London, ordinatur Diac. per Thom. London, Ep. 14 April, 1498, Presbit. 8 Jun. sequen. [Regr. Savage Ep. Lond.]" Will Caxton, in his preface to his translation of Virgil's Æneids, printed in 1490, hath this; "I pray mayster John Skelton, late created poete laureat in the Universite of Oxforde, to over see and correct this sayd Boke."
Mr. Le Neve says, that his institution does not appear in the books; which is true, for often those that were collated by the pope had no institution from the bishop, many instances of which in those books occur; but it is certain, from abundance of records and evidences that I have seen, that he was rector several years. Erasmus himself gives him this character in his letter to King Henry VIII. that he was the light and honour of the British learning. He was scholar enough, and no bad poet, unless for himself; for being addicted too much to satire, he created three such enemies as ruined him, both in reputation, liberty, and estate; William Lilly, the Dominican friars, and Cardinal Wolsey; the first of these was that great schoolmaster, the author of our Latin Grammar, upon him he reflected as a bad verse maker, to which Lilly replied,
Skeltone, dum tibi parare famam, Et doctus fieri, studes poeta, Doctrinam nec kabes, nec es poeta.
Whilst, Skelton, thou to get esteem, A learned poet fain would seem; Skelton thou art, let all men know it, Neither learned, nor a poet.
The Dominicans were very obnoxious to his satirical pen, for their vices, and he could not forbear exercising his wit upon them; but they, who would bear no serious reproofs, would much less endure his poetical scoffs; whereupon they stirred up Richard Nix, then Bishop of Norwich, to call him to an account for keeping a concubine, (though we ought to observe with Bale, that she was his wife.) for which the bishop suspended him from his benefice. But these were not his worst enemies, for the cardinal it was that completed his misfortunes. Our poet having inveighed against some of that great prelate's actions, and charged him with too much truth, he prosecuted him so hard for it, that he was forced to take sanctuary in Westminster Abbey, where Abbot Islip treated him with much respect in his confinement, in which he died, June 21st, 1529, and was buried in the chancel of St. Margaret's church, Westminster, under a stone, with this epitaph;
Johanes Skeltonus, Vates Pierius, hic situs est.
He foretold Cardinal Wolsey's downfall; and being charged with keeping a concubine, and having several children by her, he said, in his conscience he ever esteemed her for his wife, though he did not declare it, because fornication in the clergy was thought a little sin, and marriage a great one.
Mr. Wood, in his Athenœ Oxonienses, tells us, that "the generality saw that his witty discourses were biting, his laughter opprobrious and scornful, and his jokes commonly sharp and reflecting." His character may be seen at large in Bale and Pitts, where there is also an account of some of his works, most of which were published this year. [1736.] He wrote also a poem in English, called the Ymage of Ypocresy, being a bitter
