The Ship of Fools, Volume 1

by Sebastian Brant

Of hym that wyll nat folowe nor ensue good counsell, and necessary.

Of folys yet another sorte doth come
Vnto our shyp rowynge with great trauayle
Whiche nought perceyue of doctryne nor wysdome
And yet dysdayne they to aske wyse counseyll
Nor it to folowe for theyr owne auayle
Let suche folys therat haue no dysdayne
If they alone endure theyr losse and payne

He is a fole that dothe coueyt and desyre

To haue the name of wysdome and prudence

And yet of one sought thorugh a cyte or a shyre

None coude be founde of lesse wysdome nor science

But whyle he thynketh hym full of sapience

Crafty and wyse, doutles he is more blynde

Than is that fole whiche is out of his mynde

But though he be wyse, and of myght meruaylous

Endued with retoryke and with eloquence

And of hym selfe both ware and cautelous

If he be tachyd with this inconuenyence

To dysdayne others counseyll and sentence

He is vnwyse, for oft a folys counsayle

Tourneth a wyse man to consort and auayle

But specially the read and auysement

Of wyse men, discrete, and full of grauyte

Helpeth thyne owne, be thou never so prudent

To thy purpose gyuynge strength and audacyte.

One man alone knowys nat all polycye

Thoughe thou haue wysdome cunnynge and scyence

Yet hath another moche more experience

Some cast out wordes in paynted eloquence

Thynkynge therby to be reputed wyse

Thoughe they haue neyther wysdome nor science

Suche maner folys them self do exercyse

A plughe and teame craftely to deuyse

To ere the path that folys erst hath made

The trouth vnder glose of suche is hyd and layde

For why, they trust alway to theyr owne mynde

And furour begon whether it be good or yll

As if any other, no wyser read coude fynde

Thus they ensue theyr pryuate folysshe wyll

Oft in suche maters wherin they haue no skyll

As did Pyrrus whiche began cruell Batayle

Agaynst Orestes refusynge wyse counsayle

But folowyd his owne rasshe mynde without auayle

As blynde and obstynat of his intencion

Wherfore he was disconfyted in Batayle

Hymselfe slayne, his men put to confusyon

If that the Troyans in theyr abusyon

With false Parys, had confourmed theyr intent

To Helenns counsayle Troy had nat ben brent.

For that Priamus his mynde wolde nat aply

To the counseyll of Cassandra Prophetes

The grekys distroyed a great parte of Asy

Hector also by his selfwyllydnes

Was slayne with Peyn for all his doughtynes

Of Achylles in open and playne Batayle

For nat folowynge of his faders counsayle

If Hector that day had byddyn within Troy

And vnto his fader bene obedient

Perchaunce he sholde haue lyuyd in welth and ioy

Longe tyme after and come to his intent

Whereas his body was with a spere through rent

Of the sayd Achyllys cruell and vnkynde

Alas for suynge his owne selfwyllyd mynde

I rede of Nero moche cursed and cruell

Whiche to wyse counsayle hymself wolde nat agre

But in all myschef all other dyd excell

Delytynge hym in synne and crueltye

But howe dyde he ende forsoth in myserye

And at the last as wery of his lyfe

Hymselfe he murdred with his owne hand and knyfe

The Bybyll wytnessyth howe the prophete Thoby

Gaue his dere sone in chefe commaundement

That if he wolde lyue sure without ieoperdy

He sholde sue the counsayle of men wyse and prudent

The story of Roboam is also euydent

Whiche for nat suynge of counseyll and wysdome

Lost his Empyre, his scepter and kyngdome

If that it were nat for cawse of breuyte

I coude shewe many of our predecessours

Whiche nat folowynge counceyll of men of grauyte

Soone haue decayed from theyr olde honours

I rede of Dukes, Kynges, and Emperours

Whiche dispysynge the counsayle of men of age

Haue after had great sorowe and damage.

For he suerly whiche is so obstynate

That onely he trusteth to his owne blyndnes

Thynkynge all wysdome within his dotynge pate

He often endyth in sorowe and dystres

Wherfore let suche theyr cours swyftly addres

To drawe our Plough, and depe to ere the ground

That by theyr laboure all folys may be founde.

The Enuoy of Alexander Barclay the Translatour.

O man vnauysed, thy blyndnes set asyde

Knowledge thy owne foly thy statelynes expel

Let nat for thy eleuate mynde nor folysshe pryde,

To order thy dedes by goode and wyse counsel

Howbeit thou thynke thy reason doth excel

Al other mennys wyt. yet oft it doth befall.

Anothers is moche surer: and thyn the worst of all.

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