus . Some for very nede Lay down a skain of threde And some a skain of yarne Bothe Beanes and pease Small Chaffer dothe ease Sometime , now and than Another there was that ran With a good brassepan Her coloure was full wan She ran in al the haste Unbrased and vnlaste Tawnye swart and swallowe Lyke a cake of tallowe I sweare by all hallowe It was a stare to take The Deuill in a brake . And than came haltynge Ione And broughte a gambone Of bakon that was reastye But Lorde as she was testye Angrye as a waspye She began to yane and gaspy And bad Elynoure go bet And fyll in good meate It was dere that was farre fet Another broughte a spycke Of a bacon flicke Her tonge was verye quicke But she spake somewhat thicke Her felowe did stammer and stut But she was a foule slut For her mouthe fomed And her bellye groned Ione sayne she had eaten a fyest By Christe sayde she thou lyest I haue as swete a breathe As thou with shamefull deathe Then Elinour sayd , ye callettes I shall breake your palettes Withoute ye nowe cease And so was made the dronken peace Than thider came droncken Ales And she was full of tales Of tidinges in Wales . And of sainct Iames in Gales And of the Portyngales With lo gossip I wis Thus and thus it is There hath ben greate warre Betwene temple barre And the crosse in cheape And there came and heape Of mil stones in a route She speaketh thus in her snoute Sneuelynge in her nose As thoughe she had the pose Lo here is an olde tippet And ye wil geue me a sippet Of your stale ale God sende you good sale And as she was drynkynge She fell in a wynkynge With a barlye hoode She pyste where she stoode Than began she to wepe And forthwith fell on flepe Elynoure tooke her vp And blessed her wyth acup Of newe ale in cornes Ales founde therein no thornes But supped it vp at ones She found therin no bones
Quintus passus . Now in cometh another rabel Fyrst one with a ladell Another with a cradell And with a syde sadel And there began a fabel A clatterynge and a babell Of foles silly That had a fole with willy With iast you , and gup gillye She coulde not lye stillye Then came in a genet And sware by sainct Bennet I dranke not this sennet A draughte to my paye Elynoure I the pray Of thyne ale let vs assaye . And haue here a pilch of gray I weare skinnes of Conye That causeth I loke so donny Another than dyd hyche her And broughte a pottel pycher A tonnel , and a bottel But she had lost the stoppel She cut of her sho sole And stopped ther with the hole . Amonge all the blommer Another brought a skommer A frying pan and a slice Elynoure made the pryce For good ale eche whit . Than starte in mad kyt That had lytle wyt She semed some deale seke And brought vp a peny cheke To dame Elinoure For a draughte of lycour . Than Margery milke ducke Her kirtell she did vp tucke An ynche aboue her kne Her legges that ye might se But they wer sturdy and stubbled Mighty pestels and clubbed As fayre and as white As the fote of a kite She was somwhat foule Croke necked lyke an Owle And yet she broughte her fees A cantel of Essex chese Was well a fote thicke Full of magottes quicke It was huge and greate And mightye stronge meate For the deuill to eate It was tarte and punyete Another sorte of sluttes Some broughte walnutes Some apples , some peares Some brought their clippinge sheres Some broughte thys and that Some broughte I wote neare what Some broughte theyr husbandes hat Some podynges and lynkes Some tripes that stinkes But of all thys thronge One came them amonge She semed halfe a leche And began to preach Of the tewesday in the weke Whan the mare doth keke Of the vertue of an vnset leke Of her husbandes breke With the feders of a quaile She could to bourde on sayle And with good ale barme She could make a charm To healpe with all a stytche She semed to be a wytche Another brought . ii . goslings That wer noughty froslings Some brought them in a wallet She was a cumlye callet The goslinges were vntide Elinour began to chide They be wrethocke thou haste brout They ar shyre shaking nought
Sextus passus . Maud ruggy , thither skipped She was vglye hipped And vglye thicke lipped Like an Onion sided Like tan ledder hided She had her so guided Betwene the cup and & the wall That she was there with all Into a palsey fall With that her hed shaked And her handes quaked Ones heade wold haue aked To se her naked She dranke so of the dregges The dropsy was in her legges Her face glistring lyke glasse All foggye fat she was She had also the goute In all her ioyntes aboute Her breth was soure and stale And smelled all of ale Suche a bedfellawe Wold make one cast his craw But yet for all that She drancke on the mashe fat There came an olde rybibe She halted of a kybe And had broken her shyn At the threshold cummyng in And fell so wyde open That one myght se her token Te deuil there on be wroken What nede all this be spoken She yelled lyke a calfe Ryse vp on gods halfe Sayde Elynoure rummynge I be shrewe the for thy cummyng As she at her did plucke Quake , quake , sayde the ducke In that lampatrams lap With fye , couer the shap Wyth sum flip flap God geue it yll happe Sayde Elynoure for shame Lyke an honest daine Up she stearte , halfe lame And skantlye coulde go For payne and for wo In came another dant Wyth a gose and a gant She had a wide wesant She was nothynge pleasaunt Necked lyke an Oliphant It was a bullifant A gredy cormerante A nother brought her garlik heds A nother brought her bedes Of Iet or of coale To offer to the ale pole Some brought a wimble Some brought a thymble Some brought a silke lace Some brought a pincase Some her husbandes gowne Some a pillowe of downe Some of the napery And all this shyfte they make For the good ale sake A straw said bele stande vtter For we haue egges and butter And of pigeons a payre . Than sterte forthe a fisgigge And she brought a bore pigge The flesh thereof was ranke And her breath strongly stanke Yet or she wente she dranke And gate her greate thancke Of Elynoure for her ware That she thither bare To paye for her share Nowe trulye to my thinkynge This is a solempne drinkyng
Septimus passus . Soft quod one high Sibbil And let me with you bib●ill She sate downe in the place With a sorye face Whey wormed aboute Garnished was her snoute With here and there a puscul Lyke a scabbed muscull This ale sayde she is noppy Let vs sippe and soppy And not spil a droppy For so mote I hoppye It coleth well my coppy Dame Elinoure sayde she Haue here is for me A cloute of London pinnes And with that she beginnes The pot to her plucke And dranke a good lucke She swinge vp a quarte At ones for her part Her paunche was so puffed And so with ale stuffed Had she not hyed a pace She had defoyled the place Than began the sport Amonge , that dronken fort Dame Elynoure sayde they Lende here a cocke of hay To make all thynge cleane Ye wote well what we meane But syr amonge all That sate in that hall There was a pricke me deintie Sate lyke a saintye And began to paintye As thoughe she woulde fainty She made it as koy As a lege demoy She was not halfe so wise As she was peuysh nyse She sayde neuer a worde But rose from the borde And called for oure dame Elynoure by name We supposed I wys That she rose to pisse But the verye grounde Was for to compounde With Elynour in the spence To paye for her expence I haue no penny nor grote To pay sayd she , god wot For washinge of my throte But my bedes of amber Bere them to your chaumber Then Elynour dyd them hide Wythin her beddes syde But some than sat righte sad That nothynge had There of theyr one Neyther gelt nor pawne Suche were there mennye That had not a pennye But whan they should walke Were fayne with a chalke To score on the balke Or score on the tayle God geue it yll hayle For my fyngers ytche I haue written to mych Of this mad mummyng Of Elynoure Rummynge Thus endeth the gest Of this worthye felt . Quod Skelton Laureat .
Laurratiskeltonidis in despectu malignantium disticon . QVdmuis infanis , quanuis marcescis inams Iuuidi cantamus , hec loca plena locis Bien men sounient .

OMnes feminas , que uel nimis bibule sunt , uel que scordida labe squaloris , aut quamspuria feditatis macula , aut uerbosa laquatita te notantur , poeta inuitat ad audicndum hunc libellum , &c.

EBric , squalida , sordida femini , perdiga uerbis Huc currat , properet ueniat suafacta libellus Iste uolutabit : pean sua plectra sonando Materiam risus cantabit carmine rauco . FINIS . Quod Skelton Laureate .
Here after foloweth a litle 〈◊〉 whiche hath to name , whie co●● ye not to Court Comoned by Mayster Skelton poete Laureate . The relucent mirror for all Prela Presidents aswell spirituall as temporall sadly to loke vpon deuised in English by Skelton . All noble men of this take hede and leue it as your Crede . TO hastye of sentence To fearce for none offence To scarce of your expence To large in negligence To slacke in recompence To haut in excellence To lyght intellygence And to lyght incredence Where these kepe resydence Reason is banished thence And also dame prudence Wyth sober patience All noble men . &c. Than without collusion Marke well thys conclusion Through such abusion And by suche illusion Unto great confusion A noble man may fall And his honoure appall And yf ye thynke thys shal Not rubbe you on the gall Than the deuyll take all . &c. Hoc vates ille , de quo loquntur in ille .
Why come ye not to Court . FOr age is a page For the court full vnmeete For age can not rage Nor basse her sweete sweete 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 To madly decayes That age for dottage Is recouered now a dayes Thus age graunt domage Is nothyng set by And rage in a rerage Doth renne lamentably . So That rage must make pillage To catche that catche maye And wyth suche forage Hunte the boskage That hartes wyl runne awaye Bothe Hartes and hindes With all good mindes Fare well , than haue good day Than haue good day a dew For defaute of rescew Some men may happely rew And theyr heades mew The time dothe faste ensew That bales begin to brew I drede by swete Iesu This tale will be to trew In fayth dicken thou crew . In fayth dicken , thou crew . &c. DIcken , thou crew doutles For truelye to expresse There hath be much exces With banketyng braynlesse With ryoting rechles With gambaudyng thryftles With spend , and waste witles Treating of truce restlesse Pratyng for peace peaslesse They countring at Cales Wrange vs on the wales Cheife Councelour was careles Gronyng grouching graceles And to none entent Our talwod is all brent Our fagottes are all spent We may blow at the cole Our mare hath cast her fole And mocke hath lost her shoo What may she do thertoo An end of an old song Do right and no wrong As right as a rammes horne For thrift is threde bare worne Our shepe are shrewdlye shorne And trouthe is all to torne Wisdome is laught to scorne Fauel is false forsworne Iauel is nobly borne Hauel and Haruy hafter Iacke Trauell and Cole crafter We shall heare more hereafter With polling and shauynge With borowyng and crauyng With reuyng and rauyng With swearing and staryng There vayleth no reasonyng For wil doth rule al thyng Wyl , wyl , wyl , wyl , wyl , He ruleth alway styl Good reason and good skyll They may garlicke pill Cary sackes to the mil Or pescoddes they may shil Or els go roste a stone There is no man but one That hath the strokes alone Be it blacke or white All that he dothe is right As right as a Cammocke croked Thys bil wel ouer loked Clerely perceiue we may There went the hare awaye The hare , the For , the Gray , The hart , the hinde , the bucke God send vs better lucke . God send vs better lucke . &c. TWit Andrew , twit Scot Ge heme , ge scoure thy pot For we haue spent our shot We shall haue a tot quot From the Pope of Rome To weaue all in one lome A webbe of Lylse wulce Opus male dulce . The deuill kysse his cule For whiles he doth rule All is warse and warse The deuill kysse his arse For whether he blesse or curse It can not be muche worse From Baumberow to both ambar We haue cast vp oure war And made a worthy truse Wyth gup leuel suse Our mony madly sent And more madly spent From Croydon to Kent Wote ye whither they went ? From winchelsy to Rye And all not worthe a flye From wentbridge to Hull Our army waxeth dull With turne all home agayne And neuer a scot slayne Yet the good Erle of Surray The french men he doth fraye And vexeth them day by day With all the power he maye The frenchemen he hath fainted And made their hertes attainted Of cheualry he is the flour Our Lord be his succoure The french men he hath so mated And their courage abated That they are but halfe men Like foxes in their den Like cankerd cowardes all Like heons in a stone walle Tey kepe them in their holdes Lyke hen herted cokoldes But yet they ouer shoote vs With crownes and with scutus With Scutes and crownes of golde I drede we are bought and solde It is a wonders warke They shoote all at one marke At the Cardinals hat They shote all at that Out of their stronge townes They shote at him with crownes With crownes of gold enblased They make him so a mased And his eyen so dafed That he ne see can To know God nor man He is set so hye In his Ierarchy Of frantike frenesy And folysh fantasy That in the chambre of stars All matters there he mars Clapping his rod on the borde No man dare speake a word For he hath all the saying Without any renaying He rolleth in his recordes He saith , how say ye my lordes ? Is not my reason good Good euin good Robin hood Some say yes . And some Sit still as they were dome Thus thwarting ouer thome He ruleth al the roste With bragging and with boste Borne vp on euery syde With pompe and with pryde With trompe vp alleluya For dame Philargerya Hath so his hart in hold He loueth nothyng but gold And Asmodeus of hel Maketh his membres swel With Dalyda to mell That wanton damsell A dew Philosophia A dew theologia Welcome dame Simonia With dame Castrimergia To drynke and for to eate Sweet Ipocras & swete meate To kepe his fleshe chaste In lente for a repaste He eateth Capons stewed Fesaunt , and Partriche mewed Hennes , chickins and pigges He foynes and he frigges Spareth neyther mayd ne wyfe This is a postels lyfe Helas my hart is sory To tell of vayne glory But now vpon this story I wyll no further rimè Tyll another time Tyll another time . VUhat newes what newes Small newes that true is That be worth two kues But at the naked stewes I vnderstande howe that The sygne of the Cardinall hat That Inne is now shit vp With gup whore gup , nowe gup Gup Gilliam Trauillian With iast you I say Iullian Wyll ye beare no coles A mainy of marefolles That occupy their holes Full of pocky moles . What heare ye of Lancashire They were not payd theyr hyre They are fell as any fyre What heare ye of Chesshyre They haue layde all in the myre They grudge and sayde Their wages were not payde Some sayde they were afrayde Of the Scottishe hoste For all their crake and boste Wilde fire and thunder For all this worldly wonder A hundred myle a sunder They were whan they were next That is a true text What heare ye of the scottes They make vs all sottes Poppyng folysh dawes They make vs to pyll strawes They play their old prankes After huntly bankes At the streme of Banokes burns They did vs a shrewde turne Whan Edward of karnaruan Lost all that his father wan What here ye of the lord dakers He maketh vs Iacke rakers He sayes we are but crakers He calleth vs England men Stronge harted lyke an hen For the scottes and he To well they do agree With do thou for mee And I shal do for thee Whiles the red hat doth endure He maketh himself cocke sure The red hat with his lure Bryngeth al thinges vnder cure But as the world nowe goose What heare ye of the Lord Rose Nothyng to purpose Not worth a cockly fose Their hertes be in their hose The Erle of Northumberland Dare take nothing on hand Our barons be so bolde Into a mouse hole they wold Runne away and creep Like a mainy of sheep Dare not loke out a dur For drede of the maystife cur For drede of the bouchers dog Wold wirry them like an hog For and this curre do gnar They must stande all a far To holde vp their hand at the bat For all their noble bloude He pluckes them by the hood And shakes them by the eare And bryng them in suche feare He baiteth them lyke a beare Lyke an oxe or a bul Their wittes he sayth are dul He saith they haue no brayne Their estate to maintaine And make to bowe their knee Before his maiestee . Iudges of the kinges lawes He countes them foles & dawes Sergeauntes of the coyfe cke He sayeth they are to seke ●n pleating of their case At the commune place Or at the kinges benche He wringeth them such a wrenche That all our learned men Dare not set theyr penne To plete a true triall Within westminster hall In the chauncery where he sittes But suche as he admittes None so hardy to speake He saith , thou huddy peake They learnyng is to lewd Thy tounge is not well thewde To seeke before our grace And openly in that place He rages and he raues And calles them cankerd knaues Thus royally he doth deale Under the kinges brode seale And in the checker he then checkes In the ster chambre he nods & becks And beareth him there so stout That no man dare rout Duke , Earle , Baron , nor Lorde But to his sentence must accorde Whether he be knyght or squyer All men folow his desyre What say ye of the scottish kyng That is another thing He is but an yonglyng A tall worthy striplyng Her is a whispring & a whiplyng He should be hither brought But and it were well sought I trow all will be nought Not worth a shittel cocke Nor worth a soure calstocke There goeth many a lye Of the duke of Albany That of should go his head And brought in quicke or dead And all Scotland oures The mountenaunce of two houres But as some men sayn I drede of some false trayn Subtelly wrought shal be Under a fained treate But within monethes three Men may happely see The trechery , and the prankes Of the Scottishe bankes What heare ye of Burgonions And the Spanyardes Onions ? They haue slain our Englishmen Aboue three score and ten For al your amitee No better they agree God saue my Lord Admirell What heare ye of Muttrel ? There wyth I dare not mel Yet what heare ye tell Of our graund counsel ? I could say some what But speake ye no more of that For drede of the red hat Take peper in the nose For than thyne head of gose Of by the hard arse But there is some trauars Betwene some and some That makes our sire to glum It is some what wrong That his berde is so long He morneth in blacke clothing I pray god saue the kyng Where euer he go or ride I pray God be his guide Thus will I conclude my stile And fall to rest a whyle And so to rest a while . &c. ONce yet agayn Of you I wold fraine Why come ye not to courte To which court ? To the kinges court Or to Hampton court ? Nay to the kinges court The kynges court Should haue the exellence But hampton court Hath the preeminence And yorkes place With my Lordes grace To whose magnificence Is all the confluence Sutes and supplications Embassades of all nacions Straw for law canon Or for the law common Or for lawe ciuill It shall be as he wyll Stop at law tancrete An obstract or a concrete Be it soure be it sweete His wisdome is so discrete That in a fume or an hete Warden of the flete Set him fast by the fete And of his royal poure Whan him lyst to loure Than haue him to the toure Saunz aulter remedy Haue him forth by and by To the marshalsy Or to the kinges benche He diggeth so in the trench Of the court royall That he ruleth them all So he dothe vndermynde And such sleightes dothe fynde That the kinges mynde By him is subuerted And so streatly coarted In credensing his tales That all is but nutshales That any other sayth He hath in him such faith Now , yet al this might be Suffred and taken in gree If that , that he wrought To any good end wer brought But all he bryngeth to nought But God that me deare bought He beareth the king on hand That he must pyl his land To make his cofers rych But he layeth al in the dyche And vseth such abusion That in the conclusion All commeth to confusion Perceiue the cause whye To tell the trouth plainlye He is so ambicious So shameles , and so vicious And so supersticious And so much obliuious From whens that he came That he falleth in Acisiam Which truely to expresse Is a forgetfulnes Or wylful blindnes Wherwith the Sodomites Lost their inward sightes The gommorians also Were brought to deadly wo As scripture recordes A cecitate cordis In the latyn synge we Libera nos domine But this mad Amalecke Like to Amamelek He regardeth Lordes No more than pot shordes He is in suche elacion Of his exaltacion And the supportacion Of our soueraine Lords That God to recorde He ruleth al at will Without reason or skyll Howbeit they be prymordyall Of hys wretched originall And his base progeny And his gresy genealogy He came of the sanke roiall That was cast out of a bouchers stall . But howe euer he was borne Men would haue the lesse scorne If he could consider His byrth and rowme together And call to his mynde How noble and how kynde To hym he hath founde Our souerayne lord , chief groud Of all thys prelacy And set hym nobly In great aucthorite Out from a low degre Which he can not see For he was parde No doctour of deuinttie Nor doctor of the law Nor of none other saw But a pore maister of arte God wot had little part Of the Quatriuials Nor yet of triuials Nor of philosophye Nor of philology Nor of good pollicy Nor of Astronomy Nor acquainted worth a fly With honourable haly Nor with royal Ptholomy Nor with Albumasar To treate of any star Fyxt or els mobil His latin tounge doth hobbyl He doth but clout and cobbel In tullis facultie Called humanitie Yet proudly he dare pretend How no ma can him amend But haue ye not heard this How an one eyed man is Wel sighted , when He is amonge blynd men . Than our proces for to stable This man was ful vnable To reche to such degree Had not our Prince be Royall henry the eyght Take him in such conceyte That he set him on heyght In exemplyfieng Great Alexander the king In writing as we finde Which of his royal minde And of his noble pleasure Transcending out of measure Thought to do a thyng That pertaineth to a kyng To make vp one of nought And made to him be brought A wretched pore man Which his liuing wan With planting of Leekes By the dayes and by the weekes And of this pore vassal He made a kyng royal And gaue him a realme to rule That occupyed a showel A mattoke , and a spade Before that he was made A kyng , as I haue told And ruled as he wold Such is a kynges power To make within an hower And worke such a miracle That shal be a spectacle Of renowme and worldly fame In likewise now the same Cardinall , is promoted Yet with lewd conditions noted As hereafter bene noted Presumpcion and vain glorie Enuy , wrath , and lechery Couetes , and gluttony Slouthfull to do good Now frantike , now starke wode Shuld this man of such mode Rule the swerde of myght How can he do right For he wyll as soone smyght His freend , as his foe A prouerbe longe ago Set vp a wretche on hye In a trone triumphantly Make him a great estate And he wil play checke mate With royall maiestee Count hymself as good as he A prelate potenciall To rule vnder Bellyall As ferce and as cruell As the feende of hel His seruauntes meniall He dothe reuile and brall Lyke Mahound in a play No man dare him with saye He hath dispight and scorne At them that be wel borne He rebukes them and rayles Ye horsons , ye vassayles Ye knaues , ye churles sonnes Ye ribauds , not worth two plūms Ye rainbeaten beggers reiagged Ye recrayed ruffins all ragged With stoupe thou hauel Renne thou iauel Thou peuishe pie pecked Thou losel long necked Thus daily they be decked Taunted and checked That they are so wo They wot not whether to go . No man dare come to the speche Of this gentel Iacke breche Of what estate he be Of spiritual dignitie Nor duke of hye degree Nor Marques , Earle , nor Lord Which shrewdly doth accord Thus he borne so base All noble men should out face His countinaunce lyke a kayser My Lord is not at layser Sir ye must tary a stound Tyl better layser be found And sir , ye must daunce attendaunce And take pacient sufferaunce For my Lordes grace Hath now no time nor space To speake with you , as yet And thus they shal syt Chuse them syt or flit Stand , walke , or ride And his laiser abide Parchaunce half a yere And yet neuer the nere This daungerous dowsipere Like a kinges pere And within this . xvi . yere He wold haue ben right fayn To haue ben a chaplayn And haue taken right great pain With a pore knight What so euer he hight The chiefe of his own counsel They can not well tell Whan they with him should mel He is so fierce and fel He rayles and he rates He calleth them doddy pates He grinnes and he gapes As it were Iacke Napes Such a mad Bedlem For to rule this realm It is a wonderous case That the kinges grace Is toward him so minded And so farre blinded That he can not perceiue How he doth him disce yue I dought least by Sorsery Or such other loselry As witch craft , or charming For he is the kinges derlyng And his sweete hart rote And is gouerned by this mad koote For what is a man the better For the kynges letter For he wil tere it a sunder Wherat much I wonder How such a hoddy poule So boldly dare controule And so malapertly withstand The kynges owne hand And settes not by it a mite He sayth the kyng doth wryte And wryteth he wot not what And yet for all that The kyng his clemency Despenseth with his demensy But what his grace doth thinke I haue no pen nor ynke That therwith can mel But wel I can tel How Fraunces Petrarke That much noble clerke Writeth how charlemaine Could not himself refrayne But was rauisht with a rage Of a lyke dotage But how that came aboute Rede ye the story out And ye shal finde surely It was by nicromansy By carectes and coniuracion Under a certayne constellacion And a certayne fumigacion Under a stone on a gold ryng Wrought to Charlemain that kyng Whiche constrayned him forcebly For to loue a certaine body Aboue all other inordinatlye This is no fable nor no lie At Acon it was brought to pas As by mine auctor tried it was But let my masters mathematical Tel you the rest , for me they shall They haue the ful intelligence And dare vse the experience In there obsolute conscience To practique such abolete science For I abhor to smatter Of one so deuillyshe a matter But I wil make further relacion Of this Isagogicall colation How master Gaguine the crownicler Of the feates of war That were done in Fraunce Maketh remembraunce How kyng Lewes of Late Made vp a great estate Of a pore wretched man Wherof much care began Iohannes Balua was his name Mine auctor writeth the same Promoted was he To a Cardinals dignitie By Lewes the kynge aforesayd With him so wel apayd That he made him hys chaunceler To make all , or to mar And to rule as him liste Tyl he checked at the fiste And agayne all reason Committed open treason And against his lord souerain Wherfore he suffred pain Was heded drawen and quarterd And dyed stinkyngly martred Loe yet for all that He ware a cardinals hat In him was small fayth As mine auctor sayth Not for that I meane Suche a casuelty should be seene Or suche chaunce should fal Unto oure Cardinal . Almightye God I trust Hath for him discuste That of force he muste Be faythfull , true and iuste To oure moste royal kynge Chief rote of his makyng Yet it is a wilye mouse That can bylde his dwelling house Within the cattes eares Withouten drede or feare It is a nice reconing To put al the gouernyng All the rule of this land Into one mans hand One wise mans head May stand somwhat in stede But the wittes of many wyse Much better can deuise By their circumspection And their sad direction To cause the commune weale Longe to endure in heale Christ kepe king Henry the eyght From trechery and disceipt And graunt him grace to know The Faucon from the Crow The wolfe from the Lambe From whens that maistife came Let him neuer confounde The gentil greyhound Of this matter the ground Is easy to expound And sone may be perceyued How the world is conueyd But harke my frend one worde In earnest or in borde Tel me now in this stede Is maister Mewtas dead The kinges french secretary And his vntrue aduersary For he sent in writing To fraunces the french kynge of our masters counsel in eueri thing That was a perillous rekenyng Nay nay , he is not dead But he was so payned in the head That he shall neuer eat more bred Now he is gone to another stede With a Bul vnder lead By way of commission To a straunge iurisdiction Called Diminges Dale Farre beyonde portyngale And hath his pasporte to pas Ultra sauro matas To the deuil syr Sathanas To Pluto and syr Bellyal The deuils vicare generall And to his colledge conuentuall As wel calodemonial As to cacademoniall To purney for our Cardinall A palace pontificall To kepe his court prouinciall Upon articles iudiciall To contend and to , striue For his prerogatiue Within that consistory To make sommons peremptorye Before some prothono●ory Imperial or papal Upon this matter misticall I haue told you part , but not all Here after perchaunce I shall Make a large memoriall And a further rehersall And more paper I thinke to blot To the court why I came not Desiring you aboue all thing To kepe you from laughyng Whan ye fall to redyng Of this wanton scrowle And pray for Mewtas soule For he is wel past and gone That wold god euery chone Of his affinitie Were gone as wel as he Amen , amen , say ye Of your inward charitie . Amen . Of your inward charitie . IT were greate ruthe For writinge of truthe Anye manne shoulde be In perplexitie Of displeasure For I make you sure Where trouth is abhord It is a playne recorde That there wantes grace In whose place Dothe occupye Full vngraciously Fals flattery Fals trechery Fals bryberye Subtyle Sym Sly Wyth mad folye For who can best lye He is best set by Than farewell to thee Welthfull felicitee For prosperitie Awaye than wyll flee Than muste we agree With pouertye For misery With penurye Miserably And wretchedly Hathe made Askry And oute crye Folowynge the chase To dryue away grace Yet sayest thou percase We can lacke no grace For my Lordes grace And my Ladyes grace With trey deuse ase And ase in the face Some haute and some bace Some daunce the trace Euer in one case Marke me that chase In the Tennis play For sinke quater trey Is a tal man He rod , but we ran Hay the gye and the gan The graye goose is no swan The waters waxe wan And beggers they ban And they cursed datan De tribu dan That this worke began Palam et clam With Balak and Balam The golden ram Of flemmyng dam Sem , Iapheth , or cam ? But how come to pas Your cupboorde that was Is turned to glasse From siluer to brasse From golde to pewter Or els to a newter To copper , to tyn To leade , or Alcumin A goldsmyth your Mayre But the chefe of your fayre Might stand now by potters And suche as sel trotters Pytchars potshordes This shrewdly accordes To be a cupborde for Lordes My lord now and sir knyghte Good euen and good nyghte For now sir Tristram Ye muste weare buckram Or Canuas of Cane For silkes are wane Our royals that shone Our nobles are gone Amonge the Burgonions And spanyardes Onyons And the Flanderkyns Gyl sweates and Cate spinnes They are happy that wynnes But Englande may well say Fye on this winnyng alway Now nothing , but pay pay With laughe and lay downe Borough , Citie and towne Good Springe of Lanam Must counte what became Of his clothe makyng He is at such takyng Though his purse wax dul He must tax for his wul By nature of a new writ My Lordes grace nameth it A quia non satisfacit In the spight of his teeth He must pay agayne A thousand or twayn Of his gold in store And yet he payde before An hunderd pound and more Which pincheth hym sore My Lordes grace wil bryng Downe thys hye sprynge And brynge it so lowe It shal not euer flow Suche a prelate I trow Were worthy to row Thorow the streytes Marocke To the gybbet of Baldock He wold dry vp the streames Of. ix . Kynges realme Al riuers and wels Al waters that swels For with vs he so mels That within England dwels I would he were somwhere els For els by and by He will drynke vs so dry And sucke vs so nye That men shall scantly Haue penny or halpennye God saue hys noble grace And graunt him a place Endlesse to dwel With the deuill of hel For and he were there We nead neuer feare Of the feendes blacke For I vnder take He wold so brag and crake That he wold than make The deuils to quake To shudder and to shake Lyke a fier drake And with a cole rake Bruse them on a brake And binde them to a stake And set hel on fyre At his owne desire He is such a grym syre And such a potestolate And suche a potestate That he wold breke the braynes Of Lucifer in his chaines And rule them eche one In Lucifers trone I would he were gone For amonge vs is none That ruleth , but he alone With oute all good reason And all oute of season For Folam Peason With him be not geson They grow very ranke Upon euery banke Of his herbers greene With my lady bright and sheene On their game it is seen They play not al cleen And it be as I weene But as touching discretion With sober direction He kepeth them in subiection They can haue no protection To rule nor to guide But all must be tryde And abide the correction Of him wil ful affection For as for wylte The deuill spéed whitte But brainsicke and braynlesse Witles and reachlesse Careles and shamelesse Thriftles and gracelesse to gether are bended And so condiscended That the commune welth Shal neuer haue good helth But tatterd and tugged Ragged , and rugged Shauen and shorne And all threde bare worne Such gredines Such nedines Miserablenes With wretchednes Hath brought in distres And much heauines And great dolour England the Flour Of relucent honour In old commemoracion Most royal English nacion Now all is out of facion Almost in desolation I speake by protestacion God of his miseracion Send better reformacion Lo , for to do shamfully He iudgeth it no foly But to write of his shame He saythe we are to blame What a frensi is this No shame to do amys And yet he is a shamed To be shamefully named And oft prechours be blamed Bycause they haue proclamed His madnes by writing His simplenes resiting Remording and biting With chiding and with fiting Shewyng him goddes lawes He calleth the preachers dawes . And of holy scriptures sawes He counteth them for gigawes And putteth them to scilence And with wordes of violence Like Pharao , void of grace Did Moyses sore manase And Aron sore he thret The word of God to let This maumet in likewise Against the church doth rise The preachoure he doth dispise With crakyng in such wise So bragging all with bost That no preachour almost Dare speake for hys lyfe Of my lordes grace , nor his wyfe For he hath suche a bul He may take whome he wul And as many as him likes May eat pigges in lent for pykes After the sectes of heretikes For in lent he wil eate Al maner of fleshe meate That he can any where geat With other abusions great Wherof to trete It wold make the deuil to swet For all priuileged places He brekes and defaces All places of religion He hath them in derision And maketh such prouision To driue them at diuision And finally inconclusion , To bring them to confusion Sainct Albons to recorde Wherof this vngracious Lorde Hathe made himself abbot Against their willes god wot Al this he doth deale Under strength of the great seall And by his legacy Which madly he doth applye Unto an extrauagancye Pyked out all good law With reasons that ben raw Yet whan he toke first his hat He said he knew what was what Al iustice he pretended Al thinges should be amended Al wronges he wold redresse Al iniuries he wold repres Al periuries he wold oppresse And yet this graceles elfe He is periured himselfe As plainlye it dothe appere Who list to enquere In the regestry Of my Lord of Cantorbury To whowe he was professed In thre pointes expressed The first to do him reuerence The second to owe him obedience The third with whole affection To be vnder his subiection But now he maketh obiection Under the protection Of the kinges great seale That he setteth neuer a deale By his former othe Whether god be pleased or wroth He maketh so proud presence That in his equipolens He iudgeth him equiualent With God omnipotent But yet beware the rod And the stroke of God The Apostel Peter Had a pore miter And a pore cope Whan he was create Pope Fyrst in Antioche He did neuer approche Of Rome to the see Wyth suche dignitie Sainct dunstan what was he Nothing he saieth lyke to me There is a diuersitie Betwene him and me We passe hym in degre As legatus a latere Ecce sacerdos magnus That wyll hed vs and hange vs And straightly strangle vs That he maye fang vs Decre and decretall Constitucion prouinciall Nor no lawe canonicall Shal let the preest pontificall To sit in cansa sanguinis Now god amende that is amis For I suppose that he is Of Ieremy the whisking rod The flayle , the scourge Of almighty God This Naman Sirus So fel and so irous So ful of me lancoly With a flap before his eye Men wene that he is pocky Or els his surgions they lye For as far as they can spy By the craft of surgery It is manus domini And yet this proud Antiochus He is so ambicious So elate , and so vicious And so cruel harted That he will not be conuerted For he setteth God a parte He is now so ouerthwart And so payned with panges That al his trust hanges In Balthasor , which healed Domingos nose , that was wheled That Lumberdes nose mean I That standeth yet a wry It was not healed alderbest It standeth somwhat on the west I meane Domingo Lomelyn That was wonte to win Muche mony of the kyng At the cardes and haserding Balthasor that healed domingos pose From the puskilde pocky pose Now with his gummes of araby Hath promised to hele our cardnals eie Yet sum surgions put a dout Lest he wil put it clean out And make him lame of his nether lims God send hym sorow for his sinnes Sum men might aske a question By whose suggestion I toke on hand this warke Thus boldly for to barke And men liste to harke And my wordes marke I wyl answere lyke a clerke For truly and vnfayned I am forcebly constrained At Iuuinals request To wryght of this glorious gest Of this vaine glorious beast His fame to be encrcast At euery solempne feast Quia aifficile est Satiram non scribere ? Now master doctour , how saye ye What so euer your name be What though ye be namelesse Ye shall not escape blamelesse Nor yet shal scape shamelesse Mayster doctor in your degre Yourself madly ye ouer see Blame Iuuinall & blame not me Maister doctor diricum Omne , animi uicium . &c. As Iuuinall doth record A small defaute in a great Lorde A lytle cryme in a greate estate Is muche more inordinate And more horrible to beholde Than any other a thousand fold Ye put to blame ye wo● nere whome Ye may weare a cockes coome Your fond hed in your furred hood Hold ye your tounge ye can no good And at more conuenient time I may fortune for to rime Somwhat of your madnesse For small is your sadnesse To put any man in lacke And say yll behynde hys backe And my wordes marke trulye That ye cannot byde thereby For Smigma non est sinamomum But de absentibus nil nisi bonum Complaine or do what ye will Of your complaint it shal not skill This is the tenor of my bil A daucocke ye be , and so shal be still Sequitur Epitoma de morbilloso Thoma Nec non obsceno de poliphemo . &c.
POrro perbelle dissimulatum Illum pandulohum tantum legatum Tam formldatum nuper prelatum Sen. Naman sirum nunc longatum Insolitudine iam commoratum Neapolitano morbo grauatum Malagmate , cataplasmati statum Pharma copoli ferro foratum Nihilo magis alleuiatum Nihilo melius aut medicatum Relictis famulis ad famulatum Quod tollatur infamia Sed maior patet insania Amodo ergo Ganea Abborreat ille Ganeus Dominus male Cretecus Aptius Dictus Tetricus Phanaticus freneticus Graphicus sicut Metricus
Antumat . HOc genus dictaminis Non egit examinis In centilo quio nec centimetro Honorati Grammatici Mauri . Decasticon uirulentum in galeratum , Licaonta marinum . &c. Progh dolor , ecce maris lupus & nequissimus , ursus Carnificis uitulus Britonumque dubulcus iniqus Conslatus , uitulus , uel Oreb uel Salmana , uel zeb . Garduus , & crudelis Asaph que Datan reprobatus Blandus & Acchitiphel , regis scelus omne Britannum Ecclesias , qui namque Thomas Gonfundit ubique Non sacer iste , Thomas Sed duro corde , Goleas Quem gestat Malus sathane caret ( obsero culus Fundens Aspaltum ( precor ) hunc uersum lege cautum Asperius nichil est misero

Apostropha an Londini ciues ( citando mulum asino aurco galerato ) in occursum aguile . &c.

EXitat eu asinus multum ( mirabile , uisu Calcibus O uesro ciues Occurite Asello Qui regnum regemque regit qui uestra gubernat Predia diuitias , nummos gasas spoliando .

Dixit alludens , immo illudens perodo xam de asino aureo galerato . xxxiiii .

Hec uatis ille , de quo loquntur utille .

FINIS .
Here after foloweth a litle boke called Colyn Clout compiled by Master Skelton Poete Laureate .

Quis consurgat mecum aduersus malignantes ? aut quis stabit mecum aduersus operantes iniquita tem ? Nemo domine .

WHat can it auaile To dryue forth a snayle Or to make a sayle Of an herynges taile To ryme or to rayle To write or to indyte Eyther for delite Or els for despite Or bookes to compile Of diuers maner style Uyce to reuile And sinne to exyle To teache or to preche As reason wyll reach Saye thys and saye that His head is so fat He wotteth neuer what Nor wherof he speaketh He cryeth and he creketh He pryeth and he peketh He chydes and he chatters He prates and he patters He clytters and he clatters He medles and he smatters He gloses and he flatters Or if he speake plaine Than he lacketh brayne He is but a foole Let him go to scoole A three foted stoole That he may downe syt For he lacketh wit And if that he hit The nayle on the head It standeth in no stede The Deuyll they say is dead The Deuill is dead , It may wel so be Or els they wold see Otherwise and flee From worldly vanitie And foule couetousnes And other wretchednes Fickell falsenesse Uaryablenesse With vnstablenesse And if ye stand i dout Who brought this ryme about My name is Colyn Clout I purpose to shake out All my conning bagge Lyke a clarkely hagge For though my rime be ragged Tattered and iagged Rudely rayne beaten Rustly and moothe eaten If ye talke well therewyth It hath in it some pith For as farre as I can see It is wrong with eche degree For the temporalty Accuseth the spiritualty The spirituall agayn Doth grudge and complain Upon temporall men Thus eche of other blother The tone against the tother Alas they make me shoder For in hoder moder The churche is put in faulte The prelates ben so haut They say and loke so hye As though they wold flye Aboue the sterry sky Lay men say in dede How they take no hede Their sely shepe to fede But plucke away and pul The fleces of their wull Unnethes they leue a locke Of wull amonge their flocke And as for theyr connyng A glumming and a mummyng And make therof a iape They gaspe and they gape Al to haue promocion There is their whole deuocion With money , if it will hap To cath the forked cap Forsoth they are to lewd To say so all be shrewd What trow ye they say more Of the byshoppes lore How in matters they be raw They lumber forth the law To herke Iacke and Gyl Whan they put vp a bil And iudge it as they will For other mens skill Expounding out their clauses And leaue their owne causes In their principal cure They make but lytle sure And meddels very light In the churches right But Ire and venire And sol fa , so a lamire That the premenire Is like to be set a fire In their iurisdictions Through temporall afflictions Men say they haue prescriptions Against that spiritual contradictions Accompting them as fictions And whiles the heades doe this The remnaunt is a mis Of the clergy all Both great and small I wot neuer how they warke But thus the people carke And surely thus they say Byshoppes if they may Smal houses wold kepe But slumbre forth and slepe And assay to crepe Within the noble walles Of the kinges halles To fat their bodies full Their soules lame and dul And haue ful litle care How euil their shepe fare The temporality say plain How bishoppes disdain Sermons for to make Or such labour to take And for to say trouth A great part is ful slouth But the greatest part Is for they haue but smal art And right sclender cunnyng Within their heades wunning But this reason they take How they are able to make With their gold and treasure Clerkes out of measure And yet that is a pleasure How be it some there bee Almost two or three Of that dignity Full worshipful Clerkes As appeareth by their werkes Like Aaron and Ure The wolfe from the dore To wary and to kepe From their gostly shepe And their spirituall lammes Sequestred from rammes And from the berded Gotes With their hery cotes Set nought by gold ne grotes Their names if I durst tel . But they are lothe to mel And lothe to hang the bel About the cattes necke For dred to haue a checke They are fain to play , deuz de ck How be it they are good men Much harted lyke an hen Their lessons forgotten they haue That Becket them gaue Thomas manum mittit ad forcia Spernit damna spernit opprobria Nulla Thomam frangit iniuria But now euery spirituall father Men say they had rather Spende muche of their share Than to be combred with care Spende , nay but spare For let see who that dare Shoe the mockish mare They make her winch and kicke But it is not worthe a leeke Boldnesse is to seeke The churche for to defende Take me as I intende For lothe I am to offende In thys that I haue pende I tell you as men say Amend when ye may For vs que ad montem fare Men say ye cannot appare For some say ye hunt in parkes And Hanke on hobby Larkes And other wanton warkes Whan the night darkes . What hath laymen to doe The gray gose for to shoe Lyke houndes of hell They cry and they yell How that ye sell The grace of the holygost Thus they make their host Through euery cost How some of you do eat In Lenton season flesh meat Fesauntea Partriche and cranes Men call you therfore prophanes Ye picke no shrympes nor pranes Saltfissh , Stockfish nor Herring It is not for your wearing Nor in holy Lenton season Ye wil neither Beanes ne Peason But ye looke to be let loose To a pygge or to a Goose Your george not endewed Without a Capon stewed Or a stewed Cocke Under her surfled smocke And her wanton wodicocke And how when ye geue orders In your prouinciall borders As at sicientes Some are in sufficientes Some parum sapientes Some nichil intelligentes Some ualde negligentes Some nullum sensum habent●s But bestially and vntaught But whan they haue once caught Dominus vobiscum by the hed Than renne they in euere stede God wot with dronken nolles Yet take they cures of soules And woteth neuer what they rede Pater noster nor Crede Construe not worth a whistle Nether gospel nor pistle Theyr Mattins madly sayde Nothing deuoutly praid Their learning is so small Their prymes and houres fal And lepe out of their lippes Lyke sawdust or dry chippes I speake not now of al But the moste parte in general Of suche vagabundus Speaketh totus Mundus How some syng let abundus At euerye ale stake With welcome hake and make By the bread that God brake I am sory for your sake I speake not of the god wife But of their Apostles lyfe Cum ipsis Vel illis Qui manent in Villis Est Vxor Vel ancilla Welcome Iacke and Gilla My prety Petronylla And you wil be stilla You shall haue your wylls Of such Pater noster pekes All the worlde speakes . In you the faut is supposed For that they are not apposed By iust examinacion In conning and connersation They haue none instruction To make a true construction A priest without a letter Without his vertue be greater Doutlesse were much better Upon him for to take A Mattocke or a Kake Alas for very shame Some can not declyne their name Some cannot scarsly rede And yet wyll not drede For to kepe a cure , And in nothing is sure This dominus Vobiscum As wyse as Tom a thrum A chaplayne of truste Layth all in the dust Thus I Colin Clout As I go about And wandryng as I walke I heare the people talke Men say for syluer and Golde Miters are bought and sold There shall no clergy appose A myter nor a Crosse But a full purse A straw for goddes curse What are they the worse For a simoniake , Is but a hermoniake And no more ye make Of Symony men say But a childes play Ouer this the forsayd laye Report how the Pope maye A holy anker call Out of the stony wall And hym a bysshopp make If he on him dare take To kepe so hard a rule To ryde vpon a Mule Wyth golde all be trapped In purple and paule be lapped Some hatted and some capped Rychely be wrapped God wot to theyr great paynes In Rotchettes of fine raynes Whyte as morowes mylke Their tabertes of fine silke Their stirops of mixt golde begarded There may no cost be spared Their Moyles Golde doth eate Theyr neyghbours dye for meat . What care they though Gill sweat Or Iacke of the Noke The pore people they yoke With Sommons and Citacions And excommunications Aboute churches and market The byshop on his carpet At home full soft doth syt This is afeareful fyt To heare the people iangle How warely they wrangle Alas why do ye not handle And them all mangle Full falsly on you they lye And shamefully you as●ry And say as vntruly As the butter fly A man might say in mocke Ware the Wethercocke Of thee steple of Poules And thus they hurt their soules In sclaunderyng you for truth Alas it is great ruthe Some say ye sit in trones Like prynces aquilonis And shryne your rotten bones With pearles and precious stones But how the commons grones And the people mones For preestes and for loues Lent and neuer payde But from day to day delaid The commune welth decayd Men say ye are tunge tayde And therof speake nothing But dissimuling and glosing Wherfore men be supposing That ye geue shrewd counsel Against the commune wel By pollyng and pillage In cities and village By taxyng and tollage Ye haue monks to haue the culerage For coueryng of an old cottage That committed is a collage In the charter of dottage Tenure par seruice de sottage And not par seruice desocage After olde segnyours And the learning of litleton tenours Ye haue so ouerth warted That good lawes are subutered And good reason peruerted Religious men are fayne For to turne agayne In secula seculorum And to forsake their corum And vacabundare perforum And take a fyne meritorum Contra regulam morum Aut blacke monacorum Aut canonicor um Aut Bernar dinorum Aut crucifixorum And to synge from place to place Lyke apostataas And the selfe same game Begon and now with shame Amongest the sely Nunnes My lady now she runnes Dame Sybly our abbesse Dame Dorotho and lady Besse Dame Sare our Pryoresse Out of theyr clo yster and quere With an heauye cheere Must cast vp theyr blacke vayles And set vp their fucke sayles To catch wind with theyr ventailes What Colin there thou shailes Yet thus wyth yll hayles The lay fee people rayles And all they laye On you prelates and say Ye do wrong and no righte To put them thus to flight No Matins at midnight Boke and chalis gone quite Plucke away the leades Ouer theyr heades And sel away theyr bels And al that they haue els Thus the people tels Rayles lyke rebels Redeshrewdly and spels And wyth foundations mels And talke lyke titiuelles How ye breake the deades willes Turne monasteris into water millis Of an abbey ye make a graunge Your workes they say are straunge So that theyr founders soules Haue lost theyr beade roules The mony for theyr masses Spent among wanton lasses The Diriges are forgotten Their founders lye there rotten But where theyr soules dwel Therwith I wil not mel What could the Turke do more Wyth all hys false lore Turke , Sarazen or Iew I report me to you O merciful Iesu you support and rescite My stile for to directe It may take some effect For I abhorre to wryte How the lay fee dispite You prelates that of ryght Should be lanternes of light ye liue they say in delyte Drowned in deliciis In gloria et diuiciis Into honorable honore In gloria et splendore Fulgurantes haste Viuentes parum caste Yet swete meat hath soure sauce For after gloria laus Christ by crueltie Was nayled vpon a tree He payed a bitter pencion For mans redemption He dranke eisel and gall To redeme vs withall But swete Ipocras ye drynke With let the Cat winke Ich wot what eche other thynk How be it per assimule Some men thinke that ye Shall haue penaltie For your iniquity Nota what I say And beare it wel awaye If it please not the ologys It is good for astrologis For Ptholme told me The sunne somtime to bee In Ariete Ascendent a degree Whaa Scorpion descending Was so then pretending All fatall for one That shall sit on a trone And rule all thinges alone Your teeth whet on this bone Amongest you euery chone And let Collyn Cloute haue none Maner of cause to mone Lay salue to your owne sore For els as I sayd before After gloria laus May come a soure sauce Sory therfore am I But trouth can neuer lye With language thus poluted Holy church is bruted And shamefully confuted My pen now wyll I sharpe And wrest vp my harpe With sharpe twinking trebels Agaynst al such rebels That labour to confound And bring the church to the ground As ye may daily see Howe the Laye fee Of one affinitee Consente and agree Agaynst the Churche to be And the dignitee Of the bysshoppes fee And eyther ye be to bad Or els they are mad Of this to report But vnder your supporte , Tyll my dying day I shall bothe wryte and say And ye shall do the same How they are blame You thus to diffame For it maketh me sad How that the people are glade The church to depraue And some there are that raue Presuming on their wit Whan there is neuer a whit To maintaine axgumentes Against the sacramentes Some make epilogation Of highe predestitation And of residenation They make interpretation Of an awquard facion And of the prescience Of diuine essence And what Ipostatis Of Christes manhodeis Such logike men wyl chop And in their fury hope When the good ale sop Dothe daunce in their fore top Both women and men Such ye may wel Know and ken That agayn presthode Their malice spred abrode Railing hainously And disdainously Of priestly dignities But their malignities And some haue a smacke Of Luthers sacke And a brenning sparke Of Luthers warke And are somwhat suspect In Luthers sect And some of them barke Clatter and Carpe Of that Heresy art Called wicleuista The Deuelishe dogmatista And some behussians And some bee Arrians And some be pollegians And make much varians Betwene the clergy And the temporalty Hew the church hath to mickel And they haue to litel And bring him in maierialities And qualified qualities Of pluralities Of tryalities And of tot quottes They commune like scottes As commeth to their lottes Of prebendaries and deanes How some of them gleanes And gathered vp the store For to catch more and more Of persons and vicaries They make many out cryes They cannot kepe theyr wiues From them for theyr lyues And thus the losels striues And lewdly sayes by Christ Agaynste the sely priest Alas and wel awaye What ayles theym thus to saye They mought be better aduised Then to be disgised But they haue enterprysed And shamefullye surmised How prelacy is sold and bought And come vp of nought And where the prelates be Come of low degre And set in maiesty And spirituall dignity Farwel benignity Farwell simplicitye Farwel humilitye Farwel good charity Ye are so puffed wyth pryde That no man may abide Your high and lordly lokes Ye cast vp then your bokes And vertue is forgotten For then ye wyl be wroken Of euery light quarel And cal a Lord a iauel A knight a knaue to make Ye boste , ye face , ye crake And vpon you take To rule king and kayser And if you maye haue layser Ye bryng all to nought And that is all your thought For the Lordes temporall Their rule is very small Almost nothing at al Men say how ye appal The noble bloud royal In ernest and in game Ye are the lesse to blame For Lordes of noble bloude If they wel vnderstand How conning might them auaunce They would pype you another daunce But noble men borne To learne they haue scorne But hunt and blow an horne Leape ouerlakes and dikes Set nothing by politikes Therfore ye kepe them bace And mocke them so their face This is a petious case To you that ouer the wheele Lordes must couch and knele And breake theyr hose at the knee As daily men may see And to remembraunce call Fortune so turneth the ball And ruleth so ouer all That honour hath a great fall . Shal I tel you more , ye shal I am loth to tel all But the communalty ye call Idols of Babilon De terrazabuloe De terra Neptalym For you loue to go trim Brought vp of of poore estate Wyth pryde inordinate Sodaynly vpstarte From the dong cart The Mattockes and theshule To reygne and to rule And haue no grace to thynke How they were wont to drynke Of a lether bottell With a knauish stoppel Whan mamockes was your meate With mould bread to eat Ye would none other geate To chew and to gnaw To fil therwith your maw Lodged in the strawe Couching your drousy heades Somtime in lousy beddes Alas this is out of minde Ye grow now out of kynde Many one haue but winde And make the commons blinde But Qui se existimat star● Let him wel beware Least that his fote slip And haue such a trip And falle in such decay That all the world myght say Come down on the diuels way Yet ouer all that Of byshops they chat That though ye round your heare An ynche aboue your eare And aures patentes And parum intendentes And your coursers be trapped Your eares they be stopped For maister adulator And doctour assentator And blandior blandiris With mentor mentiris They folow your desyres That ye can not espie And so they blere your eye How the male doth wryte Alas for gods will Whye sytte ye Prelates styl And suffer all this yll Ye Bysshoppe of estates Shoulde open the brode gates For your spirituall charge And confort at large Like lanternes of light In the peoples sighte In pulpettes antentike For the wele publike Of pri esthod in this case And alwayes to chase Suche manner of sismatikes And halfe heretikes That wold intoxicate That wold conquinate That wold contaminate And that would violate And that would derogate And that would abrogate The church is high estate After this manner rates The whyche shoulde be Bothe franke and free And haue their liberty And of antiquity It was ratefyed And also gratefyed By holy finodals And buls papals As it is res certa Conte ygned in magna Carta . But maister Damian Or some other man That clerkely is , and can Wel scripture expound And textes grounde . His benefice worth ten pound Or skant worth twenty marke And yet a noble clerke He must do this werke As I know a part Some maysters of Art Some doctours of law Some learned in other saw As in diuinitie That hath no dignitie But the pore degree Of the vniuersitie Or elsse Frere Fredericke Or els frere Dominike Or frere Hugulinus Or frere Agustinus Or frere Carmelus That gostly can heale vs Or elsse if we maye Get a frere Graye Or elsse of the order Uppon Grenewiche border Called obseruaunce And a frere of Fraunce Or elsse the poore scot It muste come to his lot To shote forth his shot Or of Babuell beside Bery To postell vpon a kyry That woulde it shoulde be noted How scripture should be coted And so clerkle promoted And yet the frere doted

Men say

But your auctority And your noble fee And your dignitie Should be imprinted better Then all the Freres letter For yf ye wolde take payne To preache a worde or twayne Though it were neuer so playne With clauses two or three So as they mighte he Compendiouslye conueyed Those wordes should be more weid And better peceyued And thankfully receyued And better shoulde remayne Amonge the people playne That wolde your wordes retayne And reherse them agayne Than a thousand thousand other That blaber , barke and blother And make a Walshmans hose Of the text and of the glose For protestation made That I will not wade Farther in this brooke Nor farther for to looke In deuising of this boke But answer that I may For myself alwaye Eyther analogice Or els rathagorice So that in diuinitee Doctors that learned be Nor bachelers of that faculty That hath taken degre In the vniuersitie Shall not be obiected for me . But doctour bullatus Parum litteratus Dominus doctoratus At the brode gatus Doctour daupatus And bacheler bacheleratus Dronken as a mouse At the ale house Taketh his pillion and his cap At the good ale tap For lacke of good wyne As wyse as Robin swine Under a notaries signe Was made a diuine As wise as waltoms calfe Must preache a goddes halfe In the pulpyt solempnly More meet in a pillory For by sainct Hillary He can nothing smatter Of logike nor scole matter Neyther silogisare Nor of emptimeniare Nor knoweth his eloquence Nor his predicamence . And yet he will mel To amend the Gospel And wil preach and tel What they do in hel And he dare not wel neuen What they do in hauen Nor how far temple bare is From the seuen starres Nowe will I goe And tel of other moe Semper protestandoe De non impugnandoe The foure orders of fryers Thoughe some of them be lyers As limiters at large Wyll charge and discharge As many a fryer God wot Preaches for his grote Flatterynge for a new cote And for to haue hys fees Some to gather cheese Lothe they are to lese Eyther Corne or Mault Sometime Meale and Sault Sometime a bacon flicke That is three fingers thycke Of larde and of greace Their couent to e●crace I put you out of doubt This cannot be brought about But they their tonges file And make a pleasaunt style To Margerye and to Maude Howe they haue no fraude And somtyme they prouoke Bothe Gyll and Iacke at noke Their duties to withdraw That they ought by the lawe Their curates to content In open time and in Lente God wot they take great payne To flatter and to fayne But it is and old sayd saw That neede hathe no lawe Some walke aboute in melottes In gray russet and hery cotes Some wil neyther golde ne grotes Some pluck a partrich in remotes And by the barres if her tayle Wil know a Rauen from a rayle A quail , the raile , and the old rauen Sed libera nos a malo . Amen . And by dudum their clementine Againste Curates repine And say proprely they are Sacerdotes To shryue , assoyle and reles Dame margeries soule out of hel But when the frier fel in the wel He could not sing himselfe therout But by the helpe of Christian clout Another clementine also How frere Fabion , with other mo Exiuit de paradiso Whan they again thether shall come De hoc petimus consilium And through all the world they go With Dirige and Placebo . But now my minde ye vnderstand For they muste take in hand To preach and to with stand Al maner of abiections For bishops haue protections They say to do corrections But they haue no affections To take the sayd directions In such maner of cases Men say they beare no faces To occupy such places To sow the sede of graces Their hartes are so faynted And they be so attaynted With coueitous and ambicion And other supersticion That they be deafe and dum And play scylens and glum Cansay nothing but mum . They occupy theym so With singing placeho They wil no farther go They had leuer to please And take their wordly ease Than to take on hand Worshyp to wythstande Suche temporal war and bate As nowe is made of late Against holy churche estate Or to mayntayne good quarelles The lay men call them barelles Full of glotony And of hipocrisye That counterfaytes and paints As they were very saintes In matters that them lyke They shew them politiks . Pretending grauitie And sygnyorytie With all solempnitie For their indempnitie For they will haue no lesse Of a peny , nor of a crosse Of their prediall landes . That cometh to their handes And as farre as they dare set Al is fyshe that cometh to net Building royally Their mancions curiously With turrettes and with toures With halles and with boures Stretching to the starres With glasse windowes & barres Hangyng about the walles Clothes of golde and palles Arras of ryche araye Freshe as floures in Maye Wyth dame Dyana naked Howe lustye Uenus quaked And how Cupide shaked His darte and bente hys bowe For to shote a Crowe At her tyrly tyrlowe And howe Paris of Troye Daunced a lege de may Made lustye sporte and ioye With dame Helyn the Queene With such storyes by deen Their chambres wel be seen With triumphes of Cesar And of his Pompeius war Of renowne and of fame , By them to get a name Nowe all the world stares How they ryde in goodly chares Conueyed by Olyphantes With Lauriat garlantes And by vnycornes With their semely hornes Upon these beastes riding Naked boyes striding With wanton wenches winkyng Now truly to my thinkyng That is a speculacion And a mete meditacion For prelates of estate Their courage to abate From worldly wantonnes Their chambre thus to dres With such parfetnes And all such holynes How be it they let down fall Their churches cathedral Squire knight and Lord Thus the church remord With all temporal people They runne against the steeple Thus talkyng and tellinge Howe some of you are mellynge Yet softe and fayre for swellyng Beware of a queanes yellling It is a besy thing It is a besy thing For one man to rule a kyng Alorie and make rekenyng To gouerne ouer all And rule a realme royall By one mannes wit Fortune may chaunce to flit And whan he weneth to syt Yet may he mysse the quisshon For I red a preposicion Sum regibus amicare Et omnibus dominare Et suprate prauare Wherfore he hathe good vre That can himselfe assure How fortune wyl endure Than let reason you support For the communalte That they haue great wonder That ye kepe them so vnder Yet they meruayle so muche lesse For ye playso at the chesse As they suppose and gesse That some of you but late Hath played so check mate With Lordes of great estate After such a rate That they shall mel nor make Nor vpon them take For king nor Rayser sake But at the pleasure of one That ruleth the rest alone . Helas , I saye Helas Howe maye this come to passe That a man shall heare a masse And not so hardy on his head To loke on god in forme of bread But that the paryshe clerke There vpon must herke And graunt him at his askyng For to see the sacryng And how may this acord No man to our souerayne Lorde So hardy to make sute Nor to execute His commaundement Without the assent Of our president Nor to expresse to his person Without your assentacion Graunt him his licence To preace to his presence Nor to speake to him secretly Openly nor preuyly Without his president be by Or els his substitute Whome he wyldepute Neither Earle ne duke Permitted by sainct Luke And bysweet sainct Marke This is a wonderous warke That the people talke this Some what there is amis The deuill cannot stop their mouthes But they will talk of suche vncouthes All that euer they ken Against all spirituall men . Whether it be wronge or ryghte Or els for dispighte Or howe euer it hape Theyr tounges thus do clap And through such detraction They put you to your action And whether they say truely As they may abide therby Or els that they do lye Ye know better than I But now , debetis scire And groundlye audire In your conuenire Of this premenire Or els in the myre They say they wil you cast Therfore stand sure and fast . Stand sure and take good foting And let be al your moting Your gasing and your toting And your parcial promoting Of those that stand in your grace But olde seruauntes ye chase And put them out of their place Make ye no murmuracion Though I write after this facion Though I Colyn Clout Among the whole route Of you that clearkes be Take vpon me Thus copiously to write I do it not for no despite Wherfore take nodisdaine At my stile rude and playne For I rebuke no man That vertuous is , why than Wreke ye your anger on me For those that vertuous be Haue no cause to say That I speake out of the way . Of no good byshop speake I Nor good prest of the clargy Good Frere nor good Chanon Good Nunne , nor good Canon Good Monke , nor good Clerke Nor of no good werke But my recountyng is Of them that do amis In speaking and rebelling In hindering and disauailing Holy church our mother One against another To vse such dispising Is all my whole wryting To hinder no man As neare as I can For no man haue I named Wherfore should I blamed Ye ought to be ashamed Against me to be greued And can tell no cause why But that I wryte trulye Then if any ther be Of high or low degree Of the spiritualty Or of the temporaltye That doth thinke or wene That his conscience be not clene And feleth hymselfe sycke Or touched on the quicke Such grace god them send Themself to amend For I wyll not pretend Any man to offende Wherfore as thinketh me Great ydeottes they bee And lytle grace they haue This treatise to depraue Nor wil heare no preaching Nor no vertuous teaching Nor wil haue no resiting Of any vertuous wryting Wil know none intelligence To refourme their negligence But liue stil out of facion To their owne damnation To do shame , they haue no shame But they wold no man should theim blame They haue an euil name But yet they wil occupy the same With them the worde of God Is counted for no rod They count it for a railinge That nothing is anayling The preachers with euil hailing Shal they daunt vs prelates That be their prymates Not so hardy on their pates Harke how the losel prates With a wide wesaunte Auaunt syr Guy of gaunt Auaunte lewde preest auaunt Auaunt syr doctoure dyuers Prate of thy mattens and thy masse And let oure matters passe How darest thou daucocke mel ? How darest thou losell Alligate the gospel Against vs of the counsel Auaunt to the deuil of hel Take him warden of the Flete Set him faste by the fete I say lyuetenaunt of the toure Make this lurden for to loure Lodge him in litle ease Fede him with Beanes and Pease The kinges bench or Marshalsy Haue him thether by and by The villaine preacheth openly And declareth oure villany And of our fre simplenesse He sayes that we are rechlesse And full of wylfulnesse Shameles , and merciles In corrigible and insaciate And after this rate Against vs doth prate At Paules crosse or els where Openly at Westminster And saynt Mary spittel They set not by vs a whistel At the Austen fryers They count vs for lyers And at saynt Thomas of Akers They carpe vs lyke crakers How we wyl rule al at will Without good reason or skyll And say how that we be Full of parcialitie And how at a pronge We turne right to wrong Delay causes so longe That right no man can fong They say many matters be born By the right of a rammes horne Is not this a shamefull scorne ? To be teared thus and torne . How may we thus indure Wherfore we make you sure Ye preachers shal be yawde Some shal be sawde As noble Ezechias The holy prophet was And some of you shall dye Lyke holy Ieremy Some hanged some slayn Some beaten to the brayne And we wil rule and rayne And our matters maintaine Who dare say there agayne Or who dare dysdaine At your pleasure and wil For be it good or be it yll As it is , it shal be stil For al master doctour of ciuil Or of oiuine , or doctour dryuil Let him cough , roughe or sneuil Renne God , renne deuil Renne who may renne best And let take all the rest We set not a nut shel The way to heauen or to hel , Lo , this is the gise now a dayes It is to drede men sayes Least they bee saducies As they be sayd sayne Which determine playne We shoulde not rise agayne At dreadful domes daye And so it semeth they play Which hate to be corrected When they bee infected Nor wyll suffer this boke By hooke ne by crooke Prynted for to be For that no man shoulde see Nor rede in any scrolles Of their dronken nolles Nor of their noddy polles Nor of theyr sely soules Nor of some witles pates Ofdiuers great estates As well as other men Now to withdraw my pen And now a while to rest Me semeth it for the beste . The fore castel of my ship Shall glide and smothely slip Out of the waues wode Of the stormye floude Shote anker and lye at rode And sayle not farre a brode Til the cooste be clere That the lode starre appere My shyp now wyl I pere towarde the port salu Of our sauiour Iesu Such grace that he vs sende To rectify and amend Thinges that are amis Whan that his pleasure is , In opere imperfecto In opere semper perfecto Et in opere plusquam perfecto
❧ Here after foloweth a Litle boke of Philip sparow compiled by ▪ master . Skelton Poet Laureate . PLa ce bo Who is there who Di le ●i , Dame Margery Fa re my my Wherefore and why why For the soule of philip sparow That was late slaine at Carow Amonge the Nunnes blake For that sweet soules sake And for al sparowes soules Set in our bead roules Pater noster qui With an Aue mari And with the corner of a creed The more shal be your meed .
WHan I remembre agayne How my philip was slaine Neuer halfe the paine Was betwene you twayne Pyramus and Theshe As than befell to me I wept and I wayled The teares down hayled But nothing it auailed To call Pptlip agayne Whom Gib our cat hath slayne . Gib I say our cat Worrowed her on that Which I loued best It cannot be exprest My sorowful heauynes But al without redres For within that stound Half slumbryng in a sounde I fell downe to the ground Unneth I kest mine eyes Toward the cloudy skyes But when I did behold My sparow dead and cold No creature but that wold Haue rewed vpon me To behold and see What heauines did me pange Wherwith my handes I wrange That my senowes cracked As though I had ben racked So payned and so strained That no life welnye remained I sighed and I sobbed For that I was robbed Of my sparowes life O mayden , widow and wife Of what estate ye be Of hye or low degre Great sorow then ye might se And learne to wepe at me Such paynes did me freat That mine harte did beat My visage pale and dead Wanne , and blue as lead The panges of hateful death wel nye stopped my breathe . Heu heu me That I am woe for thee Ad dum cumtribularer clamaui Of god nothing els craue I
BUt Philips soule to kepe From the marees deepe Of Acherontes wel That is a floud of hel And from the greate Pluto The prince of endles woe And from foule Alecto With visage blacke and blo And from Medusa that ●are That lyke a feende doth stare And from Megeras edders From rufflinge of philips fethers And from her firy sparklinges For burning of his winges And from the smokes soure Of Proserpinas boure And from the dennes darke Wher Cerberus doth baike Whom Theseus did afray Whom Hercules did out tray As Famous Poetes saye For that hel hounde That lyeth in chaynes bound With gastly heades three To Iupiter pray wee That Phillip preserued maye bee Amen say ye wyth me , Do mi nus Helpe now sweet Iesus Leuaui oculos meos in montis Wold God I had zenophontis .
OR Socrates the wyse To shew me their deuise Moderately to take Thys sorow that I make For Philyp sparowes sake So feruently I shake I fele my body quake So vrgently I am broughte Into careful thought Like andromaca hactors wife Was weary of her lyfe When she had lost her ioy Noble Hector of Troy In like maner also Encreaseth my deadly woe For my sparow is go●●● It was so prety a foole It wold syt on a stoole And learned after my scoole For to kepe his cut With Phillip kepe your cut . It had a veluet cap And wold syt vpon my lap And seke after smal wormes And sotime white bread crommes And many times and ofte Betwene my brestes soft It wold lye and rest It was propre and prest Sometime he wold gaspe When he saw a waspe A flye or a gnat He would fly at that And pretely he would pant When he saw an ant Lord how he wold pry After the butter fly Lord how he wold hop After the gressop And whan I , sayd , phyp phip Then he wold leape and skip And take me by the lip Alas it wyl me sloe That Philip is gone me fro Si in i qui ta tes Alas I was euil at ease Deprofundis clamaui When I saw my sparow dye .
NOwe after my dome Dame Sulpicia at Rome whose name registred was For euer in tables of bras Because shee did pas In poesy to endyte And eloquently to write Though she wold pretend My sparow to commend I trow she could not amende Reporting the vertues al Of my sparow royal For it would come and go And fle so to and fro And on me it wold leape Whan I was a sleape And his fethers shake Wher wyth hee wold make Me often for to wake And for to take him in Upon my naked skin God wot we thought no syn What though he crept so low It was no hurt I trow He did nothinge perdee But syt vpon my knee Philip though hee were nise In hym it was no vise Phillip had leaue to go To pike my litle too Phillip myght be bold And do what he wold Phillip wold seke and take All the flees blake That he could there espye With his wanton eye D pe ra La sol fa fa Confitebor tibi domiue toto corde me● Alas I wold ride and go
A Thousand mile of grounde If any such might be founde it were worth an hundreth pound Of kyng Cresus golde Or of Artalus the old The ryche prynce of pargame Who so list the story to see Cadinus that his sister sought And he should be boughte For gold and see He should ouer the see To wete , if he coulde bryng Any of the sprynge Or any of the bloude But who so vnderstode Of Medias arte I wold I had a parte Of her crafty magike My sparow than shoulde be quycke Wyth a charme or twaine And play with me agayne But al this is in vaine Thus for to complaine I toke my sampler ones Of purpose for the nones To sow wyth stitches of silke My sparow white as mylke That by representacion Of his image and facion To me it might Importe Some pleasure and comfort For my solace and sporte But whan I was so wing his beke Me thought my sparow dyd speake And open his prety bill Saying , maid ye are in wil Again me for to kil Ye pricke me in the head With that my nedle ware red Me thought of Philyps bloude Mine here right vpstode And was in such a fraye My speche was taken awaye I kest downe that there was And sayd alas , alas How commeth this to pas My fingers dead and cold Could not my sampler hold My nedle and threde I thrue awaye for drede The best now that I may Is for his soule to pray . A porta inferi Good Lord haue mercie Upon my sparowes soule Writen in my bede roule Au di ui vocem Iaphet cam and Sem Ma gni fi cat Shew me the right path
TO the hilles of armonye wherfore the birdes yet cry Of your fathers bote That was somtime a flote And now they lye and ●ote Let some poetes wryte Deucalious floud it highte But as verely , as ye be The naturall sonnes three Of Noe the Patriarke That made that great ar● Wherin he had apes and owles Beastes , byrdes and foules That if ye can fynde Any of my sparowes kynde God sende the soule good rest I woulde yet haue a nest As prety and as prest As my sparow was But my Sparow dyd pas All sparowes of the wod That were since Noes floud Was neuer none so good King Philip of Macedony Had no such Philip as I No no sir hardely . That vengeaunce . I aske & cry By way of exclamacion On al the whole nacion Of Cattes wilde and tame God send them sorow and shame That Cat specially That slew so cruelly My litle prety sparow That I brought vp at Carow . O cat of churlyshe kynde The feend was in thy minde Whan thou my byrd vntwynde I wolde thou haddest ben blynd The leopardes sauage The lyons in their rage Might catche the in their pawes And gnaw the in theyr ia wes These serpentes of Libany Might sting the venemously The dragons with their tunges Might poison thy liuer and lunges The manticors of the mountaynes Mighte feed them on thy braines Melanchates that hound That plucked Atteon to the grounde Gaue him his mortal wound Chaunged to a deere The story doth appere Was chaunged to an harte So thou foule cat , that thou arte The selfe same hounde Might the confound That his own Lord bote Mighte bite a sunder thy throte Of Inde the gredy gripes Might teare out all thy tripes Of Arcady the beares Might plucke awaye thine eares The wilde wolfe Licaon Bite a sondre thy backe hone Of Ethna the brenning hyl That day and night brenneth styll Set in thy tayle a blase That al the world may gase And wonder vpon thee From Occion the greate sea Unto the Iles of Orchadye From Tilbery fery To the playne of Salisberye So trayterously my byrd to kyll That neuer ought the euil will Was neuer bird in cage More gentil of corage In doing his homage Unto his soueraine Alas I say agayne Deate hath departed vs twayne The false cat hath the slaine Fare well Phillip a dewe Our Lorde thy soule rescewe Farewell without restore Farewell for euer more And it were a Iew It wold make one rew To se my sorow new These vilanus false cattes Were made for mise and rattes And not for byrdes small Alas my face waxeth pale Telling this pyteous tale How my byrd so fayre That was wont to repayre And go in at myspayre And crepo in at my gore Of my goune before Flickering with his winges Alas my hert it stynges Remembring prety thynges Alas myne hart it sleeth My Philips doleful death Whan I remembre it How pretely it wold sit Many tymes and oft Upon my finger aloft I played with him tittel tattel And fed him with my spattell With his bil betwene my lips It was my prety Phips Many a prety kusse Had I of his swete musse And now the cause is thus That he is slayne me fro To my great payne and wo Of fortune , this the chaunce Standeth an varyaunce Oft time after pleasaunce Trouble and greuaunce No man can be sure ●way to haue pleasure 〈◊〉 wel perceiue ye may ●ow my disport and playe ●rom me was taken awaye ●y Gyb our cat sauage ●hat in furious rage ●aught Phillip by the head ●nd slue him there starke dead . ●●rie eleyson Christ eleyson . ●●rye leyson .
FOr Philip sparowes soule Set in our bead roule Let vs now whisper Pater noster . Lauda anima mea dominum . ●o weep with me loke that ye come ●ll maner of byrds in your kynd ●ee none be left behind To morning loke that ye fawl With dolorous songes funerall ●ome to sing , and some to say ●ome to weep and some to praye ●uery bird in his lay ●he Goldfinch the wagtaile The iangling Iaye to rayle The flecked Pye to chatter Of this dolorous matter And Robyn red breste He shal be the preest The Requiem masse to syng Loftly warbeling With helpe of the red sparow And the chattering swallow This hearse for to halow The Larke with his long toe The spinke & the Martinet also The shouelar with his brode beck The doterell that folish pecke And also the mad coote With a balde face to toote The felde fare and the snyte The crowe and the kyte The rauen called rolfe His playne songe to solfe The partryche , the quayle The plouer wyth vs to wayle The wodhacke that singeth churre Horsly as hee had the murre The lusty chaunting nightingale The popingaye to tel her tale That toteth oft in a glasse Shal rede the Gospel at masse The mauis with her whistell Shal rede there the pistell But with a large and a longe ● kepe iust playne songe Our chaunters shal be that Cuckoue ●he Culuer , the stockedoue With puwyt the Lapwing ●he versycles shal synge The Bitter with his bumpe The Crane with his trumpe The swan of Menander The Goose and the Gander ●he ducke and the drake Shal watche atthys wake The Pecocke so proude Because hys voyce is loud And hath a gloryous tale He shal synge the grayle The Owle that so foule Must helpe vs to Houle the Heron so gaunte And the cormoraunte Wyth the Fesaunt And the gaglyng gaunte And the churlish Choughe the rout and the kough the barnacle the bussard With the wilde mallard the diuendop to sleep the water ben to weep Thhe puffin , and the tele Money they shall dele To pore folke at large That shal be theyr charge The semew , and the titmose The wodcocke with the long nose The thre still with her warblinge The starling with her brablinge The rooke , with the Ospray That putteth fisshes to afray And the deinty curlew With the turtil most true At this Placebo . We may not well forgo The countring of the co The storke also That maketh his nest In chimneyes to rest Within those walles No broken galles Maye there abide Of cokoldry syde Or els Philosophy Maketh a greatlye The Estridge that wil eate An horshowe so greate In the stede of meat Such feruent heat His stomake doth freat He cannot wel fly Nor synge tunably Yet at abrayde He hath well assayd To solf a aboue Ela Fa lorell fa fa Ne quaando Male cantando The best that we can To make him our belman An let him ring the bels He can do nothing els , Chaunteclere our Cocke Must tell what is of the clocke By the astrologye That he hath naturally Conceyued and caught And was neuer taught By Al bumazer The astronomer Nor by ptholomy Prince of Astronomer Nor yet by Haly And yet he croweth dayly And nightly the tydes That no man abides With partlot his hen Whome now and then Hee plucketh by the hed whan he doth her tred The bird of Arabye that potenciallye May neuer dye And yet there is none But one alone A phenix it is this herse that must blis With armaticke gummes that cost great summes the way of thurification to make fumigacion Swete of reflarye And redolent of ayre This corse for sence With great reuerence As Patriarke or Pope In a blacke cope Whiles he senseth He shal syng the verse Libera me In de la sol re Softly bemole For my sparowes soule Plinni sheweth al In his story natural What he doth finde Of the Phenix kinde Of whose incineracion There riseth a new creacion Of the same facion Wythout alteracion Sauing that old age Is turned into corage Of fresh youth agayne This matter true and playne Playne matter in deed Who so lyst to rede But for the Egle doth fly Hyest in the sky He shal be thy se deane The quere to demeane As prouost principall To teach them their Ordinall Also the noble fawcon With the gerfawcon The tarsel gentil They shall morne softe and still In theyr amisse of gray The sacre with them shal say Dirige for Philips soule The Goshauke shal haue a roul The querestrers to controule The lanners and marlions shall standin their mournīggounes The hobby and the musket The sensers and the crosse shall fet The kestrel in al this warke Sal be holy water clarks And now the darke cloudy night Chaseth away phebus bryght taking his course toward the weste God send my sparoes soule good rest Rcquiē eternam dona eis domine Fa fa fa my re A por ta in fe ri Fa fa fa my my Credo Videre bona domini I pray god philip to heuen may flie Domine exaudi or acionem me am to heauen he shal from heuen he came Do mi nus vo bis cum of al good praiers god send him sum Oremus . Deus cui propreum est miserere & percere On Phillips soule haue pity :
FOr he was a prety cocke And came of a gentill stocke and wrapt in a maidens smock And cherished full daintely tyll cruel fate made him to dye Alas for doleful desteny But where to shuld I Lenger morne or cry ? To Iupiter I call Of heauen emperial That Philip may fly Aboue the sterrysky To treade the pretywren That is our Ladies hen Amen , amen , amen Yet one thing is behinde That now commeth to mind An Epitaphe I wold haue For Phillips graue But for I am a mayde Timerous , halfe afrayde That neuer yet a sayde Of Elycones well Where the muses dwell Though I can rede and spell Recount report and tell Of the talles of Caunterbury Some sad storyes , some mercy As Palomon , and Arcet Duke Theseus and partelet And of the wife of bath That worketh much scathe Whan her tale is told Among huswiues bold How she controld Her husbandes as she wold And theim to dispise In the homeliest wise Bring other wiues in thought their husbandes to set at naught And though that red haue I Of Gawen and syr Guy And tel can a great peece Of the golden fleere How Iason it wan Like a valiaunt man Of Arturs round table with his knightes commendable And dame Gaynour hys Quene was somwhat wanton I wene How syr Launcelote de lake Many a speare brake For his Ladyes sake Of Tristrom and kyng Marke And al the whole warke Of bele I sold his wife For whom was much strife Some say she was lyght And made her husband knyght Of the common hall That cuckoldes men call And of sir Libius Named Disconius Of quarter fylz Amunde And how they were sommond To Rome to Charlemayne Upon a great payne And how they rode each one On Bayard Mountalbon Men se him now and then In the forest Arden What though I can frame The storyes by name Of Iudas Machabeus And of Cesar Iulius And of the loue betwene Paris and viene And of the duke of Hannyball That made the Romaynes al For drede and to quake How Scipion did wake The citie of Cartage Which by his vnmerciful rage He beat down to the ground And though I can expound Of Hector of Troy That was al theyr ioye Whome Achilles slue Wherfore all Troy did rue And of the loue so hote That made Troylus to dote Upon fayre Cresseyde And what they wrote and sayd And of their wanton wils Pandaer bare the byls From one to the other His maisters loue to further Somtime a precious thynge An ouche or els a ryng From her to him agayn Somtime a prety chain Or a bracelet of her heare Prayed Troylus for to weare That token for her sake How hartely he did it take And much therof did make And al that was in vayne For shee dyd but fayne The story telleth playne He could not obtayne Though his father wer a king Yet there was a thynge That made the male to wryng She made him to sing The song of louers laye Musing night and daye Mourninge al alone Comfort had he none For she was quite gone Thus in conclusion She broughte him in abusion In earnest and in game She was much to blame Disparaged is her fame And blemished is her name In maner half with shame Troylus also hath lost On her muche loue and cost And now must kisse the post Pandara that went betwene Hath won nothyng I ween But light for somer greene Yet for a speciall laud He is named Troyllous baud Of that name he is sure Whiles the world shal dure Though I remembre the fable Of Penelope most stable To her husband most trew Yet long time she ne knew Whether he were on liue or ded Her wit stode her in sted That she was true and iuste For anye bodelye luste To Ulixes her make And neuer wold him forsake Of Marcus Marcellus A prosses I could tel vs And of Anteocus And of Iosep hus De antiquitatibus And of Mardocheus And of great Assuerus And of Uesca his Queene Whome he forsoke with teene And of Hester his otherwife With whom he led a pleasaunt life Of kynge Alerander And of kyng Euander And of Porcena the greate That made the romains to smart Though I haue enrold A thousande newe and old Of these historyous tales To fil bougets and ●ales With bookes that I haue red Yet I am nothynge syed And can but Iytle skyl Of Ouid or Uergil Or of Plutharke Or of Fraunces Petrarke Alcheus or Sapho Or suche other Poetes moe . As Linus and Homerus Enphorion and Theocritus Anacreon an Arion Sophocles and Philemon Pindarus and Dimonides Philiston & Phorocides These Poetes of auncientie They are to diffuse for me For as I to fore haue sayd I am but a yonge mayd And cannot in effect My stile as yet direct With englysh wordes elect Our naturall tonge is rude And hard to be enneude Wyth pollyshed tearmes lustye Oure language is so rustye So tankered and so ful Of frowardes and so dul That if I wold apply To write ordinately I wot not where to finde Termes to serue my mynde Gowers englyshe is olde And of no value is tolde His matter is worth gold And worthy to be enrold In Chauser I am sped His tales I haue red His mater is delectable Solacious and commendable His englishe wel alowed So as it is enprowed For as it is employed There is no englyshe voyd At those dayes muche commended And now men wolde haue amended His englishe where at they barke And marre all they warke Chaucer that famous Clarke His tearmes were not darcke But pleasaunt easy , and playne No worde he wrote in vayne Also Ihon Lydgate Wrytteth after an hyer rate It is diffuse to fynde The sentence of his mind Yet wryteth he in his kind No man that can amend Those maters that he hath pend Yet some men finde a faut And say he wryteth to haut Wherfore hold me excused If I haue not wel perused Myne englysh halfe abused Thoughe it be refused In worth I shall it take And fewer wordes maken But for my sparowes sake Yet as a woman maye My wit I shall assay An Epytaphe to wryghte In latyne playne and lyght Wherof the Elegy Foloweth by and by Flos Volucrum formose Valo Philippe sub is to Marmore iam recubas Quis mihi carus cras Semper erunt niido Radiantia sidera celo Impressusque meo Pectore semper eris Per me Laurigerum Britanum Skeltonida Vaten Hec cecinisse licet Ficta sub imagine texta Cuius eris uolucris Prestanti corpore Vrgo Candida Nais erat Formosior ista Ioanna est Docta corinna fuit Sed magis ista sapit

Bien men souient .

The commendacions . BEati immaculati in uia O gloriosa sa femina Now mine hole imaginacion And studious meditacion Is to take this commendacion In this consideracion And vnder pacient tolleracion Of that most godly mayd That Placebo hath sayd And for her sparow prayd In lamentable wyse Now wyl I enterpryse Thorow the grace diuine Of the muses nine Her beauty to commend If Arethusa wyll send Me enfluence to endite And with my pen to write If Apollo will promise Melodiouslye it to deuise His tunable harpe stringes With armonye that synges Of Princes and of kinges And of all pleasaunt thynges Of lust and of delyght Thorow his godly might To whome be the laud ascrybed That my pen hath enbibed With the aureat droppes As verelye my hope is Of Thagus that golden floud That passeth all the earthly good And as that floud dothe pas Al floudes that euer was With hys golden sandes Who so that vnderstandes Cosmography : and the stremes And the floudes in straunge remes Ryght so she dothe excede Al other of whom we rede Whose fame by me shall sprede Into Perce and Mede From britons Albion To the toure of Babilon I trust it is no shame And no manne wyl me blame Thoughe I regester her name In the courte of fame For thys most goodly floure This blossome of freshe coloure So Iupiter me succoure She florysheth new and new In beauty and vertue Hac claritate gemina O gloriosa femina
Retribue seruo tuo uiuifica me . L●bia mea laudabunt te . BUt enforsed am I Openlye to askry And to make an out cry Againste odyous enuye That euermore wyl lye And saye cursedlye With hys lether eye And chekes drye With vysage wan As swarte as tan His bones crake Leane as a rake Hys gummes rustye Are full vnlustye Hys harte with all Bytter as gall His liuer his longes With anger is wronge Hys serpentes tonge That many one hath stonge He frowneth cuer He laugheth neuer Euen nor morowe But other mens sorowe Causeth him to grin And reioice therein . No slepe can hym catche But euer doth watche he is so bete With malice and frete Wyth anger and yre his foule desire Wyl suffer no sleep In his head to creep His foule semblaunte Al displeasaunte Whan other are glad Than is hee sad Franticke and mad His tounge neuer styll For to saye yll Writhing and wringing Biting and stingyng And thus this elf Consumeth him selfe Hym selfe doth sloe Wyth payne and woe Thys false enuy Sayth that I Use greate follye For to indite And for to wryte And spende my time In prose and rime For to expres The noblenes Of my maystres That causeth me Studious to be To make a relation Of her commendacion And there agayne Enuy doth complayne And hath disdaine But yet certayne I will be playne And my stile dres To this prosses Nowe Phebus me ken To sharpe my pen And leade my fyste As him best lyst That I may say Honoure alwaye Of woman kynde Trouthe dothe me bynde And loyaltie Euer to be Their true bedel To wryte and tel How women excel In noblenes As my maystres Of whome I thinke With pen and ynke For to compyle Some goodly stile For thys moste goodly floure This blossom of fresh colour So Iupiter me succour She florisheth new and new In beautie and vertue Hac claritate gemina O gloriosa femina
Legem pone michi domine in uiam iustificationum tuarum . Quemadmodum desiderat ceruus ad fontes aquarum . HOwe shall I reporte Al the godly fort Of her fetures cleere That hath none earthly peere Her fauoure of her face Ennewed with al grace Confort pleasure and solace Mine hart doth so enbrace And so hath rauished me Her to behold and se That in wordes playne I cannot me refrayne To loke to her agayne Alas what shoulde I fayne It were a pleasaunte payne Wyth her aye to remayne Her eyen graye and stepe Causeth myne harte to leepe With her browes bente She maye wel represente Fayre Lucres as I weene Or els fayre Polexene Or els Caliope Or els Penolope For thys moste goodly floure This blossome of freshe coloure So Iupiter me succour She florisheth new and new In beauty and vertue Hac claritate gemina O gloriosa femina Memor esto Verbi tui seruo tuo Seruus tuus sum ego
THe Indy Saphyre blewe Her vaynes doth ennew The Orient pearle so cleare The witnes of her lere The lusty ruby ruddes Resemble the Rose buddes Her lippes soft and mery Emblomed like the chery It were an heauenly blysse Her sugred mouthe to kysse Her beauty to augment Dame nature hath her lente A warte vpon her cheke Who so lyst to seeke In her visage a skar That semeth from a far Lyke to the radyant star Al with fauour fret So proprely it is set She is the violet The daisy delectable The columbine commendable This ielofer amiable This moste goodly floure This blossome of freshe coloure So Iupiter me succoure She florysheth new and new In beauty and vertue Hac claritate gemina O gloriosa femina Bonitatem fecisti cum seruo tuo domina Et ex precordus sonant preconia .
ANd whan I perceiued Her wart and conceiued It can not be denaid But it was wel conuaid And set so womanly And nothing wantonly But right conueniently And full congruentlye As nature could deuise In moste goodly wyse Who so lyst behold It maketh louers bold To her to sue for grace Her fauour to purchase The sker vpon her chin Enhached on her fayre skin Whiter than the swan It wold make any man To forget deadly syn Her fauour to wyn For this most goodly flour This blossome of freshe coloure So Iupiter me succour She florisheth new and new In beauty and vertue Hac claritate gemina O gloriosa femina

Defecit in salutate tuum anima mea quid petis filio , mater dulcissima ba ba.

SOft and make no din For now I wil begin To haue in remembraunce Her goodly dalyaunce And her goodly pastaunce So sad and so demure Behauing her so sure With wordes of pleasure She wold make to the lure And any man conuert To geue her his whole hart She made me sore amased Upon her whan I gased Me thought mine hart was crased My eyen were so dased For this most goodly flour The blossome of fresh colour So Iupiter me succoure She florysheth new and new In beauty and vertew Hac claricate gemina O gloriosa femina
Quomodo dilixi legem tuam domina . Recedant uetera noua sunt omnia . ANd to amend her tale Whan she lyst to auale And with her fingers small And handes soft as silke Whiter then milke That are so quickely vayned Wherwith my hand she strained Lord how I was payned Unneth I me refrayned How she me had reclaymed And me to her retayned Enbrasyng ther with all Her goodly middle small With sides long and streyt To tel you what conceit I had then in a trice The matter wer to nyce And yet there was no vyce Nor yet no villany But only fantasy For this most goodly floure The blossome of fresh colour So Iupiter me succour She florisheth new and new In beautie and vertue Hac claritate gemina O gloriosa femina Iniquos odio habui Non calumnientur me superbi .
BUt wherto shold I note How often dyd I ●ote Upon her pretye fote It raysed myne hart rote To see her treade the grounds With heles short and round She is plainly expresse Egeria the goddesse And lyke to her ymage Importured with corage A louers pilgrimage There is no best sauage Ne no tygre so wood But she wold chaunge his mood Suche relucent grace Is formed in her face For this most goodly flour This blossome of freshe coloure So Iupiter me succour She florysheth new and new In beauty and vertue Hac claritate gemina O gloriosa femina Mirabilia testimonia tua Sicut nouelle plantacōes in inuentute sua
SO goodly as she dresses So properly she presses The bryght golden tresses Of her heare so fyne Lyke Phebus beames shyne Where to should I disclose The garteryng of her hose It is for to suppose Howe that she can weare Gorgiouslye her geare Her freshe habilementes With other implementes To serue for all ententes Lyke dame flora queene Of lusty somer grene This moste goodly flour This blossome of freshe coloure So Iupiter me succoure She florysheth new and new In beauty and vertew Hac claritate gemina O gloriosa femina Clamaui in toto corde exaudi me ▪ Mia tua magna est super me .
HEr kyrtel so goodly lased And vnder that is braced Such pleasures that I may Neither write nor say Yet thoughe I writ not with ink No man can let me thinke For thought hath liberti Thought is franke and free To thynke a mery thought It cost me litle or nought Wold god mine homely stile Were pollished with the file Of Ciceros eloquence To prayse her excellence The moost goodlye floure This blossome of freshe coloure So Iupiter me succoure She florysheth new and new In beauty and vertue Hac claritate gemina O gloriosa femina Principes persecuti sunt me gratis Omnibus consideratis . Paradisus uoluptatis , hec uirgo est dulcissima .
MI pen it is vnable My hand it is vnstable My reason rude and dull To prayse her at the full Goodly maistres Iane Sobre , demure Diane Iane this maistres hight The lode star of delight Dame Uenus of all pleasure The wel of worldly treasure She doth excede and passe In Prudence dame Pallas The most goodly floure This blossome of freshe coloure So Iupiter me succoure She florisheth new and new In beauty and vertue Hac cla●itate gemina O gloriosa femina
RFquiem eternam dona eis domine With this psalm . Domine probasti me Shall saile ouer the sea With tibi domine commendamus On pilgrimages to sainct Iamys For shrympes , and for pranes And for stalkynge cranes And wher my pen hath offended I pray you it may be amended By discrete consideration Of your wise reformacion I haue not offended I trust If it be sadly discust It were no gentle guyse This treatise to dispise Because I haue writen and sayd Honour of this fayre mayd Wherfore should I be blamed That I Iaue named And famously proclamed She is worthy to be enrold With letters of golde . PEr me Laurigerum Britonum Skeltonida latem Laudibus eximiis merito , hec remedita puella est Formosam poc●cini qua non formosior Vlla est Formosam pocius , quam commendaret homerus Sic iuuat interdum regidos recreare labores Nec minus hoc titulo tersa minerua mea est .

Rien que plaisere .

Thus endeth the boke of Philip sparow , & here foloweth an adicion made by master Skelton .
THe gyse now a dayes Of some ianglyng iayes Is to discommend That they cannot amend Though they wold spand All the wyttes they haue What ayle them to depraue Phillip sparowes graue His dirige : her commendacion Can be no derogacion But myrth and consolacion Made by protestacion No man to miscontent With Phillippes enterement Alas that goodly mayd Why should she be afrayd Why should she take shame That her goodly name Honorably reported Should be set and sorted To be matriculate With Ladyes of estate I coniure the Phillip sparow By Hercules that hel dyd harow And with a venemous arow Slewe of the Epidaures One of the Centaures Or Onocentaures Or Hipocentaurius By whose might and mayne An hart was slayne With hornes twayne Of glittering gold And the appels of gold Of Hesperides withhold And with a dragon kept That neuer more slept By marcial strengthe He wan at lenght And slue Gerion With thre bodies in one With mighty corage Auaunted the rage Of a Lyon sauage Of Dyomedes stable He brought out a rable Of coursers and rounses With leapes and bounses And with mighty lugging Wrestlyng and tuggyng He plucked the bul By the horned skul And offred to Cornucopia And so forth per cetera Also by Ecates bower In Plutus gastly tower By the vglye Eumenides That neuer haue rest nor ease By the venemous serpent That in hel is neuer brente In Lerna the Grekes ●en That was engendred then By Chemeras flames And all the deadly names Of infernal posty Where soules fry and rosty By the stigial flood And the streames wood Of Cocitus botumles wel By the feryman of hel Caron with his beard hore That roweth with a rude ore And with his fore top Gideth his bote with a prop I coniure Phillip and cal In the name of kyng Saul Primo regum expresse He had the Phitonesse To wytchecraft her to dres And by her abusions And damnable illusions Of merueylous conclusions And by her supersticions And wonderful condicions She raysed vp in that stede Samuel that was deade But whether it were so He were , idem in numero The selfe same Samuel How be it to Saule dyd he tell The Philistines shuld him ascry And the next day he should dye I wil myself discharge To lettred men at large But Philip I coniure thee Now by these names three Diana in the woodes grene Luna that so bryght doth shyne Proserpina in hell That thou shortly tell And shew now vnto me What the cause may be Of this perplexitie Inferia phillippe Scroupe pulchra Iohanna Instanter persit , cur nostri camis nis illam Nunc puder , est sero , minor est infamia Vero. Than suche as haue disdayned And of thys worke complayned I pray God they be payned No worse than is contayned In verses two or three That folowe as ye may see Luride cur liuor Voluctis pia funera damnas Taliate rapiant , rapiunt que fata Volucrum Est tamen inuidiu mors tibi contnua .
Skelton Laureate against a comel Coystrowne that curiowsly chauntyd And curryshly cowntred , And madly in hys Musikes mokkyshly made , Agaynst the ix . Musis of politike Poems and Poettys matriculat .
OF all nacyons vnder the heuyn . These frantyke foolys I hate most of all . For though they stumble in the sinnes seuyn . In peuyshnes yet they snapper and fall . Whiche men the. viii . deadly sins call . This peuysh proud this prender gest . When he is well yet can he not rest . A swete suger lofe & sowre bayards bun . Besumdele lyke in forme and shap The one for a duke the other for dun . A maunchet for morell theron to snap . His hart is to hy to haue any hap . But for in his game vt carp that he can . Lo Iak wold be a Ientylman Wyth hey troly loly lo whip here Iak . Alumbek sodyldym syllorym ben . Curyowsly he can both counter and knak Of Martyn swart and all hys mery men . Lord how perkyn is proud of his Pohen . But ask wher he fyndyth among his monacordes . An holy water clark a ruler of lordes . He can not fynd it in rule nor in space . He solfyth to haute hys Trybyll is to hy . He braggyth of his byrth that borne was ful bace Hys musyk withoute mesure to sharp is his my . He trymmyth in his tenor to counter pridewy . His discant is besy it is withoute a mene . To fat is his fantsy his wyt is to lene . He lumbryth on a lewde lewte roty bulle Ioyse . Rumbill downe tumbil downe hey go now now . He fumblyth in his fyngering an vgly good noise . It semyth the sobbyng of an old sow . He wold be made moch of & he wyst how . We le sped In spyndels & turning of tauellys . Abungler , a brawler , a pyker of quarellys . Comely he clappyth a payre of clauycordys . He whystelyth so swetely he makyth me to swet . His descant is dashed full of discordes Ared angry man but easy to intrete . An vssher of the hall fayn wold I get . To poynte this proude page a place and a rome For Iak wold be a Ientilman that late was a grome Iak wold Iet and yet Iyll sayd nay . He counteth in his countenaunce to check with that best . A malaperte medler that pryeth for his pray In a dysh dare he rush at the rypest , Dreming in dumpys to wrangill & to wrest . He findeth a proporcion in his prycke songe . To drynke at a draught a larg and a long Nay iape not with hym he is no smal fole It is a solempne syre and a solayne . For lordes and ladyes lerne at his scole He techyth them so wysely to solf and to fayne That neither they singe wel prike song nor plain This docter dellias commensyd in a cart . A master , a mynstrel , a fydler , a fart . What though ye can cownter Custodinos . As wel it becomith yow a parysh towne Clarke . To syng Supitati dedit Egros Yet bere ye not to bold to braule ne to bark At me , that medeled nothing with youre wark . Correct first thyselfe , walk and be nought . Deme what thou list thou knowist not my thought . A prouerbe of old say well or be still . Ye are to vnhappy occasion to fynde . Uppon me to clater or els to say yll . Now haue I shewyd you part of your proud mind Take this in worth the best is behynde . Wryten at Croydon by Crowland in the Clay . On Candelmas euyn the Kalendas of May . FINIS .
Contra alium Cantitatem & Organisantem Asinum , qui impugnabat Skeltonida Pierium , Sarcasmos . PRponenda meis non sunt tua plectra camenis . Necquantum nostra fistula clara tua est . Sepelicet liricos modularis arundine psalmos , Et tremulos calamis concinis ipse modos : Quamuis mille tuus digitus dat carmine plausus , Nam tua quam tua uox est mage docta manus : Quamuis cuncta facis tumida sub mente superbus , Gratior est Phaebo fistula nostra tamen . Ergo tuum stude as animo deponere fastum , Et uiolare sacrum desine Stulte uirum .
Skelton Laureat vppon a deedmans hed that was sent to hym from an honorable Ientil woman for a token , Deuysyd this gostly meditacion in Englysh , Couenable in sentence Comendable , Lamentable , Lacrimable , Profitable for the soule . Youre vgly tokyn , My mynd hath brokyn , From worldly lust . For I haue dyscust , We are but dust , And dy we must . It is generall To be mortall , I haue well espyde No man may hym hyde : From deth holow eyed . With sinnews wyderyd , With bonys shyderyd , With hys worme etyn maw , And his gastly Iaw . Gaspyng asyde , Nakyd of hyde , Neyther flesh not fell . Then by my councell , Loke that ye spel , Well thys gospell . For wher so we dwell , Deth wil vs qwell , And with vs mell . For all our pamperde paūchis Ther may no fraunchys , Nor worldly blys , Redeme vs from this , Oure days be datyd , To be chek matyd , With drawttys of deth , Stoppyng oure breth , Oure eyen synkyng , Oure bodys stynkyng , Oure gummys grynnyng . Oure soulys brynnyng . To whom then shall we sew , For to haue reskew , But to swete Iesu , On vs then for to rew . O goodly child , Of Mary mylde , Then be oure shylde . That we be not exyld , To the dyne dale , Of botemles bale , Nor to the lake , Of fendys blake . But graunt vs grace To se thy face , And to purchace , Thyne heuenly place . And thy palace , Full of solace . Aboue the sky , That is so hy . Eternally . To beholde and se . The Trynyte . Amen . Mirres vous y.
VUomanhod wanton ye want . Your medeling mastres is manerles . Plenty of yll of goodnes skant . Ye rayll at ryot recheles . To prayse youre porte it is nedeles . For all your draffe yet and youre dreggys . As well borne as ye full oft tyme beggys . Why so koy and full of skorne . Myne horse is sold I wene you say . My new furryd gowne when it is worne . Put vp youre purs ye shall non pay . By Crede I trust to se the day . As proud a pohen as ye sprede . Of me and other ye may haue nede . Though angelyk be youre smylyng . Yet is youre tong an adders tayle . Full lyke a Scorpyon styngyng . All those by whom ye haue auayle . Good mastres Anne there ye do shayle . What prate ye praty pyggys ny . I truste to quyte you or I dy . Youre key is mete for euery lok . Youre key is commen and hangyth owte . Youre key is redy we nede not knok . Nor stand long wrestyng there aboute . Of youre doregate ye haue no doute . But one thyng is that ye be lewde . Holde youre tong now all be shrewde . To mastres Anne that farly swete . That wonnes at the key intemmys strete .
The boke of three fooles M. Skelton poete Laureate , Gaue to my Lord Cardynall
The fyrst foole . The man that doth wed a wyfe For her goodes and her rychesse And not for lygnage femynatyfe Procureth doloure and dystresse With infynyte payne and heuynesse For she wyll do hym moche sorowe Bothe at euyn and at morowe .
The seconde foole The dartes ryght cursed of enuye Hath rayned sythe the worlde began Whiche bryngeth man euydently In to the bondes of Sathan Wherfore he is a dyscrete man That can eschewe that euyll synne Where body and soule is lost in
The thyrd foole Dyuers by voluptuousnes Of women the which be present Be brought in to full great dystres Forgettyng vertues excellent Of god the whych is permanent And suffreth themselfe to be bounde In cordes as it were a hounde .

COme hyther & take this Boke & rede therein for your lernyng with clere iyeu , and loke in this boke that sheweth you folysh Fooles , without wyt or vnderstanding Pecunyous Fooles that bee auaryce , and for to haue good tyme , and to lyue meryly , weddeth these olde wyddred women , whych hath sackes full of nobles , claryfye here your syghte , & ye shal know what goodnes commeth therby , and what Ioye and gladnes Some there be that habandoneth themselfe for to gather togyther the donge that yssuethoute of theyr asses arse , for to fynde euermore grese , it is grete foly trulye , but yet the yonge man is more folyssher , the whiche weddeth an olde wyfe , for to haue her golde & syluer . I say that he is a great Foole that taketh anne olde wyfe , for her goodes and is much to blame

They the whiche do so , procureth all trybulations . For with her he shall neither haue ioy , recreacion , nor rest . He noryssheth stryfes , and greate debates , thoughte , payne , anguyshe , & melancoly . And yf he wolde accomplysshe the workes of maryage , hee may not , for shee is so debylyte colde , vnpropyce , vnnaturall , and vndyscur rente , for the coldenes that is in her . The husbande of this olde wyfe hath none esperaunce to haue lygnage by her , for he neuer loued her . The man is a verye Foole to make his demoraunce vpon such an olde wife , whan he thinketh somtime vpon such thynges , he leseth his naturall wit , in cursynge hymselfe more then a. M. tymes with the golde and the syluer , & the cursed hasarde of Fortune . And when he seeth his poore lyfe in suche dystresse , his hert is all oppressed with melancoly and dolour , but whan the vnhappye man seeth that it is force and that hee is constrayneth to haue pacience , he puttteth his cure to draw to hym the money of the olde wyddred woman in makyng to her glade chere . And whan hee hath the money and the bagge with nobles , God knoweeth what chere he maketh , wythoute thynkinge on them that gathereth it And when he hath spente al , he is more vnhappyer then hee was before , yf that the foole be vnhappye , it is well ryghte , for hee hath wedded auaryce , mother of all euylles , yf hee had taken a wyfe that had ben fayre and yonge after his complection , he had not fallen into so great an inconuenience . It is wryten in auncient bokes that hee whiche weddeth a wyfe by auaryce , and not for to haue lygnage , hath no cure of the honestie of matrymonye , and thynketh full euyll on his conscience , The Unyon of maryage in decayed , for vnder the coloure of good and loyall maryage is wedded auaryce as we secuery day by experience through the world And one wil haue a wife , and that hee marke his to be demaunded in maryage , they will enquyre of his ryches and conninge . And on the other syde he wyl demaunde great goodes with her , to norysshe her with . For and her father and mother and frendes haue no greate ryches , he wyll not of her . But , and she be ryche hee demaundeth none other thynge . It is written that one were better haue his house in deserte , where as no mencion shoulde be of hym , thenne to bide with suche wyues , for they be replete with all cursednes . And the pore foole breketh his hearte , he loseth his soule and corrompeth his body . He selleth his youth vnto the olde wife that weddeth her for anaryce , and hath but noyse and discention , in vsyng his lyfe thus in synne Consydre you fooles what seruytude ye put yourself in , when ye wedde such wyues . I pray you be chast if that ye wyl lyue without vnhap . My frends whiche be not in that bande , put you not therin , and yee shal be well happy Notwithstanding I defende you not to mary but I exhorte you to take a wyfe that ye may haue progeny by , & solace bodely and gostly , and thereby to wyn the ioyes of paradyse .

Of Enuye , the seconde Foole .

APproche you foly she enuyous , the which can say no good by them that ye hate , come and se in this Booke , youre peruerse and euyll condycions . O enuy that deuoureth the condycions of men , and dyssypers of honour . Thou makest to haue rauisshynge heartes famyshed , thou brennest the desyres , and sleeth the soule in the ende , thou engendrest the darte enuyronned with mischefe that whiche traueyleth diuers folkes . Cursed foole howe haste thou thy heart so replete with cruelte , for if I haue temporall goodes thou wilte haue enuye therat , or if that I can worke well , & that I apply mee vnto dyuers thynges the whiche be honest , or if that I haue castels , landes , and tenementes or if that I am exalted vnto honoure by my science , or won it by hardynes truely and iustyle , or if that I am beloued of dyuers persons whiche reclaymeth mee good & vertuous , and of a noble courage , thou wylt vilep ende me with thy wordes , thou wottest neuer in what maner thou mayst adnychell mine honour , Thy malicious hert is hurt with a mortall wounde in such wise that thou haste no ioye nor solace in this world , for the darte of Enuye perceth thy herte lyke a spere . Thou hast wylde lycoure , the whiche maketh all thy stomacke to be on a flambe . There is no medicyne that maye hele thy mortall wounde . I beynge in a place , where as myne honoure was magnyfyed , thoughte for to haue taken alyaunce with an odyffe raunt floure , but all sodaynely I was smyten with a darte of enuye be hinde my backe , wherthroughe all tho that were on my partye turned theyr backes vpon me , for to agree to one of Uenus dissolate seruauntes , procedynge , frome a hearte , enuenymed with enuye . Wherfore I shall specyfye vnto you the condycyons of the enuyous . who that holdeth hym of the subgectes of enuye , she constytueth to deuoure , and byte euery bodyegyuynge vnhappes and myseryes vnto her seruauntes . Suche folkes doth the innocente a thousande wronges . They be replenysshed with so many treasons , that they can not siepe in theyr beddes , they haue no swete cantycles nor songes . They haue theyr tonges honyed with swete words vnder the coloure of loue , they be lene , and infecte of rygoure : these enuyous more bytterer thenne the gall of the fyshe Glauca , wyth theyr eyen beholdinge a trauers of stomackes chaufed syntillously , and without these mouthes as the vyne that is newe cut , they be enuyroned with rage and greate anguysshe , beholdynge euermore to destroy some body . Conceyue the history of Ioseph in your myndes , the which had vii . brethren that were enuyous against him which was the yongeste and solde hym vnto the marchauntes of Egypte by enuy , & betrayed him . The which were delybered of a longe time to haue destroyed him . These euuious neuer laughe , but whan some good man hath domage vpon the see or lande , or at the disfortune of some body , he drynketh his bloud as milke , Notwithstandinge , his heart is euer enbraced with enuy , and as longe as he lyueth it shall gnawe his hert . Hee resembleth vnto Ethua whiche brenneth alwayes . As of Romulus and Remus his brother , the whiche Romulus edefyed first Rome , and gaue it to name Rome , after his owne name . Neuertheles they were past ours for they establyshed lawes in the citie And Romulus punished euerye body egally . He dyd Instytute lymittes or markes aboute the citie , and ordeyned that he that passed the lymyttes shuld be put to death . His brother passed them , wherfore he was put vnto death incontinente in the same place . Wee rede also how Cayme slewe his owne brother by enuye . Haue we not ensample semblablye of Atreus , of whom his brother occupyed the parke , howe well that they were in the realme stronge and puyssaunte , for to defende them , It was Thesius that expulsed his brother oute of the realme by enuy , and was called agayne bycause that he had taken the parke , & fynally was banyshed , and by enuye and vnder the colour of peace he was sent for . And when hee was commen vnto a Feast , he made his two children for to be rested , and made them to drynke their bloude . O what horroure was it to see his twoo children dye that were so dyscrete ? In lykewise Ethiocles by his brethren receyued great enormyties by that cursed enuye . O thou prudent man if thou wilt be discrete , good , and wise flye from enuy , and thou shalt finde thyselfe sounde of body and soule .

Of the voluptuousnes corporall The third Foole .

RYghte heartely I beseche you folysshe & Lecherous people , that it will please you for to come and make a litell Collacion in this Booke , and if there be any thinge , that I can do for you , I am all yours both body and goodes , for truelye I haue an ardaunte desyre to doo you some meditorious dede , bicause that I haue euer frequented your seruyce .

Nowe herken what I haue found you cautellous women . They that the Pappes be sene all naked , their heyre combed and trussed in dyuers places merueylously be vnreasonable Fooles , for they dresse theim like voluptuous harlottes that make their heyre to appere at theyr browes yalowe as fine golde made in lytel tresses for to drawe yonge folke to theyr loue . Some for to haue their goodes presenteth to theim their beddes for to take their carnall desires And after that they haue taken all their disportes , they pill theim as an Onion , The other for to haue their plesures mondayne cheseth theim that we loue best & maketh sygnyfyaunce to theim sayeng that she is anamoured on theim Thou art a verye Idyot so to abandone thyselfe vnto the vyle synne of Lecherye , for thou lettest thyselfe be wrapped therein , lyke as a calfe , or a shepe is bounde in a corde . In suche wise that ye can not vnbynde youreselfe . O foole haue aspecte vnto that whiche thou commyttest for thou puttest thy poore soule in great daunger of damnation eternall , thou puttest thy goodes , thyne vnderstandinge , and thy ioy , vnto dolorous perdicion and for all that yee bee in your wordly pleasures , yet it is mengled with dystres , or with mysery , greate thoughte or melancoly . I requyre thee leue thy wordlye pleasures that endureth no lenger then the Grasse of the feelde Yf you haue ioye one only momente thou shalt haue twayne of sorow for it . Wee rede of Sardanapalus that for his lecherye and lybidinosite fell into hell , the whiche put himselfe in the guise of a poore woman , his men seinge hym so obstinate in that vile sinne , slewe him , and so fynished hee his dayes for folowinge of his pleasaunce mondayne . The soueraigne creatour was more puyssante thenne this wretched sinner , let vs not apply ourselfe therto sith that hee punysheth sinners so asprely , but with all our hertes enfarce we ourselfe for to 〈◊〉 againste that vyle and abhom●n●●le sinne of lechery , the whiche 〈…〉 of enfeccion and bytternes , 〈◊〉 it ●●stayneth the soule of man : flefrome the foolisshe women that pylleth the louers vnto the harde bones , and you shal be beloued of GOD , and also of the worlde .

En Parlement à Paris . Iustice est morte & verité sommeille , Droit & raison sont allez aux pardons Les deux premiers : Nul ne les resueille , Et les derniers , sont corrompus par dons . Out of Frenche into Latine . Abstulit atra dies Astream : cana fides sed somno praessa iacet : ius iter arripuit . Et secum ratio proficiscens limite longo . Nemo duas primas euigilare parat ; Atque duo postrema absunt , & numera tantum Impediunt , nequeunt ꝓ remeari domum . Out of Latine into Englishe . Iustice nowe is dead , Trouth with a drousye head , As heuy as the leed Is leyd downe to slepe , And bidythe no kepe And ryght is euer fallow ; Gon to seke halows With Reson to gidder No man can tell whether No man woll vndertake The fyrst twayne to a wake : And the tweyne laste Be withholde so faste Wyth mony , as men sayne They can not come agayne ,
Epithaphe . This tretise devysed it is Of two knaues somtyme of dis. Though this knaues be deade Full of myschiefe and queed Yet where so euer they ly Theyr names shall neuer dye . ❧ Compendium de duobus versipellibus Iohn Iayberd & Adam ali. a knaue Deque illorum notissima vilitate .
A deuoute trentale for old Iohn Clarke , sometyme the holy patriarke of dis. Sequitur trigentale Tale quale rationale Licet parum curiale Tamen satis est formale Ioannis Clerc hominis Cuiusdam maltimonijs Ioannes Iayberd qui vocatur Clerc cleribus nuncupatur Obijt sanctus iste pater Anno domini . M. D. Sexto In parochia de dis Non erat sibi similis In malicia vir insignis Duplex corde & bilinguis Senio confectus Omnibus suspectus Nemini dilectus Sepultus est amonge the wedes God forgeue hym his mysdedes ❧ Dulce melos penetrans Celos . Carmina cum cannis Cantemus festa Ioannis Clerke obijt vere Iayberde nomen quae dedere Dis populus natus Clerke cleribus est quae vocatus Hic vir caldeus Nequam vir ceu Iebuseus In christum domini Fremuit de more cameli Rectori proprio Tam verba retorta loquende Vnde resultando Quae acheronta boando tonaret Nunquam sincere Solitus sua crimina flere Cui male lingua loquax Quae dicax mendax quae fuere Et mores tales Resident in nemine quales Carpens vitales Auras turbare sodales Et cines socias Asinus mulus velut & bos O mne suum studium Rubium pictum per amictum Discolor & victum Faciens semper maledictum Ex intestinis ouium Quae boum quae caprorum Tendens ad quae forum Fragmentum colligit horum Dentibus exemptis Mastigat cum quae polentis Lanigerum caput caput Aut vacce mugientis Quid petis ? hic sit quis Iohn Iayberd . Nicolas de dis Cui dum vixerat is Sociantur iurgia vis lis Iam Iacet hic starke deed Neuer a toth in his heed A dieu . Iayberd . a due I faith dikkon thou crue Fratres orate For this knauate By the holy Rode Dyd neuer man good I pray you all And pray shall At this trentall On knees to fall To the fote ball With fill the blak bowle For Iayberdes sowle Bibite multum Ecce sepultum Sub pede stultum Asinum & mulum The deuill kis his culum Wit hey howe Rumbelowe Rumpopulornm Per omnia secula seculorum . Amen . Requiem , &c. Per fredericum hely Fratrem de monte carmeli Qui condunt sine sale Hoc deuotum Trigintale Vale Iayberd , valde male . Finis .
Adam vddersale . alias dictus Adam all . a knaue his Epitaph . Foloweth deuoutly , He was somtime the holy baillyue of dis. Of dis. Adam degebat Dum vixit falsa gerebat namquae extorquebat Quicquid natiuus habebat Aut liber natus . Rapidus Lupus inde vocatus . Ecclesiam quae satus De belial iste Pilatus Sub pede calcatus Violauit nunc violatus Perfidus iratus Numquam fuit ille beatus Vddersall stratus Benedictus est spoliatus Improbus inflatus Maledictus iam laceratus Sis tibi baccatus Balians predominatus Hic fuit ingratus Porcus velut insaciatus Pinguis crassatus Velut aggag fit reprobatus Crudelis quae cacus Baratro peto sit timulatus Belsabub his soule saue Qui iacet hic like a knaue . I am scio mortuus est & lacet hic like a best . Anima eius , De malo in peuis Amen . De dis hec semper erit camena , Adam vddersall sit anathema . Auctore Skelton Rectore de Dis.
Finis . &c. Apud Trumpiton scripter per Curatum eiusdem quinto die Ianuarij Anno domini secundum computat Anglie M. D. Vij . Adam adam vbi es . Genesis ℟ vbi nulla requies . Vbi nullus ordo , sed sempiternus horror inhabitat . Iob. ❧ Finis .
Diligo rustincum cum portant bis duo quonintum Et cantant delos est mihi dulce melos . 1. Canticum dolorosum . Lamentatio vrbis Norwicen . O lachrimosa lues nimis O quàm flebile fatum Ignibus exosis vrbs veneranda ruis Fulmina siue Iouis siue vltima fata vocabant Vulcani rapidis ignibus ipsa peris An decus au patrie specie pulcherima dudum Vrbs Norwicensis labitar in cineres Vrbs tibi quid referam ? breuiter tibi pauca reponam , Prospera raro manent , vtere sorte tua . Perpetuum mortale nihil , sors omnia versat , Vrbs miseranda vale , sors miseranda tua est . inifiranda . Skelton .
Vilitissimus Scotus dundas allegat caudas contra , Angligenas Caudatos Anglos , spurcissime Scote quid effers ? Effrons es , quo quae sons : mendax , tua spureaquae bucca est . Anglicus a tergo Caudant gerit . Est canis ergo . Anglice caudate Cape caudam Ne cadat a te . Ex causa caude Manet Anglica Gens siue laude . Skelton nobilis Poeta , Gup Scot. ye blot , Laudate Caudate Set in better Thy pentameter This dundas This Scottishe as He rymes and railes That Englishmen haue failes . Skeltonus laureatus , Anglicus natus , Prouocat musas Contra Dundas Norpacissimum Scotum , Vndiquae notum , Rusticè fotum Vapidè potum , Skelton Laureat After this rate Defendeth with his pen All Englysh men . Agayn dundas That Scottishe asse Shake thy tayle Scot lyke a cur , For thou beggest at euery mannes dur. Diffamas patriam qua non est melior vsqm Cum cauda plaudis dum possis ad hostia pultes Mendicans mendicus eris , mendax quae bilinguis , Scabidus horribilis , quem vermes sex quae pedales Corrodunt misere , miseres genus est maledictum . Tut Scot I sey Go shake thy dog hey Dundas of Galaway With thy versyfyeng rayles How they haue tayles . By Iesu Christ , fals scot thou lyest , But behynd in our hose We bere there a rose For thy Scottyshe nose , A spectacle case To couer thy face With tray deux ase A tolman to blot A rough foted Scot Dundas sir knaue Why doste thow depraue , This Royall Reame , Whose radiant beame And relucent light Thou hast in despite Thou donghyll knyght But thou lakest might Dundas , dronken , and drowsy Skabed scuruy and lowsy Of vnhappy generacion And most vngracious nacion . Dundas that dronke asse That ratis and rankis That prates and prankes On huntley bankes Take this our thankes Dunde bar , Walke Scot Walke sot Rayle not to far .
Admonitio Skeltonis vt omnes Arbores viridi Laureo concedant . Fraxinus in siluis , altis in montibus Ornus Populus in fluuijs , Abies patulissima , Fagus Lenta salix , platanus pinguis , Ficulnea Ficus , Gladifera & quercus , Pirus , Esculus , Ardua pinus , Basamus exudans , Oleaster , Oliua Mineruae , Iuniperus , Buxus , Lentiscus cuspide lenta Botrigera , & domino , vitis gratissima , baccho , Ilex & sterilis , Labrusta parosa colonis , Mollibus exudans fragrantia thura sabeis Thus redolens , Arabis panter , notissima mirrha , Et vos O Corili fragiles , humilesque Mirice Et vos O Cedri redolentes , vos quoque Mirti . Arboris omne genu viridi concedite Lauro . Prenes en gre. The Laurelle .
Diligo rusticum cum portant bis duo quointum Et cantant delos est mihi dulce melos 1. Canticum dolorosum . M. D. XVIII . In Bedell quondam Belial incarnātum , deuotum Epitaphium . Ismal eccae Bedel , non mel , sed fel , sibi des el. Perfidus acchitephel : Luridus atquae lorell : Nunc olet iste Iebal . Nabal . S. Nabal ecce Ribaldus Omnibus exosus atquae perosus erat . In plateaquae cadens Animam spirauit oleto , Presbiteros Odiens sic sine mente ruit Discite vos omnes quid sit violare sacratos Presbiteros , quia sic corruit iste canis . Cocitus cui sic petus per Tartara totus Sit peto promotus Cerberus hiuncquae voret At mage sancta tamen mea musa precabiturum atros Hos limures ꝙ eat sic bedel ad superes Non eat , immo ruat , non scandat sed mage tendat , Inquae caput preceps mox acheronto petat . Bedel . Quanta malignatus est Inimicus in sāctam . psa . 73. Mortus est asinus Qui vixit multum Hic iacet barbarus The deuill kys his culum . Amen . Hanc volo transcribas , transcriptam mox quae remittas Pagellam : quia sunt qui mea scripta sciunt Redde . Igitur quia sunt qui mala cuncta frenuitur Redde . Igitur quia sunt qui bona cuncta prenuitur Nec tamen expaueo de fatuo labio , Nec multum paueo de scolido Rabulo .
❧ Poeta Skelton Laureatus Libellum suum metrice Aloquitur .

Ad dominum properato meum mea pagina percy , qui Northumbrorum iura paterna gerit . Ad nutum celebris tu prona repone Leonis , quequae suo patri tristia iusta . Ast vbi perlegit dubiam sub mente volutet , fortunam cuncta quae male fida rotat , qui leo sit felix & nestoris occupet Annos , ad libitum cuius ipse paratus ero .

❧ Skelton Laureat vpon the doulours dethe and muche lamentable chaunce of the most honorable erle of Northumberlande . I Wayle , I wepe , I sobbe , I sigh fulsore The dedely fate . the dolefulle desteny Of hym that is gone , alas without restore Of the bloud royall descending nobelly Whose lordshyp doutles , was slayne lamentably Thorow treson , again him compassed & wrought Trew to his prince , in word , in dede , & thought . Of heuenly poems . O. Clyo calde by name In the colege of musis goddes hystoriall Adres the to me whiche am both halt I lame In elect vteraunce to make memoryall To the for souccour to the for helpe I call Mine homely rudnes & dryghnes to expell With the freshe waters of Elyconys well . Of noble Actes Aunciently enrolde Of famous pryncis and lordes of astate By thy report ar wont to be extold Regestringe trewly euery formare date Of thy bountie after the vsuall rate Kyndell in me suche plenty of thy nobles These sorowfulle dites that I may shew expres . In sesons past who hath herde or sene Of formar writyng by any presidente That vilane hastarddis in their furious tene Fulfylled with malice of froward entente Confetered togeder of cominion concente Falsly to slee theyr moste singuler good lord It may be regestrede of shamefull recorde . So noble a man so valiaunt lord & knyght Fulfilled with honor as all the wold doth ken At his commaundement which had both day & nyght Knyghtes & squyers : at euery season when He calde vpon them , as meniall houshold men Were not these commons vncurteis karlis of kind To slo their owne lord : god was not i their mynd And were not they to blame I say also That were a boute him his one seruants of trust To suffre him slayn of his mortall fo Fled away from hym let hym ly in the dust They bode not till the rekenyng were discust What shuld I flatter what shuld I glose or paint Fy fy for shame their hartes were to faint . In England & fraunce which gretly was redouted Of whom both Flaunders & Scotland stode in drede To whom great estates obeyed & lowted Amayny of rude villayns made hym for to blede Unkyndly they flew him , that holp them oft at nede He was their bulwark their paues & their wall Yet shafully they flew hym the shame mot them befal I say ye comoners why wer ye so stark mad What frantyk frensy fyll in your brayne Where was your wit & reson ye should haue had What wilful foly made yow to ryse a gayne Your naturall lord : alas I can not fayne Ye armyd you with will , & left your wit behynd Well may you be called comones most vnkynd . He was your chefteyne your shelde your chef defence Redy to assyst you in euery time of nede Your worshyp depended of his excellence Alas ye mad men to far ye did excede Your hap was vnhappy to ill was your spede What moued you againe him to war or to fyght What aylde you to sle your lord again all ryght . The ground of his quarel was for his souerain lord The well concerning of all the hole Lande Demandyng suche duties as nedes most acord To the right of his prince which shold not be with stand For whose cause ye slew him with your owne hand But had his noble men done wel that day Ye had not bene able to haue sayd hym nay But ther was fals packing or els I am begylde How be it the mater was euydent and playne For if they had occupied their spere & their shilde This noble man doutles had not bene slayne But men say they wer lynked with a double chaine And held with the comones vnder a cloke Which kindeled the wild fyr that made al this smoke . The commons Renyed ther tares to pay Of them demaunded and asked by the kynge With one voice importune they plainly sayd nay They buskt them on a bushment themselve in baile to bring Againe the kyngs plesure to wrestle or to wring Bluntly as bestis with boste and with crye They sayd they forsed not , nor carede not to dy . The nobelnes of the north this valiant lord & knight As man that was Innocent of trechery or traine Presed forth boldly to withstand the myght And lyke marciall Hector he faught them a gayne Uygorously vpon them with might & with maine Trustyng in noble men that were with him there But al they fled from hym for falshode or fere . Barones , knyghtes , squiers and all to gether with seruantes of his famuly Turned their backe , and let their master fal Of whome they counted not a flye Take vp whose wold for ther they let him ly Alas his gold , his fee , his Annual rent Upon suche a sort was Ille bestowd & spent . He was enuirond aboute on euery syde With his enemyes , that wer starke mad & wode Ye while he stode he gaue them woundes wyde Allas for ruth what thoughe his mynd wer gode His corage manly , yet ther he shed his blode Al left alone alas he foughte in vayne For cruelly among them ther he was slayne . Alas for pite that percy thus was spylt The famous Erle of Northumberland Of knyghtly prowes the sword pomel & hylt The myghty Lyon doutted by se and Lande O dolorus chaunce of fortunes froward hande What man remembryng howe shamfully he was slaine From bitter weping himself can restrain . O cruell Mars thou dedly God of war O dolorous tewisday dedicate to thy name When thou shoke thy sworde so noble a man to mar O ground vngracious vnhappy be thy fame Which wert endyed with rede bloud of the same Most noble erle : O foule mysuryd ground Where on he gat his finall dedely wounde . O Atropos of the fatall systers . iii. Goddes most cruel vnto the lyfe of man All merciles in the is no pite O homicide which sleest , all that thou can So forcibly vpon this erle thou ran That with thy sword enharpit of mortall drede Thou kit a sonder his perfight vitall threde . My wordes vnpullysht be nakide and playne Of Aureat poems they want ellumynynge But by them to knowlege ye may attayne Of this lordes dethe and of his murdrynge Which whils he lyued had fuyson of euery thing Of knights of squyers chyf lord of toure & towne Tyl fykkell fortune began on hym to frowne Paregall to dukes with kynges he might compare Surmountinge in honor al erlis he did excede To all countreis aboute hym reporte me I dare Lyke to Eneas benigne in worde and dede Ualiant as Hector in euery marciall nede Prudent , discrete , circumspect and wyse Tyll the chaunce ran agayne hym of fortunes duble dyse . What nedeth me for to extoll his fame With my rude pen enkankered all with rust Whose noble actes show worshiply his name Transendyng for myne homly muse . that muste Yet somwhat wright supprised with herty lust Truly reportyng his right noble estate Immortally whiche is immaculate . His noble blode neuer destayned was Trew to his prince for to defend his ryght Doblenes hatyng , fals maters to compas Treytory and treason he banysht out of syght with truth to medle was al his holl delyght As all his countrey can testyfy the same To sle suche a lorde alas it was great shame . If the hole quere of the musis nyne In me all onely wer set and comprysed Enbrethed with the blast of Influence deuyne As perfytly as could be thought or deuised To me also all though it were promised Of Laureat Phebus holy the eloquence All were to lytell for his magnificence O yonge Lyon but tender yet of age Grow and encrese remembre thyn estate God the assyst vnto thyn herytage And geue the grace to be more fortunate Agayn rebellyones arme the to make debate And as the Lyone whiche is of bestes kynge Unto thy subiectes be curteis and benygne I pray God sende the prosperous lyfe and long Stable thy mynde constant to be and fast Ryght to mayntayn & to resyst all wronge All flateryng faytors abhor & from the cast Of foule detraction God kepe the from the blast Let double delyngin the haue no place , And be not lyght of credence in no case . With heuy chere , with dolorous hart and mynd Eche man may sorow in his inward thought This lords death whose pere is hard to fynd Al gife Englond & Fraunce were thorow saught Al kynges , all princes , al dukes , well they ought Both temporall and spiritual for to complayne This noble man that crewelly was slayne . More specially Barons and those knygtes bold And al other Gentilmen with him enterteyned In fee : as menyall men of his housold Whom he as lord worshyply mainteyned To sorowful weping they ought to be cōstresned As oft as they call to theyr remembraunce , Of ther good lord the fate and dedely chaunce . Perlese prince of heuen Emperyall That with one word formed al thing of noughte Heuen , hell , and erthe , obey vnto thy call Which to thy resenblaunce wondersly hast wrought All makynd , whom thou full dere hast bought with thy bloud precious our finaunce thou did pay And vs redemed , from the fendys pray To the pray we as prince Incomparable As thou art of mercy and pyte the well Thou bring vnto thy Ioye eterminable The soull of this lorde from all daunger of hell In endles blys with the to byde and dwell In thy palace , aboue the orient Where thou art lord , and God omnipotent . O Ouene of mercy O lady full of grace Mayden most pure & goddes moder dere To sorowful hartes chef comfort and solace Of all women O flowre without pere Pray to thy son aboue the sterr is clere He to vouchesaf by thy mediacion To pardon thy seruant & brynge to saluacion In Ioy triumphaunt the heuenly gerarchy With all the hole sorte of that glorious place His soull mot receyue in to theyr company Thorow bounty of hym that formed all solace Wel of pite , of mercy , and of grace The father , the sonn , and the holy ghost In Trinitate one God of myghts moste . Non sapit humanis qui certam ponere rebus spem cupit est hominum Raraquae ficta fides Tetrasticon Skelton Laureati ad magistrum Rukshaw Sacre Theologie aegregium professorem Accipe nunc demum doctor celeberrime Rukshaw Carmina : de calamo quae occidere meo , Et quaqua placidis non sunt modulata carmenis Sunt tamen ex nostro pectore prompta pio .

Vale feliciter , virorum ,

Laudatissimè .

FINIS .
Elegia in Serenissimae principis & domine domine Margarete nuper Comitisse de Darby Strenuissimi Regis Henrici Septimi matris funebre ministerium . Per Skelonida Laureatum Oratorem Regium . XVI . mensis Angusti . Anno salutis . M. D. XVI . ASpirate meis eligis pia turma sororum Et Margaretam collacrimate piam Hac sub mole latet Regis celebrima mater Henrici magni quem locus iste fouet Quem locus iste sacer celebri celebrat poliandro Illius en genitrix hac tumulatur humo Cui cedat tanaquil ( titus hanc super astra reportat ) Cedat pennolope carus vlixis amor Hec Abigail velut Hester erat pietate secunda En tres iam proceres nobilitate pares Pro domina precor implora pro principe tanta Flecte deum precibus qui legis hos apices Plura referre piget calamus torpore rigescit Dormit Micenas , negligitur probitas Nec iuuat aut modicum prodest nunc vltima versu Facta recensere ( mortua mors reor est ) Queris quid decus est ? decus est modo dicier Cedit honos hirco , cedit honor que capro Falleris ipse Charon iterum surrexit abyron Et stigios remos despicit ille tuos Viuitur ex voto : mentis precordia tangunt Nulla sepulcra ducum nec monumenta patrum Non regum non vlla hominum labentia fato Tempora nec tociens mortua turba ruens . Hunc statuo certe periturae parcere cartae Ceu Iuuenalis ouat eximius satirus . Disticon execrationis in fagolidoros Qui lacerat , violat , ve rapit presens Epitoma Hunc laceretque voret Cerberus absque mora . Calon . Agaton . cum Areta . Re. in . Pa. Hanc tecum statuas dominam ( precor ) ô sator orbis , Quo regnas rutilans rex sine fine manens :
Orator Regius Skeltonis Laureatus in singulare meritis simumque praeconium nobilissim i principis Henrici Septimi nuper strenuissime Regis Anglie hoc Epitaphium edidit . Ad sinceram contemplationem reuerendi in Cristo patris ac domini Dompni Iohannis Islip Abbatis Westmonastericij optime meriti Anno domini . M. D. XII . pridie domini Andree Apostoli . &c. TRistia melpomenes cogor mode plectra sonare Hos elegos foueat Cinthius ille meos Si quas fata mouent lacrimas : lacrimare vide● I am bene maturum si bene mente sapis Flos Britonum , regum speculum Salamonis Ymago Septimus Henricus mole sub hac tegitur Punica dum regnat ( redolens rosa digna vocari Iam iam Marcescit ceu leuis vmbra fugit ) Multa nouercantis fortunae multa fauentis Passus : & infractus tempus vtrumquae tulit Nobilis anchises Armis metuendus Atrides Hic erat : hunc Scottus rex timuit Iacobus Spiramenta anime vegitans dum vescitur aura Francorum populus conticuit pauidus Inmensas sibi diuicias cumulasse quid horres Ni cumulasset opes forte Britainie Luas Vrgentes casus tacita si mente volutes Vix tibi sufficeret aurea ripa thagi Ni sua te probitas consulta mente laborans Rexisset satius : vix tibi tuta salus Sed quid plura can o ? meditans quid plura voluto Quis quae vigil sibi sit mors sine lege rapit Ad domiuum qui cuncta regit pro principe tanto Funde preces quis quis carmina nostra legis . Vel mage si placeat hunc Hunc timuit Iacobus Scottorum dominus Qui sua fata luit Quem leo candidior Rubeum necatense Leonem Etiacet vsquę modo Non tumulatus humo . Refrigerij sedem quietis beatitudinem Luminis habeat claritatem . AMEN .
Eulogium pro suorum Temporum Condicione Tantis principibus non indignum per Skeltonida Laure atum Oratorem Regium . Hvc pia Calliope ꝓpera mea casta puella Et mecum resona carmina plena deo Septimus Henricus britonum memorabilis heros Anglica terra tuus magnanimus priamus Attalus hic opibus rigidus Cato , clarus Aestes Sub gelido clausus marmore iam recubit Hic honor omnis opes , probitas sic gloria regum Omnia nutabunt mortis ad nuperium Anglia num lacrimas : rides : lacrimare quid obstas ? Dum vixit lacrimas : dum moritur iubilas Cauta tamen penses , dum vixerat Angligenenses Vibrabant enses . bella nec vlla timent Vndiquae bella fremunt nunc vndiquae prelia surgunt Noster honor solus fiilius ecce suus Noster honor solus qui qondera tanta subire Non timet : intrepidus arma gerenda vocat Arma geranda vocat ( superi sua cepta secundent ) Vt quatiat pallos egida sepe rogat Sors tamen est versanda diu sors vltima belli Mirmidonum dominus mater silente ruit Et quem non valuit validis superare sub armis Mars ? tamen occubuit insidijs Paridis Nos incerta quidem pro certis ponere rebus Arguit & prohibet delius ipse pater Omnia sunt hominum dubio labencia fato Marte sub incerto militat omnis homo Omne decus nostrum nostra & spes vnica tantum Iam bene qui regnat hunc Iouis vmbra tegat Vt quamuis mentem labor est inhibere volentem Pauca tamen liceat dicere pace sua Pace tua liceat mihi nunc tibi dicere pauca Dulce meum decus & sola Britanna salus Summa rei nostre remanet celeberrime princeps In te precipuo qui modo sceptra geris Si tibi fata fauent precor atquae precabor Anglia tunc plaude sui minus ipse vale .

Policronitudo Basileos .

Tetrasticon veritatis . Felix qui bustum torniasti Rex tibi cuprum Auro setectus fueras Fueras spoliatus Nudus prostratus Tanta est rabioso cupido Vndique Nummorum Rex pace precor requiescas . Amen . FINIS .
In the fleete made by me William Cornishe otherwise called Nyshewhete chapelman with the moste famose and noble Kyng Henry the VII . his Reygne the. XIX . yere the moneth of Iuly A treatise bitwene Trouth , and Information . A. B. of . E how . C. for . T. was . P. in . P Prologue . The hoole content . The knowledge of God , passyth comparison The deuill knowith all il thing , consented or done And man knoweth nothing , saue only by reason And reason in man , is diuerse of operation How can then man be parfite of cognicion For reason shall so reason that somtyme among A man by information may ryghtewisly do wrong Gospell . The auctorised gospel and reason holdeth ther which Whose litterall sence agreith to the fore seyng Qui ambulat in tenebris nescit quo vadit Now moralyse ye farther & peyse the contriuyng I meane , bytwene trowth and sotele conueynge Who gothe in the darke , must stumble amonge Blame neuer a blynd man , thou he go wronge . Example . A Iuge to the Iury nedes must geue credence Now what yf they purpose fals maters to compase The iudge must procede yet in him non offence , For as they geue verdit , the iugement must passe . But wher the faulte is , non dormit Iudas For by fals informacion many tymes amonge Right shal be rewled & the righteouse shal do wrong Euell information . But woo to suche informers who they be That maketh their malice that mater of the power And cruelly without conscience right or pity Disgorgith theyr venome vnder that colowre Alas not remembryng their soules doloure When , dies illa , dies ire , shal be their songe Ite maledicti , take that for your wronge .

Aparable betwen informacion & Musike

The examples . Musike in his Melody requiereth true soundes Who setteth a song , should geue him to armony who kepeth true his tuenes may not passe his sonds His alteracions & prolaciōs must be pricked treuly For musike is trew though minstrels maketh maystry The harper careth nothing but reward for his song Merily soundith his mouth when his tong goth all of wrong . The Harpe . A harpe geueth sounde as it is sette The harper may wrest it vntunablye Yf he play wrong good tunes he doth lette Or by mystunyng the very trew armonye A Harpe well playde on shewyth swete melody A harper with his wrest maye tune the harpe wrong Mys tunyng of an instrument shal hurt a true songe A songe . A songe that is trewe and ful of swetnes May be euyll songe and tunyd amyse The songe of hymselfe yet neuer the les Is true and tunable , and syng it as it is Then blame not the song , but marke wel this He that hath spit at an other mans songe Will do what he can to haue it song wronge . A claricorde . The claricord hath a tunely kynde As the wyre is wrested hye and lowe So it tuenyth to the players mynde For as it is wrested so must it nedes showe As by this reson ye may well know Any Instrument mystunyd shall hurt a trew song Yet blame not the claricord the wrester doth wrong . A trompet . A trompet blowen hye with to hard a blast Shal cause him to vary from the tunable kynde But he that bloweth to hard must suage at that last And fayne to fall lower with a temperat wynde And then the trompet the true tune shall fynde For an instrument ouer wynded is tuned wrong Blame none but the blower , on him it is longe . True counsell . Who plaieth on the harpe , he should play trew Who syngeth a songe , let his voye be tunable Who wresteth the claricorde mystunyng eschew Who bloweth a trompet let his wind be mesurable For instrumentes in themself be ferme & stable And of trouth , wold trouth to euery manes soge Tune them then truly for in them is no wronge . Colours of Musyke . In Musyke I haue learned iiij . colours as this Blake , ful blake , verte , and in lykewyse redde By these colours many subtill alteracions ther is That wil begile one tho in cuning he be wel sped With a prike of Indicion from a body that is dede He shal try so his nombre with swetnes of his song That the eare shal be pleased , and yet he al wrong . The practiser I pore man vnable of this science to skyll Saue litel practise I haue by experience I meane but trouth and of good will To remembre the doers , that vseth such offence Not one sole , but generally in sentence By cause I can skyll of alitle songe To try the true corde to be knowen fro the wrong Treuth . Yet trouth was drownde he not sanke But still dyd fleete a boue the water Informacion had played hym suche a pranke That with power the pore had lost his mater Bycause that troushe begane to clater Informacion hath taught hym to solfe his songe Paciens parforce , content you with wronge Truth . I assayde theis tunes me thought them not swete The concordes were nothynge Musicall I called Masters of Musike cunyng and discrete And the first prynciple whose name was tuballe Guido ●oice Iohn de Murris , vitr●ace & them al I prayed them of helpe of this combrous songe Priked with force and l●ttred with wronge True answere . They sayd I was horce I myght not synge My voice is to pore it is not awdyble Informacion is so curyous in his chauntynge That to bere the trew plainsong , it is not posible His proporcions be so hard which so highe a quatrible And the playn song in the margyn so craftely bound That that true tunes of tuball can not haue the ryght sounde . Truthe . Well quod treuth , yet ones I trust verely To haue my voyce and synge a gayne And to flete out treuth and clarify truly And ete suger candy adaye or twayne And then to the deske to synge true and playn Informacion shall not alwaye entune hys song My parts shal be true , when his countreuers shal be wrong . Information . Information hym enbolded of the monacorde From cōsonaunts to concordes he Musyd his mastry I assayde the Musyke both knyght and lord But none wold speke , the sounde bord was to hie Then kept I the plain keyes that marred al my melody Enformacion draue a crochet the past al my song With proporcion parforce , dreuen on to longe . Dialoge . Sufferance came in , to syng a parte Go to quod trouth , I pray you begyne Nay sofft quod he , the gise of my parte Is to rest a longe rest or I set in Nay by long restyng ye shall nothing wynne For informacion is so crafty & so hye in his songe That yf ye fal to resting infayth in wil be wrong Treweth . Informacion wil teche a doctor his game From superacute to the noble dyapason I a sayd to acute and when I came Enformacion was mete for a doble dyatessaron He song by a pothome that hath two kyndes in one with many subtel semetnēs most-met for his song Pacience parforce , content you with wronge Trouth . I kepe he rounde and he by square The one is bemole & the other bequare If I myght make tryall as I could and dare I should show why these . ij . kyndes do varye But God knowyth al , so doth not kyng Harry For yf he dydde thanchaunge shold this . iiii . song Pytye , for pacience , and consience , for wronge Nenysswhete Parabolam FINIS , Finis .
SKELTON . LAVreate Oratoris Registertius . Against venemous tongues enpoysoned with sclaunder and false detractions . &c. Quid detur tibi aut quid apponatur tibi ad linguam dolosam ? Psalm. C. xlij . Deus destruet te , in finem euellet te , & emigrabit te de tabernaculo tuo . & radicem tuam de terra viuentium . Psal. lxvii . AL maters wel pondred , & wel to be regarded How shuld a fals lying tung then be rewarded Such tunges shuld be torne out by that harde rootes Hoyning like hogges that groynis and wrotes . Dilexisti omnia verba precipitationis lingua dolosa . vbi . s . &c. For as I haue rede in volumes olde A fals lying tunge is harde to withholde . A sclaunderous tunge , a tunge of a skolde Worketh more mischiefe than can be tolde . That if I wist not to be controlde Yet somwhat to say I dare well be bolde ●ow some delite for to lye , thycke and threfolde .

Ad sannam hominem redigit comite & graphice .

For ye said , that he said , that I said , wote ye what I made ( he said ) a windmil of an olde mat . If there be none other mater but that , Than ye may commaunde me to gentil Cok wat.

Hic notat ( purpuraria arte ) intextas literas Romanas in amictibus post ambulonum ante & retro .

For before on your brest , & behind on your back , In Romaine letters I neuer founde lack . In your crosse rowe , nor Christ crosse you spede , your Pater noster , your Aue , nor your Crede . Who soeuer that tale vnto you tolde , He saith vntruly , to say , that I would Controlle the cognisaunce of noble men : Either by language , or with my pen .

Pedagogium meum de sublimiori Minerua constat esse . ergo . &c.

My scole is more solem , & somwhat more haute Than to be founde in any such faute .

Pedagogium meum male sanos maledicos ( sibulis , conplosique mantibus ) explodit . &c.

My scoles are not for vnthriftes vntaught , For frantick faitours half mad , & half straught But my learning is of an other degrée , To taunt theim like liddrous , lewde as thei ●ée

Laxentergo antemnam elationis sue infla●●● vento vanitatis . li. ille . &c.

For though some be lidder , and list for to rayle , Yet to lie vpon me they can not preuayle . Then let them vale a bonet of their proud sayle . And of their taunting toies rest with il hayle .

Nobilitati ignobilis cedat vilitas . &c.

There is no noble man wil iudge in me , Any such foly to rest or to be . I care muche the lesse what euer they say , For tunges vntayde be renning a stray . But yet I may say safely , so many wel lettred Embraudred , enlasid together , and fettred . And so litle learning , so lewdly alowed : What fault find ye herein but may be auowed ? But ye are so full of vertibilite , And of frenetyke folabilite . And of melancoly mutabilite . That ye would coarte , and enforce me . Nothing to write , but hay the gy of thre . And I to suffre you lewdly toly , Of me , with your language full of vilany .

Sicut nouocla acuta fecisti dolum , vbi . s .

Malicious tunges , though they haue no bones , Are sharper than swordes , sturdier then stones .

Lege philostratum de vita tyanei Apollonij .

Sharper then raysors , that shaue & cut throtes . More stinging them scorpions that stang Pharaotis Venenum aspidum sub labiis eorum . Ps. More venemous and much more virulent , Then any poysoned tode , or any serpent .

Quid peregrinis egemus exemplis , ad domestica recurramus . &c. li. ille .

Such tunges vnhappy hath made great diuision . In realmes , in cities , by suche fals abusion . Of fals fickil tunges , suche cloked collusion . Hath brought nobil princes to ertreme confusion . Quicquid loquantur vt effeminantur ita effantur . &c. Somtime women were put in great blame , Men said they could not their tunges atame . But men take vpon theim nowe all the shame . with skeldig & sklaūderig make their tungs lame

Nouarum rerum cupidissimi . captatores . delatores . adulatores . inuigilatores . deliratores . &c. id genus li. ille .

For men be now trailers and tellers of tales , what tidings at Totman , what newis in wales ? What shippis are sailing to Scalis malis And all is not worth a couple of nut shalis But lering and lurking here and there like spies . The deuil tere their tunges & pike out their ies . Then ren they which lesinges , and blow them about . With he wrate suche a bil withouten dout . With , I can tel you what such a man said , And you knew all , ye would be ill apayd .

De more vulpino gannientes ad aurem , fictas fabellas fabricant . li. ille .

In auspicatum . male ominatum . infortunatūse fateatur habuisse horoscopum quicunque maledixerit vati Pierio . S. L. &c.

But if that I knewe what his name hight , For clatering of me , I would him sone quight . For his false lying , of that I spake neuer , I could make him shortly repent him for euer . Although he made it neuer so tough , He might be sure to haue shame ynough .

Cerberus horrendo baratri latrando , sub antro . Te rodatque voret lingua dolosa ( precor )

A fals double tunge is more fiers and fell , Then Cerberus that cur couching in the kenel of hel Wherof hereafter , I thinke for to write , Of fals double tunges in the dispite .

Recipit se scripturum opus sancte , laudabile , acceptabile , memorabileque , & nimis honorificādū .

Disperdat dominus vniuersa labia dolosa & linguam magniloquam .

Why were ye Calliope , embrawdred with letters of golde ?

Skelton Laureate Orato . Reg. maketh this aunswere . &c.

CAlliope As ye may se Regent is she Of poetes al Whiche gaue to me The high degre Laureat to be . Of fame royall Whose name enrolde With silke and golde I dare be bolde Thus for to were Of her I holde And her housholde Though I waxe olde And somdele sere Yet is she fayne Uoyde of disdayn Me to retayne Her seruiture . With her certayne I wyll remayne As my souerayne Moost of pleasure . Maulgre touz malheureux . Latinum carmen sequitur . Cur tibi contexta est aurea Calliope ? Responsio eiusdem vatis . CAndida Calliope vatum regina , coronans Pierios lauro , radiante intexta sub auro , Hanc ego Pierius , tanto dignabor honore Dum mihi vita manet , dum spiritus hos regit artus Quamquam conficior senio marcescoque sensim Ipse tamen gestare sua haec pia pignora certo , Assensuque suo placidis parebo camenis Inclita Calliope & semper mea maxima cura est . Haec Pierius omni Spartane liberior . CALLIOPE , Musarum excellentissima , speciosissima , formosissima , Heroic is preest versibus . FINIS .

❧ Imprinted at London in Fletestreate , neare vnto S. Dunstones churche by Thomas Marshe .

Notes, typically marginal, from the original text
Notes for div A12291-e1270