Page:Lives of Poets-Laureate.djvu/45

Rh was he made a poet-laureate, And on a time he had been at Abingdon to make merry, where that he had eat salt meats; and he did come late home to Oxford, and he did lie in an inn named the 'Tabard,' which is now the 'Angel,' and he did drink, and went to bed. About midnight, he was so thirsty or dry, that he was constrained to call to the tapster for drink; and the tapster heard him not. Then he cried to his host, and his hostess, and to the ostler, for drink, and no man would hear him. 'Alack!' said Skelton, 'I shall perish for lack of drink! what remedy?' At the last he did cry out, and said: 'Fire! fire! fire!' When Skelton heard every man bustled himself upward, and some of them were naked, and some were half-asleep and amazed, and Skelton did cry, 'Fire! fire!' still, that every man knew not whither to resort; Skelton did go to bed, and the host, and hostess, and the tapster with the ostler, did run to Skelton's chamber with candles lighted in their hands, saying: 'Where—where is the fire?' 'Here, here, here,' said Skelton, and pointed his finger to his mouth, saying, 'Fetch me some drink to quench the fire, and the heat and the dryness in my mouth;' and so they did. Wherefore it is good for every man to help his own self in time of need with some policy or craft, so be it there be no deceit nor falsehood used."

We conclude our quotations by an extract from a brochure termed "The Life of Long Meg of Westminster," detailing the first introduction of that interesting personage to our jovial laureate.

"After the carrier had set up his horse, and despatched his lading, he remembered his oath, and therefore bethought him how he might place these three maids. With that he called to mind that the mistress at the 'Eagle' in Westminster had spoken divers times to him for a servant.