The Ship of Fools, Volume 1-2 - Sebastian Brant (thriller books to read TXT) 📗
- Author: Sebastian Brant
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voluptuosyte
[Illustration: Wanton wastfull and vayne voluptuosyte
Oft blyndeth attysynge vnto inconuenyence
Many that ar rude, for theyr symplycyte
And them as shepe sleeth for all theyr innocence
But other some it kepyth with myght and violence
As bulles bounde sure to endure great care
And other as byrdes it tangleth in hir snare]
Drawe nere ye folys to you I crye and call
Whiche ar of grace clene destytute and bare
Folowynge your lust and pleasour corporall
But for your soule ye take no thought ne care
To whome may I this shamefull lust compare
Saue to a harlat faynynge, fals and couetous.
Of whome comyth shame and bytes venemous
She syttyth in the strete as past both shame and fere
Hir brestes bare to tempt them that passe by
Hir face anoyntyd blasynge abrode hir here
Or els on hir folysshe front enlaced hye
Hir smocke to garnysshyd so hir dysceytfull iye
To shamfull lust a thousande doth attyce
Of youth whiche erst perchuance knewe nought of vyce
Hir chamber full of flatery and disceyte
Anone is opened the blynde fole entreth in
The hoke of deth is hyd vnder the bayte
Of folysshe lust pleasour and mortall syn
Hir soule she sellyth ryches therby to wyne
And what riches: a rewarde sothly full vyle
The soules damneth and bodyes doth defyle
The one departyth, another comys in agayne
Without all shame dare she them boldly pray
To hir fals pleasours, Thus by hir gyle and trayne
This folysshe youth to hir wyll nat denay
But vnto hir some lepe both nyght and day
Without mesure, rennynge to lese theyr lyfe
As ox or shepe vnto the bochers knyfe
The symple lambe his necke doth out extende
Vnto the Bocher his mortall ennemy
So doth these folys, sekynge a shamefull ende
And theyr owne deth, though they myght fynde remedy
O blynde fole I requyre the to aply
Vnto my wordes and thou shalt here and se.
Howe moche thou oughtest this folysshe lust to fle
The soule it damneth, and drowneth depe in hell
The wyt it wastyth, and confoundeth the mynde
It causeth man his londe and good to sell
And if that he none other mene can fynde
To rob and stele he oft tyme is inclyned
Besyde all these this fowle lust is so vyle
That with fowle sauour it shall thy body fele
Thoughe of lewde lust the ioy be short and small
And thoughe the pleasour therof be soon ouer past
The payne that foloweth it, is eternall
With wofull dolour menglyd, that euer shall last
Therfore leue of: do nat thy pleasour cast
On worldly welth, delyte ioy and pleasour
For soon they pas and chaunge at euery hour
Who that in this wretchyd worlde wyll auoyde
Of voluptuousnes the ioyes frayle and vayne
And suffre nat hym with them to be acloyde
Infect or drownyd, shall for the same certayne
Euerlastynge lyfe, and endles ioy obtayne
And for his hye tryumphe and dyuyne prudence
Haue the fruycyon of goddes hye presence
But who that wyll his carnall lust ensue
Shall here haue shame, and after payne cruell
I coude hereof dyuers examples shewe
But of right many this one I shall you tell
One Sardanapalus all other dyd excell.
In carnall lust and so his mynde dyd cast
On loue prohybyte, that grace was fro hym past
The loue of vertue was full out of his mynde
So he concludyd to sue dilyciousnes
Thynkynge after deth no welth nor ioy to fynde
For this is the sentence of the prynce of derknes
But good almyghty seynge his vycyousnes
His body and soule deuydyd soon in twayne
From worldly pleasour vnto infernall payne
By this hystory to vs it apereth playne
That from worldly pleasour and voluptuosyte
With all our myght we ought vs to refrayne
For thoughe the first of them delycious be
Theyr ende is poyson, and of sournes plente
Sue wyse men vertue, and set suche lust asyde
For they ar folys that in it lyue and byde
THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.
Amende mad men your blynde mysgouernaunce
Subdue nat your necke to the captyuyte
Of flysshely lust and corporall pleasaunce
Nor to blynde Venus with hir lasciuyte
(If ye it note) ye dayly here and se
The mysfortune of them that it ensue
And certaynly no man can saued be
By carnall lust, but by godly vertue
*
Of folys that can nat kepe secrete theyr
owne counsell.
[Illustration: Of other Foles a nomber yet I fynde
Which by theyr bablynge wordes and langage
Can nat kepe close the secrete of theyr mynde.
But all theyr counsel out they shewe at large.
So that oft therof procedeth great damage.
As Murder, myschefe, hatered and debate.
That after they repent. But than it is to late]
He is a naturall fole and vndiscrete
And to hym selfe ingendryth oft great stryfe
Whiche can nat hyde his counsell and secrete
But by his foly it sheweth to his wyfe
And all that he hath done in his hole lyfe
Or that to do here after he doth purpose
To euery man suche a fole wyll disclose
The noble Sampson moste excellent of myght
And strongest man that euer was get or borne
Were nat this foly: sholde nat haue lost his syght
Nor had his here, by gyle from his hede ofshorne
And of his ennemyes ben laughyd vnto scorne
And at the last with herte wrethfull and wo
His ennemyes murdred and hym selfe also
Where as he myght haue lyued in honour
If he had kept his secretes in his mynde
With his owne wyll he dyed in great dolour.
By the fals treason of his lemman vnkynde
We may in dyuers mo examples fynde
Howe many thousandes haue suffred paynes smart
And all for shewynge the secretes of theyr hart
Amphiaraus a Prynce moste excellent
Shortened the dayes of his pore doutfull lyfe
For shewynge the preuetees of his intent
By his owne foly to his disceytfull wyfe
And thoughe he longe escaped had the stryfe
And war of Thebes whiche he dyd longe defende
Yet at the leest his tunge was his owne ende
Thus olde storyes doth oft recorde and tell
By theyr examples whiche they vnto vs gyue
That wymen ar no kepars of councell
It goeth through them as water trough a syue
Wherfore let them that quyetly wolde lyue
No more of theyr counsell to any woman showe
Than that they wolde that euery man dyd knowe
Let euery man that is discrete and sage
Of suche folys with all wysdome be ware
Whiche shewe theyr counsell by theyr hasty langage.
To euery man without all thought and care
For they of wysdome and reason ar but bare
And who that his owne secrete wyll forth tell
Howe sholde he hyde another mannes counsell
Yet other be whiche by theyr flaterynge trayne
Labour to knowe euery mannys pryuete
And by and by to shewe it forth agayne
Of them be ware for they disceyfull be.
Some other bost them of theyr felycyte
Bablynge that they haue theyr wyll in euery thynge
As prosperous welth loue, ryches and cunnynge
And of great dedes done both on see and londe
Some by theyr falshode, some by strength and vertue
But if one laboured the trouth to vnderstonde
Suche folysshe wordes sholde all be founde vntrewe
Let neuer man to suche his counsell shewe
For of one worde these folys makyth twayne
Whiche tourneth many to losse rebuke and payne
Wherfore if thou wylt that thy pryuete
Be kept secrete and nat come out at large
Be nat so folysshe to showe it unto me
Or any other if it be thynge of charge
And if thou do thou shalt be in this barge
For howe wylt thou thynke that another man
Can kepe thy counsell syns thou thy selfe ne can
If the kynge Achab had nat vttred and tolde
Vnto his wyfe his wyll and mynde so playne
By hir fals treason, and dysceyt manyfolde
Vnrightwysly Nabot had nat ben slayne
But for the same, Achab suffred great payne
By deth in batayle, and for a punysshment
His wyfe with houndes was all to torne and rent
Thus it apereth that he is wyse and ware
Whiche can his counsell kepe within his hart
For by that mean may he escape great care
And suerly lyue without yll wyllys dart
The Prophete seynge what dyuers paynes smart
Comyth oft to them whiche doth theyr secret tell
Eche man exortyth to kepe close his counsell.
THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.
Thou man that hast thy secret in thy brest
Holde it styll there suffer it nat out to go
Who that so doth, therby shall fynde great rest
Ne to thy frende shewe nat thy mynde also
For if that he after become thy fo
As often hapneth, than myght he the bewry
So sholde thy foly tourne vnto thy great wo
Howe be it suche thynges are prouyd comonly.
*
Of yonge folys that take olde wymen to
theyr wyues, for theyr ryches.
[Illustration: Within our shyp that fole shall haue a hode
Whiche an olde wyfe taketh in maryage
Rather for hir ryches and hir worldly gode
Than for pure loue, or hope to haue lynage
But suche youth as mary them selfe with age
The profyte and pleasour of wedlocke lese certayne
And worthely lyue in brawlynge stryfe and payne.]
Under the Asse tayle thoughe it be no thynge pure
Yet many seke and grope for the vyle fatnes
Gatherynge togyther the fowle dunge and ordure
Suche ar they that for treasour and ryches
Whyle they ar yonge in theyr chefe lustynes
An agyd woman taketh to theyr wyfe
Lesynge theyr youth, and shortynge so theyr lyfe
They that so do hath neyther rest nor peas
But besy brawlynge and stryfe contynuall
They have no pleasour, but thought and great dyseas
Rebuke out braydynge, and strypes whan they fall
But theyr owne foly is grounde and cause of all
For they be maryd unto the vyle treasour
And precious bagges, but nat for godly pleasour
They haue no hope of children nor lynage
Loue is there none, and durynge theyr wretchyd lyfe
Is nat one day in suche mad maryage
Auoyde of brawlynge, of hatered and of stryfe
But that pore man that weddeth a ryche wyfe
Cast in his nose shall styll hir bagges fynde
For whose cause he made was made and blynde
They that ar weddyd nat for loue but rychesse
Of moryage despysynge the pleasour and profyte
Suche seldome sauour fortunes happynes
But oft mysfortune them greuously doth byte
Thus gone is theyr pleasour theyr ioy and delyte
And for vayne treasoure suche ar so glad and fayne
That for the same they them subdue to payne
They wyllyngly to payne them selfe subdue
The whiche ar weddyd for wretchyd couetyse
They take no hede to maners and vertue
To honeste nor wysdome but lyue ay in malyce
For if a woman be fowle and full of vice
And lewde of maners, nought both to man and lad
Yet good shall hir mary be she neuer so bad
If that a man of hye or lowe degre
Wolde spouse his doughter vnto a strange man
He nought inquyreth of his honestye
Of his behauour, nor if he norture can
But if he be ryche in londes and good: than
He shall be prayed his doughter for to haue
Thoughe be but a bonde man or a knaue
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