Transcriber’s Note: Volume I is available as PG ebook #59997.

THE
POETICAL WORKS OF SKELTON.

LONDON:
PRINTED BY LEVEY, ROBSON, AND FRANKLYN,
Great New Street, Fetter Lane.

THE
POETICAL WORKS
OF
JOHN SKELTON:

WITH NOTES,
AND
SOME ACCOUNT OF THE AUTHOR AND HIS WRITINGS,
BY THE
REV. ALEXANDER DYCE.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. II.

LONDON:
THOMAS RODD, GREAT NEWPORT STREET.
MDCCCXLIII.

THE POETICAL WORKS
OF
JOHN SKELTON.

SPEKE, PARROT.[1]
THE BOKE [2] COMPILED BY MAISTER SKELTON, POET LAUREAT,CALLED SPEAKE, PARROT.

[Lectoribus auctor recipit [3] opusculi hujus auxesim.

Crescet in immensum me vivo pagina præsens;

Hinc mea dicetur Skeltonidis aurea fama.

Parot.]

Lucanus.[4] Tigris et Euphrates uno se fonte resolvunt.

My name is Parrot, a byrd of paradyse,

By nature deuysed of a wonderous [5] kynde,

Dyentely dyeted with dyuers dylycate spyce,

Tyl Euphrates, that flode, dryueth me into Inde;

Where men of that countrey by fortune me fynd,

And send me to greate ladyes [6] of estate:

Then Parot must haue an almon or a date;

Topographia, quam habet hæc avicula in deliciis.

A cage curyously caruen, with syluer pyn, 10

Properly paynted, to be my couertowre;

A myrrour of glasse, that I may toote therin;

These maidens ful mekely with many a diuers [7] flowre

Freshly they dresse, and make swete my bowre,

With, Speke, Parrot, I pray you, full curtesly they say;

Parrot is a goodly byrd, a [8] prety popagey:

Delectatur in factura sua, tamen res est forma fugax.

With my becke bent, my [9] lyttyl wanton eye,

My fedders freshe as is the emrawde grene

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