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

To be vnder his subiectyon:
  But now he maketh obiectyon,
  Vnder the protectyon
  Of the kynges great seale,
  That he setteth neuer a deale
  By his former othe,
  Whether God be pleased or wroth.
  He makith so proude pretens,                                        1130
  That in his equipolens
  He iugyth him equiualent
  With God omnipotent:
  But yet beware the rod,
  And the stroke of God!
    The Apostyll Peter
  Had a pore myter
  And a poore cope
  Whan he was creat Pope,
  First in Antioche;                                                  1140
  He dyd neuer approche
  Of Rome to the see
  Weth suche dygnyte.
    Saynt Dunstane, what was he?
  Nothynge, he sayth, lyke to me:[231]
  There is a dyuersyte
  Bytwene him and me;
  We passe hym in degre,
  As _legatus a latere_.
    _Ecce, sacerdos magnus_,                                          1150
  That wyll hed vs and hange vs,
  And streitly strangle vs
  And[232] he may fange vs!
  Decre and decretall,
  Constytucyon prouincyall,
  Nor no lawe canonicall,
  Shall let the preest pontyficall
  To syt _in causa sanguinis_.
  Nowe God amende that is amys!
  For I suppose that he is                                            1160
  Of Ieremy the whyskynge rod,
  The flayle, the scourge of almighty God.
    This Naman Sirus,
  So fell and so irons,
  So full of malencoly,
  With a flap afore[233] his eye,
  Men wene that he is pocky,
  Or els his surgions they lye,
  For, as far as they[234] can spy
  By the craft of surgery,                                            1170
  It is _manus Domini_.
  And yet this proude Antiochus,
  He is so ambicious,
  So elate, and so vicious,
  And so cruell hertyd,
  That he wyll nat[235] be conuertyd;
  For he setteth God apart,
  He is nowe so ouerthwart,
  And so payned with pangis,
  That all his trust hangis                                           1180
  In Balthasor, whiche heled
  Domingos nose that was wheled;
  That Lumberdes nose meane I,
  That standeth yet awrye;
  It was nat[236] heled alderbest,
  It standeth somwhat on the west;
  I meane Domyngo Lomelyn,
  That was wont to wyn
  Moche money of the kynge
  At the cardys and haserdynge:                                       1190
  Balthasor, that helyd Domingos nose[237]
  From the puskylde pocky pose,[238]
  Now with his gummys of Araby
  Hath promised to hele our cardinals eye;
  Yet sum surgions put a dout,
  Lest he wyll put[239] it clene out,
  And make him lame of his neder limmes:
  God sende him sorowe for his sinnes!
    Some men myght aske a question,
  By whose suggestyon                                                 1200
  I toke on hand this warke,
  Thus boldly for to barke?
  And men lyst to harke,
  And my wordes marke,
  I wyll answere lyke a clerke;
  For trewly and vnfayned,
  I am forcebly constrayned,
  At Iuuynals request,
  To wryght of this glorious gest,
  Of this vayne gloryous best,                                        1210
  His fame to be encrest

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

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