Pithy pleasaunt and profitable workes of maister Skelton, Poete Laureate. Nowe collected and newly published. Anno 1568

The commendacions.

BEati immaculati in uia O glo rio sa femina Now mine hole imaginacion And studious meditacion Is to take this commendacion In this consideracion And vnder pacient tolleracion Of that most godly mayd That Placebo hath sayd And for her sparow prayd In lamentable wyse

Now wyl I enterpryse Thorow the grace diuine Of the muses nine Her beauty to commend If Arethusa wyll send Me enfluence to endite And with my pen to write If Apollo will promise Melodiouslye it to deuise His tunable harpe stringes With armonye that synges Of Princes and of kinges And of all pleasaunt thynges Of lust and of delyght Thorow his godly might To whome be the laud ascrybed

That my pen hath enbibed With the aureat droppes As verelye my hope is Of Thagus that golden floud That passeth all the earthly good And as that floud dothe pas Al floudes that euer was With hys golden sandes Who so that vnderstandes Cosmography: and the stremes And the floudes in straūge remes Ryght so she dothe excede Al other of whom we rede Whose fame by me shall sprede Into Perce and Mede From britons Albion To the toure of Babilon

I trust it is no shame And no manne wyl me blame Thoughe I regester her name In the courte of fame For thys most goodly floure This blossome of freshe coloure So Iupiter me succoure She florysheth new and new In beauty and vertue Hac claritate gemina O gloriosa femina