The Poetical Works of John Skelton principally according to the edition of the Rev. Alexander Dyce. In three volumes |
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 | The Poetical Works of John Skelton |  |
For the gyse now adays
Of sum iangelyng iays
Is to discommende
That they can not amende,
Though they wolde spende
All the wittis they haue.
Of sum iangelyng iays
Is to discommende
That they can not amende,
Though they wolde spende
All the wittis they haue.
What ayle them to depraue
Phillippe Sparows graue?
His Dirige, her Commendacioun
Can be no derogacyoun,
But myrth and consolacyoun,
Made by protestacyoun,
No man to myscontent
With Phillippis enteremente.
Phillippe Sparows graue?
His Dirige, her Commendacioun
Can be no derogacyoun,
But myrth and consolacyoun,
Made by protestacyoun,
No man to myscontent
With Phillippis enteremente.
Alas, that goodly mayd,
Why shulde she be afrayd?
Why shulde she take shame
That her goodly name,
Honorably reportid,
Shulde be set and sortyd,
To be matriculate
With ladyes of astate?
Why shulde she be afrayd?
Why shulde she take shame
That her goodly name,
Honorably reportid,
Shulde be set and sortyd,
To be matriculate
With ladyes of astate?
227
I coniure thé, Phillip Sparow,
By Hercules that hell did harow,
And with a venomows arow
Slew of the Epidawris
One of the Centawris,
Or Onocentauris,
Or Hippocentauris;
By whos myght and maine
An hart was slayne
With hornnis twayne
Of glitteryng golde;
And the apples of golde
Of Hesperides withholde,
And with a dragon kepte
That neuer more slepte,
By merciall strength
He wan at length;
And slew Gerione
With thre bodys in one;
With myghty corrage
Adauntid the rage
Of a lyon sauage;
Of Diomedis stabyll
He brought out a rabyll
Of coursers and rounsis
With lepes and bounsis;
And with myghty luggyng,
Wrastelynge and tuggyng,
He pluckid the bull
By the hornid scull,
And offred to Cornucopia;
And so forthe per cetera:
By Hercules that hell did harow,
And with a venomows arow
Slew of the Epidawris
One of the Centawris,
Or Onocentauris,
Or Hippocentauris;
By whos myght and maine
An hart was slayne
With hornnis twayne
Of glitteryng golde;
And the apples of golde
Of Hesperides withholde,
And with a dragon kepte
That neuer more slepte,
By merciall strength
He wan at length;
And slew Gerione
With thre bodys in one;
With myghty corrage
Adauntid the rage
Of a lyon sauage;
Of Diomedis stabyll
He brought out a rabyll
Of coursers and rounsis
With lepes and bounsis;
And with myghty luggyng,
Wrastelynge and tuggyng,
He pluckid the bull
By the hornid scull,
228
And so forthe per cetera:
Also by Hectates bowre
In Plutos gastly towre;
In Plutos gastly towre;
By the vgly Eumenides,
That neuer haue rest nor ease;
That neuer haue rest nor ease;
By the venemows serpent
That in hell is neuer brente,
In Lerna the Grekis fen
That was engendred then;
That in hell is neuer brente,
In Lerna the Grekis fen
That was engendred then;
By Chemeras flamys,
And all the dedely namys
Of infernall posty,
Where soulis fry and rosty;
And all the dedely namys
Of infernall posty,
Where soulis fry and rosty;
By the Stigiall flode,
And the stremes wode
Of Cochitos bottumles well;
And the stremes wode
Of Cochitos bottumles well;
By the feryman of hell,
Caron with his berde hore,
That rowyth with a rude ore,
And with his frownsid fortop
Gydith his bote with a prop:
Caron with his berde hore,
That rowyth with a rude ore,
And with his frownsid fortop
Gydith his bote with a prop:
I coniure Phillippe, and call,
In the name of Kyng Saull;
Primo Regum expres,
He bad the Phitones
To witche craft her to dres,
And by her abusiouns,
And damnable illusiouns
Of meruelous conclusiouns,
And by her supersticiouns
Of wonderfull condiciouns,
She raysed vp in that stede
Samuell that was dede;
But whether it were so,
He were idem in numero,
The selfe same Samuell,
How be it to Saull he did tell
The Philistinis shulde hym askry,
And the next day he shulde dye,
I wyll my selfe discharge
To letterd men at large:
In the name of Kyng Saull;
Primo Regum expres,
He bad the Phitones
To witche craft her to dres,
And by her abusiouns,
229
Of meruelous conclusiouns,
And by her supersticiouns
Of wonderfull condiciouns,
She raysed vp in that stede
Samuell that was dede;
But whether it were so,
He were idem in numero,
The selfe same Samuell,
How be it to Saull he did tell
The Philistinis shulde hym askry,
And the next day he shulde dye,
I wyll my selfe discharge
To letterd men at large:
But, Phillip, I coniure thé
Now by theys names thre,
Diana in the woddis grene,
Luna that so bryght doth shene,
Proserpina in hell,
That thou shortely tell,
And shew now vnto me
What the cause may be
Of this perplexyte!
Now by theys names thre,
Diana in the woddis grene,
Luna that so bryght doth shene,
Proserpina in hell,
That thou shortely tell,
And shew now vnto me
What the cause may be
Of this perplexyte!
Inferias, Philippe, tuas Scroupe pulchra Joanna
Instanter petiit: cur nostri carminis illam
Nunc pudet? est sero; minor est infamia vero.
Instanter petiit: cur nostri carminis illam
Nunc pudet? est sero; minor est infamia vero.
230
Then such that haue disdaynyd
And of this worke complaynyd,
I pray God they be paynyd
No wors than is contaynyd
In verses two or thre
That folowe as ye may se:
And of this worke complaynyd,
I pray God they be paynyd
No wors than is contaynyd
In verses two or thre
That folowe as ye may se:
Luride, cur, livor, volucris pia funera damnas?
Talia te rapiant rapiunt quæ fata volucrem!
Est tamen invidia mors tibi continua:
Talia te rapiant rapiunt quæ fata volucrem!
Est tamen invidia mors tibi continua:
| The Poetical Works of John Skelton | |