E-text prepared by deaurider, Charlie Howard, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) Note: Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See https://archive.org/details/historyofcourtfo00doraiala THE HISTORY OF COURT FOOLS. by DR. DORAN, Author of ‘Table Traits,’ ‘Habits and Men,’ ‘Life of Young, the Poet,’ ‘Queens of the House of Hanover,’ ‘Knights and Their Days,’ ‘Monarchs Retired from Business,’ etc. [Illustration] London: Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, Publisher in Ordinary to Her Majesty. 1858. Printed by John Edward Taylor, Little Queen Street, Lincoln’S Inn Fields. TO HEPWORTH DIXON, THIS FRIENDLY HOMAGE FROM THE AUTHOR. CONTENTS. PAGE THE FOOL,--OF LEGEND AND ANTIQUITY 1 THE FOOL BY RIGHT OF OFFICE 41 THE FEMALE FOOLS 62 THE ORIENTAL “NOODLE” 68 ENGLISH MINSTREL AND JESTER 84 ENGLISH COURT FOOLS, FROM THE REIGN OF EDMUND IRONSIDE 99 THE COURT FOOLS OF FRANCE 239 JESTERS IN THE NORTHERN COURTS OF EUROPE 300 THE SPANISH JESTERS 316 THE FOOLS OF THE IMPERIAL AND MINOR COURTS OF GERMANY 322 THE JESTERS OF ITALY 352 JESTERS IN PRIESTS’ HOUSES 368 PRINCES WHO HAVE BEEN THEIR OWN FOOLS 380 THE HISTORY OF COURT FOOLS. THE FOOL,--OF LEGEND AND ANTIQUITY. In the days of old, it happened that all Olympus was dull, and Zeus complained, yawning the while, that there was not a fool amongst the gods, with wit enough to keep the divine assembly alive, or to kill the members of it with laughter. “Father,” said Mercury, “the sport that is lacking here, may be found for us all, on earth. Look at that broad tract of land between the Peneus and Aliacmon. It is all alive with folks in their holiday gear, enjoying the sunshine, eating sweet melons, singing till they are hoarse, and dancing till they are weary.” “What then?” asked Jupiter. “It would be rare sport, oh king of gods and men, to scatter all these gaily-robed revellers, and by a shower, spoil their finery.”