ERASMUS’ “BRILLIANT, BITING SATIRE ON THE FOLLY TO BE FOUND IN ALL WALKS OF LIFE”: 1709 EDITION OF IN PRAISE OF FOLLY, WITH OVER 45 WOODCUT ENGRAVINGS AFTER HANS HOLBEIN

ERASMUS, Desiderius. Moriae Encomium: Or, A Panegyrick Upon Folly… To which is prefix'd, Erasmus Epistle to Sir Thomas More… London: Printed, and Sold by J. Woodward, 1709. Octavo, contemporary full paneled brown calf rebacked, red morocco spine label, raised bands, , raised bands, modern red morocco spine label, renewed endpapers.

1709 edition of “In Praise of Folly” by Erasmus, hailed by many as “the father of 18th-century rationalism” (PMM), the first English edition to be illustrated with woodcuts by Hans Holbein. with woodcut engraved frontispiece and 46 wonderful woodcut engravings (many full page), most after Holbein.

Moriae Enconium, translated from the Latin as "The Praise of Folly,' was written when Erasmus was staying in the house of Sir Thomas More in the winter of 1509-10. Its title is a delicate and complimentary play on the name of his host: its subject-matter is a brilliant, biting satire on the folly to be found in all walks of life. The book stemmed from the decision which Erasmus had taken when he left Rome to come to England, that no form of preferment could be obtained at the sacrifice of his freedom to read, think and write what he liked. In it Kings and Popes, Princes of the Church and temporal rulers alike are shown to be ruled by Folly, and it seems almost inconceivable that an age of absolute authority should have allowed him to remain unscathed. The work was secretly printed in Paris [1511], and, as in other cases, its immediate success safeguarded him from the consequences of his audacity… Whenever tyranny or absolute power threatened, 'The Praise of Folly' was re-read and reprinted. It is a sign of what was in the air that Milton found it in every hand at Cambridge in 1628. His inherent scepticism has led people to call Erasmus the father of 18th-century rationalism, but his rationalist attitude is that of a perfect common sense, to which tyranny and fanaticism were alike abhorrent" (PMM 43). Preceded by the first edition in English, translated by Sir Thomas Chaloner, published in 1549; this edition with the 1683 translation into English by Bishop White Kennett. Containing engraved frontispiece portrait of Erasmus and 46 woodcut engravings, most after Hans Holbein, an artist renowned for woodcuts "designed with such finesse that they look forward to copperplate engraving, and his style reflects the humanist ambience of Basel" (Harthan, 92). With "A Prefatory Epistle from Erasmus to Sir Tho. More," "A Catalogue of the Paintings of Hans Holbein," and other introductory writings. Lowndes, 749. See Pforzheimer 359; STC E10500. Armorial bookplate.

Faint dampstaining to plates and text, attractive in contemporary paneled calf boards.