In Praise of Folly: Illustrated with Many Curious CutsErasmus, Desiderius
General
In Praise of Folly: Illustrated with Many Curious Cuts
Erasmus, Desiderius
Folly -- Early works to 1800
if they did but consider the import of the word pope, which signifies
a father; or if they did but practice their surname of most holy, what
order or degrees of men would be in a worse condition? There would be
then no such vigorous making of parties, and buying of votes, in the
conclave upon a vacancy of that see: and those who by bribery, or other
indirect courses, should get themselves elected, would never secure
their sitting firm in the chair by pistol, poison, force, and violence.
How much of their pleasure would be abated if they were but endowed with
one dram of wisdom? Wisdom, did I say? Nay, with one grain of that salt
which our Saviour bid them not lose the savour of. All their riches,
all their honour, their jurisdictions, their Peter's patrimony, their
offices, their dispensations, their licences, their indulgences, their
long train and attendants (see in how short a compass I have abbreviated
all their marketing of religion); in a word, all their perquisites
would be forfeited and lost; and in their room would succeed watchings,
fastings, tears, prayers, sermons, hard studies, repenting sighs, and a
thousand such like severe penalties: nay, what's yet more deplorable,
it would then follow, that all their clerks, amanuenses, notaries,
advocates, proctors, secretaries, the offices of grooms, ostlers,
serving-men, pimps (and somewhat else, which for modesty's sake I shall
not mention); in short, all these troops of attendants, which depend on
his holiness, would all lose their several employments.
[Illustration: The Pope 320]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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