By portraying Wolsey as a cat which ought to be controlled (in this metaphor, by means of a bell), Colin Clout both belittles Wolsey as, in essence, a relatively minor domestic predator and also provides moral contrast by comparing Wolsey with the good bishops. Of course, even the good bishops are too afraid of Wolsey to confront him for fear of here can mean a rebuke, but it can also mean a noose, as can be punishment: “checke” seen in Tyborne checke / Shall breke his Magnyfycence: “A necke” (907-11). A recurring image that Skelton was helpless to resist was to form an imagistic pun on the surname of longtime mistress, Joan Larke. longtime Wolsey’s Wolsey’s relationship with Joan Larke, who bore Wolsey two children before being married to another man, was not a well-kept secret. Colin Clout mocks the relationship by addressing Wolsey directly: I tell you as men say. Amende whan ye may, For, usque ad montem Sare, Men say, ye can nat appare; For some say ye hunte in parkes And hauke on hobby larkes And other wanton warkes Whan the nyght darkes. Skelton (via Colin Clout) states that he is merely reporting what is publicly discussed (“I tell you as men indeed, he repeats this defense twice in the stanza. These say”); deflections of accountability do two essential things: first, they allow Skelton to use Clout as an authorial shield, and second, they support the claim that Skelton is making. That claim appears in the second half of the excerpt by means of a hunting metaphor: that instead of attending to his ecclesiastical duties, Wolsey goes hunting and “larkes” wanton Most tellingly, these alleged hunts take place at night: not the “other warkes”. ideal time for hunting birds. Scattergood concurs, stating that seems the phrase “it meant in But here it is almost certainly also an allusion ‘to indulge illicit sexual affairs’. to Joan Larke, the mother of two Wolsey’s illegitimate children.”
By portraying Wolsey as a cat which ought to be controlled (in this metaphor, by means of a bell), Colin Clout both belittles Wolsey as, in essence, a relatively minor domestic predator and also provides moral contrast by comparing Wolsey with the good bishops. Of course, even the good bishops are too afraid of Wolsey to confront him for fear of punishment: “checke” here can mean a rebuke, but it can also mean a noose, as can be seen in Magnyfycence: “A Tyborne checke / Shall breke his necke” (907-11). A recurring image that Skelton was helpless to resist was to form an imagistic pun on the surname of Wolsey’s longtime mistress, Joan Larke. Wolsey’s longtime relationship with Joan Larke, who bore Wolsey two children before being married to another man, was not a well-kept secret. Colin Clout mocks the relationship by addressing Wolsey directly: I tell you as men say. Amende whan ye may, For, usque ad montem Sare, Men say, ye can nat appare; For some say ye hunte in parkes And hauke on hobby larkes And other wanton warkes Whan the nyght darkes. Skelton (via Colin Clout) states that he is merely reporting what is publicly discussed (“I tell you as men say”); indeed, he repeats this defense twice in the stanza. These deflections of accountability do two essential things: first, they allow Skelton to use Clout as an authorial shield, and second, they support the claim that Skelton is making. That claim appears in the second half of the excerpt by means of a hunting metaphor: that instead of attending to his ecclesiastical duties, Wolsey goes hunting “larkes” and “other wanton warkes”. Most tellingly, these alleged hunts take place at night: not the ideal time for hunting birds. Scattergood concurs, stating that “it seems the phrase meant ‘to indulge in illicit sexual affairs’. But here it is almost certainly also an allusion to Joan Larke, the mother of Wolsey’s two illegitimate children.”
GSL_PhD_Thesis_Library_Copy.docx