He lumbryth on a lewde lewte, Roty bully joyse, Rumbyll downe, tumbyll downe, hey go, now, now! 30 He fumblyth in hys fyngeryng an vgly good noyse, It semyth the sobbyng of an old sow: He wold be made moch of, and he wyst how; Wele sped in spyndels and turnyng of tauellys; A bungler, a brawler, a pyker of quarellys. Comely he clappyth a payre of clauycordys; He whystelyth so swetely, he makyth me to swete; His descant is dasshed full of dyscordes; A red angry man, but easy to intrete: An vssher of the hall fayn wold I get, 40 To poynte this proude page a place and a rome, For Jak wold be a jentylman, that late was a grome. Jak wold jet, and yet Jyll sayd nay; He counteth in his countenaunce to checke with the best: A malaperte medler that pryeth for his pray, In a dysh dare he rush at the rypest; Dremyng in dumpys to wrangyll and to wrest: He fyndeth a proporcyon in his prycke songe, To drynk at a draught a larg and a long. Nay, iape not with hym, he is no small fole, 50 It is a solemnpne syre and a solayne; For lordes and ladyes lerne at his scole; He techyth them so wysely to solf and to fayne, That neyther they synge wel prycke songe nor playne: Thys docter Deuyas[218] commensyd in a cart, A master, a mynstrell, a fydler, a farte. What though ye can cownter _Custodi nos_? As well it becomyth yow, a parysh towne clarke, To syng _Sospitati[219] dedit ægros_: Yet bere ye not to bold, to braule ne to bark 60 At me, that medeled nothyng with youre wark: Correct fyrst thy self; walk, and be nought! Deme what thou lyst, thou knowyst not my thought. A prouerbe of old, say well or be styll: Ye are to vnhappy occasyons[220] to fynde Vppon me to clater, or els to say yll. Now haue I shewyd you part of your proud mynde; Take thys in worth, the best is behynde. Wryten at Croydon by Crowland in the Clay, On Candelmas euyn, the Kalendas of May. 70 [215] _Skelton Laureate_, &c.] This poem, and the three pieces which follow it, are given from a tract of four leaves, n. d., and without printer’s name (but evidently from the press of Pynson), collated with Marshe’s ed. of Skelton’s _Workes_, 1568. [216] _they_] So Marshe’s ed. Pynson’s ed. “the.” [217] _syn_] Marshe’s ed. “sins.” [218] _Deuyas_] Marshe’s ed. “dellias.” [219] _Sospitati_] Pynson’s ed. “_suspirari_.” Marshe’s ed. “Supitati,” which the editor of 1736 changed into “supinitati.” [220] _occasyons_] Marshe’s ed. “occasion.” CONTRA ALIUM CANTITANTEM ET ORGANISANTEM ASINUM, QUI IMPUGNABAT SKELTONIDA PIERIUM, SARCASMOS.