The Ship of Fools, Volume 1-2 by Sebastian Brant (love story books to read .txt) 📖
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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 hell: 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 goddes 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.
[Illustration: 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.
So is he a fole that doth to market brynge
His Gese fast bounde, and game or sporte to se
Lowsyth theyr fete, and suffreth them to fle]
Saynt George to borowe our Nauy is aflote
Forth shall we sayle, thoughe that it be a payne
And moche laboure to forge a pryuate bote
For euery faute: yet shall I nat refrayne
My hande nor penne: thoughe vnsure be my gayne
My laboure sure: my wyt and reason thynne
Than leue a thynge vnendyd better nat begynne
But in this place shall I a Shyp ordayne
For that fole: that heryth great doctryne
Wherby good maners and vertue aperyth playne
He seth all goodnes, stody, and disciplyne
And yet wyll nat his mynde therto enclyne
But though he knowe what thynge is godlyest
Ouer all the worlde, yet is he styll a beest.
Many of this sort wander and compase
All studies, the wonders of the worlde to se
With vnstabyll wynges fleynge from place to place
Some seyth lawe and some dyuynyte
But for all this byde they in one degre
And if they were Asses and folys blynde before
After all these syghtes yet ar they moche more
They se moche nought lernynge, and hauynge no delyte
In wysdome nor maners vertue nor goodnes
Theyr tyme is loste, without wysdome or profyte
Without grace, or other holynes
But whyle they labour thus with besynes
If they se ought newe, or any folysshe toy
That lyghtly they lerne, and set theron theyr ioy.
By this desyre folys may knowen be
For wytles men of fleynge mynde and brayne
Ar best pleasyd with thynges of neweltye
And them to haue, they spare no cost nor payne
To dyuers londes to ren but all in vayne
And so they labour alway from londe to londe
To se all wonders, but nought they vnderstonde
Some fle to se the wonders of englonde
Some to the court to se the maners there
Some to Wallys, Holonde, to Fraunce or Irlonde
To Lybye, afryke, and besyly enquere.
Of all marueyles, and skantly worth a here
Some vnto Fraunce and some to Flaunders ren
To so the wayes, and workes of cunnynge men
And to be shorte ouer all they range
Spendynge theyr goodes about vnthryftynes
In countrees knowen, vnknowen and strange
But whan theyr iourney they homwarde must addres
As folys vnware, and vagabundes thryftles
They haue nought lerned, kept, nor with them brought
Of maners, wysdome or other thynge that is ought
They that by the se sayle to londes strange
Oft chaunge the place and planete of the fyrmament
But theyr mynde nor maners they ne turne nor chaunge
And namely suche that ar lewde and neglygent
What euer they se styll one is theyr intent
Whan he departyd, If that he were a sote
Agayne anone he comyth in the same mynde and cote
Say mad folys blynde ouersene, and worthy scorne
Fayne wolde I knowe what necessyte ye haue
To go from the place where ye were bred and borne
Into another londe to lerne to play the knaue
Your mynde vnstable sheweth playne that ye raue
Laboure nat so sore, to lerne to be a fole
That cometh by it selfe without any other scole
He that is borne in walys or small brytayne
To lerne to pyke and stele nedys nat go to Rome.
What nede we sayle to Flaunders or Almayne
To lerne glotony, syns we may it lerne at home
Suche lewdnes soon may we lerne of our wombe
He that wyll lerne falshode gyle or sotelte
May lerne it here as well as beyonde the se.
To passe the se to lerne Uenus rybawdry
It is great foly, for thou mayst lerne thy fyll
In shoppis Innes and sellers, ye somtyme openly
At saynt Martyns Westmynster or at the tour hyll
So that I fere all London, in tyme it shall fyll
For it is there kept in lyght and in darke
That the pore Stuys decays for lacke of warke
But brefely to speke, and this to set a syde
He that on vyce, and synne wyll set his entent
May lerne it in Englonde, if he at home abyde
And that of all sortis: god sende amendement
But if thou alway wyll nede be dylygent
To labour in the worlde about from place to place
Do as dyd Plato, than shalt thou fynde great grace
This godly plato laboured with dilygence
To Egypt, and other londes sparynge for no payne
Where euer he came: augmentynge his scyence
And at the last retourned to Grece agayne
His countrey natyf: with laude and name souerayne
Thus he for all his wysdome laboured besyly
But that fowle that nought can nought settyth by
Wherfore that gose that styll about wyll wander
Moche seynge and herynge, and nought berynge away
Shall home come agayne as wyse as a gander
But more fole is he that may lerne euery day
Without cost or laboure out of his owne countrey
And whan the well of wysdome renneth by theyr dore
Yet looth they the water as if that it were soure
ALEXANDER BARKLAY AD FATUOS VT DENT LOCUM OCTO SECUNDARIIS BEATE MARIE DE
OTEREY QUI QUIDEM PRIMA HUIUS RATIS TRANSTRA MERENTUR.
Soft folys soft, a lytell slacke your pace
Tyll I haue space you to order by degre
I haue eyght neyghbours, that firste shall haue a place
Within this my shyp, for they most worthy be
They may theyr lernynge receyue costeles and fre.
Theyr wallys abuttynge and ioynynge to the scoles.
No thynge they can, yet nought wyll they lerne nor se
Therfore shall they gyde this one shyp of foles.
THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY.
O vnauysyd, vnwyse and frowarde man
Great cause thou hast to morne sore and complayne
Whan no goodnes vertue nor wyt thou can
And yet to lerne thou hast scorne and dysdayne
Alas man mende, and spare no maner payne
To get wysdome, and it thou shalt nat want
Hym that nought wyll knowe, god wyll nat knowe certayne
Wo is hym that wylfully is ignorant.
*
Of great wrathe, procedynge of small
occasyon.
[Illustration: Assys erys for our folys a lyuray is
And he that wyll be wroth for a thynge of nought
Of the same leuray is nat worthy to mys
For who that by wrathe to suche a wyll is brought
To sle his Asse for hir pas slowe and soft
Shall after his fury, repent his mad foly
For to a clere mynde, mad wrathe is ennemy]
Come nere, ye wrathfull men, take your rowme and place
Within our shyp, and to slake our hastynes
Mount on an Asse slowe of hir gate and pace
Syns troublous wrath, in you, styreth this madnes
Often lacke of myght asswagyth cruelnes
To a wylde cowe god doth short hornys sende
Wrath is great foly, where myght may nat extende
O man yll myndyd what helpeth the this yre
None the commendyth whiche doth thy maners marke
What doste thou: but the waste with thyne owne fyre
Narrynge with thyselfe lyke as a dogge doth barke
Without meke worde and pleasyd with no warke
Art thou: but thoughe all men be dylygent
Mad wrathe to please, yet who can it content
This man malycious whiche troubled is with wrath
Nought els soundeth but the hoorse letter R
Thoughe all be well, yet he none answere hath
Saue the dogges letter, glowmynge with nar nar
Suche labour nat this mad rancour to defar
Nor yet his malyce to mytygate or asswage
But ioyeth to be drede of men for this outrage
His mouth fomyth his throte out gorgyth fyre
His ferefull furoure is, his hole felycyte
By his great yre, doth he coueyte and desyre
Dowtyd to be: of the pore comontye
His owne madnes and cruell furyosyte
Wyll he nat knowe as he were nat culpable
Of this mad fury and vyce abhomynable
Hym selfe is blynde, but other well note his dede
He shall be poynted whether he go or ryde
Saynge one to other take gode regarde and hede
Of yonder furyous fole whome reason doth nat gyde
Beware his wayes fle hym on euery syde
Who that hym sueth both hurte and shame shall fynde
Thus other hym notyth but he hymself is blynde
So his Asse crys to hym ar inuysyble
He thynkyth to haue pacyence though that he haue none
And vnto hym it is thynge incredyble
That suche ar folys whose pacyence is gone
Thus coueytyth he to kepe his erys alone
And to wrathfull men he wyll no thynge obiect
For that hym selfe is with the same infect
But somwhat to touche the inconuenyences
Whiche by this wrath procedyth to mankynde
It is chefe grounde of many great offences
Destroynge reason blyndynge the wyt and mynde
By malyce man is to all yll inclynde
Both symple man, and lordes excellent
Do that by wrath oft whiche they after repent
Reuoke thy mynde, somwhat thy herte enclyne
Unto Archytas a man of hye wysdome
Borne the the ryche Cyte namyd Tarentyne
Rede howe that he his malyce dyd ouercome
For thoughe his seruaunt was fals to hym become
And he sore mouyd to auenge the same offence
Yet he refraynyd his wrathe by pacyence
So socrates so Senyk and Plato
Suffred great wronge great iniury and payne
And of your fayth sayntis right many mo
For christ our mayster dyd great turment sustayne
What wo or payne cowde saynt Laurance refrayne
From pacience wherfore it is great shame
For christen men if they do not the same
They suffred deth, ye, and yet were pacyent
And many haue prayed, for suche that haue them slayne
Where thou mad fole takest greuous punysshement
For small occasyon, ye come by chaunce sodayne
Fole thou art
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