Though[1741] ye wer hard hertyd, And I with you thwartid With wordes that smartid, 1040 Yet nowe doutles ye geue me cause To wryte of you this goodli clause, Maistres[1742] Geretrude, With womanhode[1743] endude, With vertu well renwde. I wyll that ye shall be In all benyngnyte Lyke to dame Pasiphe; For nowe dowtles ye geue me cause To wryte of yow this goodly clause, 1050 Maistres Geretrude, With womanhode endude, With vertu well renude. Partly by your councell, Garnisshed with lawrell Was my fresshe coronell; Wherfore doutles ye geue me cause To wryte of you this goodly clause, Maistres Geretrude, With womanhode endude, 1060 With vertu well renude. _To maystres Isabell[1744] Knyght._ But if I sholde aquyte your kyndnes, Els saye ye myght That in me were grete blyndnes, I for to be so myndles, And cowde not[1745] wryght Of Isabell Knyght. It is not[1746] my custome nor my gyse To leue behynde Her that is bothe womanly[1747] and wyse, 1070 And specyally which glad was to deuyse The menes[1748] to fynde To please my mynde, In helpyng to warke my laurell grene With sylke and golde: Galathea, the made well besene, Was neuer halfe so fayre, as I wene, Whiche was extolde A thowsande folde By Maro, the Mantuan prudent, 1080 Who list to rede; But, and I had leyser competent, I coude shew you[1749] suche a presedent In very dede Howe ye excede. _Occupacyon to Skelton._ Withdrawe your hande, the tyme passis[1750] fast; Set on your hede this laurell whiche is wrought; Here you[1751] not[1752] Eolus for you blowyth a blaste? I dare wele saye that ye and I be sought: Make no delay, for now ye must be brought 1090 Before my ladys grace, the Quene of Fame, Where ye must breuely answere to your name. _Skelton Poeta._ Castyng my syght the chambre aboute, To se how duly ich thyng in ordre was, Towarde the dore,[1753] as we were comyng oute, I sawe maister Newton sit with his compas, His plummet, his pensell, his spectacles of[1754] glas, Dyuysynge in pycture, by his industrious wit, Of my laurell the proces euery whitte. Forthwith vpon this, as it were in a thought, 1100 Gower, Chawcer, Lydgate, theis thre Before remembred, me curteisly[1755] brought Into that place where as they left me, Where all the sayd poetis sat in there degre. But when they sawe my lawrell rychely wrought,[1756] All other besyde were counterfete[1757] they thought