¶ here after foloweth a litel boke called Colyn Cloute compyled by mayster Skelton poete Laureate.
Quis cōsurgat mecū aduersus malignantes. aut quis stabit mecū aduersus operantes iniquitatem. Nemo domine
WHat can it auayle
To dryue forth a snayle
Or to make a sayle
Of an herynges tayle
To ryme or to rayle
To wryte or to indyte
Eyther for delyte
Or elles for to despyte
Or
[...]o
[...]es to compyle
Of dyuers maner style
Uyce to reuyle
And synne to exyle
To teche or to preche
As reason wyll reche
Say this and say that
His hed is so fat
He wotteth neuer what
Nor wherof he speketh
He cryeth and he creketh
He pryeth and he peketh
He chydes and he chatters
He prates and he patters
He clytters and he clatters
[Page] He medles and he smatters
He gloses and he smatters
Or yf he speake playne
Than he lacketh brayne
He is but a fole
Let hym go to scole
A thre foted stole
That he may downe syt
For he lacketh wyt
And yf that he hyt
The nayle on the hede
It standeth in no stede
The deuyll they say is dede
The deuill is dede
It may well so be
Or els they wolde se
Other wyse and sle
I rom wordly vanyte
And foule couetousnesse
And other wretchednesse
I
[...]ell falsenesse
Uaryablenesse
[Page] With vnstablenesse
¶ And if ye stande in doute
who brought this ryme aboute
My name is Colyn Cloute
I purpose to shake oute
All my connyng bagge
Lyke a clerkely hagge
For though my ryme be ragged
Tattered and tagged
Rudely rayne beaten
Rusty and moughte eaten
If ye talke well ther with
It hath in it some pyth
For as farre as I can se
It is wronge with eche degre
For the temporalte
Accuseth the spiritualte
The spirituall agayne
Dothe grudge and complayne
Vpon the temporall men
Thus eche of other bloder
The tone agayng the tother
[Page] Alas they make me shoder
For in hoder moder
The churche is put in faute
The prelates ben so haut
They say / and loke so hy
As though they wolde fly
Aboue the sterry skye
Laye men say in hede
How they take no
[...]ede
Sheyr sely shepe to fede
But plucke away and pull
The
fleces[?] of theyr wull
Unethes they leue a locke
Of shull amonges theyr floche
And as for theyr connynge
A glommynge and a mummynge
And make ther of a iape
They gaspe and they gape
All to haue promocyon
There is theyr hole deuocyon
With money if it wyll hap
To catche the forked cap
[Page] Forsothe they are to lewd
To say so all beshrewd.
¶ What trow ye they say more
Of the bysshoppes lore
How in matters they berawe
They lumber forth the lawe
To herken Iacke and Gyll
Whan they but vp a byll
And iudge it as they wyll
For other mennes skyll
Expoundyng out theyr clauses
And leue theyr owne causes
In theyr pryncypall cure
They make but lytell sure
And meddels very lyght
In the churches ryght
But Ire and venire
And sol fa / so a lamyre
That the premenyre
Is lyke to be set a fyre
In theyr iurisdictions
Through temporall afflictions
[Page] Men say they haue prescriptions
Agaynst y
e spūall contradictions
Accomptynge them as fyctions
And whyles the heedes do this
The remenaunt is amys
Of the clergy all
Bothe great and small
I wot neuer how they warke
But thus the people carke
And surely thus they say
Bysshoppes if they may
Small houses wolde kepe
But slombre forth and slepe
And assay to crepe
With in the noble walles
Of the kynges halles
To fat theyr bodyes full
Theyr soules lame and dull
And haue full lytell care
How euyll theyr shepe fare
¶ The temporalyte say playne
[Page] Howe bysshoppes dysdayne
Sermons for to make
Or suche laboure to take
And for to say trouth
A great parte is full slouth
But the greattest parte
Is for they haue but small arte
And ryght sklender connyng
With in theyr heedes wonnyng
But this reason they take
How they are able to make
With theyr golde and treasure
Clerkes out of measure
And yet that is a pleasure
Howe be it some there be
Almost two or thre
Of that dygnyte
Full worshypfull clerkes
As appereth by theyr werkes
Lyke Aaron and Ure
The wolfe from the dore
To wary and to kepe
From theyr goostly shepe
[Page] And theyr spirituall
lammes[?]
Sequestred from rammes
And from the berded gotes
With theyr heery cotes
Set nought by goldene grotes
Theyr names if I durst tell
¶ But they are loth to mell
And loth to hang the bell
Aboute the cattes necke
For drede to haue a checke
They ar fayne to play / deuz decke
How be it they are good men
Moche herted lyke an hen
Theyr lessons forgottē they haue
That becket them gaue
Thomas manum mittit ad forcia
Spernit dāna spernit opprobria
Nulla Thoman frangit iniuria
But nowe euery spirituall father
Men say they had rather
Spende moche of theyr share
Than to be combred with care
[Page] ¶ Spende / nay but spare
For let se who that dare
Sho the
mockylsoe[?] mare
They make her wynche and keke
But it is not worth a leke
Boldnesse is to seke
The churche for to defend
Take me as I intende
For lothe I am to offende
In this that I haue pende
I tell you as men say
Amende whan ye may
For vs
(que) ad montem sare
Men say ye cannot appare
For some say ye hunte in parkes
And hauke on hobby larkes
And other wanton warkes
Whan the nyght darkes
What hath lay men to do
The gray gooes for to sho
Lyke houndes of hell
They crye and they yell
[Page] Nowe that ye sell
The grace of the holy gost
Thus they make theyr bost
Through euery cost
Howe some of you do eate
In lenton season fleshe mete
Fesauntes partryche and cranes
Men call you therfor prophanes
Ye pycke no shrympes nor pranes
Saltfysshe, stocfysshe nor heryng
It is not for your werynge
Nor in holy lenton season
Ye wyll nitheyr benes ne peason
But ye loke to be let losse
To a pygge or to a gose
your gorge not endewed
Without a capon stewed
Or a stewed cocke
Under her surfled smocke
And her wanton wodicocke
And howe whan ye gyue orders
In your prouinciall borders
[Page] As at sicientes
Some are insufficientes
Some parum sapientes
Some nichil intelligentes
Some valde negligentes
Some nullum sensum habentes
But bestyali and vntought
But whan thei haue ones caught
Dominus vobiscum by the hede
Than renne they in euery stede
God wot with dronken nolles
yet take thy cure of soules
And woteth neuer what thei rede
Pater noster nor Crede
Construe not worth a whystle
Nether gospell nor pystle
Theyr mattyns madly sayde
Nothynge deuoutly prayde
Theyr lernynge is so small
Theyr prymes and houres fall
And lepe out of theyr lyppes
Lyke sawdust or drye chyppes
I speke not nowe of all
[Page] But the moost parte en generall
Of suche vacabundus
Speketh otus Mundus
Howe some synge letabundus
At euery ale stake
with welcome hake and make
By the brede that god brake
I am sory for your sake
I speke not of the good wyfe
But of theyr apostles lyfe
Cum ipsus vel illis
Qui manent in villis
Est vxor vel ancilla
welcome Iacke and Gylla
My prety Petronylla
And you wyll be stylla
You shall haue your wylla
Of suche Pater noster pekes
All the worlde spekes
¶ In you the faute is supposed
For that they are not apposed
By iust examinacyon
[Page] In connyng and conuersacyon
They haue none instructyon
To make a true constructyon
A preest without a letter
Without his vertue be gretter
Doutlesse where moche better
Upon hym for to take
A mattocke or a rake
Alas for very shame
Some can not declyne their name
Some can not scarsly rede
And yet he wyll not drede
For to kepe a cure
And in nothyng is sure
This dominus vobiscum
As wyse as Tom a thrum
A chaplayne of trust
Layth all in the dust
Thus I colyn cloute
As I go aboute
And wandrynge as I walke
There the people talke
Men say for syluer and golde
Myters are bought and solde
There shall no clergy appose
A myter nor a crose
But a full purse
A strawe for goddes curse
What are they the worse
For a symonyake
Is but a hermoniake
And no more ye make
Of symony men say
But a chyldes play
¶ Ouer this the foresayd laye
Reporte howe the pope may
A holy anker call
Out of the stony wall
And hym a bysshop make
It he on hym dare take
To kepe so harde a rule
To ryde vpon a mule
With golde all betrapped
In purple and paule be lapped
[Page] Some hatted and some capped
Rychely be wrapped
God wot to theyr great paynes
In rotchettes of fyne raynes
Whyte as morowes mylke
Theyr tabertes of fyne sylke
Theyr styrops of myxt gold begared
There may no cost be spared
Theyr moyles golde dothe eate
Theyr neyghbours dye for meate
What care they though gil
sweate[?]
Or Iacke of the Noke
The pore people the yoke
With sommons and citacyons
And excommunycacyons
About churches and market
The bysshop on his carpet
At home full
softe[?] dothe syt
This is a fearfull fyt
To here the people iangle
Howe warely they wrangle
Alas why do ye not handle
[Page] And them all mangle
Full falsely on you they lye
And shamefully you ascrye
And say as vntruely
As the butterflye
A man myght saye in mocke
Ware the wether cocke
Of the steple of Poules
And thus they hurte theyr
Ioules[?]
In sclaunderyng you for truthe
Alas it is great ruthe
Some say ye syt in trones
Lyke prynces aquilonis
And shryne your rotten bones
With perles and precyous stones
But howe the commons grones
And the people mones
For prestes and for lones
Lent and neuer payd
But from day to day delayde
The commune welth decayde
Men say ye are tonge tayde
And therof speke nothynge
[Page] But dyssymulyng and glosyng
wher fore men be supposyng
That ye gyue shrewd counsell
Agaynst the commune well
By poollynge and pyllage
In cytyes and vyllage
By taryng and tollage
ye make mōkes to haue y
e culerage
For couerynge of and olde cottage
That commytted is a collage
In the charter of dottage
Tenure par seruyce de sottage
And not par seruyce de socage
After olde seygnyours
And y
e lernyng of Lyteltō tenours
Ye haue so ouerthwarted
That good lawes are subuerted
And good reason peruerted
¶ Relygous men are fayne
For to tourne agayne
In secula seculorum
And to forsake theyr corum
[Page] And vacabundare per forum
And take a fyne meritorum
Coneca regulam morum
Aut blacke monacorum
Aut canonicorum
Aut Bernardinorum
Aut crucifixorum
And to synge from place to place
Lyke apostataas
And the selfe same game
Be gone and uowe with shame
Amongest the sely nonnes
My lady nowe she ronnes
Dame Syhly our abbesse
Dame Dorothe and lady Besse
Dame Sare our pryoresse
Out of theyr cloyster and quere
with an heuy chere
Must cast vp theyr blacke vayles
And set vp theyr fucke sayles
To catch wynde w
t their ventales
what Colyne there thou shales
yet thus with yll hayles
[Page] The lay fee people rayles
¶ And all they lay
In you prelates / and say
ye do them wrong and no ryght
To put them thus to slyght
No matyns at mydnyght
Boke and chalys gone quyte
Plucke awaye the leedes
Ouer theyr heedes
And sell away theyr belles
And all that they haue elles
Thus the people telles
Rayles lyke rebelles
Rede shrewly and spelles
And with foundacyons melles
And talke lyke tytyuelles
Howe ye brake the dedes wylles
Turne monasteris I to mat milles
Of an abbay they make a gran̄g
your workes they saye are stran̄g
So that theyr founders soules
Haue lost theyr beade rolles
[Page] The mony for theyr masses
Spent amonge wanton lasses
The diriges are forgotten
Theyr founders lye there rotten
But where theyr soules dwell
Ther with I wyll not mell
What coulde the turke do more
With all his false lore
Turke sarazyn / or iew
I reporte me to you
¶ O mercyfull Iesu
You supporte and rescue
My style for to dyrecte
It may take some effecte
For I abhorre to wryte
Howe the lay fee dyspytt
you prelates that of ryght
Shulde be lanternes of lyght
ye lyue they say in delyte
Drowned in deliiis
In gloria et diuiciis
In o admirabile honore
[Page] In gloria et splendore
Fulgurantes haste
Uiuentes parum caste
Yet swete meate hath soure sauce
For after glyria laus
Chryst by cruelte
Was nayled vpyn a tre
He payed a bytter pencyon
For mannes redemcyon
He dranke eysell and gall
To redeme vs withall
But swete ypocras ye drynke
With let the cat wynke
Iche wot what yche other thynk
Howe be it per assimule
Some men thynke that ye
Shall haue penalyte
For your inibuyte
Nota what I say
And here it well a way
If it please not theologys
It is good for astrologys
For Ptholome tolde me
[Page] The sonne somey me to be
In Ariete
Ascendent a degre
Whan Scorpion descendpnge
Was so then pretendynge
All fatall for one
That shall syt on a trone
And rule all thynges alone
Your teth whet on this bone
Amongest you euerychone
Fnd let Collyn Cloute haue none
Maner of cause to mone
Lay salue to your owne sore
For els as I sayd before
After gloria laus
May come a soure sauce
Sory therfore am I
But trouth can neuer lye
¶ With language thus poluted
Holy churche is brnted
And shamfully confuted
My penne nowe wyll I sharpe
[Page] And wrest vp my harpe
with sharpe twynkyng trebelles
Agaynst all suche rebelles
That laboure to confounde
And bryng y
e churche to y
e groūde
As ye may dayly se
Howe the lay fee
Of one affynyte
Consent and agre
Agaynst the churche to be
And the dygnyte
Of the by bysshoppes fee
And eyther ye be to bad
Or els they ar mad
Of this to reporte
But vnder your supporte
Tyll my dyenge day
I shall bothe wryte and say
And ye shall do the same
Howe they are to blame
you thus to dyffame
For it maketh me sad
Howe the the peope are glad
[Page] The churche to depraue
And some there are that raue
Presumynge on theyr owne
wyt[?]
Whan there is neuer a whyt
To maynteyne argumentes
Agaynst the sacramentes
Some make epylogacyon
Of hypghe predestynacyon
And of resydenacyon
They make interpretacyon
Of an aquarde facyon
And of the prescience
Of dyuyne assence
And what Ipostacis
Of Christes manhode is
Suche logyke men wyll chop
And in theyr fury hop
When the good ale sop
Dothe daunce in theyr fore top
Bothe women and men
Suche ye may well knowe & ken
That agaynst preesthode
[Page] Theyr malyee sprede abrode
Raysynge haynously
And dysdaynously
Of prrestly dygnytes
But theyr malygnytes
And some haue a smacek
Of Luthers sacke
And a brennyng sparke
Of Luthers welke
And are some what suspecte
In Luthers secte
And some of them barek
Clatter and carpe
Of that heresy arte
Called wytclyftista
The deuelys the dogmatista
And some be hussyans
And some be arryans
And some be pollegrans
And make moche varyans
Bytwene the clergye
And the temporaltye
[Page] ¶ Nowe y
e church hath to mykel
And they haue to lytell
And bryng in maierialites
And qualyfyed qualytes
Of pluralytes
Of tryalytes
And of tot quottes
They commune lyke sottes
As cometh to theyr lottes
Of prebendaries and deanes
Howe some of them gleanes
And gathereth vp the store
For to catche more and more
Of persons and vycaryes
They make many out cryes
They can not kepe theyr wyues
From them for theyr lyues
And thus the
[...]oselles stryues
And lewdely sayes by Christ
Agaynst the sely preest
Alas and well away
What ayles them thus to csay
They mought be better aduysed
[Page] Then to be so dysgysed
But they haue enterprysed
And shamfully surmysed
Howe prelacy is solde and bought
And come vp of nought
And where the prelates be
Come of lowe degre
And set in maieste
And spirituall dyngnyte
Farewell benygnyte
Farewell sympliciet
Farewell humylyte
Farewell good charyte
Ye are so puffed with pryde
That no man may abyde
Your hygh and lordely lokes
Ye cast vp then your bokes
And vertue is forgotten
For then ye wyll be wroken
Of euery lyght quarell
And call a lorde a iauell
A knyght a knaue to make
[Page] Ye bost / ye face / ye crake
And vpon you take
To rule kynge and kayser
And yf ye may haue layser
Ye wyll brynge all to noyght
And that is all your thought
For the lordes temporall
Theyr rule is very small
Almost nothyng at all
Men saye howe ye appall
The noble blode royall
In ernest and in game
Ye are the lesse to blame
For lordes of noble blode
If they well vuderstode
How cónyng myght them auaūce
They wold pype you another daūce
But noble men borne
To lerne they haue scorne
But hunet and blowe an horne
Lepe ouer lakes and dykes
Set nothyng by polytykes
There fore ye kepe them bace
[Page] And mocke them to theyr face
This is a pyteous case
To you that ouer the whele
Lordes must crouche and knele
And breke theyr hose at the kne
As dayly men may se
And to remembraunce call
Fortune so turneth the ball
And ruleth so ouer all
That honoure hath a great fall
Shall I tell you more / ye shall
I am leth to tell all
But the communalte ye call
Ydolles of Babylon
De terra zabulon
De terra Neptalym
For you loue to go trym
Brought vp of poore estate
With pryde inordinate
Sodaynly vpstarte
From the donge carte
The mattockes and the
shule[?]
To reygne and to rule
[Page] And haue no grace to thynke
Howe they were wonte to drynke
Of a lether botell
with a knauysshe stoppell
Whā mamockes was your meate
with moulde brede to eate
ye wolde none other gete
To chewe and to gnawe
To fyll therwith your mawe
Lodged in the strawe
Couchyng your drousy heddes
Somtyme in lousy beddes
Alas this is out of mynde
ye growe nowe out of kynde
Many one haue but wynde
And make the commons blynde
But qui se existimat stare
Let hym well beware
Lest that his fote slyp
And haue suche a tryp
And false in suche dekay
That all the worlde myght say
Come downe on the deuyll way.
[Page] ¶ Yet ouer all that
Of bysshops they chat
That though ye round your hear
An ynche aboue your ear
And aures patentes
And parum intendentes
And your coursers be trapped
your eares they be stopped
For maister adulator
And doctour assentator
And blandior blandiris
With mentior mentiris
That ye can not espye
They folowe your desyres
And so they blere your eye
Howe the male dothe wryte
¶ Alas for goddes wyll
why syt ye prelates styll
And suffre all this yll
ye bysshops of estates
Shulde open the brode gates
For your spirituall charge
[Page] And conforte at large
Lyke lanternes of lyght
In the peoples syght
In pullpettes attentyke
For the wele publyke
Of preesthode in this case
And alwayes to chase
Suche maner of sysmatykes
And halfe heretykes
That wolde intoxicate
That wolde conquinate
That wolde contemminate
And that wolde vyolate
And that wolde derogate
And that wolde abrogate
The churche hygh estates
After this maner rates
The which shulde be
Both franke and free
And haue theyr lyberte
And of antiquyte
It was ratefyed
And also gratifyed
[Page] By holy synodalles
And bulles papalles
As it is res certa
Conteyned in magna Carta
¶ But maister Damyan
Or some other man
That clerkely is and can
Well scrypture expounde
And textes grounde
His benefyce worthe ten pou
[...]
Or skante warth twenty ma
And yet a noble clerke
He must do this werke
As I knowe a parte
Some maisters of arte
Some doctours of lawe
Some lernde in other sawe
As in dyuynyte
That hath no dygnyte
But the pore degre
Of the vnyuersyte
Or els Frederyck▪
[Page] Or els frere Dominike
Or frere Hugulinus
Or frere Agustinus
Or frere Carmelus
[...]hat gostly can heale vs
[...]ls yf we may
[...] frere graye
[...] of the order
[...] Grenewyche border
[...] obseruaunce
[...] frere of fraunce
[...] the poore scot
[...]st come to his lot
[...]te forthe his shot
[...]
[...]abuell besy de Bery
[...]eil vpon a
[...]ry
[...] wolde it shulde noted
[...] scripture shulde be coted
[...] clerkely promoted
[...] the frere
[...]oted
[...] Men say
[...]ctoryte
[Page] And your noble se
And your bygnyte
Shulde be imprynted better
Then all the freres letter
For if ye wolde take payne
To preche a worde or twayne
Though it were neuer so playne
with clauses two or thre
So as they myght be
Compendyously conueyde
These worde shuld be more weyd
And better perceyued
And thankfully receyued
And better shulde remayne
Amonge the people playne
That wold your wordes retayne
And reherce them agayne
Thā a thousand thousande other
That blaber barke and bloder
And make a walshmans hose
Of the texte and of the glose
¶ For protestatyon made
[Page] That I shyll not wade
Farther in this broke
Nor farther for to loke
In deuysyuge of this boke
But answere that I may
For my selfe alway
Eyther analogice
Or els cathagorice
So that in diuinite
Doctors that lerned be
Nor bachelers of that faculte
That hath taken degre
In the vniuersite
Shall not be obiected for me
But doctour bullatus
Parum littteratus
Domimas doctoratus
At the brode gatus
Doctour daupatus
And bacheler bacheleratus
Dronken as a mouse
At the ale house
[Page] Taketh his pyllyon and his cap
At the good ale tap
For lacke of good wyne
As wyse as Robyn swyne
Under an notaryes sygne
was made a dyuyne
As wyse as waltonis calfe
Must preche a goddes halfe
In the pulpyt solempnely
More mete in a pyllory
For by saynt Hyllary
He can nothyng smatter
Of logyke nor scole matter
Neyther sylogy sare
Nor of emptimeniare
Nor knoweth his eloquens
Nor his predicamens
And yet he wyll well
To amend the gospell
And wyll preche and tell
what they do in hell
And he dare not well neuen
[Page] wyll knowe a Rauen from a rayle
A quayle, y
e raile & the olde rauen
Sed libera nos a malo Amen.
And by Dudum theyr clementine
Agaynst curates repyne
And say ꝓpreli they ar sacerdotes
To shryue assoyle and reles
Dame mergeres soule out of
he'l[?]
But when y
e freare fell in the well
he coud not syng him selfe therout
But by y
e helpe of christyan clout
Another clementyne also
How frere fabian / with other mo
Exiuit de paradise
Whā they agayn theder shal come
De hoc petimus consilium
And through all y
e world they go
Wit Dirige and placebo
But nowe my mynd yt vnderstād
Forthe must take in hande
To prech and withstande
[Page] All maner of abiections
For bysshops haue protections
They say to do corrections
But they haue no afflictions
To take the sayd dyrections
In such maner of cases
Men say they here no faces
To occupye suche places
To sowe the sede of graces
Theyr hertes are so faynted
And they be so attaynted
With coueytous and ambycyon
And other superstycyon
That they be deef and dum
And, play scylens and glum
Can say nothynge but mum
They occupye them so
With syngyng placebo
They wyll no farther go
They had leuer to please
And take their worldly ease
Than to take on hande
[...]
[...]
[Page] Worship to withstande.
Such temporall warre & bat
[...]
As nowe is made of late
Agaynst holy churche estate
Or to maynteyne good quarelles
The lay men call them barelles
Full of glotony
And of hypocrysy
That counterfaytes and payntes
As they were very sayntes
In matters that them lyke
They shewe them polytyke
¶ Pretendyng grauyte
And sygnyoryte
With all solempnyte
For theyr indempnyte
For they wyll haue no losse
Of a peny nor of a crosse
Of theyr predyall landes
Thut cometh to theyr handes
And as farre as they dare set
[Page] All is fysshe that cometh to the net
Buyldyng royally
Theyr mancyons curyously
With turrettes and with toures
With halles and with boures
Stretchynge to the starres
With glasse wyndowes & barres
Hangynge aboute the walles
Clothes of golde and palles
Arras of ryche aray
Fresshe as flours in May
With dame Dyana naked
Howe lusty Uenus quaked
And howe Cupyde shaked
His darte and bent his bowe
For to shote a crowe
At her tyrly tyrlowe
And howe Parys of Troy
Daunced a lege de moy
Made lusty sporte and ioy
With dame Helyn the quene
With suche storyes by dene
Their chambres well be sene
[Page] With triumphes of Cesar
And of his Pompeyus war
Of renowne and of fame
By them to get a name.
¶ How all the worlde stares
How they ryde in goodly chares
Conueyed by Olyphantes
With lauryat garlantes
And by vnycornes
With their semely hornes
Upon these beestes rydynge
Naked boyes strydynge
With wanton wenches winkyng
Nowe truly to my thynkynge
That is a speculacyon
And a mete meditacynon
For prelates of estate
Their courage to abate
From worldly wantonnesse
Theyr chambre thus todresse
With suche parfetnesse
And all suche holynesse
[Page] Howbe it they let downe fall
Their churches cathedrall.
¶ Squyre / knyght and lorde
Thus the churche remorde
With all temporall people
They rune agaynst the steple
Tus talkynge and tellyng
Howe some of you are mellyng
Yet softe and fayre for swellyng
Beware of a quenes yellyng
It is a besy thyng
For one man to rule a gyng
Alone / and make rekenyng
To gouerne ouer all
And rule a realme royall
By one mannes Wyt
Fortune may chaunce to flyt
And whan he weneth so syt
Yet may he mysse the quysshon
For I rede a preposycyon
Sum regibus amicare
Et omnibus dominare
[Page] Et supra te prauare
Wherfore he hathe good vre
That can hymselfe assure
Howe fortune wyll endure
Than let reason you supporte
For the communalte
That they haue great wonder
That we kepe them so vnder
Yet they meruayle so moche lesse
For ye play so at the chesse
As they suppose and gesse
That some of you but late
Hath played so checkemate
With lordes of great steate
After suche a cate
That they shall mell nor make
Nor vpon them take
For kynge nor kayser sake
But at the playsure of one
That ruleth the rest alone
¶ Helas / I say helas
Howe may this come to passe
[Page] That a man shall here a masse
And nat so hardy on his hede
To loke on god in forme of brede
But that the parysshe clerke
There vpon must herke
And graunt hym at his askyng
For to se the sacryng
And howe may this accorde
No man to our souerayne lorde
So hardy to make sute
Nor to execute
His commanndement
Without the assent
Of our presydent
Nor to expresse to his parson
Without your consentatyon
Graunt hym his lycence
To preas to his presence
Nor to speke to hym secretly
Openly nor preuyly
Without his presydent be by
Or els his substytute
[Page] Whom he wyll depu
[...]e
Neyther erle ne duke
Permytted by saynt Luke
And by swete saynt Marke
This is a wonderous warke
That the people talke this
Some what there is amysse
Y
e deuil cā not stop their mouthes
But they wyl talke of such vncouthes
All that euer they ken
Agaynst all spirituall men
¶ Whether it be wrong or ryght
Or els for dyspyght
Or howe euer it hap
Theyr tonges thus do clap
And through suche detractyon
They put you to your actyon
And whether they say trewly
As they may abyde therby
Or els that they do lye
ye knowe better then I
But nowe / debatis scire
[Page] And groundly audire
In your conuenire
Of this premenire
Or els in the myre
They saye they wyll you cast
Therfore stande sure and fast
Stande sure & take good fotyng
And let be all your motyng
Your gasyng and your totyng
And your parcyall promotyng
Of those that stande in your grace
But olde seruauntes ye chase
And put them out of theyr place
Make ye no murmuracyon
Though I wryte after this faciō
Though I Colyn Cloute
Among the hole route
Of you that clerkes be
Take vpon me
Thus copyously to wryte
I do it not for no despyte
Wherfore take no dysdayne
[Page] At my style rude and playne
for I rebuke no man
That vertuous is why than
wreke ye your anger on me
for those that veruous be
Haue no cause to say
That I speke out of the way
¶ Of no good bysshop speke I
Nor good preest I escrye
Good frere / nor good chanon
Good non̄e / nor good canon
Good monke, nor good clercke
Nor of no good werke
But my recountyng is
Of them that do amys
In spekyng and rebellyng
In hynderyng and dysauaylyng
Hyly churche our mother
One agaynst another
To vse suche desvysyng
Is all my hole wrytyng
To hynder no man
[Page] As nere as I can
for no man haue I named
wherfore sholde I be blamed
Ye ought to be ashamed
Agaynst me to be greued
And can not tell no cause why
But that I wryte trewly
¶ Then yf any there be
Of hygh or lowe degre
Of the spiritualte
Or of the temporalte
That dothe thynke or wene
That his conscyence be not clene
And feleth hym selfe sycke
Or touched on the quycke
Suche grace god them sende
Them selfe to amende
For I wyll not pretende
Any man to offende
¶ wherfore as thynketh me
Great ydeottes they be
[Page] And lytell grace they haue
This treatyse to depraue
Nor wyll here no prechyng
Nor no vertuous techyng
Nor wyll haue no resytyng
Of any vertuous wrytyng
Wyll knowe none intellygence
To refourme theyr neglygence
But lyue styll out of facyon
To theyr owne dampnacyon
To do shame they haue no shame
But they wold no man shulde thē blame
They haue an euyl name
But yet they wyll occupy y
e same
¶ With them the worde of god
Is counted for no rod
They counte it for a raylyng
That nothyng is auaylyng
The prechers with euyll hayling
Shall they
daunt[?] vs prelates
That be theyr prymates
Not so hardy on theyr pates
[Page] Herke howe the losell prates
with a wyde wesaunt
Auaunt syr Guy of gaunt
Auaunt lewde preest auaunt
Auaunt syr doctour deuyas
Prate of thy matyns & they masse
And let our maters passe
Howe darest thou daucocke mell
Howe darest thou losell
Allygate the gospell
Agaynst vs of the counsell
Auaunt to the deuyll of hell
¶ Take hym wadeyne of the flete
Set hym fast by the fete
I say lyeutenaunt of the toure
Make this lurdeyne for to loure
Lodge hym in lytell ease
Fede hym with beanes and pease
The kynges benche or marshalsy
Haue hym thyder by and by
The vyllayne precheth openly
And declareth our vyllany
[Page] And of our fre symplenesse
He sayes that we are rechelesse
And full of wylfulnesse
Shameles and mercylesse
Incorrigible and mercylesse
And after this rate
Agaynst vs dothe prate
At Poules crosse or els where
Openly at westmynstere
And saynt Mary spyttell
They set not by vs a whystell
At the Austen fryers
They count vs for lyers
And at saynt Thomas of akers
They carpe vs lyke crakers
Home we wyll rule all at wyll
Without good reason or skyll
And say both that we be
Full or paryalyte
And howe at a pronge
We tourne ryght into wronge
[Page] Delay causes so longe
That ryght no man can fonge
They say many matters be born
By the ryght of a rambes horne
Is not this a shamfull scorne
To be teared thus and torne?
¶ Now may we thus indure
wherfore we make you sure
ye prechers shall be rawde
Some shall be sawde
As noble Ezechyas
The holy prophet was
And some of you shall dye
Lyke holy Ieremy
Some hanged / some slayne
Some beaten to the brayne
And we wyll rule and rayne
And out matters mayntayne
who dare say there agayne
Or who dare dysdayne
At your pleasure and wyll
For be it good / or be it yll
[Page] As it is / it shall be styll
For all master doctour of cyuyll
Or of diuinite / or doctour deyuyll
Let hym cough / rough / or sneuyll
Renne god renne deuyll
Renne who may renne best
And let take all the rest
we set not a nut shell
The way to heuen or to hell
¶ To / this is y
e gyse now a dayes
It is to drede men sayes
Lest they be
seduces[?]
As they be sayd sayne
whiche determyne playne
we shulde not ryse agayne
At dredefull domis day
And so it semeth they play
whiche hate to be coreected
whan they be infected
Nor wyll suffre this boke
By hoke ne by croke
Prynted for to be
[Page] For that no man shulde se
Nor rede in any scrolles
Of theyr dronken nolles
Nor of theyr noddy polles
Nor of theyr sely soules
Nor of some wytles pates
Of dyuers great estates
As well as other men
Now to withdrawe my pen
And now a whyle to rest
Me semeth it for the best
¶ The fore castell of my shyp
Shall glyde and smothely slyp
Out of the wawes wod
Of the stormy flod
Shote anker and lye at rode
And sayle not farre a brode
Tyll the cost be clere
That the lode starre appere
By shyp nowe wyll I pere
Towarde the porte sauel
Of our sauyour Iesu
[Page] Suche grace that he vs sende
To rectyfye and amende
Thynges that are amys
Whan that his pleasure is.
¶ amen.
In opere imperfecto
In opere semper perfecto
Et in opere plus (quam) perfecto
In opere semper perfecto
Et in opere plus (quam) perfecto
¶ Imprinted at London by me Rycharde kele dwellyng in the powltry at the long shop vnder saynt Myldredes. chyrche.