Januarie.
Her mantle blacke through heauen gan ouerhaile. Which ſeene, the penſiue boy halfe in deſpight Aroſe, and homeward droue his ſunned ſheepe, Whoſe hanging heades did ſeeme his carefull caſe fo weepe.
ColinsEmbleme.
Anchora ſpeme,
GLOSSE.
Colin Cloute, is a name not greatly vſed, and yet haue I ſeen a poeſie of M. Skeltons vnder that title. But indeede the worde of Colin is Frenche, and vſed of the French Poet Marot (if he be worthy of the name of a Poet) in a certaine Aeglogue. Vnder which name this Poet ſecretly ſhadoweth himſelfe as ſometime did Virgil vnder the name of Tityrus, thinking it much fitter, then ſuch Latin names, for the great vnlikehhoode of the language.
Vnonethes, ſcarcely.
Couthe, commeth of the verbe Conne , that is, to know or to haue skill. As wellinterpreteth the ſame the worthy Sir Tho. Smith in his booke of gouercement: whereof I haue a perfect copie in writing, lent me by his kinſman, and my verie fingular good friend, M.Gabrel Haruey, as alſo of ſome other his moſt graue and excellent writinges.
- Sythe, time. Neighbour towne, the next towne; expreſsing the Latin Vicina.
- Stoure, a fitte. Sere, withered.
- His clowniſh giftes, imitateth Virgils verſe,
- Ruſticus is Cerydon, nec muneracurat Alexis.
Hobbinol, is a fained countrey name, whereby, it beeing ſo common and vſuall, feemeth to be hidden the perſon of ſome his verie ſpeciall and moſt familiar friend, whome hee entirely and extraordinarily beloued, as peraduenture ſhall be more largely declared heere after. In this place ſeemeth to beforae fauour of diſorderly loue, whiche the learned call called Alcypbiades, Xenophon and Maximus Tyrius of Socrates opinions, may eaſily perceaue, that ſuch loue is much to be allowed and lyked of, ſpecialiy ſo meane, as Socrates vſed it: who faith, that indeede he loued Alcybiades extreemely, yet not Alcybiades perſon, but his ſoule, which is Alcybiades owne ſelfe. And ſo is pæderaſtice muche to be preferred before Gyneraſlice, that is loue which inflameth men with luſt toward woman kind. But yet let no man thinke, that heerein I ſtand with Lucian,or his deuiliſh Diſciple Vnico Aretino, in defence of execrable and horrible ſinnes of forbidden and vnlawfull ſleſhlineſſe, Whoſe abhominable error is fully confuted of Perionius, and others.
I loue, a pretie Epanorthoſis in theſe two verſes, and withall a Paronomaſia or playing with the word, where he ſayth (I loue thilke laſſe alas: &c.
Roſalinde, is alſo a feigned name, which beyng well ordered, will bewray the very name of his loue and miſtreſſe, whome by that name he coloureth. So as Ouid ſhadoweth his loue vnder the name of Corynna, which of ſome is ſuppoſed to be Iulia, the Emperour Auguſtus his daughter, and wife to Agryppa. So doth Aruntius Stella euerie where call his Lady Aſteria and Ianthes, albeit it is well knowne that her right name was Violantilla: as witneſſeth Studies in his Epithalamium. And ſo the famous Paragon of Italy, Madonna Coelia in her letters enuelopeth her ſelſe vnder the name of Zima, and Petrona vnder the name of Bellochia. And this generally hath bene a common cuſtome of counterſtaiting the names of ſecret perſsonnages.
Anal, bring downe.
Embleme,
