Hi Paul,
This alliterative collocation definitely has a Skeltonic attitude about
it. See the opening of 'Colyn Cloute':
What can it auayle
To dryue forth a snayle
Or to make a sayle
Of an herynges tayle
To ryme or to rayle...
And see the 'Garlande or chapelet of laurell', at about line 1360 (I quote
from the EEBO transcription of the 1523 printed edition):
The nacyoun of folys he left not behynde
Item apollo that whirllid vp his chare
That made sum to surt and snuf in the wynde
It made them to skip to stampe and to stare
whiche if they be happy haue cause to be ware
In ryming and raylyng with hym for to mell
For drede that he lerne them there A. B. C. to spell
These peerless passages prompted Puttenham to pass his famous sentence on
Skelton:
'Such were the rimes of Skelton (vsurping the name of a Poet Laureat)
being in deede but a rude rayling rimer & all his doings ridiculous, he
vsed both short distaunces and short measures pleasing onely the popular
eare: in our courtly maker we banish them vtterly.' (Arte of English
Poesie, 1589, Book II, ch. ix)
I've not done a proper search, though, and I'm sure others will provide
better examples.
andrew
Andrew Zurcher
Queens' College
Cambridge CB3 9ET
United Kingdom
+44 1223 335 572
hast hast post hast for lyfe
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