The Ship of Fools Part 33

Alas wherto shall any man complayne For this foly and accostomed furour Syns none of them theyr fautes wyll refrayne But ay procede in this theyr lewde errour And nat withstandynge that Christ our sauyour Hath left vs example, that none sholde mysdo Within the chirche, yet inclyne we nat therto.

Jhonn the euangelyst doth openly expres.

Howe criste our sauyour dyd dryue out and expell From the Temple, suche as vsed there falsnes And all other that therin dyd bye and sell Saynge as it after lyeth in the Gospell Unto the Jues rebuke and great repreues That of G.o.ddes house they made a den of theues.

Remember this man, for why thou dost the same Defylynge G.o.ddes Chirche with synne and vanyte Whiche sothly was ordeyned to halowe G.o.ddes name And to lawde and worshyp the holy trynyte With deuout harte, loue, and all benygnyte And with all our myght our lorde to magnyfy And than after all the heuenly company

For this cause hath G.o.d the holy chirche ordeyned And nat for rybawde wordes and thynges vayne But by vs chrysten men it is distayned.

Moche wors than euer, the Jewes dyd certayne And if our lorde sholde nowe come downe agayne.

To dryue out of the churche suche as there do syn Forsoth I thynke, right fewe sholde byde within

THE ENUOY TO THE REDERS.

O man that bostest thy selfe in cristes name Callynge the christen, se thou thy synne refuse Remember well it is both synne and shame The house of G.o.d, thus to defyle and abuse But this one thynge causeth me oft to muse That the false paynyms within theyr Temples be To theyr ydols moche more deuout than we

Of them that wyllynge and knowyngly put them self in ieopardy and peryll.

[Ill.u.s.tration: He is a fole that wyll purchace and desyre His owne deth or putteth hym selfe in ieopardy Lepynge in a well, or in a flamynge fyre And where he myght lyue so dyeth wyllyngly Suche suffer theyr destruccyon worthely And if that they be drowned outher brent It is to late them after to repent.]

I fynde mo folys yet. whome I shall note Suche ar they whiche pray both day and nyght To G.o.d and his sayntes cryeng with open throte O glorious G.o.d helpe me by thy great myght That I may clens my herte and clere my syght Wherby all foly and synne may fro me fall But yet this fole it leuyth nat at all

Suche folys oft pray for theyr amendement Unto our lorde with syghynges sore and depe But yet to synne contynually they a.s.sent And after the same often complayne and wepe Than say they playne that G.o.d hath had no kepe Unto theyr prayer and taken of it no hede But theyr owne foly is cause of theyr lewde dede

They se the peryll before theyr faces playne That G.o.d hath ordeyned, for foly and for synne They pray for helpe, and yet ar they full fayne After the folys hode alway to ren And besely laboure the same alone to wyn So vnto G.o.d for helpe they cry and call But they them selfe wyll helpe no thynge at all

Than thynke they theyr prayers to G.o.d nat acceptable Bycause (anone) they haue nat all theyr wyll And for that G.o.d is nat sone agreable To here theyr cry and it graunt and fulfyll These folys in theyr vyce contynue styll And put theyr selfe in wylfull ieopardy And where they myght they fynde no remedy

But these folys vnstabyll as the wynde Prayeth vnto G.o.d and to his sayntis aboue Nat knowynge what may content theyr folysshe mynde Nor whether theyr askynge be for theyr behoue But sothly this dare I both say and proue And it auowe after my sympyll skyll That neuer man shall syn without his wyll

If that one with his owne wyll doth fall Into a well to a.s.say the ieopardy Whan he is there. if he lowde crye and call Bothe on G.o.d and man for helpe and remedy He sekyth that peryll, and dyeth worthely So were it foly to gyue hym corde or trayne Or other engyne to helpe hym vp agayne

Whan suche folys ar sure vpon the grounde Without all daunger, peryll hurt or fere They lepe in the wel and yet fere to be drowned Empedocles though he right myghty were With suche lyke foly hym selfe so sore dyd dere That knowyngly and with his owne consent Hymself he lost and by fyers fyre was brent

He lept hedelynge into the flamynge fyre Of a brennynge hyll whiche callyd is Ethnay To knowe the trouth, and nature to enquyre Whether that same flame were very fyre or nay So with his deth the trouth he dyd a.s.say But who that wolde hym drawen out of that hyll Had ben a fole, syns it was his owne wyll

For why his mynde was blyndyd so certayne That thoughe a man had hym delyuered than The same peryll wolde he haue proued agayne As mad as he forsoth is euery man That is at eas, and hym nat so holde can And also he that putteth hymselfe in drede Or fere and peryll, where as he hath no nede

So he that prayeth to G.o.d that he may get The blysse of heuen, and scape infernall payne He is a fole his herte or mynde to set On frayle ryches, welth and ioy mundayne On stedfast fortune, on lucre or on gayne For certaynly these thynges of worldly welth Oft man deuydeth away from heuenly helth

Thus he that prayeth for welth or for ryches Or in this worlde hym selfe to magnyfy Prayeth for his hurt and cause of viciousnes For worldly welth doth vyce oft multyply So seke men theyr owne peryll wyllyngly But who that prayeth, and can nat as he ought He bloweth in the wynde, and shall nat haue his thought

And who that to honour couetyse to ascende Or to lyue in d.a.m.nable voluptuosyte He seketh his peryll for if that he descende From welth and worshyp to payne and pouerte It is but worthy, and let hym pacyent be It to endure with mynde demure and meke He is worthy sorowe that wyll it alway seke

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

Ye that fayne wolde escape all ieopardy Auoyde suche thynges the whiche myght cause the same To proue a peryll, is foly certaynly Whether it be done in ernest or in game They that so doth may theyr owne madnes blame For he that is sure, and to a fray wyll ren May fortune come home agayne, nosles or lame And so were it better for to haue byd within

Of the way of felycyte and G.o.dnes, and of the payne to come vnto synners.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Many in this lyfe the cart of syn doth drawe By payne and labour, alway right dylygent Norysshynge theyr syn agaynst all right and lawe And alway lyuynge after one lyke a.s.sent But whan they ar dede than shall theyr punysshement In h.e.l.l be dowblyd with cartis of whelys foure Where as they thought, deth shuld ende theyr laboure]

G.o.d suffreth nat eche vicious fole to knowe The wonders that he made hath on this grounde And dayly worketh. wherfore theyr syn doth growe So that theyr foly them selfe doth confounde And here theyr bodyes to great labours ar bounde Sparynge no peryll for pleasour and for gayne Than after deth haue they euerlastynge payne

So he that here lyueth in vyce and synne Shall extreme dolour after deth endure Than what auantage is it for man to wyne All orthly tresour, and of h.e.l.l payne be sure But without dowt that wretchyd creature Whiche G.o.ddes lawes wyll nat here holde and kepe Shall after deth haue cause to wayle and wepe

And suche as here wyll nat knowe theyr sauyour Obseruynge his preceptis and commaundement Whiche G.o.d hathe ordeyned to saue vs from erroure And vs commaundyd to kepe with clene intent Ouer all the worlde. as rule moste excellent To lyue G.o.dly. and who so euer he be That foloweth in this worlde voluptuosyte

Or carnall l.u.s.t ryot or other offence Wastynge his tyme in syn and viciousnes All suche in this worlde, by theyr blynde negligence Drawe styll the cart of greuous besynes.

With payne and charge and, whan this wretchydnes Is past and gone, yet after this they shall In h.e.l.l endure great tourmentis eternall

There shalt (thou fole) the charet drawe alway With dowble paynes both tedyous and cruell Wherfore thou fole retourne the I the pray.

Seke nat the way whiche ledeth vnto h.e.l.l With his foule dennes, more darke than tunge can tell And thoughe the way be esy streyght and playne The ende is nought, I aduyse the tourne agayne

The way to h.e.l.l is greatly occupyed The path is playne, and easy to ouergo The dore ay open no entre is denyed To suche as purpose in mynde to come therto But at the ende therof is care and wo With syghtis odyous and abhomynable Yet in the way ar folkes innumerable

Thus is no meruayle though this way be playne And greatly worne syns it is hantyd so By dyuers folys whiche haste them to that payne.

By way contynuall therto: but none therfro The dredefull dore to them that wyll in go Both day and nyght is open, it doth forsake No folys that wyll theyr iourney thyther take

But that way that to hye heuen doth lye Is way of grace plesour, and all felycyte In it suche walke as here lyue vertuously And blessyd men, but nat suche as vyciouse be Yet is it narowe, and full of difficulte There is many a harde flynt brere and thorne And no meruayle for it is nat greatly worne

For why lewde people, whiche is the gretest sort Forsake this way for the payne and hardnes But G.o.dly men therin haue chefe consort With all that lyue by grace in ryghtwysnes Suche well consyder that heuyns blessydnes Can nat be gotten by pleasour rest nor eas Wherfore this way can nat suche synners pleas

G.o.d so hath ordeyned that who wyll haue vertue Must it obtayne with payne and dilygence And great labour, whiche many nowe eschewe Without it be to seke synne and offence Fewe seke the way to christis hye presence Therby it hapneth that many a thousande Fast rennyth leftwarde, but fewe on the right hande

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

Alas man remembre heuens blyssednes And though the way be harde that lyeth therto Forsoke it nat for all that great sharpnes For at the ende is lyfe and rest also Euerlastynge glory with other ioyes mo But who that taketh the other way certayne Shall fynde at the ende eternall payne and wo Thoughe the way thether be easy streyght and playne

Of the yll example of elders gyuyn vnto youth.

[Ill.u.s.tration: If that the fader and mother before theyr son By anger or malyce brake, platter pot, or pan The son in hande shall take some cauderon And lerne to breke it if his small power can Thus oft tyme chyldren haue cause to curse or ban Theyr frendes for suche example of lewdnes For soner that they lerne than vertue or goodes]

Ye aged men rotyd in folysshnes And folysshe parentis lewde of your langage Vnto our shyp swyftly your selfe addres Syns ye be worthy therin to haue a stage Nowe cast I repreues agaynst your outrage Whiche boldly bost you of your vnthryfty lyues Before your maydes, your doughters and your wyues

Alas the folys of this mad company By theyr example cause great inconuenyence Before theyr children recountynge rybaudry Of suche as they haue had experyence.

So gyue they to them example of offence And in that synne wheron they bost and vant They make them perfyte whiche erst were ignorant

Theyr wordes ar voyde of shame and honestye Theyr lyfe is without mesure and reuerence But yet they thynke that they moste worthy be That moste can tell of this greuous offence Thus all the youth that is in theyr presence Or that doth here theyr vyce and rybawdry Vnto the same with theyr full mynde aply

Thus theyr yonge children maners lernyth none The wyfe hath occasyon to breke hir chastyte So is the lyfe defyled of them echone And to be playne, we often tymes se That of what maners the folysshe husbondes be Such ar theyr wyues, children and housholde The yonge c.o.k lerneth to crowe hye of the olde