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

Poeta Skelton

with that I stode vp, halfe sodaynly afrayde Supplieng to Fame, I besought her grace And that it wolde please her full tēderly I prayd Out of her bookes Appollo to rase. Nay syr she sayd, what so in this place Of our noble courte is ones spoken out It muste nedes after ren all the worlde aboute.

God wote these wordes made me full sad And whan that I sawe it wolde no better be

But that my peticion wolde nat be had, What shoulde I do, but take it in gre? For by Iupiter and his high maiestye, I dyd what I coulde to scarpe out the scrolles Apollo to rase out of her ragman rolles.

Nowe here of it erketh me lenger to wryte, To Occupacion, I wyll agayne resort whiche redde on styll, as it came to her syght Rendrynge my deuises I made in disporte Of the mayden of Rent called comforte Of louers testamentes & of theyr wanton willis And howe Iollas loued goodly Phillis.

Diodorus Siculus of my translation Out of fresshe latine into our englysshe playne Recoūtyng cōmodites of many a strange nacion who redeth it ones wolde rede it agayne Six volumes engrosed together it doth cōtayne. But whan of the laurell she made rehersall Al orators and poetes with other great and smal

A thousande thousande I trowe to my dome Triumpha triumpha they cried all about Of trūpettes & clariōs the noyse went to Rome The sterry heuē me thought shoke with y^t shout The groūd groned & trēbled y^e noyse was so stout The quene of Fame cōmaūded, shet fast y^• booke

And therwith sodaynely out of my slepe I woke

My mīde of the great din was somdele amased I wyped myn eyen for to make them clere Than to the heauen sphericall vpwarde I gased where I sawe Ianus with his double chere Makynge his almanak for the newe yere He turned his tirickes his voluell ran fast Good lucke this newe yere the olde yere is past. Mens tibi sit consulta petis? sic consule menti, Emula sis Iani, retro speculetur et ante.

Skeltonis alloquitur librum suum. Ite Britannorum lux o radiosa Britannum Carmina nostra pium Vestrum celebrate Catullum Dicite Skeltonis Vester Adonis erat. Dicite Skeltonis Vester Homerus erat. Barbara cum lacio pariter iam currite Versu. Et licet est Verbo pars maxima texta Britanno, Non magis incompta nostra Thalia patet: Est magis inculta nec mea Caliope. Nec uos poenite at liuoris tela subire. Nec uos poeniteat rabiem tolerare caninam, Nam Maro dissmiles non tulit ille minas, Immunis necenim musa Nasonis erat.