Arts & Sciences
To Johne Ladgate
From The Rowley Poems (ed. Tyrwhitt, 1778)
Well thanne, goode Johne, sythe ytt must needes be soe,
Thatt thou & I a bowtynge matche must have,
Lette ytt ne breakynge of oulde friendshyppe bee,
Thys ys the onelie all-a-boone I crave.
Rememberr Stowe, the Bryghtstowe Carmalyte,
Who whanne Johne Clarkynge, one of myckle lore,
Dydd throwe hys gauntlette-penne, wyth hym to fyghte,
Hee showd smalle wytte, and showd hys weaknesse more.
Thys ys mie formance, whyche I nowe have wrytte,
The best performance of mie lyttel wytte.
Codex Note
A short challenge to the monk-poet John Lydgate, introducing the Songe to Ælla as a bout of poetic rivalry. In the Rowley fiction the two poets exchange verses in friendly competition.
Cite this poem
MLA
Chatterton, Thomas. “To Johne Ladgate.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/chatterton/4/.
Chicago
Chatterton, Thomas. “To Johne Ladgate.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/chatterton/4/.
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