The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 1 (of 2)

Name: The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 1 (of 2)
Author: Skelton, John

Skelton, John

English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700

Buyldyng royally[1287]
  Theyr mancyons curyously,
  With turrettes and with toures,
  With halles and with boures,
  Stretchynge[1288] to the starres,                                    940
  With glasse wyndowes and barres;
  Hangynge aboute[1289] the walles
  Clothes of golde and palles,
  Arras of ryche aray,
  Fresshe[1290] as flours in May;
  Wyth dame Dyana naked;
  Howe lusty Venus quaked,
  And howe[1291] Cupyde shaked
  His darte, and bent his[1292] bowe
  For to shote a crowe                                                 950
  At her tyrly tyrlowe;
  And howe Parys of Troy
  Daunced a lege de moy,[1293]
  Made lusty sporte and ioy
  With dame Helyn the quene;
  With suche storyes bydene
  Their chambres well besene;
  With triumphes of Cesar,
  And of[1294] Pompeyus war,
  Of renowne and of[1295] fame                                         960
  By them to get a name:
  Nowe[1296] all the worlde stares,
  How they ryde in goodly chares,
  Conueyed by olyphantes,
  With lauryat garlantes,[1297]
  And by vnycornes
  With their semely hornes;
  Vpon these beestes rydynge,
  Naked boyes strydynge,
  With wanton wenches winkyng.                                         970
  Nowe truly, to my thynkynge,
  That[1298] is a speculacyon
  And a mete meditacyon
  For prelates of estate,
  Their courage to abate
  From worldly wantonnesse,
  Theyr chambres[1299] thus to dresse
  With suche parfetnesse
  And all suche holynesse;
  How be it they let downe fall                                        980
  Their churches[1300] cathedrall.
    Squyre, knyght, and lorde,
  Thus the Churche[1301] remorde;
  With all temporall people
  They rune agaynst[1302] the steple,
  Thus talkynge and tellyng[1303]
  How some of you are mellyng;
  Yet[1304] softe and fayre for swellyng,
  Beware of a quenes yellyng.[1305]
  It is a besy thyng                                                   990
  For one man[1306] to rule a kyng[1307]
  Alone and[1308] make rekenyng,
  To gouerne ouer all
  And rule a realme royall
  By one mannes verrey[1309] wyt;
  Fortune may chaunce to flyt,
  And whan[1310] he weneth to syt,
  Yet may he mysse the quysshon:
  For I rede a[1311] preposycyon,
  _Cum[1312] regibus amicare,[1313]_                                  1000
  _Et omnibus dominari,_
  _Et supra te pravare_;[1314]
  Wherfore[1315] he hathe good vre
  That can hymselfe assure
  Howe fortune wyll endure.
  Than let reason you supporte,
  For the communalte dothe reporte[1316]
  That[1317] they haue great wonder
  That ye[1318] kepe them so vnder;
  Yet[1319] they meruayle so moche[1320] lesse,                       1010
  For ye play so at the chesse,
  As they suppose and gesse,
  That some of you but late
  Hath played so checkemate
  With lordes of great estate,[1321]
  After suche a rate,
  That they shall mell[1322] nor make,
  Nor vpon them take,[1323]
  For[1324] kynge nor kayser sake,
  But at the playsure of[1325] one                                    1020

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

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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

Buyldyng royally[1287]
  Theyr mancyons curyously,
  With turrettes and with toures,
  With halles and with boures,
  Stretchynge[1288] to the starres,                                    940
  With glasse wyndowes and barres;
  Hangynge aboute[1289] the walles
  Clothes of golde and palles,
  Arras of ryche aray,
  Fresshe[1290] as flours in May;
  Wyth dame Dyana naked;
  Howe lusty Venus quaked,
  And howe[1291] Cupyde shaked
  His darte, and bent his[1292] bowe
  For to shote a crowe                                                 950
  At her tyrly tyrlowe;
  And howe Parys of Troy
  Daunced a lege de moy,[1293]
  Made lusty sporte and ioy
  With dame Helyn the quene;
  With suche storyes bydene
  Their chambres well besene;
  With triumphes of Cesar,
  And of[1294] Pompeyus war,
  Of renowne and of[1295] fame                                         960
  By them to get a name:
  Nowe[1296] all the worlde stares,
  How they ryde in goodly chares,
  Conueyed by olyphantes,
  With lauryat garlantes,[1297]
  And by vnycornes
  With their semely hornes;
  Vpon these beestes rydynge,
  Naked boyes strydynge,
  With wanton wenches winkyng.                                         970
  Nowe truly, to my thynkynge,
  That[1298] is a speculacyon
  And a mete meditacyon
  For prelates of estate,
  Their courage to abate
  From worldly wantonnesse,
  Theyr chambres[1299] thus to dresse
  With suche parfetnesse
  And all suche holynesse;
  How be it they let downe fall                                        980
  Their churches[1300] cathedrall.
    Squyre, knyght, and lorde,
  Thus the Churche[1301] remorde;
  With all temporall people
  They rune agaynst[1302] the steple,
  Thus talkynge and tellyng[1303]
  How some of you are mellyng;
  Yet[1304] softe and fayre for swellyng,
  Beware of a quenes yellyng.[1305]
  It is a besy thyng                                                   990
  For one man[1306] to rule a kyng[1307]
  Alone and[1308] make rekenyng,
  To gouerne ouer all
  And rule a realme royall
  By one mannes verrey[1309] wyt;
  Fortune may chaunce to flyt,
  And whan[1310] he weneth to syt,
  Yet may he mysse the quysshon:
  For I rede a[1311] preposycyon,
  _Cum[1312] regibus amicare,[1313]_                                  1000
  _Et omnibus dominari,_
  _Et supra te pravare_;[1314]
  Wherfore[1315] he hathe good vre
  That can hymselfe assure
  Howe fortune wyll endure.
  Than let reason you supporte,
  For the communalte dothe reporte[1316]
  That[1317] they haue great wonder
  That ye[1318] kepe them so vnder;
  Yet[1319] they meruayle so moche[1320] lesse,                       1010
  For ye play so at the chesse,
  As they suppose and gesse,
  That some of you but late
  Hath played so checkemate
  With lordes of great estate,[1321]
  After suche a rate,
  That they shall mell[1322] nor make,
  Nor vpon them take,[1323]
  For[1324] kynge nor kayser sake,
  But at the playsure of[1325] one                                    1020

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 1 (of 2)

The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 1 (of 2)

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