[278] Vox Populi, Vox Dei] From MS. 2567 in the Cambridge Public Library, collated with MS. Harl. 367. fol. 130. The latter, though it contains a very considerable number of lines which are not found in the former, and which I have placed between brackets, is on the whole the inferior MS., its text being greatly disfigured by provincialisms.
This poem, which is assigned to Skelton only in the Cambridge MS., was evidently composed by some very clumsy imitator of his style. The subject, however, renders it far from uninteresting.
[279] Mr. Skeltone, poete] Not in MS. Harl.
[280] To the Kinges moste Exellent Maiestie] So MS. Harl. Not in MS. C.
[281] and] MS. Harl. “and to.”
[282] knothe] So MS. Harl.—MS. C. “knoweth.”
[283] lordeshipes] So MS. Harl.—MS. C. “lordshippe.”
[285] nor] So MS. Harl.—MS. C. “or.”
[286] Ye] M.S. Harl. “Nor.”
[287] Nor] So MS. Harl.—Omitted in MS. C.—(“to kepe” is governed by the preceding “able.”)
[288] This] MS. Harl. “Thus.” (But see note, p. 86.)
[289] And] So MS. Harl.—Omitted in MS. C.
[290] matynge] So MS. Harl.—MS. C. “making.”
[291] comons] MS. Harl. “poormen.”
[292] Amonge] MS. Harl. “Amownges.”
[293] penvry] So MS. Harl.—MS. C. “povertye” (which ends the next line but one).
[294] to] MS. Harl. “soe.”
[295] your] MS. Harl. “this.”
[296] you] MS. Harl. “youre grace.”
[297] agayne] MS. Harl. “it agayne.”
[298] playne] MS. Harl. “soo playne.”
[299] Howe nowe, &c.] MS. Harl. “Howe this warld now gowthe.”
[300] my noste] i. e. mine host.
[301] do] Not in MS. Harl.
[302] As] MS. Harl. “And.”
[303] Which] MS. Harl. “That.”
[304] mans] MS. Harl. “menes.”
[305] landlorde] MS. Harl. “lorde.”
[306] at] Not in MS. Harl.
[307] To be in the redyare] MS. Harl. “And to be the more redyer.”
[308] And] So MS. Harl.—Not in MS. C.
[309] the flece] A line, which rhymed with this, has dropt out.
[310] foure] MS. Harl. “fyve.”
[311] Or cum not in theire] MS. Harl. “Or elles come not in the.”
[312] The comons, &c.] MS. Harl.
[313] But miserere mei] Not in MS. Harl.
[314] This] MS. Harl. “Thus.”
[315] or] MS. Harl. “and.”
[316] welthe] MS. Harl. “wyll.”
[317] landlordes] MS. Harl. “lordes.”
[318] I] Not in MS. Harl.
[319] Ye wold fynde remeadye] MS. Harl. “Yowe fynde some remedy.”
[320] And that, &c.] In MS. Harl. is written, in a later hand, at the beginning of this line, and as part of it, “In tyme.”
[321] This] MS. Harl. “there.”
[322] among vs] MS. Harl. “amownges.”
[323] ware he] MS. Harl. “he where.”
[324] plage] A line wanting to rhyme with this.
[325] the] MS. Harl. “youre powre.”
[326] Hygh tyme for to repent] Altered in MS. Harl. by a later hand from “That it was reght tyme to repente.”
[327] This sayeng] So MS. Harl.—MS. C. “Theise sayenges.”
[328] vnto] MS. Harl. “to.”
[329] powr man he] So MS. Harl.—MS. C. “povertye.”
[330] I meane the, &c.] MS. Harl. omits this line.
[331] victualing] MS. Harl. “vylyng.”
[332] Also] MS. Harl. “And also.”
[333] the] Not in MS. Harl.
[334] vade] MS. Harl. “wadde.”
[335] parvo] MS. C. “paruie.” MS. Harl. “parvū.” Qy. “parvis?”
[336] comons] MS. Harl. “poremen,”—altered in a later hand from “commenes.”
[337] Have] MS. Harl. “Hath.”
[338] hayne] So MS. Harl.—MS. C. “hande.”
[339] wryttes yt newe] MS. Harl. “wrythe new.”
[340] be] So MS. Harl.—MS. C. “by.”
[341] prowdest] MS. Harl. “prowdes.”
[342] Therfore] MS. Harl. “And now.”
[343] To suche as hath, &c.] There appears to be some corruption here.
[344] annother] MS. “and nother.”
[345] That] Qy. dele?
[346] hyme] MS. “hyne.”
[347] yerne] MS. “ywre.”
[348] And be not withe me wrothe] MS. Harl. “Therfore be not yow wrothe.”
[349] you] MS. Harl. “of.”
[350] here] MS. Harl. “this.”
[351] cheiffe] MS. Harl. “pithe.”
[352] hole] Not in MS. Harl.
[353] no nother] i. e. none other. MS. Harl. “noe other.”
[354] Whiche] MS. Harl. “This.”
[355] whates] MS. Harl. “what.”
[356] mone] So both MSS. But qy. “none?”
[357] mayne shete] In MS. Harl. is altered by a later hand from “graett shepe.”
[358] How officers, &c.] This line is added by a later hand.
[359] dischare] There is some error here; and perhaps a line or more has dropt out.
[360] And, as some, &c.] This line and the next added by a later hand.
[361] so do] MS. Harl. “thus doth.”
[362] Vox populi, &c.] This line in MS. Harl. is added by a later hand.
[363] this] MS. Harl. “the.”
[364] How this thyng, &c.] This line omitted in MS. Harl.
[365] scace] MS Harl. “skarese.”
[366] Our] MS. Harl. “Your.”
[367] comes] MS. Harl. “commythe.”
[368] hys] MS. Harl. “the.”
[369] this ... deamythe] MS. Harl. “thus ... dremethe.”
[370] illi] Both MSS. “ille.”
[371] For] MS. Harl. “But.”
[372] it as it was] MS. Harl. “this as was.”
[373] The] MS. Harl. “Youre.”
[374] man] MS. Harl. “a man.”
[375] This] MS. Harl. “Thus.” (But see note, p. 86.)
[376] thynne] A line, or perhaps more, has dropt out here.
[377] theire] MS. Harl. “the.”
[378] My lorde is not at leysure] A line borrowed from Skelton’s Why come ye nat to Courte, v. 622 vol. ii. 46.
[379] dares not ons to sturre] MS. Harl. “darre not ones sture.”
[380] must vse] MS. Harl. “most gowe vse.”
[381] mesteres Mede] The writer, perhaps, recollected that Skelton had mentioned “mayden Meed” in Ware the Hauke, v. 149. vol. i. 160.
[382] vttermost] MS. Harl. “vttmost.”
[383] better] MS. Harl. “the” (the scribe having omitted “better” by mistake).
[384] makes] MS. Harl. “maketh.”
[385] non] So MS. Harl.—MS. C. “now.”
[386] this covetous] MS. Harl. “this corsede covitys”.
[387] me] Not in MS. Harl.
[388] be] Not in MS. Harl.
[389] Per speculum ænigmatæ] This line in MS. C. is added by a different hand; and in MS. Harl. it is one of the various additions by a later hand: “ænigmatæ” (written in both MSS. “inigmatæ”) must have been used for the sake of the rhyme.
[390] The] MS. Harl. “Yowr.”
[391] trowe] MS. Harl. “knowe.”
[392] a] Not in MS. Harl.
[393] sent ... cloysterers] MS. Harl. “showtt ... cloystres.”
[394] convert] MS. Harl. “haue convertyd.”
[395] the highe] MS. Harl. “the kenges hy.”
[396] Off] MS. Harl. “And of.”
[397] gothe] MS. Harl. “it gothe.”
[398] Amonge] MS. Harl. “Amownges.”
[399] selles] MS. Harl. seems to have “sylkes.”
[400] telles] MS. Harl. “tyltis.”
[401] those ... welles] MS. Harl. “thes ... weltes.”
[402] fyle] So MS. Harl.—MS. C. “fylde.”
[403] The commons so] MS. Harl. “Yowr powr men thus.”
[404] we ... we] MS. Harl. “thay ... thay.”
[405] 10] Not in MS. Harl.
[406] blessed] So MS. Harl.—MS. C. “blest.”
[407] At] So MS. Harl.—MS. C. “A.”
[408] thei wyll have the neke] MS. Harl. “we shall haue the werke.”
[409] This the poore men saye, &c.] This and the next four lines omitted in MS. Harl.
[410] 11] Not in MS. Harl.
[411] this] MS. Harl. “thus.” (But see note, p. 86.)
[412] make] MS. Harl. “makethe.”
[413] dothe] MS. Harl. “doo.”
[414] coniector] MS. Harl. “conuector.”
[415] For yt stondes, &c.] This line not in MS. Harl.
[416] shamfull] So MS. Harl.—Not in MS. C.
[417] For] MS. Harl. “So.”
[418] the kynges] MS. Harl. “youre grasis.”
[419] That] MS. Harl. “But that.”
[420] Yt is a wordly wondr.] Not in MS. Harl.
[421] The commons] MS. Harl. “Youre powre men.”
[422] 12] MS. Harl. “10.”
[423] Howe] So MS. Harl.—Omitted in MS. C.
[424] Yt may a] MS. Harl. “Yf a.”
[425] all] Not in MS. Harl.
[426] the] So MS. Harl.—Not in MS. C.
[427] realme] A line wanting, to rhyme with this.
[428] the] So MS. Harl.—Not in MS. C.
[429] all] So MS. Harl.—MS. C. “that.”
[430] fyrst] MS. Harl. “frist.”
[431] By] Not in MS. Harl.
[432] laweare ... landelorde] MS. Harl. “laweres ... lawlorde.”
[433] or] MS. Harl. “and.”
[434] master] MS. Harl. “maisteres:” but perhaps some particular individual is alluded to; compare the second line after.
[435] comonwelthe] MS. Harl. “commen.”
[436] groundes make] MS. Harl. “grownd makes.”
[437] And payemasters, &c.] These two lines added in MS. Harl. by a later hand.
[438] to, to myche] MS. Harl. “to myche.”
[439] sterres] MS. Harl. “stowrys.”
[440] may] Not in MS. Harl.
[441] By space] MS. Harl. “By the space.”
[442] Thoughe] MS. Harl. “Ye thowght.”
[443] scase] MS. Harl. “skarsse.”
[444] them] MS. Harl. “they.”
[445] they] MS. Harl. “thosse.”
[446] wyll] MS. Harl. “I wyll.”
[447] toke] MS. Harl. “take.”
[448] all] Not in MS. Harl.
[449] For] Not in MS. Harl.
[450] so] Not in MS. Harl.
[451] 13] MS. Harl. “11.”
[452] neadith] MS. Harl. “nedes.”
[453] By tyme] MS. Harl. “Be tymes.”
[454] I hold and gage] MS. Harl. “I wold to gage.”
[455] perplexyte] In writing this word with a contraction, the transcriber of MS. C. has omitted the second p.
[456] this] MS. Harl. “ther.”
[457] awaye] MS. Harl. “waye.”
[458] Bothe] So MS. Harl.—MS. C. “But.”
[459] treasure tellynge] MS. Harl. “tresure and tellyng.”
[460] and goute] MS. Harl. “and the gowt.”
[461] The Herte and, &c.] This line and the next omitted in MS. Harl.
[462] Withe] Not in MS. Harl.
[463] do] MS. Harl. “dothe.”
[464] Henry] MS. Harl. “Herry.”
[465] Edwarde] So MS Harl.—MS. C. “Ewarde.”
[466] allwaye] MS. Harl. “awaye.”
[467] ffinis quothe Mr. Skelton, Poete Lawriate] Instead of these words, MS. Harl. has,