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
One ther is, and euer one shalbe,
For whose sake my hart is sore dyseasyd;
For whose loue, welcom dysease to me! 10
I am content so all partys be pleasyd:
Yet, and God wold, I wold my payne were easyd!
But Fortune enforsyth me so carefully to endure,
That where I loue best I dare not dyscure.
Skelton, laureat, At the instance of a nobyll lady.
[225] _Here folowythe dyuers Balettys_, &c.] A tract so entitled, of four
leaves, n. d. and without printer’s name, but evidently from the press of
Pynson, consists of the five following pieces.
[226] _pray_] Qy. “pay?”
[227] _curtoyl_] Ed. “curtoyt.”
[228] _it_] Ed. “is.”
[229] _serena_] Ed. “serenas.”
MANERLY MARGERY[230] MYLK AND ALE.
Ay, besherewe yow, be my fay,
This wanton clarkes be nyse all way;
Avent, avent, my popagay!
What, will ye do no thyng but play?
Tully valy, strawe, let be, I say!
Gup, Cristian Clowte, gup, Jak of the vale!
With, Manerly Margery Mylk and Ale.
Be God, ye be a praty pode,
And I loue you an hole cart lode.
Strawe, Jamys foder, ye play the fode, 10
I am no hakney for your rode;
Go watch a bole, your bak is brode:
Gup, Cristian Clowte, gup, Jak of the vale!
With, Manerly Margery Mylk and Ale.
I wiss ye dele vncurtesly;
What wolde ye frompill me? now, fy!
What, and ye shalbe my piggesnye?
Be Crist, ye shall not, no hardely;
I will not be japed bodely: 20
Gup, Cristian Clowte, gup, Jake of the vale!
With, Manerly Margery Mylk and Ale.
Walke forth your way, ye cost me nought;
Now haue I fownd that I haue sought,
The best chepe flessh that euyr I bought.
Yet, for His loue that all hath wrought,
Wed me, or els I dye for thought!
Gup, Cristian Clowte, your breth[231] is stale!
Go, Manerly Margery Mylk and Ale!
Gup, Cristian Clowte, gup, Jak of the vale! 30
With, Manerly Margery Mylk and Ale.
[230] _Manerly Margery_, &c.] From the Fairfax MS., which formerly
belonged to Ralph Thoresby, and now forms part of the Additional MSS.
(5465. fol. 109) in the British Museum. It was printed (together with the
music), by Hawkins, _Hist. of Music_, iii. 2. This song was inserted also
in the first edition of _Ancient Songs_, 1790, p. 100, by Ritson, who
observes,—“Since Sir J. Hawkins’s transcript was made, the ms. appears
to have received certain alterations, occasioned, as it should seem, but
certainly not authorised, by the over-scrupulous delicacy of its late or
present possessor.” p. 102.
[231] _breth_] Hawkins and Ritson print “broth.”
HERE BEGYNNETH A LYTELL TREATYSE, NAMED THE BOWGE OF COURTE.[232]
THE PROLOGUE TO THE BOWGE OF COURTE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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