The Ship of Fools Part 19

These foresayde vertues with charite and peas.

Together a.s.sembled stedfast in mannys mynde.

Cawseth his honour and worthynes to encreas.

And his G.o.dly lyfe a G.o.dly ende shal fynde But these lewde caytyfs which doth theyr myndes blynde With corrupt maners lyuynge vnhappely.

In shame they lyue and wretchedly they dye.

Of brekynge and hurtynge of amyte and frendshyp.

[Ill.u.s.tration: He that iniustyce vseth and greuance Agaynst all reason lawe and equyte By vyolent force puttynge to vtteraunce A symple man full of humylyte Suche by his lewdnes and iniquyte.

Makyth a graue wherin hym selfe shall lye.

And lewdly he dyeth that lyueth crudlye.]

A Fole frowarde cruell and vntrewe Is he whiche by his power wrongfully His frendes and subiectes laboures to subdewe Without all lawe, but clene by tyranny Therfore thou Juge thy erys se thou aply To right Justyce and set nat thyne intent By wrath or malyce to be to vyolent.

It is nat lawfull to any excellent Or myghty man, outher lawyer or estate By cruelnes to oppresse an innocent Ne by pryde and malyce Justyce to violate The law transposynge after a frowarde rate With proude wordes defendynge his offence G.o.d wot oft suche haue symple conscience

O that he cursed is and reprouable Whiche day and nyght stodyeth besely To fynde some meanes false and detestable To put his frende to losse or hurte therby Our hertes ar fully set on vylany There ar right fewe of hye or lowe degre That l.u.s.te to norysshe trewe loue and amyte

Alas exyled is G.o.dly charyte Out of our Royalme we all ar so vnkynde Our folys settyth gretter felycyte On golde and goodes than on a faythfull frynde Awake blynde folys and call vnto your mynde That though honest ryches be moche commendable Yet to a true frende it is nat comparable

Of all thynges loue is moste profytable For the right order of lowe and amyte Is of theyr maners to be agreable And one of other haue mercy and pyte Eche doynge for other after theyr degre And without falshode this frendeshyp to mayntayne And nat departe for pleasour nor for payne

But alas nowe all people haue dysdayne On suche frendshyp for to set theyr delyte Amyte we haue exyled out certayne We lowe oppressyon to sclaunder and bacbyte Extorcyon hath strength, pyte gone is quyte Nowe in the worlde suche frendes ar there none As were in Grece many yeres agone.

Who lyst thystory of Patroclus to rede There shall he se playne wryten without fayle Howe whan Achyllys gaue no force nor hede Agaynst the Troyans to execute batayle The sayd Patroclus dyd on the aparayle Of Achylles, and went forth in his steade Agaynst Hector: but lyghtly he was dede.

But than Achylles seynge this myschaunce.

Befallen his frende whiche was to hym so true.

He hym addressyd shortly to take vengeaunce.

And so in Batayle the n.o.ble Hector slewe And his dede cors after his charot drewe.

Upon the grounde traylynge ruthfully behynde Se howe he auengyd Patroclus his frende.

The hystory also of Orestes dothe expresse Whiche whan agamenon his fader was slayne By egystus whiche agaynst rightwysnes The sayde Orestis moder dyd meyntayne The childe was yonge wherfore it was but vayne In youth to stryue, but whan he came to age His naturall moder slewe he in a rage

And also Egystus whiche had his fader slayne Thus toke he vengeaunce of both theyr cruelnes But yet it grewe to his great care and payne For sodaynly he fell in a madnesse And euer thought that in his furiousnes His moder hym sued flamynge full of fyre And euer his deth was redy to conspyre

Orestes troubled with this fereful vysyon As franatyke and mad wandred many a day Ouer many a countrey londe and regyon His frende Pylades folowynge hym alway In payne nor wo he wolde hym nat denay Tyll he restoryd agayne was to his mynde Alas what frynde may we fynde nowe so kynde.

Of dymades what shall I lawde or wryte.

And Pythias his felawe amyable Whiche in eche other suche loue had and delyte That whan Denys a tyrant detestable And of his men some to hym agreable Wolde one of them haue mordred cruelly Echone for other offred for to dye

Ualerius wrytyth a story longe and ample Of Lelius and of worthy Cipio.

Whiche of trewe loue hath left vs great example For they neuer left in doloure wele nor wo I rede in thystory of Theseus also: Howe he (as the Poetes fables doth tell) Folowyd his felawe perothus in to h.e.l.l.

And serchynge hym dyd wander and compas Those lothsome flodys and wayes tenebrous Ferynge no paynes of that dysordred place Nor obscure mystes or ayres odyous Tyll at the laste by his wayes cautelous And Hercules valyaunt dedes of boldnesse He gat Perothus out of that wretchydnesse.

Alas where ar suche frendes nowe a dayes Suerly in the worlde none suche can be founde All folowe theyr owne profyte and lewde wayes None vnto other coueytys to be bounde Brekers of frendshyp ynough ar on the grounde Whiche set nought by frendshyp so they may haue good All suche in my shyp shall haue a folys hode

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

Ye cruell folys full of ingrat.i.tude.

Aryse be a.s.shamyd of your iniquyte Mollyfy your hertes vnkynde stuberne and rude Graffynge in them true loue and amyte Consyder this prouerbe of antyquyte And your vnkyndnes weray ban and curse For whether thou be of hy or lowe degre Better is a frende in courte than a peny in purse

Of contempt, or dispisynge of holy scripture.

[Ill.u.s.tration: He that gyueth his erys or credence To euery folys talys or talkynge Thynkynge more wysdome and fruytfull sentence In theyr vayne talys than is in the redynge Of bokes whiche shewe vs the way of G.o.dly lyuynge And soulys helth: forsoth suche one is blynde And in this shyp the anker shall vp wynde.]

Suche as dispyseth auncyent scripture Whiche prouyd is of great auctoryte And hath no pleasoure felycyte or cure Of G.o.dly Prophetis whiche wrote of veryte A fole he is for his moste felycyte Is to byleue the tales of an olde wyfe Rather than the doctryne of eternall lyfe

The holy Bybyll grounde of trouth and of lawe Is nowe of many abiect and nought set by Nor G.o.dly scripture is nat worth an hawe But talys ar louyd grounde of rybawdry And many blynddyd ar so with theyr foly That no scripture thynke they so true nor G.o.de As is a folysshe yest of Robyn hode.

He that to scripture wyll not gyue credence Wherin ar the armys of our tuycion And of our fayth foundacion and defence Suche one ensueth nat the condycion Of man resonable, but by abusyon Lyuyth as a best of conscyence cruell As saue this worlde were neyther heuen nor h.e.l.l.

He thynketh that there is no G.o.d aboue Nor n.o.bler place than is this wretchyd grounde Nor G.o.ddes power suche neyther fere nor loue With whom all grace and mercy doth abounde Whiche whan hym lyst vs wretches may confounde Alas what auayleth to gyue instruction To suche lewde folys of this condycion.

It nought auayleth vnto them to complayne Of theyr blyndnes, nor enfourme them with vertue Theyr cursed lyfe wyll by no mean refrayne Their viciousnes, nor their erroure eschewe But rather stody theyr foly to renewe Alas what profytis to suche to expresse.

The heuenly ioy, rewarde of holynesse.

Alas what auayleth to suche to declare The paynes of h.e.l.l, wo dissolate and derke No wo nor care can cause suche to beware From their lewde lyfe corrupt and synfull warke What profyteth sermons of any n.o.ble clarke Or G.o.dly lawes taught at any Scolys For to reherse to these myscheuous folys.

What helpeth the Prophetis scripture or doctryne Unto these folys obstynate and blynde Their hertis ar harde, nat wyllynge to enclyne To theyr preceptis nor rote them in theyr mynde Nor them byleue as Cristen men vnkynde For if that they consydred heuen or h.e.l.l They wolde nat be so cursed and cruell

And certaynly the trouth apereth playne That these folys thynke in theyr intent That within h.e.l.l is neyther car nor payne Hete nor colde, woo, nor other punysshement Nor that for synners is ordeyned no turment Thus these mad folys wandreth euery houre Without amendement styll in theyr blynde erroure

Before thy fete thou mayst beholde and se Of our holy fayth the bokys euydent The olde lawes and newe layde ar before the Expressynge christes tryumphe right excellent But for all this set is nat thyne intent Theyr holy doctryne to plant within thy brest Wherof shold procede ioy and eternall rest

Trowest thou that thy selfe wyllyd ignoraunce Of G.o.dly lawes and mystycall doctryne May clense or excuse thy blynde mysgouernaunce Or lewde erroure, whiche scorne hast to inclyne To theyr preceptis: and from thy synne declyne Nay nay thy cursed ignoraunce sothly shall Drowne thy soule in the depe flodes infernall

Therfore let none his cursydnes defende Nor holy doctryne, nor G.o.dly bokes dispyse But rather stody his fawtes to amende For G.o.d is aboue all our dedes to deuyse Whiche shall rewarde them in a ferefull wyse With mortall wo that euer shall endure Whiche haue dyspysyd his doctryne and scripture

BARCLAY TO THE FOLYS.

Out of your s...o...b..r folys I rede you ryse.

Scripture dyuyne, to folowe and inbrace Be nat so bolde it to leue nor dispyse But you enforce it to get and purchase Remember mannys consort and solace.

Is holy closyd within the boke of lyfe Who that it foloweth hath a speciall grace But he that doth nat a wretche is and caytyfe

Of folys without prouysyon.

[Ill.u.s.tration: He is a fole forsoth and worse That to his saddyll wolde lepe on hye Before or he haue gyrt his horse For downe he comys with an euyll thee But as great a fole forsoth is he And to be lawghed to derysyon.

That ought begynneth without prouysyon]