The Poetical Works of John Skelton (Vol. 1&2). John Skelton
of all this thronge
One came them amonge,
She semed halfe a leche,
And began to preche
Of the tewsday in the weke
Whan the mare doth keke; 450
Of the vertue of an vnset leke;
Of her husbandes breke;
Wyth the feders of a quale
She could to Burdeou[522] sayle;
And wyth good ale barme
She could make a charme
To helpe wythall a stytch:
She semed to be a wytch.
Another brought two goslynges,
That were noughty froslynges; 460
She[523] brought them in a wallet,
She was a cumly callet:
The goslenges were untyde;
Elynour began to chyde,
They[524] be wretchockes[525] thou hast brought,
They are shyre shakyng nought!
Sextus passus.
Maude Ruggy thyther skypped:
She was vgly hypped,
And vgly thycke lypped,
Lyke an onyon syded, 470
Lyke tan ledder hyded:
She had her so guyded
Betwene the cup and the wall,
That she was there wythall
Into a palsey fall;
Wyth that her hed shaked,
And her handes quaked:
Ones hed wold haue aked
To se her naked:
She dranke so of the dregges,[526] 480
The dropsy was in her legges;
Her face glystryng lyke glas;
All foggy fat she was;
She had also the gout
In all her ioyntes about;
Her breth was soure and stale,
And smelled all of ale:
Suche a bedfellaw
Wold make one cast his craw;
But yet for all that 490
She dranke on the mash fat.
There came an old rybybe;
She halted of a kybe,
And had broken her shyn
At the threshold comyng in,
And fell so wyde open
That one myght se her token,
The deuyll thereon be wroken!
What nede all this be spoken?
She yelled lyke a calfe: 500
Ryse vp, on Gods halfe,
Said Elynour Rummyng,
I beshrew thé for thy cummyng!
And[527] as she at her did pluck,
Quake, quake, sayd the duck
In that lampatrams lap;
Wyth, Fy, couer thy[528] shap
Wyth sum flyp flap!
God gyue it yll hap,
Sayde Elynour for shame, 510
Lyke an honest dame.
Vp she stert, halfe lame,
And skantly could go
For payne and for wo.
In came another dant,
Wyth a gose and a gant:
She had a wide[529] wesant;
She was nothynge plesant;
Necked lyke an olyfant;
It was a bullyfant, 520
A gredy cormerant.
Another brought her garlyke hedes;[530]
Another brought her bedes
Of iet or of cole,
To offer to the ale pole:
Some brought a wymble,
Some brought a thymble,
Some brought a sylke lace,
Some brought a pyncase,
Some her husbandes gowne, 530
Some a pyllow of downe,
Some of[531] the napery;
And all this shyfte they make
For the good ale sake.
A strawe, sayde Bele, stande vtter,
For we haue egges and butter,
And of[532] pygeons a payre.
Than sterte forth a fysgygge,[533]
And she brought a bore pygge;
The fleshe therof was ranke, 540
And her brethe strongly stanke,
Yet, or she went, she dranke,
And gat her great thanke
Of Elynour for her ware,
That she thyther bare
To pay for her share.
Now truly, to my thynkynge,
This is a solempne drinkynge.
Septimus passus.
Soft, quod one, hyght[534] Sybbyll,
And let me wyth you bybyll. 550
She sat downe in the place,
With a sory face
Wheywormed about;
Garnyshed was her snout
Wyth here and there a puscull,
Lyke a scabbyd muscull.
This ale, sayde she, is noppy;
Let