Fauell
Noo thynge erthely that I wonder so soreAs of your connynge, that is so excellent;Deynte to haue with vs suche one in store,So vertuously that hath his dayes spente;Fortune to you gyftes of grace hath lente:Loo, what it is a man to haue connynge!All erthly tresoure it is surmountynge.
Ye be an apte man, as ony can be founde,To dwell with vs, and serue my ladyes grace;Ye be to her yea worth a thousande pounde;I herde her speke of you within shorte space,Whan there were dyuerse that sore dyde you manace;And, though I say it, I was myselfe your frende,For here be dyuerse to you that be vnkynde.
But this one thynge ye maye be sure of me;For, by that Lorde that bought dere all mankynde,I can not flater, I muste be playne to thé;And ye nede ought, man, shewe to me your mynde,For ye haue me whome faythfull ye shall fynde;Whyles I haue ought, by God, thou shalt not lacke,And yf nede be, a bolde worde I dare cracke.
Nay, naye, be sure, whyles I am on your syde,Ye maye not fall, truste me, ye maye not fayle;Ye stonde in fauoure, and Fortune is your gyde,And, as she wyll, so shall our grete shyppe sayle:Thyse lewde cok wattes shall neuermore preuayleAgeynste you hardely, therfore be not afrayde:Farewell tyll soone; but no worde that I sayde.
Words in this poem
- dwell v. i.
- To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
- dere v. t.
- To hurt; to harm; to injure. [AS. derian to hurt.]
- ought p. p.
- Was or were under obligation to pay; owed. [Orig. the preterit of the verb to owe. OE. oughte, aughte, ahte, AS. ahte. sq. root110. See Owe.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- shalt
- 2d per. sing. of Shall.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Fauell is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 1 (of 2), Project Gutenberg ebook #59997; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: John Skelton, Fauell, in Poetical Works, Volume I (1500–1529), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #59997, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/skelton-poems/fauell.html, id L08632.
Form and metre
Fauell is 28 lines in 4 stanzas of 7 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABABBCC, complete in 2 of its 4 stanzas; the stanza is the Rhyme royal. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 75%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.1 syllables. 2 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 7% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in rhyme royal, other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABABBCC soreA · excellentB · storeA · spenteB · lenteB · connyngeC · surmountyngeC
- 2 ABAB--- foundeA · graceB · poundeA · spaceB · manace · frende · vnkynde
- 3 -A-AABB me · mankyndeA · — · myndeA · fyndeA · lackeB · crackeB
- 4 ABABBCC sydeA · fayleB · gydeA · sayleB · preuayleB · afraydeC · saydeC
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Noo thynge erthely that I wonder so sore | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| As of your connynge, that is so excellent; | 11 | ········/˘˘ |
| Deynte to haue with vs suche one in store, | 10 | ····/˘···· |
| So vertuously that hath his dayes spente; | 9 | ········· |
| Fortune to you gyftes of grace hath lente: | 9 | /˘······· |
| Loo, what it is a man to haue connynge! | 10 | ·········· |
| All erthly tresoure it is surmountynge. | 10 | ·········· |
| Ye be an apte man, as ony can be founde, | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| To dwell with vs, and serue my ladyes grace; | 11 | ···//···/˘· |
| Ye be to her yea worth a thousande pounde; | 10 | ·········· |
| I herde her speke of you within shorte space, | 10 | ·········· |
| Whan there were dyuerse that sore dyde you manace; | 10 | ········/˘ |
| And, though I say it, I was myselfe your frende, | 11 | ··········· |
| For here be dyuerse to you that be vnkynde. | 9 | ········· |
| But this one thynge ye maye be sure of me; | 10 | ·········· |
| For, by that Lorde that bought dere all mankynde, | 10 | ·········· |
| I can not flater, I muste be playne to thé; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And ye nede ought, man, shewe to me your mynde, | 10 | ·········· |
| For ye haue me whome faythfull ye shall fynde; | 10 | ·········· |
| Whyles I haue ought, by God, thou shalt not lacke, | 10 | ·········· |
| And yf nede be, a bolde worde I dare cracke. | 10 | ·········· |
| Nay, naye, be sure, whyles I am on your syde, | 10 | ·········· |
| Ye maye not fall, truste me, ye maye not fayle; | 11 | ··········· |
| Ye stonde in fauoure, and Fortune is your gyde, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And, as she wyll, so shall our grete shyppe sayle: | 10 | ······/··· |
| Thyse lewde cok wattes shall neuermore preuayle | 9 | ········· |
| Ageynste you hardely, therfore be not afrayde: | 12 | ············ |
| Farewell tyll soone; but no worde that I sayde. | 10 | ·/········ |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.