Fortunés wheel go'th round about What man ymay the wind restrain, To make sure newfangleness, At every haven they can arrive Whereat they wot is good passáge; Of innocence they cannot strive With wawés, nor no rockés rage; So happy is their lodemanage With needle' and stone their course to dress, That Solomon was not so sage To find in them no doubleness. Therefore whoso doth them accuse To speaké rown, other to muse, To pinch at their conditión, All is but false collusión, I dare right well the soth express; They have no better protectión, But shroud them under doubleness. So well fortunéd is their chance, They set a fell conclusión Of lombés, as in sothfastness, Though clerkés maken mentión Their kind is fret with doubleness. Sampson yhad experience That women were full true yfound When Dalila of innocence With shearés 'gan his hair to round; To speak also of Rosamond, And Cleopatra's faithfulness, The stories plainly will confound Men that apeach their doubleness. Single thing is not ypraised, Nor of old is of no renown, In balance when they be ypesed, For lack of weight they be borne down, And for this cause of just reason These women all of rightwisness Of choice and free electión Most love exchange and doubleness. L'ENVOI. O YE Women! which be inclinéd John Skelton Ladies' Darling My name is Parrot, a byrd of paradise, Daintily dieted with divers delicate spice, Till Euphrates, that floodé, driveth me to Inde, And send me to great ladies of estate. Then Parrot must have an almon or a date; A cage curiously carv'n, with silver pin, A mirror of glass, that I may toot therein. These maidens full meeklý with many a divers flow'r Freshly they dress and maké sweet my bower. 66 Speak, Parrot, I pray you," full curtesly they say: Parrot is a goodly byrd, a pretty popagey." With beak ybent, my little wanton eye, "My proper Parrot, my little pretty fool," From ladiés I learn, and go with them to school. Like your pusscat Parrot can mute and cry In Latin, Ebrew, Araby, and Chaldéy. In Greek tongue Parrot can both speak and say, As Persius, that poet, doth report of me, "Christ save Henry VIII., our royal King, The redde rose in honour to flourish and to spring!" -"Speak, Parrot." Fire! Fire! SKELTON was an Englishman born as Skogyn was, and he was educated and brought up in Oxford, and there was he made a poet laureate. On time he had been to Abingdon to make merry, where he had eat salt meats; and he did come home late to Oxford, and he did lie in an inn named the Tabor, which is now the Angel. And he did drinke, and went to bed. About middle night he was so thirsty or dry that he was constrained to call to the tapster for drinke; and the tapster heard him not. "Alack," said Skelton, "I shall perish for lack of drinke!" What remede? At the last he did cry out, and said, “Fire! fire! fire!" Skelton heard every man bustle himself upward; and some were naked, and some were half asleep and amazed. And Skelton did cry, "Fire! fire!" still, that every man knew not whither to resort. Then did Skelton go to bed, and the host and hostess, and the tapster with the ostler, did run to Skelton's chamber with candles lighted in their handes, saying, "Where, where, where is the fire?" "Here, here, |