The Ship of Fools, Volume 1-2 by Sebastian Brant (novels in english TXT) 📕

can nat so

A yonge boy that is nat worth an onyon

With gentry or presthode is felowe and companyon.

 

Brybours and Baylyes that lyue upon towlynge

Are in the world moche set by nowe a dayes

Sergeauntis and Catchpollys that lyue upon powlynge

Courters and caytyfs begynners of frayes

Lyue styll encreasynge theyr vnhappy wayes

And a thousande mo of dyuers facultyes

Lyue auauntynge them of theyr enormytees.

 

Within the chirche and euery other place

These folys use theyr lewde condicions

Some starynge some cryeng some haue great solace

In rybawde wordes, some in deuysyons

Some them delyte in scornes and derysons

Some pryde ensueth and some glotony.

Without all norture gyuen to vylany

 

Theyr lyfe is folysshe lothsome and vnstable

Lyght brayned, theyr herte and mynde is inconstant

Theyr gate and loke proude and abhomynable

They haue nor order as folys ignorant

Chaungyng theyr myndes thryse in one instant

Alas this lewdnes and great enormyte

Wyll them nat suffer theyr wretchydnes to se

 

Thus ar these wretchyd caytyfes fully blynde

All men and wymen that good ar doth them hate

But he that with good maners endueth his mynde

Auoydeth this wrath hatered and debate

His dedes pleaseth both comonty and estate

And namely suche as ar good and laudable

Thynketh his dedes right and commendable

 

As wyse men sayth: both vertue and cunnynge

Honoure and worshyp grace and godlynes

Of worthy maners take theyr begynnynge

And fere also asswagyth wantones.

Subduynge the furour of youthes wylfulnes

But shamefastnes trouth constance and probyte

Both yonge and olde bryngeth to great dignyte.

 

These foresayde vertues with charite and peas.

Together assembled stedfast in mannys mynde.

Cawseth his honour and worthynes to encreas.

And his godly lyfe a godly 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.

 

[Illustration: 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

God 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 luste to norysshe trewe loue and amyte

 

Alas exyled is godly 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 noble 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 hell.

 

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 ingratitude.

Aryse be asshamyd 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.

 

[Illustration: 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 godly 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 godly 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 godly 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 gode

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 hell.

 

He thynketh that there is no god aboue

Nor nobler place than is this wretchyd grounde

Nor goddes 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 hell, 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 noble clarke

Or godly 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 hell

They wolde nat be so cursed and cruell

 

And certaynly the trouth apereth playne

That these folys thynke in theyr intent

That within hell 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 godly 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 godly bokes dispyse

But rather stody his fawtes to amende

For god 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 slomber 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.

 

[Illustration: He is a fole forsoth and worse

That to his saddyll wolde lepe on hye

Before