coarse description of an old ale-woman, and her female customer. Why come ye not to court, a satire on Cardinal Wolsey; with various others.
In the Bouge of Court there are some striking short passages out of the
usual style of Skelton, such as this personification of Suspicion.
“ And when he came walking soberly
With hum, and hah, and with a crooked look,
Methought his head was full of jealousy,
His eyne rolling, his handes fast they quoke,
And to-me-ward the straight way he took :
God speed, brother, quoth he then,
And thus to talk with me he began.”
And this, of Riot.
“ With that came Riot rushing all at once,
A rustic galand to ragged and to rente:
And on the board he whirl'd a pair of bones,
Quartre, treye, deuce, he clatter'd as he went;
Now have at all by Saint Thomas of Kent.
And ever he threw, and kist I, wot ne'er what,
His hair was growing thorow out his hat.
'Then I beheld how he disguised was,
His head was heavy for watching over night,
His eyne bleared, his face shone like a glass,
His gown so short, that it ne cover might
His
rump;
he went so all for summer light.
His hose was guarded with a list of green,
Yet at the knee they were broken, I ween.
His coat was checker'd with patches red and blue,
Of Kirkby Kendal was his short demy;
And
aye sang in faith decon thou crew;
His elbow bare, he ware his geer so nye,
His nose dropping, his lips were full dry;
And by his side his whynard and his pouch
The devil might dance therein for any crouch."
And also the following, of Dissimulation.
“ Disdain I saw with Dissimulation,
Standing in sad communication.
But there was pointing and nodding with the head,
And many words said in secretwise;
They wanderød
ay
and stood still in no stead ;
Methought alway Dissimular did devise :
Me passing, sore my heart then gan arise,
I deem'd and dred their talking was not good,
Anon Dissimular came where I stood.
Then in his hood I saw there faces twain,
That one was lean and like a pined ghost,
That other looked as he would me have slain,
And to-me-ward as he gan for to coast,
When that he was even at me almost,
I saw a knife hid in his one sleeve,
Whereon was written this word, mischief.
And in his other sleeve, methought I saw
A spoon of gold, full of hony sweet,
To feed a fool, and for to prey a daw;
And on that sleeve these wordes were wrote:
A false abstract cometh from a false concrete;
His hood was side his cope, was russet grey,
These were the words that he to me did say.” Our next extract shall be the beginning of “ The Tunning of Eleanour Rumming," which is in Skelton's peculiar stylea style which is now generally described as Skeltonizing:
“ Tell you I chill,
If that
ye
will
Awhile be still,
Of a comely gill
That dwelt on a hill,
But she is not grill; (girl)
For she is somewhat sage,
And well worn in age;
And her visage
It would asswage
A man's courage.
Her lothely lere
Is nothing clear,
But ugly of cheer.
Droupy and drowsy,
Scurvy and lousy,
Her face all bowsy;
Comely crinkled,
Wondrously wrinkled,
Like a roast pig's ear Bristled with hair. Her lewd lips twain They slaver, men sayne, Like a roopy raine, Or a gummy glare : She is ugly fair, Her nose some deal hooked, And camously crooked, Never stopping, But ever dropping; Her skin loose and slack, Grained like a sack, With a crooked back. Her eyn gowndy Are full unsoundy, For they are bleared, And she gray-haired, Jawed like a jetty, A man would have pity To see how she is gumm’d, Finger'd and thumb’d, Gently jointed, Greased and anointed Up to the knuckles, The bones her buckles Together made fast; Her youth is far past : Footed like a plane, Legs like a crane, And yet she will jet, Like a jolly set, In her furred flocket, And gray russet rocket, With Simper the cocket, Her huke of Lincoln green, It had been hers, I ween, More than forty year, And so it doth appear, And the green bare threads Look like sere weeds, (dry) Withered like hay, The wool worn away,
And
yet,
She thinketh herself gay,
Upon the holy day,
When she doth her array:
And girdeth in her getes,
Stitch'd and pranked with pleates;
Her kirtle Bristow red,
With cloaths upon her head,
That they weigh a sow of lead,
Wrythen in wondrous ways
After the Saracen's guise;
With a whim-wham,
Knit with a trim-tram,
Upon a brain pan,
Like an Egyptian :
Capped about,
When she goeth out
Herself for to shew.
She driveth down the dew
With a pair of heels,
As broad as two wheels :
She hobbles as a goose,
With her blanket hose;
Her shoon smear'd with tallow,
Like her face callow,
Greas'd upon dirt
That bandeth her skirt.” It is in the Why come ye not to Court? that we find the most interesting matter. We get a lively idea of Wolsey's osentatious manner and tyrannical bearing. Speaking of the French, the satirist says,
“ But yet they overshoot us
With crowns and with scutus,
With scutes and crowns of gold,
I dread we are bought and sold ;
It is a wonder's warke,
They shoot all at one marke;
At the cardinal's hat,
They shoot all at that,
Out of their strong towns,
They shoot at him with crowns :
With crowns of gold emblas’d,
They make him sore amaz'd,
And his eyn so daz’d,
That he no see can
To know God nor man.
He is set so high,
In his hierarchy,
Of frantick frenezy,
And foolish fantasy,
That in the chamber of stars,
All matters there he mars;
Clapping his rod on the board,
No man dare speak a word,
For he hath all the saying,
Without any renaying.
He rolleth in his records,
He saith, how say ye, my lords?
Is not my reason good,
Good even, good Robin Hood ?
Some
say,
Yes. And some
Sit still as they were dumb;
Thus thwarting over thumb
He ruleth all the roast,
With bragging and with boast;
Borne up on every side
With pomp and with pride,
With tromp up alleluya,
For dame Philargerya
Hath so his heart in hold,
He loveth nothing but gold;
And Asmodeus of hell,
Maketh his members swell,
With Delilah to mel,
That wanton damsel."
He thus goes on in his daring railing against this powerful minister:
« Once yet again,
Of you I would fraine,
Why come ye not to court?
To which court ?
To the kinge's court,
Or to Hampton court?
Nay to the kinge's court.
The kinge's court
Should have the excellence,
But Hampton-court
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