The Bowge Of Courte Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABAACC CBDEDDFB GHGHHDD ACACCIJ BBBBBKL DBDBBCC BCBCCCB BHBHHCC CACAABB BABAAGG MCMCCBB NHNHHAA BHBHHBB CACAABB AOAOOCC PBPBBMM QLQHLHH BBBBBIJ FB B NDNDDCH HDDDDBB CHCHHBB D HBHBBRR BCBCCBBCBFBBPP BDBDDBB B AIn Autumpne whan the sonne in vyrgyne | A |
By radyante hete enryped hath our corne | A |
Whan Luna full of mutabylyte | B |
As Emperes the dyademe hath worne | A |
Of our pole artyke smylynge halfe in scorne | A |
At our foly and our unstedfastnesse | C |
The tyme whan Mars to werre hym dyde dres | C |
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pole artyke Arcturus of the Corona Borealis | C |
I callynge to mynde the great auctoryte | B |
Of poetes olde whyche full craftely | D |
Under as coverte termes as coude be | E |
Can touche a troughte and cloke it subtylly | D |
Wyth fresshe utteraunce full sentencyonsly | D |
Dyverse in style some spared not vyce to wrythe | F |
Some of moralyte nobly dyde endyte | B |
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Wherby I rede theyr renome and theyr fame | G |
Maye never dye bute evermore endure | H |
I was sore moved to a force the same | G |
But Ignoraunce full soone dyde me dyscure | H |
And shewed that in this arte I was not sure | H |
For to illumyne she sayde I was to dulle | D |
Avysynge me my penne awaye to pulle | D |
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And not to wrythe for he so wyll atteyne | A |
Excedynge ferther than his connynge is | C |
His hede maye be harde but feble is his brayne | A |
Yet have I knowen suche er this | C |
But of reproche surely he maye not mys | C |
That clymmeth hyer than he may fotynge have | I |
What and he slyde downe who shall hym save | J |
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Thus up and down my mynde was drawen and cast | B |
That I ne wyste what to do was beste | B |
Soo sore enwered that I was at the laste | B |
Enforsed to slepe and for to take some reste | B |
And to lye downe as soone as I me dreste | B |
At Harwyche Porte slumbrynge as I laye | K |
In myne hostes house called Powers Keye | L |
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Me thoughte I sawe a shyppe goodly of sayle | D |
Come saylyng forth into that haven brood | B |
Her takelynge ryche and of hye apparayle | D |
She kyste an anker and there she laye at rode | B |
Marchauntes her borded to see what she had lode | B |
Therein they founde Royall marchaundyse | C |
Fraghted with plesure of what ye coude devyse | C |
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But than I thoughte I wolde not dwell behynde | B |
Amonge all other I put myselfe in prece | C |
Than there coude I none aquentaunce fynde | B |
There was moche noyse anone one cryed cese | C |
Sharpely commaundynge eche man holde hys pece | C |
Maysters he sayde the shyp that ye here see | C |
The Bowge of Courte it hyghte for certeynte | B |
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The awnner thereof is lady of estate | B |
Whoos name to tell is Dame Saunce Pere | H |
Her marchaundyse is ryche and fortunate | B |
But who wyll have it muste paye therfore dere | H |
This royall chaffre that is shypped here | H |
Is called favore to stonde in her good grace | C |
Than sholde ye see there pressynge in a pace | C |
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Of one and other that wolde this lady see | C |
Whiche sat behynde a traves of sylke fyne | A |
Of golde of tessew the fynest that myghte be | C |
In a trone whiche fer clerer dyde shyne | A |
Than Phebus in his spere celestyne | A |
Whoos beaute honoure goodly porte | B |
I have to lytyll connynge to reporte | B |
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But of eche thynge there as I take hede | B |
Among all other was wrytten in her trone | A |
In golde letters this worde whiche I dyde rede | B |
Garder le fortune que est mauelz et bone | A |
And as I stode redynge this verse myselfe allone | A |
Her chyef gentylwoman daunger by her name | G |
Gave me a taunte and sayde I was to blame | G |
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To he so perte to prese so proudly uppe | M |
She sayde she trowed that I had eten sause | C |
She asked yf ever I dranke of saucys cuppe | M |
And I than softly answered to that clause | C |
That so to saye I had gyven her no cause | C |
Than asked she me Syr so God the spede | B |
What is thy name and I sayde it was Drede | B |
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What movyd the quod she hydder to come | N |
Forsoth quod I to bye some of youre ware | H |
And with that worde on me she gave a glome | N |
With browes bente and gan on me to stare | H |
Full daynnously and fro me she dyde fare | H |
Levynge me stondynge as a mased man | A |
To whome there came another gentylwoman | A |
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Desyre her name was and so she me tolde | B |
Sayenge to me Broder be of good chere | H |
Abasshe you not but hardely be bolde | B |
Avaunce your selfe to aproche and come nere | H |
What though our chaffer he never so dere | H |
Yet I avyse you to speke for ony drede | B |
Who spareth to speke in fayth he spareth to spede | B |
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Maystres quod I I have none aquentaunce | C |
That wyll for me be medyatoure and mene | A |
And this an other I have but smale substaunce | C |
Pece quod Desyre ye speke not worth a bene | A |
Yf ye have not in fayth I wyll you lene | A |
A precyous jewell no rycher in this londe | B |
Bone aventure have here now in your honde | B |
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Shyfte now therwith let see as ye can | A |
In Bowge of Courte chevysaunce to make | O |
For I dare saye that there nys erthly man | A |
But and he can Bone aventure take | O |
There can no favour nor frendshyp hym forsake | O |
Bone aventure may brynge you in suche case | C |
That ye shall stonde in favoure and in grace | C |
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But of one thynge I werne you er I goo | P |
She that styreth the shyp make her your frende | B |
Maystres quod I I praye you tell me why soo | P |
And how I maye that waye and meanes fynde | B |
Forsothe quod she how ever blowe the wynde | B |
Fortune gydeth and ruleth all oure shyppe | M |
Whome she hateth shall over the see boorde skyp | M |
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Whome she loveth of all plesyre is ryche | Q |
Whyles she laugheth and hath luste for to playe | L |
Whome she hateth she casteth in the dyche | Q |
For whan she fronneth she thynketh to make a fray | H |
She cheryssheth him and hym she casseth awaye | L |
Alas quod I how myghte I have her sure | H |
In fayth quod she by bone aventure | H |
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Thus in a rowe of martchauntes a grete route | B |
Suwed to Fortune that she would be theyre frynde | B |
They thronge in fast and flocked her aboute | B |
And I with them prayed her to have in mynde | B |
She promysed to us all she wolde be kynde | B |
Of Bowge of Court she asketh what we wold have | I |
And we asked favoure and favour she us gave | J |
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Thus endeth the prologue and begynneth | F |
the Bowge of Courte brevely compyled | B |
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DREDE | B |
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THE sayle is up Fortune ruleth our helme | N |
We wante no wynde to passe now over all | D |
Favoure we have toughther than ony elme | N |
That wyll abyde and never frome us fall | D |
But under hony ofte tyme lyeth bytter gall | D |
For as me thoughte in our shyppe I dyde see | C |
Full subtyll persones in nombre foure and thre | H |
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The fyrste was Favell full of flatery | H |
Wyth fables false that well coude fayne a tale | D |
The seconde was Suspecte whiche that dayly | D |
Mysdempte eche man with face deedly and pale | D |
And Harvy Hafter that well coude picke a male | D |
With other foure of theyr affynyte | B |
Dysdayne Ryotte Dyssymuler Subtylte | B |
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Fortune theyr frende with whome oft she dyde daunce | C |
They coude not faile thei thought they were so sure | H |
And oftentymes I wolde myselfe avaunce | C |
With them to make solace and pleasure | H |
But my dysporte they coude not well endure | H |
They sayde they hated for to dele with Drede | B |
Than Favell gan wyth fayre speche me to fede | B |
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FAVELL | D |
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Noo thynge erthely that I wonder so sore | H |
As of your connynge that is so excellent | B |
Deynte to have with us suche one in store | H |
So vertuously that hath his dayes spente | B |
Fortune to you gyftes of grace hath lente | B |
Loo what it is a man to have connynge | R |
All erthly tresoure it is surmountynge | R |
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Ye be an apte man as ony can be founde | B |
To dwell with us and serve my ladyes grace | C |
Ye be to her yea worth a thousande pounde | B |
I herde her speke of you within shorte space | C |
Whan there were dyverse that sore dyde you manace | C |
And though I say it I was myselfe your frende | B |
For here be dyverse to you that be unkynde | B |
But this one thynge ye maye be sure of me | C |
For by that lorde that bought dere all mankynde | B |
I can not flater I muste be playne to the | F |
And ye nede ought man shewe to me your mynde | B |
For ye have me whome faythfull ye shall fynde | B |
Whyles I have ought by God thou shalt not lacke | P |
And yf nede be a bolde worde I dare cracke | P |
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Nay naye be sure whyles I am on your syde | B |
Ye maye not fall truste me ye maye not fayle | D |
Ye stonde in favoure and Fortune is your gyde | B |
And as she wyll so shall our grete shyppe sayle | D |
Thyse lewde cok wattes shall nevermore prevayle | D |
Ageynste you hardely therefore be not afrayde | B |
Farewell tyll soone but no worde that I sayde | B |
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DREDE | B |
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Than thanked I hym for his grete gentylne | A |
John Skelton
(1)
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