Go, Piteous Heart
Mannerly Margery Milk and Ale
John Skelton (1463-1529) was an English poet and tutor of King Henry VIII, thereby earning a lifelong access to patronage from the crown and the king’s associates. His colorful life, which included being ordained a Catholic priest and being secretly married to a woman who lived with him in his rectory in Diss, England, caused great scandal among his parishioners. He was known for his biting satirical works and for his great love of a well-executed practical joke. “Mannerly Margery” exemplifies the typical characteristics of Skelton’s verse: an expert use of rhymes seemingly pushed through excessive repetition to their English limits, and an irregular metrical scheme known as “Skeltonics.”
Go, Piteous Heart
Mannerly Margery Milk and Ale
John Skelton (1463-1529) was an English poet and tutor of King Henry VIII, thereby earning a lifelong access to patronage from the crown and the king’s associates. His colorful life, which included being ordained a Catholic priest and being secretly married to a woman who lived with him in his rectory in Diss, England, caused great scandal among his parishioners. He was known for his biting satirical works and for his great love of a well-executed practical joke. “Mannerly Margery” exemplifies the typical characteristics of Skelton’s verse: an expert use of rhymes seemingly pushed through excessive repetition to their English limits, and an irregular metrical scheme known as “Skeltonics.”
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