The rotys take theyr sap in tyme of vere; In tyme of somer flowres fresh and grene; In tyme of haruest men their corne shere; In tyme of wynter the north wynde waxeth kene, So bytterly bytynge the flowres be not sene; The kalendis of Janus, with his frostes hore, That tyme is when people must lyue vpon the store. 30 Quod Skelton, Laureat. [579] _Ye may here, &c._] This and the next three poems are from the ed. by Kynge and Marche of _Certaine bokes compyled by mayster Skelton_, n. d., collated with the same work, ed. Day, n. d., and ed. Lant, and with Marshe’s ed. of Skelton’s _Workes_, 1568. I may here notice that in those eds. the present piece is preceded by a copy of verses, “All nobyll men of this take hede,” &c., which will be given afterwards, before _Why come ye not to Courte?_ where it is repeated in all the eds. [580] _irreuocable_] So Marshe’s ed. Other eds. “irrouocable.” [581] _byde_] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “abide.” [582] _recreacion_] So other eds. Ed. of Kynge and Marche, “creation.” [583] _to_] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “for _to_.” PRAYER TO THE FATHER OF HEAUEN. O radiant Luminary of lyght intermynable, Celestial Father, potenciall God of myght, Of heauen and earth, O Lord incomperable, Of all perfections the essencial most perfyght! O Maker of mankynde, that formyd day and nyghte, Whose power imperyal comprehendeth euery place! Myne hert, my mynde, my thought, my hole delyght Is, after this lyfe, to see thy glorious face: Whose magnifycence is incomprehensybyll, All argumentes of reason which far doth excede, 10 Whose Deite dowtles is indiuysybyll, From whom all goodnes and vertue doth procede; Of thy support all creatures haue nede: Assyst me, good Lord, and graunte me of thy grace, To lyue to thy pleasure in word, thoughte, and dede, And, after this lyfe, to see thy glorious face. TO THE SECONDE PARSON. O benygne Jesu, my souerayne Lord and Kynge, The only Sonne of God by filiacion, The Seconde Parson withouten[584] beginnynge, Both God and man our fayth maketh playne relacion, Mary the[585] mother, by way of incarnacion, Whose glorious passion our soules doth reuyue! Agayne all bodely and goostely trybulacion Defende me with thy piteous woundis fyue. O pereles Prynce, payned[586] to the deth, Rufully rent, thy body wan and blo, 10 For my redempcion gaue vp thy vytall breth, Was neuer sorow lyke to thy dedly wo! Graunte me, out of this world when I shall go, Thyne endles mercy for my preseruatyue; Agaynst the world, the flesh, the deuyl also, Defende me wyth thy pyteous woundis fyue. [584] _withouten_] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “without.” [585] _the_] Qy. “thy?” TO THE HOLY GOOSTE.