The Ship of Fools, Volume 1-2 by Sebastian Brant (love story books to read .txt) 📖
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- Author: Sebastian Brant
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For kepynge secrete there, of his goostly sore.
Thus who that is payned in any malady
Bodely or gostly, ought nat to be callyd wyse
To the Phesycian without that he aply.
And his preceptis hant kepe and exercyse
But now olde wytches dare boldly interpryse
To intromyt to hele all infyrmyte
And many them byleue, whiche sothly is pyte
Suche wytches of theyr byleue abhomynable
On brest or hede of the paynfull pacyent
With theyr wytchecraftis shall compasse chat and bable
Assurynge hym of helth, and short amendement
Than he that is seke fyxith his intent
Upon hir errour: to haue helpe of his sore
But she hym leuyth wors than he was before
Poule the apostyll doth boldly say and preue
That they whiche to suche wytches wyll assent
Ar heretykes, Lolardes and false of theyr byleue
Brekynge goddes lawes and commaundement
And oft also by profe it apereth euydent
That suche as to wytches craftis wyll intende
By theyr fals Phesyke come soner to theyr ende
Theyr body dede, theyr soule in ieopardy
By mysbyleue for euer in paynes infernall.
Whiche ar rewarde for wretchyd synne and heresy
But if thou to thy mynde and reason call
And of this wrytynge perceyue the sence morall
Whan thou art fallen seke and in dedely syn
Seke helpe betyme, and byde nat longe therein
THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.
Thou man or woman, that lyest seke in vyce
To goddes vycayrs confesse thy syn holly
So shalt thou from thy goostly yll aryse.
For thy soule fyndynge helpe and remedy
Without leasynge shewe hym thy synne playnly
Let nat for shame nor fall nat thereto agayne
Better shewe thy sore there to one secretely
Than after openly: and byde eternall payne
Ensewe the counsell of a wyse confessour
Take nat colde water in stede of vermayll wyne:
For moche swetnes, endure thou a lytell soure
Kepe well the dyet and threfolde medicyne
Ordayned for synne by spirituall doctryne
That is confessyon, the next contrycyon.
With satisfaccion these thre, with grace deuyne
Ar salues parfyte for all transgressyon
*
Of ouer open takynges of counsel.
[Illustration: Who that to clerely layeth his net or snare
Before the byrdes whome he by gyle wolde take
Them playnly techyth of his gyle to be ware
And is a fole whether he slepe or wake
Right so is he (and doth a sauegarde make)
For his foes them (techynge remedy to fynde)
Whiche sheweth them by thretenynge the secret of his mynde]
Who that intendyth by chraft and polycy
To take many byrdes, outher small or great
And layeth before them to playne and openly
His lynes snarys, his lyme twyggis or his net
He shall no profyte gayne nor auauntage get
For if that he his engynes can nat hyde
The byrdes shall be ware, and lyghtly fle asyde
So he that wyll openly manace and threte
With worde and hande, as he wolde sle adowne ryght
Is oft scant abyll a symple hounde to bete.
For in his worde is all his force and myght
And he that alway thretenyth for to fyght.
Oft at the profe is skantly worth a hen
For greattest crakers ar nat ay boldest men
Who that agaynst his ennemy wolde fyght
And gyueth hym before wepyn and armour.
Agaynst hym selfe to encreas his foes myght
Suche one hath reason and wyt of smal valour.
Ryght so that sole is led in lyke errour
Which nought can do, of mater les or more
Without he crake and boste therof before.
And also suche bosters and crakers comonly
Whiche doth theyr mynde in hasty wordes declare
Of other men ar lytell or nought set by
And by theyr wordes, full often yll they fare
A man also may ryght easely be ware
Of folys whiche thus theyr counsell out expres
Whose thretenyngs to theyr foes is armour and harnes
But hym call I wyse and crafty of counsell
Whiche kepeth close the secretis of his mynde
And to no man wyll them disclose nor tell
To man nor woman, ennemy nor yet frynde
But do his purpose whan he best tyme can fynde
Without worde spekynge, and so may his intent
Best come to ende, his foo, beynge inprouydent
And specially no man ought to be large
Of wordes nor shewe his counsell openly
In thynges weyghty, of peryll and great charge
Consernynge a royallue, or helth of his body
For many ar falsly disceyued fynally
By lewde tale berers whiche seke the way to fynde
To knowe the preuy counsell of theyr lordes mynde
They fawne and flater to knowe his pryuetee
But they forsoth, that wolde knowe thynges newe
For the moste part of this condicion be
No thynge to kepe, but lyghtly it to shewe.
Thus may the saynge of Salomon be fonde true.
Whiche sayth that he is wyse, and lyueth happely
Whiche to hym selfe kepyth his counsell secretely
I fynde foure thynges whiche by meanes can
Be kept close, in secrete, one longe in preuetee
The firste is the counsell of a wytles man
The seconde a Cyte, whiche byldyd is a bye
Upon a mountayne, the thyrde we often se
That to hyde his dedes a louer hath no skyll
The fourth is strawe or fethers on a wyndy hyll
A pore mannys dedys may soone be kept close
His name is hyd, and right so is his dede.
A ryche mannys dede may no man hyde nor glose
It fleeth farthest, all men of it take hede
So that yll fame whome all men ought to drede
In fleynge about hir myght doth multyply
Augmentynge to his lynage shame and vylany
Therfore who that intendyth to be wyse
Ware and crafty, auoydynge all inconuenyence
To shewe his counsell ought nat to interpryse
But do his mynde, kepynge alway sylence
In seruauntis is small trust or confydence
He that is nowe thy frende may after be thy fo
Warne nat thy ennemy of that that thou wylt do
THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.
O ye that ar put to wronge and Iniury
If ye intende for to yelde the same agayne
It is great foly to warne your ennemye
Or hym to threten with bostynge wordes vayne.
For oft is sayde, and true it is certayne
That they that wyll lyue in quyetnes and rest
Must here and se and hasty wordes refrayne
All styll with fewe wordes do that they thynke best
*
Of folys that can nat beware by the mysfortune
and example of others damage.
[Illustration: Here we expresse, the errour and blyndnes
Of them that se others aduersyte
Theyr wofull fall the ruyne and dystres.
Yet sue they the same, and ware they wyll nat be
Though they by example the payne of other se
Yet leue they nat: thus may they clayme a place
Within my Nauy, as folys voyde of grace]
We dayly se the mysfortune and damage
And often fallys, to pouerte and payne
Whiche folys suffer for theyr synne and outrage
Some drowned, some maymed, some other wyse slayne
Yet this example can nat cause vs refrayne
Our wretchyd lyfe, and seke for remedy
We marke no thynge anothers ieopardy.
We se the mockynge scorne and derysyon
That folys hath ofte tyme whan they offende
We se theyr losse, theyr shame and theyr confusion
Howe be it all this can cause vs to amende
We can no thynge and to nought we intende
So many folys I fynde that playne I thynke
Theyr weyghty charge shall cause my shyp to synke
Suche ar despysyd of men discrete and wyse
Ye and more ouer these folys ar so blynde
That echone of them the other doth despyse
With sharp rebukes, wordes lewde and vnkynde
Yet in theyr lyfe no difference may we fynde
And though they haue sene a thousande brough to shame
For one sore vyce: yet lyue they in the same
The example of other can nat theyr myndes moue
Theyr wyttis ar blynde theyr foly is the cause
Alas mad folys why do ye vyce thus loue
Rennynge ay to deth without all rest or pause
Alas, at the last retourne to christis lawes
Be ware, whan ye other se taken in the snare
Let anothers peryll cause you to be ware
Ye do nat so, alas it is great shame
Your synne hath quenchyd your grace and gostly lyght
One blynde man another doth chyde and blame
And yet both stomble, nat goynge euyn or right
A blynde man hym ledyth that also hath no syght
So both in the dyche fallyth in suche a wyse
That one can nat helpe, the other agayne to ryse
One crab blamys another for hir bacwarde pace
And yet the blamer sothly can none other do
But both two ar in theyr goynge in lyke case
The one goeth bocwarde, the other doth also
Many of these folys after that maner go
But who that of his moders doctryne hath disdayne:
Shall by his stepdame endure wo care and payne
And perchaunce after abyde the correccyon
Of the sayde stepdame, in place of punysshement.
For his synne, sufferynge hir vniust subieccien
And who that nat foloweth the commaundement
Of his fader beynge to hym obedyent
May fortune after in hunger thyrst ond colde
Obey that stranger, whom he nat gladly wolde
We fynde Hystories wryten longe and ample
In dyuers bokes of great auctoryte
The hole Bybyll sheweth to vs example
Howe they were punysshed that lyuyd in cruelte
I fynde also wryten in bokes of Poetrye
Howe that Pheton was brent with the lyghtnynge
For his presumpcion, agaynst a myghty kynge
We haue example also by Icarus
Whiche contrary vnto the commaundement
Of his crafty father named Dedalus
By fleynge to hye his wynges and fethers brent
And so descendyd and in the se was drent
Thus these two endynge by theyr lewdnes in care
By theyr example sholde cause vs to beware
We dayly se before our syght and our presence
What mysauenture to many one doth fall
And that worthely for theyr synne and offence
Yet ar we blynde, and ar nat ware at all
But in our synnes lyue vnto them egall
And where by synne we se one come to shame
We wyllyngly (alas) ensue the same
Therfore who sethe a mad fole come to wo
Or fall in peryll for lacke of a good gyde
By another way ought craftely to go
And (by anothers yll) for his helthe to prouyde
The fox was ware, and peryll set asyde
And wolde nat enter into the caue, for playne
Of bestis that entred sawe he none come agayne
THE ENUOY OF BARKLAYLerne man, lerne of bestes to be ware
Of others peryll, by theyr enormyte
For if one byrde be onys tane in a snare
The other auoyde as fast as they may flee
A fysshe byrde or beste that hath in peryll be
Of net hoke or snare, if that they may escape.
Wyll after euer beware, but blynde man wyll nat se
His owne destruccion, but after it doth gape
*
Of them that forceth or careth for the
bacbytynge of lewde people.
[Illustration: Whether that a bell be hangyd or lye on grounde
If vnto the same a clapper lacke or fayle
The bell shall make but sympyll noyse or sounde
Though thou in it do hange a Foxys tayle
Right so backbyters that vse on men to rayle
Can nat greatly hurt
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