Lerne man, lerne of bestes to be ware Of others peryll, by theyr enormyte For if one byrde be onys tane in a snare The other auoyde as fast as they may flee A fysshe byrde or beste that hath in peryll be Of net hoke or snare, if that they may escape. Wyll after euer beware, but blynde man wyll nat se His owne destruccion, but after it doth gape * * * * * Of them that forceth or careth for the bacbytynge of lewde people. [Illustration: Whether that a bell be hangyd or lye on grounde If vnto the same a clapper lacke or fayle The bell shall make but sympyll noyse or sounde Though thou in it do hange a Foxys tayle Right so backbyters that vse on men to rayle Can nat greatly hurt them that lyue rightwysly Wherfore it is foly theyr babblynge to set by.] Who that within this worlde wolde rest and lyue In eas of mynde, peas and tranquyllyte Must nat his mynde set, nor his erys gyue To the vayne talys, of the rude comonte And though some people of suche condicion be Oft to dyffame good people true and Just Let them nought care, for byde it nede they must Let no man care for the lewde hyssynges And yll soundynges of this vnhappy rage It is great foly to set by the lesynges Of cursyde tunges syns none can them asswage For who in this worlde wyll come to auautage Hym selfe exaltynge to worshyp and honoure Shall fynde the swetnes mengled with the sowre And he that wyll of his dygnyte be sure Or sympyll lyuynge what so euer it be Right greuous chargis somtymes must endure And with his iyen often beholde and se Suche thynges wherwith his mynde can not agre And he that wyll with the worlde haue to do Must suffer suche trouble as belongeth therto Yet some haue pytched theyr tentis stedfastly Upon sure grounde, auoyde of all this payne Despysynge the worldes wantonnes and foly For in the same is nought sure nor certayne Nought se we tranquyll in these wawes mundayne We se no loue, lawe, fydelyte, nor trust But nowe up hye, and nowe lowe in the dust To auoyde the worlde with his foly and stryfe Many hath left londes townes and ryches And yll company lyuynge solytary lyfe Alone in desert and in wyldernes Ye and that: men of moste wyt and worthynes Whiche by that meane dyd best of all eschewe All worldly sclaunder and lyuyd in vertue He that intendeth to lyue a rightwyse lyfe And so procedeth in maners and good dede Of worldly sclaunder, complaynt, hatered, and stryfe And all yll wyll, he ought nat to take hede For he that is iuste ought no thynge for to drede A sclaundrynge tonge, ye, be it neuer so wode For suche lewde tonges can none hurte that ar gode.