¶ Here after foloweth the boke of Phyllyp Sparowe compyled by mayster Skelton Poete Laureate.
PLa ce bo
who is there who
¶Di le xi.
Dame Margery.
¶Fa re my my
Wherfore and why why
For y
e sowle of Philip sparowe
That was late slayn at carowe
Among the Nones blake
For that swete soules sake
And for all sparowes soules
Set in our bede rolles
Pater noster qui
With an Aue mari
And with the corner of a Crede
The more shalbe your mede.
WHan I remembre agayn
How mi philyp was slayn
Neuer halfe the payne
was betwene you twayne
Pyramus and Thesbe
As than befell to me
[Page]I wept and I wayled
The tearys downe hayled
But nothynge it auayled
To call Phylyp agayne
Whom Gyb our cat hath slayne
Gyb I saye our cat
Worrowyd her on that
Which I loued best
It can not be exprest
My sorowfull heuynesse
But all with out redresse
For within that stounde
Halfe slumbrynge in a sounde
I fell downe to the grounde
¶Unneth I kest myne eyes
Towarde the cloudy skyes
But whan I dyd beholde
My sparow dead and colde
No creatuer but that wolde
Haue rewed vpon me
To behold and se
What heuynesse dyd me pange
where with my handes I wrāge
[Page]That my senaws cracked
As though I had ben racked
So payned and so strayned
That no lyfe well nye remayned
¶ I syghed and I sobbed
For that I was robbed
Of my sparowes lyfe
O mayden / wydow / and wyfe
Of what estate ye be
Of hye or lowe degre
Great sorowe than ye myght se
And lerne to wepe at me
Such paynes dyd me frete
That myne hert dyd bete
My vysage pale and dead
Wanne / and blewe as lead
The panges of hatefull death
Well nye had stopped my breath
¶Heu heu me
That I am wo for the
Ad dn̄m cum tribularer clamaui
Of god nothynge els craue I
BUt phyllypes souīe to kepe
From the marees depe
Of Acherontes well
That is a flode of hell
And from the great Pluto
The prynce of endles wo
And from foule Alecto
With vysage blacke and blo
And from Medusa that mare
That lyke a fende doth stare
And from Megeras edders
For rufflynge of phillips fethers
And from her fyry sparklynges
For burnynge of his wynges
And from the smokes sowre
Of Proserpinas bowre
And from the dennes darke
Wher Cerberus doth barke
whom Theseus dyd afraye
Whom Hecules dyd outraye
As famous poetes say
For that hell bounde
That lyeth in rheynes bounde
[Page]with gastly hedes thre
To Iupyter pray we
That Phyllyp preserued may be
A men say ye with me
¶Do mi nus.
Helpeno we swete Iesus
Leuaui oculos meos in montes
wolde god I had zenophontes.
OR Socrates the wyse
To shew me their deuyse
Moderatly to take
This sorow that I make
For Phyllip sparowes sake
So feruently I shake
I fele my body quake
So vrgently I am brought
In to carefull thought
¶Like Andromach Hectors wyfe
was wery of her lyfe
whan she had lost her ioye
Noble Hector of Troye
In lyke maner also
[Page]Encreaseth my dedly wo
For my sparowe is go
It was so prety a fole
It wold set on a stole
And lerned after my scole
For to kepe his cut
with Phyllyp kepe your cut
¶It had a veluet cap
And wold syt vpon my lap
And seke after small wormes
And somtyme white bred crōmes
And many tymes and ofte
Betwene my brestes softe
It wolde lye and rest
It was propre and prest
¶Somtyme he wolde gaspe
whan he sawe a waspe
A fly / or a gnat
He wolde flye at that
And prytely he wold pant
whan he saw an ant
Lord how he wolde pry
After the butterfly
[Page]Lorde how he wolde hop
After the gressop
And whan I sayd / phyp / phyp
Than he wold lepe and skyp
And take me by the lyp
Alas it wyll me slo
That Phillyp is gone me fro
¶Si in i qui ta tes
Alas I was euyll at ease
¶De pro fun dis cla ma ui
whan I sawe my sparowe dye
Nowe after my dome
Dame Sulspicia at Rome
whose name regystred was
For euer in tables of bras
Because that she dyd pas
In poesy to endyte
And eloquenly to wryte
Though she wolde pretende
My sparowe to commende
I trowe she coude not amende
Reportynge the vertues all
[Page]Of my sparowe royall
¶For it wold come and go
And fly so to and fro
And on me it wolde lepe
whan I was a slepe
And his fether shake
Where with he wolde make
Me often for to wake
And for to take him in
Upon my naked skyn
God wot we thought no syn
what thought he crept so lowe
It was no hurt I trowe
He dyd nothynge perde
But syt vpon my kne
Phyllyp though he were uyse
In him it was no vyse
Phyllyp had leue to go
To pyke my lytell too
Phillip myght be bolde
And do what he wolde
Phillip wolde seke and take
All the flies blake
[Page]That he coulde there espye
With his wanton eye
¶O pe ra
La soll fa fa
Cōfitebor tibi dn̄e ī toto cordemeo
Alas I wold ryde and go
A Thousand myle of groūde
If any such might be foūd
It were worth an hundreth poūd
Of Kynge Cresus golde
Or of Artalus the olde
The ryche prynce of Pargame
Who so lyst the story to se
¶Cadmus that his syster sought
And he shold be bought
For golde and fee
He shuld ouer the see
To wete / if he coulde brynge
Any of the ofsprynge
Or any of the blode
But who so vnderstode
Of Medeas arte
[Page]I wolde I had a parte
Of her crafty magyke
My sparowe thā shuld be quycke
With a charme or twayne
And playe with me agayne
But all this is in vayne
Thus for to complayne
¶ I toke my sampler ones
Of purpose for the nones
To sowe with stytches of sylke
My sparow whyte as mylke
That by representacy on
Of his Image and facyon
To me it myght importe
Some pleasure and comforte
For my solas and sporte
But whā i was sowing his beke
Me thought my sparow did spek
And opened his prety byll
Saynge / mayd ye are in wyll
Agayne me for to kyll
Ye prycke me in the head
With that my nedle waxed red
[Page]Me thought of Phyllyps blode
Myne hear ryght vpstode
And was in suche a fray
My speche was taken away
I kest downe that there was
And sayd / Alas alas
How commeth this to pas
My fyngers dead and colde
Coude not my sampler holde
My nedle and threde
I threwe away for drede
The best now that I maye
Is for his soule to pray
¶A porta inferi
Good lorde haue mercy
¶ Upon my sparowes soule
wryten in my bede roule
☞Au di ui vo cem
Iaphet cam and Sem
¶ Ma gni fi cat
Shewe me the ryght path
TO the hylles of armony
wherfore y
e berdes yet cry
[Page]Of your fathers
[...]ote
That was sometyme a flote
And no wethey lye and rote
Let some portes wryte
Deucalyous stode it hyghe
But as verely / as ye be
The naturall sonnes thre
Of Northe patryarke
That
[...]de that great arke
wherin he had apes and owles
Beestes / byrdes / and foules
That if ye can fynde
Any of my sparowes kynde
God sende the soule good rest
I wolde haue yet a nest
Is prety and as peest
As my sparowe was
But my Sparowe dyd pas
An sparowes of the wode
That were syns Noes flode
was ne
[...] none so good
Kynge Phylyp of Macedony
Had no such Phylyp as I
[Page]No no syr hardely
¶That vengeaunce I aske & crye
By way of exclamacyon
On all the hole nacyon
Of cattes wylde and tame
God send them sorowe and shame
That cat specyally
That slew so cruelly
My lytell prety sparowe
That I brought vp at Carowe
¶ O cat of carly she kynde
The fynde was in thy mynde
whan thou my byrde vntwynde
I wold thou haddest ben blynde
The leopardes sauage
The lyons in theyr rage
Myght catche y
e in theyr pawes
And gnawe the in theyr iawes
These serpens of Lybany
Myght stynge the venymously
The dragones with their tonges
Might poysonthy lyuer & longes
The mantycors of y
e montaynes
[Page]Myght fede them on thy braynes
¶Melanchates that hounde
That plucked Acteon to y
e groūde
Gaue hym his mortall wounde
Chaunged to a dere
The story doth appere
Was chaunged to an harte
So thou foule cat / that thou arte
The selfe same hounde
Myght the confounde
That his owne Lorde bote
Myght byte asoudre thy throte
¶Of Iude the gredy grypes
Myght tere out all thy trypes
Of Arcady the beares
Might plucke awaye thyne eares
The wylde wolfe Lyraon
Byte a sondrethy backe bone
Of Ethua the brennynge hyll
That day and night brenneth styl
Set in thy tayle a blase
That all the world may gase
And wonder vpon the
[Page]From Occyan the greatse
Unto the Iles of Orchady
From Tyll bery fery
To the playne of Salysbery
So trayterously my byrde to kyll
That neuer ought the cuyll wyll
was neuer byrde in cage
More gentle of corage
In doynge his homage
Unto his souerayne
Alas I say agayne
Deth hath departed vs twayne
The false cat hath the slayne
Fare well Phyllyp adew
Our Lorde thy soule reskew
Fare well without restore
Fare well for euer more
And it where a Iewe
It wolde make one rew
To se my sorow new
These vylanous false rattes
were made for myse and rattes
And not for byrdes smale
[Page]Alas my face waxeth pale
Tellynge this pyteyus tale
How my byrde so fayre
That was wont to repayre
And go in at my spayre
And crepe in at my gore
Of my gowne before
Flyckerynge with his wynges
Alas my hert it stynges
Remembrynge prety thynges
Alas myne hert it sleth
My Phyllyppes dolefull deth
whan I remembre it
How pretely it wolde syt
Many tymes and ofte
Upon my fynger aloft
I played with him tyttell tattyll
And fed him with my spattyl
with his byll betwene my lippes
It was my prety Phyppes
Many a prety kusse
Had I of this swete musse
And now the cause is thus
[Page]That he is slayne me fro
To my great payne and wo
Of fortune / this the chaunce
Standeth on varyaunce
Oft tyme after pleasaunce
Trouble and greuaunce
No man can be sure
All way to haue pleasure
As well perceyue ye maye
How my dysport and play
From me was taken a way
By Gyb our cat sauage
That in a furyous rage
Caught Phyllyp by the head
And slew him there starke dead
¶Kyryeleyson Xp̄e leyson
Kyrye leson.
FOr Phypp sparowes soule
Set in our bede rolle
Let vs now whysper
A Pater noster
¶Lauda anima mea dominum
[Page]To wepe with me loke y
e ye come
All maner of byrdes in your kynd
Se none be left behynde
To mornynge loke that ye fall
with dolorous songes funerall
Some to synge / and sowe to say
Some to wepe and some to pray
Euery byrde in his laye
The goldfynche / the wagtayle
Tthe ianglynge Iay to rayle
The fleckyd pye to chatter
Of this dolorous mater
And Robyn Redbrest
He shall be the preest
The Requiem masse to synge
Softly warbelynge
with helpe of the red sparow
And the chattrynge swallow
This herse for to halow
The larke with his longe to
The spynke and y
e martynet also
The shouelar with his brode bek
The doterell that folyshe pek
[Page]And also the mad coote
with a balde face to toote
The felde fare and the snyte
The crowe and the kyte
The rauyn called rolfe
His playne songe to solfe
The partryche / the quayle
The plouer with vs to wayle
The woodhacke y
t syngeth chur
Horsly as he had the mur
The lusty chaūtyng nyghtyngale
The Popyngay to tell her tale
That toteth oft in a glasse
Shall rede the Gospell at masse
The mauys with her whystell
Shall rede there the Pystell
But with a large and a longe
To kepe iust playne songe
Our chaūters shalbe y
e Cuckoue
The Culuer / the Stockedowue
with puwyt the Lap wyng
The versycles shall syng
The Better with his bumpe
[Page]The Crane with his trumpe
The swan of Menander
The Gose and the Gander
The Ducke and Drake
Shall watche at this wake
The Pecocke so prowde
Bycause his voyce is iowde
Tnd hath a glorious tayle
He shall syng the Grayle
The owle that is so foule
Must helpe vs to houle
The heron so gaunce
And the cormoraunce
with the Fesaunte
And the gaglynge gaunte
And the churlysshe chowgh
The route and the kowgh
The barnacle / the bussarde
with the wynde mallarde
Tthe dyuendap to slepe
The wather hen to wepe
The pussyn / and the tele
Money they shall dele
To poore folke at large
[Page]That shall be theyr charge
The semewe, and the tytmose
The wodcocke w
t the longe nose
The threstyl with her warblyng
The starlyng with her brablyng
The roke / with the ospraye
That putteth fysshes to a fraye
And the denty curlewe
with the turtyll most trew
At this placebo
we may not well for go
The countrynge of the coe
The storke also
That maketh his nest
In chymneyes to rest
with in those walles
No broken galles
May there abyde
Of cokoldry syde
Or els phylosphy
Maketh a great lye
The Estryge that wyll eate
An horshowe so great
[Page]In the stede of meate
Such feruent heat
His stomake so great
He can not well fly
Nor synge tunably
Yet at abrayde
He hath well assayde
To solfe aboue Ela
Ea lorell fa fa
Ne quando
Male cantando
The best that we can
To make hym our Belman
And let hym ryng the bellys
He can do nothyng ellys
Chaunteclere our coke
Must tell what is of the clocke
By the astrology
That he hath naturally
Conceyued and cought
And was neuer tought
By Albumazer
The Astronomer
[Page]Nor by Ptholomy
Prince of Astronomy
Nor yet by Haly
And yet he croweth dayly
And nyghly the tydes
That no man abydes
with partlot his hen
whom now and then
He plucketh by the hede
whan he doth her trede
The byrde of Araby
That potencyally
May neuer dye
And yet there is none
But one alone
A Phenex it is
This herse that must blys
with armatycke gummes
That cost great sumes
The way of Thurifycation
To make a fumigation
Swete of reflary
And redolent of eyre
[Page]This corse for to sence
with greate reuerence
As Patryarke or Pope
In a blacke cope
whyles he senseth
He shall synge the verse
Libe / ra me
In de la soll re
Softly bemole
For my sparowes soule
Plinni sheweth all
In his story naturall
what he doth fynde
Of this Phenyx kynde
Of whose incyneracyon
There ryseth a new creacyon
Of the same facyon
without alteracyon
Sauyng that olde age
Is turned into corage
Of fresshe youth agayne
This matter trew and playne
Playne matter in dede
[Page]who so lyst to rede
But for the Egle doth flye
Hyest in the skye
He shall be thye se deane
The quere to demeane
As prouost pryncypall
To teach them theyr ordynall
Also the noble fawcon
with the grefawcon
The tarsell gentyll
They shall morne soft and styll
In theyr amysse of gray
The sacre with them shall say
Dirige for Phyllyppes soule
The goshauke shall haue a role
The queresters to controll
The lanners / and the marlyons
Shall stad in their mornīg goūes
The hobby and the muskette
The sensers and y
e crosse shall fet
The kestrell in all this warke
Shall be holy wather clarke
[Page]And now the darke cloudy nyght
Chaseth a way Phebus bryght
Taking his course to ward y
e west
god sēde my sparoes sole good rest
¶Requem eternā dona eis dn̄e.
Fa fa fa my re
¶A por ta in fe re
Fa fa fa my my
¶Credo vydere bona domini.
I pray god phillip to heuē may fly
¶Domine exaudi oracionē meā
To heuen he shall frō heuē he cam
¶Do mi nus vo vis cum
Of al good praiers god sēd him Oremus.
Deꝰ cui ꝓpriū est miserere & ꝑcere sum
On Phillips soule haue pyte.
For she was a prety cocke
And came of a gentyll stocke
And wrapt in a maidenes smocke
And cherysshed full dayntely
Thyll cruell fate made him to dy
[Page]Alas for dolefull destey
But where to shuld I
Lenger morne or crye
To Iupyter I call
Of heuen emperyall
That Phyllyp may fly
A boue the starry sky
To treade the prety wren
That is our Ladyes hen
Amen / amen / amen.
¶yet one thynge is behynde
That now commeth to mynde
An Epytaphe I wold haue
For phyllyppes graue
But for / I am a mayde
Tymerous / halfe afrayde
That neuer yet a sayde
Of Elyconys well
where the muses dwell
Though I can rede and spell
Recounte / reporte / and tell
Of the tales of Caunterbury
Some sad storyes / some mery
[Page]As Palamon / and Arcet
Duke Theseus / and partelet
And of the wyfe of Bath
Thay worketh moch seath
whan her tale is tolde
Amonge huswyes bolde
How she controlde
Her husbandes as she wolde
And them to despyse
In the homylyest wyse
Brynge other wyues in thought
Their husbandes to set at nought
And though that rede haue I
Of Gawen and syr Guy
And tell can a great pece
Of the golden flece
How Iason it wan
Lyke a valyaunt man
Of Arturs rounde table
with his knightes commendable
And dame Gaynour his quene
was somwhat wanton I wene
How syr Launcelote de lake
[Page]Many a spere brake
For his ladyes sake
Of Trystram and kynge Marke
And all the hole warke
Of bele I sold his wyfe
For whom was moch stryfe
Some say she was lyght
And made her husband knyght
Of the comyne hall
That cockoldes men call
And of syr Lybius
Named Dysconius
Of quater fylz Emund
And how they were sommonde
To Rome to Charlemayne
Upon a great payne
And how they rode eche one
On Bayarde Mountalbon
Men se hym now and than
In the forest of Arden
what thought I can frame
The storyes by name
[Page]Of Iudas Machabeus
And of Cesar Iulious
And of the loue betwene
Paris and vyene
And of the duke Hannyball
What made the Romaynes all
For drede and to quake
How Scipion dyd wake
The cytye of Cartage
which by his mercyfull rage
He bete downe to the grounde
And though I can expounde
Of Hector of Troye
That was all theyr ioye
whom Achylles slew
wherfore all Troy dyd rew
And of the loue so hote
That made Troylus to dote
Upon fayre Cressyde
And what they wrote and sayd
And of theyr wanton wylles
Pandaer bare the bylles
From one to the other
[Page]His maisters loue to further
Somtyme a presyous thyng
An ouche or els a ryng
From her to hym agayn
Somtyme a prety chayn
Or a bracelet of her here
Prayd Troylus for to were
That token for her sake
How hartely he dyd it take
And moche therof dyd make
And all that was in vayne
For she dyd but fayne
The story telleth playne
He coulde not optayne
Though his father were a kyng
yet there was a thyng
That made tha male to wryng
She made hym to syng
The song of louers lay
Musyng nyght and day
Mournyng all alone
Comfort had he none
For she was quyte gone
[Page]Thus in conclusyon
She brought him in abusyon
In ernest and in game
She was moch to blame
Disparaged is her fame
And blemysshed is her name
In maner half with shame
Troylus also hath lost
On her moch loue and cost
And now must kys the post
Pandara that went betwene
Hath won nothing I wene
But lyght for somer grene
Yet for a speciall laud
He is named Troylus baud
Of that name he is sure
Whyles the world shall dure
Though I remembre the fable
Of Penelope most stable
To her husband most trew
Yet long tyme she ne knew
Whether he were on lyue or ded
Her wyt stood her in sted
[Page]That she was true and iust
For any bodely lust
To Ulixes her make
And neuer wold him forsake
Of Marcus Marcellus
A proces I could tell vs
And of Anteocus
And of Iosephus
De antiquitatibus
And of Mardocheus
And of great Assuerus
And of Uesca his queene
whom he forsoke with teene
And of Hester his other wyfe
With whom he ledd a plesaūt life
Of kyng Alexander
And of kyng Euander
And of Porcena the great
That made y
e romayns to smart
Though I haue enrold
A thousand new and old
Of these historious tales
To fyll bougets and males
[Page]with bokes that I haue red
Yet I am nothyng sped
And can but lytell skyll
Of Ouyd or Uirgyll
Or of Plutharke
Or frauncys Petrarke
Alcheus or Sapho
Or such other Poetes mo
As Linus and Hometus
Enphorion and Theocritus
Auacreon and Arion
Sophocles and Philemon
Pyndarus and Dymonides
Philistion and Ph
[...]rocides
These Poetes of auncyente
They ar to diffuse for me
For as I to fore haue sayd
I am but a yong mayd
And can not in effect
My style as yet direct
with englysh wordes clere
Our naturall tong is rude
And hard to be enneude
[Page]with pullysshed termes lusty
Our language is so rusty
So cankered and so full
Of frowardes and so dull
That if I wolde apply
To wryte ornatly
I wot not where to fynd
Termes to serue my mynde
Gowers englysh is olde
And of no value told
His mater is worth gold
And worthy to be enrold
In Chauser I am sped
His tales I haue red
His mater is delectable
Solacious and commendable
His englysh well alowed
So as it is enprowed
For as it is enployd
There is no englysh voyd
At those dayes moch cōmended
And now men wold haue amēded
His englysh where at they barke
[Page]And mar all they warke
Chaucer that famus clerke
His termes were not darke
But plesaunt / easy / and playne
Ne worde he wrote in vayne
Also Iohn̄ Lydgate
wryteth after an hyer rate
It is dyffuse to fynde
The sentence of his mynde
Yet wryteth he in his kynd
No man that can amend
Those maters that he hath pende
Yet some men fynde a faute
And say he wryteth to haute
wherfore hold me excused
If I haue not well perused
Myne englyssh halfe abused
Though it be refused
In worth I shall it take
And fewer wordes make
But for my sparowes sake
Yet as a woman may
My wyt I shall assay
[Page]In Epytaphe to wryght
In latyne playne and lyght
where of the Elegy
Foloweth by and by
¶Flos volucrum formose vale
Philippe. sub isto
Marmore iam recubas
Qui mihi carus eras
Semper erunt nitido
Radiantia sydera celo
Impressus
(que) meo
Pectore semper eris
Per me Laurigerum
Britanum Skeltonida vaten
Hec cecinisse licet
Ficta sub imagine texta
Cuius eris volucris
Prestanti corpore virgo
Candida Nais erat
Formosior ista Ioanna est
Docta corinna fuit
Sed magis ista sapit
Bien men souient,
¶The commendacions
BEati in ma cu lu ti in via
O glo rio sa femi na
¶Now myne hole imaginacion
And studyous medytacion
Is to take this commendacyon
In this consyderacion
And vnder pacyent tolleracyon
Of that most goodly mayd
That placebo hath sayd
And for her sparow prayd
In lamentable wyse
Now wyll I enterpryse
Thorow the grace dyuyne
Of the muses nyne
Her beautye to commende
If Arethusa wyll send
Me enfluence to endyte
And with my pen to wryte
If Apollo wyll promyse
Melodyously it to deuyse
His tunable harpe stryngges
with armony that synges
[Page]Of Princes and of kynges
And of all pleasaunt thynges
Of lust and of delyght
Thorow 'his godly myght
To whom be the laude asceybed
That my pen hath enbybed
with the aureat droppes
As verely my hope is
Of Thagus that golden flod
That passeth all erthly good
And as that flode doth pas
All floodes that euer was
with his golden sandes
who so that vnderstandes
Cosmography: and the stremys
And y
e floodes in straunge remes
Ryght so she doth excede
All other of whom we rede
whose fame by me shall sprede
In to Perce and Mede
From brytons Albion
Bothe towre of Babilon
I trust it is no shame
[Page]And no man wyll me blame
Though I regester her name
In the courte of fame
For this most goodly floure
This blossome of fresshe coulour
So Iupiter me socour
Se floryssheth new and new
In bewte and vertew
Hac claritate gemina
O gloriosa femina
¶Retribue seruo tuo viuifica me
La vi a mea laudabunt te
BUt enforsed am I
Openly to askry
And to make a out cri
Against odyous enui
that euer more wil ly
And say cursedly
with his ledderey
And chekes dry
with vysage wan
As wart as tan
His bones crake
[Page]Leane as a rake
His gummes rusty
Are tull vnlusty
His herte with all
Bytter as gall
His lyuer / his longe
with anger is wronge
His serpentes tonge
That many one hath stonge
He frowneth euer
He laugheth neuer
Euen nor morow
But other mennes sorow
Causeth him to gryn
And reioyce therin
No s
[...]pe can him catch
But euer doth watch
He is so bete
with malyte and frete
with angre and yre
His foule desyre
wyll suffre no slepe
In his hed to crepe
[Page]His feule semblaunt
Ill displseaunt
whan other ar glad
Than is he sad
Frantyke and mad
His tong neuer styll
For to say yll'
wrythyng and wringyng
Bytyng aud styngyng
And thus this elf
Consumeth him self
Him self doth slo
with payne and wo
This fals enuy
Sayth that I
Use greeatfolly
For to endyte
And for to wryte
And spend my tyme
In prose and ryme
For to expres
The noblenes
Of my maistres
[Page]That causeth me
Studious to be
Bo make a relation
Of her commendation
And there agayne
Enuy doth complayne
And hath disdayne
But yet certayne
I wyll me playne
And my style dres
To this prosses
Now Phebus me ken
To sharpe my pen
And lede my fyst
As hym best lyst
That I may say
Honour alway
Of woman kynd
Trouth doth me bynd
And loyalte
Euer to be
Their true bedell
To wryte and tell
[Page]How women excell
In noblenes
As my maistres
Of whom I thynk
with pen and ynk
For to compyle
Sowe godly style
For this most gooly floure
This blossome of fresh coloure
So Iupyter me socoure
She flourissheth new and new
In beaute and vertew
Hac claritate gemina
O gloriosa femina
¶Legem pone michi domine in
viam iustificacionum tuarum
Quēadmodum desiderat ceruns
ad fontes aquarum.
¶HOw shall I report
All the goodly sort
Of her fetures clere
That hath non erthly pere
Her fauour of her face
[Page]Ennewed all with grace
Confort / pleasure and solace
Myne hert doth so enbrace
And so hath rauyshed me
Her to behold and se
That in wordes playne
I can not me refrayne
To loke on her agayne
Alas what shuld I fayne
It wer a plesaunt payne
with her aye to remayne
Her eyen gray and stepe
Causeth myne hert to lepe
with her browes bent
She may well represent
Fayre Lucres as I wene
Or els fayre Polexene
Or els Caliope
Or els Penolope
For this most goodly floure
This blossome of fresshe coloure
So Iupiter me socoure
She florisheth new and new
[Page]In beautye and vertew
Hac claritate gemina
O gloriosa femina
¶Memor esto verbi tui seruo tuo
Seruus tuus sum ego
THe Indy Saphyre blew
Her vaynes doth ennew
The Orient perle so clere
The whytnesse of her lere
The lusty ruby ruddes
Resemble the Rose buddes
Her lyppes soft and mery
Emblomed lyke the chery
It were an heuenly blysse
Her sugred mouth to kysse
Her beautye to augment
Dame nature hath her lent
A warte vpon her cheke
who so lyst to seke
In her vysage a skar
That semyth from a far
Lyke to the radyant star
All with fauour fret
[Page]So properly it is set
She is the vyolet
The daysy delectable
The calumbyn commendable
The ielofet amyable
This most goodly floure
This blossom of fressh colour
So Iupiter me succour
She florysheth new and new
In beaute and vertew
Hac claritate gemina
O gloriosa femina
¶Bonitatē fecisti cū seruo tuo d
[...]ia
Et ex precordus sonāt precoma.
ANd whan I perceyued
Her wart and conceyued
It can not be denayd
But it was well conuayd
And set so womanly
And nothynge wantonly
But tyght conuenyently
And full congruently
As nature cold deuyse
[Page]In most goodly wyse
who so lyst beholde
It makethe louers bolde
To her to sewe for grace
Her fauoure to purchase
The sker vpon her chyn
Enhached on her fayre skyn
whyter than the swan
It wold make any man
To forget deadly syn
Her fauonr to wyn
For this most godly floure
This blossom of fressh coloure
So Iupiter me socoure
She flouryssheth new and new
In beaute and vertew
Hac claritate gemina
O gloriosa femina
¶Defecit in salutare tuū aīa mea
Quid petis filio / mater dulcissia ba ba
SOft & make no dyn
For now I wyll begyn
To heue in remembraunee
[Page]Her goodly dalyaunce
And her goodly pastaunce
So sad and so demure
Behauynge her so sure
with wordes of pleasure
She wold make to the lure
And any man conuert
To gyue her his hole hert
She made me sore a mased
Upon her whan I gased
Me thought min hert was crased
My eyne were so dased
For this most goodly flour
This blossom of fressh colour
So Iupyter me socour
She flouryssheth new and new
In beauty and vertew
Hac claritate gemina
O gloriosa femina
¶Quomodo dilexi legē tuā dn̄a.
Recedant vetera noua sint oīa.
ANd to amende her tale
whan she lyst to auale
[Page]And with her fyngers smale
And handes soft as sylke
whyter than the mylke
That are so quyckely vayned
wher wyth my hand she strayne
Lorde how I was paynes
Unneth I me refrayned
How she me had reclaymed
And me to her retayned
Enbrasynge there with all
Her godly myddell small
with sydes longe and streyte
To tell you what conceyte
I had than in a tryce
The matter were to nyse
And yet there was no vyce
Nor yet no vyllany
But only fantasy
For this most godly floure
The blossom of fressh coloure
So Iupiter me succoure
She floryssheth new and new
In beaute and vertew
[Page]Hac claritate gemina
O gloriosa femina
¶Iniquos odio habui
Non calumnientur me superbi.
BUt where to shulde I note
How often dyd I tote
Upon her prety fote
It raysed myne hert rote
To se her treade the grounde
with heles short and rounde
She is playnly expresse
Egeria the goddesse
And lyke to her image
Emportured with corage
A louers pylgrimage
Ther is no beest sauage
Ne no tyger so wood
But she wolde chaunge his mood
Such relucentgrace
Is formed in her face
For this most goodly floure
This blossome of fressh coloure
So Iupiter me succour
[Page]She flouryssheth new and new
In beaute and vertew
Hac claritate gemina
O gloriosa femina
¶Mirabilia testimoīa tua
Sicutnauelle plātatōes ī iuuētute sua
SO goodly as she dresses
So propeeyly she presses
The bryght golden tresses
Of her heer so fyne
Lyke Phebus beames shyne
wher to shuld I disclose
The garterynge of her hose
It is for to suppose
How that she can were
Gorgiously her gere
Her fresshe habylementes
with other implementes
To serue for all ententes
Lyke dame Flora quene
Of lusty somer grene
For this wost goodly floure
This blossom of fressh coloure
[Page]So Iupiter me soconre
She florisheth new and new
In beautye and vertew
Hac claritate gemina
O gloriosa femina
¶Clamaui ī toto code exaudi me
Mr̄ia tua magna est suꝑ me
Her kyrtell so goodly lased
And vnder that is brased
Such plasures that I may
Neyther wryte nor say
Yet though I wryte not w
t ynke
No man can let me thynke
For thought hath lyberte
Thought is franke and fre
To thynke a mery thought
It cost me lytell nor nought
Wolde god myne homely style
Were publysshed with the fyle
Of Ciceros eloquence
To prase her exeellence
For this most goodly floure
Thus blossome of fressh coloure
[Page]So Iupiter me succoure
She flouryssheth new and new
In beaute and vertew
Hac claritate gemina
O gloriosa femina
¶ Principes persecuti sūt me gratis
Oībꝰ cōsideratis. Daradisus vo
Iuptatis. Hec virgo est dulcissima
My pen it is vnable
My head it is vnstable
My reson rude and dull
To prayse her at the full
Goodly maystres Iane
Sobre / demure Dyane
Iane this maystres hyght
The lode stare of delyght
Dame Uenus of all pleasure
The well of worldly treasure
She doth excede and pas
In prudence dome Pallas
This most goodly floure
This blossome of fresshe colour
So Iupiter me socoure
[Page]She floryssheth new and new
In beaute and vertew
Hac claritate gemina.
O gloriosa femina.
BEquiē e
[...]eruā dona eis dn̄e
w
t this psalme / Dn̄e ꝓ basti me.
Shall sayle ouer the see
with tibi domine commendamus
On pylgrimage to faynt Iamys
For shrympes / and for pranys
And for stalke cranys
And where my pen hath offendyd
I pray you it may be amendyd
By discrete consyderacyon
Of your wyse reformacyon
I haue not offended I trust
If it be sadly dyscust
It were no gentle gyse
This treatyse to despyse
Because I haue wrytten & sayd
Honour of this fayre mayd
wherefore shulde I be blamed
That I Iane haue named
[Page]And famously proclamed
She is worthy to be enrolde
with letters of golde
¶Car elle vault
'PEr me Laurigerum Britonum Skeltonida latem
Laubibus eximiis merito / hec redimita puella est
Formosā pocecini qua non formosior vlla est
Formosam pocius / quam cōmendaret Homerus
Sic iuuat interdum regidos recreare labores
Nec minus hoc titulo tersa minerua. mea est.
¶Rien que playsere.
¶Thus endeth y
e boke of Philip sparow / and her foloweth an addicyon made by maister Skelton
THe gyse now a dayes
Of some ianglynge iayes
Is to discommende
That they cannot amend
Though they wold spend
All the wyttes they haue
What ayle them to depraue
Phillip sparowes graue
His dirige: her commendacyon
Can be no derogacyon
But myrth and consolacyon
Made by protestacyon
No man to myscontent
with Phillyppes enterement
Alas that goodly mayd
why shuld she be afrayde
why shuld she take shame
That her goodly name
Honorably reported
Sholde be set and sorted
To be matriculate
with ladyes of estate
I coniure the Phillip sparow
[Page]By Hercules that hell dyd harow
And with a venemous arow
Slew of the Epidanres
One of the Centaures
Or onocentaures
Or hipocentaurius
By whose myght and mayne
An hart was stayne
with hornes twayne
Of glytteryng gold
And the appels of gold
Of Hesperides withhold
And with a dragon kept
That neuer more slept
By marryall strength
He wan at lenght
And slew Gerion
with thre bodyes in one
with myghty corage
Anaunted the rage
Of a lyon sauage
Of Dyomedes stable
He brought out a rable
[Page]Of coursers and rounses
with leapes and bounses
And with myghty iuggyng
wrestlyng and tuggyng
He plucked the bull
By the horned skull
And offred to Cornucopia
And so forth per cetera
Also by Erates bower
In Plutus gastly tower
By the vgly Eumenides
That neuer haue rest nor ease
By the venemous serpent
That in hell is neuer brent
In Lerna the Grekes fen
That was engendred then
By Chemeras flames
And all the dedly names
Of infernall posty
where soules frye and rousty
By the stygyall flood
And the streames wood
Of Cocitus botumles well
[Page]By the feryman of hell
Caron with his beerd hore
That roweth with a rude
[...]or
And with his fore top
Gydeth his bote with a prope
I coniure Phylyp and call
In the name of kyng Saul
Primo regum expresse
He had the Phitonesse
To wytch craft her to dresse
And by her abusyons
And dampnable illusyons
Of marueylus conclusyons
And by her supersticyons
And wonderfull condityons
Se raysed vp in that stede
Samuell that was dede
But whether it were so
He were / idem in numero
The selfe same Samuell
How be it to Saull dyd he tell
The Philistinis shuld hym ascry
And the next day he shuld dye
[Page]I wyll my selfe dyscharge
To lettred men at large
But Phylyp I coniure the
Now by these names thre
Diana in the woodes grene
Luna that so bryght doth shyne
Procerpina in hell
That thou shortly tell
And shew now vnto me
what the cause may be
Of this perplexite
Infera Philippe Scroupe pulchr
[...] Iohanns
Instanter petut / cur nostri carminis illam
Nunc pudet / est sero / minor est infamia vero
Than suche as haue disdayned
And of this worke complayned
I pray god they be payned
No worse than is contayned
In verses two or thre
That folowe as you may se
Luride cur liuor volutris pia funera dān
[...]
Talia te rapiant / rapiunt que fata volucre
[...]
est tamen inuidia mors tibi contenua.