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
_Fol._ Ye, bere me this strawe to a dawys nest. 1110
_Fan._ What, wenyst thou that I were so folysshe and so fonde?
_Fol._ In faythe, ellys is there none in all Englonde.
_Fan._ Yet for my fansy sake, I say,
Let me haue thy dogge, what soeuer I pay.
_Fol._ Thou shalte haue my purse, and I wyll haue thyne.
_Fan._ By my trouth, there is myne.
_Fol._ Nowe, by my trouth, man, take, there is myne;[814]
And I beshrowe hym that hath the worse.
_Fan._ Torde, I say, what haue I do?
Here is nothynge but the bockyll of a sho, 1120
And in my purse was twenty marke.
_Fol._ Ha, ha, ha! herke, syrs, harke!
For all that my name hyght Foly,
By the masse, yet art thou more fole than I.
_Fan._ Yet gyue me thy dogge, and I am content;
And thou shalte haue my hauke to a botchment.
_Fol._ That euer thou thryue, God it forfende!
For Goddes cope thou wyll spende.
Nowe take thou my dogge, and gyue me thy fowle.[815]
_Fan._ Hay, chysshe, come hyder! 1130
_Fol._ Nay, torde, take hym be tyme.
_Fan._ What callest thou thy dogge?
_Fol._ Tusshe, his name is Gryme.
_Fan._ Come, Gryme, come, Gryme! it is my praty dogges.
_Fol._ In faythe, there is not a better dogge for hogges,
Not from Anwyke vnto Aungey.
_Fan._ Ye, but trowest thou that he be not maungey?
_Fol._ No, by my trouthe, it is but the scurfe and the scabbe.
_Fan._ What, he hathe ben hurte with a stabbe?
_Fol._ Nay, in faythe, it was but a strype 1140
That the horson had for etynge of a trype.
_Fan._ Where the deuyll gate he all these hurtes?
_Fol._ By God, for snatchynge of puddynges and wortes.
_Fan._ What, then he is some good poore mannes curre?
_Fol._ Ye, but he wyll in at euery mannes dore.
_Fan._ Nowe thou hast done me a pleasure grete.
_Fol._ In faythe, I wolde thou had a marmosete.
_Fan._ Cockes harte, I loue suche iapes.
_Fol._ Ye, for all thy mynde is on owles and apes.
But I haue thy pultre, and thou hast my catell. 1150
_Fan._ Ye, but thryfte and we haue made a batell.
_Fol._ Remembrest thou not the iapes and the toyes—
_Fan._ What, that we vsed whan we were boyes?
_Fol._ Ye, by the rode, euen the same.
_Fan._ Yes, yes, I am yet as full of game
As euer I was, and as full of tryfyls,
_Nil, nihilum, nihil, anglice_ nyfyls.
_Fol._ What canest thou all this Latyn[816] yet,
And hath so mased a wandrynge wyt?
_Fan._ Tushe, man, I kepe some Latyn in store. 1160
_Fol._ By Cockes harte, I wene thou hast no more.
_Fan._ No? yes, in faythe, I can versyfy.
_Fol._ Then, I pray thé hartely,
Make a verse of my butterfly;
It forseth not of the reason, so it kepe ryme.
_Fan._ But wylte thou make another on Gryme?
_Fol._ Nay, in fayth, fyrst let me here thyne.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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