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

By this hystory to vs it apereth playne That from worldly pleasour and voluptuosyte With all our myght we ought vs to refrayne For thoughe the first of them delycious be Theyr ende is poyson, and of sournes plente Sue wyse men vertue, and set suche l.u.s.t asyde For they ar folys that in it lyue and byde

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

Amende mad men your blynde mysgouernaunce Subdue nat your necke to the captyuyte Of flysshely l.u.s.t and corporall pleasaunce Nor to blynde Venus with hir lasciuyte (If ye it note) ye dayly here and se The mysfortune of them that it ensue And certaynly no man can saued be By carnall l.u.s.t, but by G.o.dly vertue

Of folys that can nat kepe secrete theyr owne counsell.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Of other Foles a nomber yet I fynde Which by theyr bablynge wordes and langage Can nat kepe close the secrete of theyr mynde.

But all theyr counsel out they shewe at large.

So that oft therof procedeth great damage.

As Murder, myschefe, hatered and debate.

That after they repent. But than it is to late]

He is a naturall fole and vndiscrete And to hym selfe ingendryth oft great stryfe Whiche can nat hyde his counsell and secrete But by his foly it sheweth to his wyfe And all that he hath done in his hole lyfe Or that to do here after he doth purpose To euery man suche a fole wyll disclose

The n.o.ble Sampson moste excellent of myght And strongest man that euer was get or borne Were nat this foly: sholde nat haue lost his syght Nor had his here, by gyle from his hede ofshorne And of his ennemyes ben laughyd vnto scorne And at the last with herte wrethfull and wo His ennemyes murdred and hym selfe also

Where as he myght haue lyued in honour If he had kept his secretes in his mynde With his owne wyll he dyed in great dolour.

By the fals treason of his lemman vnkynde We may in dyuers mo examples fynde Howe many thousandes haue suffred paynes smart And all for shewynge the secretes of theyr hart

Amphiaraus a Prynce moste excellent Shortened the dayes of his pore doutfull lyfe For shewynge the preuetees of his intent By his owne foly to his disceytfull wyfe And thoughe he longe escaped had the stryfe And war of Thebes whiche he dyd longe defende Yet at the leest his tunge was his owne ende

Thus olde storyes doth oft recorde and tell By theyr examples whiche they vnto vs gyue That wymen ar no kepars of councell It goeth through them as water trough a syue Wherfore let them that quyetly wolde lyue No more of theyr counsell to any woman showe Than that they wolde that euery man dyd knowe

Let euery man that is discrete and sage Of suche folys with all wysdome be ware Whiche shewe theyr counsell by theyr hasty langage.

To euery man without all thought and care For they of wysdome and reason ar but bare And who that his owne secrete wyll forth tell Howe sholde he hyde another mannes counsell

Yet other be whiche by theyr flaterynge trayne Labour to knowe euery mannys pryuete And by and by to shewe it forth agayne Of them be ware for they disceyfull be.

Some other bost them of theyr felycyte Bablynge that they haue theyr wyll in euery thynge As prosperous welth loue, ryches and cunnynge

And of great dedes done both on see and londe Some by theyr falshode, some by strength and vertue But if one laboured the trouth to vnderstonde Suche folysshe wordes sholde all be founde vntrewe Let neuer man to suche his counsell shewe For of one worde these folys makyth twayne Whiche tourneth many to losse rebuke and payne

Wherfore if thou wylt that thy pryuete Be kept secrete and nat come out at large Be nat so folysshe to showe it unto me Or any other if it be thynge of charge And if thou do thou shalt be in this barge For howe wylt thou thynke that another man Can kepe thy counsell syns thou thy selfe ne can

If the kynge Achab had nat vttred and tolde Vnto his wyfe his wyll and mynde so playne By hir fals treason, and dysceyt manyfolde Vnrightwysly Nabot had nat ben slayne But for the same, Achab suffred great payne By deth in batayle, and for a punysshment His wyfe with houndes was all to torne and rent

Thus it apereth that he is wyse and ware Whiche can his counsell kepe within his hart For by that mean may he escape great care And suerly lyue without yll wyllys dart The Prophete seynge what dyuers paynes smart Comyth oft to them whiche doth theyr secret tell Eche man exortyth to kepe close his counsell.

THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS.

Thou man that hast thy secret in thy brest Holde it styll there suffer it nat out to go Who that so doth, therby shall fynde great rest Ne to thy frende shewe nat thy mynde also For if that he after become thy fo As often hapneth, than myght he the bewry So sholde thy foly tourne vnto thy great wo Howe be it suche thynges are prouyd comonly.