Specimens of English literature from the 'Ploughmans crede' to the ...

Specimens of English literature from the 'Ploughmans crede' to the ... Specimens of English literature from the 'Ploughmans crede' to the ...

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—'142 XIV. JOHN SKELTON.!! ;Be it sowre, be it swete,His wysdome is so dyscrete, 420That in a fume or an hete*Wardeyn of the Flete,Set hym fast by the fete !'And of his royall powreWhan hym lyst to lowre, 425Than, haue him 'to the Towre,Saunz auJter remedyHaue hym forthe by and byTo the iVIarshalsy,!Or to the Kynges BencheHe dyggeth so in the trencheOf the court royall,That he ruleth them all.430So he dothe vndermynde,And suche sleyghtes dothe fynde, 435That the kynges myndeBy hym issubuerted,And so streatly coartedIn credensynge his tales,That all is but nutshales 440That any other sayth ;He hath in him suche fayth.Now, yet all this myght beSuffred and taken in gre,If that that he UTOught 445To any good ende were broughtBut allhe bringeth to nought,By God, that me dere boughtHe bereth the kyng ^ on hand,' Kele's ed. has 'dkeyng'; other eds. 'kyng.'

XIV. (a) why come ye NAT TO COURTS? 1 43That he must pyll his lande, ^ 450To make his cofers ryche ;But he layth all in the dyche,And vseth suche abusyoun,That in the conclusyounAll commeth to confusyon, 455Perceyue the cause why,To tell the trouth playnly,He is so ambicyous,So shamles, and ^ so vicyous,And so supersticyous, 460And so moche obliuyousFrom whens that he came,That he falleth into a ccBciam ^,Whiche, truly to expresse,Is a forgetfulnesse, 465Or wylfull blyndnesse,Wherwith the SodomitesLost theyr inward syghtes,The Gommoryans alsoWere brought to deedly wo, 470As Scrypture recordisA ccecitate cordis^In the Latyne synge we,Libera nos, Domine IBut this madde Amalecke, 475Lyke to a Mamelek ^,He regardeth lordesNo more than potshordes* Kele's ed. has an ' '; other eds. ' and.'^ The eds. have * Acisiam*; but see II. 466-468, and i. 472, Cf, Gen,xix. II.^Printed 'Amamelek' in the old editions.

—'142 XIV. JOHN SKELTON.!! ;Be it sowre, be it swete,His wysdome is so dyscrete, 420That in a fume or an hete*Wardeyn <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Flete,Set hym fast by <strong>the</strong> fete !'And <strong>of</strong> his royall powreWhan hym lyst <strong>to</strong> lowre, 425Than, haue him '<strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> Towre,Saunz auJter remedyHaue hym for<strong>the</strong> by and byTo <strong>the</strong> iVIarshalsy,!Or <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> Kynges BencheHe dyggeth so in <strong>the</strong> trencheOf <strong>the</strong> court royall,That he ruleth <strong>the</strong>m all.430So he do<strong>the</strong> vndermynde,And suche sleyghtes do<strong>the</strong> fynde, 435That <strong>the</strong> kynges myndeBy hym issubuerted,And so streatly coartedIn credensynge his tales,That all is but nutshales 440That any o<strong>the</strong>r sayth ;He hath in him suche fayth.Now, yet all this myght beSuffred and taken in gre,If that that he UTOught 445To any good ende were broughtBut allhe bringeth <strong>to</strong> nought,By God, that me dere boughtHe bereth <strong>the</strong> kyng ^ on hand,' Kele's ed. has 'dkeyng'; o<strong>the</strong>r eds. 'kyng.'

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