After the opening COUPLET, the rhymes are tercets
(units of three lines of verse), with short, irregularly
rhythmic lines, a good example of the verse form
devised by Skelton called SKELTONICS. The lady is
described “as fulle of good wille / As the fayre Isyphill”
(ll. 1020–1021), or Hypsipyle, a character who appears
in GEOFFREY CHAUCER’s The LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN.
Abandoned by Jason after their marriage, Hypsipyle,
the daughter of King Thoas of Lemnos, composes a
famous letter to her husband. In Chaucer’s story, Hyp-
sipyle remains faithful to Jason, then dies for love of
him. In De mulieribus claris (Of Famous Women),
GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO explains that Hypsipyle resists
when the women of Lemnos decide to murder all men,
saving the life of her father and later of her twin sons.
Hypsipyle was seen as a type of loyal daughter, which
has led to speculation that Margarete may have been a
young woman who supported her own father through
a diffi cult time.
In the next tercet, Skelton compares Margarete to
“Colyaunder / Swete pomaunder / Good Cassander”
(ll. 1022–1025). The lady is sweet as coriander, an aro-
matic herb sometimes employed in medicines or used
in a pomander, a ball fi lled with aromatic spices used
to sweeten the air or ward off plague. The meaning of
“Cassander” has been much debated. Two classical
allusions suggest a tragic interpretation: Cassandra,
daughter of Priam, king of Troy, who has the unfortu-
nate gift of prophecy; and Cassander, successor to
Alexander the Great, who executed Alexander’s
mother, wife, and son. Herbal suggestions include cas-
sava, or tapioca starch, as well as the herb cassawder.
Skelton may also mean cassia or cinnamon, which, like
coriander and pomanders, was used to perfume the air
and for medicinal purposes.
Some have suggested that Margarete Hussey was the
wife of Sir John Hussey, sheriff of Lincolnshire from
1493 to 1494, who was later controller of the household
of Henry VII and the honorary court position of chief
butler of England. This Margarete Hussey, however,
died in 1492, some three years prior to the presumed
date of the Garland’s composition. The lyrics may have
been written prior to Margarete Hussey’s marriage and
then appended by Skelton to the series, though others
insist that Skeleton would not have portrayed Margarete
so vibrantly to her friends if she were already dead.
While the identity of the lady remains uncertain, her
lively character is aptly described in Skelton’s verses.
See also GARLAND OF LAUREL (OVERVIEW).
Martha W. DriverGASCOIGNE, GEORGE (1539–1577) George
Gascoigne was born a country gentleman in the village
of Cardington in Bedfordshire, England. He attended
Cambridge University, undertaking the study and
practice of law at Gray’s Inn in 1555, but also took the
time to develop his literary talents. In 1557, he took
his fi rst seat in Parliament. A year later, while attending
Queen ELIZABETH I’s coronation, Gascoigne became
entranced by courtly life, and thereafter, courtly ambi-
tions dominated his life, while his poetry constantly
endangered these hopes. However, today he is often
referred to as an “ice-breaker” for later poets because
he attempted so many literary forms.
To keep pace with court life, Gascoigne began to
spend lavishly, and he went deep into debt. In 1562,
he landed in prison for fi ghting with his wife Eliza-
beth’s former husband over both her and her property.
In 1570, he was jailed for debt, and two years later,
continuing fi nancial troubles resulted in the nullifi ca-
tion of his second election to Parliament. By 1572,
even his poetry had begun to darken Gascoigne’s repu-
tation, and he was brought before the Privy Council on
charges of slander.
That same year, in the hope of paying his debts and
salvaging his reputation, Gascoigne volunteered for
military service. While he was abroad, in 1573, a scan-
dalous anthology of poems, A Hundreth Sundrie Flowres,
began to circulate at court, and while all the entries
were anonymous, several clearly had been authored by
Gascoigne. Before he could again hope for courtly
favor, he had to distance himself from this somehow.
In spite of this, and though no better off fi nancially
when he returned to England in 1574, his overall rep-
utation was repaired to such a degree through his mili-
tary adventures that in 1575 he received a commission
to compose entertainment for the Queen, and he was
recommended (unsuccessfully) for poet laureate.
See also COURT CULTURE, “LULLABIE,” “WOODMANSHIP.”202 GASCOIGNE, GEORGE