The Ship of Fools, Volume 1

by Sebastian Brant

Of brekynge and hurtynge of amyte and frendshyp.

He that iniustyce vseth and greuance
Agaynst all reason lawe and equyte
By vyolent force puttynge to vtteraunce
A symple man full of humylyte
Suche by his lewdnes and iniquyte.
Makyth a graue wherin hym selfe shall lye.
And lewdly he dyeth that lyueth crudlye.

A Fole frowarde cruell and vntrewe

Is he whiche by his power wrongfully

His frendes and subiectes laboures to subdewe

Without all lawe, but clene by tyranny

Therfore thou Juge thy erys se thou aply

To right Justyce and set nat thyne intent

By wrath or malyce to be to vyolent.

It is nat lawfull to any excellent

Or myghty man, outher lawyer or estate

By cruelnes to oppresse an innocent

Ne by pryde and malyce Justyce to violate

The law transposynge after a frowarde rate

With proude wordes defendynge his offence

God wot oft suche haue symple conscience

O that he cursed is and reprouable

Whiche day and nyght stodyeth besely

To fynde some meanes false and detestable

To put his frende to losse or hurte therby

Our hertes ar fully set on vylany

There ar right fewe of hye or lowe degre

That luste to norysshe trewe loue and amyte

Alas exyled is godly charyte

Out of our Royalme we all ar so vnkynde

Our folys settyth gretter felycyte

On golde and goodes than on a faythfull frynde

Awake blynde folys and call vnto your mynde

That though honest ryches be moche commendable

Yet to a true frende it is nat comparable

Of all thynges loue is moste profytable

For the right order of lowe and amyte

Is of theyr maners to be agreable

And one of other haue mercy and pyte

Eche doynge for other after theyr degre

And without falshode this frendeshyp to mayntayne

And nat departe for pleasour nor for payne

But alas nowe all people haue dysdayne

On suche frendshyp for to set theyr delyte

Amyte we haue exyled out certayne

We lowe oppressyon to sclaunder and bacbyte

Extorcyon hath strength, pyte gone is quyte

Nowe in the worlde suche frendes ar there none

As were in Grece many yeres agone.

Who lyst thystory of Patroclus to rede

There shall he se playne wryten without fayle

Howe whan Achyllys gaue no force nor hede

Agaynst the Troyans to execute batayle

The sayd Patroclus dyd on the aparayle

Of Achylles, and went forth in his steade

Agaynst Hector: but lyghtly he was dede.

But than Achylles seynge this myschaunce.

Befallen his frende whiche was to hym so true.

He hym addressyd shortly to take vengeaunce.

And so in Batayle the noble Hector slewe

And his dede cors after his charot drewe.

Upon the grounde traylynge ruthfully behynde

Se howe he auengyd Patroclus his frende.

The hystory also of Orestes dothe expresse

Whiche whan agamenon his fader was slayne

By egystus whiche agaynst rightwysnes

The sayde Orestis moder dyd meyntayne

The childe was yonge wherfore it was but vayne

In youth to stryue, but whan he came to age

His naturall moder slewe he in a rage

And also Egystus whiche had his fader slayne

Thus toke he vengeaunce of both theyr cruelnes

But yet it grewe to his great care and payne

For sodaynly he fell in a madnesse

And euer thought that in his furiousnes

His moder hym sued flamynge full of fyre

And euer his deth was redy to conspyre

Orestes troubled with this fereful vysyon

As franatyke and mad wandred many a day

Ouer many a countrey londe and regyon

His frende Pylades folowynge hym alway

In payne nor wo he wolde hym nat denay

Tyll he restoryd agayne was to his mynde

Alas what frynde may we fynde nowe so kynde.

Of dymades what shall I lawde or wryte.

And Pythias his felawe amyable

Whiche in eche other suche loue had and delyte

That whan Denys a tyrant detestable

And of his men some to hym agreable

Wolde one of them haue mordred cruelly

Echone for other offred for to dye

Ualerius wrytyth a story longe and ample

Of Lelius and of worthy Cipio.

Whiche of trewe loue hath left vs great example

For they neuer left in doloure wele nor wo

I rede in thystory of Theseus also:

Howe he (as the Poetes fables doth tell)

Folowyd his felawe perothus in to hell.

And serchynge hym dyd wander and compas

Those lothsome flodys and wayes tenebrous

Ferynge no paynes of that dysordred place

Nor obscure mystes or ayres odyous

Tyll at the laste by his wayes cautelous

And Hercules valyaunt dedes of boldnesse

He gat Perothus out of that wretchydnesse.

Alas where ar suche frendes nowe a dayes

Suerly in the worlde none suche can be founde

All folowe theyr owne profyte and lewde wayes

None vnto other coueytys to be bounde

Brekers of frendshyp ynough ar on the grounde

Whiche set nought by frendshyp so they may haue good

All suche in my shyp shall haue a folys hode

The Enuoy of Barklay To the Folys.

Ye cruell folys full of ingratitude.

Aryse be asshamyd of your iniquyte

Mollyfy your hertes vnkynde stuberne and rude

Graffynge in them true loue and amyte

Consyder this prouerbe of antyquyte

And your vnkyndnes weray ban and curse

For whether thou be of hy or lowe degre

Better is a frende in courte than a peny in purse

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