They fawne and flater to knowe his pryuetee But they forsoth, that wolde knowe thynges newe For the moste part of this condicion be No thynge to kepe, but lyghtly it to shewe. Thus may the saynge of Salomon be fonde true. Whiche sayth that he is wyse, and lyueth happely Whiche to hym selfe kepyth his counsell secretely I fynde foure thynges whiche by meanes can Be kept close, in secrete, one longe in preuetee The firste is the counsell of a wytles man The seconde a Cyte, whiche byldyd is a bye Upon a mountayne, the thyrde we often se That to hyde his dedes a louer hath no skyll The fourth is strawe or fethers on a wyndy hyll A pore mannys dedys may soone be kept close His name is hyd, and right so is his dede. A ryche mannys dede may no man hyde nor glose It fleeth farthest, all men of it take hede So that yll fame whome all men ought to drede In fleynge about hir myght doth multyply Augmentynge to his lynage shame and vylany Therfore who that intendyth to be wyse Ware and crafty, auoydynge all inconuenyence To shewe his counsell ought nat to interpryse But do his mynde, kepynge alway sylence In seruauntis is small trust or confydence He that is nowe thy frende may after be thy fo Warne nat thy ennemy of that that thou wylt do THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY TO THE FOLYS. O ye that ar put to wronge and Iniury If ye intende for to yelde the same agayne It is great foly to warne your ennemye Or hym to threten with bostynge wordes vayne. For oft is sayde, and true it is certayne That they that wyll lyue in quyetnes and rest Must here and se and hasty wordes refrayne All styll with fewe wordes do that they thynke best * * * * * Of folys that can nat beware by the mysfortune and example of others damage. [Illustration: Here we expresse, the errour and blyndnes Of them that se others aduersyte Theyr wofull fall the ruyne and dystres. Yet sue they the same, and ware they wyll nat be Though they by example the payne of other se Yet leue they nat: thus may they clayme a place Within my Nauy, as folys voyde of grace] We dayly se the mysfortune and damage And often fallys, to pouerte and payne Whiche folys suffer for theyr synne and outrage Some drowned, some maymed, some other wyse slayne Yet this example can nat cause vs refrayne Our wretchyd lyfe, and seke for remedy We marke no thynge anothers ieopardy. We se the mockynge scorne and derysyon That folys hath ofte tyme whan they offende We se theyr losse, theyr shame and theyr confusion Howe be it all this can cause vs to amende We can no thynge and to nought we intende So many folys I fynde that playne I thynke Theyr weyghty charge shall cause my shyp to synke