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

great example vnto all degrees

For his great ryches his herte dyd neuer blynde

But worldly pompe set clene out of his mynde

 

He forced of no castels nor excellent byldynge

Dispysynge charges and besynes worldly

But gaue his mynde to vertue and cunnynge

And namely to the scyence of astronomy

Consyderynge that great rest of mynde and of body

With hym abydeth whiche with bolde herte is fayne

To folowe vertue, and leue charges mundayne

 

He that so doth no weght doth vndertake

Vpon his backe of so great a grauyte

That his small strength must it agayne forsake.

Where he that attempteth grettest thynges, and hye:

Great weyght of charges and moche dignite

Must lerne to suffer payne thought and vexacion

By his great charges of perturbacion.

 

What auayle is it the worlde to obtayne

In one mannys power, and all other to excell

To suffer trouble, and vayne charges sustayne

And at the last his pore soule gooth to hell

There toren and tourmented in paynes cruell

It were moche better to kepe a quyet mynde

And after our deth eternall rest to fynde

 

He that taketh thought for euery besynes:

And caryth for that whiche doth nat apertayne

Nor longe to his charge, he is full of blyndnes

And no houre shall rest, but styll in thought and payne

Care for thy owne charges, theron set thy brayne

For he a fole is that caryth or doth intende

For another mannys charge whiche he can nat amende

 

Therfore lyue in rest after thy degre.

Nor on suche thynges do nat thy mynde aply

Whiche ar no thynge apertaynynge vnto the

If thou so do thou shalt fynde rest therby

Auoyde thou the charge of worldly mysery

For godes take no thought great care ne trauayle.

Whiche after deth shall do the none auayle

 

BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

 

Fole clere thy iyen and of thy selfe beware

Care moste for thy owne besynes and charge

For other mennes take no great thought nor care

If thou thy conscience mayst therof discharge

A curyous man that of his tunge is large

Talkynge or carynge of other, his place is best

Hye in the fore top of our folysshe barge

For in that place is small quyet or rest

 

*

 

Of them that ar alway borowynge.

 

[Illustration: A man that is besy both euyn and morowe

With rauysshynge clawys and insaciable

Of his frendes and neyghbours to begge and to borow

To the deuourynge wolfe is most lyke or semblable

Suche in our shyp shall nat want a babyll

For he that styll borowes shall skant hym quyte or redde

And as a wretche the asse shall hym ouer tredde]

 

That fole that hym selfe a dettour doth make

To dyuerse men, and is borowynge alway

Right ponderous charges on hym doth take

Borowynge of one another therwith to pay

Thoughe he be glad to haue longe terme and day

To hym assygned to make his payment

It nought auayleth, for soone the tyme is spent

 

But in the meane tyme deuourynge vsurye

Spoylyth makynge pore many a borewer

Where they two borewed they promys to pay thre

Their day of payment lenger to defarre.

Thus doth oft borowynge many thousandes marre

Yet some get malyce for that gode that they len

And where they lent twenty gladly taketh ten.

 

I wyll nat say but that it is mede certayne

To lene frely to one that is in nede

And wyll be glade it to content agayne.

But he that lenyth to haue rewarde or mede

Or more than he lent, may of hell payne haue drede

And he that so boroweth gayne can haue none

Therby in this lyfe, but hell whan he is gone

 

Therfore in this satyre suche wyll I repreue

And none that borowe nor lene on amyte

The vsurers: fals cristen men in theyr byleue

Folowe the waren way of theyr iniquyte

Prohybyte by lawe iustyce and equyte

Theyr vnclene hertes, and mynde, vnhappely

On lucre settynge, comynge by vsury

 

They hepe theyr synne in quantyte horryble

Labowrynge that lewde burthen gretter to make

And that sore weght tedyose and terryble

With a great rope vpon theyr shulders take

The weyght vp taken all theyr hole ioyntes quake

Thus these caytyfs with this rope and burthyn heuy

Them selfe hange damnynge theyr soule eternally

 

A wretchyd man, alas make clere thy reason

Remember thoughe god the suffer thus longe tyme

He graunteth that space to amende the in season.

And nat dayly to encreas thy synne and cryme

Somtyme he punyssheth with infernall abhyme

Shortly for synne, somtyme thoughe one mysdo

He suffreth longe: but yet truste nat therto

 

The longer vnpunysshed, the sorer is the payne

And if thou wylt nat gyue to me credence

Of sodome and Gomor the Bybyll sheweth playne

Howe God rightwysely ponysshed theyr offence

And also Solym, towne of great excellence

For vyciousnes god ponysshed bytterly

Whiche sholde vs cause for to lyue rightwysely.

 

The rightwyse god also dyd sore chastyce

Tthe Nilicolyans and them vtterly destroy

For theyr contynuynge in theyr syn and vyce

And theyr lynage longe kepte from welth and ioy

In great trouble whiche dyd theyr hertis noy:

Howe be it that they were good and innocent

For theyr fathers faute they suffred punysshement

 

But to our purpose to retourne agayne.

He that ought boroweth whiche he can nat pay

Of a wolfe rauysshynge foloweth the trayne

But though he all swolowe yet can he by no way

Deuoure the tyme nor the prefyxed day

Wherfore if he than disceyue his credytour

He oft hym chastyth with iustyce and rygour

 

Ryght in lyke wyse our lorde omnipotent

In this worlde to lyue grauntyth vs tyme and space

Nat styll to synne, but vnto this intent

To leue our vyce, and folowe the way of grace

But if we styll contynue in one case

And haue done no good to pay hym at our day

In hell pryson he iustly shall vs lay

 

BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

 

Thou fole mysmyndyd to large of sconscyence

To the I speke that art a lewde dettour

Borowe thou no thynge, noble grote ne pens.

More than thou mayst agayne pay thy credytour

Right so endeuer the to pay thy sauyour

His right and dewty, with a glad wyll and fayne

That is true seruyce, with glory and honour

Than shalt thou surely escape infernall payne.

 

*

 

Of inprofytable and vayne prayers vowes

and peticyons.

 

[Illustration: That man whose herte vnhappy synne doth blynde

And prayth gasynge into the fyrmament

Or he that setteth nat his herte and mynde

Upon his wordes, theyr sentence or intent

And he that desyreth thynge nat conuenyent

Suche folys shall nat theyr peticion obtayne

For without the herte the tonge laboureth in vayne]

 

Here we repreue (reperue) ye and reuyle.

A sorte of folys lewde of condicions

Whose herte and tunge theyr soules doth defyle

By theyr blynde prayers and yll peticions

Suche folowe no techynge nor gode monysyons

For often many of them with tunge doth pray

Theyr mynde, abstract nat knowynge what they say

 

Man oft desyreth with great affeccion

That thynge of god, whiche thynge if god wolde graunt.

Sholde be at last vnto thyer destruccyon

Examples hereof thou canst nat lacke nor want

The great Medas somtyme kynge tryumphant.

Of Phrygye By his owne folysshe desyre

With paynfull hunger, his lyfe breth dyd expyre

 

This kynge Mydas of whom I haue you tolde

Of god desyred with prayer dylygent.

That all that he touchyd tourne myght vnto golde

His prayer was harde, he obteynyd his intent

But nat to his welth, but mortall punysshement

For whan he brede or drynke tast or touche sholde

Incontynent was it tourned in to golde

 

Thus was his prayer to his owne damage

For at the laste he dyed in wo and payne

For no golde coude his sore hunger asswage

Nor his desyre coude he nat call agayne.

Thus his peticion desyred was in vayne:

And where he wenyd great welth to get therby

He dyed in shame hunger and mysery.

 

Some dayly pray with marueylous besynes

Cryeng and syghynge to god omnypotent

For to haue plenty of welth ioy and ryches

And to be made ryche myghty and excellent.

O cursyd lyuers, o blynde men of intent

On suche desyres they set theyr mynde and thought

Whiche thousandes vnto shamefull ende hath brought

 

What profyted the myghty edefyces:

Of Lycynus, or lyuelode of excesse:

What profyteth the money gotten in vyces

Of riche Crassus, or cresus, great ryches

They all ar dede by theyr vnhappynes

And that lewdely, nat by deth naturall

Theyr blynde desyres chefe rote and cause of all

 

Another whiche is in youthes prosperyte

For strength and myght often to god doth pray

Some of theyr lyfe to haue prolyxyte

Desyreth god, and here to byde alway

In riches welth, ioy and solempne aray

But yet they in glotony take suche custome

That they slea them selfe longe or theyr day be come

 

Alas mad fole why prayest thou for age

Syns it so greuous is and ymportable

Unstable and full of dolour and damage

Odyous to youth and intollerable

Say folysshe man whiche art of mynde vnstable

Is it nat great foly to any creature

To pray for that thynge, whiche he can nat endure

 

Peleus, and Nestor and many other mo

As Itackes and laertes, sore haue complayned

For to longe age, euer full of payne and wo

Wherwith theyr bodyes sore haue ben constrayned

And with great sorowes and dyuers often payned:

And to conclude brefly in one sentence

Oft to age falleth moche inconuenyence

 

Yet ar mo folys whiche ought repreued be

And they ar suche whiche styll on god doth call

For great rowmes, offyces and great dignyte

No thynge intendynge to theyr greuous fall

For this is dayly sene, and euer shall

That he that coueytys hye to clym aloft

If he hap to fall, his fall can nat be soft

 

Some other pray for bewty and fayrnes

And that to a cursyd purpose and intent

Wherby they lese the heuenly blyssydnes:

Theyr soule subduynge to infernall turment

O ye mad folys of myndes ympotent

Pray your Pater noster with deuoute herte and mynde

For therin is all that is nedefull to mankynde

 

Our sauyour criste whyle he was on this grounde

Amonge vs synners in this vale of mysery

Taught his disciples this prayer whiche doth sounde

Nere to this sentence, nor greatly doth nat vary

(Our father wiche art in heuen) eternally

Thy name be halowyd (graunt that to thy kyngdome)

All we thy seruauntis worthely may come

 

In heuen and erth thy wyll be done alway

And of thy great grace and thy benygnyte

Our dayly brede graunt vnto vs this day

Forgyuynge our synnes and our iniquyte:

As we forgyue them that to vs detters be

And to auoyde temptacion thy grace vnto vs len

And vs delyuer from euery yll amen.

 

Whan thou hast clensyd thy mynde from syn before

And sayd this prayer to thy maker deuoutly

Thou nedyst nat of hym to desyre more

Yet mayst thou pray and desyre rightwysly

For helthe of soule within thy hole body

For stedfast fayth and yll name to eschewe.

And chastely to lyue (by his help) in vertue

 

Thus sholde thou pray thou wretche both day and nyght

With herte and mynde vnto thy creatoure:

And nought by foly to asshe agaynst right

To hurte or losse to thy frende or neyghboure

Nor to thy fo by yll wyll or rygoure

But if god to