The Ship of Fools, Volume 1-2 by Sebastian Brant (love story books to read .txt) 📖
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But thoughe suche bokes vs godly wayes shewe
We all ar blynde no man wyll them ensue
Banysshed is doctryne, we wander in derknes
Throughe all the worlde: our selfe we wyll not knowe
Wysdome is exyled, alas blynde folysshenes
Mysgydeth the myndes of people hye and lowe
Grace is decayed, yll governaunce doth growe
Both prudent Pallas and Minerua are slayne
Or els to heuyn retourned are they agayne
Knowledge of trouth, Prudence, and iust Symplicite
Hath vs clene left: For we set of them no store.
Our Fayth is defyled loue, goodnes, and Pyte:
Honest maners nowe ar reputed of: no more.
Lawyers ar lordes: but Justice is rent and tore.
Or closed lyke a Monster within dores thre.
For without mede: or money no man can hyr se.
Al is disordred: Vertue hathe no rewarde.
Alas, Compassion: and Mercy bothe ar slayne.
Alas, the stony hartys of pepyl ar so harde
That nought can constrayne theyr folyes to refrayne
But styl they procede: and eche other meyntayne.
So wander these foles: incresinge without nomber.
That al the worlde they vtterly encomber.
Blasphemers of Chryst; Hostlers; and Tauerners:
Crakars and bosters with Courters auenterous,
Bawdes and Pollers with comon extorcioners
Ar taken nowe adayes in the worlde moste glorious.
But the gyftes of grace and al wayes gracious
We haue excluded. Thus lyue we carnally:
Utterly subdued to al lewdnes and Foly.
Thus is of Foles a sorte almost innumerable.
Defilynge the worlde with syn and Vylany.
Some thynkinge them self moche wyse and commendable
Thoughe al theyr dayes they lyue vnthryftely.
No goodnes they perceyue nor to no goode aplye.
But if he haue a great wombe, and his Cofers ful
Than is none holde wyser bytwene London and Hul.
But to assemble these Foles in one bonde.
And theyr demerites worthely to note.
Fayne shal I Shyppes of euery maner londe.
None shalbe left: Barke, Galay, Shyp, nor Bote.
One vessel can nat brynge them al aflote.
For yf al these Foles were brought into one Barge
The bote shulde synke so sore shulde be the charge.
The sayles ar hawsed, a pleasant cole dothe blowe.
The Foles assembleth as fast as they may dryue.
Some swymmeth after: other as thycke doth rowe
In theyr small botes, as Bees about a hyue
The nomber is great, and eche one doth stryue
For to be chefe as Purser and Capytayne
Quarter mayster, Lodesman or els Boteswayne.
They ron to our shyp, eche one doth greatly fere
Lyst his slacke paas, sholde cause hym byde behynde
The wynde ryseth, and is lyke the sayle to tere
Eche one enforseth the anker vp to wynde
The se swellyth by planettes well I fynde
These obscure clowdes threteneth vs tempest
All are nat in bed whiche shall haue yll rest
We are full lade and yet forsoth I thynke
A thousand are behynde, whom we may not receyue
For if we do, our nauy clene shall synke
He oft all lesys that coueytes all to haue
From London Rockes almyghty god vs saue
For if we there anker, outher bote or barge
There be so many that they vs wyll ouercharge
Ye London Galantes, arere, ye shall nat enter
We kepe the streme, and touche nat the shore
In Cyte nor in Court we dare nat well auenter
Lyst perchaunce we sholde displeasure haue therfore
But if ye wyll nedes some shall haue an ore
And all the remenaunt shall stande afar at large
And rede theyr fautes paynted aboute our barge.
Lyke as a myrrour doth represent agayne
The fourme and fygure of mannes countenaunce
So in our shyp shall he se wrytyn playne
The fourme and fygure of his mysgouernaunce
What man is fautles, but outher ignoraunce
Or els wylfulnes causeth hym offende:
Than let hym nat disdayne this shyp, tyll he amende.
And certaynly I thynke that no creature
Lyuynge in this lyfe mortall in transytory
Can hym self kepe and stedfastly endure
Without all spot, as worthy eternall glory
But if he call to his mynde and memory
Fully the dedys both of his youthe and age
He wyll graunt in this shyp to kepe some stage
But who so euer wyll knowlege his owne foly
And it repent, lyuynge after in sympylnesse
Shall haue no place nor rowme more in our nauy
But become felawe to pallas the goddesse
But he that fyxed is in suche a blyndnesse
That thoughe he be nought he thynketh al is well
Suche shall in this Barge bere a babyll and a bell
These with other lyke may eche man se and rede
Eche by themselfe in this small boke ouerall
The fautes shall he fynde if he take good hede
Of all estatis as degres temporall
With gyders of dignytees spirituall
Bothe pore and riche, Chorles and Cytezyns
For hast to lepe a borde many bruse theyr shynnys
Here is berdles youth, and here is crokyd age
Children with theyr faders that yll do them insygne
And doth nat intende theyr wantones to swage
Nouther by worde nor yet by discyplyne
Here be men of euery science and doctryne
Lerned and vnlerned man mayde chylde and wyfe
May here se and rede the lewdenes of theyr lyfe.
Here ar vyle wymen: whome loue Immoderate
And lust Venereall bryngeth to hurt and shame.
Here ar prodigal Galantes: wyth mouers of debate.
And thousandes mo: whome I nat wel dare name.
Here ar Bacbyters whiche goode lyuers dyffame.
Brakers of wedlocke, men proude: and couetous:
Pollers, and pykers with folke delicious.
It is but foly to rehers the names here
Of al suche Foles: as in one Shelde or targe.
Syns that theyr foly dystynctly shal apere
On euery lefe: in Pyctures fayre and large.
To Barclays stody: and Pynsones cost and charge
Wherfore ye redars pray that they both may be saued
Before God, syns they your folyes haue thus graued.
But to thentent that euery man may knowe
The cause of my wrytynge: certes I intende
To profyte and to please both hye and lowe
And blame theyr fautes wherby they may amende
But if that any his quarell wyll defende
Excusynge his fautes to my derysyon
Knowe he that noble poetes thus haue done.
Afore my dayes a thousande yere ago
Blamynge and reuylynge the inconuenyence
Of people, wyllynge them to withdrawe therfro
Them I ensue: nat lyke of intellygence
And though I am nat to them lyke in science
Yet this is my wyll mynde and intencion
To blame all vyce lykewyse as they haue done.
To tender youth my mynde is to auayle
That they eschewe may all lewdenes and offence
Whiche doth theyr myndes often sore assayle
Closynge the iyen of theyr intellygence
But if I halt in meter or erre in eloquence
Or be to large in langage I pray you blame nat me
For my mater is so bad it wyll none other be.
*
[The Argument.]
Here after foloweth the Boke named the Shyp of Foles of the world:
translated out of Laten, French and Doche into Englysse in the Colege of
saynt Mary Otery By me Alexander Barclay to the felicite and moste holsom
instruccion of mankynde the whiche conteyneth al suche as wandre from the
way of trouth and from the open Path of holsom vnderstondynge and wysdom:
fallynge into dyuers blyndnesses of ye mynde, folysshe sensualytees, and
vndlawful delectacions of the body. This present Boke myght haue ben callyd
nat inconuenyently the Satyr (that is to say) the reprehencion of
foulysshnes, but the neweltye of the name was more plesant vnto the fyrst
actour to call it the Shyp of foles: For in lyke wyse as olde Poetes
Satyriens in dyuers Poesyes conioyned repreued the synnes and ylnes of the
peple at that tyme lyuynge: so and in lyke wyse this our Boke representeth
vnto the iyen of the redars the states and condicions of men: so that euery
man may behold within the same the cours of his lyfe and his mysgouerned
maners, as he sholde beholde the shadowe of the fygure of his visage within
a bright Myrrour. But concernynge the translacion of this Boke: I exhort ye
reders to take no displesour for y^t it is nat translated word by worde
acordinge to ye verses of my actour. For I haue but only drawen into our
moder tunge, in rude langage the sentences of the verses as nere as the
parcyte of my wyt wyl suffer me, some tyme addynge, somtyme detractinge and
takinge away suche thinges a semeth me necessary and superflue. wherfore I
desyre of you reders pardon of my presumptuous audacite trustynge that ye
shall holde me excused if ye consyder ye scarsnes of my wyt and my vnexpert
youthe. I haue in many places ouerpassed dyuers poetical digressions and
obscurenes of Fables and haue concluded my worke in rude langage as shal
apere in my translacion. But the speciyl cawse that mouethe me to this
besynes is to auoyde the execrable inconuenyences of ydilnes whyche (as
saint Bernard sayth) is moder of al vices: and to the vtter derision of
obstynat men delitynge them in folyes and mysgouernance. But bycause the
name of this boke semeth to the redar to procede of derysion: and by that
mean that the substance therof shulde nat be profitable: I wyl aduertise
you that this Boke is named the Shyp of foles of the worlde: For this
worlde is nought els but a tempestous se in the whiche we dayly wander and
are caste in dyuers tribulacions paynes and aduersitees: some by ignoraunce
and some by wilfulnes: wherfore suche doers ar worthy to be called foles.
syns they gyde them nat by reason as creatures resonable ought to do.
Therfore the fyrst actoure willynge to deuyde suche foles from wysemen and
gode lyuers: hathe ordeyned vpon the se of this worlde this present Shyp to
contayne these folys of ye worlde, whiche ar in great nomber. So that who
redeth it perfytely consyderynge his secrete dedys, he shall not lyghtly
excuse hym selfe out of it, what so euer good name y^t he hath outwarde in
the mouth of the comontye, And to the entent y^t this my laboure may be the
more pleasaunt vnto lettred men, I haue adioyned vnto the same ye verses of
my Actour with dyuerse concordaunces of the Bybyll to fortyfy my wrytynge
by the same, and also to stop the enuyous mouthes (If any suche shal be) of
them that by malyce shall barke ayenst this my besynes.
*
Here begynneth the foles and first inprofytable bokes.
[Illustration: I am the firste fole of all the hole nauy
To kepe the pompe, the helme and eke the sayle
For this is my mynde, this one pleasoure haue I
Of bokes to haue grete plenty and aparayle
I take no wysdome by them: nor yet auayle
Nor them preceyue nat: And then I them despyse
Thus am I a foole and all that sewe that guyse]
That in this shyp the chefe place I gouerne
By this wyde see with folys wanderynge
The cause is playne, and easy to dyscerne
Styll am I besy bokes assemblynge
For to haue plenty it is a plesaunt thynge
In my conceyt and to haue them ay in honde
But what they mene do I nat vnderstonde
But yet I haue them in great reuerence
And honoure sauynge them from fylth and ordure
By often brusshynge, and moche dylygence
Full goodly bounde in pleasaunt couerture
Of domas, satyn, or els of veluet pure
I kepe them sure ferynge lyst they sholde be lost
For in them is the
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