Brant. Ship of Fools.

Today's free book is The Ship of Fools by Sebastian Brant, translated by Alexander Barclay. For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, and Google Books. There is also a free Kindle ebook.



Table of Contents

¶ Alexander Barclay excusynge the rudenes of his translacion, ye first lefe Barclay ye translatour to ye folys.
A prologe in prose shewynge to what intent this Boke was firste made, & who were the first Auctours of it.
Another Prologe: in Balade concernyng the same.
In what place this Boke was translate and to what purpose it was translatyd.
¶ Here begynneth the Folys and firste of inprofytable bokys.
¶ Of euyll Counsellours Juges & men of lawe.
Of couetyse and prodigalyte.
Of newe disgysynges in apparayle.
¶ A lawde of the nobles and grauyte of Kynge Henry the eyght.
Of olde Folys encresynge foly with age.
Of negligent Fathers ayenst their Children.
Of taleberers: & mouers of debate.
Of nat folowers of good counsel.
Of vngoodly maners, and dysordred.
Of the hurtynge of frendshyp.
Of dispysers of holy scripture.
Of folys inprouydent.
Of disordred & venerious loue.
Of them that synne trustynge vpon the mercy of almyghty god.
Of folys yt begyn great byldynge without sufficient prouysion.
Of glotons, and droncardes.
Of ryches vnprofytable.
Of folys that wyl serue two lordes both togyther.
Of superflue speche.
Of them that correct other, them self culpable in the same faut.
Of folys that fynde others good, nat restorynge the same to the owner.
¶ The sermon or doctryne of wysdom.
Of Folys bostyng them in fortune.
Of the superflue curyosyte of men.
Of great borowers, & slacke payers.
Of vnprofitable vowers & peticions.
Of negligent stodyers.
Of them that folvsshly speke ayenst the workes of god.
Of lewde Juges of others dedes.
Of pluralytees of benefyces.
Of synners that prolonge from daye to day to amende theyr myslyuyng.
Of men that ar Jelous.
Of auoutry, and specially of suche as ar bawdes to theyr wyues.
Of suche as nedys wyll contynue in theyr foly nat withstandynge holsom erudicion.
An addicion of the secundaries of Otery saynt Mary, in Deuynshyre.
Of wrathfull folys.
Of the mutabylyte of fortune.
Of seke men inobedient.
Of to open councellers.
Of folys that can nat be ware by ye mysfortune nor take example of others damage.
Of folys that force or care for the bacbytynge of lewde people.
Of mockers and fals accusers.
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 yt 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 yt 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.