not do without a small quantity of reason, but in order to temper the evil thus occasioned, at the suggestion of folly woman was introduced into the world—­“a foolish, silly creature, no doubt, but amusing, agreeable, and well adapted to mitigate the gloom of man’s temper.”  Woman owes all her advantages to folly.  The great end of her existence is to please man, and this she could not do without folly.  If any man doubts it, he has only to consider how much nonsense he talks to a woman whenever he wishes to enjoy the pleasures of female society.”

Erasmus wrote an ode in honour of Henry VII. and his children, and in it he recommends him to keep with him Skelton, “the one light and ornament of British literature.”  He says that no doubt the advice is unnecessary, as he hears the King is most anxious to retain his services.  He was tutor to the young prince—­afterwards Henry VIII.  Skelton was born about 1460.  Many of his humorous writings are lost, such as “The Balade of the Mustarde Tarte.”  He became a “poet laureate,” at that time a degree in grammar, rhetoric and versification, on taking which, the graduate was presented with a laurel crown.  Having taken orders in 1498, he was afterwards suspended for living with a lady whom he had secretly married.  This suspension was much owing to his having incurred the anger of the Dominican Friars, whom he had attacked in his writings.  We are told that he was esteemed more fit for the stage than the pulpit.  The humour of Skelton consists principally of severe personal vituperation.  In “Colyn Cloute” he assailed the clergy generally, but he wrote personal attacks on Garnesche (a courtier), and on Wolsey.  The Cardinal had been his patron at one time, and Skelton had dedicated poems to him, among them “A Replycacion” against the followers of Wickliffe and Luther—­of which pious effusion the following lines will give a specimen:—­

“To the honour of our blessed lady
And her most blesed baby,
I purpose for to reply
Agaynst this horryble heresy
Of these young heretics that

                    Stynke unbrent.

“I say, thou madde marche hare,
I wondre how ye dare
Open your ianglyng iawes,
To preche in any clawes
Lyke pratynge poppyng dawes.

“I say, ye braynless beestes,
Why iangle you such iestes. 
In your diuynite
Of Luther’s affynite
To the people of lay fee
Raylying in your rages
To worshyppe none ymages
Nor do pylgrymages.”

The cause of his quarrel with Wolsey is not known, but he afterwards wrote a severe personal attack upon him entitled, “Why come ye not to Courte?” The tone of this effusion may be gathered from such expressions as:—­

  “God save his noble grace
   And grant him a place
   Endlesse to dwell,
   With the deuyll of hell,
   For and he were there
   We nede neuer feere,
   Of the fendys blake;
   For I vndertake
   He wolde so brag and crake,
   That he wolde then make
   The deuyls to quake,
   To shudder and to shake.”