PHYLLYP SPAROWE

“They sprede theyr sayles as voyde of soroweForthe they rowed saynt George to boroweFor ioye theyr trumpettes dyde they bloweAnd some songeheue and howe rombelowe.”Cocke Lorelles bote, sig. C i.

“They sprede theyr sayles as voyde of soroweForthe they rowed saynt George to boroweFor ioye theyr trumpettes dyde they bloweAnd some songeheue and howe rombelowe.”

“They sprede theyr sayles as voyde of sorowe

Forthe they rowed saynt George to borowe

For ioye theyr trumpettes dyde they blowe

And some songeheue and howe rombelowe.”

Cocke Lorelles bote, sig. C i.

“Syngeheaue and howe rombelowe, trolle on away.”Burden to the BalladOn Thomas Lord Cromwell,—Percy’sRel. of A. E. P., ii. 64. ed. 1794.

“Syngeheaue and howe rombelowe, trolle on away.”

Burden to the BalladOn Thomas Lord Cromwell,—Percy’sRel. of A. E. P., ii. 64. ed. 1794.

Varied thus:

“Wit[h],hey, howe, rumbelowe.”Skelton’sEpitaphe, &c., v. 61. vol. i. 171.

“Wit[h],hey, howe, rumbelowe.”

Skelton’sEpitaphe, &c., v. 61. vol. i. 171.

“They rowede hard, and sungge thertoo,Withheuelow and rumbeloo.”Richard Coer de Lion,—Weber’sMet. Rom.ii. 99.

“They rowede hard, and sungge thertoo,Withheuelow and rumbeloo.”

“They rowede hard, and sungge thertoo,

Withheuelow and rumbeloo.”

Richard Coer de Lion,—Weber’sMet. Rom.ii. 99.

“Maydens of Englande sore may ye morneFor your lemmans ye haue loste at Bannockys borne,Wythheue a lowe.What weneth the king of EnglandSo soone to haue wone Scotland,Wythrumbylowe.”Scottish Song on the Battle of Bannockburn,—Fabyan’sChron., vol. ii. fol. 169. ed. 1559.

“Maydens of Englande sore may ye morneFor your lemmans ye haue loste at Bannockys borne,Wythheue a lowe.What weneth the king of EnglandSo soone to haue wone Scotland,Wythrumbylowe.”

“Maydens of Englande sore may ye morne

For your lemmans ye haue loste at Bannockys borne,

Wythheue a lowe.

What weneth the king of England

So soone to haue wone Scotland,

Wythrumbylowe.”

Scottish Song on the Battle of Bannockburn,—Fabyan’sChron., vol. ii. fol. 169. ed. 1559.

“Your maryners shall synge aroweHey how and rumby lowe.”The Squyr of Lowe Degre,—Ritson’sMet. Rom.iii. 179.

“Your maryners shall synge aroweHey how and rumby lowe.”

“Your maryners shall synge arowe

Hey how and rumby lowe.”

The Squyr of Lowe Degre,—Ritson’sMet. Rom.iii. 179.

“I saw three ladies fair, singinghey and how,Upon yon ley land, hey:I saw three mariners, singingrumbelow,Upon yon sea-strand, hey.”Song quotedibid., iii. 353.

“I saw three ladies fair, singinghey and how,Upon yon ley land, hey:I saw three mariners, singingrumbelow,Upon yon sea-strand, hey.”

“I saw three ladies fair, singinghey and how,

Upon yon ley land, hey:

I saw three mariners, singingrumbelow,

Upon yon sea-strand, hey.”

Song quotedibid., iii. 353.

“Where were many shippes and maryners noyse withhale & how.”Morte d’Arthur, B. vii. c. xv. vol. i. 209. ed. Southey.

“Where were many shippes and maryners noyse withhale & how.”

Morte d’Arthur, B. vii. c. xv. vol. i. 209. ed. Southey.

“Hope, Calye, and Cardronow,Gathered out thick-fold,Withheigh, and how, rumbelow,The young fools were full bold.”Peblis to the Play,—Chalmers’sPoet. Rem. of Scot. Kings, p. 108.

“Hope, Calye, and Cardronow,Gathered out thick-fold,Withheigh, and how, rumbelow,The young fools were full bold.”

“Hope, Calye, and Cardronow,

Gathered out thick-fold,

Withheigh, and how, rumbelow,

The young fools were full bold.”

Peblis to the Play,—Chalmers’sPoet. Rem. of Scot. Kings, p. 108.

“Robin Hood and Little JohnThey are both gone to fair O!And we will go to the merry green wood,To see what they do there O!WithHel-an-towAnd Rum-be-low,” &c.Cornish Song,—Gent. Mag.for Dec. 1790. vol. lx. (part sec.) 1100.

“Robin Hood and Little JohnThey are both gone to fair O!And we will go to the merry green wood,To see what they do there O!WithHel-an-towAnd Rum-be-low,” &c.

“Robin Hood and Little John

They are both gone to fair O!

And we will go to the merry green wood,

To see what they do there O!

WithHel-an-tow

And Rum-be-low,” &c.

Cornish Song,—Gent. Mag.for Dec. 1790. vol. lx. (part sec.) 1100.

Among the songs enumerated inThe Complaynt of Scotlandis “Sal i go vitht zou torumbelofayr,” p. 101. ed. Leyden: and inHycke Scornermention is made of

“the londe ofrumbeloweThre myle out of hell.”Sig. A vii. ed. W. de Worde.

“the londe ofrumbeloweThre myle out of hell.”

“the londe ofrumbelowe

Thre myle out of hell.”

Sig. A vii. ed. W. de Worde.

Page 40. v. 252.row the bote, Norman, rowe!] A fragment of an old song, the origin of which is thus recorded by Fabyan: “In this. xxxii. yere [of King Henry the Sixth] Jhon Norman foresaid, vpon the morowe of Simon and Judes daie, thaccustomed day when the newe Maior vsed yerely to ride with greate pompe vnto westminster to take his charge, this Maior firste of all Maiors brake that auncient and olde continued custome, and was rowed thither by water, for the whiche yᵉ Watermen made of hym a roundell or song to his greate praise, the whiche began:Rowe the bote Norman, roweto thy lemman, and so forth with a long processe.”Chron.vol. ii. fol. 457. ed. 1559.

v. 253.Prynces of yougthe can ye synge by rote?] The meaning of this line seems to be—Can you sing by rote the song beginning,Princess of youth? Skelton, in hisGarlande of Laurell, calls Lady Anne Dakers

“Princes of yowth, and flowre of goodly porte.”v. 897. vol. i. 398.

“Princes of yowth, and flowre of goodly porte.”

v. 897. vol. i. 398.

Page 40. v. 254.Or shall I sayle wyth you a felashyp assaye] i. e., I suppose,—Or try, of good fellowship, (or, perhaps, together with me,) the song which commencesShall I sail with you?Compare the quotation fromThe Complaynt of Scotlandin preceding page.

“Nowe,of good felowshyp, let me by thy dogge.”Skelton’sMagnyfycence, v. 1095. vol. i. 260.

“Nowe,of good felowshyp, let me by thy dogge.”

Skelton’sMagnyfycence, v. 1095. vol. i. 260.

“Yng.But yf thou wylt haue a song that is goodI haue one of robynhodeThe best that euer was made.Hu.Thena feleshyplet vs here it.”Interlude of the iiii Elementes, n. d. sig. E vii.

“Yng.But yf thou wylt haue a song that is goodI haue one of robynhodeThe best that euer was made.

“Yng.But yf thou wylt haue a song that is good

I haue one of robynhode

The best that euer was made.

Hu.Thena feleshyplet vs here it.”

Interlude of the iiii Elementes, n. d. sig. E vii.

v. 259.bobbe me on the noll] i. e. beat me on the head.

v. 261.connynge] i. e. knowledge.

v. 262.gete] i. e. got.

v. 269.wyste] i. e. knew.

v. 275.vnneth] i. e. scarcely, not without difficulty.

Page 41. v. 276.But I requyre you no worde that I saye] i. e. But I beg you not to mention a word of what I say.

v. 277.ony] i. e. any.

v. 278.agayne you] i. e. against you, to your disadvantage.

——wetynge] i. e. knowledge, intelligence.

v. 283.wonderly besene] i. e. of strange appearance, or array. “Wellbysene: Bienaccoustré.” Palsgrave’sLesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. ccccxlvi. (Table of Aduerbes).

v. 284.hawte] i. e. haughty.

v. 285.scornnys] i. e. scorns.

v. 286.hode] i. e. hood.

v. 287.by Cockes blode] i. e. by God’s blood (Cocka corruption ofGod). “The Host’s oath in Lydgate,” says Warton, note onHist. of E. P., ii. 349. ed. 4to. It occurs often in other writers.

v. 288.bote] i. e. bit.

v. 289.His face was belymmed, as byes had him stounge] i. e. His face was disfigured, as if bees had stung him.—In a fragment of Lydgate’sFall of Prynces, MS. Harl.2251. fol. 97, we find

“So that abymyght close hem both twoVnder his wynges;”

“So that abymyght close hem both two

Vnder his wynges;”

where Wayland’s ed. (B. ii. leaf li.) has “aBee.”

v. 290.jape] i. e. jest, joke.

Page 41. v. 294.this comerous crabes hyghte] i. e. (I suppose) this troublesome crab was called.—Warton (Hist. of E. P.ii. 350) cites, without the authority of any ed., “—— crab ishyghte.”

v. 297.quod] i. e. quoth.

v. 298.euyll apayed] i. e. ill satisfied, ill pleased.

v. 301.Dawes] Equivalent to—simpleton; thedawbeing reckoned a silly bird: so again, in the next line but one, “doctourDawcocke.”

Page 42. v. 302.in conceyte] i. e. in the good opinion, favour of our Lady Fortune: compare v. 270.

v. 303.hyghte] i. e. is called.

v. 304.sleyte] i. e. sleight, artful contrivance.

v. 311.layne] i. e. conceal.

v. 312.beyte] i. e. bait.

v. 315.And soo outface hym with a carde of ten] “A common phrase,” says Nares, “which we may suppose to have been derived from some game, (possiblyprimero), wherein the standing boldly upon atenwas often successful.A card of tenmeant a tenth card, a ten.... I conceive the force of the phrase to have expressed originally the confidence or impudence of one who with a ten, as at brag,faced, oroutfacedone who had really a faced card against him. To face meant, as it still does, to bully, to attack by impudence of face.”Gloss.in v.Face it, &c. “The phrase ofa card of tenwas possibly derived, by a jocular allusion, from that ofa hart of ten, in hunting, which meant a full grown deer, one past six years of age.”Ibid.in v.Card of ten.

v. 316.assawte] i. e. assault.

v. 317.meuyd all in moode] i. e. moved all in anger.

v. 318.fawte] i. e. fault.

v. 320.I wende he had be woode] i. e. I thought he had been mad.

v. 327.hayne] i. e. (perhaps) hind, slave, peasant.

v. 329.suche maysters to playe] i. e. to play such pranks of assumed superiority. Compare v. 341. See Jamieson’sEt. Dict. of Scot. Lang.in v.Maistryss.

Page 43. v. 330.I am of countenaunce] i. e. perhaps, I am a person of credit, good means, consequence (see Gifford’s note on B. Jonson’sWorks, ii. 111).

v. 332.dyspleasaunce] i. e. displeasure.

v. 334.no force] i. e. no matter.

v. 336.auenture] i. e. adventure.

v. 337.dreuyll] i. e. drudge, low fellow. “Dryuyllseruaunt.”Prompt. Parv.ed. 1499; and see also Todd’sJohnson’s Dict.in v.Drivel.

Page 43. v. 338.have deynte] See note on v. 150. p. 108.

v. 340.Well, ones thou shalte be chermed, I wus] i. e. Well, one time or other thou shalt be charmed (quelled, as if by a charm), certainly (I wus—i-wis,adv.).

v. 344.Ryotte] “Is forcibly and humorously pictured.” Warton,Hist. of E. P.ii. 348. ed. 4to.

v. 345.A rusty gallande, to-ragged and to-rente] i. e. A shabby gallant, utterly ragged and tattered: see note on v. 32. p. 100.

v. 346.bones] i. e. dice.

v. 348.by saynte Thomas of Kente] i. e. by saint Thomas a Becket:

“Thought I,By saint Thomas of Kent,” &c.Chaucer’sHouse of Fame,—Workes, fol. 267. ed. 1602.

“Thought I,By saint Thomas of Kent,” &c.

Chaucer’sHouse of Fame,—Workes, fol. 267. ed. 1602.

The picture of Ryotte in the present passage and in v. 389 sqq. gave birth no doubt to the following lines in a poem calledSyrs spare your good;

No by my faith he saide incontinenteBut by saint Thomas of KenteI woulde haue at the hasarde a cast or twoFor to learne to caste the dyce to and froAnd if here be any body that wyll for money playeI haue yet in my purse money and pledges gayeSome be nobles some be crownes of FraunceHaue at all who wyll of this daunceOne of them answered with that wordeAnd caste a bale of dyce on the borde,” &c.

No by my faith he saide incontinente

But by saint Thomas of Kente

I woulde haue at the hasarde a cast or two

For to learne to caste the dyce to and fro

And if here be any body that wyll for money playe

I haue yet in my purse money and pledges gaye

Some be nobles some be crownes of Fraunce

Haue at all who wyll of this daunce

One of them answered with that worde

And caste a bale of dyce on the borde,” &c.

I quote fromBrit. Bibliog.ii. 371, where are extracts from an ed. of the poem printed by Kytson, n. d.: it originally appeared from the press of W. de Worde; seeCens. Liter.i. 55. sec. ed.

v. 349.kyst I wote nere what] i. e. cast I know never (not) what.

v. 350.His here was growen thorowe oute his hat] i. e. His hair, &c. Compare Barclay’sArgument of the first Egloge;

“At diuers holeshis heare grewe through his hode.”Sig. A i. ed. 1570.

“At diuers holeshis heare grewe through his hode.”

Sig. A i. ed. 1570.

and Heywood’sDialogue;

“There is a nest of chickens which he doth broodThat will suremake his hayre growe through his hood.”Sig. G 2.,—Workes, ed. 1598.

“There is a nest of chickens which he doth broodThat will suremake his hayre growe through his hood.”

“There is a nest of chickens which he doth brood

That will suremake his hayre growe through his hood.”

Sig. G 2.,—Workes, ed. 1598.

Ray gives, “His hair grows through his hood. He is very poor, his hood is full of holes.”Proverbs, p. 57. ed. 1768.

Page 43. v. 351.how he dysgysed was] i. e. what a wretched plight he was in:

“Ragged and torne,disguisedin array.”Chaucer’sCourt of Loue, fol. 329,—Workes, ed. 1602.

“Ragged and torne,disguisedin array.”

Chaucer’sCourt of Loue, fol. 329,—Workes, ed. 1602.

v. 352.watchynge ouer nyghte] i. e. over-night’s debauch:

“Withdraw your hand fro riotouswatchyng.”Lydgate’sFall of Prynces, B. ix. fol. xxxi. ed. Wayland.

“Withdraw your hand fro riotouswatchyng.”

Lydgate’sFall of Prynces, B. ix. fol. xxxi. ed. Wayland.

v. 354.ne couer myghte] i. e. might not cover.

v. 355.he wente so all for somer lyghte]—somer, i. e. summer.

Compare;

“For he sente hem forth selverles, ina somer garnement.”Peirs Plouhman, Pass. Dec. p. 153. ed. Whit.

“For he sente hem forth selverles, ina somer garnement.”

Peirs Plouhman, Pass. Dec. p. 153. ed. Whit.

“It semed that he caried litel array,Al light for sommerrode this worthy man.”Chaucer’sChanones Yemannes Prol.v. 16035. ed. Tyr.

“It semed that he caried litel array,Al light for sommerrode this worthy man.”

“It semed that he caried litel array,

Al light for sommerrode this worthy man.”

Chaucer’sChanones Yemannes Prol.v. 16035. ed. Tyr.

See too Bale’sKyng Iohan, p. 34. ed. Camd. Soc.; and our author’sPhyllyp Sparowe, v. 719. vol. i. 73.

v. 356.His hose was garded wyth a lyste of grene] i. e. his breeches were faced, trimmed with, &c. “There was an affectation of smartness in the trimming of his hose.” Warton, note onHist. of E. P.ii. 348. ed. 4to.

Page 44. v. 359.Of Kyrkeby Kendall was his shorte demye] Kendal, or Kirkby in Kendal, was early famous for the manufacture of cloth of various colours, particularly green. Here the word “Kendall” seems equivalent to—green: so too in Hall’sChronicle, where we are told that Henry the Eighth, with a party of noblemen, “came sodainly in a mornyng into the Quenes Chambre, all appareled in shorte cotes of KentisheKendal... like outlawes, or Robyn Hodes men.” (Henry viii.) fol. vi. ed. 1548.—demye; i. e., says Warton, note onHist. of E. P.ii. 348. ed. 4to., “doublet, jacket:” rather, I believe, some sort of close vest,—his “cote” having been mentioned in the preceding line.

v. 360.In fayth, decon thou crewe] The commencement of some song; quoted again by our author inA deuoute trentale for old Iohn Clarke, v. 44. vol. i. 170, and inWhy come ye nat to Courte, v. 63. vol. ii. 28.

v. 361.he ware his gere so nye] i. e., I suppose, he wore his clothes so near, so thoroughly. But Warton explains it “his coat-sleeve was so short.” Note onHist. of E. P.ii. 348. ed. 4to.

v. 363.whynarde] i. e. a sort of hanger, sword.

Page 44. v. 363.

——his pouche,The deuyll myghte daunce therin for ony crouche]

——his pouche,

The deuyll myghte daunce therin for ony crouche]

—ony crowche, i. e. any piece of money,—many coins being marked with acrosson one side. “The devil might dance in his purse without meeting with a single sixpence.” Warton, note onHist. of E. P.ii. 348. ed. 4to. So in Massinger’sBashful Lover;

“The devil sleeps in my pocket;I have no crossTo drive him from it.”Works(by Gifford), iv. 398. ed. 1813.

“The devil sleeps in my pocket;I have no crossTo drive him from it.”

“The devil sleeps in my pocket;I have no cross

To drive him from it.”

Works(by Gifford), iv. 398. ed. 1813.

v. 365.Counter he coude O lux vpon a potte]—Counter; see note, p. 92:—i. e. he could singO lux, playing an accompaniment to his voice on a drinking-pot.O lux beata Trinitaswas an ancient hymn, “which,” says Hawkins, “seems to have been a very popular melody before the time of King Henry viii.”Hist. of Music, ii. 354. In a comedy by the Duke of Newcastle is a somewhat similar passage: “I danced a Jig, while Tom Brutish whistled andplay’d upon the head of a pint pot.”The Humorous Lovers, 1677, act i. sc. 1. p. 5.

v. 366.eestryche fedder] i. e. ostrich-feather.

v. 367.fresshelyi. e. smartly.

v. 368.What reuell route] Compare;

“And euer be mery lettreuell rought.”A Morality,—Anc. Mysteries from the Digby MSS.p. 187. ed. Abbotsf.

“And euer be mery lettreuell rought.”

A Morality,—Anc. Mysteries from the Digby MSS.p. 187. ed. Abbotsf.

“Then made theyrevell routeand goodly glee.”Spenser’sMother Hubberds Tale,—Works, vii. 428. ed. Todd.

“Then made theyrevell routeand goodly glee.”

Spenser’sMother Hubberds Tale,—Works, vii. 428. ed. Todd.

——quod] i. e. quoth.

v. 370.Felyce fetewse]—Felyce, i. e. Phillis:fetewse, i. e. feateous; “Fetyceand prety. Paruiculus. Elegantulus.”Prompt. Parv.ed. 1499.

v. 371.klycked] i. e. fastened. In Chaucer’sMarchantes Tale, v. 9991. ed. Tyr., “clicket” means a key. Todd (Johnson’s Dict.in v.) cites Cotgrave and Skinner for its having the signification of the ring, knocker, or hammer of a door. Richardson (Dict.in v.) remarks that the word was “applied to any fastening which was accompanied by aclicking, snapping noise.”

v. 372.rebaudrye] i. e. ribaldry.

v. 375.in the deuylles date] An exclamation several times used by Skelton.—InPierce Plowman, a charter, which is read at the proposed marriage of Mede, is sealed “in the date of the deuil,” sig. C i. ed. 1561.

v. 378.auowe] i. e. vow: see note on v. 199. p. 109.

Page 44. v. 380.done] i. e. do.

v. 382.wake] See note on v. 352. p. 115.

——none] i. e. noon.

v. 383.mone] i. e. moon.

Page 45. v. 386.Plucke vp thyne herte vpon a mery pyne] “Vpon a mery pynne:De hayt, asIl a le cueur de hayt.” Palsgrave’sLesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. ccccxlvi. (Table of Aduerbes). The expression occurs often in our early poetry; and is found even in one of Wycherley’s comedies.

v. 387.And lete vs laugh a placke or tweyne at nale]—“plucke,” as I have observedad loc., seems to be the right reading, though the word occurs in the preceding line: compareThersytes, n. d.

“Darest thou trye maystries with me aplucke.”p. 60. Rox. ed.

“Darest thou trye maystries with me aplucke.”

p. 60. Rox. ed.

and a song quoted in the note on our author’sMagnyfycence, v. 757;

“A stoupe of bere vp ata pluk.”

at nale, (atten ale,at then ale; see Price’s note, Warton’sHist. of E. P.ii. 501. ed. 1824), i. e. at the ale-house.

v. 389.of dyce a bale] i. e. a pair of dice.

v. 390.A brydelynge caste] An expression which I am unable to explain. It occurs (but applied to drinking) in Beaumont and Fletcher’sScornful Lady;

“Let’s havea bridling castbefore you go.Fill’s a new stoop.”act ii. sc. 2.

“Let’s havea bridling castbefore you go.Fill’s a new stoop.”

“Let’s havea bridling castbefore you go.

Fill’s a new stoop.”

act ii. sc. 2.

——male] i. e. bag, wallet, pouch.

v. 391.burde] i. e. board.

v. 393.the dosen browne] Is used sometimes to signify thirteen; as in a rare piece entitledA Brown Dozen of Drunkards, &c., 1648. 4to., who arethirteenin number. But in our text “the dosen browne” seems merely to mean the full dozen: so in a tract (Letter from a Spy at Oxford) cited by Grey in his notes onHudibras, vol. ii. 375; “and this was the twelfth Conquest, which made up the Conqueror’sbrown Dozenin Number, compared to the twelve Labours of Hercules.”

v. 394.pas] Seems here to be equivalent to—stake; but I have not foundpassused with that meaning in any works on gaming. SeeThe Compleat Gamester, p. 119. ed. 1680.

v. 397.in my pouche a buckell I haue founde] So in our author’sMagnyfycence, after Foly and Fansy have exchanged purses, the latter says

“Here is nothynge butthe bockyll of a sho,And in my purse was twenty marke.”v. 1120. vol. i. 261.

“Here is nothynge butthe bockyll of a sho,And in my purse was twenty marke.”

“Here is nothynge butthe bockyll of a sho,

And in my purse was twenty marke.”

v. 1120. vol. i. 261.

Page 45. v. 398.The armes of Calyce] In our author’sMagnyfycenceis the same exclamation;

“Bythe armes of Calys, well conceyued!”V. 685. vol. i. 247.

“Bythe armes of Calys, well conceyued!”

V. 685. vol. i. 247.

Whether Calais in France, or Cales (Cadiz) be alluded to, I know not.

——crosse] See note on v. 363. p. 116.

v. 399.renne] i. e. run.

v. 401.To wete yf Malkyn, my lemman, haue gete oughte] i. e. To know if Malkin, my mistress, has got aught:—whetherMalkinis the diminutive ofMal(Mary) has been disputed.

v. 406.Bordews] i. e. Bordeaux.

v. 408.auenture] i. e. adventure.

v. 411.curtel] i. e. curtal.

v. 412.lege] i. e. allege.

v. 413.haue here is myne hat to plege] Marshe’s ed., as I have noticedad loc., omits “is:” but compare our author’sElynour Rummyng;

“Haue here isfor me,A cloute of London pynnes.”v. 563. vol. i. 113.

“Haue here isfor me,A cloute of London pynnes.”

“Haue here isfor me,

A cloute of London pynnes.”

v. 563. vol. i. 113.

“Haue.i. take the this torne or thredebare garment.” Palsgrave’sAcolastus, 1540. sig. U ii.

Page 46. v. 414.rybaude] i. e. ribald.

v. 418.kyste] i. e. cast.

v. 420.sadde] i. e. serious, earnest.

v. 423.stede] i. e. place.

v. 425.Me passynge sore myne herte than gan agryse] For the reading of all the eds. “aryse,” I have ventured to substitute “agryse,” i. e. cause to shudder. Compare;

“Soremighthir agrise.”Arthour and Merlin, p. 34. ed. Abbotsf.

“Soremighthir agrise.”

Arthour and Merlin, p. 34. ed. Abbotsf.

“Of his sweuensore him agros.”Marie Maudelein, p. 226,—Turnbull’sLegendæ Catholicæ(from the Auchinleck MS.).

“Of his sweuensore him agros.”

Marie Maudelein, p. 226,—Turnbull’sLegendæ Catholicæ(from the Auchinleck MS.).

“The kingesherteof piteegan agrise.”Chaucer’sMan of Lawes Tale, v. 5034. ed. Tyr.

“The kingesherteof piteegan agrise.”

Chaucer’sMan of Lawes Tale, v. 5034. ed. Tyr.

“Swiche peines, that yourhertesmightagrise.”Chaucer’sFreres Tale, v. 7231. ed. Tyr.

“Swiche peines, that yourhertesmightagrise.”

Chaucer’sFreres Tale, v. 7231. ed. Tyr.

v. 426.I dempte and drede] i. e. I deemed and dreaded.

v. 428.Than in his hode, &c.]—hode, i. e. hood.—This passage is quoted by Warton, who observes, “There is also merit in the delineation ofDissimulation... and it is not unlike Ariosto’s manner in imagining these allegorical personages.”Hist. of E. P.ii. 349. ed. 4to.

Page 46. v. 431.coost] i. e. coast, approach.

v. 433.I sawe a knyfe hyd in his one sleue]—sleue, i. e. sleeve.—This picture somewhat resembles that of False Semblant;

“Butin his sleue he gan to thringA rasour sharpe.”Chaucer’sRom. of the Rose,—Workes, fol. 141. ed. 1602.

“Butin his sleue he gan to thringA rasour sharpe.”

“Butin his sleue he gan to thring

A rasour sharpe.”

Chaucer’sRom. of the Rose,—Workes, fol. 141. ed. 1602.

v. 434.Myscheue] i. e. Mischief.

v. 436.spone] i. e. spoon.

v. 437.to preue a dawe] i. e. to prove, try a simpleton: see note on v. 301. p. 113.—Warton, who gives the other reading, “to preyea dawe,” explains it—to catch a silly bird. Note onHist. of E. P.ii. 349. ed. 4to.

v. 438.wrete] i. e. writ.

Page 47. v. 440.His hode was syde, his cope was roset graye] i. e. His hood was long (or full), his cope was russet grey.

v. 445.a connynge man ne dwelle maye] i. e. a wise, a learned man may not dwell.

v. 448.that nought can] i. e. that knows nothing.

v. 454.clerke] i. e. scholar.

v. 455.in the deuylles date] See note on v. 375. p. 116.

v. 456.longe] i. e. belong.

v. 457.lewde] i. e. wicked.

v. 460.herte brennynge] i. e. heart-burning.

v. 464.It is a worlde] Equivalent to—It is a matter of wonder.

Page 48. v. 466.A man can not wote where to be come] i. e. A man cannot know whither to go: compare v. 228.

v. 467.I wys] i. e. truly, certainly (i-wis, adv.).

——home] i. e. hum.

v. 470.frere] i. e. friar.

v. 471.agayne] i. e. against.

v. 476.shall wene be hanged by the throte] i. e. (I suppose) shall think themselves hanged, &c.

v. 477.a stoppynge oyster] Compare Heywood;

“Herewithall his wife to make vp my mouth,Not onely her husbands taunting tale auouth,But thereto deuiseth to cast in my teethChecks andchoking oysters.”Dialogue, sig. E,—Workes, ed. 1598.

“Herewithall his wife to make vp my mouth,Not onely her husbands taunting tale auouth,But thereto deuiseth to cast in my teethChecks andchoking oysters.”

“Herewithall his wife to make vp my mouth,

Not onely her husbands taunting tale auouth,

But thereto deuiseth to cast in my teeth

Checks andchoking oysters.”

Dialogue, sig. E,—Workes, ed. 1598.

v. 477.poke] i. e. pouch.

v. 484.teder] i. e. toder, t’other.

v. 486.dreuyll] See note on v. 337, p. 113.

Page 48. v. 488.on flote] i. e. flowing, full.

v. 490.hode] i. e. hood.

v. 491.but what this is ynowe] i. e. but that this is enough.

Page 49. v. 502.Sterte] i. e. Started.

v. 504.nobles] i. e. the gold coins so called.

v. 508.His hode all pounsed and garded]—hode, i. e. hood:pounsed, i. e. perforated, having small holes stamped or worked in it, by way of ornament—garded, i. e. adorned withgards, facings.

v. 510.quod] i. e. quoth.

v. 513.rounde] i. e. whisper,—or, rather, mutter, for Skelton (Garlande of Laurell, v. 250. vol. i. 372) and other poets make a distinction betweenwhisperandround:

“Me lyste not now. whyspernether rowne.”Lydgate’sStorye of Thebes, Pars Prima, sig. b vii. ed. 4to. n. d.

“Me lyste not now. whyspernether rowne.”

Lydgate’sStorye of Thebes, Pars Prima, sig. b vii. ed. 4to. n. d.

“Whisperand roundethinges ymagined falsly.”Barclay’sShip of Fooles, fol. 208. ed. 1570.

“Whisperand roundethinges ymagined falsly.”

Barclay’sShip of Fooles, fol. 208. ed. 1570.

“They’re here with me already, whispering,rounding.”Shakespeare’sWinter’s Tale, act i. sc. 2.

“They’re here with me already, whispering,rounding.”

Shakespeare’sWinter’s Tale, act i. sc. 2.

v. 521.hafte] See note on v. 138. p. 108.

v. 522.payne] i. e. difficulty.

Page 50. v. 525.shrewes] i. e. wicked, worthless fellows.

v. 527.confetryd] i. e. confederated.

v. 528.lewde] i. e. vile, rascally.

v. 529.slee] i. e. slay.

v. 530.hente] i. e. seized.

v. 536.Syth] i. e. Since.

Must have been written before the end of 1508; for it is mentioned with contempt in the concluding lines of Barclay’sShip of Fooles, which was finished in that year: seeAccount of Skelton and his Writings.

TheLuctus in morte Passerisof Catullus no doubt suggested the present production to Skelton, who, when he calls on “all maner of byrdes” (v. 387) to join in lamenting Philip Sparow, seems also to have had an eye to Ovid’s elegyIn mortem Psittaci, Amor. ii. 6. Another piece of the kind is extant among the compositions of antiquity,—thePsittacus Atedii Meliorisof Statius,Silv. ii. 4. In theAmphitheatrum Sapientiæ Socraticæ Joco-seriæ, &c., of Dornavius, i. 460 sqq. may be found various Latin poems on the deaths, &c. ofsparrows by writers posterior to the time of Skelton. See too Herrick’s linesUpon the death of his Sparrow, an Elegie, Hesperides, 1648. p. 117; and the verses entitledPhyllis on the death of her Sparrow, attributed to Drummond,Works, 1711. p. 50.

“Old Skelton’s ‘Philip Sparrow,’ an exquisite and original poem.” Coleridge’sRemains, ii. 163.

Page 51. v. 1.Pla ce bo, &c.] Skelton is not the only writer that has taken liberties with the Romish service-book. In Chaucer’sCourt of Loue, parts of it are sung by various birds;Domine, labiaby the nightingale,Veniteby the eagle, &c.,Workes, fol. 333. ed. 1602: in a short poem by Lydgate “dyuerse foules” are introduced singing different hymns.MS. Harl.2251. fol. 37: and see too a poem (attributed, without any authority, to Skelton) calledArmony of Byrdes, n. d., reprinted (inaccurately) inTypog. Antiq.iv. 380. ed. Dibdin; and Sir D. Lyndsay’sComplaynt of the Papingo, Works, i. 325. ed. Chalmers. InReynard the Foxwe are told that at the burial of “coppe, chanteklers doughter,”—“Tho begonne theyplacebo domino, with the verses that to longen,” &c. Sig. a 8. ed. 1481. Compare also the mockRequiemprinted (somewhat incorrectly) fromMS. Cott. Vesp.B. 16. in Ritson’sAntient Songs, i. 118. ed. 1829; Dunbar’sDirige to the King at Stirling, Poems, i. 86. ed. Laing; and the following lines of a rare tract entitledA Commemoration or Dirige of Boner, &c., by Lemeke Auale, 1569,—

“Placebo. Bo. Bo. Bo. Bo. Bo.Heu me, beware the bugge, out quod Boner alas,De profundis clamaui, how is this matter come to passe.Lævaui oculos meosfrom a darke depe place,” &c.sig. A viii.

“Placebo. Bo. Bo. Bo. Bo. Bo.Heu me, beware the bugge, out quod Boner alas,De profundis clamaui, how is this matter come to passe.Lævaui oculos meosfrom a darke depe place,” &c.

“Placebo. Bo. Bo. Bo. Bo. Bo.

Heu me, beware the bugge, out quod Boner alas,

De profundis clamaui, how is this matter come to passe.

Lævaui oculos meosfrom a darke depe place,” &c.

sig. A viii.

Other pieces of the kind might be pointed out.

v. 6.Wherfore and why, why?] So in theEnterlude of Kyng Daryus, 1565;

“Thys is the causewherfore and why.”sig. G ii.

“Thys is the causewherfore and why.”

sig. G ii.

v. 7.Philip Sparowe]Philip, orPhip, was a familiar name given to a sparrow from its note being supposed to resemble that sound.

v. 8.Carowe] Was a nunnery in the suburbs of Norwich. “Here [at Norwich],” says Tanner, “was an ancient hospital or nunnery dedicated to St. Mary and St. John; to which K. Stephen having given lands and meadows without the south gate, Seyna and Leftelina two of the sisters,A.D.1146, began the foundation of a new monastery called Kairo, Carow, or Carhou, which was dedicated tothe blessed Virgin Mary, and consisted of a prioress and nine Benedictine nuns.”Not. Mon.p. 347. ed. 1744. In 1273, Pope Gregory the Tenth inhibited the Prioress and convent from receiving more nuns than their income would maintain, upon their representation that the English nobility, whom they could not resist, had obliged them to take in so many sisters that they were unable to support them. At the Dissolution the number of nuns was twelve. The site of the nunnery, within the walls, contained about ten acres. It was granted, with its chief revenues, in the 30th Henry viii. to Sir John Shelton, knight, who fitted up the parlour and hall, which were noble rooms, when he came to reside there, not long after the Dissolution. It continued in the Shelton family for several generations.

This nunnery was during many ages a place of education for the young ladies of the chief families in the diocese of Norwich, who boarded with and were taught by the nuns. The fair Jane or Johanna Scroupe of the present poem was, perhaps, a boarder at Carow.

See more concerning Carow in Dugdale’sMonast.(new ed.) iv. 68 sqq., and Blomefield’sHist. of Norfolk, ii. 862 sqq. ed. fol.

Page 51. v. 9.Nones Blake] i. e. Black Nuns,—Benedictines.

v. 12.bederolles] i. e. lists of those to be prayed for.

Page 52. v. 24.The tearys downe hayled] So Hawes;

“That euermore the salteteres downe hayled.”The Pastime of pleasure, sig. Q viii. ed. 1555.

“That euermore the salteteres downe hayled.”

The Pastime of pleasure, sig. Q viii. ed. 1555.

v. 27.Gyb our cat]Gib, a contraction ofGilbert, was a name formerly given to a male cat:

“Gibbe our Cat,That awaiteth Mice and Rattes to killen.”Romaunt of the Rose,—Chaucer’sWorkes, fol. 136. ed. 1602.

“Gibbe our Cat,That awaiteth Mice and Rattes to killen.”

“Gibbe our Cat,

That awaiteth Mice and Rattes to killen.”

Romaunt of the Rose,—Chaucer’sWorkes, fol. 136. ed. 1602.

InGammer Gurtons Nedle, 1575, “Gib our cat” is a person of consequence. Shakespeare (Henry iv. Part First, act i. sc. 2.) has the expression “gib cat;” and how his commentators have written “about it and about it” most readers are probably aware.

v. 29.Worrowyd her on that] So Dunbar;

“He that doisondry breidwirry.”Poems, i. 108. ed. Laing.

“He that doisondry breidwirry.”

Poems, i. 108. ed. Laing.

v. 34.stounde] i. e. moment, time.

v. 35.sounde] i. e. swoon.

v. 37.Vnneth I kest myne eyes] i. e. Scarcely, not without difficulty, I cast, &c.

v. 42.Haue rewed] i. e. Have had compassion.

Page 52. v. 46.senaws] i. e. sinews.

Page 53. v. 58.frete] i. e. eat, gnaw.

v. 69.marees] i. e. waters.

v. 70.Acherontes well] i. e. Acheron’s well. So,—after the fashion of our early poets,—Skelton writesZenophontesforXenophon,EneidosforEneis,AchilliedosforAchilleis, &c.

v. 75.blo] i. e. livid: see note, p. 103. v. 3.

v. 76.mare] i. e. hag.—“Mareor witche.”Prompt. Parv.ed. 1499.

v. 77.fende] i. e. fiend.

v. 78.edders] i. e. adders.

v. 82.sowre] In Palsgrave’sLesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530, is “Sowerof smellyng,” fol. xcvi. (Table of Adiect.),—a sense of the word which Skelton has elsewhere (third poemAgainst Garnesche, v. 146. vol. i. 124), and which therefore probably applies to the present passage. But qy. does “sowre” signify here—foul? “Sowrefilthe. Fimus. Cenum. Lutum.”Prompt. Parv.ed. 1499. “Sowryor defiled insoureor filth,” &c.Id.

“The riuer cler withoutensour.”Arthour and Merlin, p. 320. ed. Abbotsf.

“The riuer cler withoutensour.”

Arthour and Merlin, p. 320. ed. Abbotsf.

v. 87.outraye] “IOutraya persone (Lydgate) I do some outrage or extreme hurt to hym.Ie oultrage.” Palsgrave’sLesclar. de la Lang. Fr., 1530. fol. cccxi. (Table of Verbes).

Back to Index Next