Vilitissimus Scotus Dundas Allegat Caudas Contra Angligenas
Caudatos Anglos, spurcissime Scote, quid effers?Effrons es, quoque sons, mendax, tua spurcaque bucca est.
Anglicus a tergocaudam gerit;est canis ergo.Anglice caudate,cape caudamne cadat a te.Ex causa caudæmanet Anglicagens sine laude.
Diffamas patriam, qua nonest melior usquam.Cum cauda plaudis dumpossis, ad ostia pultasMendicans; mendicus eris,mendaxque bilinguis,Scabidus, horribilis, quemvermes sexque pedalesCorrodunt misere; miserisgenus est maledictum.
Ye blot:LaudateCaudate,Set in betterThy pentameter.This Dundas,This Scottishe as,He rymes and railesThat Englishmen haue tailes.Skeltonus laureatus,Anglicus natus,Provocat MusasContra DundasSpurcissimum Scotum,Undique notum,Rustice fotum,Vapide potum.Skelton laureatAfter this rateDefendeth with his penAll Englysh menAgayn Dundas,That Scottishe asse.Shake thy tayle, Scot, lyke a cur,For thou beggest at euery mannes dur:Go shake thy dog, hey!Dundas of GalawayWith thy versyfyeng raylesHow they haue tayles.By Jesu Christ,Fals Scot, thou lyest:But behynd in our hoseWe bere there a roseFor thy Scottyshe nose,A spectacle caseTo couer thy face,With tray deux ase.A tolman to blot,A rough foted Scot!Dundas, sir knaue,Why doste thow depraueThis royall reame,Whose radiant beameAnd relucent lightThou hast in despite,Thou donghyll knyght?But thou lakest might,Dundas, dronken and drowsy,Skabed, scuruy, and lowsy,Of vnhappy generacionAnd most vngracious nacion.Dundas,That dronke asse,That ratis and rankis,That prates and prankesOn Huntley bankes,Take this our thankes;Dunde, Dunbar,Walke, Scot,Walke, sot,Rayle not to far.
Vilitissimus] So, perhaps, Skelton wrote; but qy.“Vilissimus?”—This poem from Marshe’s ed. of Skelton’s Workes, 1568.
Words in this poem
- quid n.
- A portion suitable to be chewed; a cud; as, a quid of tobacco. [See Cud.]
- ergo conj.
- Therefore; consequently; -- often used in a jocular way. [L.]
- anglice adv.
- In English; in the English manner; as, Livorno, Anglice Leghorn. [NL.]
- caudate a.
- Having a taill; having a termination like a tail. [L. cauda tail.]
- gens n.
- A clan or family connection, embracing several families of the same stock, who had a common name and certain common religious rites; a subdivision of the Roman curia or tribe. [L. See Gentle, a.]
- pentameter n.
- A verse of five feet.
- contra
- A Latin adverb and preposition, signifying against, contrary, in opposition, etc., entering as a prefix into the composition of many English words. Cf. Counter, adv. & pref.
- asse n.
- A small foxlike animal (Vulpes cama) of South Africa, valued for its fur.
- bere
- , v. t. Etym: [Cf. OIcel. berja to strike.] To pierce.
- 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.]
- relucent a.
- Reflecting light; shining; glittering; glistening; bright; luminous; splendid. [L. relucens, p. pr. relucere. See Lucent.]
- hast
- , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
- wrote v. i.
- To root with the snout. See 1st Root. [OE. wroten. See 1st Root.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Vilitissimus Scotus Dundas Allegat Caudas Contra Angligenas 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, Vilitissimus Scotus Dundas Allegat Caudas Contra Angligenas, in Poetical Works, Volume I (1500–1529), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #59997, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/skelton-poems/vilitissimus-scotus-dundas-allegat-caudas-contra-angligenas.html, id L18624.
Form and metre
Vilitissimus Scotus Dundas Allegat Caudas Contra Angligenas is 84 lines in 5 stanzas. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic trimeter. 95% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 5.3 syllables. 12 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 34% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic trimeter.
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.
- 2 ------A-A tergo · gerit · ergo · caudate · caudam · te · caudæA · anglica · laudeA
- 3 ----A---A- non · usquam · dum · pultas · erisA · bilinguis · quem · pedales · miserisA · maledictum
- 4 -AA--BBCCDD--EEEE--FFGG----HHIIJJJKKKLLMMNNOOOOPPQQRR-S-ST--T blot · laudateA · caudateA · better · pentameter · dundasB · asB · railesC · tailesC · laureatusD · natusD · musas · dundas · scotumE · notumE · fotumE · potumE · laureat · rate · penF · menF · dundasG · asseG · cur · dur · hey · galaway · raylesH · taylesH · christI · lyestI · hoseJ · roseJ · noseJ · caseK · faceK · aseK · blotL · scotL · knaueM · depraueM · reameN · beameN · lightO · despiteO · knyghtO · mightO · drowsyP · lowsyP · generacionQ · nacionQ · dundasR · asseR · rankis · prankesS · bankes · thankesS · dunbarT · scot · sot · farT
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 trimeter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Caudatos Anglos, spurcissime Scote, quid effers? | 12 | ···/˘······· |
| Effrons es, quoque sons, mendax, tua spurcaque bucca est. | 14 | /˘··········˘/ |
| Anglicus a tergo | 6 | ······ |
| caudam gerit; | 4 | ···· |
| est canis ergo. | 6 | ˘//˘/˘ |
| Anglice caudate, | 5 | /˘˘·· |
| cape caudam | 3 | ··· |
| ne cadat a te. | 5 | ····· |
| Ex causa caudæ | 4 | ···· |
| manet Anglica | 5 | ˘/··· |
| gens sine laude. | 3 | ··· |
| Diffamas patriam, qua non | 7 | ······· |
| est melior usquam. | 6 | ˘/···· |
| Cum cauda plaudis dum | 6 | ······ |
| possis, ad ostia pultas | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| Mendicans; mendicus eris, | 8 | ········ |
| mendaxque bilinguis, | 5 | ····· |
| Scabidus, horribilis, quem | 8 | ········ |
| vermes sexque pedales | 5 | /˘·/˘ |
| Corrodunt misere; miseris | 8 | ········ |
| genus est maledictum. | 8 | /˘˘/···· |
| Ye blot: | 2 | ·· |
| Laudate | 2 | ·· |
| Caudate, | 2 | ·· |
| Set in better | 4 | ··/˘ |
| Thy pentameter. | 5 | ·˘/˘˘ |
| This Dundas, | 3 | ·/˘ |
| This Scottishe as, | 4 | ···· |
| He rymes and railes | 4 | ···· |
| That Englishmen haue tailes. | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| Skeltonus laureatus, | 6 | ······ |
| Anglicus natus, | 5 | ····· |
| Provocat Musas | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Contra Dundas | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| Spurcissimum Scotum, | 6 | ······ |
| Undique notum, | 4 | ··/˘ |
| Rustice fotum, | 4 | ···· |
| Vapide potum. | 4 | ···· |
| Skelton laureat | 4 | /˘·· |
| After this rate | 4 | ···· |
| Defendeth with his pen | 6 | ˘/˘··· |
| All Englysh men | 4 | ···· |
| Agayn Dundas, | 4 | ··/˘ |
| That Scottishe asse. | 4 | ···· |
| Shake thy tayle, Scot, lyke a cur, | 8 | ········ |
| For thou beggest at euery mannes dur: | 9 | ··/˘····· |
| Go shake thy dog, hey! | 5 | ····· |
| Dundas of Galaway | 6 | /˘···· |
| With thy versyfyeng rayles | 6 | ······ |
| How they haue tayles. | 4 | ···· |
| By Jesu Christ, | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Fals Scot, thou lyest: | 4 | ···· |
| But behynd in our hose | 7 | ····/˘· |
| We bere there a rose | 5 | ····· |
| For thy Scottyshe nose, | 5 | ····· |
| A spectacle case | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| To couer thy face, | 4 | ···· |
| With tray deux ase. | 4 | ···· |
| A tolman to blot, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| A rough foted Scot! | 5 | ····· |
| Dundas, sir knaue, | 4 | /˘·· |
| Why doste thow depraue | 4 | ···· |
| This royall reame, | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Whose radiant beame | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| And relucent light | 5 | ·˘/˘· |
| Thou hast in despite, | 5 | ···˘/ |
| Thou donghyll knyght? | 4 | ···· |
| But thou lakest might, | 5 | ····· |
| Dundas, dronken and drowsy, | 7 | /˘···/˘ |
| Skabed, scuruy, and lowsy, | 6 | ······ |
| Of vnhappy generacion | 7 | ······· |
| And most vngracious nacion. | 6 | ······ |
| Dundas, | 2 | /˘ |
| That dronke asse, | 3 | ··· |
| That ratis and rankis, | 6 | ······ |
| That prates and prankes | 4 | ···· |
| On Huntley bankes, | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Take this our thankes; | 5 | ··/˘· |
| Dunde, Dunbar, | 3 | ·/˘ |
| Walke, Scot, | 2 | ·· |
| Walke, sot, | 2 | ·· |
| Rayle not to far. | 4 | ···· |
| Vilitissimus] So, perhaps, Skelton wrote; but qy. | 13 | ······˘//˘··· |
| “Vilissimus?”—This poem from Marshe’s ed. of Skelton’s Workes, 1568. | 14 | ·····/·/˘··/˘· |
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.