The Ship of Fools Part 31

But hym call I wyse and crafty of counsell Whiche kepeth close the secretis of his mynde And to no man wyll them disclose nor tell To man nor woman, ennemy nor yet frynde But do his purpose whan he best tyme can fynde Without worde spekynge, and so may his intent Best come to ende, his foo, beynge inprouydent

And specially no man ought to be large Of wordes nor shewe his counsell openly In thynges weyghty, of peryll and great charge Consernynge a royallue, or helth of his body For many ar falsly disceyued fynally By lewde tale berers whiche seke the way to fynde To knowe the preuy counsell of theyr lordes mynde

They fawne and flater to knowe his pryuetee But they forsoth, that wolde knowe thynges newe For the moste part of this condicion be No thynge to kepe, but lyghtly it to shewe.

Thus may the saynge of Salomon be fonde true.

Whiche sayth that he is wyse, and lyueth happely Whiche to hym selfe kepyth his counsell secretely

I fynde foure thynges whiche by meanes can Be kept close, in secrete, one longe in preuetee The firste is the counsell of a wytles man The seconde a Cyte, whiche byldyd is a bye Upon a mountayne, the thyrde we often se That to hyde his dedes a louer hath no skyll The fourth is strawe or fethers on a wyndy hyll

A pore mannys dedys may soone be kept close His name is hyd, and right so is his dede.

A ryche mannys dede may no man hyde nor glose It fleeth farthest, all men of it take hede So that yll fame whome all men ought to drede In fleynge about hir myght doth multyply Augmentynge to his lynage shame and vylany

Therfore who that intendyth to be wyse Ware and crafty, auoydynge all inconuenyence To shewe his counsell ought nat to interpryse But do his mynde, kepynge alway sylence In seruauntis is small trust or confydence He that is nowe thy frende may after be thy fo Warne nat thy ennemy of that that thou wylt do

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

O ye that ar put to wronge and Iniury If ye intende for to yelde the same agayne It is great foly to warne your ennemye Or hym to threten with bostynge wordes vayne.

For oft is sayde, and true it is certayne That they that wyll lyue in quyetnes and rest Must here and se and hasty wordes refrayne All styll with fewe wordes do that they thynke best

Of folys that can nat beware by the mysfortune and example of others damage.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Here we expresse, the errour and blyndnes Of them that se others aduersyte Theyr wofull fall the ruyne and dystres.

Yet sue they the same, and ware they wyll nat be Though they by example the payne of other se Yet leue they nat: thus may they clayme a place Within my Nauy, as folys voyde of grace]

We dayly se the mysfortune and damage And often fallys, to pouerte and payne Whiche folys suffer for theyr synne and outrage Some drowned, some maymed, some other wyse slayne Yet this example can nat cause vs refrayne Our wretchyd lyfe, and seke for remedy We marke no thynge anothers ieopardy.

We se the mockynge scorne and derysyon That folys hath ofte tyme whan they offende We se theyr losse, theyr shame and theyr confusion Howe be it all this can cause vs to amende We can no thynge and to nought we intende So many folys I fynde that playne I thynke Theyr weyghty charge shall cause my shyp to synke

Suche ar despysyd of men discrete and wyse Ye and more ouer these folys ar so blynde That echone of them the other doth despyse With sharp rebukes, wordes lewde and vnkynde Yet in theyr lyfe no difference may we fynde And though they haue sene a thousande brough to shame For one sore vyce: yet lyue they in the same

The example of other can nat theyr myndes moue Theyr wyttis ar blynde theyr foly is the cause Alas mad folys why do ye vyce thus loue Rennynge ay to deth without all rest or pause Alas, at the last retourne to christis lawes Be ware, whan ye other se taken in the snare Let anothers peryll cause you to be ware

Ye do nat so, alas it is great shame Your synne hath quenchyd your grace and gostly lyght One blynde man another doth chyde and blame And yet both s...o...b..e, nat goynge euyn or right A blynde man hym ledyth that also hath no syght So both in the dyche fallyth in suche a wyse That one can nat helpe, the other agayne to ryse

One crab blamys another for hir bacwarde pace And yet the blamer sothly can none other do But both two ar in theyr goynge in lyke case The one goeth bocwarde, the other doth also Many of these folys after that maner go But who that of his moders doctryne hath disdayne: Shall by his stepdame endure wo care and payne

And perchaunce after abyde the correccyon Of the sayde stepdame, in place of punysshement.

For his synne, sufferynge hir vniust subieccien And who that nat foloweth the commaundement Of his fader beynge to hym obedyent May fortune after in hunger thyrst ond colde Obey that stranger, whom he nat gladly wolde

We fynde Hystories wryten longe and ample In dyuers bokes of great auctoryte The hole Bybyll sheweth to vs example Howe they were punysshed that lyuyd in cruelte I fynde also wryten in bokes of Poetrye Howe that Pheton was brent with the lyghtnynge For his presumpcion, agaynst a myghty kynge

We haue example also by Icarus Whiche contrary vnto the commaundement Of his crafty father named Dedalus By fleynge to hye his wynges and fethers brent And so descendyd and in the se was drent Thus these two endynge by theyr lewdnes in care By theyr example sholde cause vs to beware

We dayly se before our syght and our presence What mysauenture to many one doth fall And that worthely for theyr synne and offence Yet ar we blynde, and ar nat ware at all But in our synnes lyue vnto them egall And where by synne we se one come to shame We wyllyngly (alas) ensue the same

Therfore who sethe a mad fole come to wo Or fall in peryll for lacke of a good gyde By another way ought craftely to go And (by anothers yll) for his helthe to prouyde The fox was ware, and peryll set asyde And wolde nat enter into the caue, for playne Of bestis that entred sawe he none come agayne

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY

Lerne man, lerne of bestes to be ware Of others peryll, by theyr enormyte For if one byrde be onys tane in a snare The other auoyde as fast as they may flee A fysshe byrde or beste that hath in peryll be Of net hoke or snare, if that they may escape.

Wyll after euer beware, but blynde man wyll nat se His owne destruccion, but after it doth gape

Of them that forceth or careth for the bacbytynge of lewde people.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Whether that a bell be hangyd or lye on grounde If vnto the same a clapper lacke or fayle The bell shall make but sympyll noyse or sounde Though thou in it do hange a Foxys tayle Right so backbyters that vse on men to rayle Can nat greatly hurt them that lyue rightwysly Wherfore it is foly theyr babblynge to set by.]

Who that within this worlde wolde rest and lyue In eas of mynde, peas and tranquyllyte Must nat his mynde set, nor his erys gyue To the vayne talys, of the rude comonte And though some people of suche condicion be Oft to dyffame good people true and Just Let them nought care, for byde it nede they must

Let no man care for the lewde hyssynges And yll soundynges of this vnhappy rage It is great foly to set by the lesynges Of cursyde tunges syns none can them a.s.swage For who in this worlde wyll come to auautage Hym selfe exaltynge to worshyp and honoure Shall fynde the swetnes mengled with the sowre

And he that wyll of his dygnyte be sure Or sympyll lyuynge what so euer it be Right greuous chargis somtymes must endure And with his iyen often beholde and se Suche thynges wherwith his mynde can not agre And he that wyll with the worlde haue to do Must suffer suche trouble as belongeth therto

Yet some haue pytched theyr tentis stedfastly Upon sure grounde, auoyde of all this payne Despysynge the worldes wantonnes and foly For in the same is nought sure nor certayne Nought se we tranquyll in these wawes mundayne We se no loue, lawe, fydelyte, nor trust But nowe up hye, and nowe lowe in the dust

To auoyde the worlde with his foly and stryfe Many hath left londes townes and ryches And yll company lyuynge solytary lyfe Alone in desert and in wyldernes Ye and that: men of moste wyt and worthynes Whiche by that meane dyd best of all eschewe All worldly sclaunder and lyuyd in vertue

He that intendeth to lyue a rightwyse lyfe And so procedeth in maners and good dede Of worldly sclaunder, complaynt, hatered, and stryfe And all yll wyll, he ought nat to take hede For he that is iuste ought no thynge for to drede A sclaundrynge tonge, ye, be it neuer so wode For suche lewde tonges can none hurte that ar G.o.de.

Lyue well and wysely, than let men chat theyr fyll Wordes ar but wynde, and though it oft so fall That of lewde wordes comyth great hurte and yll Yet byde the ende, that onely prouyth all If thou canst suffer truste well that thou shall Ouercome thyne ennemyes better by pacience Than by hye wordes rygour or vyolence

If poetis that somtyme vyce blamyd and discommendyd And holy Prophetis whiche also dyd the same To suche vayne and mortall wordes had intendyd They sholde nat haue durst the peoples vyce to blame So sholde they haue lost their honour and good name Theyr fame and meryt, but nowe they haue nat so But spred theyr fame, whiche neuer away shall go

Forsoth none lyueth within the worlde wyde Suche meke so holy, so wyse or pacyent Whiche can hym selfe at euery tyme so gyde To please eche fole, for none can some content Forsoth he myght be named excellent Happy and blessyd and lyue in welth and eas Whiche euery man cowde serue content and pleas

But suche is none, and he that wyll a.s.say For to content eche folysshe mannes mynde Must brake his slepe and stody nyght and day And yet alway some fole shall be behynde Ye if one lyue well, yet wyll they somwhat fynde Behynde his backe hym to sclaunder and diffame For beggers and bawdes therin haue all theyr game

For whether thou dwell in Est west north or south Of suche dryuels euer shalt thou fynde plente One must haue moche mele, to stoppe eche mannys mouth Sclander is the cunnynge of all the comonte And in the same suche ay moste besy be Whiche lyue them selfe in shame and vylany Euen nowe they speke repentynge by and by

Thus all the cunnynge and stody dilygent.

Of people vnthryfty is alway to despyse And diffame other whiche ar but innocent Wherfore let suche as ar discrete and wyse Nought set by them that lesyngys doth deuyse Nor theyr vayne foly: for he that doth certayne Is but, a fole. and euer shall lyue in payne.

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

Trouble nat thy selfe (thou man) where is no nede And arme thou thy selfe with goodly pacyence Be sure it is great foly to take hede Unto backbytynge syns that no resystence May be founde to withstande his violence And take thou this one thynge for thy comfort That none wyse, or good, wyll commyt this offence But all ar caytyffes, that ar of this lewde sort.

Of mockers, and scorners, and false accusers.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Yet ar mo Folys whiche mocke and scorneth fast Suche as them shewyth wysdome and doctryne And at theyr hedes (vngoodly) stonys cast In mynde disdaynynge to wysdome to enclyne But gladly they ensue the discyplyne Of folysshe mockers, let wyse men them eschewe For no correccion can brynge them to vertue]

O Hertles folys, haste here to our doctryne Leue of the wayes of your enormyte Enforce you to my preceptis to enclyne For here shall I shewe you good and veryte Enclyne, and ye fynde shall great prosperyte Ensuynge the doctryne of our faders olde And G.o.dly lawes in valour worth great golde