[869] _neglygence_] Qy., did Skelton write, for the rhyme, “neglygesse?” [870] _Fyrst, &c._] Ed. leaves this speech unappropriated. [871] _a letter_] Qy. some corruption? This line ought to rhyme with the preceding line but one. [872] _annexyd_] Ed. “amexyd.” [873] _sentence_] Qy. some corruption? This line ought to rhyme with the preceding line but one. [874] _Faythfull_] Ed. “Faythfully.” COLYN CLOUTE.[875] HERE AFTER FOLOWETH A LITEL BOKE CALLED COLYN CLOUTE, COMPYLED BY MAYSTER SKELTON, POETE LAUREATE. _Quis consurget[876] mecum adversus malignantes? aut quis stabit mecum adversus operantes iniquitatem? Nemo, Domine!_ What can it auayle To dryue forth a snayle, Or to make a sayle Of an herynges tayle; To ryme or to rayle, To wryte or to indyte, Eyther for delyte[877] Or elles for[878] despyte;[879] Or bokes to compyle Of dyuers maner[880] style, 10 Vyce to reuyle And synne to[881] exyle; To teche or to preche, As reason wyll reche?[882] Say this, and[883] say that, His hed is so fat, He wotteth[884] neuer what Nor wherof he speketh; He cryeth and[885] he creketh, He pryeth and[886] he peketh, 20 He chydes[887] and he chatters, He prates and he patters, He clytters and he clatters, He medles and he smatters, He gloses and he flatters; Or[888] yf he speake playne, Than he lacketh brayne, He is but a fole; Let hym go to scole, On[889] a thre foted stole 30 That he may downe syt, For he lacketh wyt; And yf that he hyt The nayle on the hede, It standeth in no stede; The deuyll, they say, is dede, The deuell is dede.[890] It may well so[891] be, Or els they wolde se Otherwyse, and fle 40 From worldly[892] vanyte, And foule couetousnesse, And other wretchednesse, Fyckell[893] falsenesse, Varyablenesse, With vnstablenesse. And if ye[894] stande in doute Who brought this ryme aboute, My name is Colyn Cloute. I[895] purpose to shake oute 50 All my connyng bagge, Lyke a clerkely hagge; For though my ryme be ragged, Tattered and iagged, Rudely rayne beaten, Rusty and moughte[896] eaten, If ye[897] take well therwith, It hath in it some pyth. For, as farre as I can se, It is wronge with eche degre: 60 For the temporalte Accuseth the spiritualte; The spirituall[898] agayne Dothe grudge and complayne Vpon the[899] temporall men: Thus eche of other blother[900] The tone agayng[901] the tother: Alas, they make me shoder! For in hoder moder The Churche is put in faute; 70 The prelates ben[902] so haut, They say, and loke so hy, As though they wolde fly Aboue the sterry skye. Laye men say indede