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

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The firste enquyrynge and speciall questyon

Is of the money, that thynge namely they moue

And last of all aske they the condicion

So whan they mete they neuer haue perfyte loue

Wherfore it were better to suche for theyr behoue

To byde alone in deserte and wyldernes

Than in wedloke in payne for frayle ryches

 

Forsoth it is an vnmete maryage

And disagreynge and moche agaynst the lawe

Bytwene fresshe youth, and lame vnlusty age

The loue bytwene them is scantly worth a strawe

So doth the one styll on the other gnawe

And oft the man in mynde doth sore complayne.

His sede to sowe vpon a grounde barayne

 

Than muste he haue another prymme or twayne

With them to slake his wanton yonge cowrage

But in that space must he endure great payne

With hir that he hath tane in maryage

Hir bablynge tunge whiche no man can asswage

With wrathfull wordes shall sle hym at the laste

His other prymes his good shall spende and waste

 

Thus who that selleth his youthes lustynes

For frayle ryches and this mundayne vanyte

He byeth stryfe, gyle and falshode endlesse

Suche force nat for fayth true loue nor honestye

And thoughe that he discende of hye degre

For hope of money he shall an olde fole wed

By whose foly he to euery yll is led.

 

And so these folys subdue them to bondage

And worthely endure suche payne and punysshement

They hope therby to come to auantage

But that they lese and lyue in sore tourment

They wast theyr good, and so whan that is spent

And nought remayneth theyr bodyes to relefe

Theyr disputacion is nought but hore and thefe

 

But if I sholde wryte all the vnhappynes

The wrath discorde and the great deuysyon

Wherin they lyue, that mary for ryches

And nat for loue. I neuer sholde haue done

Wherfore this say I for a conclusyon

That he shall neuer thryue ne come to his behoue

That weddyth a wyfe for gode and nat for loue

 

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY.

 

Alas man myndles what is thyne intent

To wed for ryches, that weddynge I defy

Maryage was ordeyned by god omnypotent

In goddes lawes the worlde to multyply

Wherfore that man that wyll therto aply

And wolde haue the profyte of faythfull maryage

This worldly ryches ought no thynge to set by

But wed for loue and hope to haue lynage

 

Remember ryches is no thynge comparable

To mekenes vertue and discrete gouernaunce

And other maners whiche ar more commendable

Than worldly treasour or suche vnsure substaunce

Wherfore consyder and call to thy remembraunce

That better is to haue some woman pore and bare

And lyue in eas: Than one with habundaunce

Of great ryches: and euer to lyue in care

 

*

 

Of enuyous Folys.

 

[Illustration: Yet ar mo folys whiche greatly them delyte

In others losse, and that by fals enuy

Wherby they suche vnrightwysly bacbyte

The dartis of suche ouer all the wordly flye

And euer in fleynge theyr fethers multyply

No state in erth therfro can kepe hym sure

His sede encreasyth as it wolde euer endure]

 

Wastynge enuy oft styreth to malyce

Folys nat a fewe whiche ar therto enclynyd

Pryckynge theyr frowarde hertes vnto vyce

Of others damage reioysynge in theyr mynde

Enuyes darte doth his begynnynge fynde

In wrathfull hertes, it wastyth his owne nest

Nat suffrynge other to lyue in eas and rest

 

If one haue plenty of treasour and ryches

Or by his merytis obteyne great dignyte

These folys enuyous that of the same haue les

Enuy by malyce, the others hye degre

And if another of honour haue plente

They it enuy and wysshe that they myght sterue

Howe be it suche folys can nat the same deserue

 

These folys desyre agaynst both lawe and right

Anoters good if they may get the same

If they may nat by flaterynge nor by myght

Than by fals malyce they hym enuy and blame

Outher if one by his vertue hath good name

By fals enuy these foles hym reproue

Their wrath them blyndeth so that they none can loue

 

The wounde of this malycious, fals enuy

So dedely is, and of so great cruelte

That it is incurable and voyde of remedy

A man enuyous hath suche a properte

That if he purpose of one vengyd to be

Or do some mysche, whiche he reputyth best

Tyll it be done, he neuer hath eas nor rest

 

No slepe, no rest nor pleasour can they fynde

To them so swete, pleasaunt and delectable

That may expell this malyce from theyr mynde

So is enuy a vyce abhomynable

And vnto helth so frowarde and damnable

That if it onys be rotyd in a man

It maketh hym lene. his colour pale and wan.

 

Enuy is pale of loke and countenaunce

His body lene of colour pale and blewe

His loke frowarde, his face without pleasaunce

Pyllynge lyke scalys, his wordes ay vntrue

His iyen sparklynge with fyre ay fresshe and newe

It neuer lokyth on man with iyen full

But euer his herte by furious wrath is dull

 

Thou mayst example fynde of this enuy

By Joseph whome his bretherne dyd neuer beholde

With louynge loke, but sharpe and cruelly

So that they hym haue murdred gladly wolde

I myght recount examples manyfolde

Howe many by enuy lost hath theyr degre

But that I leue bycause of breuyte

 

Enuyous folys ar stuffed with yll wyll

In them no myrth nor solace can be founde

They neuer laughe but if it be for yll

As for gode lost or whan some shyp is drounde

Or whan some hous is brent vnto the grounde

But whyle these folys on other byte and gnawe

Theyr enuy wastyth theyr owne herte and theyr mawe

 

The mount of Ethnay though it brent euer styll

Yet (saue itselfe) it brenneth none other thynge

So these enuyous Folys by theyr yll wyll

Wast theyr owne herte, thoughe they be ay musynge

Another man to shame and losse or hurt to brynge

Upon them sellfe Thus tournyth this yll agayne

To theyr destruccion both shame great losse and payne

 

This fals enuy by his malycious yre

Doth often, bretherne so cursedly inflame

That by the same the one of them conspyre

Agaynst the other without all fere and shame

As Romulus and Remus excellent of fame

Whiche byldyd Rome, but after: enuy so grewe

Bytwene them that the one the other slewe

 

What shall I wryte of Cayme and of Abell

Howe Cayme for murder suffred great payne and wo

Atreus story and Theseus cruell.

Ar vnto vs example hereof also

Ethyocles with his brother: and many mo

Lyke as the storyes declareth openly

The one the other murdred by enuy

 

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

 

Wherfore let hym that is discrete and wyse

This wrathfull vyce exyle out of his mynde

And yll on none by malyce to surmyse

Let charyte in perfyte loue the bynde

Sue hir preceptis than shalt thou consort fynde

Loue in this lyfe, and ioy whan thou art past

Where as enuy thy conscyence shall blynde

And both they blode and body mar and wast

 

*

 

Of impacient Folys that wyll nat abyde

correccion.

 

[Illustration: Unto our Folys shyp let hym come hastely

Whiche in his Bagpype hath more game and sport

Than in a Harpe or Lute more swete of melody

I fynde vnnumerable Folys of this sort

Whiche in theyr Bable haue all they hole confort

For it is oft sayd of men both yonge and olde

A fole wyll nat gyue his Babyll for any golde]

 

The grettest synners that man may se or fynde

In myserable Folys theyr foly to expres

Is whan they wyll by no mean gyue theyr mynde

To frendly wordes, to grace or to goodnes

Suche folys so set theyr mynde on frowardnes

That though one gyue them counsell sad and wyse

They it disdayne and vtterly despyse

 

But he that is discrete sad and prudent

Aplyeth his mynde right gladly to doctryne

He hereth wyse men, his wysdome to augment

He them doth folowe and to theyr wordes enclyne

But that fole whiche ay goeth to ruyne.

And mortall myschefe had leuer be dede or slayne

Than byde correccyon or for his profyte payne

 

Suche haue suche pleasour in theyr mad folysshe pype

That they dispyse all other melody.

They leuer wolde dye folys than: byde a strype

For theyr correccyon and specyall remedy

And without dout none other Armony

To suche folys is halfe so delectable

As is their folysshe bagpype and theyr babyll

 

These frantyke folys wyll byde no punysshement

Nor smale correccion, for theyr synne and offence

No frendly warnynge can chaunge theyr yll intent

For to abyde it, they haue no pacyence.

They here no wysdome but fle from hir presence

And so it hapnyth that in the worlde be

Mo folys than men of wyt and grauyte

 

O mortall fole remember well what thou art

Thou art a man of erth made and of clay

Thy dayes ar short and nede thou must depart

Out of this lyfe, that canst thou nat denay

Yet hast thou reason and wyt wherby thou may

Thy selfe here gyde by wysdome ferme and stable

Wherby thou passest all bestis vnreasonable

 

Thou art made lorde of euery creature

All thynge erthly vnto thyne obedyence

God hath the creat vnto his owne fygure

Lo is nat here a great preemynence

God hath also gyuyn vnto the intellygence

And reason and wyt all foly to refuse.

Than art thou a fole that reason to abuse

 

He that is fre outher in subieccion.

If by his foly he fall into offence

And than submyt hym vnto correccyon.

All men shall laude his great obedyence

But if that one by pryde and insolence

Supporte his faute and so bere out his vyce

The hell tourmentis hym after shall chastyce

 

Correccyon shall the vnto wysdome brynge

Whiche is more precious than all erthly ryches

Than londes rentis or any other thynge

Why dost thou bost the of byrth or noblenes

Of ryches, strength beauty or fayrnes

These often ar cause of inconuenyence.

Where as all good comyth by wysdome and prudence

 

A wyse man onely as we often fynde

Is to be named moste ryche and of most myght

Here thou his wordes and plant them in thy mynde

And folowe the same for they ar sure and right.

Better is to endure, thoughe it be nat lyght

To suffer a wyse man the sharply to repreue

Than a flaterynge fole to clawe the by the sleue

 

Thoughe sharpe correccyon at the first the greue

Thou shalt the ende therof fynde profytable

It oft apereth, therfore I it byleue

That man also forsoth is fortunable

Whiche here in fere lyueth sure and stable

And in this lyfe is clene of his intent

Ferynge the sharpe payne of hellys punysshement

 

He may hym selfe right happy call also

Whiche is correct in his first tender age

And so lernyth in goodes law to go

And in his yocke, whiche doth all yll asswage

But these folys bydynge in theyr outrage

Whiche of correccyon in this lyfe hath dysdayne

May fere to be correct in hell with endles payne

 

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

 

Ye obstynate folys that often fall in vyce

Howe longe shall ye kepe this frowarde ignoraunce

Submyt your myndes, and so from synne aryse

Let mekenes slake your mad mysgouernaunce

Remember that worldly payne it greuaunce

To be compared to hell whiche hath no pere

There is