Desiderius Erasmus
Interesting, interesting.
I believe that all happiness is sprung from folly.
"In short, I am the one that wise man must come to--
I repeat, he must come to me-- if he ever wants to
be a father."
"But to destroy the illusions in this fashion would
spoil the whole play."
"True, all these images are unreal, but this play
cannot be performed in any other way."
"True prudence, on the other hand, recognizes
human limitationsa nd does not strive to leap
beyond them; it is willing to run with the herd,
to overlook faults tolerantly or to share them
in a friendly spirit. But, they say, that is
exactly what we mean by folly. I will hardly
deny it-- as long as they will reciprocate by
admitting that this is exactly what it means
to perform the play of life."
"But shame, disgrace, reproaches, curses do harm
only insofar as they are perceived."
"Nor was there anything wrong with the judgement
of the Greek who was so mad that he sat alone
in the theater for whole days on end, laughing,
applauding, enjoying himself, because he thought
that wonderful tragedies were being acted there,
whereas nothing at all was being performed."
"They are wonderfully clever in thinking up some
new way to deceive themselves."
"No one gives thanks for escaping from folly."
"You will not die badly if you live well."
"Quite the contrary--not to be deceived is most
miserable of all."
perk up: to gain in vigor or cheerfulness.
nectar: the drink of the Greek and Roman gods.
nepenthe: Legendary drup causing oblivion.
Trophonius: Seat of a particularly awesome oracle
the isle of the Blest: The mythical and remote islands where, according
to Greek tradition, some favorites of the gods dwelt in immortality
and bliss.
moly: a mythical herb with a black root, white blossoms, and magical powers
nepenthe: a potion used by the ancients to induce forgetfulness of
pain or sorrow
Methe: Drunkenness
Apaedia: Stupidity
Philautia:Selflove
Kolakia: Flattery
Lethe: Forgetfulness
Hedone: Pleasure
Anoia: Madness
Tryphe: Luxury
Comos: Rowdiness
Negreton Hypnon: Sweet Sleep
commodity: : something useful or valued
aegis: a shield or breastplate emblematic of majesty that was
associated with Zeus and Athena
propagate: to cause to continue or increase by sexual or asexual reproduction
faunt: source
tetrad: a group or arrangement of four
pontiff: bishop
insipid: tasteless
pauper: the poor
Helicon: Mythical mountain, home of the Muses.
sanctum: a sacred place.
ineluctable: inevitable
be tinged with: to affect or modify in character
codger:an often mildly eccentric and usually elderly fellow
cadaverous: gaunt
billets-doux: love letter
litigious: prone to engage in lawsuits
asinine: of, relating to, or resembling an ass
wily: sly
nincompoop: fool
unvarnished: plain
antic: an attention-drawing often wildly playful or funny act or action
surly: arrogant
ilk: same
syllogism: a deductive scheme of a formal argument consisting of
a major and a minor premise and a conclusion
(as in "every virtue is laudable; kindness is a virtue;
therefore kindness is laudable")
parricide: killing the parents
impeccably: perfectly
exhilarated: excited
gaut: : a metabolic disease marked by a painful inflammation of the joints,
deposits of urates in and around the joints, and usually an
excessive amount of uric acid in the blood
accost: : to approach and speak to often in a challenging or aggressive way
cesspool: : an underground reservoir for liquid waste (as household sewage)
chagrin: disquietude or distress of mind caused by humiliation,
disappointment, or failure
be rife with: be abundant of
emolument: the returns arising from office or employment usually
in the form of compensation or perquisites
odious: exciting or deserving hatred or repugnance
uxorious: excessively fond of or submissive to a wife
braggadocio: empty boasting
obsequious: marked by or exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
daub with: to coat with