James Baquet

    Today’s subject was actually portrayed by our last one. Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) was something of a celebrity during his lifetime, with a wide circle of prominent friends. One of these was Albrecht Durer, who met Erasmus on at least three occasions and made an engraving of him in 1526. Erasmus didn’t feel the image did him justice; nevertheless, he praised Durer’s talent generally.

    Erasmus was born in Rotterdam, Holland. His father was a priest, and his mother may have been his father’s housekeeper. Both of his parents died of the plague in 1483. He received an excellent education, and developed into one of the leading humanists of his time.

    Humanism meant something a little different then than it does now. Europe was at that time almost entirely Christian; “humanism” denoted the effect of Classical (Greek and Roman) learning on the culture. The Ancients were not Christians per se, but they were men and women of high morals and refinement. The discovery of their teachings led to the Renaissance itself, and the modern world owes much to their thought. Erasmus was one of the first to see the benefits of this new source of wisdom.

    He also had exchanges with Martin Luther. As a Catholic priest himself, he, like Luther, was critical of the excesses of the Catholic Church of his day. However, he felt the Church should be reformed from within, without a breach. When Luther’s actions led to the formation of a new church, Erasmus withdrew his support. People said that “Erasmus had laid the egg, and Luther had hatched it.” But Erasmus replied that “Luther had hatched a different bird entirely.”

    Today, Erasmus is best remembered for his greatest work, “The Praise of Folly.” It was written (he said) in just a week, while Erasmus stayed at the home of his friend, the English humanist (and supporter of the Catholic Church) Sir Thomas More. It is a satire, in which Folly (or “Foolishness”) is praised in the way we usually praise Wisdom. She is accompanied by her friends, Flattery, Laziness, Wantonness, and other such vices.

    Vocabulary:

    Which word above means:

    1. in itself

    2. took away, removed

    3. immoderate behavior

    4. insincere praise

    5. caused to open, like an egg

    6. the opposite of virtues

    7. loose sexual behavior

    8. high social quality

    9. showed him in a positive way

    10. a widespread disease in late Medieval times