The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 2 (of 2)Skelton, John
General
The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 2 (of 2)
Skelton, John
English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700
That the English were nicked by this speech appears by the reply of the
Earle of Salisbury following still the metaphor; The son of my father
shall presse thither to day, whither you shall not dare to approach his
horse taile. Some will have the English so called from wearing a pouch
or poake, (a bag to carry their baggage in) behind their backs, whilest
probably the proud Monsieurs had their Lacquies for that purpose. In
proof whereof they produce ancient pictures of the English Drapery and
Armory, wherein such conveyances doe appear. If so, it was neither sin
nor shame for the common sort of people to carry their own necessaries,
and it matters not much whether the pocket be made on either side, or
wholly behinde. If any demand how this nick-name (cut off from the rest
of England) continues still entaild on Kent? The best conjecture is,
because that county lieth nearest to France, and the French are beheld as
the first founders of this aspersion. But if any will have the Kentish
so called from drawing and dragging boughs of trees behind them, which
afterwards they advanced above their heads and so partly cozened partly
threatned King William the Conqueror to continue their ancient customes,
I say, if any will impute it to this original, I will not oppose.”
_Worthies_ (_Kent_, p. 63), ed. 1662. The preceding passage of Fuller,
somewhat abridged, is copied by Ray into his _Proverbs_, p. 245. ed.
1768. For fanciful stories concerning the origin of Kentish long-tails,
see also _Cornv-copiæ, Pasquils Night-cap_, 1612, (attributed to S.
Rowlands), p. 42. sqq.; and the commencement of _Robin Good-fellow, His
mad Prankes and Merry Jests_, 1628, (a tract which originally appeared at
an earlier date).
Page 193. v. 1. _Gup_] See note, p. 99. v. 17.
v. 23. _Agayn_] i. e. Against.
v. 26. _dur_] i. e. door.
v. 28. _Go shake thy dog, hey_] In our author’s _Magnyfycence_, v. 306.
vol. i. 235, is,—
“_Go, shake the dogge, hay_, syth ye wyll nedys.”
and had the expression occurred only in these two passages of Skelton, I
should have felt confident that in the present one “thy” was a misprint
for “the,” and that both were to be explained—“Go shake thee, dog,” &c.;
but again, in his poem _Howe the douty Duke of Albany_, &c. v. 159. vol.
ii. 72, we find,
“Twyt, Scot, _shake thy dogge, hay_!”
Page 194. v. 34. _hose_] i. e. breeches.
v. 37. _A spectacle case, &c._] See note, p. 193. v. 133.
v. 40. _A tolman to blot_] A friend queries “tal man?” but _tolman_ is, I
believe, pen-man: compare our author’s third poem _Against Garnesche_;
“Had ye gonne with me to scole,
And occupyed no better your _tole_ [i. e. pen],” &c.
v. 117. vol. i. 123.
also the commencement of the present piece,—
“Gup, Scot,
Ye _blot_.”
v. 41. _rough foted_] See note, p. 222. v. 170.
v. 43. _depraue_] i. e. vilify, defame.
v. 44. _reame_] i. e. realm.
v. 56. _rankis_] i. e., perhaps, wrangles.
v. 58. _Huntley bankes_] See note, p. 221. v. 149.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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