The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 2 (of 2) — John Shaqi
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
Tholomye and Haly were cunnyng and wyse
In the volvell, in the quadrant, and in the astroloby,
To pronostycate truly the chaunce of fortunys dyse;
Som trete of theyr tirykis, som of astrology,
Som _pseudo-propheta_ with chiromancy:[54] 140
Yf fortune be frendly, and grace be the guyde,
Honowre with renowne wyll ren on[55] that syde.
_Monon calon agaton_,
Quod Parato
_In Græco_.
Let Parrot, I pray you, haue lyberte to prate,
For _aurea lingua Græca_ ought to be magnyfyed,
Yf it were cond perfytely, and after the rate,
As _lingua Latina_, in scole matter occupyed;
But our Grekis theyr Greke so well haue applyed, 150
That they cannot say in Greke, rydynge by the way,
How, hosteler, fetche my hors a botell of hay!
Neyther frame a silogisme in _phrisesomorum_,
_Formaliter et Græce, cum medio termino:_
Our Grekys ye walow in the washbol _Argolicorum_;
For though ye can tell in Greke what is _phormio_,
Yet ye seke out your Greke in _Capricornio_;
For they[56] scrape[57] out good scrypture, and set in a gall,
Ye go about to amende, and ye mare all.
Some argue _secundum quid ad simpliciter_, 160
And yet he wolde be rekenyd _pro Areopagita_;
And some make distinctions _multipliciter_,
Whether _ita_ were before _non_, or _non_[58] before _ita_,
Nether wise nor wel lernid, but like _hermaphrodita_:
Set _sophia_ asyde, for euery Jack Raker
And euery mad medler must now be a maker.
_In Academia_ Parrot dare no probleme kepe;
For _Græce fari_[59] so occupyeth the chayre,
That _Latinum fari_ may fall to rest and slepe,
And _syllogisari_ was drowned at Sturbrydge fayre; 170
Tryuyals[60] and quatryuyals so sore now they appayre,
That Parrot the[61] popagay hath pytye to beholde
How the rest of good lernyng is roufled[62] vp and trold.
_Albertus de modo significandi_,
And _Donatus_ be dryuen out of scole;
Prisians hed broken now handy dandy,
And _Inter didascolos_ is rekened for a fole;
Alexander, a gander of Menanders[63] pole,
With _Da Cansales_, is cast out of the gate,
And _Da Racionales_ dare not shew his pate. 180
_Plauti_[64] in his comedies a chyld shall now reherse,
And medyll with Quintylyan in his Declamacyons,[65]
That Pety Caton can scantly construe a verse,
With _Aveto in Græco_, and such solempne salutacyons,
Can skantly the tensis of his coniugacyons;
Settynge theyr myndys so moche of eloquens,
That of theyr scole maters lost is the hole sentens.
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