From

A Skeltonicall Salutation,Or condigne gratulation,And iust vexationOf the Spanish Nation,That in a bravado,Spent many a Crusado,In setting forth an ArmadoEngland to invado.

“O king of Spaine,Is it not a paineTo thy heart and braineAnd euery vaine,To see thy traineFor to sustaine,Withouten gaine,The worlds disdaine,Which doth dispiseAs toies and lies,With shoutes and cries,Thy enterprise,As fitter for piesAnd butter-flies,Then men so wise?O waspish king,Wheres now thy sting,Thy dart or sling,Or strong bow-string,That should vs wring,And vnderbring,Who euery wayThee vexe and pay,And beare the swayBy night and day,To thy dismay,In battle aray,And every fray?O pufte with pride,What foolish guideMade thee provideTo over-rideThis land so wideFrom side to side,And then, vntride,Away to slide,And not to abide,But all in a ringAway to fling?O conquering,O vanquishing,With fast flying,And no replying,For feare of frying!But who but Philippus,That seeketh to nip vs,To rob vs, and strip vs,And then for to whip vs,Would ever haue ment,Or had intent,Or hither sentSuch ships of charge,So strong and so large,Nay, the worst barge,Trusting to treason,And not to reason,Which at that seasonTo him was geson,As doth appeareBoth plaine and cleareTo far and neere,To his confusion,By this conclusion,Which thus is framed,And must be namedArgumentum a minore,Cum horrore et timore?If one Drake o,One poore snake o,Make vs shake o,Tremble and quake o,Were it not, trow yee,A madnes for meTo vndertakeA warre to makeWith such a lande,That is so mande,Wherein there beOf certaintieAs hungrie as heMany a thousand more,That long full soreFor Indian golde,Which makes men bolde?” &c.

A poem called Philargyrie of greate Britayne, 1551, printed (and nodoubt written) by Robert Crowly, has been frequently mentioned as a“Skeltonic” composition, but improperly, as the following lines will shew;

“Geue eare awhyle,And marke my style,You that hath wyt in store;For wyth wordes bareI wyll declareThyngs done long tyme before.Sometyme certayneInto Britayne,A lande full of plentie,A gyaunte greateCame to seke meate,Whose name was Philargyrie,” &c.