Part 25 (1/2)

What shall a kynge at his last endynge haue Of all his realme and infynyte treasoure Saue onely his towmbe, and the grounde of his graue But thoughe it be of great pryce and voloure As is conuenyent to his hye honoure.

Yet lytell conforte to his soule shall it gyue But cause of bostynge to them that after lyue

Thus whan man vnto his last ende is come He nought with hym bereth of his dignytees Wherfore cynicus a man of great wysdome Lorde grettest of Grece in londes and Cytees Hathe lefte great example vnto all degrees For his great ryches his herte dyd neuer blynde But worldly pompe set clene out of his mynde

He forced of no castels nor excellent byldynge Dispysynge charges and besynes worldly But gaue his mynde to vertue and cunnynge And namely to the scyence of astronomy Consyderynge that great rest of mynde and of body With hym abydeth whiche with bolde herte is fayne To folowe vertue, and leue charges mundayne

He that so doth no weght doth vndertake Vpon his backe of so great a grauyte That his small strength must it agayne forsake.

Where he that attempteth grettest thynges, and hye: Great weyght of charges and moche dignite Must lerne to suffer payne thought and vexacion By his great charges of perturbacion.

What auayle is it the worlde to obtayne In one mannys power, and all other to excell To suffer trouble, and vayne charges sustayne And at the last his pore soule gooth to h.e.l.l There toren and tourmented in paynes cruell It were moche better to kepe a quyet mynde And after our deth eternall rest to fynde

He that taketh thought for euery besynes: And caryth for that whiche doth nat apertayne Nor longe to his charge, he is full of blyndnes And no houre shall rest, but styll in thought and payne Care for thy owne charges, theron set thy brayne For he a fole is that caryth or doth intende For another mannys charge whiche he can nat amende

Therfore lyue in rest after thy degre.

Nor on suche thynges do nat thy mynde aply Whiche ar no thynge apertaynynge vnto the If thou so do thou shalt fynde rest therby Auoyde thou the charge of worldly mysery For G.o.des take no thought great care ne trauayle.

Whiche after deth shall do the none auayle

BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

Fole clere thy iyen and of thy selfe beware Care moste for thy owne besynes and charge For other mennes take no great thought nor care If thou thy conscience mayst therof discharge A curyous man that of his tunge is large Talkynge or carynge of other, his place is best Hye in the fore top of our folysshe barge For in that place is small quyet or rest

Of them that ar alway borowynge.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A man that is besy both euyn and morowe With rauysshynge clawys and insaciable Of his frendes and neyghbours to begge and to borow To the deuourynge wolfe is most lyke or semblable Suche in our shyp shall nat want a babyll For he that styll borowes shall skant hym quyte or redde And as a wretche the a.s.se shall hym ouer tredde]

That fole that hym selfe a dettour doth make To dyuerse men, and is borowynge alway Right ponderous charges on hym doth take Borowynge of one another therwith to pay Thoughe he be glad to haue longe terme and day To hym a.s.sygned to make his payment It nought auayleth, for soone the tyme is spent

But in the meane tyme deuourynge vsurye Spoylyth makynge pore many a borewer Where they two borewed they promys to pay thre Their day of payment lenger to defarre.

Thus doth oft borowynge many thousandes marre Yet some get malyce for that G.o.de that they len And where they lent twenty gladly taketh ten.

I wyll nat say but that it is mede certayne To lene frely to one that is in nede And wyll be glade it to content agayne.

But he that lenyth to haue rewarde or mede Or more than he lent, may of h.e.l.l payne haue drede And he that so boroweth gayne can haue none Therby in this lyfe, but h.e.l.l whan he is gone

Therfore in this satyre suche wyll I repreue And none that borowe nor lene on amyte The vsurers: fals cristen men in theyr byleue Folowe the waren way of theyr iniquyte Prohybyte by lawe iustyce and equyte Theyr vnclene hertes, and mynde, vnhappely On lucre settynge, comynge by vsury

They hepe theyr synne in quantyte horryble Labowrynge that lewde burthen gretter to make And that sore weght tedyose and terryble With a great rope vpon theyr shulders take The weyght vp taken all theyr hole ioyntes quake Thus these caytyfs with this rope and burthyn heuy Them selfe hange d.a.m.nynge theyr soule eternally

A wretchyd man, alas make clere thy reason Remember thoughe G.o.d the suffer thus longe tyme He graunteth that s.p.a.ce to amende the in season.

And nat dayly to encreas thy synne and cryme Somtyme he punyssheth with infernall abhyme Shortly for synne, somtyme thoughe one mysdo He suffreth longe: but yet truste nat therto

The longer vnpunysshed, the sorer is the payne And if thou wylt nat gyue to me credence Of sodome and Gomor the Bybyll sheweth playne Howe G.o.d rightwysely ponysshed theyr offence And also Solym, towne of great excellence For vyciousnes G.o.d ponysshed bytterly Whiche sholde vs cause for to lyue rightwysely.

The rightwyse G.o.d also dyd sore chastyce Tthe Nilicolyans and them vtterly destroy For theyr contynuynge in theyr syn and vyce And theyr lynage longe kepte from welth and ioy In great trouble whiche dyd theyr hertis noy: Howe be it that they were good and innocent For theyr fathers faute they suffred punysshement

But to our purpose to retourne agayne.

He that ought boroweth whiche he can nat pay Of a wolfe rauysshynge foloweth the trayne But though he all swolowe yet can he by no way Deuoure the tyme nor the prefyxed day Wherfore if he than disceyue his credytour He oft hym chastyth with iustyce and rygour