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"Rayling rhyme" may also be related to what Gascoigne in *Certayne Notes*calls "riding rhyme" in the 16th century's misunderstanding of sound changes since Chaucer. You will recall that Gascoigne considers "riding rhyme," or rough verse, appropriate for comic effect. Susanne On Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 2:41 AM, andrew zurcher <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > 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 >