Agaynst the Scottes

Skelton, John

TextBaseEarlyTudorEnglish
JSAgS22598
2008
STC 22598 (=L)
Ringler 22598 and TP 76. Brown and Robbins 1931.3. UMI microfilm reel 19

Here after foloweth certayne bokes compyled by mayster Skelton
London: R. Lant for H. Tab,1545?.

Variant source 1: J. Kynge and T. Marche, 1554? (STC 22599) (=K). Variant source 2: J. Day, 1563? (STC 22600) (=D). Variant source 3: T. Marshe, 1568 (STC 22608) (=M).

Composition Date: 1513 [Scattergood].







sig: [A8]

Skelton Laureate agaynst the Scottes.

¶Agaynst the prowde Scottys claterynge
That neuer wyll leue theyr tratlynge
Wan they the felde / and lost theyr kynge
They may well say / fye on that wynnynge

in the following section original midline periods are omitted and the lines redistributed
5 LO these fond sottes
And tratlyng Skottys
How they are blynde
In theyr owne mynde
And wyll not know
10 Theyr ouer-throw
At branxton_more
They are so stowre
So frantyke mad
ref.ed: 116
They say they had
15 And wan the felde
With spere and shelde
That is as trew
As blacke is blew
And grene is gray
20 What-euer they say
Iemmy is ded
And closyd in led
That was theyr owne kynge
Fy on that wynnyng

25 ¶At Floddon hyllys
Our bowys our byllys
Slew all the floure
Of theyr honoure
Are nat these scottys
30 Folys and sottys
Such boste to make
To prate and crake
To face to brace
All voyde of grace
35 So prowde of hart
So ouerthwart
So out of frame
So voyde of shame
As it is enrolde
40 Wrytten and tolde
With-in this quaire
Who lyst repayre lyst] lyst to K, D, M
And ther-in reed
Shall fynde in-deed
45 A mad rekenynge
Consydrynge all-thynge
That the scottys may synge synge] sin M
Fy on the wynnynge

sig: [A8v]

¶When the Scotte lyued.

IOly Iemmy / ye scornefull Scot
50 Is it come vnto your lot
A solempne sumner for to be
It greyth nought for your degre
ref.ed: 117
Our Kynge of England for to syght syght] fight D, M, syght K
Yo[u]r souerayne lord / our prynce of myght
55 Ye for to sende / suche a Cytacyon
It shameth all your noughty nacyon
In comparyson / but kynge Koppynge
Vnto o[u]r prince / anoynted kyng
Ye play Hop_Lobbyn of Lowdean
60 Ye shew ryght well / what good ye can
Ye may be lorde of Locryan
Chryst [s]ence you with a fryinge-pan sence] fence L, K, sence D, M
Of Edynge_borrow / and saynt_Ionys_towne
A_dieu syr sumner / cast of your crowne.


¶When the Scot was slayne.

65 CO[n]tynually I shall remember
The mery moneth of september
With the xi. day of the same
For then began / our myrth and game
So that now I haue deuysed
70 And in my mynde / I haue comprised
Of the prowde Scot / kynge Iemmy
To write some lytell tragedy
For no maner consyderacyon
Of any sorowfull Lamentacyon
75 But for the specyall consolacyon
Of all our royall englysh nacyon

Mel[p]omone / O muse tragedyall Melpomone] Melnomone L, K, D, M
sig: B[1]
Vnto your grace / for grace now I call
To guyde my pen / and my pen to enbybe
80 Illumyn me / your Poete and your S[c]rybe Scrybe] Ssrybe L
That with myxture / of Aloes and bytter gall
I may compounde / confectures for A. cordyall
To angre the Scottes / and Irysh keterynges with-all
That late were discomfect / with battayle marcyall

85 Thalya / my Muse / for you also call I
To touche them with tauntes / of your armony
A medley to make / of myrth with sadnes
The hertes of England / to comfort with gladnes
And now to begyn / I wyll me adres
90 To you rehersyng / the somme of my proces

ref.ed: 118
KInge Iamy / Iemmy / Iocky my Io Io] Ioye K, ioye D, M
Ye Summond our kyng / why dyd ye so Ye Summond] Summond K, D, M
To you / nothing it dyd accorde
To Summon our kyng / your soueraygne lorde
95 A kyng a Sumner / it was great wonder
Know ye not suger / and / salt a_sonder
Your Sumner to saucy / to malapert
Your harrold in armes / not yet halfe expert
Ye thought ye dyd / yet valyauntly
100 Not worth thre skyppes of a Pye
Syr skyr-galyard / ye were so skyt
Your wyll / than ran before your wyt.

Your lege ye layd / and your aly
Your frantyck fable / not worth a fly
105 Frenche kyng / or one or other
sig: [B1v]
Regardyd ye shuld / your lord / your brother ye] you D, M
Trowyd ye syr Iemy his nobull grace
From you syr scot / wolde turne his face
With gup syr scot / of Galaway
110 Now is your pryde / fall to decay
Male-vryd / was your fals entent
For to offend / your presydent
Your soueraygne lorde / most reuerent
Your lorde / your brother and your regent.

115 ¶In him is fygured / Melchisedec
And ye were disloyall Amalec
He is our noble Scipione
Anoynted kyng / and ye were none
Though ye vntruly / your father haue slayne
120 His tytle is true / in Fraunce to raygne
And ye proud scot / Dunde / Dunbar
Pardy ye were / his homager
And suter to his parlyament
For your vntruth / now ar ye shent
125 Ye bare your-selfe / somwhat to bold
Therfore ye lost / your copye-hold
Ye were bonde-tenent / to his estate
Lost is your game / ye are check-mate

¶Vnto the castell of Norram
130 I vnderstand / to sone ye came
ref.ed: 119
At Branxton_more and Flodd[e]n hylles Branxton] Branxston L, K, D, M; Flodden] Floddrn L
Our Englysh bowes / our Englysh bylles
Agaynst you gaue / so sharpe a shower
That of Scotland / ye lost the flower
sig: B2
135 The white lyon there rampaunt of moode
He ragyd and rent out your hart-bloode
He the white / and ye the red ye] you D, M
The white / there slew the red starke ded
Thus for your guerdon quyt ar ye
140 Thankyd be god in Trinyte
And swete saynt George our ladyes knygh[t] knyght] knyghe L
Youre eye is out / a_dew good nyght

¶Ye were starke mad to make a fray
His grace beyng out of the way
145 But by the power and myght of god
For youre owne tayle ye made a rod owne] D, M omit
Ye wantyd wyt / sir at a worde
Ye lost your spurrys / ye lost your sworde
Ye myght haue buskyd you to hu[n]tley_bankys
150 Your pryde was peuysh to play such prankys
Youre pouerte cowde not attayne
With our kyng royall / war to mayntayne

Of the kynge of Nauerne / ye might take heed
Vngraciously how he doth speed
155 In double-delyng / so he dyd dreme In] An D, M, In K
That he is kyng / without a reme
And for example / [y]e wold none take ye] he L, K, D, M
Experiens hath brought you / in such a brake
Your welth / your ioy / your sport / your play
160 Your braggyng bost / your royall aray
Your beard so brym / as bore at bay
Your seuen systers / that Gun so gay
All haue ye lost / and cast away.
sig: [B2v]
Thus fortune hath tourned you / I dare well say
165 Now from a kyng / to a clot of clay
Out of your Robes / ye were shaked your] K, D, M omit
And wretchedly ye lay / starke naked starke naked] starke your naked K, D, starke all naked M
For lacke of grace / hard was your hap
The Popes cur[se] gaue you that clap. curse] cures L, K, D, M

ref.ed: 120
170 ¶Of the out-Iles the rough-foted Scottes
We haue well eased them of the bottes
The rude ranke Scottes / lyke dronken dranes
At Englysh bowes / haue fetched their banes
It is not syttyng / in tower and towne
175 A Sumner / to were a kynges crowne
Fortune on you / therfore dyd frowne
Ye were to hye / ye ar cast downe
Syr sumner now / where is your crowne
Cast of your crowne / cast vp your crowne
180 Syr Sumner / now ye haue lost your crowne.


Quod Skelton Laureate. Oratour to the Kynges most royall estate.
SCotia redacta in formam prouincie Scotia] Scotica L, K, D, M
Regis parebit nutibus anglie:
Alioquin (per desertum sin) super Cherubim
Cherubin / seraphim / seraphin-que ergo. etc.

¶Vnto dyuers people that remord [t]his
this] his L, K, this D, M
rymyng agaynst the scot Iemmy.

I Am now constrayned
With wordes nothing fayned
This Inuectyue to make
For some peoples sake original midline period after 'make' omitted and line redistributed
5 That lyst for to iangyll
And waywardly to wrangyll
sig: [B3]
Agaynst this my makyng
Their males therat shakyng
At it reprehendyng
10 And venemously stingyng original midline period after 'reprehendyng' omitted and line redistributed
Rebukyng and remordyng
And nothing accordyng.

Cause haue they [n]one other haue they] they haue D, M
But for that he was brother brother] hys brother D, M
15 Brother vnnaturall
Vnto our kyng royall original midline period after 'vnnaturall' omitted and line redistributed
Agaynst whom he dyd fyght
Falsly agaynst all right
ref.ed: 121
Lyke that vntrue rebell
20 Fals Kayn agaynst Abell

Who-so therat pyketh mood Who-so] But who-so D, M
The toke[n]s ar not good
To be true Englysh blood
For if they vnderstood
25 His traytourly dispyght
He was a recrayed knyght
A subtyll sysmatyke
Ryght nere an heretyke
Of grace out of the state
30 And dyed excomunycate

And for he was a kyng
The more shamefull rekenyng.
Of him shuld men report
In ernest and in sport
35 He skantly loueth our kyng
That grudgeth at this thing
That cast such ouerthwartes
Percase haue hollow hartes.
Si veritatem dico / quare non creditis michi.