The Ship of Fools Part 28

Syns deth (as I haue sayde) is so vnstable Wherfore we ought alway vs to prouyde And mende our lyfe and synne abhomynable For though that thou be hole at the euyn tyde Thou knowest nat sure that thou shall here abyde Untyll the morne but if thou dye in that s.p.a.ce It shall be to late for the to cry cras cras

Syns it is in thy power that thou may Amende thy selfe whan G.o.d inspyreth the Why shalt thou tary vnto another day The longer tary the lesse apt shalt thou be.

In olde sores is grettest ieopardye Whan costome and vse is tourned to nature It is right harde to leue: I the ensure

Therfore if that thou lewdly fall in syn By thy frayle flesshe, and the fals fendes trayne Take nat the vse, contynue nat therin But by confessyon shortly ryse agayne Synne alway thretenyth vnto the doer, payne And grutche of conscience with moche thought and wo Yet alwaye ar we redy and p.r.o.ne therto

Mannys lyfe on erth is euyn a chyualry Agaynst our flesshe fyghtyng whiche often doth vs shame Also the deuyll our goostly ennemy On his parte labours to get vs in his frame Thus oft we fall, and than our foly blame Repentynge sore, and wyllynge to refrayne But within an houre we fall therto agayne

Thus euer to vyce ar we redy and p.r.o.ne The gyftis of grace we clene from vs exclude We haue great cause sore to complayne and mone We leue that thynge (our myndes ar so rude) That myght vs gyde to helth and beatytude Thus our owne foly, and our owne blynde madnes Us often ledyth vnto great wretchydnes

And if it fortune, that at any tyme Within our myndes we purpose stedfastly For to confesse our synne, excesse, or cryme Agayne our thought is changyd by and by Away than ren we with the crowys crye With one cras, to morowe, perauenture twayne Without regarde had, vnto infernall payne

But in the meane s.p.a.ce if that deth vntretable Arrest the with his mace, fyers and cruell And for thy synne and lyfe abhomynable By iustyce damme thy soule for euer to h.e.l.l Than woldest thou gladly (If thou myght) do well But there is no grace but doloure payne and sorowe Than is to late to crye cras cras to morowe

THE ENUOY OF THE ACTOUR.

Say what delyte, thou fole or what pleasoure Takest thou in synne and voluptuosyte It is small sothly, and pa.s.seth euery houre Lyke to the water, and that in myserye Therfore set nat in synne thy felycyte This day begyn thy lewde lyfe to refuse Perchaunce to morowe sholde be to late to the So sholde cras the crwys songe the sore abuse

Of hym that is Jelous ouer his wyfe and watcheth hir wayes without cause, or euydent tokyn of hir myslyuynge.

[Ill.u.s.tration: He that his wyfe wyll counterwayte and watche And feryth of hir lyuynge by his Jelowse intent Is as great fole, as is that wytles wratche That wolde kepe flees vnder the son feruent Or in the se cast water, thynkynge it to augment For thoughe he hir watche lockynge with lockys twayne But if she kepe hir selfe his kepynge is but vayne]

Orestes was neuer so blynde and mad as is he Whiche for his wyfe taketh thought and charge Watchynge hir wayes, thoughe that she gyltles be This fole styll fereth, if she be out at large Lyst that some other his harnes sholde ouercharge But for all his fere and carefull Jelowsy If she be nought there is no remedy.

Thou fole I proue, thy watchynge helpeth nought Thy labour lost is, thou takest this care in vayne In vayne thou takest this Jelowsy and thought In vayne thou sleest thy selfe with care and payne And of one doute thou fole thou makest twayne And neuer shalt fynde eas nor mery lyuynge (Whyle thou thus lyuest) but hatered and chydynge

For locke hir fast and all hir lokes marke.

Note all hir steppys, and twynklynge of hir iye.

Ordeyne thy watchers and dogges for to barke Bar fast thy dores and yet it wyll nat be Close hir in a Toure with wallys stronge and hye But yet thou fole thou lesist thy trauayle For without she wyll no man can kepe hir tayle

And yet more ouer breche hir with plate and mayle And for all that if she be nought of kynde She shall disceyue the (If she lyst) without fayle But if that she be chast of dede and mynde Hir selfe shall she kepe, though thou hir neuer bynde Thus they that ar chast of nature, wyll byde so And nought wyll be nought what so euer thou do

Thus is it foly and causeth great debate Bytwene man and wyfe, whan he by Jelowsy.

His wyfe suspectyth, and doth watche or counterwayt Or hir mysdemyth and kepyth in stratly.

Wherfore me thynke it is best remedy For hym that gladly wolde escape the hode Nat to be Jelous: but honest lyuynge and G.o.de

The toure of bras that callyd was darayne.

Coude nat the damsell (by name Danes) defende But that Jupiter fonde a cautell and trayne In a golden shoure into hir to discende And to be short, at conclusyon and ende This mayde for all this Toure was there defylyd.

And by this lorde was she there brought with childe

By this example it apereth euydent That it is foly a woman to kepe or close For if she be of lewde mynde or intent Outher preuy or apert there about she goys Deuysynge wayes with hir good man to glose But specially if that he hir suspect With a hode shall he vnwars be ouerdect

But in the worlde right many other be Whiche neuer folowe this fals and lothly way We haue example of one Penolope Whiche though that she alone was many a day Hir husbonde gone, and she vexed alway.

By other louers: yet was she euer trewe Unto hir olde: and neuer changyd for newe

I fynde that often this folysshe Jelowsy Of men; causyth some women to mysdo Where as (were nat theyr husbondes blynde foly) The pore wymen knowe nat what longyd therto Wherfore suche men ar folys and mad also And with theyr hodes whiche they them selfe purchace Within my shyp shall haue a rowme and place

For where as perchaunce theyr wyfes ar chaste and goode By mannys vnkyndnes they chaunge and turne theyr herte So that the wyfe must nedes gyue them a hode But to be playne some wymen ar esy to conuert For if one take them where they can nat start.

What for theyr husbondes folysshe Jelowsy And theyr owne pleasour: they scars can ought deny

THE ENUOY OF THE ACTOUR.

Therfore ye wymen lyue wysly and eschewe These wanton wowers and suche wylde company Get you G.o.de name by sadnes and vertue Haunt no olde quenys that nourysshe rybawdry Than fere ye nat your husbondes Jelowsy If ye be fawtles, chaste and innocent But wanton wowers ar ful of flatery Euer whan they labour for their intent.

Be meke, demure, bocsome, and obedyent, Gyue none occasyon to men by your foly If one ought a.s.she, deny it incontynent And euer after auoyde his company Beware of cornes, do nat your erys aply To pleasaunt wordes nor letters eloquent If that Helena had so done certaynly She had nat ven rauysshed by handes violent

Of auoutry, and specially of them y^t ar bawdes to their wyues, knowynge and wyll nat knowe, but kepe counseyll, for couetyse, and gaynes or auauntage.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A fole blynde, forsoth and wytles is that man Whiche thoughe his wyfe openly defylyd be Before his owne face, yet suche a chrafte he can To fayne hym a slepe, nat wyllynge it to se Or els he layeth his hande before his iye And thoughe he here and se howe the mater gose He snortynge slepyth, and wyll it nat disclose.]

O what disorder, what shame and what domage Is nowe brought in, and right lykely to abyde In the sacrament of holy mariage The fere of payne and lawe is set a syde Faythe is clene lost, and fewe them selfe do gyde After theyr othe, but for lacke of punysshement.

They brake and despyse this dyuyne sacrament

Alas the lawe that Julius dyd ordeyne Agaynst auoutry: is nowe a slepe or dede None feryth iustyce punysshement nor payne Both man and woman ar past all fere and drede Theyr promes brekynge, without respect or hede Had to theyr othe, by mariage solemnysed The bed defylyd. the sacrament despysed

Many ar whiche thynke it is a thynge laudable Anothers sponse to pullute and dyffame And howe beit the synne is moche abhomynable They fere nat G.o.d, nor dout nat worldly shame But rather boldly they bost them of the same They note no thynge the mortall punysshement Taken on auoutrers in the olde testament

Yet is another thynge more lothsome and vyle That many husbondes knowynge theyr wyues syn Absent themselfe and stop theyr iyen the whyle Kepynge the dore whyle the auoutrer is within They forse no thynge so they may money wyn Lyuynge as bawdes, and that to theyr owne wyues O cursyd money, this madnes thou contryuys

O cursyd husbonde thou ought to be a.s.shamyd To set so great fors for syluer or for golde That thou for them thy wyfe wyll se diffamyd And helpe therto: ye: and the dede beholde Blame it blynde dryuyll: by the lawe so thou sholde And nat therat to gyggyll laghe and Jest It is a lewde byrde that fyleth his owne nest

The Hystory of Atreus expressyth playne Howe he (by his owne brother) for auoutry Was dryuen from his royalme and his childre slayne For his mysdede: without: let or remedy These children thus bought theyr faders mad foly What shall I wryte the wo and heuynes Whiche Tarquyn had for rauysshynge lucres

I rede in the hystory of one Virginius Whiche to thyntent this foule synne to eschewe Whan his doughter was desyred by Clodius And that by force; the fader his dowghter slewe Bytwene the handes of Clodius vntrue The fader answered (whan men his dede dyd blame) Better is to dye chast: than longe to lyue in shame

But of auoutry somwhat more to speke In it is yre Enuy and paynfull pouertye.

And also he or she that mariage doth breke May fere of deth eternall whan they dye And here without welth ioy and rest shall they be And well ar they worthy (forsoth) of sore tourment In h.e.l.l: for brekynge this holy sacrament

But in the meane tyme here shalt thou haue discorde And neuer prosper in vertue nor ryches And lothsome be before the almyghty lorde Thy dedes shall purchace mysfortune and distres Thou lyue shalt in shame and dye in wretchydnes And if thou procede therin and nat amende Some great shame shalt thou haue before thyne ende.

THE ENUOY OF THE ACTOUR.

O creatures vnkynde leue ye this outrage Breke nat your othe whiche ye made solemly Eche one to other for to lyue in mariage Defyle ye it nat by synne and vylany On both partis if ye lyue faythfully After your promes: in loue, fayth and concorde Than shall ye in erth encreas and multyply And after haue syght of the almyghty lorde

Let all spousys in theyr myndes comprehende The lawys and decrees of the olde testament Howe they that in auoutry dyd offende Were outher stonyd or els openly brent Wherfore syns G.o.ddes son omnypotent.

Confermed hath the olde testament with the newe Auoutrers nowe deserue that same punysshement But well is to them, that stedfast ar and trewe

Of hym that nought can and nought wyll lerne, and seyth moche, lytell berynge away, I mene nat theuys.

[Ill.u.s.tration: He is a fole, and so shall he dye and lyue That thynketh hym wyse, and yet can he no thynge And though he myght he wyll nat set nor gyue His mynde to good maners, vertue nor cunnynge.