Part 33 (1/2)

Alas wherto shall any man complayne For this foly and accostomed furour Syns none of them theyr fautes wyll refrayne But ay procede in this theyr lewde errour And nat withstandynge that Christ our sauyour Hath left vs example, that none sholde mysdo Within the chirche, yet inclyne we nat therto.

Jhonn the euangelyst doth openly expres.

Howe criste our sauyour dyd dryue out and expell From the Temple, suche as vsed there falsnes And all other that therin dyd bye and sell Saynge as it after lyeth in the Gospell Unto the Jues rebuke and great repreues That of G.o.ddes house they made a den of theues.

Remember this man, for why thou dost the same Defylynge G.o.ddes Chirche with synne and vanyte Whiche sothly was ordeyned to halowe G.o.ddes name And to lawde and worshyp the holy trynyte With deuout harte, loue, and all benygnyte And with all our myght our lorde to magnyfy And than after all the heuenly company

For this cause hath G.o.d the holy chirche ordeyned And nat for rybawde wordes and thynges vayne But by vs chrysten men it is distayned.

Moche wors than euer, the Jewes dyd certayne And if our lorde sholde nowe come downe agayne.

To dryue out of the churche suche as there do syn Forsoth I thynke, right fewe sholde byde within

THE ENUOY TO THE REDERS.

O man that bostest thy selfe in cristes name Callynge the christen, se thou thy synne refuse Remember well it is both synne and shame The house of G.o.d, thus to defyle and abuse But this one thynge causeth me oft to muse That the false paynyms within theyr Temples be To theyr ydols moche more deuout than we

Of them that wyllynge and knowyngly put them self in ieopardy and peryll.

[Ill.u.s.tration: He is a fole that wyll purchace and desyre His owne deth or putteth hym selfe in ieopardy Lepynge in a well, or in a flamynge fyre And where he myght lyue so dyeth wyllyngly Suche suffer theyr destruccyon worthely And if that they be drowned outher brent It is to late them after to repent.]

I fynde mo folys yet. whome I shall note Suche ar they whiche pray both day and nyght To G.o.d and his sayntes cryeng with open throte O glorious G.o.d helpe me by thy great myght That I may clens my herte and clere my syght Wherby all foly and synne may fro me fall But yet this fole it leuyth nat at all

Suche folys oft pray for theyr amendement Unto our lorde with syghynges sore and depe But yet to synne contynually they a.s.sent And after the same often complayne and wepe Than say they playne that G.o.d hath had no kepe Unto theyr prayer and taken of it no hede But theyr owne foly is cause of theyr lewde dede

They se the peryll before theyr faces playne That G.o.d hath ordeyned, for foly and for synne They pray for helpe, and yet ar they full fayne After the folys hode alway to ren And besely laboure the same alone to wyn So vnto G.o.d for helpe they cry and call But they them selfe wyll helpe no thynge at all

Than thynke they theyr prayers to G.o.d nat acceptable Bycause (anone) they haue nat all theyr wyll And for that G.o.d is nat sone agreable To here theyr cry and it graunt and fulfyll These folys in theyr vyce contynue styll And put theyr selfe in wylfull ieopardy And where they myght they fynde no remedy

But these folys vnstabyll as the wynde Prayeth vnto G.o.d and to his sayntis aboue Nat knowynge what may content theyr folysshe mynde Nor whether theyr askynge be for theyr behoue But sothly this dare I both say and proue And it auowe after my sympyll skyll That neuer man shall syn without his wyll

If that one with his owne wyll doth fall Into a well to a.s.say the ieopardy Whan he is there. if he lowde crye and call Bothe on G.o.d and man for helpe and remedy He sekyth that peryll, and dyeth worthely So were it foly to gyue hym corde or trayne Or other engyne to helpe hym vp agayne

Whan suche folys ar sure vpon the grounde Without all daunger, peryll hurt or fere They lepe in the wel and yet fere to be drowned Empedocles though he right myghty were With suche lyke foly hym selfe so sore dyd dere That knowyngly and with his owne consent Hymself he lost and by fyers fyre was brent

He lept hedelynge into the flamynge fyre Of a brennynge hyll whiche callyd is Ethnay To knowe the trouth, and nature to enquyre Whether that same flame were very fyre or nay So with his deth the trouth he dyd a.s.say But who that wolde hym drawen out of that hyll Had ben a fole, syns it was his owne wyll

For why his mynde was blyndyd so certayne That thoughe a man had hym delyuered than The same peryll wolde he haue proued agayne As mad as he forsoth is euery man That is at eas, and hym nat so holde can And also he that putteth hymselfe in drede Or fere and peryll, where as he hath no nede

So he that prayeth to G.o.d that he may get The blysse of heuen, and scape infernall payne He is a fole his herte or mynde to set On frayle ryches, welth and ioy mundayne On stedfast fortune, on lucre or on gayne For certaynly these thynges of worldly welth Oft man deuydeth away from heuenly helth

Thus he that prayeth for welth or for ryches Or in this worlde hym selfe to magnyfy Prayeth for his hurt and cause of viciousnes For worldly welth doth vyce oft multyply So seke men theyr owne peryll wyllyngly But who that prayeth, and can nat as he ought He bloweth in the wynde, and shall nat haue his thought

And who that to honour couetyse to ascende Or to lyue in d.a.m.nable voluptuosyte He seketh his peryll for if that he descende From welth and worshyp to payne and pouerte It is but worthy, and let hym pacyent be It to endure with mynde demure and meke He is worthy sorowe that wyll it alway seke

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

Ye that fayne wolde escape all ieopardy Auoyde suche thynges the whiche myght cause the same To proue a peryll, is foly certaynly Whether it be done in ernest or in game They that so doth may theyr owne madnes blame For he that is sure, and to a fray wyll ren May fortune come home agayne, nosles or lame And so were it better for to haue byd within