The Ship of Fools, Volume 1

by Sebastian Brant

Of the erudicion of neglygent faders anenst theyr chyldren.

That fole that suffreth his Chylde for to offende
Wythout rebukynge, blame, and correccion.
And hym nat exhorteth, hymselfe to amende.
Of suche fawtes as by hym ar done.
Shal it sore repent: god wote howe sone
For oft the faders foly, fauour, and neglygence
Causeth the Chylde for to fall to great offence

A myserable Fole euermore shal he be.

A wretche vnauysed, and a Catyf blynde.

Whiche his chyldren fawtes forseth nat to see

Hauynge no care for to induce theyr mynde

To godly vertue: and vyce to leue behynde.

For whyle they ar yonge fereful and tender of age

Theyre vyce and foly is easy to asswage.

Two dyuers sortes of these foles may we fynde.

By whome theyr chyldren ar brought to confusion.

The one is neglygent. the other is starke blynde.

Nat wyllynge to beholde his childes yl condicion.

Whyle he is in youthe: But for a conclusion

He is a Fole that wyl nat se theyr vyce.

And he that seyth: and wyl it nat chastyce.

Alas thou art a cursed counselloure

To wanton youth that tender is of age

To let them wander without gouernoure

Or wyse mayster, in youthes furious rage

Get them a mayster theyr foly to asswage

For as a herdles flocke strayth in Jepardy

So children without gyde wandreth in foly.

To moche lyberty pleasoure and lycence

Gyuen vnto youth, whether it be or age

Right often causyth great inconuenyence

As ryot mysrule with other sore damage

Theyr londe and goodes solde or layde to gage

But thou folysshe father art redy to excuse

Thy yonge children of theyr synne and abuse

Thou sayst they ar ouer tender to eschewe

Theyr folysshe maners and they haue no skyll

To knowe the wayes of goodnes or vertue

Nor to discerne what is gode, what is yll

Thou blynde dodart these wordes holde thou styll

Theyr youth can nat excuse thy folysshenes

He that can yll as well myght lerne goodnes

A yonge hert is as apt to take wysdome

As is an olde, and if it rotyd be

It sawyth sede of holy lyfe to come

Also in children we often tymes se

Great aptness outwarde and syne of grauyte

But fyll an erthen pot first with yll lycoure

And euer after it shall smell somwhat soure

So youth brought vp in lewdnes and in sin

Shall skant it shrape so clene out of his mynde

But that styll after some spot wyll byde within

A lytell twygge plyant is by kynde

A bygger braunche is harde to bowe or wynde

But suffer the braunche to a byg tre to growe

And rather it shall brake than outher wynde or bowe

Correct thy childe whyle he is lyke a twygge

Soupyll and plyant, apt to correccion

It wyll be harde forsoth whan he is bygge

To brynge his stubron herte to subieccion

What hurtyth punysshement with moderacion

Unto yonge children, certaynely no thynge

It voydeth vyce, gettynge vertue and cunnynge

Say folysshe fader haddest thou leuer se

Thy sonnes necke vnwrested wyth a rope.

Than with a rod his skyn shulde brokyn be.

And oft thou trustest: and hast a stedfast hope

To se thy son promoted nere as hye as is the Pope

But yet perchaunce mourne thou shalt ful sore.

For his shameful ende: fortuned for lacke of lore.

Some folowe theyr chyldrens wyl and lewde plesour

So grauntinge them theyr mynde: that after it doth fal

To theyr great shame: they sorowe and dolour

As dyd to Priamus a Kynge Imperial

Whiche suffred his men: his son chefe of them al

By force from Grece to robbe the fayre Helayne.

Wherby both Fader and son were after slayne.

With noble Hector and many thousandes mo.

The Cyte of Troy vnto the ground clene brent.

I rede in the Cronycles of the Romayns also

Howe Tarquyne the proude had shame and punysshment

For rauysshynge chaste Lucres agaynst hyr assent.

Wherfore hyrselfe she slewe hyr seynge thus defiled.

For the which dede this Tarquyn was exiled,

From Rome: wandrynge in the Costes of Italy.

Dyd nat the traytour Catelyne also conspyre

And many mo sworne to his cruel tyranny

Agaynst the Romans to oppresse theyr Impyre,

But he and all his were murdred for theyr hyre,

And nat vnworthely. Beholde wherto they come

Which ar nat enfourmed in youth to ensue wysdom.

The son oft foloweth the faders behauour

And if the fader be discrete and vertuous.

The son shal suche wayes practyse both day and hour.

But if that the fader be lewde and vicious

By falshode lyuynge: and by wayes cautelous.

The son also the same wayes wyl ensue

And that moche rather than goodnes or vertue

Therfore it nedeth that better prouysion.

Were founde for youthe by sad and wyse counsayle

Far from theyr faders of this condicion.

And other lewde gydes which myght theyr myndes assayle

Greuously wyth syn. So were it theyr auayle

From theyr faders frawde and falshode to declyne

And them submyt to some lawdable mannys doctryne.

Peleus, somtyme a noble and worthy kynge

Subdued Achylles vnto the doctryne

Of phenix whiche was both worthy and cunnynge

Wherfore Achyllys right gladly dyd enclyne

With his hert and mynde vnto his disciplyne

Wherby his name so noble was at the last

That all Asy in worthynes he past

Ryght so Philippus a kynge worthy of name

Ouer all Grece made great iniquicion

To fynde one wyse, sad and laudable of fame

To Alexander his sonne for to gyue Instruccion

Founde was great Aristotyl at the conclusion

Disciple of Plato. whiche in euery Science.

Infourmed this chylde with parfyte diligence.

Whiche Alexander afterward had so great dignyte.

What by his strength, his cunnynge, and boldenes.

That he was lorde both of Londe and See.

And none durst rebel aganst his worthynes.

Lo here the lawde, the honour, and nobles.

Which dothe procede of vertue and doctryne

But few ar the faders that nowe hereto inclyne

Fewe ar that forceth nowe adayes to se

Theyr chyldren taught: or to do any cost

On som sad man, wyse, and of auctorite:

Al that is theron bestowed thynke they loste.

The folyssh Fader oft tymes maketh great boste.

That he his son to habundant riches shal auance

But no thynge he speketh of vertuous gouernance.

The feder made but smal shyft or prouysion.

To induce his Son by vertuous doctryne.

But whan he is dede and past: moche les shal the son

To stody of grace his mynde or hert inclyne.

But abuse his reason: and from al good declyne.

Alas folysshe faders gyue your aduertence

To Crates complaynt comprysed in this sentence.

If it were graunted to me to shewe my thought

Ye follysshe faders Caytifes I myght you cal

Whiche gather riches to brynge your chylde to nought.

Gyuynge him occasion forto be prodigal.

But goode nor cunnynge shewe ye hym none at all.

But whan ye drawe to age, ye than moste comonly.

Sorowe for your suffrance. But without remedy.

An olde sore to hele is oft halfe incurable

Ryght so ar these Chyldren roted in myschefe

Some after euer lyueth a lyfe abhomynable

To all theyr Kyn great sorowe and reprefe.

The one is a murderer the other a fereles thefe,

The one of god nor goode man hath no fors ne care.

Another so out wasteth that his frendes ar ful bare.

Some theyr londe and lyuelode in riot out wasteth,

At cardes, and, tenys, and other vnlawful gamys.

And some wyth the Dyce theyr thryft away casteth.

Some theyr soule damnes, and theyr body shames.

With flesshly lust: which many one dyffamys.

Spendynge the floures of youth moche vnthryftely.

On dyuers Braunches that longe to Lechery.

Another delyteth hymselfe in Glotony.

Etynge and drynkynge without maner, or mesure:

The more that some drynke: the more they wax drye.

He is moste Galant whyche lengest can endure.

Thus without mesure ouercharge they theyr nature.

So that theyr Soule is loste theyr body and goode is spent.

For lacke of doctryne, Norture and punysshment.

Se here playne prose, example and euydence

Howe youthe which is nat norysshed in doctryne.

In age is gyuen vnto al Inconuenyence.

But nought shall make youthe soner forto inclyne.

To noble maners: nor Godly dysciplyne:

Than shal the doctryne of a mayster wyse and sad:

For the rote of vertue and wysdome therby is had.

Without dout Noblenes is moche excellent

Whiche oft causeth youth to be had in great honour.

To haue the name, and lawde they ar content.

Thoughe it be nat gotten by theyr owne labour.

But what auayleth them this lewde obscure errour

Of suche hye byrthe them self to magnyfy.

Sythe they defyle it with vice and Uilany.

Why art thou proude thou foul of that nobles

Whyche is nat gotten by thyne owne vertue.

By thy goode maners, wyt nor worthynes:

But this forsothe oft tymes fynde I true

That of a goode beste, yl whelpes may weshewe.

In lyke wyse of a Moder that is bothe chast and goode.

Often is brought forth a ful vngracious Brode.

But though the childe be of lewde condicion

And of his nature frowarde and varyable

If the fader be slacke in the correccion

Of his childe, he onely is culpable

Whiche wyll nat teche hym maners commendable

Thus is the fader a fole for his suffraunce

And the sone also for his mysgouernaunce

The Enuoy.

Auoyd faders your fauour and suffraunce

Anenst your children in theyr faute and offence

Reduce ye clerely vnto your remembraunce

That many a thousande inconuenyence

Haue children done by theyr faders negligence

But to say trouth brefely in one clause

The fader's fauour onely is the cause

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