Religion & MysticismThe Praise of FollyDesiderius Erasmus![The Praise of Folly]()
The Praise of Folly
Desiderius Erasmus
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Folly herself, dressed as a jester, climbs into the pulpit and delivers a speech in her own honour. Without her, she argues, nobody would marry, have…
Catalogue details
- Author
- Desiderius Erasmus
- Category
- Religion & Mysticism
- Language
- English
- Source
- Project Gutenberg
About this book
Folly herself, dressed as a jester, climbs into the pulpit and delivers a speech in her own honour. Without her, she argues, nobody would marry, have children, make friends or enjoy life, and she claims as her followers almost everyone: lovers, hunters, gamblers, poets and philosophers, and above all the monks, theologians, bishops and popes of the Church, whose greed and empty arguments she mocks without mercy. At the end the joke turns serious, and Folly praises the holy foolishness of Christian faith.
Context and significance
Desiderius Erasmus (about 1466–1536), the great Dutch humanist, wrote the book in Latin in 1509 while staying with his friend Thomas More in London, and its Latin title, Moriae Encomium, is a pun on More's name. Its satire of Church corruption helped prepare the ground for the Reformation. This is John Wilson's translation of 1668. From here, try More's Utopia.