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

>With wo contynuall and payne for euermore

For kepynge secrete there, of his goostly sore.

 

Thus who that is payned in any malady

Bodely or gostly, ought nat to be callyd wyse

To the Phesycian without that he aply.

And his preceptis hant kepe and exercyse

But now olde wytches dare boldly interpryse

To intromyt to hele all infyrmyte

And many them byleue, whiche sothly is pyte

 

Suche wytches of theyr byleue abhomynable

On brest or hede of the paynfull pacyent

With theyr wytchecraftis shall compasse chat and bable

Assurynge hym of helth, and short amendement

Than he that is seke fyxith his intent

Upon hir errour: to haue helpe of his sore

But she hym leuyth wors than he was before

 

Poule the apostyll doth boldly say and preue

That they whiche to suche wytches wyll assent

Ar heretykes, Lolardes and false of theyr byleue

Brekynge goddes lawes and commaundement

And oft also by profe it apereth euydent

That suche as to wytches craftis wyll intende

By theyr fals Phesyke come soner to theyr ende

 

Theyr body dede, theyr soule in ieopardy

By mysbyleue for euer in paynes infernall.

Whiche ar rewarde for wretchyd synne and heresy

But if thou to thy mynde and reason call

And of this wrytynge perceyue the sence morall

Whan thou art fallen seke and in dedely syn

Seke helpe betyme, and byde nat longe therein

 

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

 

Thou man or woman, that lyest seke in vyce

To goddes vycayrs confesse thy syn holly

So shalt thou from thy goostly yll aryse.

For thy soule fyndynge helpe and remedy

Without leasynge shewe hym thy synne playnly

Let nat for shame nor fall nat thereto agayne

Better shewe thy sore there to one secretely

Than after openly: and byde eternall payne

 

Ensewe the counsell of a wyse confessour

Take nat colde water in stede of vermayll wyne:

For moche swetnes, endure thou a lytell soure

Kepe well the dyet and threfolde medicyne

Ordayned for synne by spirituall doctryne

That is confessyon, the next contrycyon.

With satisfaccion these thre, with grace deuyne

Ar salues parfyte for all transgressyon

 

*

 

Of ouer open takynges of counsel.

 

[Illustration: Who that to clerely layeth his net or snare

Before the byrdes whome he by gyle wolde take

Them playnly techyth of his gyle to be ware

And is a fole whether he slepe or wake

Right so is he (and doth a sauegarde make)

For his foes them (techynge remedy to fynde)

Whiche sheweth them by thretenynge the secret of his mynde]

 

Who that intendyth by chraft and polycy

To take many byrdes, outher small or great

And layeth before them to playne and openly

His lynes snarys, his lyme twyggis or his net

He shall no profyte gayne nor auauntage get

For if that he his engynes can nat hyde

The byrdes shall be ware, and lyghtly fle asyde

 

So he that wyll openly manace and threte

With worde and hande, as he wolde sle adowne ryght

Is oft scant abyll a symple hounde to bete.

For in his worde is all his force and myght

And he that alway thretenyth for to fyght.

Oft at the profe is skantly worth a hen

For greattest crakers ar nat ay boldest men

 

Who that agaynst his ennemy wolde fyght

And gyueth hym before wepyn and armour.

Agaynst hym selfe to encreas his foes myght

Suche one hath reason and wyt of smal valour.

Ryght so that sole is led in lyke errour

Which nought can do, of mater les or more

Without he crake and boste therof before.

 

And also suche bosters and crakers comonly

Whiche doth theyr mynde in hasty wordes declare

Of other men ar lytell or nought set by

And by theyr wordes, full often yll they fare

A man also may ryght easely be ware

Of folys whiche thus theyr counsell out expres

Whose thretenyngs to theyr foes is armour and harnes

 

But hym call I wyse and crafty of counsell

Whiche kepeth close the secretis of his mynde

And to no man wyll them disclose nor tell

To man nor woman, ennemy nor yet frynde

But do his purpose whan he best tyme can fynde

Without worde spekynge, and so may his intent

Best come to ende, his foo, beynge inprouydent

 

And specially no man ought to be large

Of wordes nor shewe his counsell openly

In thynges weyghty, of peryll and great charge

Consernynge a royallue, or helth of his body

For many ar falsly disceyued fynally

By lewde tale berers whiche seke the way to fynde

To knowe the preuy counsell of theyr lordes mynde

 

They fawne and flater to knowe his pryuetee

But they forsoth, that wolde knowe thynges newe

For the moste part of this condicion be

No thynge to kepe, but lyghtly it to shewe.

Thus may the saynge of Salomon be fonde true.

Whiche sayth that he is wyse, and lyueth happely

Whiche to hym selfe kepyth his counsell secretely

 

I fynde foure thynges whiche by meanes can

Be kept close, in secrete, one longe in preuetee

The firste is the counsell of a wytles man

The seconde a Cyte, whiche byldyd is a bye

Upon a mountayne, the thyrde we often se

That to hyde his dedes a louer hath no skyll

The fourth is strawe or fethers on a wyndy hyll

 

A pore mannys dedys may soone be kept close

His name is hyd, and right so is his dede.

A ryche mannys dede may no man hyde nor glose

It fleeth farthest, all men of it take hede

So that yll fame whome all men ought to drede

In fleynge about hir myght doth multyply

Augmentynge to his lynage shame and vylany

 

Therfore who that intendyth to be wyse

Ware and crafty, auoydynge all inconuenyence

To shewe his counsell ought nat to interpryse

But do his mynde, kepynge alway sylence

In seruauntis is small trust or confydence

He that is nowe thy frende may after be thy fo

Warne nat thy ennemy of that that thou wylt do

 

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

 

O ye that ar put to wronge and Iniury

If ye intende for to yelde the same agayne

It is great foly to warne your ennemye

Or hym to threten with bostynge wordes vayne.

For oft is sayde, and true it is certayne

That they that wyll lyue in quyetnes and rest

Must here and se and hasty wordes refrayne

All styll with fewe wordes do that they thynke best

 

*

 

Of folys that can nat beware by the mysfortune

and example of others damage.

 

[Illustration: Here we expresse, the errour and blyndnes

Of them that se others aduersyte

Theyr wofull fall the ruyne and dystres.

Yet sue they the same, and ware they wyll nat be

Though they by example the payne of other se

Yet leue they nat: thus may they clayme a place

Within my Nauy, as folys voyde of grace]

 

We dayly se the mysfortune and damage

And often fallys, to pouerte and payne

Whiche folys suffer for theyr synne and outrage

Some drowned, some maymed, some other wyse slayne

Yet this example can nat cause vs refrayne

Our wretchyd lyfe, and seke for remedy

We marke no thynge anothers ieopardy.

 

We se the mockynge scorne and derysyon

That folys hath ofte tyme whan they offende

We se theyr losse, theyr shame and theyr confusion

Howe be it all this can cause vs to amende

We can no thynge and to nought we intende

So many folys I fynde that playne I thynke

Theyr weyghty charge shall cause my shyp to synke

 

Suche ar despysyd of men discrete and wyse

Ye and more ouer these folys ar so blynde

That echone of them the other doth despyse

With sharp rebukes, wordes lewde and vnkynde

Yet in theyr lyfe no difference may we fynde

And though they haue sene a thousande brough to shame

For one sore vyce: yet lyue they in the same

 

The example of other can nat theyr myndes moue

Theyr wyttis ar blynde theyr foly is the cause

Alas mad folys why do ye vyce thus loue

Rennynge ay to deth without all rest or pause

Alas, at the last retourne to christis lawes

Be ware, whan ye other se taken in the snare

Let anothers peryll cause you to be ware

 

Ye do nat so, alas it is great shame

Your synne hath quenchyd your grace and gostly lyght

One blynde man another doth chyde and blame

And yet both stomble, nat goynge euyn or right

A blynde man hym ledyth that also hath no syght

So both in the dyche fallyth in suche a wyse

That one can nat helpe, the other agayne to ryse

 

One crab blamys another for hir bacwarde pace

And yet the blamer sothly can none other do

But both two ar in theyr goynge in lyke case

The one goeth bocwarde, the other doth also

Many of these folys after that maner go

But who that of his moders doctryne hath disdayne:

Shall by his stepdame endure wo care and payne

 

And perchaunce after abyde the correccyon

Of the sayde stepdame, in place of punysshement.

For his synne, sufferynge hir vniust subieccien

And who that nat foloweth the commaundement

Of his fader beynge to hym obedyent

May fortune after in hunger thyrst ond colde

Obey that stranger, whom he nat gladly wolde

 

We fynde Hystories wryten longe and ample

In dyuers bokes of great auctoryte

The hole Bybyll sheweth to vs example

Howe they were punysshed that lyuyd in cruelte

I fynde also wryten in bokes of Poetrye

Howe that Pheton was brent with the lyghtnynge

For his presumpcion, agaynst a myghty kynge

 

We haue example also by Icarus

Whiche contrary vnto the commaundement

Of his crafty father named Dedalus

By fleynge to hye his wynges and fethers brent

And so descendyd and in the se was drent

Thus these two endynge by theyr lewdnes in care

By theyr example sholde cause vs to beware

 

We dayly se before our syght and our presence

What mysauenture to many one doth fall

And that worthely for theyr synne and offence

Yet ar we blynde, and ar nat ware at all

But in our synnes lyue vnto them egall

And where by synne we se one come to shame

We wyllyngly (alas) ensue the same

 

Therfore who sethe a mad fole come to wo

Or fall in peryll for lacke of a good gyde

By another way ought craftely to go

And (by anothers yll) for his helthe to prouyde

The fox was ware, and peryll set asyde

And wolde nat enter into the caue, for playne

Of bestis that entred sawe he none come agayne

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY

Lerne man, lerne of bestes to be ware

Of others peryll, by theyr enormyte

For if one byrde be onys tane in a snare

The other auoyde as fast as they may flee

A fysshe byrde or beste that hath in peryll be

Of net hoke or snare, if that they may escape.

Wyll after euer beware, but blynde man wyll nat se

His owne destruccion, but after it doth gape

 

*

 

Of them that forceth or careth for the

bacbytynge of lewde people.

 

[Illustration: Whether that a bell be hangyd or lye on grounde

If vnto the same a clapper lacke or fayle

The bell shall make but sympyll noyse or sounde

Though thou in it do hange a Foxys tayle

Right so backbyters that vse on men to rayle

Can nat greatly hurt