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
v. 1383. _Of paiauntis that were played in Ioyows Garde_] Bale, in
his enumeration of Skelton’s writings, alluding to this line (as is
evident from his arrangement of the pieces), gives “_Theatrales ludos_.”
_Script. Illust. Bryt._ p. 652. ed. 1557: and Mr. J. P. Collier states
that “one of Skelton’s earlier works had been a series of pageants,
‘played in Joyous Garde,’ or Arthur’s Castle.” _Hist. of Engl. Dram.
Poet._ ii. 142. But, assuredly, in the present line, _paiauntis_, i. e.
pageants, means nothing of a dramatic nature. The expression to “play a
pageant” has occurred several times already in our author’s poems; “I
haue _played_ my _pageyond_” (my part on the stage of life), see note,
p. 88. v. 85; “Suche pollyng _paiaunttis_ ye _pley_” (such thievish
pranks), see note, p. 189. v. 190: and though it may be doubted whether
the _paiauntis that were played IN Ioyows Garde_,—i. e. in the Castle
of Sir Launcelot, according to the romances,—are to be understood as
connected with feats of arms, I cite the following passage in further
illustration of the expression; “The fyrste that was redy to Juste was
sir Palomydes and sir Kaynus le straunge a knyghte of the table round.
And soo they two encountred to gyders, but sire Palomydes smote sir
Kaynus soo hard that he smote hym quyte ouer his hors croupe, and forth
with alle sir Palomydes smote doune another knyght and brake thenne
his spere & pulled oute his swerd and did wonderly wel. And thenne the
noyse beganne gretely vpon sir palomydes. Ioo said Kynge Arthur yonder
palomydes begynneth _to play his pagent_. So god me help said Arthur he
is a passynge good knyght. And ryght as they stood talkyng thus, in came
sir Tristram as thonder, and he encountred with syre Kay the Seneschall,
and there he smote hym doune quyte from his hors, and with that same
spere sir Tristram smote doune thre knyghtes moo, and thenne he pulled
oute his swerd and dyd merueyllously. Thenne the noyse and crye chaunged
from syr Palomydes and torned to sir Tristram and alle the peple cryed O
Tristram, O Tristram. And thenne was sir Palomydes clene forgeten. How
now said Launcelot vnto Arthur, yonder rydeth a knyght _that playeth his
pagents_.” _Morte d’Arthur_, B. x. cap. lxxix. vol. ii. 140. ed. Southey.
Page 416. v. 1384. _wrate_] i. e. wrote.
—— _muse_] See note, p. 234. v. 212.
v. 1385. _do_] i. e. doe.
v. 1386. _parker ... with all_] i. e. park-keeper ... withal.
v. 1387. _Castell Aungell_] “And the pope fled unto _Castle Angell_.”
Cavendish’s _Life of Wolsey_, p. 143. ed. 1827.
—— _fenestrall_] In Palsgrave’s _Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr._, 1530, we find
“_Fenestrall chassis de toille ou de paupier_.” fol. xxxiii. (Table of
Subst.); and in Hormanni _Vulgaria_, “Paper, or lyn clothe, straked a
crosse, with losynges: make _fenestrals in stede of glasen wyndowes_.”
Sig. v ii: but see the next lines of our text.
v. 1389. _eyn dasild and dasid_]—_eyn_, i. e. eyes: _dasid_, i. e. dulled.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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