Part 34 (1/2)
A folysshe Father, full hardly shall ensyne His sone to good lyfe or to good gouernaunce For if the father to foly doth enclyne The sone wyll folowe his father in that daunce And if the father vse hasarde or the chaunce Or any prohybyt and vnlawfull game Most comonly the sone wyll do the same
If that the husbonde be vycious of his lyfe Wastfull or dronken, or vyle in his langage His sonnes doughters, his seruauntes and his wyfe Wyll lerne of hym to pa.s.se the same pa.s.sage And if the husbonde breke his maryage If the wyfe knowe, in mynde she wyll be wroth Without he haue a hode of the same cloth
An olde prouerbe hath longe agone be sayde That oft the sone in maners lyke wyll be Vnto the Father, and in lyke wyse the mayde Or doughter, vnto the mother wyll agre So if the elders vse enormyte And before theyr children bost them of the same The sone and doughter shall folowe syre and dame
The monkes thynke it lawfull for to play Whan that the Abbot bryngeth them the dyce Right so the Father, can nought or lytell say Agaynst the sone, nor hym blame or chastyce If he hym selfe be taken in that same vyce Thus lyues the Father in synne withouten shame And after his deth the sone shall do the same
O wretchyd maners o tyme full of furour And full of foly without all hope to stent Howe longe shall G.o.d our lorde and sauyour This synne suffer without greuous punysshement Alas it nowe apereth euydent That the fathers foly synne and great outrage Is left to the sonne as it were herytage
And no meruayle, for it hath neuer ben seen That of a wolfe a shepe hath be forth brought Or that a calfe or lambe gendred hath been Of a fell tygre: right so if it were sought Ouer all the worlde. a Father that is nought Sholde scant be founde, whiche coude brynge vp his childe With his synne in no maner poynt defylyd
The yonge crab bacwarde doth crepe or go As doth the olde, none can hir cours redres These yonge children for the moste part also Foloweth theyr fathers synne and his lewdnes But they that lyue in maners of mekenes In honest lyfe, goodnes grace and chastyte May brynge forth children of maners as they be
I rede howe the Phylosopher Diogenes Sayde by a childe whiche dronken was with wyne That his Father was in that case doutles Whan he it gate, so his hye wyt dyuyne Knewe that the childes maners dyd inclyne Vnto his Fathers, and so was it founde trewe By them whiche well that childes fader knewe
But though the Father and mother also be nought Without dout this one thynge apereth playne That the childe is suche as it is vp brought And nat lyghtly chaungyd without great charge or payne Therfore let euery man hym selfe refrayne Within his hous from all thynge worthy blame Than shall his children and seruautes do the same
THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY.
Ye that haue children or other great housholde Subdued to your seruyce, and your obedyence Kepe vertuous lyfe, for that is worth great golde And great example to youth to auoyde offence But if ye boost you of synne and neglygence In rybawde wordes, gyue credence to this clause If the herers fall into incouenyence Your lewde example is the chefe grounde and cause
Of bodely pleasour or corporall voluptuosyte
[Ill.u.s.tration: Wanton wastfull and vayne voluptuosyte Oft blyndeth attysynge vnto inconuenyence Many that ar rude, for theyr symplycyte And them as shepe sleeth for all theyr innocence But other some it kepyth with myght and violence As bulles bounde sure to endure great care And other as byrdes it tangleth in hir snare]
Drawe nere ye folys to you I crye and call Whiche ar of grace clene destytute and bare Folowynge your l.u.s.t and pleasour corporall But for your soule ye take no thought ne care To whome may I this shamefull l.u.s.t compare Saue to a harlat faynynge, fals and couetous.
Of whome comyth shame and bytes venemous
She syttyth in the strete as past both shame and fere Hir brestes bare to tempt them that pa.s.se by Hir face anoyntyd blasynge abrode hir here Or els on hir folysshe front enlaced hye Hir smocke to garnysshyd so hir dysceytfull iye To shamfull l.u.s.t a thousande doth attyce Of youth whiche erst perchuance knewe nought of vyce
Hir chamber full of flatery and disceyte Anone is opened the blynde fole entreth in The hoke of deth is hyd vnder the bayte Of folysshe l.u.s.t pleasour and mortall syn Hir soule she sellyth ryches therby to wyne And what riches: a rewarde sothly full vyle The soules d.a.m.neth and bodyes doth defyle
The one departyth, another comys in agayne Without all shame dare she them boldly pray To hir fals pleasours, Thus by hir gyle and trayne This folysshe youth to hir wyll nat denay But vnto hir some lepe both nyght and day Without mesure, rennynge to lese theyr lyfe As ox or shepe vnto the bochers knyfe
The symple lambe his necke doth out extende Vnto the Bocher his mortall ennemy So doth these folys, sekynge a shamefull ende And theyr owne deth, though they myght fynde remedy O blynde fole I requyre the to aply Vnto my wordes and thou shalt here and se.
Howe moche thou oughtest this folysshe l.u.s.t to fle
The soule it d.a.m.neth, and drowneth depe in h.e.l.l The wyt it wastyth, and confoundeth the mynde It causeth man his londe and good to sell And if that he none other mene can fynde To rob and stele he oft tyme is inclyned Besyde all these this fowle l.u.s.t is so vyle That with fowle sauour it shall thy body fele
Thoughe of lewde l.u.s.t the ioy be short and small And thoughe the pleasour therof be soon ouer past The payne that foloweth it, is eternall With wofull dolour menglyd, that euer shall last Therfore leue of: do nat thy pleasour cast On worldly welth, delyte ioy and pleasour For soon they pas and chaunge at euery hour
Who that in this wretchyd worlde wyll auoyde Of voluptuousnes the ioyes frayle and vayne And suffre nat hym with them to be acloyde Infect or drownyd, shall for the same certayne Euerlastynge lyfe, and endles ioy obtayne And for his hye tryumphe and dyuyne prudence Haue the fruycyon of G.o.ddes hye presence
But who that wyll his carnall l.u.s.t ensue Shall here haue shame, and after payne cruell I coude hereof dyuers examples shewe But of right many this one I shall you tell One Sardanapalus all other dyd excell.
In carnall l.u.s.t and so his mynde dyd cast On loue prohybyte, that grace was fro hym past
The loue of vertue was full out of his mynde So he concludyd to sue dilyciousnes Thynkynge after deth no welth nor ioy to fynde For this is the sentence of the prynce of derknes But good almyghty seynge his vycyousnes His body and soule deuydyd soon in twayne From worldly pleasour vnto infernall payne