—appare, i. e. impair. The meaning of this passage,—in which (as I have already noted ad loc.) it seems probable from a comparison of the MS. and the printed copies, that Skelton used the forms “Seire” and “appeire,”—is—Amend when ye may, for it is said by every body, even as far as Mount Seir, that ye cannot be worse than ye are. The Latin words are a quotation from the Vulgate: “Et circuit de Baala contra occidentem, usque ad montem Seir.” Josue, xv. 10.
v. 194. hauke on hobby larkes] See notes, p. 258. v. 1358. p. 262. v. 1582.
v. 195. warkes] i. e. works.
v. 198. The gray gose for to sho] Hoccleve uses this proverbial expression;
“Ye medle of al thyng, ye moot shoo the goos.”
Poems, p. 13. ed. 1796.
and Heywood has the following Epigram;
“Of common medlers.
”He that medleth with all thing, may shoe the gosling.
If all such medlers were set to goose shoing,