The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 1 (of 2)Skelton, John
General
The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 1 (of 2)
Skelton, John
English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700
_Cr. Con._ Yes, yes, by lakyn, I shall thé warent,
As longe as I lyue, thou haste an heyre parent.
_Fan._ Yet haue we pyckyd out a rome for thé.
_C. Count._ Why, shall we dwell togyder all thre?
_Cr. Con._ Why, man, it were to great a wonder,
That we thre galauntes sholde be longe asonder.
_C. Count._ For Cockys harte, gyue me thy hande.
_Fan._ By the masse, for ye are able to dystroy an hole lande.
_Cr. Con._ By God, yet it muste begynne moche of thé. 520
_Fan._ Who that is ruled by vs, it shalbe longe or he thee.
_C. Count._ But, I say, kepest thou the olde name styll that thou had?
_Cr. Con._ Why, wenyst thou, horson, that I were so mad?
_Fan._ Nay, nay, he hath chaunged his, and I haue chaunged myne.
_C. Count._ Nowe, what is his name, and what is thyne?
_Fan._ In faythe, Largesse I hyght,
And I am made a knyght.
_C. Count._ A rebellyon agaynst nature,
So large a man, and so lytell of stature!
But, syr, howe counterfetyd ye? 530
_Cr. Con._ Sure Surueyaunce[794] I named me.
_C. Count._ Surueyaunce! where ye suruey,
Thryfte hathe lost her cofer kay.
_Fan._ But is it not well? howe thynkest thou?
_C. Count._ Yes, syr, I gyue God auowe,
Myselfe coude not counterfet it better.
But what became of the letter,
That I counterfeyted you vnderneth a shrowde?
_Fan._ By the masse, odly well alowde.
_Cr. Con._ By God, had not I it conuayed, 540
Yet Fansy had ben dysceyued.
_C. Count._ I wote, thou arte false ynoughe for one.
_Fan._ By my trouthe, we had ben gone:
And yet, in fayth, man, we lacked thé
For to speke with Lyberte.
_C. Count._ What is Largesse without Lyberte?
_Cr. Con._ By Mesure mastered yet is he.
_C. Count._ What, is your conueyaunce no better?
_Fan._ In faythe, Mesure is lyke a tetter,
That ouergroweth a mannes face, 550
So he ruleth ouer all our place.
_Cr. Con._ Nowe therfore, whylest we are togyder,—
Counterfet Countenaunce, nay, come hyder,—
I say, whylest we are togyder in same—
_C. Count._ Tushe, a strawe, it is a shame
That we can no better than so.
_Fan._ We wyll remedy it, man, or we go;
For, lyke as mustarde is sharpe of taste,[795]
Ryght so a sharpe fansy must be founde
Wherwith Mesure to confounde. 560
_Cr. Con._ Can you a remedy for a tysyke,
That sheweth yourselfe thus spedde in physyke?
_C. Count._ It is a gentyll reason of a rake.
_Fan._ For all these iapes yet that ye[796] make—
_Cr. Con._ Your fansy maketh myne elbowe to ake.
_Fan._ Let se, fynde you a better way.
_C. Count._ Take no dyspleasure of that we say.
_Cr. Con._ Nay, and you be angry and ouerwharte,
A man may beshrowe your angry harte.
_Fan._ Tushe, a strawe, I thought none yll. 570
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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