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XX Introduction
eaten Manuscript a word not commonly known,
as suppose it Bubsequa, for a Cowheard’. 'The
logicians, the philosophers, the divines are dealt
with yet more severely; princes and their
courtiers are ridiculed; and at last, cardinals
and the very Pope himself are shown their
follies with a fine directness. John Knox
scarcely spoke plainer to the Queen of Scots.
But the ‘Moria’ ends, as it had begun, with
mockery; from a satire it passes back to an
oration, and Erasmus whimsically proves that
Solomon, St. Paul, even Christ Himself sang
the praises of Folly. This is done by a twisting of
Bible phrases displeasing to modern taste, which
brought Erasmus sharp censure in his own day.
Over forty editions of the ‘Praise of Folly’
were issued during its author’s lifetime; the
chief publishers were glad to print it, and
smaller presses copied their editions. Froben
first published it in 1515, embedded in notes,
which though ostensibly by Lystrius were in
part written by Erasmus himself. Holbein
illustrated it with the famous pen and ink
sketches, since so often reproduced. It was
translated from the original Latin into French