The Poetical Works of John Skelton :: :: University of Virginia Library

Of your oratour and poete laureate
Of Englande, his workis here they begynne:
In primis the Boke of Honorous Astate;
Item the Boke how men shulde fle synne;
Item Royall Demenaunce worshyp to wynne;
Item the Boke to speke well or be styll;
Item to lerne you to dye when ye wyll;

Of Vertu also the souerayne enterlude;
The Boke of the Rosiar; Prince Arturis Creacyoun;
The False Fayth that now goth, which dayly is renude;
Item his Diologgis of Ymagynacyoun;
Item Antomedon of Loues Meditacyoun;

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Item New Gramer in Englysshe compylyd;
Item Bowche of Courte, where Drede was begyled;

His commedy, Achademios callyd by name;
Of Tullis Familiars the translacyoun;
Item Good Aduysement, that brainles doth blame;
The Recule ageinst Gaguyne of the Frenshe nacyoun;
Item the Popingay, that hath in commendacyoun
Ladyes and gentylwomen suche as deseruyd,
And suche as be counterfettis they be reseruyd;

And of Soueraynte a noble pamphelet;
And of Magnyfycence a notable mater,
How Cownterfet Cowntenaunce of the new get
With Crafty Conueyaunce dothe smater and flater,
And Cloked Collucyoun is brought in to clater
With Courtely Abusyoun; who pryntith it wele in mynde
Moche dowblenes of the worlde therin he may fynde;

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Of manerly maistres Margery Mylke and Ale;
To her he wrote many maters of myrthe;
Yet, thoughe I say it, therby lyith a tale,
For Margery wynshed, and breke her hinder girth;
Lor, how she made moche of her gentyll birth!
With, Gingirly, go gingerly! her tayle was made of hay;
Go she neuer so gingirly, her honesty is gone away;

Harde to make ought of that is nakid nought;
This fustiane maistres and this giggisse gase,
Wonder is to wryte what wrenchis she wrowght,
To face out her foly with a midsomer mase;
With pitche she patchid her pitcher shuld not crase;
It may wele ryme, but shroudly it doth accorde,
To pyke out honesty of suche a potshorde:

Patet per versus.

Hinc puer hic natus; vir conjugis hinc spoliatus
Jure thori; est fœtus Deli de sanguine cretus;
Hinc magis extollo, quod erit puer alter Apollo;
Si quæris qualis? meretrix castissima talis;
Et relis, et ralis, et reliqualis.

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A good herynge of thes olde talis;
Fynde no mo suche fro Wanflete to Walis.
Et reliqua omelia de diversis tractatibus.

Of my ladys grace at the contemplacyoun,
Owt of Frenshe into Englysshe prose,
Of Mannes Lyfe the Peregrynacioun,
He did translate, enterprete, and disclose;
The Tratyse of Triumphis of the Rede Rose,
Wherein many storis ar breuely contayned
That vnremembred longe tyme remayned;

The Duke of Yorkis creauncer whan Skelton was,
Now Henry the viij. Kyng of Englonde,
A tratyse he deuysid and browght it to pas,
Callid Speculum Principis, to bere in his honde,
Therin to rede, and to vnderstande
All the demenour of princely astate,
To be our Kyng, of God preordinate;

Also the Tunnynge of Elinour Rummyng,
With Colyn Clowt, Iohnn Iue, with Ioforth Iack;

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To make suche trifels it asketh sum konnyng,
In honest myrth parde requyreth no lack;
The whyte apperyth the better for the black,
And after conueyauns as the world goos,
It is no foly to vse the Walshemannys hoos;

The vmblis of venyson, the botell of wyne,
To fayre maistres Anne that shuld haue be sent,
He wrate therof many a praty lyne,
Where it became, and whether it went,
And how that it was wantonly spent;
The Balade also of the Mustarde Tarte
Suche problemis to paynt it longyth to his arte;

Of one Adame all a knaue, late dede and gone,—
Dormiat in pace, lyke a dormows!—
He wrate an Epitaph for his graue stone,
With wordes deuoute and sentence agerdows,
For he was euer ageynst Goddis hows,
All his delight was to braule and to barke
Ageynst holy chyrche, the preste, and the clarke;

Of Phillip Sparow the lamentable fate,
The dolefull desteny, and the carefull chaunce,

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Dyuysed by Skelton after the funerall rate;
Yet sum there be therewith that take greuaunce,
And grudge therat with frownyng countenaunce;
But what of that? hard it is to please all men;
Who list amende it, let hym set to his penne;