Cap. IX. a Replication Against Ignoraunt Persones

But rude people, opprest with blyndnes, Agaynst your fables wyll often solisgyse, Suche is theyr mynde, such is theyr folyshnes; For they beleve in no maner of wyse That under a colour a trouth may aryse. For folysh people, blynded in a matter, Will often erre whan they of it do clatter.

O all ye cursed and such evyll fooes, Whose syghtes be blynded over all wyth foly, Open your eyes in the pleasaunt schooles Of perfit connyng, or that you reply Agaynst fables for to be contrary; For lacke of connyng no mervayle though you erre, In suche science, whych is from you so fer.

For now the people, whych is dull and rude, If that you rede a fatall scripture, And can not moralyse the semilitude Whych to theyr wyttes is so hard and obscure, Than wyll they say that it is sene in ure That nought do poetes but depaynt and lye, Deceyvyng them by tongues of flatery.

But what for that? they can not defame The poetes actes, whych are in effecte; Unto them selfe remayneth the shame To dysprayse that whych they can not correcte; And yf that they had in it inspecte, Than they would it prayse, and often elevate For it should be to them so delicate.