Cock Lorel's Boat is a fantastical Tudor satire on the theme of the Ship of Fools. Parts of it are remarkably flat, not to say tedious; there is a very long list of the trades and professions that are represented in Cock Lorel's crew. But this part, where the ship sets sail with its rollicking company, has always appealed to me.
Than Cocke Lorell dyde his whystell blowe
That all his men sholde him knowe;
With that they cryed and made a shoute
That the water shoke all aboute;
Than men myght here the ores classhe
And on the water gave many a dasshe.
They sprede theyr sayles as voyde of sorowe
Forthe they rowed Saynt George to borowe.
For Joye theyr trumpettes dyde they blowe,
And some songe 'heve and howe, rombelowe'.
They sayled fro Garlyke Hede to Knaves In,
And a pele of gonnes gan they rynge.
Of Colman Hedge a syght they had
That made his company very glad,
For there they thought all to play
Bytwene Tyborne and Chelsay.
With this man was a lusty company,
For all raskyllers fro them they did trye;
They banysshed prayer, peas and sadnes,
And toke with them myrthe, sporte & gladnes;
They wolde not have vertu ne yet devocyon,
But ryotte and revell with Joly rebellyon.
They songe and daunsed full merely,
With swerynge and starynge heven hye.
Some sayd that they were gentyl men of grete myghte
That ther purses were so lyght,
And some wente in fured gownes & gaye shone
That had no mo faces than had the mone.
Of this day gladde was many a brothell
That myght have an ore with Cocke Lorell.
Thus they daunsed with all theyr myght
Tyll that Phebus had lost his lyght,
But than came Lucyna with all her pale hewe
To take her sporte amonge the cloudes blewe,
And Marcury he threwe downe his golden bemes,
And Sperus her sylver stremes,
That in the worlde gave so grete lyght
As all the erth had be paved with whyte.
Than Cocke wayed anker and hoysed his sayle,
And forthe he rowed without fayle.
They sayled Englande thorowe and thorowe,
Vyllage, towne, cyte and borowe.
They blessyd theyr shippe whan they had done,
And drank aboute Saynt Julyan's tonne.
Than every man pulled at his ore,
With that I coude se them no more,
But as they rowed up the hyll,
The bote swayne blewe his whystell full shryll.
from
Cocke Lorelles Bote (c. 1509)
tag:
sea travel<link>