The Ship of Fools Part 37

Of predestynacion.

[Ill.u.s.tration: That man that lokyth for to haue a rewarde Whiche he hath nat deseruyd to obtayne And lenyth his body vpon a rede forwarde Whiche for waykenes may hym nat well sustayne Forsoth this fole may longe so loke in vayne And on the Crauys he styll shall bacwarde ryde Cryenge with the doue, whose flyght shall hym ay gyde]

It is vnlawfull, man to be dilygent Or serchynge G.o.ddes workes to set his thought Howe he hath made the heuen and fyrmament The erth the see and euery thynge of nought Yet of some Folys the cause hereof is sought, Whiche labour also with curyosyte To knowe the begynnynge of his dyuynyte

These folys forgettynge their owne fragilyte Wolde loke to knowe the ende of euery thynge Boldly disputynge in G.o.ddys pryuete And what rewarde is ordeynyd for men lyuynge Of many folys this is the moste musynge Whiche labour dayly with besy cure and payne.

To knowe what G.o.d doth discerne and or ordayne

Therfore in this part I shall dispyse and blame Unchrafty folys whiche scantly haue ouer sene Ought of scripture, if they knowe the bokes name Or els a whyle hath at the Scoles bene Than bende they the browys and stedfastly they wene In theyr conceyt that they ar pa.s.synge wyse For all scripture newe commentis to deuyse

They frowardly the sentence do transpose And that whiche is wryten, both playne and holely By theyr corruptynge and vnlawfull glose Oft tyme they brynge to d.a.m.nable heresy Falsly expoundynge after theyr fantasy They labour to transpose and turne the right sence Thoughe the wordes stryue and make great resystence

Here what these folys with theyr audacyte Dare besely say by theyr fals errour blynde Presumynge on G.o.ddes secrete and pryuete Here what lewde wordes they cast out in the wynde They say what man can chaunge or turne his mynde To lyue after any other fourme and rate But lyke as he is therto predestynate

They say: if G.o.d that rayneth ouerall Hath any ordeyned that in this worlde is To come to the place and rowme celestyall For to be partyner of euerlastynge blys Ordeyned for suche as here doth nat amys No man can chaunge, not other thynge mundayne That thynge whiche G.o.d by his myght doth ordayne

But if that G.o.d prefyxed hath before Any creature vnto infernall payne In derknes to be d.a.m.nyd for euer more No erthly thynge may that sentence call agayne Nor hym delyuer: o fole thou mayst complayne For this thy foly and also it repent Thynkest thou nat G.o.d alway omnypotent

Is G.o.d nat rightwyse and grounde of all iustyce Rewardynge man after his gouernaunce He that hath here nat lyen in synne and vyce Hauynge in G.o.ddys seruyce his pleasaunce Shall of his lorde be had in remembraunce And of rewarde worthely be sure Where it is worthy that synners payne endure

Trust well who seruyth his maker stedfastly With pure herte kepynge sure his commaundement And lawes shall be rewardyd fynally With heuenly ioy and scape all punysshement Therfore thou fole leue of this lewde intent Lyue vertuously and trust in G.o.ddes grace Than yll desteny in the shall haue no place

Vnto great ioy G.o.d hath vs all create And to vs all ordeyned his kyngdome And none hath vnto h.e.l.l predestynate But often whan we folowe nat wysdome By ouer owne foly we fall, and so become Vnto our maker vnkind: and hym deny Whiche them rewardyth that here lyue vertuously

Therfore thou Fole desyst thy wordes vayne And let thy tunge no more suche wordes say For G.o.d hath vs made all of one stuf certayne As one potter makyth of one clay Vessels dyuers, but whan he must them lay Vpon the kyll with fyre them there to dry They come nat all to good, moste comonly

Doth this erthyn pot his maker dispyse Whether it be made of fa.s.syon good or yll Saynge why dost thou make me in this wyse Wherfore mad man I reade the to be styll Blame nat thy maker, for thy vnhappy wyll For G.o.d hath neuer man nor childe create But all he hath to heuen predestynate

And whyle we lyue here on this wretchyd grounde We haue our reason and wyttes vs to gyde With our fre wyll and if no faute be founde In our demenour, in heuen we shall abyde But if we G.o.ddes lawes set asyde Howe may we hope of hym rewarde to wyn So our owne foly is moste cause of our syn.

THE ENUOY OF BARCLAY.

O creature vnkynde vnto thy creatour What carest thou to knowe or to inuestygate The pryuetye, of G.o.d, leue this thy errour To thynke the by hym to be predestynate To endles wo and from his blysse pryuate For syns thou hast thy reason and frewyll Gyuyn the by G.o.d, thou art in suche estate To take the eleccion outher of good or yll

Of folys that forget them selfe and do another mannys besynes leuynge theyr owne vndone.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Who that wyll suffer his owne hous to bren Tyll nought of it saue the bare wallys stonde And with his water hastely doth ren To quenche the fyre of anothers hous or londe He is a fole and haue shall in his hande A folysshe Pype or horne therwith to blowe For other folys that in my Shyp wyll rowe.]

Within my Shyp of rowme he shall be sure Whiche for anothers auantage and profyte Takyth great thought and doth moche payne endure Vnto his owne charge takynge no respyte But settyth it asyde and hath all his delyte With all his stody hym to enforce and dres: To care for euery mannys besynes.

Suche hertles folys to them self neglygent In theyr owne charge slepe contynually But with open iyen they ar full dylygent The worke of other with all theyr myght to aply And for others profyte prouyde they besely.

But whyle these Folys ar glad to take in hande Anothers charge, theyr owne styll let they stande

Wherfore I am so bolde within my boke Somwhat to touch these folys mad vsage That if it fortune them on the same to loke They may therby perceyue in theyr corage That labour they ought for their owne auauntage Most specyally. for that is the degre And the true order of perfyte charite

For perfyte loue and also charite Begynneth with hym selfe for to be charitable And than to other after his degre Thy owne auauntage is ay moost profytable The great Phylosophers of maners ferme and stable And also of wysdome G.o.dly and dyuyne Hath left to vs suche techynge and doctryne

We haue by Therence the same commaundement The same is wryten also as I fynde In the holy lawe of the olde testament And therfore he that oft wyll set his mynde For others maters with care his thought to blynde Let hym first se vnto his owne profyte Lyst some mysfortune hym after sharply byte

Let hym turne his labour to his owne auauntage And than do for other where as he seeth moste nede For who that playeth for mony outher gage And on his felawes cast takyth onely hede And nat to his owne, suche one shall seldom spede And is a Fole. So is he that doth ren To quenche another hous, suffrynge his owne to bren

Suche one of his owne damage hath no fere And worthy is his losse and hurte to byde So is he that wyll anothers burthen bere Or takyth anothers charge at any tyde Despysynge his owne werke and settynge it asyde If suche haue losse and after it forthynke No man shall moche force whether he flete or synke

He is well worthy to haue a folys pype That goth vnbyddyn to rype anothers corne And suffreth his owne to stande though it be rype.

And generally all Folys ar worthy scorne Of what maner byrth so euer they be borne If they them self put, to losse or damage Therby to do some other auauntage

Say curyous Fole: say what pleasour thou hast In others maters thy self to intermyt Or theyr great charges thus in thy mynde to cast Thy selfe to socour set thou thy mynde and wyt Let others maters therfore in quyete syt On thy owne profyte of all firste set thy mynde And than (if thou mayst) do somwhat for thy frende

For vtterly that man is moche vnwyse That thus takyth thought for anothers charge And doth his owne by neglygence despyse For suche Folys I forgyd haue this barge But of the same suche men I clene discharge That first of his pryuate profyte can take hede And than helpe a frende and felowe at a nede

THENUOY OF BARKLAY.

Ye that take charge, thought and besy cure For others mysfortune, losse or aduersyte First of your self I aduyse you to be sure For this is the order of parfyte charyte Eche to hym selfe moste louynge ay to be And next to his frende, but who that doth dispyse.

His owne besynes whiche is in ieopardye Seynge to anothers forsoth he is vnwyse

Of the vyce of vnkyndnes.

[Ill.u.s.tration: That Fole can neyther G.o.de nor honeste Whiche whan one doth to hym a frendly dede It gladly takyth, thoughe it be two or thre Lokynge for kyndnes, yet takyth he no hede To shewe the same agayne in tyme of nede Let suche Folys be no thing wroth therfore Thoughe in this Shyp I set them to an ore.]

He is a Fole that crauynge is alway Takynge the seruyce and rewardes of his frende And nat remembryth the same agayne to pay But as a churle it castyth out of his mynde For who that wolde haue one to hym be kynde And lyberall, he ought the same to be For kyndnes meyntayneth bothe loue and charyte

He that wyll charge another with cures harde And great labours greuous to sustayne Ought for his labour hym worthely rewarde That the rewarde may be confort to his payne It is disworshyp and also shame certayne To take the labour of any ryche or pore And nat iustly hym to content therfore

Wherfore the workman ought also to intende Vnto his labour to saue his honestye And workemanly to brynge it the ende If he therby wolde well rewardyd be And if the owner therof beholde and se.

His worke so done, he is a chorle vnkynde If he do nat content the workmannys mynde.

He that wolde gladly that men sholde hym commende Must fully purpose and fyx within his mynde Lyberall to be and nat euer to intende To false Auaryce, whiche many one doth blynde And if he purpose hye honours for to fynde Or hym auaunce to any great degre He must haue mekenes and lyberalyte

He must of maners also be commendable And of his speche als pleasaunt as he can For an olde prouerbe true and verytable Sayth that good lyfe and maners makyth man But euery lawe doth dam and also ban The churlysshe vyce and lewde of vnkyndnes Whiche dryeth vp the well of bounte and goodnes

For vnkynde folys if one labour dylygent And so brynge theyr worke vnto good conclusyon They fynde yet fautis and so ar nat content Withdrawynge the rewarde by theyr collusyon Wherfore let suche thynke it no abusyon Nor haue disdayne ne yet in mynde complayne If the pore laborer gyue vp his worke agayne

These frowarde Folys, doth wronge and iniury To suche as to them do profyte and honour For kyndnes, they render shame and vylany Rebukes sclander extorcion and rygour But whyle they hope to come to great valoure And by such rygour to honours to aryse Theyr hope vanyssheth as doth the snowe or yce

Wherfore who that puttyth one to besynes To charge or labour of body or of mynde Ought hym rewarde agayne for his kyndnes If he do nat forsoth he is unkynde But specyally as I oft wryten fynde It is a thynge whiche doth for vengeaunce cry A pore laborer to put to Iniury

What man can wryte the inconuenyence Whiche groweth of this lewde and cursyd vyce Vnkyndnes causeth great myschefe and offence And is repugnynge to reason and iustyce Wherfore let suche that wyll be namyd wyse Leue it: and folowe lyberalyte Whiche is noryssher of loue and amyte

In dyuers bokes examples we may fynde Howe many Cytees hygh and excellent Agaynst all lawe and reason were vnkynde To suche as dyd theyr dignyte augment O vnkynde rome thou was of this intent Whiche hast Camyllus exyled in great payne Thoughe he euer laboured thy honour to mentayne