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

>[Illustration: He that delyteth in godly sapience

And it to obtayne puttyth his besynes

Aboue all folys shall haue preemynence

And in this worlde haue honour and rychesse

Or a worthy crowne in heuyns blessydnesse

Or els bothe welthe here, and after ioy and blysse

Where as a fole of bothe the two shall mysse]

 

Wysdome with voyce replete with grauyte

Callyth to all people, and sayth o thou mankynde

Howe longe wylt thou lyue in this enormyte

Alas howe longe shalt thou thy wyt haue blynde

Here my preceptis and rote them in thy mynde

Nowe is full tyme and season to clere thy syght:

Harkyn to my wordes, grounde of goodnes and ryght

 

Lerne mortall men, stodyenge day and nyght

To knowe me wysdome, chefe rote of chastyte

My holy doctryne thy herte shall clere and lyght

My tunge shall shewe the ryght and equyte

Chase out thy foly, cause of aduersyte.

And seke me wysdome whiche shall endewe thy mynde

With helth and welth wherby thou lyfe shalt fynde

 

Aryse I say agayne to the mankynde

And seke me wysdome that am well of goodnes

Let nat this worlde thy conscyence farther blynde

Nor to synne subdue for loue of false rychesse

Blynde nat thy herte with mondayne wretchednes

I am worth golde and worth all good mundayne:

And to mankynde counselloure souerayne

 

No maner Jowell is to me lyke certayne

Ne so profytable to mortall creature

I passe all ryches and cause a man refrayne

His mynde from synne, and of his ende be sure

There is no treasoure nor precious stone so pure

Carbuncle Ruby ne adamond in londe nor see

Nor other lapydary comparable to me:

 

And shortly to speke wysdome is more laudable

Than all the worlde or other thynge mundayne

There is no treasoure: to wysdome comparable

But it alone is a vertue moste souerayne

Hauynge nought lyke in valoure nor worth certayne

No fole is so ryche, nor hye of dignyte

But that a wyse man pore is more worthy than he

 

Wysdome preserueth men in auctoryte

Prynces promotynge by counseyll prouydent

By it pore men somtyme, and of lowe degre

Hath had the hole worlde to them obedyent

It gydeth Cytees and countrees excellent

And gouerneth the counseyll of prynce lorde and kynge

Strengthynge the body the herte enlumynynge

 

It gydyth lordes and from bondage doth brynge

Them whome foly hath brought in to captyuyte

Hir gyftys to mankynde frely offrynge

Gydynge hir discyples from all aduersyte

Wysdome stondynge vpon a stage on hye

Cryeth to mankynde with lowde voyce in this wyse

I trouth exalte: and vycious men dispyse

 

Lerne of me wysdome cast out your couetyse

For by my myght craft and wyse prouysicion

Kynges vnto their dygnyte dothe ryse

Theyr septers gydynge by my monycion

I gaue them lawes to gyde eche regyon

In welthe defendynge and in prosperyte

Them and theyr royalmes whyle they gyde them by me

 

All maner nacyons that doth to me inclyne

I gyde and gouerne by lawe and equyte

In me is right, godly wyt and doctryne

What blynde foly, and howe great aduersyte

Do they auoyde that gyde them selfe by me

And he that me louyth with worshyp and honour

Shall knowe my loue my grace and my fauour

 

He that me folowyth shall auoyde all dolour

I shall hym folowe promotynge in suche case

That none shall be before hym in valour

I godly ryches in my power inbrace

Whiche man by me may esely purchase

And he that wyll his way by me addresse

I shall rewarde with heuenly ioy endles

 

The father of heuen of infynyte goodnesse.

Me comprehendyth within his deytee

Of hym my firste begynnynge is doutles.

And heuen and erth he create hath by me

And euery creature bothe on londe and se

The heuen imperyall all planetis and firmameut

God neuer thynge made without my true assent

 

Therfore mankynde set thy mynde and intent

To me wysdome to be subiect and seruaunt

To my preceptis be thou obedyent

And heuenly ioy thou shalt nat lacke nor want

For doutles they ar mad and ignoraunt

And folys blyndyd who so euer they be

That wyll nat gladly be seruauntes vnto me

 

THE ENVOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

 

Aryse folys of myndes darke and blynde.

Receyue the gyftes of godly sapyence

Here hir perceptis and plant them in your mynde

And rote out the gaffys of your olde offence.

Call to your myndes what inconuenyence

Howe sodayne fallys, what sorowe and turment

Hath come to many a myghty lorde and prynce

For nat folowynge of hir commaundement.

 

*

 

Of bostynge or hauynge confydence

in fortune.

 

[Illustration: He is a fole whiche settyth confydence

On frayle fortune vncertayne and mutable

His mynde exaltynge in pryde and insolence

Because that she somtyme is fauorable

As if she wolde so be perdurable

Suche folys oft whan they thynke them most sure

All sodaynly great mysfortune endure]

 

Amonge our folys he ought to haue a place

And so he shall for it is resonable

Whiche thynketh hymselfe greatly in fortunes grace

Bostynge that she to hym is fauorable

As if hyr maner were nat to be mutable

In this vayne hope suche theyr lyfe doth lede

Tyll at the laste theyr hous borne oure theyr hede

 

He shakyth boost and oft doth hym auaunte

Of fortunes fauoure and his prosperyte

Whiche suffreth hym nought of his wyll to wante

So that he knoweth nought of aduersyte

Nor mysfortune nor what thynge is pouertee.

O lawles fole, o man blyndyd of mynde

Say what suretye in fortune canst thou fynde

 

To what ende or vnto what conclusyon

Shall fortune frayle vnrightwyse and vnsure

Lede the blynde fole by hyr abusyon.

Howe darest thou the in hir blyndnes assure.

Syns she vnstable is and can nat longe endure

Hir gyftis changith, she is blynde and sodayne

Thoughe she firste lawghe hir ende is vncertayne.

 

Thou shakest boste ofte of hir foly in vayne

For he is most happy whiche can auoyde hir snare

If she exalte some one vnto welth mundayne

She bryngeth another to payne sorowe and care

Whyle one is ladyd to the others backe is bare

Whyle she a begger maketh in good abounde

A lorde or state she throweth to the grounde

 

But nat withstandynge hir mutabylyte.

Thou bostest thy gode and to moche abundaunce

Thou bostest thy welth and thy prosperyte

Thy good auenturs, and plentyfull pleasaunce

Alas blynde fole amende thy ygnoraunce

And in thy welthe to this saynge intende

That fortune euer hath an incertayne ende

 

Fals fortune infect of countenaunce and of face

By hir iyen clowdy and varyable vysage

Hath many for a whyle taken to hir grace

Whiche after by hir whele vnstable and volage

Hath brought them to wo mysfortune and damage

She ruleth pore and riche without difference

Lewdnes exaltynge and damnynge innocence

 

Thus is that man voyde, of all intellygence

Whom fortune fedyth, with chaunche fortunable

If he therin haue ouer large confydence

And thynke that sure that euer is mutable

That fole is sonne, to the fende abhomynable

That foloweth ryches, and fortune that is blynde

His sauyour lefte, and clene out of mynde

 

Whan the foule fende, father of vnhappynes

Pore man purposyth by falshode to begyle

He sendeth hym welth worldly, and fals ryches

And causeth fortune, awhyle on hym to smyle

Whiche with hir blyndenes doth mankynde so defyle

That whyle they trust in hir fauour to sore.

They damme theyr soules in hell for euermore

 

By large examples thou eche day mayste se

The chaunge of fortune and the ende vncertayne

Wherfore to boste the of hyr commodyte

It is great foly and also thynge in vayne

From this lewdnes thy mynde therfore refrayne

And be content with fortune moderate

Nor boste the nat of thy welth or estate

 

This day thou art ryche and despysest the pore

Yet so may it fall, that for thy lewde lyuynge

To morowe thou beggest thy brede from dore to dore

Therfore remembre that blynde fortune wandrynge

Hath nat in hyr handes power, nor gydynge

The rewardes of welth, nor of felycyte

But god them gydeth by his great maieste

 

And all thynge chaungeth as is to hym plesaunt

His dedes to wysdome alwaye agreable

Wherfore blynde fole be nat so ignoraunt

To prayse fortune whiche is so varyable

And of rewardes vnsure and chaungeable

But thoughe she smyle trust nat to hir intent

For amonge swete herbes ofte lurkyth the serpent

 

BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

 

Ye folys that haue in fortune confydence:

And boste you of welth and of prosperyte

Leue of your foly, and note by euydence:

Hir cours vnsure: and hir mutabylyte

None in this lyfe can byde in one degre

But somtyme hye, than after pore and lowe.

Nowe nought set by, nowe in auctoryte

Nowe full nowe voyde as waters ebbe and flowe

 

I am remembred that I haue often sene

Great worldly ryches ende in pouertye

And many one that hath in fauour ben:

And hye promotyd in welth and dignyte.

Hath sodaynly fallyn into calamyte

Thus is it foly to trust in fortunes grace

For whyle the Se floweth and is at Burdews hye

It as fast ebbeth at some other place

 

*

 

Of the ouer great and chargeable

curyosyte of men.

 

[Illustration: Unto mo folys here ordayne I a barge

Whiche medlyth with euery mannys besynes

And nat intendeth to their owne losse and charge

Great payne and wo suche folys oft oppresse

And let them lerne with pacyent mekenes

To suffer sorowe for why they shall none lacke

Syns they alone, the hole worlde take on theyr backe]

 

He that wyll coueyt to bere more than he may

And take on his sholders more than he can sustayne

Suche is a fole, his dedys wyll not deny

And with his owne wyll gooth to peryll and payne.

He is vnwyse whiche is ioyous and fayne

To offer his necke to bere that without fere

Whiche were ynoughe for dyuers men to bere

 

That man that taketh vpon his backe alone

The heuy weght of the large fyrmament

Or any burdeyne whiche maketh hym to grone

Whiche to sustayne his strength is ympotent

No meruayle is if he fall incontynent

And than whan he lowe on the grounde doth lye

He oft repentyth his purpose and foly

 

We haue in storyes many examples great

Shewynge the lewde ende of this curyosyte.

I rede of Alexander that dyd often sweate

In great peryls to augment his dignyte

He was nat content with europe and asye

Nor all the grounde under the fyrmament

At the last ende, cowde nat his mynde content

 

As if all the erth were nat suffycyent

For his small body by curyouse couetyse

But at the last he must holde hym content

With a small cheste, and graue nat of great pryce.

Thus deth vs shewyth what thynge sholde vs suffyce

And what is the ende of our curyosyte.

For dethe is lyke to hye and lowde degre

 

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