With, Sir, I pray you, a lytyll tyne stande backe, And lette me come in to delyuer my lettre; Another tolde how shyppes wente to wrak; There were many wordes smaller and gretter, With, I as good as thou, Ifayth and no better; Some came to tell treuth, some came to lye, 510 Some came[1610] to flater, some came to spye: There were, I say, of all maner of sortis, Of Dertmouth, of Plummouth, of Portismouth also; The burgeis and the ballyuis of the v portis, With, Now let me come, and now let me go: And all tyme wandred I thus to and fro, Tyll at the last theis noble poetis thre Vnto me sayd, Lo, syr, now ye may se Of this high courte the dayly besines; From you most we, but not[1611] longe to tary; 520 Lo, hither commyth a goodly maystres, Occupacyon, Famys regestary, Whiche shall be to you a sufferayne accessary, With syngular pleasurs to dryue away the tyme, And we shall se you ageyne or it be pryme. When they were past and wente forth on there way, This gentilwoman, that callyd was by name Occupacyon, in ryght goodly aray, Came towarde me, and smylid halfe in game; I sawe hir smyle, and I then[1612] did the same; 530 With that on me she kest[1613] her goodly loke; Vnder her arme, me thought, she hade a boke. _Occupacyoun to Skelton._ Lyke as the larke, vpon the somers day, Whan Titan radiant burnisshith his bemis bryght, Mountith on hy with her melodious lay, Of the soneshyne engladid with the lyght, So am I supprysyd with pleasure and delyght To se this howre now, that I may say, How ye ar welcome to this court of aray. Of your aqueintaunce I was in tymes past, 540 Of studyous doctryne when at the port salu Ye[1614] fyrste aryuyd; whan broken was your mast Of worldly trust, then did I you rescu; Your storme dryuen shyppe I repared new, So well entakeled, what wynde that[1615] euer blowe, No stormy tempeste your barge shall ouerthrow. Welcome to me as hertely as herte can thynke, Welcome to me with all my hole desyre! And for my sake spare neyther pen nor ynke; Be well assurid I shall aquyte your hyre, 550 Your name recountynge beyonde the lande of Tyre, From Sydony to the mount Olympyan, Frome Babill towre to the hillis Caspian.[1616] _Skelton Poeta answeryth._ I thanked her moche of her most noble offer, Affyaunsynge her myne hole assuraunce For her pleasure to make a large profer, Enpryntyng her wordes in my remembraunce, To owe her my seruyce with true perseueraunce. Come on with me, she sayd, let vs not stonde;[1617] And with that worde she toke me by the honde. 560