(a) From ‘The Life of St. Werburge of Chester’ by Henry Bradshaw (d. 1513?), a Benedictine monk living in Chester and posthumously printed by Richard Pynson in 1521 (STC 3506), S iir. The stanza is a variant of the ‘modesty topos’ whereby the author contrasts his work with that of other superior poets, in this instance Chaucer, John Lydgate, Skelton and Alexander Barclay.
To all auncient poetes litell boke submytte the
Whilom flouryng in eloquence facundious
And to all other / whiche present nowe be
Fyrst to maister Chaucer / and Ludgate sentencious
Also to preignaunt Barkley / nowe beyng religious
To inuentiue Skelton and poet laureate
Praye them all of pardon both erly and late
(b) From Bradshaw's other posthumously published saint's life, ‘The Life of St. Radegunde’, published by Pynson c. 1521 (STC 3507), D iv. Once again, Bradshaw employs the modesty topos contrasting his capacities as poet with the same four poets as in No. 5a (‘the monk of Bury’ is Lydgate).
What memory or reason is sufficient
To remembre the myracles of this lady
What story can expresse or pen is conuenient
Playnly to discribe all the noble story
It were a plesaunt werke for the monk of Bury
For Chaucer or Skelton fathers of eloquens
Or for religious Barkeley to shewe theyr diligens