Part 29 (1/2)
So is he a fole that doth to market brynge His Gese fast bounde, and game or sporte to se Lowsyth theyr fete, and suffreth them to fle]
Saynt George to borowe our Nauy is aflote Forth shall we sayle, thoughe that it be a payne And moche laboure to forge a pryuate bote For euery faute: yet shall I nat refrayne My hande nor penne: thoughe vnsure be my gayne My laboure sure: my wyt and reason thynne Than leue a thynge vnendyd better nat begynne
But in this place shall I a Shyp ordayne For that fole: that heryth great doctryne Wherby good maners and vertue aperyth playne He seth all goodnes, stody, and disciplyne And yet wyll nat his mynde therto enclyne But though he knowe what thynge is G.o.dlyest Ouer all the worlde, yet is he styll a beest.
Many of this sort wander and compase All studies, the wonders of the worlde to se With vnstabyll wynges fleynge from place to place Some seyth lawe and some dyuynyte But for all this byde they in one degre And if they were a.s.ses and folys blynde before After all these syghtes yet ar they moche more
They se moche nought lernynge, and hauynge no delyte In wysdome nor maners vertue nor goodnes Theyr tyme is loste, without wysdome or profyte Without grace, or other holynes But whyle they labour thus with besynes If they se ought newe, or any folysshe toy That lyghtly they lerne, and set theron theyr ioy.
By this desyre folys may knowen be For wytles men of fleynge mynde and brayne Ar best pleasyd with thynges of neweltye And them to haue, they spare no cost nor payne To dyuers londes to ren but all in vayne And so they labour alway from londe to londe To se all wonders, but nought they vnderstonde
Some fle to se the wonders of englonde Some to the court to se the maners there Some to Wallys, Holonde, to Fraunce or Irlonde To Lybye, afryke, and besyly enquere.
Of all marueyles, and skantly worth a here Some vnto Fraunce and some to Flaunders ren To so the wayes, and workes of cunnynge men
And to be shorte ouer all they range Spendynge theyr goodes about vnthryftynes In countrees knowen, vnknowen and strange But whan theyr iourney they homwarde must addres As folys vnware, and vagabundes thryftles They haue nought lerned, kept, nor with them brought Of maners, wysdome or other thynge that is ought
They that by the se sayle to londes strange Oft chaunge the place and planete of the fyrmament But theyr mynde nor maners they ne turne nor chaunge And namely suche that ar lewde and neglygent What euer they se styll one is theyr intent Whan he departyd, If that he were a sote Agayne anone he comyth in the same mynde and cote
Say mad folys blynde ouersene, and worthy scorne Fayne wolde I knowe what necessyte ye haue To go from the place where ye were bred and borne Into another londe to lerne to play the knaue Your mynde vnstable sheweth playne that ye raue Laboure nat so sore, to lerne to be a fole That cometh by it selfe without any other scole
He that is borne in walys or small brytayne To lerne to pyke and stele nedys nat go to Rome.
What nede we sayle to Flaunders or Almayne To lerne glotony, syns we may it lerne at home Suche lewdnes soon may we lerne of our wombe He that wyll lerne falshode gyle or sotelte May lerne it here as well as beyonde the se.
To pa.s.se the se to lerne Uenus rybawdry It is great foly, for thou mayst lerne thy fyll In shoppis Innes and sellers, ye somtyme openly At saynt Martyns Westmynster or at the tour hyll So that I fere all London, in tyme it shall fyll For it is there kept in lyght and in darke That the pore Stuys decays for lacke of warke
But brefely to speke, and this to set a syde He that on vyce, and synne wyll set his entent May lerne it in Englonde, if he at home abyde And that of all sortis: G.o.d sende amendement But if thou alway wyll nede be dylygent To labour in the worlde about from place to place Do as dyd Plato, than shalt thou fynde great grace
This G.o.dly plato laboured with dilygence To Egypt, and other londes sparynge for no payne Where euer he came: augmentynge his scyence And at the last retourned to Grece agayne His countrey natyf: with laude and name souerayne Thus he for all his wysdome laboured besyly But that fowle that nought can nought settyth by
Wherfore that gose that styll about wyll wander Moche seynge and herynge, and nought berynge away Shall home come agayne as wyse as a gander But more fole is he that may lerne euery day Without cost or laboure out of his owne countrey And whan the well of wysdome renneth by theyr dore Yet looth they the water as if that it were soure
ALEXANDER BARKLAY AD FATUOS VT DENT LOc.u.m OCTO SECUNDARIIS BEATE MARIE DE OTEREY QUI QUIDEM PRIMA HUIUS RATIS TRANSTRA MERENTUR.
Soft folys soft, a lytell slacke your pace Tyll I haue s.p.a.ce you to order by degre I haue eyght neyghbours, that firste shall haue a place Within this my shyp, for they most worthy be They may theyr lernynge receyue costeles and fre.
Theyr wallys ab.u.t.tynge and ioynynge to the scoles.
No thynge they can, yet nought wyll they lerne nor se Therfore shall they gyde this one shyp of foles.
THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY.
O vnauysyd, vnwyse and frowarde man Great cause thou hast to morne sore and complayne Whan no goodnes vertue nor wyt thou can And yet to lerne thou hast scorne and dysdayne Alas man mende, and spare no maner payne To get wysdome, and it thou shalt nat want Hym that nought wyll knowe, G.o.d wyll nat knowe certayne Wo is hym that wylfully is ignorant.
Of great wrathe, procedynge of small occasyon.
[Ill.u.s.tration: a.s.sys erys for our folys a lyuray is And he that wyll be wroth for a thynge of nought Of the same leuray is nat worthy to mys For who that by wrathe to suche a wyll is brought To sle his a.s.se for hir pas slowe and soft Shall after his fury, repent his mad foly For to a clere mynde, mad wrathe is ennemy]
Come nere, ye wrathfull men, take your rowme and place Within our shyp, and to slake our hastynes Mount on an a.s.se slowe of hir gate and pace Syns troublous wrath, in you, styreth this madnes Often lacke of myght a.s.swagyth cruelnes To a wylde cowe G.o.d doth short h.o.r.n.ys sende Wrath is great foly, where myght may nat extende