Part 13

Naye, see where yonder stondeth the teder man! A flaterynge knaue and false he is, God wote; The dreuyll stondeth to herken, and he can: It were more thryft, he boughte him a newe cote; It will not be, his purse is not on flote: All that he wereth, it is borowed ware; His wytte is thynne, his hode is threde bare. 490

More coude I saye, but what this is ynowe: Adewe tyll soone, we shall speke more of this: Ye muste be ruled as I shall tell you howe; Amendis maye be of that is now amys; And I am your, syr, so haue I blys, In[329] euery poynte that I can do or saye: Gyue me your honde, farewell, and 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! 500 Thenne I, astonyed of that sodeyne fraye, Sterte all at ones, I lyked no thynge 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 hode[330] all pounsed and garded lyke a cage; Lyghte lyme fynger, he toke none other wage. Harken, quod he, loo here myne honde in thyne; 510 To vs welcome thou arte, by saynte 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 maye truste me, Parte[331] remembre whan ye were there, There I wynked on you,—wote ye not where? In A _loco_, I mene _juxta_ B: Woo is hym that is blynde and maye not see!

But to here the subtylte and the crafte, As I shall tell you, yf ye wyll harke agayne; 520 And, whan I sawe the horsons wolde you hafte, To holde myne honde, by God, I had grete payne; For forthwyth there I had him slayne, But that I drede[332] mordre wolde come oute: Who deleth with shrewes hath nede to loke aboute.

DREDE.

And as he rounded[333] thus in myne ere Of false collusyon confetryd by assente, Me thoughte, I see lewde felawes here and there Came for to slee me of mortall entente; And, as they came, the shypborde faste I hente, 530 And thoughte to lepe; and euen with that woke, Caughte penne and ynke, and wrote[334] this lytyll boke.

I wolde therwith no man were myscontente; Besechynge you that shall it see or rede, In euery poynte to be indyfferente, Syth all in substaunce of slumbrynge doth procede: I wyll not saye it is mater in dede, But yet oftyme suche dremes be founde trewe: Now constrewe ye what is the resydewe.

_Thus endeth the Bowge of Courte._

[232] _The Bowge of Courte_] From the ed. of Wynkyn de Worde, n. d., in the Advocates’ Library, Edinburgh, collated with another ed. by Wynkyn de Worde, n. d., in the Public Library, Cambridge, and with Marshe’s ed. of Skelton’s _Workes_, 1568.

[233] _trouth_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., and Marshe’s ed. W. de Worde’s ed. A. L. E., “troughte.”

[234] _it_] Not in Marshe’s ed.

[235] _wryte_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., and Marshe’s ed. W. de Worde’s ed. A. L. E. “wrythe.”—Qy. “wyte” (i. e. blame)?

[236] _moralyte_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C. Other eds. “mortalyte,” and “mortalitie.”

[237] _dyscure_] Both eds. of W. de Worde, “dysture.” Marshe’s ed, “dyscur.”

[238] _I_] So Marshe’s ed. Not in eds. of W. de Worde.

[239] _Auysynge_] W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., and Marshe’s ed. “Aduysynge.”

[240] _wryte_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., and Marshe’s ed. W. de Worde’s ed. A. L. E., “wrythe.”

[241] _his_] Not in Marshe’s ed.

[242] _was_] Marshe’s ed. “waa.”

[243] _me_] Eds. “my.”

[244] _kyste_] W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., “keste.” Marshe’s ed. “kast.”

[245] _lode_] Not in Marshe’s ed.

[246] _certeynte_] So Marshe’s ed. Eds. of W. de Worde, “certeynet” and “certayne.”

[247] _owner_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., and Marshe’s ed. W. de Worde’s ed. A. L. E., “awnner;” and so, perhaps, Skelton wrote: compare _Elynour Rummyng_, v. 609.

[248] _Her_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., and Marshe’s ed. W. de Worde’s ed. A. L. E., “Here.”

[249] _traues_] Eds. “tranes.”

[250] _clerer_] Marshe’s ed. “clere.”

[251] _Garder_] Marshe’s ed. “_Garde_.” (Qy. “_Gardez_?”)

[252] _had_] So Marshe’s ed. Not in W. de Worde’s eds.

[253] _Broder_] Marshe’s ed. “brother.”

[254] _spede_] Marshe’s ed. “sped.”

[255] _And_] Marshe’s ed. “But.”

[256] _an_] W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., and Marshe’s ed. “and.”

[257] _werne_] Marshe’s ed. “warne.”

[258] _er_] W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., “or.”

[259] _see boorde_] Marshe’s ed. “shyp _borde_.”

[260] _plesyre_] W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., and Marshe’s ed. “pleasure.”

[261] _laugheth_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., and Marshe’s ed. W. de Worde’s ed. A. L. E., “laughed.”

[262] _hateth_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., and Marshe’s ed. W. de Worde’s ed. A. L. E., “hateh.”

[263] _frouneth_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., and Marshe’s ed. W. de Worde’s ed. A. L. E., “fronneth.”

[264] _cherysseth_] Eds. “cherysshed.”

[265] _casseth_] W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., “casteth.” Marshe’s ed. “chasseth.”

[266] _and begynneth ... compyled_] Not in Marshe’s ed.

[267] _tougher_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., and Marshe’s ed. W. de Worde’s ed. A. L. E., “toughther.”

[268] _ony_] Marshe’s ed. “any.”

[269] _Hafter_] Eds. “Haster.” See notes.

[270] _shorte_] W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., “a _shorte_.”

[271] _stonde_] Marshe’s ed. “stande.”

[272] _Thyse lewde cok wattes_] Marshe’s ed. “These _lewd cok_ witts.”

[273] _Twyst_] W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., “Whist.” Marshe’s ed. “Twysshē.”

[274] _spede, broder_] Marshe’s ed. “sped, brother.”

[275] _commaunde_] W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., “commened.”

[276] _a party space_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C. Other eds. “_a party_ spake.” Qy. “a _praty_ (pretty) space?”

[277] _moche_] Marshe’s ed. “muche.”

[278] _auyse_] Marshe’s ed. “aduyse.”

[279] _ony_] Marshe’s ed. “any.”

[280] _moche_] Marshe’s ed. “muche.”

[281] _dyscure_] So Marshe’s ed. Eds. of W. de Worde, “dysture.”

[282] _man_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., and Marshe’s ed. W. de Worde’s ed. A. L. E., “wan.”

[283] _Hafter_] Eds. “Haster.”

[284] _Me_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., and Marshe’s ed. W. de Worde’s ed. A. L. E., “My.”

[285] _my_] Marshe’s ed. “me.”

[286] _Hafter_] Eds. “Haster.”

[287] _skan_] So Marshe’s ed. Eds. of W. de Worde, “stan.”

[288] _it_] Not in Marshe’s ed.

[289] _yougthe_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C. Other eds. “youghte.”

[290] _I_] So Marshe’s ed. Not in eds. of W. de Worde.

[291] _pleasyre_] Marshe’s ed. “pleasure.”

[292] _hawte_] Marshe’s ed. “hawtie.”

[293] _scornnys_] Eds. of W. de Worde, “storunys.” Marshe’s ed. “scornes.”

[294] _the_] W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., “his.”

[295] _this comerous crabes hyghte_] Eds. of W. de Worde, “his _comerous_ carbes _hyghte_.” Marshe’s ed. “his _comerous crabes hyghte_.”

[296] _Hafter_] Eds. “Haster.”

[297] _our_] Marshe’s ed. “your.”

[298] _Hafter_] Eds. “Haster.”

[299] _layne_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C. Other eds. “sayne.”

[300] _scornfull_] Marshe’s ed. “scorfull.”

[301] _kyst_] W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., “kest.”

[302] _checked_] Marshe’s ed. “checkerd.”

[303] _a_] Not in Marshe’s ed.

[304] _ony_] Marshe’s ed. “any.”

[305] _An_] Marshe’s ed. “And.”

[306] _hadde_] Not in Marshe’s ed.

[307] _auowe_] So Marshe’s ed. Eds. of W. de Worde, “auwe.”

[308] _placke_] Marshe’s ed. “plucke,”—perhaps, the right reading.

[309] _was neuer one_] Marshe’s ed. “is here within.”

[310] _I_] Not in W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C.

[311] _armes_] So Marshe’s ed. Eds. of W. de Worde, “harmes.”

[312] _thorugh_] Marshe’s ed. “through.”

[313] _curtel_] So Marshe’s ed. Eds of W. de Worde, “curtet.”

[314] _is_] Not in Marshe’s ed.; but see notes.

[315] _Vnthryftynes_] So Marshe’s ed. Eds. of W. de Worde, “Vnthryftnes.”

[316] _whome_] So Marshe’s ed. Other eds. “home.”

[317] _kyste_] Marshe’s ed. “caste.”

[318] _agryse_] Eds. “aryse.” See notes.

[319] _me haue_] W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., “haue me.”

[320] _preue a dawe_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C. Other eds. “preye a dawe.”

[321] _that_] So Marshe’s ed. Not in other eds.

[322] _hym_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C. Not in other eds.

[323] _lytterature_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C. Other eds. “lytterkture.”

[324] _you_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C. Other eds. “Iou.”

[325] _a Jew_] W. de Worde’s ed. A. L. E., “_a_ yew.” W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., and Marshe’s ed., “an yew.”

[326] _to_] So other eds. W. de Worde’s ed. A. L. E., “te.”

[327] _tell_] W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C., “not _tell_.”

[328] _these_] So W. de Worde’s ed. P. L. C. Other eds. “this.”

[329] _In_] Marshe’s ed. “To.”

[330] _hode_] Marshe’s ed. “body.”

[331] _Parte_] Qy. “Parde” (_Par dieu_—in sooth)?

[332] _drede_] So other eds. W. de Worde’s ed. A. L. E., “drde.”

[333] _rounded_] So other eds. W. de Worde’s ed. A. L. E., “roynded.”

[334] _wrote_] So other eds. W. de Worde’s ed. A. L. E., “wroth.”

HERE AFTER[335] FOLOWETH THE BOKE OF PHYLLYP SPAROWE, COMPYLED BY MAYSTER SKELTON, POETE LAUREATE.