Of your demawnd shew me the content, What it is, and where vpon it standis; And if there be in it any thyng ment, Wherof the answere restyth in my[1648] handis, It shall be losyd[1649] ful sone out of the bandis Of scrupulus[1650] dout; wherfore your mynde discharge, And of your wyll the plainnes shew at large. _Poeta Skelton answeryth._ I thanke you, goodly maystres, to me most benynge, That of your bounte so well haue me assurid; But my request is not[1651] so great a thynge, 730 That I ne force what though[1652] it be discurid; I am not[1653] woundid but that I may be cured; I am not ladyn of liddyrnes with lumpis, As dasid doterdis that dreme in their dumpis. _Occupacyon to Skelton._ Nowe what ye mene, I trow I coniect; Gog[1654] gyue you good yere, ye make me to smyle; Now, be[1655] your faith, is not[1656] this theffect[1657] Of your questyon ye make all this whyle, To vnderstande who dwellyth in yone[1658] pile, And what blunderar is yonder that playth didil diddil? 740 He fyndith fals mesuris out[1659] of his fonde fiddill. _Interpolata,[1660] quæ industriosum postulat[1661] interpretem, satira in vatis adversarium._ _Tressis agasonis species prior, altera Davi:_ _Aucupium culicis, limis dum torquet ocellum,_ _Concipit, aligeras rapit, appetit,[1662] aspice, muscas!_ [Sidenote: Nota Alchimaiam et 7 metalla.] _Maia quæque fovet, fovet aut quæ Jupiter, aut quæ_ _Frigida Saturnus, Sol, Mars, Venus, algida Luna,_ _Si tibi contingat verbo aut committere scripto,_ _Quam sibi mox tacita sudant præcordia culpa!_ _Hinc ruit in flammas, stimulans[1663] hunc urget et illum,_ _Invocat ad rixas, vanos tamen excitat ignes,_ 750 _Labra movens tacitus, rumpantur ut ilia Codro._ 17. 4. 7. 2. 17. 5. 18. 18. 19. 1. 19. 8. 5. 12. His name for to know if that ye lyst, Enuyous Rancour truely he hight: Beware of hym, I warne you; for and[1664] ye wist How daungerous it were to stande in his lyght[1665], Ye wolde not[1666] dele with hym, thowgh[1667] that ye myght, For by his deuellysshe drift and graceles prouision An hole reame[1668] he is able to set at deuysion: For when he spekyth fayrest, then thynketh he moost yll; Full gloryously can he glose, thy mynde for to fele; 760 He wyll set men a feightynge[1669] and syt[1670] hymselfe styll, And smerke, lyke a smythy kur, at[1671] sperkes of steile; He[1672] can neuer leue warke whylis it is wele; To tell all his towchis it were to grete wonder; The deuyll of hell and he be seldome asonder.