pappes be sene all naked, their heyre combed and trussed in dyuers
places merueylously, be vnreasonable fooles, for they dresse theim like
voluptuous harlottes, that make their heyre to appere at theyr browes,
yalowe as fine golde, made in lytel tresses for to drawe yonge folke to
theyr loue. Some, for to haue their goodes, presenteth to theim their
beddes for to take their carnall desires; and after that they haue taken
all their disportes, they pill theim as an onion. The other, for to haue
their plesures mondayne, cheseth theim that she loueth[767] best, and
maketh sygnyfyaunce to theim, sayeng that she is anamoured on theim.
Thou art a verye idyot so to abandone thy selfe vnto the vyle synne of
lecherye, for thou lettest thy selfe be wrapped therein, lyke as a calfe
or a shepe is bounde in a corde, in suche wise that ye can not vnbynde
youre selfe. O foole, haue aspecte vnto that whiche thou commyttest! for
thou puttest thy poore soule in great daunger of damnation eternall; thou
puttest thy goodes, thyne vnderstandinge, and thy ioy, vnto dolorous
perdicion: and for all that yee bee in your wor[l]dly pleasures, yet it
is mengled with dystres or with mysery, greate thoughte or melancoly.
I requyre thee, leue thy wor[l]dlye pleasures, that endureth no lenger
then the grasse of the feelde. Yf you haue ioye one only momente, thou
shalt haue twayne of sorow for it. Wee rede of Sardanapalus, that for
his lecherye and lybidinosite fell into hell; the whiche put him selfe
in the guise of a poore woman: his men, seinge hym so obstinate in that
vile sinne, slewe him, and so fynished hee his dayes for folowinge of his
pleasaunce mondayne. The soueraigne Creatour was more puyssante thenne
this wretched sinner. Let vs not apply our selfe therto, sith that hee
punysheth sinners so asprely; but with all our hertes enforce we our
selfe for to resist againste that vyle and abhomynable sinne of lechery,
the whiche is so full of enfeccion and bytternes, for it distayneth the
soule of man. Fle frome the foolisshe women, that pylleth the louers vnto
the harde bones, and you shal be beloued of God and also of the worlde.
[759] _The Boke of Three Fooles, &c._] From Marshe’s ed. of Skelton’s
_Workes_, 1568.
[760] _constrayned_] Ed. “constrayneth.”
[761] _gathered_] Ed. “gathereth.”
[762] _is_] Ed. “in.”
[763] _their_] Ed. “these.”
[764] _Thesius_] See notes.
[765] _theim_] See notes.
[766] _meditorious_] Qy. “meritorious?”
[767] _she loueth_] Old copy, “we loue.”
_Honorificatissimo,[768] amplissimo, longeque reverendissimo in Christo
patri, ac domino, domino Thomæ, &c. tituli sanctæ Ceciliæ, sacrosanctæ
Romanæ ecclesiæ presbytero, Cardinali meritissimo, et apostolicæ sedis
legato, a latereque legato superillustri, &c., Skeltonis laureatus, ora.
reg., humillimum dicit obsequium cum omni debita reverentia, tanto tamque
magnifico digna principe sacerdotum, totiusque justitiæ æquabilissimo
moderatore, necnon præsentis opusculi fautore excellentissimo, &c., ad
cujus auspicatissimam contemplationem, sub memorabili prelo gloriosæ
immortalitatis, præsens pagella felicitatur, &c._
A REPLYCACION AGAYNST CERTAYNE YONG SCOLERS ABIURED OF LATE, &c.
_Argumentum._
_Crassantes nimium, nimium sterilesque labruscas,_
_Vinea quas Domini Sabaot non sustinet ultra_
_Laxius expandi, nostra est resecare voluntas._
_Cum privilegio a rege indulto._
Protestacion alway canonically prepensed, professed, and with good
delyberacion made, that this lytell pamphilet, called the Replicacion
of Skelton laureate, ora. reg., remordyng dyuers recrayed and moche
vnresonable errours of certayne sophystycate scolers and rechelesse yonge
heretykes lately abiured, &c. shall euermore be, with all obsequious
redynesse, humbly submytted vnto the ryght discrete reformacyon of the
reuerende prelates and moche noble doctours of our mother holy Churche,
&c.
_Ad almam Universitatem Cantabrigensem, &c._
_Eulogium consolationis._
[Sidenote: Cantabrigia Skeltonidi laureato primam mammam eruditionis
pientissime propinavit.]
_Alma parens O Cantabrigensis,_
_Cur lacrymaris? Esto, tui sint_
_Degeneres hi filioli, sed_
_Non ob inertes, O pia mater,_
_Insciolos vel decolor esto._
_Progenies non nobilis omnis,_
_Quam tua forsan mamma fovebat._
_Tu tamen esto Palladis almæ_
_Gloria pollens plena Minervæ,_
_Dum radiabunt astra polorum:_
_Jamque valeto, meque foveto,_
_Namque tibi quondam carus alumnus eram._
[Sidenote: Zebub musca inflativa sibilans ab austro, quæ intumescere
facit hæresiarchas contra fidem orthodoxam, &c. h. il. Eruditionis
exordium in tenera audacique juventa temperatæ moderationis frenum
postulat. Alioquin scientia effrenata inflataque spuma elationis, quod
dulce venenum est, subtiliter intoxicat interimitque incautum possessorem
suum, &c. h. il. Non sit igitur tibi, Philologia, ratione intemperatæ
loquacitatis suæ,[769] inordinatæ dicacitatis, incogitatæ procacitatis,
in singultum et scrupulum cordis tui, &c. h. il. Eloquentiam sine
sapientia prodesse nunquam, obesse plerumque, satis constat evidenter i.
veterum rhetoris.]
Howe yong scolers nowe a dayes enbolned[770] with the flyblowen blast
of the moche vayne glorious pipplyng wynde, whan they haue delectably
lycked a lytell of the lycorous electuary of lusty lernyng, in the moche
studious scolehous of scrupulous Philology, countyng them selfe clerkes
exellently enformed and transcendingly sped in moche high connyng, and
whan they haue ones superciliusly caught.
[Sidenote: Rhetoricari incomposite, logicari meticulose, philosophari
perfunctorie, theologisari phrenetice, arguit in concionatore, nedum
lucidum intervallum, sed continuam pertinacemque mentis alienationem,
fæculentam, amurcatam, temulentam, &c. hæc il. Vos ergo elephantice
evangelizantes, tanquam anseres strepentes intercanoros olores, relegamus
ad tres grues bacchato Bromio initiatos, pro foribus Vinitoris, propter
fluenta Thamisiæ. Ubi poti potati cum fasciculo inambusto ambustum
futurum fasciculum pensitate, &c. hæc il.]
A lytell ragge of rethorike,
A lesse lumpe of logyke,
A pece or a patche of philosophy,
Than forthwith by and by
They tumble so in theology,
Drowned in dregges of diuinite,
That they iuge them selfe able to be
Doctours of the chayre in the Uyntre
At the Thre Cranes,
To magnifye their names: 10
But madly it frames,
For all that they preche and teche
Is farther than their wytte wyll reche.
Thus by demeryttes of their abusyon,
Finally they fall to carefull confusyon,
To beare a fagot, or to be enflamed:
Thus are they vndone and vtterly shamed.
_Ergo_
_Licet non enclitice,_
_Tamen enthymematice,_
_Notandum imprimis,_
_Ut ne quid nimis._
_Tantum pro primo._
[Sidenote: Stoicam sectam Zenon primus instituit. Juvenes sanguinolenti,
propter libidinem dominandi et gloriam famæ, frequenter fieri solent
seditiosi. hæc Dias. Perihermenias, Latine interpretatio, &c. Porphyrius
floruit Athenis tempore Gordiani imperatoris CC.XLIX. &c. Analytica,
libri priorum et posteriorum Aris. Topica, i. liber totalis de totalibus
locis, &c. Presumere, est non audenda facere, &c. De idolatria[771] lege
Hieronymum ad Jovenianum, &c. Idolatria dictio composita ex idolo (quod
est simulacrum) et latria (quod est cultura) apud nos, &c. De latria,
hyperdulia, dulia, quid sanctitas apostolica cum Constantino magno
Constantinopoli ordinavit in concilio Latrensi, manifeste reperies et
infra.]
Ouer this, for a more ample processe to be farther delated and
contynued, and of euery true christenman laudably to be enployed,
iustifyed, and constantly mainteyned; as touchyng the tetrycall
theologisacion of these demy diuines, and Stoicall studiantes, and
friscaioly yonkerkyns, moche better bayned than brayned, basked and
baththed in their wylde burblyng and boyling blode, feruently reboyled
with the infatuate flames of their rechelesse youthe and wytlesse
wontonnesse, enbrased and enterlased with a moche fantasticall frenesy
of their insensate sensualyte, surmysed vnsurely in their perihermeniall
principles, to prate and to preche proudly and leudly, and loudly to lye;
and yet they were but febly enformed in maister Porphiris problemes, and
haue waded but weakly in his thre maner of clerkly workes, analeticall,
topicall, and logycall: howbeit they were puffed so full of vaynglorious
pompe and surcudant elacyon, that popholy and peuysshe presumpcion
prouoked them to publysshe and to preche to people imprudent perilously,
howe it was idolatry to offre to ymages of our blessed lady, or to pray
and go on pylgrimages, or to make oblacions to any ymages of sayntes in
churches or els where.
Agaynst whiche erronyous errours, odyous, orgulyous, and flyblowen
opynions, &c.,
To the honour of our blessed lady,
And her most blessed baby,
I purpose for to reply 20
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, O publici injuriatores sanctæ et apostolicæ
ecclesiæ, &c.]
Agaynst this horryble heresy
Of these yong heretikes, that stynke vnbrent,
Whom I nowe sommon and content,
That leudly haue their tyme spent,
[Sidenote: O prodigiosa progenies, qualem de filio quæritis habere
misericordiam, cujus matrem inficiamini esse matrem misericordiæ? Canit
tamen universalis ecclesia, Salve, regina, mater misericordiæ, &c.]
In their study abhomynable,
Our glorious lady to disable,
And heynously on her to bable
With langage detestable;
With your lyppes polluted
Agaynst her grace disputed, 30
Whiche is the most clere christall
Of all pure clennesse virgynall,
That our Sauyour bare,
Whiche vs redemed from care.
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, O Ariani, Juliano apostata execrabiliores, &c.]
I saye, thou madde Marche hare,
I wondre howe ye dare
Open your ianglyng iawes,
To preche in any clawes,
Lyke pratynge poppyng dawes,
Agaynst her excellence, 40
Agaynst her reuerence,
Agaynst her preemynence,
Agaynst her magnifycence,
That neuer dyde offence.
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, O spurcissimi, O vilissimi, O nequissimi
obtrectatores matris Christi, &c.]
Ye heretykes recrayed,
Wotte ye what ye sayed
Of Mary, mother and mayed?
With baudrie at her ye brayed;
With baudy wordes vnmete
Your tonges were to flete; 50
Your sermon was nat swete;
Ye were nothyng discrete;
Ye were in a dronken hete.
Lyke heretykes confettred,
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, O insensati literarum professores, &c.]
Ye count your selfe wele lettred:
Your lernyng is starke nought,
For shamefully ye haue wrought,
And to shame your selfe haue brought.
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, O Jebusæi, O Judæi, O Cananæi, O Pharisæi, &c.]
Bycause ye her mysnamed,
And wolde haue her defamed, 60
Your madnesse she attamed;
For ye were worldly shamed,
At Poules crosse openly,
All men can testifye;
[Sidenote: Non vacat, O contemptores Mariani, non vacat, inquam, quod
digna factis recepistis in deiparæ virginis conceptione, &c. hæc il.]
There, lyke a sorte of sottes,
Ye were fayne to beare fagottes;
At the feest of her concepcion
Ye suffred suche correction.
_Sive per æquivocum,_
_Sive per univocum,_ 70
_Sive sic, sive_ nat so,
Ye are brought to, Lo, lo, lo!
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, O malesani, vani, profani Christiani.]
Se where the heretykes go,
Wytlesse wandring to and fro!
With, Te he, ta ha, bo ho, bo ho!
And suche wondringes many mo.
Helas, ye wreches, ye may be wo!
Ye may syng wele away,
And curse bothe nyght and day,
Whan ye were bredde and borne, 80
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, O Husiani, &c.]
And whan ye were preestes shorne,
Thus to be laughed to skorne,
Thus tattred and thus torne,
Thorowe your owne foly,
To be blowen with the flye
Of horryble heresy.
Fayne ye were to reny,
And mercy for to crye,
Or be brende by and by,
Confessyng howe ye dyde lye 90
In prechyng shamefully.
Your selfe thus ye discured
As clerkes vnassured,
With ignorance obscured:
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, O Lutheriani.]
Ye are vnhappely vred.[772]
In your dialeticall
And principles silogisticall,
If ye to remembrance call
Howe _syllogisari_
_Non est ex particulari_ 100
[Sidenote: Neque non, neque legas.]
_Neque negativis_,
_Recte concludere si vis_,
_Et cætera id genus_,
Ye coude nat _corde tenus_,
Nor answere _verbo tenus_,
Whan prelacy you opposed;
Your hertes than were hosed,
[Sidenote: Quoniam ignorantibus suppositiones veritatis propositionum non
relucent, &c.]
Your relacions reposed;
And yet ye supposed
_Respondere ad quantum_, 110
But ye were _confuse tantum_,
Surrendring your supposycions,
For there ye myst you[r] quosshons.
Wolde God, for your owne ease,
[Sidenote: Harpocrates digito labiis impresso admonuit silentium fieri in
Isidis templo, &c.]
That wyse Harpocrates
Had your mouthes stopped,
And your tonges cropped,
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, O coaxantes ranæ, &c.]
Whan ye logyke chopped,
And in the pulpete hopped,
And folysshly there fopped, 120
And porisshly forthe popped
Your sysmaticate sawes
Agaynst Goddes lawes,
And shewed your selfe dawes!
[Sidenote: Sunt præterea nonnulli hujus farinæ, de quibus hic non est
narrandi locus.]
Ye argued argumentes,
As it were vpon the elenkes,
_De rebus apparentibus_
_Et non existentibus_;
And ye wolde appere wyse,
But ye were folysshe nyse: 130
Yet be meanes of that vyse
Ye dyde prouoke and tyse,
Oftnar than ones or twyse,
Many a good man
And many a good woman,
By way of their deuocion
To helpe you to promocion,
Whose charite wele regarded
Can nat be vnrewarded.
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, O Herodiani.]
I saye it for no sedicion, 140
But vnder pacient tuicyon,
It is halfe a supersticyon
To gyue you exhibycion
To mainteyne with your skoles,
And to proue your selfe suche foles.
Some of you had ten pounde,
Therwith for to be founde
At the vnyuersyte,
Employed whiche myght haue be
Moche better other wayes. 150
[Sidenote: Obscurus sarcasmos.]
But, as the man sayes,
The blynde eteth many a flye:
What may be ment hereby,
Ye may soone make construction
With right lytell instruction;
For it is an auncyent brute,
[Sidenote: Ex fructibus eorum cognoscetis eos, &c.]
Suche apple tre, suche frute.
What shulde I prosecute,
Or more of this to clatter?
Retourne we to our matter. 160
[Sidenote: Sublimius æquo aucupium agunt, &c.]
Ye soored ouer hye
In the ierarchy
Of Iouenyans heresy,
Your names to magnifye,
Among the scabbed skyes
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, O Wichliftistæ.]
Of Wycliffes flesshe flyes;
Ye strynged so Luthers lute,
That ye dawns all in a sute
The heritykes ragged ray,
That bringes you out of the way 170
Of holy churches lay;
Ye shayle _inter enigmata_
And _inter paradigmata_,
Marked in your cradels
To beare fagottes for babyls.
And yet some men say,
Howe ye are this day,
And be nowe as yll,
And so ye wyll be styll,
As ye were before. 180
What shulde I recken more?
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, O verbosi sophistæ, &c.]
Men haue you in suspicion
Howe ye haue small contrycion
Of that ye haue myswrought:
For, if it were well sought,
One of you there was
That laughed whan he dyd pas
With his fagot in processyon;
He counted it for no correction,
But with scornefull affection 190
Toke it for a sporte,
His heresy to supporte;
Whereat a thousande gased,
As people halfe amased,
And thought in hym smale grace
His foly so to face.
Some iuged in this case
Your penaunce toke no place,
Your penaunce was to lyght;
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, O díabolici dogmatistæ, &c.]
And thought, if ye had right, 200
Ye shulde take further payne
To resorte agayne
To places where ye haue preched,
And your lollardy lernyng teched,
And there to make relacion
In open predycacion,
And knowlege your offence
Before open audyence,
Howe falsely ye had surmysed,
And deuyllysshely deuysed 210
The[773] people to seduce,
And chase them thorowe the muse
Of your noughty counsell,
To hunt them into hell,
With blowyng out your hornes,
Full of mockysshe scornes,
With chatyng and rechatyng,
And your busy pratyng:
Of the gospell and the pystels
[Sidenote: Sunt plerique alii, sed non alieni, qui tantundem pæne
enuntiant, &c.]
Ye pyke out many thystels, 220
And bremely with your bristels
Ye cobble and ye clout
Holy Scripture so about,
That people are in great dout
And feare leest they be out
Of all good Christen order.
Thus all thyng ye disorder
Thorowe out euery bord[e]r.
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, male docti legistæ, &c.]
It had ben moche better
Ye had neuer lerned letter, 230
For your ignorance is gretter,
I make you fast and sure,
Than all your lytterature.
Ye are but lydder _logici_,
But moche worse _isagogici_,
For ye haue enduced a secte
With heresy all infecte;
Wherfore ye are well checte,
And by holy churche correcte,
And in maner as abiecte, 240
For euermore suspecte,
And banysshed in effect
From all honest company,
Bycause ye haue eaten a flye,
To your great vyllony,
That neuer more may dye.
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, O hypocritæ, &c.]
Come forthe, ye popeholy,
Full of melancoly;
Your madde ipocrisy,
And your idiosy, 250
And your vayne glorie,
Haue made you eate the flye,
Pufte full of heresy,
To preche it idolatry,
Who so dothe magnifye
[Sidenote: Maledictio Mariana descendat super capita vestra, O hæretici,
cretici, phrenetici, &c.]
That glorious mayde Mary;
That glorious mayde and mother,
So was there neuer another
But that princesse alone,
To whom we are bounde echone 260
The ymage of her grace
To reuerence in euery place.
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, O Machomitani, &c.]
I saye, ye braynlesse beestes,
Why iangle you suche iestes,
In your diuynite
Of Luthers affynite,
To the people of lay fee,
Raylyng in your rages
To worshyppe none ymages,
Nor do pylgrymages? 270
I saye, ye deuyllysshe pages,
Full of suche dottages,
Count ye your selfe good clerkes,
And snapper in suche werkes?
[Sidenote: Convenio vos, O dæmoniaci meridiani, &c.]
Saynt Gregorie and saynt Ambrose,
Ye haue reed them, I suppose,
Saynt Jerome and saynt Austen,
With other many holy men,
Saynt Thomas de Aquyno,
With other doctours many mo, 280
Whiche _de latria_ do trete;
They saye howe _latria_ is an honour grete,
Belongyng to the Deite:
To this ye nedes must agre.
But, I trowe, your selfe ye ouerse
What longeth to Christes humanyte.
[Sidenote: Nota de latria, hyperdulia, dulia, quid pro sancto sanxitum
est Constantinopoli ab ecclesia catholica et apostolica iterum
infringere; quid hoc sibi vult, fasciculum consulite inflammatum, &c.]
If ye haue reed _de hyperdulia_,
Than ye knowe what betokeneth _dulia_:
Than shall ye fynde it fyrme and stable,
And to our faithe moche agreable, 290
To worshyppe ymages of sayntes.
Wherfore make ye no mo restrayntes,
But mende your myndes that are mased;
Or els doutlesse ye shalbe blased,
And be brent at a stake,
If further busynesse that ye make.
[Sidenote: O medici, mediam pertundite venam.]
Therfore I vyse you to forsake
Of heresy the deuyllysshe scoles,
And crye Godmercy, lyke frantyke foles.
_Tantum pro secundo._
_Peroratio ad nuper abjuratos quosdam hypotheticos hæreticos, &c._
_Audite, viri Ismaelitæ, non dico Israelitæ;_
_Audite, inquam, viri Madianitæ, Ascalonitæ;_
_Ammonitæ, Gabaonitæ, audite verba quæ loquar._
_Opus evangelii est cibus perfectorum;_
_Sed quia non estis de genere bonorum,_
_Qui caterisatis[774] categorias cacodæmoniorum,_
_Ergo_
_Et reliqua vestra problemata, schemata,_
_Dilemmata, sinto anathemata!_
_Ineluctabile argumentum est._
A confutacion responsyue, or an ineuytably prepensed answere to all
waywarde or frowarde altercacyons that can or may be made or obiected
agaynst Skelton laureate, deuyser of this Replycacyon, &c.
Why fall ye at debate 300
With Skelton laureate,
Reputyng hym vnable
To gainsay replycable
Opinyons detestable
Of heresy execrable?
[Sidenote: Tota erras via, si doctos poetas (illis autem non desunt
charismata) arguis de inscitia. h. il.]
Ye saye that poetry
Maye nat flye so hye
In theology,
Nor analogy,
Nor philology, 310
Nor philosophy,
To answere or reply
Agaynst suche heresy.
Wherfore by and by
Nowe consequently
I call to this rekenyng
[Sidenote: David rex et propheta per divum Hieronymum matriculatur in
nobili catalogo poetarum lyricorum, ut patet infra, &c. hæc il.]
Dauyd, that royall kyng,
Whom Hieronymus,
That doctour glorious,
Dothe bothe write and call 320
Poete of poetes all,
And prophete princypall.
[Sidenote: Vos igitur omnes irrisores contemptoresque poetarum erubescite
cum ignominiosa vercundia, exitiosaque confusio operiat facies vestras.
hæc il.]
This[775] may nat be remorded,
For it is wele recorded
In his pystell _ad Paulinum_,
_Presbyterum divinum_,
Where worde for worde ye may
Rede what Jerome there dothe say.
_David, inquit, Simonides[776] noster, Pindarus, et Alcæus, Flaccus
quoque, Catullus, atque Serenus, Christum lyra personat, et in decachordo
psalterio ab inferis excitat resurgentem. Hæc Hier._
_The Englysshe._
Kyng Dauid the prophete, of prophetes principall,
Of poetes chefe poete, saint Jerome dothe wright, 330
Resembled to Symonides,[777] that poete lyricall
Among the Grekes most relucent of lyght,
In that faculte whiche shyned as Phebus bright;
Lyke to Pyndarus in glorious poetry,
Lyke vnto Alcheus, he dothe hym magnify.
Flaccus nor Catullus with hym may nat compare,
Nor solempne Serenus, for all his armony
In metricall muses, his harpyng we may spare;
For Dauid, our poete, harped so meloudiously
Of our Sauyour Christ in his decacorde psautry, 340
That at his resurrection he harped out of hell
Olde patriarkes and prophetes in heuen with him to dwell.
Returne we to our former processe.
Than, if this noble kyng
Thus can harpe and syng
With his harpe of prophecy
And spyrituall poetry,
As saynt Jerome saythe,
To whom we must gyue faythe,
Warblyng with his strynges
Of suche theologicall thynges, 350
[Sidenote: Fama matriculata, i. scripta in quadam chartula immortalitatis
et schedula gratiæ inmarcescibilis, &c. h. il.]
Why haue ye than disdayne
At poetes, and complayne
Howe poetes do but fayne?
Ye do moche great outrage,
For to disparage
And to discorage
The fame matryculate
Of poetes laureate.
For if ye sadly loke,
And wesely rede the Boke 360
Of Good Aduertysement,
With me ye must consent
And infallibly agre
Of necessyte,
Howe there is a spyrituall,
And a mysteriall,
And a mysticall
[Sidenote: Energia Græce, Latine efficax operatio, internoque quodam
spiritus impulsu inopinabiliter originata, &c.]
Effecte energiall,
As Grekes do it call,
Of suche an industry, 370
And suche a pregnacy,
Of heuenly inspyracion
In laureate creacyon,
Of poetes commendacion,
[Sidenote: Est deus in nobis; agitante calescimus illo.]
That of diuyne myseracion
[Sidenote: Sedibus ætheriis spiritus iste venit. h. Ovi.]
God maketh his habytacion
In poetes whiche excelles,
And soiourns with them and dwelles.
[Sidenote: Dona Dei, carmen nitidum, facundia præstans,]
By whose inflammacion
Of spyrituall instygacion 380
[Sidenote: Mittitur ex astris, a superisque datur. hæc Bapt. Man.]
And diuyne inspyracion,
We are kyndled in suche facyon
With hete of the Holy Gost,
Which is God of myghtes most,
That he our penne dothe lede,
[Sidenote: Tarda nescit molimina Spiritus Sancti gratia. hæc Hierony.]
And maketh in vs suche spede,
That forthwith we must nede
With penne and ynke procede,
Somtyme for affection,
Somtyme for sadde dyrection, 390
Somtyme for correction,
[Sidenote: Lingua mea calamus scribæ velociter scribentis. h. psal.]
Somtyme vnder protection
Of pacient sufferance,
With sobre cyrcumstance,
Our myndes to auaunce
To no mannes anoyance;
Therfore no greuance,
I pray you, for to take,
In this that I do make
Agaynst these frenetykes, 400
Agaynst these lunatykes,
Agaynst these sysmatykes,
Agaynst these heretykes,
Nowe of late abiured,
Most vnhappely vred:
For be ye wele assured,
That frensy nor ielousy
Nor heresy wyll neuer dye.
[Sidenote: Hæc psalmista.]
_Dixi iniquis, Nolite inique agere; et delinquentibus, Nolite exaltare
cornu._
_Tantum pro tertio._
_De raritate poetarum, deque gymnosophistarum, philosophorum,
theologorum, cæterorumque eruditorum infinita numerositate, Skel. L.
epitoma._
[Sidenote: Quæ fiunt inter sociabus[778] sicut Achates, h. Gag. &c.]
_Sunt infiniti, sunt innumerique sophistæ,_
_Sunt infiniti, sunt innumerique logistæ,_
_Innumeri sunt philosophi, sunt theologique,_
_Sunt infiniti doctores, suntque magistri_
_Innumeri; sed sunt pauci rarique poetæ._
_Hinc omne est rarum carum: reor ergo poetas_
_Ante alios omnes divino flamine flatos._
_Sic Plato divinat, divinat sicque Socrates;_