It is but foly to rehers the names here Of al suche Foles: as in one Shelde or targe. Syns that theyr foly dystynctly shal apere On euery lefe: in Pyctures fayre and large. To Barclays stody: and Pynsones cost and charge Wherfore ye redars pray that they both may be saued Before God, syns they your folyes haue thus graued. But to thentent that euery man may knowe The cause of my wrytynge: certes I intende To profyte and to please both hye and lowe And blame theyr fautes wherby they may amende But if that any his quarell wyll defende Excusynge his fautes to my derysyon Knowe he that noble poetes thus haue done. Afore my dayes a thousande yere ago Blamynge and reuylynge the inconuenyence Of people, wyllynge them to withdrawe therfro Them I ensue: nat lyke of intellygence And though I am nat to them lyke in science Yet this is my wyll mynde and intencion To blame all vyce lykewyse as they haue done. To tender youth my mynde is to auayle That they eschewe may all lewdenes and offence Whiche doth theyr myndes often sore assayle Closynge the iyen of theyr intellygence But if I halt in meter or erre in eloquence Or be to large in langage I pray you blame nat me For my mater is so bad it wyll none other be. * * * * * [The Argument.] Here after foloweth the Boke named the Shyp of Foles of the world: translated out of Laten, French and Doche into Englysse in the Colege of saynt Mary Otery By me Alexander Barclay to the felicite and moste holsom instruccion of mankynde the whiche conteyneth al suche as wandre from the way of trouth and from the open Path of holsom vnderstondynge and wysdom: fallynge into dyuers blyndnesses of ye mynde, folysshe sensualytees, and vndlawful delectacions of the body. This present Boke myght haue ben callyd nat inconuenyently the Satyr (that is to say) the reprehencion of foulysshnes, but the neweltye of the name was more plesant vnto the fyrst actour to call it the Shyp of foles: For in lyke wyse as olde Poetes Satyriens in dyuers Poesyes conioyned repreued the synnes and ylnes of the peple at that tyme lyuynge: so and in lyke wyse this our Boke representeth vnto the iyen of the redars the states and condicions of men: so that euery man may behold within the same the cours of his lyfe and his mysgouerned maners, as he sholde beholde the shadowe of the fygure of his visage within a bright Myrrour. But concernynge the translacion of this Boke: I exhort ye reders to take no displesour for y^t it is nat translated word by worde acordinge to ye verses of my actour. For I haue but only drawen into our moder tunge, in rude langage the sentences of the verses as nere as the parcyte of my wyt wyl suffer me, some tyme addynge, somtyme detractinge and takinge away suche thinges a semeth me necessary and superflue. wherfore I desyre of you reders pardon of my presumptuous audacite trustynge that ye