The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 1 (of 2)Skelton, John
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The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 1 (of 2)
Skelton, John
English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700
There was a fryer yᵉ whych dydde come to Skelton to haue licence to
preach at Dys. What woulde you preache there? sayde Skelton: dooe not
you thynke that I am sufficiente to preache there in myne owne cure?
Syr, sayde the freere, I am the limyter of Norwych, and once a yeare one
of our place dothe vse to preache wyth you, to take the deuocion of the
people; and if I may haue your good wil, so bee it, or els I will come
and preach against your will, by the authoritie of the byshope of Rome,
for I haue hys bulles to preache in euerye place, and therfore I wyll be
there on Sondaye nexte cummyng. Come not there, freere, I dooe counsell
thee, sayd Skelton. The Sundaye nexte followynge Skelton layde watch for
the comynge of the frere: and as sone as Skelton had knowledge of the
freere, he went into the pulpet to preache. At last the freere dyd come
into the churche with the bishoppe of Romes bulles in hys hande. Skelton
then sayd to all hys parishe, See, see, see, and poynted to thee fryere.
All the parish gased on the frere. Then sayde Skelton, Maisters, here is
as wonderfull a thynge as euer was seene: you all dooe knowe that it is a
thynge daylye seene, a bulle dothe begette a calfe; but here, contrarye
to all nature, a calfe hathe gotten a bulle; for thys fryere, beeynge a
calfe, hath gotten a bulle of the byshoppe of Rome. The fryere, beynge
ashamed, woulde neuer after that time presume to preach at Dys.
¶ How Skelton handled the fryer that woulde needes lye with him in his
inne. Tale ix.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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