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

Drede

Gone is this knaue this rybaude foule and leude He ranne as faste as euer that he myghte Unthryftynes in him maye well be shewed For whome tyborne groneth both daie & nighte And as I stode and caste a syde my syghte Dasdayue I sawe with Dyssymulacyon Standynge in sadde communicacyon

But there was poyntynge & noddyng w^t y^e hede

And many wordes sayd in secrete wyse They wandred ay and stode styll in no stede Me thoughte alwaye Dissymular dyde deuyse Me passynge sore myne herte than gan aryse I dempte and drede their talkynge was not good Anone dyssimular came where I stode

Than in his hode I sawe there faces tweyne That one was lene & lyke a pyned ghost That other loked as he wolde me haue slayne And to me warde as he gan for to coost Whan that he was euen at me almoost I sawe a knyfe hyd in his one sleue Wheron was wryten this worde mysch efe

And in his other sleue me thought I sawe A spone of golde, full of hony swete To fede a fole, and for to preye a dawe And on that sleue these wordes were wrete A false abstracte cometh frome a fals concrete His hode was syde his cope was roset graye These were the wordes y^t he to me dyde saye.