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John Skelton Quotes

1460–1529 England

John Skelton (c. 1460 – June 21, 1529) was an English poet, variously asserted to have been born in Armathwaite, Cumberland, or Yorkshire. Many of his works included scathing indictments of the church or church figures, and although they were likely circulated in his day, they were not officially published until some time after his death.

England
Poets

Also known as: Skelton, John

Random John Skelton quote

29 quotes

Why come ye nat to court?
To whyche court?
To the kynges courte?
Or to Hampton Court?

Why Come Ye Nat to Courte? (1522)

Laymen say, indeed,
How they take no heed
Their sely sheep to feed,
But pluck away and pull
The fleeces of their wool.

For though my ryme be ragged,
Tattered and jagged,
Rudely rayne beaten,
Rusty and moughte eaten,
It hath in it some pyth.

Collyn Clout (1521)

In the spight of his teeth.

Collyn Clout (1521)

With solace and gladness,
Much mirth and no madness,
All good and no badness;
So joyously,
So maidenly,
So womanly,
Her demeaning.

Far may be sought
Erst that ye can find
So courteous, so kind,
As Merry Margaret,
This midsummer flower,
Gentle as falcon
Or hawk of the tower.

Far may be sought
Erst that ye can fynde
So corteise, so kynde
As mirry Margarete,
This midsomer flowre,
Jentyll as fawcoun
Or hawke of the towre.

At Branxton More and Flodden hylles,
Our Englysh bowes, our Englysh bylles,
Agaynst you gave so sharpe a shower,
That of Scotland ye lost the flower.

Agynst the Scottes (1513)

She is the violet,
The daisy delectable,
The columbine commendable,
The jelofer amiable;
For this most goodly flower,
This blossom of fresh colour,
So Jupiter me succour,
She flourisheth new and new
In beauty and virtue.

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: John Skelton (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.