And of Soueraynte a noble pamphelet; And of Magnyfycence a notable mater, How Cownterfet Cowntenaunce of the new get With Crafty Conueyaunce dothe smater and flater, And Cloked Collucyoun is brought in to clater With Courtely Abusyoun; who pryntith it wele in mynde Moche dowblenes of the worlde therin he may fynde; Of manerly maistres Margery[1788] Mylke and Ale; To her he wrote many maters of myrthe; Yet, thoughe I[1789] say it, therby lyith a tale, 1200 For Margery wynshed, and breke her hinder girth; Lor,[1790] how she made moche of her gentyll birth! With, Gingirly, go gingerly! her tayle was made of hay; Go she neuer so gingirly, her honesty is gone away; [Sidenote: De nihilo nihil fit: Aristotiles. Le plus displeysant pleiser puent.] Harde to make ought of that is nakid nought; This fustiane maistres and this giggisse gase, Wonder is to wryte what wrenchis she wrowght, To face out her foly with a midsomer mase; With pitche she patchid her pitcher shuld not[1791] crase; It may wele ryme, but shroudly it doth accorde, 1210 To pyke out honesty of suche a potshorde: _Patet per versus._ [Sidenote: Nota.] _Hinc puer hic[1792] natus; vir conjugis hinc spoliatus_ _Jure thori; est fœtus Deli de sanguine cretus;_ _Hinc magis extollo, quod erit puer alter Apollo;_ _Si quæris qualis? meretrix castissima talis;_ _Et relis, et ralis, et reliqualis._ _A good herynge of thes olde talis;_ _Fynde no mo suche fro[1793] Wanflete to Walis._ _Et reliqua omelia[1794] de diversis tractatibus._ [Sidenote: Apostolus: Non habemus hic civitatem manentem, sed futuram perquærimus. Notat bellum Cornubiense, quod in campestribus et in patentioribus vastisque solitudinibus prope Grenewiche gestum est.] Of my ladys grace at the contemplacyoun, Owt of Frenshe into Englysshe prose, 1220 Of Mannes Lyfe the Peregrynacioun, He did translate, enterprete, and disclose; The Tratyse of Triumphis of the Rede Rose, Wherein many storis ar breuely contayned That vnremembred longe tyme remayned; [Sidenote: Erudimini qui judicatis terram: Pso.] The Duke of Yorkis creauncer whan Skelton was, Now Henry the viij. Kyng of Englonde,[1795] A tratyse he deuysid and browght it to pas, Callid _Speculum Principis_, to bere in his honde, Therin to rede, and to vnderstande 1230 All the demenour of princely astate, To be our Kyng, of God preordinate; [Sidenote: Quis stabit mecum adversus operantes iniquitatem? Pso. Arrident melius seria picta jocis: In fabulis Æsopi.]