The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 2 (of 2)

Name: The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 2 (of 2)
Author: Skelton, John

Skelton, John

English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700

In the spyght of his tethe
  He must pay agayne                                                   940
  A thousande or twayne
  Of his golde in store;
  And yet he payde before
  An[214] hunderd pounde and more,
  Whiche pyncheth him sore.
  My lordis grace wyll bryuge
  Downe this hye sprynge,
  And brynge it so lowe,
  It shall nat[215] euer flowe.
    Suche a prelate, I trowe,                                          950
  Were worthy to rowe
  Thorow the streytes of[216] Marock
  To the gybbet of Baldock:
  He wolde dry vp the stremys
  Of ix. kinges realmys,[217]
  All ryuers and wellys,
  All waters that swellys;
  For with vs he so mellys
  That within Englande dwellys,
  I wolde he were somwhere ellys;                                      960
  For els by and by
  He wyll drynke vs so drye,
  And suck vs so nye,
  That men shall scantly
  Haue peny or halpeny.
  God saue his noble grace,
  And graunt him a place
  Endlesse to dwell
  With the deuyll of hell!
  For, and he were there,                                              970
  We nede neuer feere
  Of the fendys blake:
  For I vndertake
  He wolde so brag and crake,
  That he wolde than make
  The deuyls to quake,
  To shudder and to shake,
  Lyke a fyer drake,
  And with a cole rake
  Brose[218] them on a brake,                                          980
  And bynde them to a stake,
  And set hell on fyer,
  At his owne desyer.
  He is suche a grym syer,
  And suche a potestolate,
  And suche a potestate,
  That he wolde breke the braynes
  Of Lucyfer[219] in his chaynes,
  And rule them echone
  In Lucyfers trone.                                                   990
  I wolde he were gone;
  For amonge vs is none
  That ruleth but he alone,
  Without all good reason,
  And all out of season:
  For Folam peason
  With him be nat[220] geson;
  They growwe very ranke
  Vpon euery banke
  Of his herbers grene,                                               1000
  With my lady bryght and shene;
  On theyr game it is sene
  They play nat[221] all clene,
  And it be as I wene.
    But as touchynge dyscrecyon,[222]
  With sober dyrectyon,
  He kepeth them in subiectyon:
  They can haue no protectyon
  To rule nor to guyde,
  But all must be tryde,                                              1010
  And abyde the correctyon
  Of his[223] wylfull affectyon.
  For as for wytte,
  The deuyll spede whitte!
  But braynsyk and braynlesse,
  Wytles and rechelesse,
  Careles and shamlesse,
  Thriftles and gracelesse,
  Together are bended,
  And so condyscended,                                                1020
  That the commune welth
  Shall neuer haue good helth,
  But tatterd and tuggyd,
  Raggyd and ruggyd,
  Shauyn and shorne,
  And all threde bare worne.
  Suche gredynesse,
  Suche nedynesse,
  Myserablenesse,
  With wretchydnesse,                                                 1030
  Hath brought in dystresse
  And moche heuynesse
  And great dolowre
  Englande, the flowre

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The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 2 (of 2)

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