Part 26 (1/2)

Thus sholde thou pray thou wretche both day and nyght With herte and mynde vnto thy creatoure: And nought by foly to a.s.she agaynst right To hurte or losse to thy frende or neyghboure Nor to thy fo by yll wyll or rygoure But if G.o.d to thy prayers alway sholde enclyne Oft sholde come great sorowe to the and to all thyne

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

Man clere thy mynde or thou begyn to pray Els though thy prayer be iust it is but vayne And kepe togyther thy hurte and tonge alway Or els doutles thou lesest all thy payne From lewde peticions thy mynde thou ought refrayne If thou desyre yll to thy fo by malyce At thy peticion G.o.d shall haue dysdayne For though thou be wrothe G.o.d is nat in lyke wyse

Of vnprofytable stody.

[Ill.u.s.tration: He that vayne stody doth haunt or exercyse And lesyth his tyme, of fruyte voyde and barayne Resortynge to ryot whiche cunnynge doth dispyse And that of doctryne (in maner) hath disdayne Suche shall in age of his madnes complayne And seynge that he lesyth his tyme thus in foly Let hym come to our folysshe company.]

Nowe in this Nauy many them selfe present Of this our roylame and from beyond the see Whiche in theyr stody or lewde and neglygent Lesynge theyr tyme at the vnyuersyte Yet count they them selfe of great auctoryte With theyr proude hodes on theyr neckes hangynge They haue the lawde: but other haue the cunnynge

They thynke that they haue all scyence perfytely Within theyr hertes bostynge them of the same Though they therto theyr mynde dyd neuer aply Without the thynge, they ioy them of the name But suche mad folys to theyr great losse and shame Whyle they sholde norysshe theyr myndes with science They seke theyr pleasour, gyuen to neglygence

They wander in euery inconuenyence From strete to strete, from tauerne to tauerne But namely youth, foloweth all offence No thynge intendynge the profyte to dyscerne Nor fruyte of cunnynge wherby they myght gouerne Them selfe by reason, but suche thynges they ensue Wherby they neyther get good maners nor vertne

But he that intendeth to come to the science And G.o.dly wysdome of our elders: certayne.

He must sore stody, for without dilygence And besy laboure no man can it obtayne None ought to cesse: though it firste be a payne.

In good perseueraunce getteth great ryches Where no good cometh by sleuthfull ydelnes.

But moste I marueyll of other folys blynde Whiche in dyuers scyencis ar fast laborynge Both daye and nyght with all theyr herte and mynde But of gramer knowe they lytyll or no thynge Whiche is the grounde of all lyberall cunnynge Yet many ar besy in Logyke and in lawe Whan all theyr gramer is skarsly worth a strawe

If he haue onys red the olde dotrinall With his diffuse and vnparfyte breuyte He thynketh to haue sene the poyntis of grammer all.

And yet of one errour he maketh two or thre Precyan or sulpice disdayneth he to se Thus many whiche say that they theyr grammer can Ar als great folys as whan they firste began

One with his speche rounde tournynge lyke a whyle Of logyke the knottis doth lows and vndo In hande with his sylogysimes, and yet doth he fele No thynge what it menyth, nor what longeth therto Nowe sortes currit: Nowe is in hande plato Another comyth in with bocardo and pheryson And out goeth agayne a fole in conclusyon

There is nought else but Est and non est Blaberynge and chydynge, as it were beawlys wyse They argue nought els but to proue man a beest h.o.m.o est Asinus is cause of moche stryfe Thus pa.s.se forth these folys the dayes of theyr lyfe In two syllabis, not gyuynge aduertence To other cunnynge doctryne, nor scyence.

I wyll nat say but that it is expedyent The to knowe of Logyke the chrafte and connynge For by argument it maketh euydent Moche obscurenes, somtyme enlumynynge The mynde: and sharpynge the wyt in many a thynge But oft yet by it a thynge playne bryght and pure Is made diffuse, vnknowen harde and obscure

It is ynoughe therof to knowe the grounde And nat therin to wast all thy lyfe holly Styll grutchynge lyke vnto the frogges sounde Or lyke the chaterynge of the folysshe pye If one afferme the other wyll deny Sophestry nor Logyke with their art talcatyfe Shewe nat the way vnto the boke of lyfe

With suche folyes tender youth is defylyd And all theyr dayes on them they set delyte But G.o.dly doctryne is from theyr myndes exylyd Whiche sholde the body and soule also profyte They take no layser, pleasur nor respyte To other scyences, pleasaunt and profytable But without ende in one thynge chat and bable

One rennyth to almayne another vnto fraunce To parys padway Lumbardy or spayne Another to Bonony, Rome or orleance To cayne, to Tolows, Athenys or Colayne And at the last retournyth home agayne More ignorant, blynder and gretter folys Than they were whan they firste went to the scolys

One bostynge the name of a lawer or deuyne His proude hode hye vpon his stately necke: Thus muste a G.o.de clerke vnto a foule enclyne Lowt with the body and with obedyence becke And thoughe it tourne to theyr rebuke and checke Yet nowe a dayes ouer many suche there be.

Whiche in stede of cunnynge vseth audacyte

The hode must answere for the follysshe student Theyr tyme hath ben lost frutles and barayne.

Theyr frendes G.o.des on suche folyes ar spent To their damage thought hunger and payne: Thus to conclude: me thynke it is but vayne The frendes to labour the dayes of theyr lyue To spare for suche scolers whiche shall neuer thryue

The great foly, the pryde, and the enormyte Of our studentis, and theyr obstynate errour Causeth me to wryte two sentences or thre More than I fynde wrytyn in myne actoure The tyme hath ben whan I was conductoure Of moche foly, whiche nowe my mynde doth greue Wherfor of this shyp syns I am gouernoure.