Poetical Works of John Skelton
Miseremini mei, ye that be my frendis!This world hath formed me downe to fall:How may I endure, when that eueri thyng endis?What creature is borne to be eternall?Now there is no more but pray for me all:Thus say I Edward, that late was youre kynge,And twenty two yeres ruled this imperyall,Some vnto pleasure, and some to no lykynge:Mercy I aske of my mysdoynge;What auayleth it, frendes, to be my foo,Sith I can not resyst, nor amend your complaining?Quia, ecce, nunc in pulvere dormio!
I slepe now in molde, as it is naturallThat erth vnto erth hath his reuerture:What ordeyned God to be terestryall,Without recours to the erth of nature?Who to lyue euer may himselfe assure?What is it to trust on mutabilyte,Sith that in this world nothing may indure?For now am I gone, that late was in prosperyte:To presume thervppon, it is but a vanyte,Not certayne, but as a cheryfayre full of wo:Reygned not I of late in greate felycite?Et, ecce, nunc in pulvere dormio!
Where was in my lyfe such one as I,Whyle lady Fortune with me had continuaunce?Graunted not she me to haue victory,In England to rayne, and to contribute Fraunce?She toke me by the hand and led me a daunce,And with her sugred lyppes on me she smyled;But, what for her dissembled countenaunce,I coud not beware tyl I was begyled:Now from this world she hath me excyled,When I was lothyst hens for to go,And I am in age but, as who sayth, a chylde,Et, ecce, nunc in pulvere dormio!I se wyll, they leve that doble my ȝeris:This dealid this world with me as it lyst,And hathe me made, to ȝow that be my perys,Example to thynke on Had I wyst:I storyd my cofers and allso my chestWith taskys takynge of the comenalte;I toke ther tresure, but of ther prayȝeris mist;Whom I beseche with pure humylyteFor to forgeve and have on me pety;I was ȝour kynge, and kept ȝow from ȝowr foo:I wold now amend, but that wull not be,
I had ynough, I held me not content,Without remembraunce that I should dye;And more euer to incroche redy was I bent,I knew not how longe I should it occupy:I made the Tower stronge, I wyst not why;I knew not to whom I purchased Tetersall;I amendid Douer on the mountayne hye,And London I prouoked to fortify the wall;I made Notingam a place full royall,Wyndsore, Eltam, and many other mo:Yet at the last I went from them all,Et, ecce, nunc in pulvere dormio!
Where is now my conquest and victory?Where is my riches and my royal aray?Wher be my coursers and my horses hye?Where is my myrth, my solas, and my play?As vanyte, to nought al is wandred away.O lady Bes, longe for me may ye call!For I am departed tyl domis day;But loue ye that Lorde that is soueraygne of all.Where be my castels and buyldynges royall?But Windsore alone, now I haue no mo,And of Eton the prayers perpetuall,Et, ecce, nunc in pulvere dormio!
Why should a man be proude or presume hye?Sainct Bernard therof nobly doth trete,Seyth a man is but a sacke of stercorry,And shall returne vnto wormis mete.Why, what cam of Alexander the greate?Or els of stronge Sampson, who can tell?Were not wormes ordeyned theyr flesh to frete?And of Salomon, that was of wyt the well?Absolon profferyd his heare for to sell,Yet for al his bewte wormys ete him also;And I but late in honour dyd excel,Et, ecce, nunc in pulvere dormio!
I haue played my pageyond, now am I past;Ye wot well all I was of no great yeld:This al thing concluded shalbe at the last,When death approchyth, then lost is the felde:Then sythen this world me no longer vphelde,Nor nought would conserue me here in my place,In manus tuas, Domine, my spirite vp I yelde,Humbly beseching thé, God, of thy grace!O ye curtes commyns, your hertis vnbraceBenyngly now to pray for me also;For ryght wel you know your kyng I was,Et, ecce, nunc in pulvere dormio!
“What ys it to trust the mutabylyteOf this world whan no thyng may endure.”
“And more to encrese was myne ententAnd not beynge ware who shuld it ocupye.”
“Wynsore and eton and many oder moAs Westmynster Eltham and sone went I from all.”
Seyth a man is but, &c.] Day’s ed. “Seeth a man is nothingbut,” &c. Marshe’s ed. “Sythe a man is nothing but,” &c. Mir.sterqueryte.”
Were not] So Lant’s ed. and Mir. for Mag. Ed. of Kynge and
Words in this poem 19
- eternall a.
- Without beginning or end of existence; always existing. [F. éternel, L. aeternalis, fr. aeternus. See Etern.]
- sith prep.
- Since; afterwards; seeing that. [See Since.]
- naturall n.
- A native; an aboriginal. Sir W. Raleigh.
- presume v. t.
- To assume or take beforehand; esp., to do or undertake without leave or authority previously obtained. [F. présumer, L. praesumere, praesumptum; prae before + sumere to take. See Assume, Redeem.]
- beware v. t.
- To avoid; to take care of; to have a care for.
- leve a.
- Dear. See Lief.
- wold n.
- A wood; a forest. [OE. wold, wald, AS. weald, wald, a wood, forest; akin to OFries. & OS. wald, D. woud, G. wald, Icel. völlr, a field, and probably to Gr. va a garden, inclosure.]
- longe n.
- A thrust. See Lunge. Smollett. [Abbrev. fr. allonge. See Lunge.]
- royall a.
- Kingly; pertaining to the crown or the sovereign; suitable for a king or queen; regal; as, royal power or prerogative; royal domains; the royal family; royal state. [OE. roial, riall, real, OF. roial. reial, F. royal, fr. L. regalis, fr. rex, regis, king. See Rich, and cf. regal, real a coin, Rial.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- wher pron.
- Whether. [Sometimes written whe'r.] Piers Plowman. [See Whether.]
- perpetuall a.
- Neverceasing; continuing forever or for an unlimited time; unfailing; everlasting; continuous. [OE. perpetuel, F. perpétuel, fr. L. perpetualis, fr. perpetuus continuing throughout, continuous, fr. perpes, -etis, lasting throughout.]
- nobly adv.
- Of noble extraction; as, nobly born or descended.
- 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,]
- mete v. i.
- To dream; also impersonally; as, me mette, I dreamed. [AS. m.]
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
- manus n.
- The distal segment of the fore limb, including the carpus and fore foot or hand. [L., the hand.]
- domine n.
- A name given to a pastor of the Reformed Church. The word is also applied locally in the United States, in colloquial speech, to any clergyman. [See Dominie.]
- humbly adv.
- With humility; lowly.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Poetical Works of John Skelton 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, Poetical Works of John Skelton, in Poetical Works, Volume I (1500–1529), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #59997, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/skelton-poems/poetical-works-of-john-skelton.html, id L08626.
Form and metre
Poetical Works of John Skelton is 105 lines in 12 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 75%). 95% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.1 syllables. 14 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 9% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See 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 ABABBC-CC-C- frendisA · fallB · endisA · eternallB · allB · kyngeC · imperyall · lykyngeC · mysdoyngeC · foo · complainingC · dormio
- 2 -----A-AA-A- naturall · reuerture · terestryall · nature · assure · mutabilyteA · indure · prosperyteA · vanyteA · wo · felyciteA · dormio
- 3 -A-AABABB-B--C-CC-C---- i · continuaunceA · victory · fraunceA · daunceA · smyledB · countenaunceA · begyledB · excyledB · go · chyldeB · dormio · ȝeris · lystC · perys · wystC · chestC · comenalte · mistC · humylyte · pety · foo · be
- 4 ABABBCBCC-C- contentA · dyeB · bentA · occupyB · whyB · tetersallC · hyeB · wallC · royallC · mo · allC · dormio
- 5 ---AABABB-B- victory · aray · hye · playA · awayA · callB · dayA · allB · royallB · mo · perpetuallB · dormio
- 6 -A-A-BABB-B- hye · treteA · stercorry · meteA · greate · tellB · freteA · wellB · sellB · also · excelB · dormio
- 7 ABABBCBCC--- pastA · yeldB · lastA · feldeB · vpheldeB · placeC · yeldeB · graceC · vnbraceC · also · was · dormio
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Miseremini mei, ye that be my frendis! | 12 | ············ |
| This world hath formed me downe to fall: | 9 | ····˘···· |
| How may I endure, when that eueri thyng endis? | 12 | ···˘/······· |
| What creature is borne to be eternall? | 10 | ·/˘····˘/˘ |
| Now there is no more but pray for me all: | 10 | ·········· |
| Thus say I Edward, that late was youre kynge, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And twenty two yeres ruled this imperyall, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Some vnto pleasure, and some to no lykynge: | 10 | ··/˘······ |
| Mercy I aske of my mysdoynge; | 8 | /˘······ |
| What auayleth it, frendes, to be my foo, | 9 | ········· |
| Sith I can not resyst, nor amend your complaining? | 13 | ·······˘/·˘/˘ |
| Quia, ecce, nunc in pulvere dormio! | 8 | ········ |
| I slepe now in molde, as it is naturall | 11 | ········/˘˘ |
| That erth vnto erth hath his reuerture: | 8 | ········ |
| What ordeyned God to be terestryall, | 10 | ···˘······ |
| Without recours to the erth of nature? | 10 | ········/˘ |
| Who to lyue euer may himselfe assure? | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| What is it to trust on mutabilyte, | 10 | ·········· |
| Sith that in this world nothing may indure? | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| For now am I gone, that late was in prosperyte: | 12 | ············ |
| To presume thervppon, it is but a vanyte, | 11 | ·˘/········ |
| Not certayne, but as a cheryfayre full of wo: | 12 | ············ |
| Reygned not I of late in greate felycite? | 10 | ·········· |
| Et, ecce, nunc in pulvere dormio! | 8 | ········ |
| Where was in my lyfe such one as I, | 9 | ········· |
| Whyle lady Fortune with me had continuaunce? | 12 | ··/˘/˘······ |
| Graunted not she me to haue victory, | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| In England to rayne, and to contribute Fraunce? | 11 | ·/˘····˘/˘· |
| She toke me by the hand and led me a daunce, | 11 | ··········· |
| And with her sugred lyppes on me she smyled; | 10 | ····˘····· |
| But, what for her dissembled countenaunce, | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| I coud not beware tyl I was begyled: | 10 | ···˘/····· |
| Now from this world she hath me excyled, | 10 | ·········˘ |
| When I was lothyst hens for to go, | 9 | ········· |
| And I am in age but, as who sayth, a chylde, | 11 | ··········· |
| Et, ecce, nunc in pulvere dormio! | 8 | ········ |
| I se wyll, they leve that doble my ȝeris: | 12 | ·//····/˘··· |
| This dealid this world with me as it lyst, | 10 | ·········· |
| And hathe me made, to ȝow that be my perys, | 11 | ··········· |
| Example to thynke on Had I wyst: | 9 | ˘/˘······ |
| I storyd my cofers and allso my chest | 11 | ····//····· |
| With taskys takynge of the comenalte; | 10 | ·········· |
| I toke ther tresure, but of ther prayȝeris mist; | 11 | ··········· |
| Whom I beseche with pure humylyte | 9 | ········· |
| For to forgeve and have on me pety; | 10 | ·········· |
| I was ȝour kynge, and kept ȝow from ȝowr foo: | 10 | ··/······· |
| I wold now amend, but that wull not be, | 10 | ···˘/····· |
| I had ynough, I held me not content, | 10 | ········/˘ |
| Without remembraunce that I should dye; | 9 | ········· |
| And more euer to incroche redy was I bent, | 11 | ··········· |
| I knew not how longe I should it occupy: | 11 | ········/˘· |
| I made the Tower stronge, I wyst not why; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| I knew not to whom I purchased Tetersall; | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| I amendid Douer on the mountayne hye, | 10 | ·········· |
| And London I prouoked to fortify the wall; | 11 | ·/˘···/˘··· |
| I made Notingam a place full royall, | 10 | ········/˘ |
| Wyndsore, Eltam, and many other mo: | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Yet at the last I went from them all, | 9 | ········· |
| Et, ecce, nunc in pulvere dormio! | 8 | ········ |
| Where is now my conquest and victory? | 10 | ····/˘·/˘˘ |
| Where is my riches and my royal aray? | 11 | ···/˘··/˘·· |
| Wher be my coursers and my horses hye? | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Where is my myrth, my solas, and my play? | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| As vanyte, to nought al is wandred away. | 11 | ·······/˘˘/ |
| O lady Bes, longe for me may ye call! | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| For I am departed tyl domis day; | 10 | ···˘/˘···· |
| But loue ye that Lorde that is soueraygne of all. | 11 | ··········· |
| Where be my castels and buyldynges royall? | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| But Windsore alone, now I haue no mo, | 10 | ···˘/····· |
| And of Eton the prayers perpetuall, | 10 | ··/˘··˘/˘˘ |
| Et, ecce, nunc in pulvere dormio! | 8 | ········ |
| Why should a man be proude or presume hye? | 10 | ·······˘/· |
| Sainct Bernard therof nobly doth trete, | 9 | ·/˘··/˘·· |
| Seyth a man is but a sacke of stercorry, | 11 | ··········· |
| And shall returne vnto wormis mete. | 8 | ········ |
| Why, what cam of Alexander the greate? | 10 | ·····˘/˘·· |
| Or els of stronge Sampson, who can tell? | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| Were not wormes ordeyned theyr flesh to frete? | 10 | ·····˘···· |
| And of Salomon, that was of wyt the well? | 10 | ··/˘······ |
| Absolon profferyd his heare for to sell, | 11 | ··········· |
| Yet for al his bewte wormys ete him also; | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| And I but late in honour dyd excel, | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| Et, ecce, nunc in pulvere dormio! | 8 | ········ |
| I haue played my pageyond, now am I past; | 10 | ·········· |
| Ye wot well all I was of no great yeld: | 10 | ·········· |
| This al thing concluded shalbe at the last, | 10 | ···˘/˘···· |
| When death approchyth, then lost is the felde: | 10 | ·········· |
| Then sythen this world me no longer vphelde, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Nor nought would conserue me here in my place, | 10 | ·········· |
| In manus tuas, Domine, my spirite vp I yelde, | 13 | ·/˘·˘/˘······ |
| Humbly beseching thé, God, of thy grace! | 9 | /˘······· |
| O ye curtes commyns, your hertis vnbrace | 9 | ········· |
| Benyngly now to pray for me also; | 10 | ········/˘ |
| For ryght wel you know your kyng I was, | 9 | ········· |
| Et, ecce, nunc in pulvere dormio! | 8 | ········ |
| “What ys it to trust the mutabylyte | 10 | ·········· |
| Of this world whan no thyng may endure.” | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| “And more to encrese was myne entent | 9 | ········· |
| And not beynge ware who shuld it ocupye.” | 10 | ·········· |
| “Wynsore and eton and many oder mo | 10 | ···/˘·//˘· |
| As Westmynster Eltham and sone went I from all.” | 12 | ············ |
| Seyth a man is but, &c.] Day’s ed. “Seeth a man is nothing | 14 | ············/˘ |
| but,” &c. Marshe’s ed. “Sythe a man is nothing but,” &c. Mir. | 14 | ··/˘·····/˘··· |
| sterqueryte.” | 3 | ··· |
| Were not] So Lant’s ed. and Mir. for Mag. Ed. of Kynge and | 13 | ············· |
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