The Ship of Fools Part 24

Of the sermon or erudicion of wysdome bothe to wyse men and folys.

[Ill.u.s.tration: He that delyteth in G.o.dly 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 pa.s.se 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, G.o.dly 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 G.o.dly 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 G.o.d neuer thynge made without my true a.s.sent

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 G.o.dly 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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 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 a.s.sure.

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 G.o.de 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 d.a.m.nynge 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 h.e.l.l 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 G.o.d 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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 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