Chapter 12

“hungrygled.”...“Lyke to ane stark theifglowrandin ane tedder.”Dunbar’sPoems, ii. 70, 72. ed. Laing.

“hungrygled.”...“Lyke to ane stark theifglowrandin ane tedder.”

“hungrygled.”

...

“Lyke to ane stark theifglowrandin ane tedder.”

Dunbar’sPoems, ii. 70, 72. ed. Laing.

——ien] i. e. eyne, eyes.

v. 39.passe] i. e. excel.

v. 40.Howkyd as an hawkys beke, lyke Syr Topyas] i. e. Hooked, &c. The allusion is to Chaucer’sSire Thopas, who “had a semely nose.” v. 13659. ed. Tyr.

v. 41.buske] i. e. prepare, or rather, perhaps, hie.

v. 42.fole] i. e. fool.

Be] i. e. By.

gorbelyd] i. e. big-bellied.

Godfrey] Concerning this person, who assisted Garnesche in his compositions, and is afterwards called hisscribe, I can give the reader no information.

Page 118. v. 2.[Your] gronynge, ȝour grontynge, your groinynge lyke a swyne] Skelton has elsewhere;

“Hoyning like hogges thatgroynisand wrotes.”Against venemous tongues, vol. i. 132.

“Hoyning like hogges thatgroynisand wrotes.”

Against venemous tongues, vol. i. 132.

“The Gruntyng and thegroynningeof the gronnyng swyne.”Garlande of Laurell, v. 1376. vol. i. 415.

“The Gruntyng and thegroynningeof the gronnyng swyne.”

Garlande of Laurell, v. 1376. vol. i. 415.

Togroinis explained to groan, to grunt, to growl; but perhaps our author may have used it like the French “Groigner. To nuzle, or to root with the snout.” Cotgrave’sDict.

v. 3.alle to peuiche] See note, p. 100. v. 32.

v. 4.mantycore] See note, p. 127. v. 294.

——maltaperte] i. e. malapert, (perhaps an error of the transcriber).

v. 5.lere] i. e. complexion, skin.

——gresyd bote] i. e. greased boot.

Page 118. v. 6.

Ye cappyd Cayface copious, your paltoke on your pate,Thow ye prate lyke prowde Pylate, be ware yet of chek mate]

Ye cappyd Cayface copious, your paltoke on your pate,

Thow ye prate lyke prowde Pylate, be ware yet of chek mate]

—Cayface, i. e. Caiaphas:copiousis perhaps an allusion to some sort of cope, in which that personage might have figured on the stage. The usual explanations ofpaltock(“Paltok.Baltheus,”Prompt. Parv.; “a short garment of the doublet kind,” Strutt’sDress and Habits, &c. ii. 352) do not seem to suit the present passage. In Palsgrave’sLesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. lii. (Table of Subst.) we find “Paltockea patchepalleteau;” and see what immediately follows in this poem:Thow, i. e. Though:chek mate; see note, p. 96. v. 29.

CompareThe Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedy(see note, p. 177. v. 4)

“Thow irefull attircop,Pylatappostata.”......“Cayphassthy fectour.”Dunbar’sPoems, ii. 85, 86. ed. Laing.

“Thow irefull attircop,Pylatappostata.”......“Cayphassthy fectour.”

“Thow irefull attircop,Pylatappostata.”

...

...“Cayphassthy fectour.”

Dunbar’sPoems, ii. 85, 86. ed. Laing.

v. 8.Hole] i. e. Whole, healed.

——Deu[ra]ndall] Was the celebrated sword of Roland: see (among other works which might be referred to) Caxton’sLyf of Charles the Grete, &c., 1485, “How Rolland deyed holyly after many martyres and orysons made to god ful deuoutely, and of the complaynte maad forhys swerde durandal.” Sig. m i.

——awne] i. e. own.

v. 11.Ye countyr vmwhyle to capcyously, and ar ye be dysiryd]—countyr; see note, p. 92:vmwhyle, i. e. some time:to, i. e. too:ar, i. e. ere.

v. 12.all to-myryd] See note, p. 100. v. 32,—meaning, I suppose, all befouled.

v. 15.Gabionyte of Gabyone] So in hisReplycacion agaynst certayne yong scolers, &c. Skelton calls them “Gabaonitæ,” vol. i. 218.

——gane] “IGaneor gape.” Palsgrave’sLesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. ccxliii. (Table of Verbes).

v. 16.Huf a galante] Compare;

“Hof hof hof a frysch galaunt.”Mary Magdalene,—An. Mysteries from the Digby MSS.p. 85. ed. Abbotsf.

“Hof hof hof a frysch galaunt.”

Mary Magdalene,—An. Mysteries from the Digby MSS.p. 85. ed. Abbotsf.

“Make rome syrs and let vs be meryWithhuffa galandsynge tyrll on the bery.”Interlude of the iiii. Elementes, n. d. sig. B ii.

“Make rome syrs and let vs be meryWithhuffa galandsynge tyrll on the bery.”

“Make rome syrs and let vs be mery

Withhuffa galandsynge tyrll on the bery.”

Interlude of the iiii. Elementes, n. d. sig. B ii.

In someGlossary, to which I have lost the reference, is “Huff, a gallant.”

Page 118. v. 16.loke] i. e. look.

v. 17.Lusty] See note on title of the next poem, p. 183.

——jet] i. e. strut; see note, p. 94. v. 43.

——jaspe] Does it mean—wasp?

v. 19.that of your chalennge makyth so lytyll fors] i. e. that maketh (make) so little matter of your challenge.

Page 119. v. 22.Syr Gy,Syr Gawen,Syr Cayus,for and Syr Olyuere] Concerning the two first see notes, p. 136. v. 629:Cayus, or Kay, was the foster-brother of King Arthur; see theMorte d’Arthur, &c. &c.:for andis an expression occasionally found in much later writers; see Middleton’sFair Quarrel, act v. sc. 1.,Works, iii. 544. ed. Dyce; and Beaumont and Fletcher’sKnight of the Burning Pestle,—

“For andthe Squire of Damsels, as I take it.”Act ii. sc. 2. [sc. 3.],—

“For andthe Squire of Damsels, as I take it.”

Act ii. sc. 2. [sc. 3.],—

a passage which the modern editors have most absurdly altered:Olyuerewas one of the twelve peers of France.

v. 23.Priamus] Perhaps the personage so named, who fought with Gawayne, and was afterwards made a knight of the Round Table; seeMorte d’Arthur, B. v. ch. x. xii. vol. i. 148 sqq. ed. Southey.

v. 24.Arturys auncyent actys] An allusion, perhaps, more particularly to theMorte d’Arthur; see its other title in note, p. 137. v. 634.

v. 25.fysnamy] i. e. physiognomy. So inThe Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedy(see note, p. 177. v. 4.)

“—— thy frawart phisnomy.”Dunbar’sPoems, ii. 68. ed. Laing.

“—— thy frawart phisnomy.”

Dunbar’sPoems, ii. 68. ed. Laing.

v. 26.to hawte] i. e. too haughty.

——I wys] i. e. truly, certainly (i-wis, adv.).

v. 29.Godfrey] See note on title of this poem, p. 180.

——gargons] i. e. Gorgon’s.

v. 30.Syr Olifranke] Qy. a mistake of the transcriber forSyr Olifaunte, the giant mentioned in Chaucer’sSire Thopas?

——splay] i. e. display.

v. 31.Baile] Seems to mean—howl, cry. “IBalleas a curre dogge doth,Ie hurle.” Palsgrave’sLesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. clvii. (Table of Verbes).

——folys] i. e. fools.

v. 32.ȝe] i. e. ye.

Page 119. v. 36.Gup] See note, p. 99. v. 17.

——gorbellyd] i. e. big-bellied.

v. 37.turney] i. e. tourney, contend.

——to fare to seke] i. e. too far at a loss, inexperienced,—unable.

v. 38.whypslovens] A term which I do not understand.

——a coke stole] i. e. a cucking-stool, a chair or stool fixed at the end of a long pole, used for the punishment of scolds and brawlers by plunging them in the water.

v. 39.mantycore] See note, p. 127. v. 294.

——marmoset] A kind of ape, or monkey.

Page 120.——lusty Garnyche welle be seyn Crysteouyr] Both these epithets allude to his dress: “Lustyor fresshe in apparaylefrisque.” Palsgrave’sLesclar de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. xci. (Table of Adiect.):welle be seyn; see note, p. 112. v. 283.—Compare Dunbar;

“Gife I belusty in array,Than luve I paramouris thay say...Gife I be nochtweill als besene,” &c.Poems, i. 185. ed. Laing.

“Gife I belusty in array,Than luve I paramouris thay say...Gife I be nochtweill als besene,” &c.

“Gife I belusty in array,

Than luve I paramouris thay say

...

Gife I be nochtweill als besene,” &c.

Poems, i. 185. ed. Laing.

v. 1.lewde] i. e. ignorant, vile.

v. 3.skrybe] Printed by mistake in the text “skryke”—means Godfrey; see note on title of the preceding poem, p. 180, and compare v. 90 of the present.

v. 6.I caste me] i. e. I project, design.

v. 9.fauyr] i. e. appearance, look.

v. 11.cousshons] i. e. cushions.

v. 12.condycyonns] i. e. qualities, dispositions, habits. “Condycionsmanersmeurs.” Palsgrave’sLesclar. de la Lang. Fr., fol. xxv. (Table of Subst.). “Whan a man is set in autoryte, than shall hiscondycyonsbe spyed ...Moresdeprehenduntur.” “Thygood condycyons...virtutestuas.” HormanniVulgaria, sig. N i. ed. 1530.

v. 13.Gup, marmeset, jast ye, morelle] See notes, p. 93. v. 11. p. 99. v. 17, and this page, v. 39.

v. 14.lorelle] i. e. good-for-nothing fellow (see Tyrwhitt’sGloss.to Chaucer’sCant. Tales).

v. 15.Lewdely] i. e. Badly, (as in v. 18lewdnes, i. e. badness); but in v. 19 it is to be understood in its more original meaning—ignorantly.

v. 18.awne] i. e. own.

v. 20.ȝe] i. e. ye.

v. 21. towyde] i. e. too wide.

Page 120. v. 26.dryvyll] See note, p. 113. v. 337.

v. 27.your nose dedde sneuylle] So inThe Flytyng of Dunbar and Kennedy(see note, p. 177. v. 4);

“Out! out! I schowt, uponthat snout that snevillis.”Dunbar’sPoems, ii. 86. ed. Laing.

“Out! out! I schowt, uponthat snout that snevillis.”

Dunbar’sPoems, ii. 86. ed. Laing.

v. 30.fonne] i. e. fool.

v. 31.A gose with the fete vponne] i. e. a goose with its feet on.

Page 121. v. 32.slvfferd vp] i. e. slabbered up.

——sowse] “Succiduum. anglice.sowce.”Ortus Vocab.fol. ed. W. de Worde, n. d. (and soPrompt. Parv.ed. 1499). “Souce trippes.” Palsgrave’sLesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. lxv. (Table of Subst.). And see Todd’sJohnson’s Dict.and Richardson’sDict.in v.

v. 34.xulde] i. e. should: a provincialism (see, for instance, theCoventry Mysteriespassim), to be attributed not to Skelton, but to the transcriber.

v. 36.bawdy] i. e. foul; see note, p. 161. v. 90.

v. 38.haftynge] See note, p. 107. v. 138.

——polleynge] i. e. plundering.

v. 40.Gynys] i. e. Guines.

v. 41.spere] i. e. spire, shoot,—stripling.

v. 42.lewdly] i. e. vilely, meanly.

——gere] i. e. apparel.

v. 46.dud frese] i. e. coarse frieze.

v. 52.ȝe] i. e. ye.

v. 53.warde] i. e. wardrobe.

v. 54.kyst a shepys ie] i. e. cast a sheep’s eye.

v. 56.gonge] i. e. privy.

v. 62.bassyd] i. e. kissed.

Page 122. v. 68.pyllyd garleke hed] Palsgrave has both “Pylled, as one that wanteth heare,” and “Pylledscalled.”Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. xciii. (Table of Adiect.). Compare the next poemAgainst Garnesche;

“Thow callyst mescallyd, thou callyst me mad:Thow thou bepyllyd, thow ar nat sade.”v. 116. vol. i. 130.

“Thow callyst mescallyd, thou callyst me mad:Thow thou bepyllyd, thow ar nat sade.”

“Thow callyst mescallyd, thou callyst me mad:

Thow thou bepyllyd, thow ar nat sade.”

v. 116. vol. i. 130.

Pilled-garlickwas a term applied to a person whose hair had fallen off by disease; see Todd’sJohnson’s Dict.in v.

v. 69.hocupy there no stede] i. e. occupy there no place, stand in no stead,—avail nothing.

v. 70.Syr Gy of Gaunt] So our author again, in hisColyn Cloute;

“Auaunt,syr Guy of Gaunt.”v. 1157. vol. i. 355.

“Auaunt,syr Guy of Gaunt.”

v. 1157. vol. i. 355.

InThe Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedy(which, as already shewn, strongly resembles the present piecesAgainst Garneschein several minute particulars) we find—

“thowspreit of Gy.”Dunbar’sPoems, ii. 72. ed. Laing.

“thowspreit of Gy.”

Dunbar’sPoems, ii. 72. ed. Laing.

and at p. 37 of the same vol., inThe Droichis Part of the Play, attributed to Dunbar,—

“I wait I amthe spreit of Gy.”

So too Sir D. Lyndsay in hisEpistill to the Kingis Gracebefore hisDreme,—

“And sumtyme, lykethe grislie gaist of Gy.”Works, i. 187. ed. Chalmers,—

“And sumtyme, lykethe grislie gaist of Gy.”

Works, i. 187. ed. Chalmers,—

who explains it “the well-known Sir Guy of romance.” But both Dunbar and Lyndsay allude to a story concerning the ghost of a person called Guy, an inhabitant of Alost. There is a Latin tract on the subject, entitledDe spiritu Guuidonis, of which various translations into English are extant in MS. One of these is now before me, in verse, and consisting of 16 closely written 4to pages:Here begynnyth a notabyll matere and a gret myracule don be oure lord ihesus cryst and shewyd In the ȝeer of his incarnacionMCCCXXIII.[printed Latin tract now before me hasMCCCXXIIII.]and in the xvi day of decembyr in the Cete of Aleste. Whiche myracule ys of a certeyn man that was callyd Gy. and deyde and aftyr viii days he apperyd to his wyf aftyr the comaundment of god. of whiche apperyng she was aferd and oftyn tyme rauysshid. Than she toke conseyl and went to the ffreris of the same cete and tolde the Pryor ffrere Iohnn goly of this mater, &c.AsGauntis the old name of Ghent, and as Alost is about thirteen miles from that city, perhaps the reader may be inclined to think,—what I should greatly doubt,—that Skelton also alludes to the same story.

Page 122. v. 71.olyfaunt] i. e. elephant.

v. 72.pykes] i. e. pickaxe. “Pykeys.Ligo. Marra.”Prompt. Parv.ed. 1499.

——twybyll] “Twybyllwritis instrument. Bisacuta. Biceps.”Prompt. Parv.ed. 1499. “Twybill or mactok. Marra. Ligo.”Ibid.“Bipennis ... atwybleor axe, a twall.”Ortus Vocab.ed. 1514. (in the earlier ed. fol. n. d. W. de Worde, the English explanation is less full). “Twyblean instrument for carpentarsbernago.” Palsgrave’sLesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. lxxi. (Table of Subst.).

Page 122. v. 75.wary] Is frequently found in the sense of curse,—

(“Who so thewaris waredbe he.”Isaac,—Towneley Mysteries, p. 43)—

(“Who so thewaris waredbe he.”

Isaac,—Towneley Mysteries, p. 43)—

but here, I apprehend, it means—war, contend.

v. 79.eldyr steke] i. e. elder-stick.

v. 87.sowtters] i. e. shoemakers, cobblers.

v. 88.seche a nody polle] i. e. such a silly head, ninny.

v. 89.pryste] i. e. priest.

v. 90.your scrybys nolle] i. e. your scribe’s head,—Godfrey’s; see note on title of the preceding poem, p. 180.

v. 91.fonde] i. e. foolish.

v. 93.make] i. e. compose verses.

v. 94.dawpate] i. e. simple pate, simpleton; see note, p. 113. v. 301.

Page 123. v. 101.Bolde bayarde] The proverbial expression, “as bold as blind bayard,”—(bayard, properly a bay horse, but used for a horse in general),—is very ancient, and of very frequent occurrence in our early literature; its origin is not known:

“Forblynde bayardecaste peryll of nothynge,Tyll that he stumblyng fall amydde the lake.”Lydgate’sWarres of Troy, B. v. sig. E e ii. ed. 1555.

“Forblynde bayardecaste peryll of nothynge,Tyll that he stumblyng fall amydde the lake.”

“Forblynde bayardecaste peryll of nothynge,

Tyll that he stumblyng fall amydde the lake.”

Lydgate’sWarres of Troy, B. v. sig. E e ii. ed. 1555.

v. 102.kynde] i. e. nature.

v. 108.

Ye wolde be callyd a maker,And make moche lyke Jake Raker]

Ye wolde be callyd a maker,

And make moche lyke Jake Raker]

i. e. You would be called a composer of verses, or poet, and you compose much in the style of Jack Raker. So again our author;

“Setsophiaasyde, for eueryJack RakerAnd euery mad medler must now be a maker.”Speke, Parrot, v. 165. vol. ii. 8.

“Setsophiaasyde, for eueryJack RakerAnd euery mad medler must now be a maker.”

“Setsophiaasyde, for eueryJack Raker

And euery mad medler must now be a maker.”

Speke, Parrot, v. 165. vol. ii. 8.

“He maketh vsJacke Rakers;He sayes we ar but crakers,” &c.Why come ye nat to Courte, v. 270. vol. ii. 35.

“He maketh vsJacke Rakers;He sayes we ar but crakers,” &c.

“He maketh vsJacke Rakers;

He sayes we ar but crakers,” &c.

Why come ye nat to Courte, v. 270. vol. ii. 35.

So too in the comedy by Nicholas Udall, entitledRalph Royster Doyster;

“Of Songs and Balades also he is a maker,And that can he as finely doe asJacke Raker.”Act ii. sc. 1. p. 27. (reprint.)

“Of Songs and Balades also he is a maker,And that can he as finely doe asJacke Raker.”

“Of Songs and Balades also he is a maker,

And that can he as finely doe asJacke Raker.”

Act ii. sc. 1. p. 27. (reprint.)

Mr. Collier (Hist. of Engl. Dram. Poet.ii. 448) speaks of Jack Raker as if he really had existed: I rather think that he was an imaginary person, whose name had become proverbial.

v. 110.crakar] i. e. vaunter, big talker.

Page 123. v. 114.despyghtyng] “IDispyteI grutche or reprime agaynst a thing.” Palsgrave’sLesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. ccxiiii. (Table of Verbes).

v. 115.nat worthe a myteyng]—myteyng(which occurs in our author’sElynour Rummyngas a term of endearment, v. 224. vol. i. 102) is here perhaps equivalent to “Mytethe leest coyne that ispite.” Palsgrave’sLesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. xlviii. (Table of Subst.).

v. 117.scole] i. e. school.

v. 118.occupyed no better your tole] i. e. used no better your tool, pen: see note, p. 86. v. 52.

v. 119.Ye xulde haue kowththyd me a fole] i. e. You should have made me known for, shewn me to be, a fool.

v. 121.wyse] i. e. think, intend.

v. 122.xall] i. e. shall.

v. 123.Thow] i. e. Though.

——Sarsens] i. e. Saracen’s.

v. 124.Row] i. e. Rough.

——here] i. e. hair.

v. 125.heuery] i. e. every.

v. 127.peson] i. e. pease.

v. 129.geson] i. e. scarce, scanty.

v. 131.

Your skyn scabbyd and scuruy,Tawny, tannyd, and shuruy, &c.]

Your skyn scabbyd and scuruy,

Tawny, tannyd, and shuruy, &c.]

—shuruy, i. e., perhaps, “shrovy, squalid.” Forby’sVocab. of East Anglia. With this passage compareThe Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedy(see note, p. 177. v. 4);

“Fy! skolderit skyn, thow art bot skyre and skrumple.”...“Ane crabbit,skabbit, evill facit messane tyk.”...“Thow lukislowsy.”Dunbar’sPoems, ii. 70, 84, 72. ed. Laing.

“Fy! skolderit skyn, thow art bot skyre and skrumple.”...“Ane crabbit,skabbit, evill facit messane tyk.”...“Thow lukislowsy.”

“Fy! skolderit skyn, thow art bot skyre and skrumple.”

...

“Ane crabbit,skabbit, evill facit messane tyk.”

...

“Thow lukislowsy.”

Dunbar’sPoems, ii. 70, 84, 72. ed. Laing.

Page 124. v. 139.Xall kyt both wyght and grene] i. e. Shall cut both white and green,—an allusion to the dress which our author appears to have worn as Laureat; seeAccount of Skelton and his Writings.

v. 140.to grett] i. e. too great.

v. 143.puauntely] i. e. stinkingly, strongly.

v. 155.crawes] i. e. crops, stomachs.

v. 157.perke] i. e. perch.

v. 158.gummys] i. e. gums.

Page 124. v. 159.serpentins] “His campe was enuironed with artilerie, as fawcones,serpentynes, cast hagbushes,” &c. Hall’sChronicle(Henry viii.), fol. xxviii. ed. 1548.

v. 160.bynde] i. e. bend; so in the next poem we find “wyll” for “well,” and “spynt” for “spent,” peculiarities to be attributed to the transcriber, not to Skelton.

v. 162.scorpyone] So inThe Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedy(see note, p. 177. v. 4) “scorpionvennemous.” Dunbar’sPoems, ii. 75. ed. Laing.

v. 163.bawdy babyone] i. e. filthy baboon; see note, p. 161. v. 90.

v. 165.mantycore] See note, p. 127. v. 294.

v. 168.gresly gargone] i. e. grisly Gorgon.

——glaymy] i. e., I suppose, slimy, clammy.

v. 169.seymy] i. e. greasy.

Page 125. v. 170.murrionn] i. e. Moor; see note, p. 178. v. 22.

——mawment] “Mawment.Idolum. Simulacrum.”Prompt. Parv.ed. 1499. “Maument marmoset, poupee.” Palsgrave’sLesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. xlvii. (Table of Subst.). “Mawment, a puppet.” Brockett’sGloss. of North Country Words.—(Mawmet, i. e. Mahomet.)

v. 172.marmoset] A sort of ape or monkey.

v. 173.I wyll nat dy in they det]—they, i. e. thy; as in the next poem.—CompareCocke Lorelles Bote;

“Yf he call her calat she calleth hym knaue agayneSheshyll not dye in his dette.”Sig. B i.

“Yf he call her calat she calleth hym knaue agayneSheshyll not dye in his dette.”

“Yf he call her calat she calleth hym knaue agayne

Sheshyll not dye in his dette.”

Sig. B i.

v. 175.xulddst] i. e. shouldst.

v. 176.xall] i. e. shall.

v. 177.hole] i. e. whole.

v. 178.Soche pelfry thou hast pachchyd] I do not understand this line:pelfryis, perhaps, pilfery; but does it not rather mean—petty goods,—which Garnesche hadpachchyd, fraudulently got together? “Muche of theyr fishe they do barter with English men, for mele, lases, and shoes, and otherpelfery.” Borde’sBoke of knowledge, sig. I, reprint. “Owt of whyche countre the sayd Scottys fled, and left mych corne, butters, and otherpylfre, behinde theim, whyche the ost hade.” Letter from Gray to Crumwell,State Papers, iii. 155,—the Vocabulary to which renderspylfre, pillage—wrongly, I believe.

v. 179.houyr wachyd] i. e. over watched.

v. 180.thou xuldyst be rachchyd] i. e. thou shouldest be stretched—have thy neck stretched. So inThe Flytyng of Dunbar and Kennedy(see note, p. 177. v. 4);

“For substance and geir thow hesa widdyteuchOn Mont Falcone, aboutthy craig to rax.”Dunbar’sPoems, ii. 79. ed. Laing.

“For substance and geir thow hesa widdyteuchOn Mont Falcone, aboutthy craig to rax.”

“For substance and geir thow hesa widdyteuch

On Mont Falcone, aboutthy craig to rax.”

Dunbar’sPoems, ii. 79. ed. Laing.

Page 125. v. 182.be bedawyd] Does it mean—be daunted? or, be called simple fellow? see note, p. 113. v. 301.

v. 183.fole] i. e. fool.

v. 184.gronde] i. e. ground.

v. 186.Syr Dalyrag] So our author elsewhere;

“Let syr Wrigwrag wrastell withsyr Delarag.”Speke, Parrot, v. 91. vol. ii. 6.

“Let syr Wrigwrag wrastell withsyr Delarag.”

Speke, Parrot, v. 91. vol. ii. 6.

“Adue nowe, sir Wrig wrag,Adue,sir Dalyrag!”Howe the douty Duke of Albany, &c. v. 297. vol. ii. 76.

“Adue nowe, sir Wrig wrag,Adue,sir Dalyrag!”

“Adue nowe, sir Wrig wrag,

Adue,sir Dalyrag!”

Howe the douty Duke of Albany, &c. v. 297. vol. ii. 76.

v. 187.brag] i. e. proud, insolent.

v. 189.kyt...to large] i. e. cut ... too large.

v. 190.Suche pollyng paiaunttis ye pley] i. e. Such plundering pageants, thievish pranks, you play. The expression to “play a pageant”—to play a part,—has before occurred, see note, p. 88. v. 85. With the present passage compare: “This onepageanthath stayned al other honest dedes ...flagitium.” HormanniVulgaria, sig. N v. ed. 1530. “That was a wylypageaunt...commentum.” Id. sig. N vi. “Thou gatest no worshyp by thispageant...facinore.”Id.sig. P v. “He had thought to playe me apagent:Il me cuyda donner le bont.”Palsgrave’s Lesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. cccxvii. (Table of Verbes). “A felowe which had renued many of Robin HodesPagentes.” Fabyan’sChron.vol. ii. fol. 533. ed. 1559. “After he hadplaiedall his troublesomepageants,” &c. Holinshed’sChron.(Hen. viii.) vol. iii. 830. ed. 1587.

v. 191.poynt] i. e. appoint, equip.

——fresche] i. e. smart.

v. 192.he] i. e. Godfrey; see note on title of the second of these poems, p. 180.

v. 193.rowllys] i. e. rolls.

v. 194.sowllys] i. e. souls.

v. 197.

That byrd ys nat honestThat fylythe hys owne nest]

That byrd ys nat honest

That fylythe hys owne nest]

—fylythe, i. e. defileth. This proverb occurs inThe Owl and the Nightingale(a poem of the 12th century), p. 4. Rox. ed.

v. 199.wyst what sum wotte] i. e. knew what some know.

Page 126. v. 204.Jake a thrum] In hisMagnyfycenceour author mentions “Jacke a thrommysbybyll,” v. 1444. vol. i. 272 (also inhisGarlande of Laurell, v. 209. vol. i. 370); and in hisColyn Cloutehe uses the expression,—

“As wyse asTom a thrum.”v. 284. vol. i. 322,—

“As wyse asTom a thrum.”

v. 284. vol. i. 322,—

where the MS. has “Jackeathrum.”—Compare: “And therto acordes too worthi prechers,Jacke a Thromeand Ione Brest-Bale.”Burlesques,—Reliquiæ Antiquæ(by Wright and Halliwell), i. 84.

goliardum] Equivalent, probably, to buffoon, or ridiculous rhymer. See Du Cange’s Gloss. in v., Tyrwhitt’s note on Chaucer’sCant. Tales, v. 562, and Roquefort’sGloss.in v.Goliard.

lusty Garnyshe well beseen Crystofer] See note on title of the third of these poems, p. 183.

Page 126. v. 1.gargone] i. e.Gorgon.

v. 3.Thowthe ye kan skylle of large and longe] i. e. Though you be skilled in large and long; see note, p. 95. v. 49.

v. 4.

Ye syng allway the kukkowe songe:...Your chorlyshe chauntyng ys al o lay]

Ye syng allway the kukkowe songe:

...

Your chorlyshe chauntyng ys al o lay]

—o lay, i. e. one strain. So Lydgate;

“The cokkowe syng canthanbut oon lay.”The Chorle and the Bird,—MS. Harl.116. fol. 151.

“The cokkowe syng canthanbut oon lay.”

The Chorle and the Bird,—MS. Harl.116. fol. 151.

v. 12.Cicero with hys tong of golde] So Dunbar speaking of Homer andTully;

“Youraureate tongisboth bene all to lyte,” &c.Poems, i. 13. ed. Laing.

“Youraureate tongisboth bene all to lyte,” &c.

Poems, i. 13. ed. Laing.

v. 17.xalte] i. e. shalt.

——warse] i. e. worse.

v. 18.They] i. e. Thy; as in the preceding poem.

Page 127. v. 23.lest good kan] i. e. that knows the least good.

v. 25.wylage] i. e. village.

v. 28.Lothsum as Lucifer] So inThe Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedy(see note, p. 177. v. 4), “Luciferislaid.” Dunbar’sPoems, ii. 75. ed. Laing.

v. 29.gasy] i. e. gaze, look proudly.

v. 30.Syr Pers de Brasy] i. e. Pierre de Brézé, grand-seneschal of Anjou, Poitou, and Normandy, and a distinguished warrior during the reigns of Charles vii. and Lewis xi.: he fell at the battle of Montlhéry in 1465.

v. 31.caytyvys carkes] i. e. caitiff’s carcass.

v. 32.blasy] i. e. blaze, set forth.

v. 33.Gorge Hardyson] Perhaps the “George Ardeson” who is several times mentioned in the unpublishedBokis of KyngisPaymentis Temp. Hen.vii.andviii., preserved in the Chapter-House, Westminster: one entry concerning him is as follows;

Page 127. v. 34.habarion] i. e. habergeon. “Haburion.Lorica.”Prompt. Parv.ed. 1499.

v. 35. theJanuay] i. e. the Genoese. “Theianuays... Genuenses.” HormanniVulgaria, sig. k iii. ed. 1530.

v. 36.trysyd hys trowle away] i. e. (I suppose) enticed away his trull.

v. 37.paiantes] See note, p. 189. v. 190.

v. 39.gate] i. e. got.

——gaudry] i. e., perhaps, trickery. In theTowneley Mysteries,gawde, trick, occurs several times.

v. 41.Fanchyrche strete] i. e. Fenchurch Street.

v. 42.lemmanns] i. e. mistresses.

v. 43.Bas] i. e. Kiss.

——buttyng] A term of endearment, which I do not understand.

——praty] i. e. pretty.

v. 47.Bowgy row] i. e. Budge Row: “This Ward [Cordwainers Street Ward] beginneth in the East, on the West side of Walbrooke, and runneth West, thorowBudge row(a street so called of the Budge Furr, and of Skinners dwelling there),” &c. Stow’sSurvey, B. iii. 15. ed. 1720.

v. 50.mow] i. e. mouth,—mock.

Page 128. v. 54.lust] i. e. liking, inclination.

v. 55.broke] i. e. badger.

v. 56.Gup, Syr Gy] See notes, p. 99. v. 17. p. 184. v. 70.

v. 57.xulde] i. e. should.

v. 59.herey] i. e. hairy.

v. 60.on Goddes halfe] See note, p. 174. v. 501.

v. 61.pray] i. e. prey.

v. 63.auncetry] i. e. ancestry.

v. 66.askry] See notes, p. 145. v. 903. p. 152. v. 1358.

v. 68.Haroldis] i. e. Heralds.

v. 69.Thow] i. e. Though.

v. 73.brothells] i. e. harlots. “Brothell pailliarde putayn.” Palsgrave’sLesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. xxii. (Table of Subst.).

Page 128. v. 75.Betweyn the tappett and the walle] A line which occurs again in our author’sMagnyfycence, v. 1249. vol. i. 265:tappett, i. e. tapestry, hangings.

v. 76.Fusty bawdyas] An expression used again by Skelton in hisGarlande of Laurell;

“Foo,foisty bawdias! sum smellid of the smoke.”v. 639. vol. i. 387.

“Foo,foisty bawdias! sum smellid of the smoke.”

v. 639. vol. i. 387.

It occurs in the metrical taleThe Kyng and the Hermyt;

“When the coppe comys into the plas,Canst thou seyfusty bandyas, [baudyas]And think it in your thouht?And you schall here a totted frereSeystryke pantnere,And in ye [the] cope leve ryht nouht.”Brit. Bibliogr.iv. 90.

“When the coppe comys into the plas,Canst thou seyfusty bandyas, [baudyas]And think it in your thouht?And you schall here a totted frereSeystryke pantnere,And in ye [the] cope leve ryht nouht.”

“When the coppe comys into the plas,

Canst thou seyfusty bandyas, [baudyas]

And think it in your thouht?

And you schall here a totted frere

Seystryke pantnere,

And in ye [the] cope leve ryht nouht.”

Brit. Bibliogr.iv. 90.

and several times after, in the same poem.

v. 77.harres] Equivalent to—collection. Fr.haras, a stud. “Harasof horse. Equicium.”Prompt. Parv.,—MS. Harl.221.

v. 78.clothe of Arres] i. e. tapestry; so called from Arras in Artois, where the chief manufacture of such hangings was.

v. 79.eylythe] i. e. aileth.

——rebawde] i. e. ribald.

v. 82.Auaunsid] i. e. Advanced.

v. 83.hole] i. e. whole.

v. 85.lorell] See note, p. 183. v. 14.

——to lewde] i. e. too ignorant, vile.

v. 86.Lythe and lystyn] i. e. Attend and listen—a sort of pleonastic expression common in our earliest poetry.

——all bechrewde] See note, p. 97. v. 28.

Page 129. v. 88.pointyd] i. e. appointed.

v. 89.semyth] i. e. beseemeth.

——pyllyd pate] See note, p. 184. v. 68.

v. 91.scryue] i. e. write.

v. 92.cumys] i. e. becomes.

v. 93.tumrelle] i. e. tumbrel.

v. 94.melle] i. e. meddle.

v. 95.The honor of Englande] i. e. Henry the Eighth.

v. 97.wyl] i. e. well; as afterwards in this poem.

——parcele] i. e. part, portion.

v. 98.yaue] i. e. gave.

v. 99.Eliconys] i. e. Helicon’s.

v. 101.commyth] i. e. becometh.

Page 129. v. 101.remorde] Fr. “Remordre.To bite again; also, to carpe at, or find fault with.” Cotgrave’sDict.The word is frequently used by Skelton (see, for instance, vol. i. 188, where he introduces it with other terms nearly synonymous,—“reprehending” and “rebukynge”).

v. 102.creaunser] i. e. tutor: seeAccount of Skelton and his Writings.—Erasmus, in hisParaph. in Epist. Pauli ad Galat.cap. 4. v. 2,—Opp.vii. 956. ed. 1703-6, has these words; “sed metu cohibetur, sed alieno arbitrio ducitur, subtutoribuset actoribus agens,” &c.: which are thus rendered inThe Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Newe Testament, vol. ii. fol. xiii. ed. 1548-9; “but is kept vnder with feare, and ruled as other men wyll, passyng that tyme vndercreansersand gouernours,” &c. (Fr.creanser.)

v. 105.primordialle] i. e. original, earliest.

v. 106.rybawde] i. e. ribald.

——reclame] i. e. tame,—a metaphor from falconry; see note, p. 148. v. 1125.

v. 111.warlde] i. e. world.

v. 114.bawdy] i. e. foul; see note, p. 161. v. 90.

Page 130. v. 117.Thow] i. e. Though.

——pyllyd] See note, p. 184. v. 68.

——sade] i. e. sad,—sober, discreet,—wise (see the preceding line).

v. 120.Thowth] i. e. Though.

v. 122.throw] i. e. little while, moment.

v. 125.thé froo] i. e. from thee.

v. 127.lewde] i. e. ignorant.

——shrow] i. e. curse.

v. 132.Prickyd] i. e. Pointed.

v. 133.

Back to Index Next