The Ship of Fools Part 25

What shall a kynge at his last endynge haue Of all his realme and infynyte treasoure Saue onely his towmbe, and the grounde of his graue But thoughe it be of great pryce and voloure As is conuenyent to his hye honoure.

Yet lytell conforte to his soule shall it gyue But cause of bostynge to them that after lyue

Thus whan man vnto his last ende is come He nought with hym bereth of his dignytees Wherfore cynicus a man of great wysdome Lorde grettest of Grece in londes and Cytees Hathe lefte great example vnto all degrees For his great ryches his herte dyd neuer blynde But worldly pompe set clene out of his mynde

He forced of no castels nor excellent byldynge Dispysynge charges and besynes worldly But gaue his mynde to vertue and cunnynge And namely to the scyence of astronomy Consyderynge that great rest of mynde and of body With hym abydeth whiche with bolde herte is fayne To folowe vertue, and leue charges mundayne

He that so doth no weght doth vndertake Vpon his backe of so great a grauyte That his small strength must it agayne forsake.

Where he that attempteth grettest thynges, and hye: Great weyght of charges and moche dignite Must lerne to suffer payne thought and vexacion By his great charges of perturbacion.

What auayle is it the worlde to obtayne In one mannys power, and all other to excell To suffer trouble, and vayne charges sustayne And at the last his pore soule gooth to h.e.l.l There toren and tourmented in paynes cruell It were moche better to kepe a quyet mynde And after our deth eternall rest to fynde

He that taketh thought for euery besynes: And caryth for that whiche doth nat apertayne Nor longe to his charge, he is full of blyndnes And no houre shall rest, but styll in thought and payne Care for thy owne charges, theron set thy brayne For he a fole is that caryth or doth intende For another mannys charge whiche he can nat amende

Therfore lyue in rest after thy degre.

Nor on suche thynges do nat thy mynde aply Whiche ar no thynge apertaynynge vnto the If thou so do thou shalt fynde rest therby Auoyde thou the charge of worldly mysery For G.o.des take no thought great care ne trauayle.

Whiche after deth shall do the none auayle

BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

Fole clere thy iyen and of thy selfe beware Care moste for thy owne besynes and charge For other mennes take no great thought nor care If thou thy conscience mayst therof discharge A curyous man that of his tunge is large Talkynge or carynge of other, his place is best Hye in the fore top of our folysshe barge For in that place is small quyet or rest

Of them that ar alway borowynge.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A man that is besy both euyn and morowe With rauysshynge clawys and insaciable Of his frendes and neyghbours to begge and to borow To the deuourynge wolfe is most lyke or semblable Suche in our shyp shall nat want a babyll For he that styll borowes shall skant hym quyte or redde And as a wretche the a.s.se shall hym ouer tredde]

That fole that hym selfe a dettour doth make To dyuerse men, and is borowynge alway Right ponderous charges on hym doth take Borowynge of one another therwith to pay Thoughe he be glad to haue longe terme and day To hym a.s.sygned to make his payment It nought auayleth, for soone the tyme is spent

But in the meane tyme deuourynge vsurye Spoylyth makynge pore many a borewer Where they two borewed they promys to pay thre Their day of payment lenger to defarre.

Thus doth oft borowynge many thousandes marre Yet some get malyce for that G.o.de that they len And where they lent twenty gladly taketh ten.

I wyll nat say but that it is mede certayne To lene frely to one that is in nede And wyll be glade it to content agayne.

But he that lenyth to haue rewarde or mede Or more than he lent, may of h.e.l.l payne haue drede And he that so boroweth gayne can haue none Therby in this lyfe, but h.e.l.l whan he is gone

Therfore in this satyre suche wyll I repreue And none that borowe nor lene on amyte The vsurers: fals cristen men in theyr byleue Folowe the waren way of theyr iniquyte Prohybyte by lawe iustyce and equyte Theyr vnclene hertes, and mynde, vnhappely On lucre settynge, comynge by vsury

They hepe theyr synne in quantyte horryble Labowrynge that lewde burthen gretter to make And that sore weght tedyose and terryble With a great rope vpon theyr shulders take The weyght vp taken all theyr hole ioyntes quake Thus these caytyfs with this rope and burthyn heuy Them selfe hange d.a.m.nynge theyr soule eternally

A wretchyd man, alas make clere thy reason Remember thoughe G.o.d the suffer thus longe tyme He graunteth that s.p.a.ce to amende the in season.

And nat dayly to encreas thy synne and cryme Somtyme he punyssheth with infernall abhyme Shortly for synne, somtyme thoughe one mysdo He suffreth longe: but yet truste nat therto

The longer vnpunysshed, the sorer is the payne And if thou wylt nat gyue to me credence Of sodome and Gomor the Bybyll sheweth playne Howe G.o.d rightwysely ponysshed theyr offence And also Solym, towne of great excellence For vyciousnes G.o.d ponysshed bytterly Whiche sholde vs cause for to lyue rightwysely.

The rightwyse G.o.d also dyd sore chastyce Tthe Nilicolyans and them vtterly destroy For theyr contynuynge in theyr syn and vyce And theyr lynage longe kepte from welth and ioy In great trouble whiche dyd theyr hertis noy: Howe be it that they were good and innocent For theyr fathers faute they suffred punysshement

But to our purpose to retourne agayne.

He that ought boroweth whiche he can nat pay Of a wolfe rauysshynge foloweth the trayne But though he all swolowe yet can he by no way Deuoure the tyme nor the prefyxed day Wherfore if he than disceyue his credytour He oft hym chastyth with iustyce and rygour

Ryght in lyke wyse our lorde omnipotent In this worlde to lyue grauntyth vs tyme and s.p.a.ce Nat styll to synne, but vnto this intent To leue our vyce, and folowe the way of grace But if we styll contynue in one case And haue done no good to pay hym at our day In h.e.l.l pryson he iustly shall vs lay

BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

Thou fole mysmyndyd to large of sconscyence To the I speke that art a lewde dettour Borowe thou no thynge, n.o.ble grote ne pens.

More than thou mayst agayne pay thy credytour Right so endeuer the to pay thy sauyour His right and dewty, with a glad wyll and fayne That is true seruyce, with glory and honour Than shalt thou surely escape infernall payne.

Of inprofytable and vayne prayers vowes and peticyons.

[Ill.u.s.tration: That man whose herte vnhappy synne doth blynde And prayth gasynge into the fyrmament Or he that setteth nat his herte and mynde Upon his wordes, theyr sentence or intent And he that desyreth thynge nat conuenyent Suche folys shall nat theyr peticion obtayne For without the herte the tonge laboureth in vayne]

Here we repreue (reperue) ye and reuyle.

A sorte of folys lewde of condicions Whose herte and tunge theyr soules doth defyle By theyr blynde prayers and yll peticions Suche folowe no techynge nor G.o.de monysyons For often many of them with tunge doth pray Theyr mynde, abstract nat knowynge what they say

Man oft desyreth with great affeccion That thynge of G.o.d, whiche thynge if G.o.d wolde graunt.

Sholde be at last vnto thyer destruccyon Examples hereof thou canst nat lacke nor want The great Medas somtyme kynge tryumphant.

Of Phrygye By his owne folysshe desyre With paynfull hunger, his lyfe breth dyd expyre

This kynge Mydas of whom I haue you tolde Of G.o.d desyred with prayer dylygent.

That all that he touchyd tourne myght vnto golde His prayer was harde, he obteynyd his intent But nat to his welth, but mortall punysshement For whan he brede or drynke tast or touche sholde Incontynent was it tourned in to golde

Thus was his prayer to his owne damage For at the laste he dyed in wo and payne For no golde coude his sore hunger a.s.swage Nor his desyre coude he nat call agayne.

Thus his peticion desyred was in vayne: And where he wenyd great welth to get therby He dyed in shame hunger and mysery.

Some dayly pray with marueylous besynes Cryeng and syghynge to G.o.d omnypotent For to haue plenty of welth ioy and ryches And to be made ryche myghty and excellent.

O cursyd lyuers, o blynde men of intent On suche desyres they set theyr mynde and thought Whiche thousandes vnto shamefull ende hath brought

What profyted the myghty edefyces: Of Lycynus, or lyuelode of excesse: What profyteth the money gotten in vyces Of riche Cra.s.sus, or cresus, great ryches They all ar dede by theyr vnhappynes And that lewdely, nat by deth naturall Theyr blynde desyres chefe rote and cause of all

Another whiche is in youthes prosperyte For strength and myght often to G.o.d doth pray Some of theyr lyfe to haue prolyxyte Desyreth G.o.d, and here to byde alway In riches welth, ioy and solempne aray But yet they in glotony take suche custome That they slea them selfe longe or theyr day be come

Alas mad fole why prayest thou for age Syns it so greuous is and ymportable Unstable and full of dolour and damage Odyous to youth and intollerable Say folysshe man whiche art of mynde vnstable Is it nat great foly to any creature To pray for that thynge, whiche he can nat endure

Peleus, and Nestor and many other mo As Itackes and laertes, sore haue complayned For to longe age, euer full of payne and wo Wherwith theyr bodyes sore haue ben constrayned And with great sorowes and dyuers often payned: And to conclude brefly in one sentence Oft to age falleth moche inconuenyence

Yet ar mo folys whiche ought repreued be And they ar suche whiche styll on G.o.d doth call For great rowmes, offyces and great dignyte No thynge intendynge to theyr greuous fall For this is dayly sene, and euer shall That he that coueytys hye to clym aloft If he hap to fall, his fall can nat be soft

Some other pray for bewty and fayrnes And that to a cursyd purpose and intent Wherby they lese the heuenly blyssydnes: Theyr soule subduynge to infernall turment O ye mad folys of myndes ympotent Pray your Pater noster with deuoute herte and mynde For therin is all that is nedefull to mankynde

Our sauyour criste whyle he was on this grounde Amonge vs synners in this vale of mysery Taught his disciples this prayer whiche doth sounde Nere to this sentence, nor greatly doth nat vary (Our father wiche art in heuen) eternally Thy name be halowyd (graunt that to thy kyngdome) All we thy seruauntis worthely may come

In heuen and erth thy wyll be done alway And of thy great grace and thy benygnyte Our dayly brede graunt vnto vs this day Forgyuynge our synnes and our iniquyte: As we forgyue them that to vs detters be And to auoyde temptacion thy grace vnto vs len And vs delyuer from euery yll amen.

Whan thou hast clensyd thy mynde from syn before And sayd this prayer to thy maker deuoutly Thou nedyst nat of hym to desyre more Yet mayst thou pray and desyre rightwysly For helthe of soule within thy hole body For stedfast fayth and yll name to eschewe.

And chastely to lyue (by his help) in vertue