[1] Speke, Parrot] From the ed. by Lant of Certayne bokes compyled by mayster Skelton, &c., n. d., collated with the same work ed. Kynge and Marche, n. d., and ed. Day, n. d.; with Marshe’s ed. of Skelton’s Workes, 1568; and with a MS. in the Harleian Collection, 2252. fol. 133, which has supplied much not given in the printed copies, and placed between brackets in the present edition. The marginal notes are found only in MS.

[2] The boke, &c.... Speake, Parrot] So Marshe’s ed. Not in other eds.

[3] recipit] MS. “recepit.” The next two lines are given very inaccurately here in MS., but are repeated (with a slight variation) more correctly at the end of the poem. The Latin portions of the MS. are generally of ludicrous incorrectness, the transcriber evidently not having understood that language.

[4] Lucanus] See Phar. iii. 256. But the line here quoted is from Boethii Consol. Phil. lib. v. met. 1.

[5] wonderous] So other eds. Lant’s ed. “wonderuos.”

[6] to greate ladyes] MS. “to grece to lordes.”

[7] ful mekely with many a diuers] MS. “full meryly with many dyuors.”

[8] a] MS. “and a.”

[9] my] MS. “and my.”

[10] a] So MS. Eds. “the.”

[11] dicere] MS. (which alone has these marginal notes) “dictorem:” the whole runs in Martial thus:

[12] this] Ed. of Kynge and Marche, “thie.”

[13] your] MS. “ower.”—In this line a friend would read “muie;” but MS. has “mewte.”

[14] Ebrew, Araby, and Caldey] MS. “Ebrue and in Caldee.”

[15] Dowse] Other eds. “Howse.” MS. “Dowche.”

[16] can supple] MS. “can shewe propyrlye.”

[17] Henry] MS. “herry.”

[18] ryall] Other eds. and MS. (with various spelling) “roial.”

[19] saves] So MS. Eds. “sauies:”—“habler” ought to be “hablar;” but throughout this work I have not altered the spelling of quotations in modern languages, because probably Skelton wrote them inaccurately.

[20] fidasso de cosso] So MS. Eds. of Lant, and of Kynge and Marche, “sidasso de cosso.” Eds. of Day, and of Marshe, “sidasso de costo.” See notes.

[21] expers] Not in MS.

[22] dictes ar] Other eds. “dices at.”

[23] Souentez foys, &c.] This line found only in Lant’s ed. and MS. The latter has “Souentem,” (or “Sonentem,”) &c.

[24] pronuntio] Probably not the right reading. The MS. seems to have either “pō sio” or “pō fio.”

[25] maystres] Other eds. “maysters” and “maisters.”

[26] I] MS. “he.”

[27] mory] MS. “mery:” but the context seems to confirm the other reading.

[28] men] MS. “mad.”

[29] for] Other eds. “sor” and “or.”

[30] theyr doth] MS. “ys the.”

[31] Myden] So MS. Eds. “Niden.”

[32] Greke] MS. “grekys.”

[33] Besy, besy, &c.] Instead of this stanza, MS. has,—

omitting what occurs between the first of these lines and the second (p. 11) in eds.

[34] maturato] Other eds. “marturato.”

[35] sanno] Marshe’s ed. “saung.”

[36] Iobab] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “Iob.” See notes.

[37] Hus] Ed. of Kynge and Marche, “Pus.”

[38] cause] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “law.”

[39] Popering] Other eds. “popeting.”

[40] whynnymeg] Other eds. (with various spelling) “whynnynmeg.”

[41] wald haue e] Other eds. “would (and “wold”) haue a:” but the reading of Lant’s ed. seems to have been intended for Scotch.

[42] bagpype] So other eds. (with various spelling). Lant’s ed. “Bagbyte.”

[43] the] Not in other eds.

[44] erstrych] So other eds. Lant’s ed. “exstrych.”

[45] Thomasen] Marshe’s ed. “thomase.”

[46] sayth] Other eds. “say.”

[47] Irysh] Marshe’s ed. “trysh.”

[48] Wrig wrag] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “wrig wag.”

[49] Delarag] Other eds. “declarag.”

[50] crop] Other eds. “cryp” and “crip.”

[51] Og, that fat hog of] Other eds. “hog that fat hog or.”

[52] Cananæorum] Eds. “canaueorum.”

[53] Hough ho he rulyth] Day’s ed. “hough he ruleth.” Marshe’s ed. “hough ho ruleth.”

[54] chiromancy] So Marshe’s ed. Other eds. “ciromancy.”

[55] on] Other eds. “of.”

[56] they] Qy. “ye” here—or “they” in the three preceding lines?

[57] scrape] Eds. of Kynge and Marche, and of Day, “scape.”

[58] non, or non] Lant’s ed. “non or uou.” Other eds. “uou or uou.”

[59] Græce fari] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “grecisari.”

[60] Tryuyals] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “Triuiale.”

[61] the] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “that.”

[62] roufled] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “roulled.”

[63] Menanders] See notes.

[64] Plauti] Lant’s ed. “Plautfi.” Other eds. “Plaut si.”

[65] Declamacyons] Eds. (with various spelling) “declaracyons.” See ante p. 374, note 5.

[66] gariopholo] See notes.

[67] pleris cum musco] Ed. of Kynge and Marche, “pleris com musco.” Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “pleris commusco.” Instead of “pleris,” the Rev. J. Mitford proposes “flarnis” (species placentæ).

[68] Elencticum] Eds. “Elencum.”

[69] enthymematicum] Eds. “Emtimematicum” and “Emtimaticum.”

[70] Retoricyons] Other eds. “Retorcions.”

[71] my] Other eds. “myne” and “mine.”

[72] dere] Not in eds. of Day, and Marshe.

[73] the] Other eds. “that.”

[74] ryall] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, (with various spelling), “royall.”

[75] now] Not in MS.

[76] Itaque consolamini invicem in verbis istis, &c.] “&c.” not in eds. of Day, and Marshe. MS. “Itaque consolamyni in verbis istibus.” Before these words eds. have “Galathea,” which MS. rightly, I think, omits.

[77] Candidi lectores, callide callete; vestrum fovete Psittacum, &c.] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “—— seuete psitacum,” omitting “&c.” MS. omits this passage here, but gives it after the words with which the eds. of Speke, Parrot conclude (see p. 14), having “callige” instead of “callete,” and wanting “&c.”

[78] Hic occurrat, &c.] Was no doubt intended for a marginal note, though in MS. (it is wanting in eds.) it is not clearly distinguished from the text.

[79] In ista cantilena, &c.] Grossly corrupted. The Rev. J. Mitford proposes “ore stillanti.” MS. has “eperit.”

[80] Quod] MS. “Quid.”

[81] Est mihi lasciva pagina, vita proba] “Lasciva est nobis pagina, vita proba est.” Ep. i. 5.

[82] Zoe kai psyche ... desuper] Is plainly a marginal note, though in MS. (it is not in eds.) it is placed after “Concumbunt Græce,” &c.

[83] kus, kus, kus] MS. “kus, kus.”

[84] lyght on thy swete lyttyll] MS. “lyghten thy lytyll swete.”

[85] Zoe kai psyche] Eds. “zoelzepsiche;” and so MS., with slight variation of spelling: the Latin which precedes shews the true reading. These words are followed in eds. by “Amen;” which MS. rightly gives a little after.

[86] Aquinates] Has crept into the text in eds., and is not clearly distinguished from the text in MS. But it is certainly a marginal note—meaning Juvenal, from whom “Concumbunt Græce,” &c. is quoted: see Sat. vi. 191.

[87] Concumbunt] Other eds. “Concubunt.”

[88] Sua consequentia, &c.] Another marginal note (not in eds.) which MS. does not clearly distinguish from the text.

[89] Ergo] Not in MS.

[90] Attica] So MS. Eds. “Actica.”

[91] Sunt] So MS. Eds. “Suus.”

[92] Vel] MS. “Ve.”

[93] hæc] So MS. Eds. “hoc.”

[94] Urania] Eds. of Day, and Marshe, “Vxania.”

[95] Amen, Amen] Occurs twice in MS. by a mistake of the transcriber.

[96] to] Not in MS.

[97] Cum cæteris paribus] After these words, MS. has the passage “Candidi lectores ... fovete Psittacum,” which has been already given: see p. 11.

[98] Morda] So MS. afterwards: here “Merda.”

[99] stede] MS. “spede.”

[100] Psittace, perge] MS. “Psitago perage.”

[101] Morda] So MS. afterwards: here “Merda.”

[102] Parrot[e] Must be considered here as a Latin word, and a trisyllable—u.

[103] perlys] MS. “prelys.”

[104] volitans] MS. “vtilans”—not, I think, a mistake for “rutilans:” compare ante, “Psittace, perge, volans,” p. 16, and “I, properans, Parrot,” p. 17.

[105] notus] Qy. “motus?” but I have no idea what these two lines mean.

[106] complayndre] MS. “complayndra.”

[107] polorum] MS. “populorum.”

[108] lowre] Qy. “lowte?”

[109] sophysms] MS. “sophyns.”

[110] many] MS. “many many.”

[111] perfyte] MS. “profyte.”

[112] the world] MS. “the world the world.”

[113] revelyng] So MS. literatim,—meant for “ruelyng” (ruling).

[114] ffylty gorgon] MS. seems to have “ffyltyrͬgogon,”—the r in the word (apparently) having been drawn through, and another r placed over it, which, I suppose, ought to have stood above the og.