The Ship of Fools, Volume 1

Name: The Ship of Fools, Volume 1
Author: Brant, Sebastian

Brant, Sebastian

English poetry -- Translations from German; German poetry -- Translations into English

Of them that despyse euerlastynge blys for worldly thynges & transitory.

Of talkers and makers of noyse in the Chirche of god.

Of folys that put them self in wylful ieopardy and peryll.

Of the way of felycyte, and godnes and the payne to come to synners.

Of olde folys y^t gyue example of vyce to youth negligent & vnexpert.

Of bodely lust or corporall voluptuosyte.

Of folys that can nat kepe secrete theyr owne counsell.

Of yonge folys that take olde wymen to theyr wyues nat for loue but for
ryches.

Of enuyous Folys.

Of impacient folys disdaynynge to abyde and suffer correccion, for theyr
profyte.

Of folysshe Fesicians vsynge theyr practyke without speculacyon.

Of the ende of worldly honour & power and of folys y^t trust in them.

An addicion of Alexander barclay.

Of predestinacyon.

Of folys that aply other mennys besynes leuynge theyr owne vndone.

Of the vyce of ingratytude or vnkyndnes and folys that vse it.

Of Folys that stande to moche in theyr owne conceyte.

Of folys that delyte them in daunsynge.

Of nyght watchers.

Of the vanyte of beggers.

[Illustration]

Alexander Barclay excusynge the rudenes of his translacion.

  Go Boke: abasshe the thy rudenes to present.
  To men auaunced to worshyp, and honour.
  By byrthe or fortune: or to men eloquent.
  By thy submyssion excuse thy Translatour.
  But whan I remember the comon behauour
  Of men: I thynke thou ought to quake for fere
  Of tunges enuyous whose venym may the dere

  Tremble, fere, and quake, thou ought I say agayne.
  For to the Redar thou shewest by euydence
  Thy selfe of Rethoryke pryuate and barayne
  In speche superflue: and fruteles of sentence.
  Thou playnly blamest without al difference
  Bothe hye and lowe sparinge eche mannes name.
  Therfore no maruayle thoughe many do the blame.

  But if thou fortune to lye before a State
  As Kynge or Prince or Lordes great or smal.
  Or doctour diuyne or other Graduate
  Be this thy Excuse to content theyr mynde withal
  My speche is rude my termes comon and rural
  And I for rude peple moche more conuenient.
  Than for Estates, lerned men, or eloquent.

  But of this one poynt thou nedest not to fere
  That any goode man: vertuous and Just.
  Wyth his yl speche shal the hurt or dere.
  But the defende. As I suppose and trust.
  But suche Unthriftes as sue theyr carnal lust
  Whome thou for vyce dost sharply rebuke and blame
  Shal the dysprayse: emperisshinge thy name.

An exhortacion of Alexander Barclay.

  But ye that shal rede this boke: I you exhorte.
  And you that ar herars therof also I pray
  Where as ye knowe that ye be of this sorte:
  Amende your lyfe and expelle that vyce away.
  Slomber nat in syn. Amende you whyle ye may.
  And yf ye so do and ensue Vertue and grace.
  Wythin my Shyp ye get no rowme ne place.

Barclay the translatour tho the Foles.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

The Ship of Fools, Volume 1Brant, Sebastian

General

The Ship of Fools, Volume 1

Brant, Sebastian

English poetry -- Translations from German; German poetry -- Translations into English

Of them that despyse euerlastynge blys for worldly thynges & transitory.

Of talkers and makers of noyse in the Chirche of god.

Of folys that put them self in wylful ieopardy and peryll.

Of the way of felycyte, and godnes and the payne to come to synners.

Of olde folys y^t gyue example of vyce to youth negligent & vnexpert.

Of bodely lust or corporall voluptuosyte.

Of folys that can nat kepe secrete theyr owne counsell.

Of yonge folys that take olde wymen to theyr wyues nat for loue but for
ryches.

Of enuyous Folys.

Of impacient folys disdaynynge to abyde and suffer correccion, for theyr
profyte.

Of folysshe Fesicians vsynge theyr practyke without speculacyon.

Of the ende of worldly honour & power and of folys y^t trust in them.

An addicion of Alexander barclay.

Of predestinacyon.

Of folys that aply other mennys besynes leuynge theyr owne vndone.

Of the vyce of ingratytude or vnkyndnes and folys that vse it.

Of Folys that stande to moche in theyr owne conceyte.

Of folys that delyte them in daunsynge.

Of nyght watchers.

Of the vanyte of beggers.

[Illustration]

Alexander Barclay excusynge the rudenes of his translacion.

  Go Boke: abasshe the thy rudenes to present.
  To men auaunced to worshyp, and honour.
  By byrthe or fortune: or to men eloquent.
  By thy submyssion excuse thy Translatour.
  But whan I remember the comon behauour
  Of men: I thynke thou ought to quake for fere
  Of tunges enuyous whose venym may the dere

  Tremble, fere, and quake, thou ought I say agayne.
  For to the Redar thou shewest by euydence
  Thy selfe of Rethoryke pryuate and barayne
  In speche superflue: and fruteles of sentence.
  Thou playnly blamest without al difference
  Bothe hye and lowe sparinge eche mannes name.
  Therfore no maruayle thoughe many do the blame.

  But if thou fortune to lye before a State
  As Kynge or Prince or Lordes great or smal.
  Or doctour diuyne or other Graduate
  Be this thy Excuse to content theyr mynde withal
  My speche is rude my termes comon and rural
  And I for rude peple moche more conuenient.
  Than for Estates, lerned men, or eloquent.

  But of this one poynt thou nedest not to fere
  That any goode man: vertuous and Just.
  Wyth his yl speche shal the hurt or dere.
  But the defende. As I suppose and trust.
  But suche Unthriftes as sue theyr carnal lust
  Whome thou for vyce dost sharply rebuke and blame
  Shal the dysprayse: emperisshinge thy name.

An exhortacion of Alexander Barclay.

  But ye that shal rede this boke: I you exhorte.
  And you that ar herars therof also I pray
  Where as ye knowe that ye be of this sorte:
  Amende your lyfe and expelle that vyce away.
  Slomber nat in syn. Amende you whyle ye may.
  And yf ye so do and ensue Vertue and grace.
  Wythin my Shyp ye get no rowme ne place.

Barclay the translatour tho the Foles.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Ship of Fools, Volume 1

The Ship of Fools, Volume 1

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