The sharpe sworde was take on honde.
And in this wise it came to londe,
Wherof men made diches depe,
And high walles, for to kepe

The golde, whiche Auarice encloseth.
But all to littel hym supposeth,

Though he might all the worlde purchace.
For what thing, that he maie enbrace
Of golde, of catell, or of londe,
He let it neuer out of his honde,
But gette bym more, and halt it fast,
As though the worlde shulde euer laste.
So is he liche vnto the helle.

For as these olde bokes telle,
What cometh therin lasse or more,
It shall departe neuermore.
Thus whan he hath his cofer loken,
It shall not after ben vnstoken,
But whan he list to haue a sight
Of golde, Howe that it shineth bright,
That he theron maie loke and muse
For otherwise he dare not vse
To take his parte or lesse or more,
So is he poore, and ouermore
Hym lacketh, that he hath enough.
An ore draweth in the plough
Of that hym selfe hath no profite:
A shepe right in the same plite
His woll beareth, but on a daie
An other taketh the flees awaie.
Thus hath he, that he nought ne hath.
For he therof his parte ne tath.
To seie howe suche a man hath good,
Who so that reasone vnderstoode

It is vnproperliche sayde:

That good hath hym, and halt him taide,
That he ne gladdeth nought withall,
But is vnto his good a thrall,

And a subiecte thus serueth he:
Where that he shulde maister be.
Suche is the kynde of thauarous.

USURY.

Hic tractat de illa specie Auaricie, quæ vsura dicitur, cuius creditor in pecunia tantum numerata plus quam sibi de iure debetur incrementum lucri adauget.

UPON the benche sittende on high

With Auarice Vsure I sighe,

Ful clothed of his owne sute,

Whiche after golde maketh chase and sute

With his brocours, that renne aboute

Liche vnto ratches in a route

Suche lucre is none aboue grounde,

Whiche is not of tho ratches founde.
For where thei see beyete sterte,
That shall hem in no wise asterte,
But thei it driue in to the net
Of lucre, whiche Vsure hath set.
Vsure with the riche dwelleth,
To all that euer he byeth and selleth
He hath ordeined of his sleight
Mesure double, and double weight.

Outwarde he selleth by the lasse,
And with the more he maketh his tasse,
Wherof his hous is full within :
He recheth nought be so he wyn,
Though that there lese ten or twelue,
His loue is all toward hym selue,
And to none other: but he see,
That he maie wynne suche thre,
For where he shall ought yeue or lene,
He woll ayenward take a bene,
There he hath lent the smal pese.
And right so there ben many of these
Louers, that though thei loue alite,
That skarsly wolde it weye a mite:
Yet wolde thei haue a pound ageyn,
As doth Vsure in his bargayne.

SELECT POEMS

OF

JOHN SKELTON.

WITH

A LIFE OF THE AUTHOR,

BY

EZEKIEL SANFORD.

Y 2