Part 15

THE COMMENDACIONS.

_Beati im ma cu la ti in via,_ _O gloriosa fœmina!_ Now myne hole imaginacion And studyous medytacion Is to take this commendacyon In this consyderacion; 850 And vnder pacyent tolleracyon Of that most goodly[416] mayd That _Placebo_ hath sayd, And for her sparow prayd In lamentable wyse, Now wyll I enterpryse, Thorow the grace dyuyne Of the Muses nyne, Her beautye to commende, If Arethusa wyll send 860 Me enfluence to endyte, And with my pen to wryte; If Apollo wyll promyse Melodyously it to[417] deuyse His tunable harpe stryngges With armony that synges Of princes and of kynges And of all pleasaunt thynges, Of lust and of delyght, Thorow his godly myght; 870 To whom be the laude ascrybed That my pen hath enbybed With the aureat droppes, As verely my hope is, Of Thagus, that golden flod, That passeth all[418] erthly good; And as that flode doth pas Al floodes that euer was With his golden sandes, Who so that vnderstandes 880 Cosmography, and the stremys And the floodes in straunge remes, Ryght so she doth excede All other of whom we rede, Whose fame by me shall sprede Into Perce and Mede, From Brytons Albion To[419] the Towre of Babilon. I trust it is no shame, And no man wyll me blame, 890 Though I regester her name In the courte of Fame; For this most goodly floure, This blossome of fresshe coulour, So Jupiter me socour, She floryssheth new and new In bewte and vertew: _Hac claritate gemina_ _O gloriosa fœmina,_ _Retribue servo tuo, vivifica me!_ 900 _Labia mea laudabunt te._ But enforsed am I Openly to askry, And to make an[420] outcri Against odyous Enui, That euermore wil ly, And say cursedly; With his ledder ey, And chekes dry; With vysage wan, 910 As swarte[421] as tan; His bones crake, Leane as a rake; His gummes rusty Are full vnlusty; Hys herte withall Bytter as gall; His lyuer, his longe[422] With anger is wronge; His serpentes tonge 920 That many one hath stonge; He frowneth euer; He laugheth neuer, Euen nor morow, But other mennes sorow Causeth him to gryn And reioyce therin; No slepe can him catch, But euer doth watch, He is so bete 930 With malyce, and frete With angre and yre, His foule desyre Wyll suffre no slepe In his hed to crepe; His foule[423] semblaunt All displeasaunte;[424] Whan other ar glad, Than is he sad; Frantyke and mad; 940 His tong neuer styll For to say yll, Wrythyng and wringyng, Bytyng and styngyng; And thus this elf Consumeth himself, Hymself doth slo Wyth payne and wo. This fals Enuy Sayth that I 950 Vse great folly For to endyte, And for to wryte, And spend my tyme In prose and ryme, For to expres The noblenes Of my maistres, That causeth me Studious to be 960 To[425] make a relation Of her commendation; And there agayne Enuy doth complayne, And hath disdayne; But yet certayne I wyll be[426] playne, And my style dres To this prosses. Now Phebus me ken 970 To sharpe my pen, And lede my fyst As hym best lyst, That I may say Honour alway Of womankynd! Trouth doth me bynd And loyalte Euer to be Their true bedell, 980 To wryte and tell How women excell In noblenes; As my maistres, Of whom I thynk With pen and ynk For to compyle Some goodly[427] style; For this most goodly[428] floure, This blossome of fresh coloure, 990 So Jupyter me socoure, She flourissheth new and new In beaute and vertew: _Hac claritate gemina_ _O gloriosa fœmina,_ _Legem pone mihi, domina,[429] in viam justificationum tuarum!_ _Quemadmodum desiderat cervus ad fontes aquarum._ How shall I report All the goodly sort Of her fetures clere, 1000 That hath non erthly pere? Her[430] fauour of her face Ennewed all with[431] grace, Confort, pleasure, and solace, Myne hert doth so enbrace, And so hath rauyshed me Her to behold and se, That in wordes playne I cannot me refrayne To loke on[432] her agayne: 1010 Alas, what shuld I fayne? It wer a plesaunt payne With her aye to remayne. Her eyen gray and stepe Causeth myne hert to lepe; With her browes bent She may well represent Fayre Lucres, as I wene, Or els fayre Polexene, Or els Caliope, 1020 Or els Penolope; For this most goodly floure, This blossome of fresshe coloure, So Jupiter me socoure, She florisheth new and new In beautye and vertew: _Hac claritate gemina_ _O gloriosa fœmina,_ _Memor esto verbi tui servo tuo!_ _Servus tuus sum ego._ 1030 The Indy saphyre blew Her vaynes doth ennew; The orient perle so clere, The whytnesse of her lere; The[433] lusty ruby ruddes Resemble the rose buddes; Her lyppes soft and mery Emblomed lyke the chery, It were an heuenly blysse Her sugred mouth to kysse. 1040 Her beautye to augment, Dame Nature hath her lent A warte vpon her cheke, Who so lyst to seke In her vysage a skar, That semyth from afar Lyke to the radyant star, All with fauour fret, So properly it is set: She is the vyolet, 1050 The daysy delectable, The columbine[434] commendable, The[435] ielofer amyable; [For][436] this most goodly floure, This blossom of fressh colour, So Jupiter me succour, She florysheth new and new In beaute and vertew: _Hac claritate gemina_ _O gloriosa fœmina,_ 1060 _Bonitatem fecisti cum servo tuo, domina,_ _Et ex præcordiis sonant præconia!_ And whan I perceyued Her wart and conceyued, It cannot be denayd But it was well conuayd, And set so womanly, And nothynge wantonly, But ryght conuenyently, And full congruently, 1070 As Nature cold deuyse, In most goodly wyse; Who so lyst beholde, It makethe louers bolde To her to sewe for grace, Her fauoure to purchase; The sker upon her chyn, Enhached[437] on her fayre skyn, Whyter than the swan, It wold make any man 1080 To forget deadly syn Her fauour to wyn; For this most goodly[438] floure, This blossom of fressh coloure, So Jupiter me socoure, She flouryssheth new and new In beaute and vertew: _Hac claritate gemina_ _O gloriosa fœmina,_ _Defecit in salutatione tua[439] anima mea;_ 1090 _Quid petis filio, mater dulcissima? babæ!_[440] Soft, and make no dyn, For now I wyll begyn To haue[441] in remembraunce Her goodly dalyaunce, And her goodly pastaunce: So sad and so demure, Behauynge her so sure, With wordes of pleasure She wold make to the lure 1100 And any man conuert To gyue her his hole hert. She made me sore amased Vpon her whan I gased, Me thought min hert was crased, My eyne were so dased; For this most goodly flour, This[442] blossom of fressh colour, So Jupyter me socour, She flouryssheth new and new 1110 In beauty and vertew: _Hac claritate gemina_ _O gloriosa fœmina,_ _Quomodo dilexi legem tuam, domina!_ _Recedant vetera, nova sint[443] omnia._ And to amende her tale, Whan she lyst to auale, And with her fyngers smale, And handes soft as sylke, Whyter than the[444] mylke, 1120 That are so quyckely vayned, Wherwyth my hand she strayned, Lorde, how I was payned! Vnneth I me refrayned, How she me had reclaymed, And me to her retayned, Enbrasynge therwithall Her goodly[445] myddell small With sydes longe and streyte; To tell you what conceyte 1130 I had than in a tryce, The matter were to nyse, And yet there was no vyce, Nor yet no villany, But only fantasy; For this most goodly floure, This[446] blossom of fressh coloure, So Jupiter me succoure, She floryssheth new and new In beaute and vertew: 1140 _Hac claritate gemina_ _O gloriosa fœmina,_ _Iniquos odio habui!_ _Non calumnientur me superbi._ But whereto shulde I note How often dyd I tote Vpon her prety fote? It raysed myne hert rote To se her treade the grounde With heles short and rounde. 1150 She is playnly expresse Egeria, the goddesse, And lyke to her image, Emportured with corage, A louers pylgrimage; Ther is no beest sauage, Ne no tyger so wood, But she wolde chaunge his mood, Such relucent grace Is formed in her face; 1160 For this most goodly floure, This blossome of fresshe coloure, So Jupiter me succour, She flouryssheth new and new In beaute and vertew: _Hac claritate gemina_ _O gloriosa fœmina,_ _Mirabilia testimonia tua!_ _Sicut novellæ plantationes in juventute sua._ So goodly as she dresses, 1170 So properly[447] she presses The bryght golden tresses Of her heer so fyne, Lyke Phebus beames shyne. Wherto shuld I disclose The garterynge of her hose? It is for to suppose How that she can were Gorgiously her gere; Her fresshe habylementes 1180 With other implementes To serue for all ententes, Lyke dame Flora, quene Of lusty somer grene; For[448] this most goodly floure, This blossom of fressh coloure, So Jupiter me socoure, She florisheth new and new In beautye and vertew: _Hac claritate gemina_ 1190 _O gloriosa fœmina,_ _Clamavi in toto corde, exaudi me!_ _Misericordia tua magna est super me._ Her kyrtell so goodly lased, And vnder that is brased Such plasures that I may Neyther wryte nor say; Yet though I wryte not with ynke, No man can let me thynke, For thought hath lyberte, 1200 Thought is franke and fre; To thynke a mery thought It cost me lytell nor[449] nought. Wolde God myne homely style Were pullysshed with the fyle Of Ciceros eloquence, To prase her excellence! For this[450] most goodly floure, This[451] blossome of fressh coloure, So Jupiter me succoure, 1210 She flouryssheth new and new In beaute and vertew: _Hac claritate gemina_ _O gloriosa fœmina,_ _Principes persecuti sunt me gratis!_ _Omnibus consideratis,_ _Paradisus voluptatis_ _Hæc virgo est dulcissima._ My pen it is vnable, My hand it is vnstable, 1220 My reson rude and dull To prayse her at the full; Goodly maystres Jane, Sobre, demure Dyane; Jane this maystres hyght The lode star[452] of delyght, Dame Venus of all pleasure, The well of worldly treasure; She doth excede and pas In prudence dame Pallas; 1230 [For][453] this[454] most goodly floure, This blossome of fresshe colour, So Jupiter me socoure, She floryssheth new and new In beaute and vertew: _Hac claritate gemina_ _O gloriosa fœmina!_ _Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine!_ With this psalme, _Domine, probasti me_, Shall sayle ouer the see, 1240 With _Tibi, Domine, commendamus_, On pylgrimage[455] to saynt Jamys, For shrympes, and for pranys, And for stalkynge[456] cranys; And where my pen hath offendyd, I pray you it may be amendyd By discrete consyderacyon Of your wyse reformacyon; I haue not offended, I trust, If it be sadly dyscust. 1250 It were no gentle gyse This treatyse to despyse Because I haue wrytten and sayd Honour of this fayre mayd; Wherefore shulde I be blamed, That I Jane haue[457] named, And famously proclamed? She is worthy to be enrolde With letters of golde. _Car elle vault._ 1260 _Per me laurigerum Britonum Skeltonida vatem[458]_ _Laudibus eximiis merito hæc redimita puella est:_ _Formosam cecini,[459] qua non formosior ulla est;_ _Formosam potius quam commendaret Homerus._ _Sic juvat interdum rigidos recreare labores,_ _Nec minus hoc titulo tersa Minerva mea est._ _Rien que playsere._

_Thus endeth the boke of Philip Sparow, and here foloweth an adicyon made by maister Skelton._

The gyse now a dayes Of some ianglynge iayes Is to discommende 1270 That they cannot amend, Though they wold spend All the wyttes they haue. What ayle them to depraue Phillip Sparowes graue? His _Dirige_, her Commendacyon Can be no derogacyon, But myrth and consolacyon Made by protestacyon, No man to myscontent 1280 With Phillyppes enterement. Alas, that goodly mayd, Why shuld she be afrayde? Why shuld she take shame That her goodly name, Honorably reported, Sholde be set and sorted, To be matriculate With ladyes of estate? I coniure thé, Phillip Sparow, 1290 By Hercules that hell dyd harow, And with a venemous arow Slew of the Epidaures One of the Centaures, Or Onocentaures, Or Hipocentaures;[460] By whose myght and mayne An hart was slayne With hornes twayne Of glytteryng gold; 1300 And the appels of gold Of Hesperides withhold, And with a dragon kept That neuer more slept, By marcyall strength He wan at length; And slew Gerion With thre bodyes in one; With myghty corage Adauntid[461] the rage 1310 Of a lyon sauage; Of Dyomedes stable He brought out a rable Of coursers and rounses With leapes and bounses; And with mighty luggyng, Wrestlyng and tuggyng, He plucked the bull By the horned skull, And offred to Cornucopia; 1320 And so forth _per cetera_: Also by Ecates bower In Plutos[462] gastly tower; By the vgly Eumenides, That neuer haue rest nor ease; By the venemous serpent, That in hell is neuer brent, In Lerna the Grekes fen, That was engendred then; By Chemeras flames, 1330 And all the dedly names Of infernall posty, Where soules frye and rosty;[463] By the Stygyall flood, And the streames wood Of Cocitus botumles well; By the feryman of hell, Caron with his beerd hore, That roweth with a rude ore And with his frownsid[464] fore top 1340 Gydeth his bote with a prop: I coniure[465] Phylyp, and call In the name of kyng Saul; _Primo Regum_ expresse, He bad[466] the Phitonesse To wytchcraft her to dresse, And by her abusyons, And dampnable illusyons Of marueylus conclusyons, And by her supersticyons, 1350 And wonderfull condityons, 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 dyd he tell The Philistinis shuld hym ascry, And the next day he shuld dye, I wyll my selfe dyscharge 1360 To lettred men at large: But, Phylyp, I coniure thee Now by these names thre, Diana in the woodes grene, Luna that so bryght doth shene,[467] Procerpina in hell, That thou shortly tell, And shew now vnto me What the cause may be Of this perplexite! 1370

_Inferias,[468] Philippe, tuas[469] Scroupe pulchra Joanna_ _Instanter petiit:[470] cur nostri carminis illam_ _Nunc pudet?[471] est sero; minor est infamia vero._

Than suche as haue disdayned And of this worke complayned, I pray God they be payned No worse than is contayned In verses two or thre That folowe as you[472] may se.

_Luride, cur, livor, volucris pia funera damnas?_ 1380 _Talia te rapiant rapiunt quæ fata volucrem!_[473] _Est tamen invidia mors tibi continua._

[335] _Here after_, &c.] From the ed. by Kele, n. d., collated with that by Kitson, n. d. (which in some copies is said to be printed by Weale), and with Marshe’s ed. of Skelton’s _Workes_, 1568.

[336] _had_] Not in other eds.

[337] _For_] Other eds. “From.”

[338] _From_] Eds. “For.”

[339] _montes_] Marshe’s ed. “montis.”

[340] _Zenophontes_] Other eds. “Zenophontis.”

[341] _Andromach_] Marshe’s ed. “Andromaca.”

[342] _syt_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “set;” but see fifth line after.

[343] _Sulpicia_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “Sulspicia.”

[344] _that_] Not in Marshe’s ed.

[345] _eloquently_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “eloquenly.”

[346] _fly_] Other eds. “fle.”

[347] _fethers_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “fether.”

[348] _though_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “thought.”

[349] _in_] Not in other eds.

[350] _Attalus_] Eds. “Artalus.”

[351] _ofsprynge_] Other eds. “sprynge.”

[352] _opened_] Marshe’s ed. “open.”

[353] _waxed_] Marshe’s ed. “ware.”

[354] _birdes_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “bordes,” which, perhaps, is the right reading. See notes.

[355] _haue yet_] Other eds. “yet haue.”

[356] _carlyshe_] Other eds. “churlyshe.”

[357] _The_] Eds. “These.”

[358] _serpentes_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “serpens.”

[359] _were_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “where.”

[360]

_And go in at my spayre,_ _And crepe in at my gore_

Kitson’s ed.;

“_And_ often _at my spayre_ _And_ gape _in at my gore_.”

[361] _his_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “this.”

[362] _on_] Marshe’s ed. “an.”

[363] _a_] Not in Marshe’s ed.

[364] _Softly_] Marshe’s ed. “Loftly.”

[365] _bitter_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “better.”

[366] _Menander_] See notes.

[367] _the_] So other eds. Not in Kele’s ed.

[368] _is_] Not in other eds.

[369] _gaunce_] Other eds. “gaunte.”

[370] _cormoraunce_] Other eds. “cormoraunte.”

[371] _The route and the kowgh_] See notes.

[372] _wilde_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “wynde.”

[373] _water hen_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “wather _hen_.”

[374] _puffin_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “pussyn.”

[375] _No_] Kitson’s ed. “Nor.”

[376] _doth freat_] So Marshe’s ed. Other eds. “so great.”

[377] _Ga_] Marshe’s ed. “Fa.”

[378] _cought_] Other eds. “caught.”

[379] _tought_] Other eds. “taught.”

[380] _nightly_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “nyghly.”

[381] _summes_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “sumes.”

[382] _a_] Not in other eds.

[383] _reflary_] Qy. “reflayre?”

[384] _eyre_] Other eds. “ayre.”

[385] _to_] Not in Marshe’s ed.

[386] _Whyles_, &c.] So, perhaps, Skelton wrote: the line is imperfect in eds.

[387] _the_] Eds. “thye” and “thy.”

[388] _gerfawcon_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “grefawcon.”

[389] _the_] Not in other eds.

[390] _holy water_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “_holy_ wather.”

[391] _eis_] I may just notice that here Skelton quotes literatim the _Off. Defunct_.

[392] _re_] So Kitson’s ed. Not in other eds.

[393] _Tyll_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “Thyll.”

[394] _desteny_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “destey.”

[395] _to mynde_] Kitson’s ed. “_to_ mi _mynde_.”

[396] _That_] So Marshe’s ed. Other eds. “Thay” and “They.”

[397] _comyne_] Other eds. “commen” and “common.”

[398] _Amund_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “Emund.”

[399] _then_] So Marshe’s ed. Other eds. “than.”

[400] _of_] Not in other eds.

[401] _though_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “thought.”

[402] _Hannyball_] Other eds. “of _Hannyball_.”

[403] _That_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “What.”

[404] _unmerciful_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “mercyfull.”

[405] _the_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “tha.”

[406] _sweat_] Eds. “smart.”

[407] _Or_] Kitson’s ed. “_Or_ of.”

[408] _Symonides_] Eds. “Dymonides.”

[409] _Philistion_] Marshe’s ed. “Philiston.”

[410] _elect_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “clere.”

[411] _ornatly_] Other eds. “ordinately.”

[412] _told_] Other eds. “is _tolde_.”

[413] _No_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “Ne.”

[414] _Flos volucrum_, &c.] So these lines (each one cut into two) are given in the eds.

[415] _eras_] Eds. “eris.”

[416] _goodly_] Other eds. “godly.”

[417] _it to_] Qy. “_to it?_”

[418] _all_] Other eds. “_all_ the.”

[419] _To_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “Bo.”

[420] _an_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “a.”

[421] _swarte_] So Marshe’s ed. Other eds. “wart” and “warte.”

[422] _longe_] Other eds. “longes.”

[423] _foule_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “feule.”

[424] _displeasaunte_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “displseaunt.”

[425] _To_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “Bo.”

[426] _be_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “me.”

[427] _goodly_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “godly.”

[428] _goodly_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “gooly.”

[429] _domina_] Eds. “domine,” but afterwards, in similar passages, v. 1061, 1114, “domina.”

[430] _Her_] Qy. “The?”

[431] _all with_] Other eds. “_with al_.”

[432] _on_] Marshe’s ed. “to.”

[433] _The_] Qy. “Her?”

[434] _columbine_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “calumbyn.”

[435] _The_] Eds. “This.”

[436] _[For]_] Compare vv. 989, 1022, 1083, 1107, &c.

[437] _Enhached_] The editor of 1736 chose to print “Enchased.”

[438] _goodly_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “godly.”

[439] _salutatione tua_] Eds. “salutare tuum” and “salutate tuum.”

[440] _babæ_] Eds. “ba ba.”

[441] _haue_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “heue.”

[442] _This_] Other eds. “The.”

[443] _sint_] Other eds. “sunt.”

[444] _the_] Not in other eds.

[445] _goodly_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “godly.”

[446] _This_] Eds. “The:” but see the frequent repetition of the passage.

[447] _properly_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “propeeyly.”

[448] _For_] Not in other eds.

[449] _nor_] Other eds. “or.”

[450] _For this_] Other eds. “The.”

[451] _This_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “Thus.”

[452] _star_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “stare.”

[453] _[For]_] See note, ante, p. 83.

[454] _this_] Other eds. “the.”

[455] _pilgrimage_] Marshe’s ed. “pilgrimages.”

[456] _stalkynge_] So other eds. Kele’s ed. “stalke.”

[457] _haue_] Not in Marshe’s ed.

[458] _vatem_] Eds. “latem.”

[459] _cecini_] Eds. “pocecini.”

[460] _Hipocentaures_] Eds. “Hipocentaurius.”

[461] _Adauntid_] So our author in _The Garlande of Laurell_, where he cites this “Adycion.” Eds. “Auaunted.”

[462] _Plutos_] So in _The Garlande of Laurell_. Eds. “Plutus.”

[463] _rosty_] So Marshe’s ed. Other eds. “rousty.”

[464] _frownsid_] Supplied by _The Garlande of Laurell_. Not in eds.

[465] _coniure_] Qy. “_coniure_ thé?” as before and after.

[466] _bad_] So in _The Garlande of Laurell_. Eds. “_had_.”

[467] _shene_] So in _The Garlande of Laurell_. Eds. “shyne.”

[468] _Inferias_] So ibid. Eds. “Infera” and “Inferia.”

[469] _tuas_] So ibid. Not in eds.

[470] _petiit_] Other eds. “persit.”