The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 1 (of 2)

Volume 2 — HERE AFTER FOLOWETH THE BOKE ENTYTULED WARE THE HAUKE,[604] PER SKELTON, LAUREAT.

Reading edition

HERE AFTER FOLOWETH THE BOKE ENTYTULED WARE THE HAUKE,[604] PER SKELTON, LAUREAT.

PROLOGUS SKELTONIDIS LAUREATI SUPER WARE THE HAWKE. This worke deuysed is For such as do amys; And specyally to controule Such as haue cure of soule, That be so farre abused, They cannot be excused By reason nor by law; But that they play the daw, To hawke, or els to hunt From the aulter[605] to the funte, 10 With cry vnreuerent, Before the sacrament, Within the holy church bowndis, That of our faith the grounde is. That pryest that hawkys so, All grace is farre him fro; He semeth a sysmatyke, Or els an heretyke, For fayth in him is faynte. Therefore to make complaynte[606] 20 Of such mysaduysed Parsons and dysgysed, This boke we haue deuysed, Compendiously comprysed, No good priest to offende, But suche dawes to amende, In hope that no man shall Be[607] myscontent withall. I shall you make relacion, By waye of apostrofacion, 30 Vnder supportacion Of youre pacyent tolleracion, How I, Skelton Laureat, Deuysed and also wrate Vpon a lewde curate, A parson benyfyced, But nothing well aduysed: He shall be as now nameles, But he shall not be blameles, Nor he shal not be shameles; 40 For sure he wrought amys, To hawke in my church of Dis. This fonde frantyke fauconer,[608] With his polutid pawtenar,[609] As priest vnreuerent, Streyght to the sacrament He made his hawke to fly, With hogeous showte and cry. The hye auter[610] he strypt naked; There on he stode, and craked; 50 He shoke downe all the clothis, And sware horrible othes Before the face of God, By Moyses and Arons rod, Or that he thens yede, His hawke shoulde pray and fede Vpon a pigeons maw. The bloude ran downe raw Vpon the auter stone; The hawke tyrid on a bonne; 60 And in the holy place She mutid there a chase Vpon my corporas face. Such sacrificium laudis He made with suche gambawdis. OBSERVATE. His seconde hawke wexid gery, And was with flying wery; She had flowin so oft, That on the rode loft She perkyd her to rest. 70 The fauconer then was prest[611], Came runnyng with a dow, And cryed, Stow, stow, stow! But she would not bow. He then, to be sure, Callid her with a lure. Her mete[612] was very crude, She had not wel endude; She was not clene ensaymed, She was not well reclaymed: 80 But the fawconer vnfayned Was much more febler brayned. The hawke had no lyst To come to hys fyst; She loked as she had the frounce;[613] With that he gaue her a bounce Full vpon the gorge: I wyll not fayne nor forge; The hawke with that clap Fell downe with euyll hap. 90 The church dores were sparred, Fast boltyd and barryd, Yet wyth a prety gyn I fortuned to come in, This rebell to beholde, Wherof I hym[614] controlde; But he sayde that he woulde, Agaynst my mynde and wyll, In my churche hawke styll. CONSIDERATE. On Sainct John decollacion 100 He hawked on this facion, Tempore vesperarum, Sed non secundum Sarum, But lyke a Marche harum, His braynes were so parum. He sayde he would not let His houndis for to fet, To hunte there by lyberte In the dyspyte of me, And to halow there the fox: 110 Downe went my offerynge box, Boke, bell, and candyll, All that he myght handyll; Cros, staffe, lectryne, and banner, Fell downe on this manner. DELIBERATE. With, troll, cytrace, and trouy, They ranged, hankin bouy, My churche all aboute. This fawconer then[615] gan showte, These be my gospellers, 120 These be my pystillers, These be my querysters To helpe me to synge, My hawkes to mattens rynge. In this priestly gydynge His hawke then flew vppon The rode with Mary and John. Delt he not lyke a fon? Delt he not lyke a daw? Or els is this Goddes law, 130 Decrees or decretals, Or holy sinodals, Or els prouincials, Thus within the wals Of holy church to deale, Thus to rynge a peale With his hawkis bels? Dowtles such losels Make the churche to be In smale auctoryte: 140 A curate in speciall To snappar and to fall Into this open cryme; To loke on this were tyme. VIGILATE. But who so that lokys In the officiallis bokis, Ther he[616] may se and reed That this is matter indeed. How be it, mayden Meed Made theym to be agreed, 150 And so the Scrybe was feed, And the Pharasay Than durst nothing say, But let the matter slyp, And made truth to trip; And of the spiritual law They made but a gewgaw, And toke it out in drynke, And this the cause doth shrynke: The church is thus abused, 160 Reproched and pollutyd; Correccion hath no[617] place, And all for lacke of grace. DEPLORATE. Loke now in Exodi, And de arca Domini, With Regum by and by; The Bybyll wyll not ly; How the Temple was kept, How the Temple was swept, Where sanguis taurorum, 170 Aut sanguis vitulorum, Was offryd within the wallis, After ceremoniallis; When it was poluted, Sentence was executed, By wey of expiacion, For reconciliacion.[618] DIVINITATE.[619] Then muche more, by the rode, Where Christis precious blode Dayly offred is, 180 To be poluted this; And that he wyshed withall That the dowues donge downe might fal Into my chalis at mas, When consecrated was The blessed sacrament: O prieest vnreuerent! He sayde that he woulde hunt From the aulter to the funt. REFORMATE. Of no tyrande I rede, 190 That so farre dyd excede; Neyther yet Dioclesyan, Nor yet Domisian, Nor yet[620] croked Cacus, Nor yet dronken Bacus;[621] Nother Olibrius, Nor Dionisyus; Nother Phalary, Rehersed in Valery; Nor Sardanapall, 200 Vnhappiest of all; Nor Nero the worst, Nor Clawdius the curst; Nor yet Egeas, Nor yet Syr Pherumbras; Nother Zorobabell, Nor cruel Jesabell; Nor yet Tarquinius, Whom Tytus Liuius In wrytynge doth enroll; 210 I haue red them poll by poll; The story of Arystobell, And of Constantinopell,[622] Whiche citye miscreantys wan, And slew many a Christen man; Yet the Sowden, nor the Turke, Wrought neuer suche a worke, For to let theyr hawkes fly In the Church of Saint Sophy; With much matter more, 220 That I kepe in store. PENSITATE. Then in a tabull playne I wroute a verse or twayne, Whereat he made dysdayne: The pekysh parsons brayne Cowde not rech nor attayne What the sentence ment; He sayde, for a crokid intent The wordes were paruerted: And this he ouerthwarted. 230 Of the which proces Ye may know more expres, If it please you to loke In the resydew of this boke. Here after followeth the tabull. Loke on this tabull, Whether thou art abull To rede or to spell What these verses tell. Sicculo lutueris est colo būraarā[623] Nixphedras uisarum caniuter tuntantes[624] Raterplas Natābrian[625] umsudus itnugenus. 18. 10. 2. 11. 19. 4. 13. 3. 3. 1. tēualet.[626] Chartula stet, precor, hæc nullo[627] temeranda petulco: Hos rapiet numeros non homo, sed mala bos. Ex parte rem chartæ adverte aperte, pone Musam Arethusam hanc. Whereto should I rehers The sentence of my vers? 240 In them be no scholys For braynsycke frantycke folys: Construas hoc, Domine Dawcocke! Ware the hawke! Maister sophista, Ye simplex syllogista, Ye[628] deuelysh dogmatista, Your hawke on your fista, To hawke when you[629] lista 250 In ecclesia ista, Domine concupisti,[630] With thy hawke on thy fisty? Nunquid sic dixisti? Nunquid sic fecisti? Sed ubi hoc legisti Aut unde hoc, Doctor Dawcocke? Ware the hawke! Doctor Dialetica,[631] 260 Where fynde you in Hypothetica, Or in Categoria, Latina sive Dorica, To vse your hawkys forica In propitiatorio, Tanquam diversorio? Unde hoc, Domine Dawcocke? Ware the hawke! Saye to me, Jacke Harys, 270 Quare aucuparis Ad sacramentum altaris? For no reuerens[632] thou sparys To shake my pygeons federis Super arcam fœderis: Unde hoc, Doctor Dawcocke? Ware the hawke! Sir Dominus vobiscum, Per[633] aucupium 280 Ye made your hawke to cum Desuper candelabrum Christi crucifixi To fede vpon your fisty: Dic, inimice crucis Christi, Ubi didicisti Facere hoc, Domine Dawcocke? Ware the hawke! Apostata Julianus, 290 Nor yet Nestorianus, Thou shalt no[634] where rede That they dyd suche a dede, To let theyr hawkys fly Ad ostium tabernaculi, In quo est corpus Domini: Cave hoc, Doctor Dawcocke! Ware the hawke! This dowtles ye rauyd, 300 Dys church ye thus deprauyd; Wherfore, as I be sauyd, Ye are therefore beknauyd: Quare? quia Evangelia, Concha et conchylia, Accipiter[635] et sonalia, Et bruta animalia,[636] Cætera quoque talia Tibi sunt æqualia: Unde hoc, 310 Domine Dawcocke? Ware the hawke! Et relis et ralis, Et reliqualis, From Granado to Galis, From Wynchelsee to Walys,[637] Non est braynsycke talis, Nec minus rationalis, Nec magis bestialis,[638] That synggys with a chalys: 320 Construas hoc, Doctor Dawcocke! Ware the hawke! Masyd, wytles, smery smyth, Hampar with your hammer vpon thy styth, And make hereof a syckyll or a saw, For thoughe ye lyue a c. yere, ye shall dy a daw. Vos valete, Doctor indiscrete!

Notes in this chapter

Note 1 · Ware the Hauke] From the ed. by Kynge and Marche of Certaine bokes compyled by mayster Skelton, n. d., collated with the same work, ed. Day,Note 2 · aulter] Here Lant’s ed. has “auter.” (In the spelling of this word the eds. are not consistent; see vv. 49, 59, 189.)Note 3 · complaynte] So other eds. Ed. of Kynge and Marche, “complaunt.”Note 4 · Be] So other eds. Ed. of Kynge and Marche, “By.”Note 5 · fauconer] So other eds. Ed. of Kynge and Marche, and of Lant, “fouconer.”Note 6 · pawtenar] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “pawtner.”Note 7 · auter] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “aulter:” see note, ante, p. 155.Note 8 · prest] So other eds. Ed. of Kynge and Marche, and of Day, “priest.”Note 9 · mete] So Lant’s ed. Ed. of Kynge and Marche, “mere.” Other eds. “meate.”Note 10 · frounce] So Lant’s ed. Other eds. “fronnce” and “fronce.”Note 11 · I hym] So Lant’s ed. Other eds. “him I.”Note 12 · then] Not in eds. of Day, and Marshe.Note 13 · he] Marshe’s ed. “her.”Note 14 · no] So other eds. Ed. of Kynge and Marche, “na.”Note 15 · For reconciliacion] Not in eds. of Day, and Marshe.Note 16 · Divinitate] Qy. “Divinate?”Note 17 · Nor yet] Lant’s ed. “Nother.”Note 18 · Bacus] Marshe’s ed. “Baccus.”Note 19 · Constantinopell] Marshe’s ed. “Constantinobel.”Note 20 · būraarā] In Day’s ed. the final letter of this word being blurred looks like a d; and Marshe’s ed. has “bunraard.” The meaning of this “tabu Note 21 · tuntantes] Marshe’s ed. “tauntantes.”Note 22 · Natābrian] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “Natanbrian.” The Editor of 1736 prints “Natanbrianum sudus.”Note 23 · tēualet] Perhaps, “ten (10) valet.”Note 24 · nullo] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “uello.”Note 25 · Ye] Eds. “The.”Note 26 · you] Eds. “your.”Note 27 · concupisti] Eds. “racapisti” and “cacapisti.”Note 28 · Dialetica] So written in eds. for the rhyme.Note 29 · reuerens] So Lant’s ed. Other eds. “reuens.”Note 30 · Per] Eds. “Par.”Note 31 · no] Day’s ed. “ne.”Note 32 · Accipiter] Eds. “Ancipiter.”Note 33 · animalia] Eds. of Kynge and Marche, and of Lant, (in which impressions only this line is found), “aīlia.”Note 34 · Walys] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “Wales,” and in the next line “tales.”Note 35 · bestialis] Day’s ed. “bestia.” Marshe’s ed. “bestis.”