Part 23 (2/2)

For without doute it is great vylany A man to speke agaynst any offence Wherin he well knowyth hym owne selfe gylty Within his mynde and secrete conscience Agaynst hymselfe suche one gyueth sentence Howe G.o.d ryght iuge, by rightwyse iugement Shulde hym rewarde with worthy punysshement

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

Ye clerkes that on your shulders here the shelde Unto you graunted by the vnyuersyte.

Howe dare ye auenture to fyght in cristes felde Agaynst synne, without ye clere and gyltles be Consyder the c.o.c.ke and in hym shall ye se: A great example, for with his wynges thryse He betyth hym selfe to wake his owne bodye Before he crowe, to cause other wake or ryse.

Of hym that fyndeth ought of another mannys it nat restorynge to the owner.

[Ill.u.s.tration: He that ought fyndyth outher by day or nyght Usynge it as his owne, as thynge gottyn iustly And thynketh that he so may do by lawe and right Suche is disceyuyd, and thynketh wrongfully For why the deuyll our goostly ennemy Doth hym so counseyll and in his erys blowe Disceyuynge in his bondes, as he doth many mo]

The feruour of ryches and disordred loue Whiche many haue, doth me bynde and constrayne.

Within my shyp them sharply to reproue That pen nor hande, themselfe wyll not refrayne Of couetyse nowe I wyll nat speke agayne But of them that kepeth by force and by myght That thynge wherto they haue nat come, by ryght

Some fyndeth treasours other mennys good And in theyr owne vse suche good they occupy.

Whiche of theyr myndes ar so blynde and wode.

And so reted in theyr errour and foly That oft they say (say) ye and dare byde by That some saynt whome they worshypped haue Haue sende, them the same theyr honestee to saue

They haue no force nor care, nor they none haue wyll To whome the ryches so loste dyde apertayne That fortune hath gyuen they holde fast and kepe styll Neuer hauynge mynde it to restore agayne Suche folys fere no thynge euerlastynge payne Nor note nat, that without true restytucion It small auayleth to haue made confessyon.

Here me fole with thy immoderate mynde Here me and do thy herte therto aply If thou by fortune any ryches fynde Callynge it thyne: thou lyest therin falsly If thou haue wyt thou canst nat well deny But that G.o.de nat gyuen, nor gottyn by laboure Can nat be rightwyse: thus mende thy blynde erroure

If thou ought fynde that longeth nat to the Than is it anothers, the case is clere and playne Wherfor thou ought of lawe and of dewte Unto the owner it soone to yelde agayne But if he be dede, to whome it dyd attayne Thou ought nat yet to kepe it nere the more.

But to his sectours or heyres it restore

Put case that they also be past and dede Yet ought thou nat to keep it styll with the.

The lawe commaundyth, and also it is mede.

To gyue it to suche as haue necessyte.

With it releuynge theyr paynfull pouertee And so shalt thou discharge thy conseyence.

Helpynge the pore, and auoyde great offence

But he that others G.o.des tourneth to his owne vse Spendynge and wastynge that thynge that neuer was his Suche certaynly his reason doth abuse And by this meane greuously doth amysse Wherby he lesyth eternall ioy and blysse His soule drownynge depe within h.e.l.l flodes For his myspendynge of other mennys goodes

But to be shorte, and brefe in my sentence And sothe to saye playne as the mater is Forsoth I se nat right great difference Bytwene a thefe, and these folys couetys Both wrongly kepeth that thynge that is nat his Thynkynge that G.o.d doth nat therto aduerte Whiche notyth thy dedys, thy mynde thought and herte

Wherfore if thou haue a rightwyse conscyence Thou wylt nought kepe whiche longeth nat to the The lawe so commaundeth in payne of great offence For of G.o.de that thou kepest agaynst equyte Thou shalt make accompt after that thou shalt dye To thy great payne in h.e.l.l for euer more If thou no restytucion make before.

Here myght I touche executours in this cryme.

Blamynge theyr dedys dysceyte and couetyse If it were nat for wastynge of my tyme For mende they wyll nat them in any wyse Nor leue no poyntes of theyr disceytfull gyse Let them take parte of that whiche I here note And be partynge foles in this present bote.

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY THE TRANSLATOR TO THE FOLYS.

Ye false executours whome all the worlde repreuys And ye that fynde mennes goodes or treasoures I call you as bad as robbers or theuys For ye by your falshode and manyfolde errours Kepe falsly that thynge whiche is none of yours And wast here the goodes of hym that is past The soule lyeth in payne, ye take your pleasours.

With his ryches, d.a.m.nynge your owne soule at the last

<script>