Suche ar despysyd of men discrete and wyse Ye and more ouer these folys ar so blynde That echone of them the other doth despyse With sharp rebukes, wordes lewde and vnkynde Yet in theyr lyfe no difference may we fynde And though they haue sene a thousande brough to shame For one sore vyce: yet lyue they in the same The example of other can nat theyr myndes moue Theyr wyttis ar blynde theyr foly is the cause Alas mad folys why do ye vyce thus loue Rennynge ay to deth without all rest or pause Alas, at the last retourne to christis lawes Be ware, whan ye other se taken in the snare Let anothers peryll cause you to be ware Ye do nat so, alas it is great shame Your synne hath quenchyd your grace and gostly lyght One blynde man another doth chyde and blame And yet both stomble, nat goynge euyn or right A blynde man hym ledyth that also hath no syght So both in the dyche fallyth in suche a wyse That one can nat helpe, the other agayne to ryse One crab blamys another for hir bacwarde pace And yet the blamer sothly can none other do But both two ar in theyr goynge in lyke case The one goeth bocwarde, the other doth also Many of these folys after that maner go But who that of his moders doctryne hath disdayne: Shall by his stepdame endure wo care and payne And perchaunce after abyde the correccyon Of the sayde stepdame, in place of punysshement. For his synne, sufferynge hir vniust subieccien And who that nat foloweth the commaundement Of his fader beynge to hym obedyent May fortune after in hunger thyrst ond colde Obey that stranger, whom he nat gladly wolde We fynde Hystories wryten longe and ample In dyuers bokes of great auctoryte The hole Bybyll sheweth to vs example Howe they were punysshed that lyuyd in cruelte I fynde also wryten in bokes of Poetrye Howe that Pheton was brent with the lyghtnynge For his presumpcion, agaynst a myghty kynge We haue example also by Icarus Whiche contrary vnto the commaundement Of his crafty father named Dedalus By fleynge to hye his wynges and fethers brent And so descendyd and in the se was drent Thus these two endynge by theyr lewdnes in care By theyr example sholde cause vs to beware We dayly se before our syght and our presence What mysauenture to many one doth fall And that worthely for theyr synne and offence Yet ar we blynde, and ar nat ware at all But in our synnes lyue vnto them egall And where by synne we se one come to shame We wyllyngly (alas) ensue the same Therfore who sethe a mad fole come to wo Or fall in peryll for lacke of a good gyde By another way ought craftely to go And (by anothers yll) for his helthe to prouyde The fox was ware, and peryll set asyde And wolde nat enter into the caue, for playne Of bestis that entred sawe he none come agayne THE ENUOY OF BARKLAY