Part 9

_Verses presented to King Henry the Seventh at the feast of St. George celebrated at Windsor in the third year of his reign_—first printed by Ashmole (see vol. ii. 387 of the present work).

_The Epitaffe of the moste noble and valyaunt Jaspar late Duke of Beddeforde_, printed by Pynson, 4to, n. d. (see vol. ii. 388.)

_Elegy on King Henry the Seventh_—an imperfect broadside (see vol. ii. 399).

_Merie Tales Newly Imprinted & made by Master Skelton Poet Laureat. Imprinted at London in Fleetstreat beneath the Conduit at the signe of S. John Euangelist, by Thomas Colwell_, 12mo, n. d. (see the preceding Appendix.) Warton, _Hist. of E.P._ ii. 336 (note), gives the date 1575 to these Tales,—on what authority I know not.

Other pieces might be mentioned.

MSS.

_Of the death of the noble prince, Kynge Edwarde the forth._ In a vol. belonging to Miss Richardson Currer, which has furnished a stanza hitherto unprinted (vol. i. 1).

_Vpon the doulourus dethe and muche lamentable chaunce of the most honorable Erle of Northumberlande. MS. Reg. 18 D ii._ fol. 165 (vol. i. 6).

_Manerly Margery Mylk and Ale. Fairfax MS.,—Add. MSS._ (Brit. Mus.) 5465, fol. 109 (vol. i. 28).

_Poems against Garnesche. MS. Harl._ 367, fol. 101. Now for the first time printed (vol. i. 116).

“_Wofully araid_,” &c. _Fairfax MS.,—Add. MSS._ 5465, fol. 76 and fol. 86 (Brit. Mus.): and MS. copy in a very old hand on the fly-leaves of _Boetius de Discip. Schol. cum notabili commento, Daventrie_, 1496, 4to (in the collection of the late Mr. Heber), which has supplied several stanzas hitherto unprinted (vol. i. 141).

“_I, liber, et propera, regem tu pronus adora_,” &c. _MS. C.C.C._—No. ccccxxxii. of Nasmith’s _Catal._ p. 400 (vol. i. 147).

“_Salve plus decies quam sunt momenta dierum_,” &c. _Add. MSS._ (Brit. Mus.) 4787, fol. 224 (vol. i. 177).

_Colyn Cloute. MS. Harl._ 2252, fol. 147 (vol. i. 311).—In _MS. Lansdown_ 762, fol. 75, is a fragment of this poem, “The profecy of Skelton” (vol. i. 329).

_Garlande of Laurell. MS. Cott. Vit. E X._ fol. 200; very imperfect (vol. i. 361).

_Speke, Parrot. MS. Harl._ 2252, fol. 133, which has supplied much now for the first time printed (vol. ii. 1).

_Diodorus Siculus translated into English [by Skelton poet-laureat]. MS. C.C.C._—No. ccclvii. of Nasmith’s _Catal._ p. 362.

For the following account of this MS. I am indebted to Mr. Thomas Wright:—

“MS. Corp. Chr. Camb. No. 357.

At the head of the first folio—‘Interpretatio Skeltoni poetæ Laureati,’ written in a different hand from the MS. (by Nasmith said to be by Archb. Parker himself) over something which has been erased, but which seems to have been ‘Prohemye of Poggius.’

At the end of this preface is written in the same hand as MS. ‘Thus endeth the prohemye of Poggius.’ fol. 2 verso.

At fol. 3 begins ‘The prohemy of Diodorus thauctour.’ This ends at fol. 7 thus,—

¶ ‘Now we wyll enforce to begynne our processe historyall. quod Skelton.

¶ Here endeth the prohemy of all the hole processe.’

The words ‘quod Skelton’ are written in rather a different hand, and with different ink, but apparently contemporary. I think it not impossible that they may have been added by the original hand at another time.

It is imperfect at the end: but on a leaf bound up with it is written in a much later hand (perhaps by Parker), ‘Hec charta de industria vacua relicta est, ut occasio daretur juveni in litteris exercitato aggrediendi translationem historiæ que hic diminuta est, ut sic humeri sui vires experiatur quid ferre valeant, quidve recusent, tum cognoscet quid hic translator prestiterit, fortassis non ita facile in hoc genere a multis superandus.’”

Tanner (_Biblioth._ p. 676. ed. 1748) mentions the following two pieces as extant in his day among the MSS. of Lincoln Cathedral Library (see _Memoir_, pp. xxi, xxiii.)—

_Methodos Skeltonidis laureati_, sc. _Præcepta quædam moralia Henrico principi, postea Henr._ viii, _missa_, Dat. apud Eltham A.D. MDI. Principium deest.

_Carmen ad principem, quando insignitus erat ducis Ebor. titulo._ Pr. “Si quid habes, mea Musa.”

MSS. OF PIECES ATTRIBUTED TO SKELTON.

_Vox Populi, vox Dei. MS._ 2567 Cambridge Public Library. _MS. Harl._ 367. fol. 130 (see vol. ii. 400).

_The Image of Ipocrysy. MS. Lansdown_ 794 (see vol. ii. 413).

Other pieces might be mentioned.

APPENDIX III.

EXTRACTS FROM PIECES WHICH ARE WRITTEN IN, OR WHICH CONTAIN EXAMPLES OF, THE METRE CALLED SKELTONICAL.

EXAMPLES OF THE METRE CALLED SKELTONICAL.

_The Genealogye of Heresye. Compyled by Ponce Pantolabus. Imprynted at London In Pater noster rowe. At the signe of our ladye pytye_ [some copies, _our fadyr Pyte_] _By Johan Redman. Ad imprimendum solum_, 1542: another edition was printed by Robert Wyer: vide _Typograph. Antiq._ iii. 59, 182. ed. Dibdin (the size of them not mentioned). The author was John Huntingdon.

These editions I have not seen: the whole of the tract, however, seems to be quoted in _A mysterye of inyquyte contayned within the heretycall Genealogye of Ponce Pantolabus, is here both dysclosed & confuted By Johan Bale An. M.D.XLII._ 12mo, Geneva, 1545, from which I subjoin the following passages:

“Blynde obstynacye Begate heresye, By a myschaunce, Of dame ignoraunce. Heresye begate Stryfe and debate. Debate and ambycyon Begate supersticyon. Supersticion playne Begate disdayne. Dysdayne of trowthe Begate slowthe. Slowthe & sluggyshnesse Begate wylfulnesse. Wylfulnesse, verelye Nygh cosyne to heresye, Begate myschefe, Father of Wyclefe, Which ded bringe inne His grandfather synne. After this brother Came forth an other; His name to discusse, Menne called him Husse; He and his cumpanye Began in Germanye. And after that Came in a gnat Of the same kynde, Whose sowle is blynde; His name you shall here, Menne call him Luthere. He by his meane Hath bannyshed cleane Out of that coste The Holye Ghoste, And hath brought inne Lyberte and synne. Next after him, Is his chefe lym One Melanchtonus, _Nequaquam bonus_. Next after this whelpe Came in to helpe One Oecolampadius, With his brother Zuinglius. ... And for this tyme Here endeth my ryme, The Genealogye Of stynkynge heresye: Wherin I requyre And humblye desyre All menne ywys That shall rede this, Aboue all thinge To praye for our kynge, And the quene also Where so euer she go, And for the sauegarde Of our prince Edwarde, Whom I praye Jesu Longe to contynewe! Amen.”

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From _A pore helpe_.

_The bukler and defence_ _Of mother holy kyrke,_ _And weapē to driue hence_ _Al that against her wircke._

12mo, without date or printer’s name.

“Wyll none in all this lande Step forth, and take in hande These felowes to withstande, In nombre lyke the sande, That with the Gospell melles, And wyll do nothynge elles But tratlynge tales telles Agaynst our holy prelacie And holy churches dygnitie, Sayinge it is but papistrie, Yea, fayned and hipocrisy, Erronious and heresye, And taketh theyr aucthoritie Out of the holy Euangelie, All customes ceremoniall And rytes ecclesiasticall, Not grounded on Scripture, No longer to endure? And thus, ye maye be sure, The people they alure And drawe them from your lore, The whiche wyll greve you sore; Take hede, I saye, therfore, Your nede was neuer more. But sens ye be so slacke, It greueth me, alacke, To heare behynde your backe Howe they wyll carpe and cracke, And none of you that dare With[150] one of them compare. Yet some there be that are So bolde to shewe theyr ware, And is no priest nor deacon, And yet wyll fyre his becone Agaynst suche fellowes frayle, Make out with tothe and nayle, And hoyste vp meyne sayle, And manfully to fyght, In holy prelates ryght, With penne and ynke and paper, And lyke no triflynge iaper To touche these felowes indede With all expedient spede, And not before it nede: And I indede am he That wayteth for to se Who dare so hardy be To encounter here with me; I stande here in defence Of some that be far hence, And can both blysse and sence, And also vndertake Ryght holy thynges to make, Yea, God within a cake; And who so that forsake His breade shall be dowe bake; I openly professe The holy blyssed masse Of strength to be no lesse Then it was at the fyrst: But I wolde se who durst Set that amonge the worst, For he shulde be accurst With boke, bell, and candell, And so I wolde hym handell That he shulde ryght well knowe Howe to escape, I trowe, So hardy on his heade, Depraue our holy breade, Or els to prate or patter Agaynst our holy watter. This is a playne matter, It nedeth not to flatter: They be suche holy thynges As hath ben vsed with kynges; And yet these lewde loselles, That bragge vpon theyr Gospelles, At ceremonies swelles, And at our christined belles, And at our longe gownes, And at your shauen crownes, And at your typ[i]ttes fyne, The iauelles wyll repyne. They saye ye leade euyll lyues With other mennes wyues, And wyll none of your owne, And so your sede is sowne In other mennes grounde, True wedlocke to confounde: Thus do they rayle and raue, Callynge euery priest knaue, That loueth messe to saye, And after ydle all daye: They wolde not haue you playe To dryue the tyme awaye, But brabble on the Byble, Whiche is but impossible To be learned in all your lyfe; Yet therin be they ryfe, Whiche maketh all this stryfe,” &c.

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From _The Vpcheringe of the Messe: Inprinted at Lōdon by John Daye and Willyam Seres_, 12mo, n. d.

“Who hath not knowen or herd How we were made afeard That, magre of our beard, Our messe shulde cleane awaye, That we did dayly saye, And vtterly decaye For euer and for aye? So were we brought in doubte That all that are deuout Were like to go withoute The messe that hath no peere, Which longe hath taried here, Yea, many an hundreth yere, And to be destitute Of that whiche constitute Was of the highe depute Of Christe and his apostles; Althoughe none of the Gospels No mention maketh or tells, We must beleue (what ells?) Of things done by councells, Wherein the high professours, Apostlique successours, Take holde to be possessours; And some were made confessours; Some of them were no startars, But were made holi marters: Yet plowmen, smythes, & cartars, With such as be their hartars, Will enterprise to taxe Thes auncyent mens actes And holy fathers factes. Thoughe messe were made bi men, As popes nyne or ten, Or many more, what then? Or not of Scripture grounded, Is yt therfore confounded To be a supersticion? Nay, nay, they mysse the quission: Make better inquyssicion; Ye haue an euyll condicion To make suche exposicion; Ye thinke nothing but Scripture Is only clene and pure; Yes, yes, I you ensure, The messe shalbe hir better, As light as ye do set hir. The Scripture hath nothing Wherby profyte to bryng, But a lytyll preaching, With tattling and teaching; And nothing can ye espie Nor se with outwarde eye, But must your ears applie To learnyng inwardlye; And who so it will folowe, In goods though he may walow, If Scripture once him swalowe, She wyll vndo him holowe; Wherfore no good mes singers Will come within hir fyngers, But are hir vnder styngers, For she wolde fayne vndo All such as lyueth so. To the messe she is an enymye, And wolde distroye hir vtterlye, Wer not for sum that frendfully In time of nede will stand hir by. Yet is the messe and she as lyke As a Christian to an heretike: The messe hath holy vestures, And many gay gestures, And decked with clothe of golde, And vessells many folde, Right galaunt to beholde, More then may well be tolde, With basen, ewer, and towell, And many a prety jwelle, With goodly candellstyckes, And many proper tryckys, With cruetts gilt and chalys, Wherat some men haue malice, With sensers, and with pax, And many other knackys, With patent, and with corporas, The fynest thing that euer was. Alasse, is it not pitie That men be no more wittye But on the messe to iest, Of all suche thinge the best? For if she were supprest, A pyn for all the rest. ... A, good mestres Missa, Shal ye go from vs thissa? Wel, yet I muste ye kissa: Alacke, for payne I pyssa, To se the mone here issa, Because ye muste departe! It greueth many an herte That ye should from them start: But what then? tushe, a farte! Sins other shifte is none, But she must neades be gone, Nowe let vs synge eche one, Boeth Jak and Gyll and Jone, _Requiem eternam_, Lest _penam sempiternam_ For _vitam supernam_, And _vmbram infernam_ For _veram lucernam_, She chaunce to enherite, According to hir merite. _Pro cuius memoria_ Ye maye wel be soria; Full smale maye be your _gloria_, When ye shal heare thys storia; Then wil ye crie and roria, We shal se[151] hir no moria: _Et dicam vobis quare_ She may no longer _stare_, Nor here with you _regnare_, But trudge _ad vltra mare_, And after _habitare_ _In regno Plutonico_ _Et euo acronyco,_ _Cum cetu Babilonico_ _Et cantu diabolico_, With pollers and piller[s], And al hir well willers, And ther to dwel euer: And thus wil I leaue hir.”

* * * * *

From _Phylogamus_, 12mo, without date or printer’s name—of which the title-page and five leaves are preserved in a volume of Ballads and Fragments in the British Museum. The late Mr. Douce has written below the title-page “Probably by Skelton;” but it is certainly not his.

“Gyue place, ye poetes fine, Bow doune now & encline; For nowe yᵉ Muses nyne, So sacred and diuine, In Parnase holy hyll Haue wrought theyr worthy wyll. And by theyr goodly skyll Vppon that myghty mountayne In Hellycons fountayne, &c. ... O poete so impudent, Whyche neuer yet was studente, To thee the goddes prudente Minerua is illudente! Thou wrytest thynges dyffuse, Incongrue and confuse, Obfuscate and obtuse; No man the lyke doth use Among the Turckes or Jewes; Alwayes inuentyng newes That are incomparable, They be so fyrme and stable: Lyke as a shyppe is able, Wythout ancre and cable, Roother, maste, or sayle, Pully, rope, or nayle, In wynde, weather, or hayle, To guyde both top and tayle, And not the course to fayle; So thys our poet maye, Wythout a stopp or staye, In cunnynge wend the way, As wel by darke as day, And neuer go astray, Yf yt be as they saye. O poet rare and recent, Dedecorate and indecent, Insolent and insensate, Contendyng and condensate, Obtused and obturate, Obumbylate, obdurate, Sparyng no priest or curate, Cyuylyan or rurate, That be alredy marryed, And from theyr vow bene varyed, Wherto the Scrypture them caried! They myght as wel haue taryed; I sweare by the north doore rood, That stowte was whyle he stood, That they had bene as good To haue solde theyr best blew hood; For I am in suche a moode, That for my power and parte, Wyth al my wyt and arte, Wyth whole intent and harte, I wyl so at them darte,” &c.

* * * * *

_The Copye of a letter, sent by John Bradford to the right honorable lordes the Erles of Arundel, Darbie, Shrewsbury, & Penbroke, declarīg the nature of spaniardes, and discouering the most detestable treasons, whiche they haue pretended moste falselye againste oure moste noble kyngdome of Englande. Whereunto is added a tragical blast of the papisticall trōpet for mayntenaunce of the Popes kingdome in Englande. by. T.E. If ye beleue the trueth, ye saue your liues_, &c. 12mo, and without date or printer’s name on the title-page: the copy now before me is imperfect at the end, where perhaps both are given. According to Herbert’s _Ames’s Typ. Antiq._ iii. 1582, this piece was printed in 1555.

In the two subjoined passages (perhaps in more) of this tract, the author adopts the Skeltonic metre, though the whole is printed as prose:—

“There be many other noble menne [among the Spaniards, besides the duke of Medena-zelie] vndoubtedly very wise and politik, which can throughe their wisdome binde themselues for a time from their nature, and applye their condicions to the maners of those menne with whom they would gladlye bee frended; whose mischeuouse maners a man shal neuer knowe, till he come vnder their subiection. But then shall ye perceiue perfectly their puffed pride, with many mischeffes beside, their prowling and poling, their bribinge and shauing, their most deceitfull dealing, their braging and bosting, their flatteringe and faininge, their abominable whorehuntynge, with most rufull ruling, | their doings vniust, | with insaciate lust, | their stout stubbernnes, | croked crabbednes, | and vnmeasurable madnes, | in enui, pride, and lecherie, | which, thei saie, God loueth hartelie, | vaineglorie and hipocrisie, | with al other vilanie | of what kinde soeuer it be; | supersticion, desolacion, extorcion, adulacion, dissimulacion, exaltacion, suppression, inuocacion, and all abominacion; with innumerable moe mischeues, whiche I coulde plainlie declare, that no nacion in the world can suffer. Their masking and mumbling | in the holi time of lent | maketh many wiues brente, | the king being present, | nighte after nighte, | as a prince of moste mighte, | which hath power in his hande | that no man dare withstande: | yet if that were the greatest euil, | we might suffer it wel, | for there is no man liuing | but would suffer the king | to haue wife, sister, doughter, maide and all, | bothe great & smal, | so many as he liste, | no man would him resist; | but the worst of all the companie | muste haue my wife priuelie, | when I am present bi; | this is more vilanie, | that one muste kepe the dore; | will not that greue you sore? | & dare not speake for your life, | when another hath youre wife,” | &c. Sig. B i.

“Ye wil say, the Spaniards kepe their olde rentaking: how can that be, when euery poore man must pay yerely for euery chimney in his house, and euery other place that is to make fire in, as ouen, fornes, and smithes forge, a Frenche crowne? wil Englishmen, or can thei, suffer to be poled and pilled moste miserably, in payeng continually suche poling pence and intollerable tollages for all maner graine and breade, befe, beare and mutton, goose, pigge and capone, henne, mallard and chicken, milk, butter and chese, egges, apples & peares, | wine white and reade, | with all other wines beside, | salt white and graye? | al thinges must pay; | small nuttes and wallnuttes, | cheries and chestnuttes, | plumbes, damassens, philbeardes, and al | both gret & smal, | whatsoeuer thei maye se, | to fede the pore commenalte; | salmon and hearing; | this is a shamefull thing; | tench, ele or conger; | this shall kepe vs vnder, | and make vs die for hunger; | flounders, floucke, plaice or carpe; | here is a miserable warke | that Englande must abide | to maintaine Spanishe pride,” &c. Sig. F ii.

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From _Doctour Doubble Ale_,—12mo, without printer’s name or date.

“Although I lacke intelligence, And can not skyll of eloquence, Yet wyll I do my diligence To say sumthing or I go hence, Wherein I may demonstrate The figure, gesture, and estate Of one that is a curate, That harde is and endurate, And ernest in the cause Of piuish popish lawes, That are not worth two strawes, Except it be with dawes, That knoweth not good from euels, Nor Gods worde from the deuels, Nor wyll in no wise heare The worde of God so cleare, But popishnes vpreare, And make the pope Gods peare. ... Now let vs go about To tell the tale out Of this good felow stout, That for no man wyll dout, But kepe his olde condicions For all the newe comyssions, And vse his supersticions, And also mens tradycions, And syng for dead folkes soules, And reade hys beaderolles, And all such thinges wyll vse As honest men refuse: But take hym for a cruse, And ye wyll tell me newes; For if he ons begyn, He leaueth nought therin; He careth not a pyn How much ther be wythin, So he the pot may wyn, He wyll it make full thyn; And wher the drinke doth please There wyll he take his ease, And drinke therof his fyll, Tyll ruddy be his byll; And fyll both cup and can, Who is so glad a man As is our curate than? I wolde ye knewe it, a curate Not far without Newgate; Of a parysh large The man hath mikle charge, And none within this border That kepeth such order, Nor one a this syde Nauerne Louyth better the ale tauerne: But if the drinke be small, He may not well withall; Tush, cast it on the wall! It fretteth out his gall; Then seke an other house, This is not worth a louse, As dronken as a mouse, _Monsyre gybet a vous!_ And ther wyll byb and bouse, Tyll heuy be his brouse. ... Thus may ye beholde This man is very bolde, And in his learning olde Intendeth for to syt: I blame hym not a whyt, For it wolde vexe his wyt, And cleane agaynst his earning, To folow such learning As now a dayes is taught; It wolde sone bryng to naught His olde popish brayne, For then he must agayne Apply hym to the schole, And come away a fole, For nothing shulde he get, His brayne hath bene to het And with good ale so wet; Wherefore he may now set In feldes and in medes, And pray vpon his beades, For yet he hath a payre Of beades that be right fayre, Of corall, gete, or ambre, At home within his chambre; For in matins or masse Primar and portas, And pottes and beades, His lyfe he leades: But this I wota, That if ye nota How this _idiota_ Doth folow the pota, I holde you a grota Ye wyll rede by rota That he may were a cota In Cocke Lorels[152] bota. Thus the durty doctour, The popes oune proctour, Wyll bragge and boost Wyth ale and a toost, And lyke a rutter Hys Latin wyll vtter, And turne and tosse hym, Wyth _tu non possum_ _Loquere Latinum_; This _alum finum_ Is _bonus_ then _vinum_; _Ego volo quare_ _Cum tu drinkare_ _Pro tuum caput,_ _Quia apud_ _Te propiciacio,_ _Tu non potes facio_ _Tot quam ego;_ _Quam librum tu lego,_ _Caue de me_ _Apponere te:_ _Juro per Deum_ _Hoc est lifum meum,_ _Quia drinkum stalum_ _Non facere malum._ Thus our _dominus_ dodkin Wyth _ita vera_ bodkin Doth leade his lyfe, Which to the ale wife Is very profitable: It is pytie he is not able To mayntayne a table For beggers and tinkers And all lusty drinkers, Or captayne or beddle Wyth dronkardes to meddle. Ye cannot, I am sure, For keping of a cure Fynde such a one well, If ye shulde rake hell: And therefore nowe No more to you, _Sed perlegas ista,_ _Si velis, papista_; Farewell and adewe, With a whirlary whewe, And a tirlary typpe; Beware of the whyppe.”

[150] _With_] Old ed. “Whiche.”

[151] _se_] Old ed. “so.”

[152] _Lorels_] Old ed. “losels.”

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From _A Commemoration or Dirige of Bastarde Edmonde Boner, alias Sauage, vsurped Bisshoppe of London. Compiled by Lemeke Auale. Episcopatum eius accipiet alter. Anno Domini. 1569. Imprinted by P. O._ 8vo (a tract, chiefly in verse and of various metres: see Notes, vol. ii. 121.)

“_The fifte lesson._

_Homo natus._