424 The Wisdom of Folly. [Oct. 



aggrandizing:, and as9-riding, lays fair claim to the rank of Folly's prime- 

 minister. — Thus much for Folly's name, for Folly's associations, and for 

 Folly's recollections ! But there is yet one other scintilla of her halo — 

 Folly's emblem — the venerable cap and bells ! Ah ! gentle reader, I 

 see by your good-humoured smile — that which is illuminating me as 

 I write — that the very mention of this head-gear has " iteration" for 

 you. The high-coned bonnet is before your eyes — the tinkle-tinkle of 

 its silver caparisons is in your ears — and you claim for yourself the 

 rhymer's couplet, — 



" When the light heart with Folly swells. 

 At least put on her cap and bells." 



But though these things are light and airy, as things so connected 

 should chiefly be. Folly is not without her more solid recommendations 

 to the heavy-going mind, that finds a difficulty in flapping its wings in 

 the rarified oxygen atmosphere of imagination. Folly has often stood 

 the honest cause of humanity in good stead, and crushed mischief that 

 threatened grievous consequences. It was Folly's prompting that taught 

 the elder Brutus how to make Rome free ; for witli Folly's mantle round 

 him he outwitted the tyrant Tarquin, till the time was ripe for graver 

 matters, and Lucretia's virtuous death sounded the trumpet of enter- 

 prize. So in Rome's later days, Folly's own bird, the goose, saved the 

 Capitol from the ruthless Gaul, and fanned into flame the city's torch of 

 freedom that was at that moment about to be extinguished for ever. 

 And as Folly knows how to save virtue, so she knows how to punish 

 crime. Witness how she prompted traitorous Tarpeia so to word her 

 bargained reward for treason, that the gift was death instead of riches. 



Nor has Folly confined herself to actual deeds in thus benefiting 

 mankind. It is she that, in a hundred instances, has inspired the poet's 

 pen and the painter's pencil ; it is she that has awakened them to the 

 faculty of delighting the world — thus, at one effort, doing homage to 

 their mistress, and conferring immortality on themselves. Holbein's 

 obligations to Will Somers have already been mentioned. But, without 

 Folly, what would Hogarth have been ? — what Teniers ? — what Ostade ? 

 — what Wilkie? Evil, thrice evil the day, when the latter forgot his 

 debt of gratitude to the mistress who had inducted him to fame, and, 

 deserting her colours, under which he was captain, enlisted under the 

 banners of another, where he has liardly yet obtained the degree of a 

 non-commissioned officer. But, if painters are thus in debt to Folly, 

 how much more so authors ! The world would have had no Petrarch 

 but for the folly of love — no Rabelais but for the folly of humour — no 

 Cervantes but for the folly of quixotism. Pope would have left 

 unwritten some of his finest productions but for the folly of mankind ; 

 and, but for the same cause, the great Shakspeare himself would have 

 been shorn of half his beams. Where would have been, but for Folly, 

 his Don Armado — his Touchstone — his Trinculo — his Sir Andrew 

 Aguecheek — and, above and overtopping all others, his honest Jack 

 Falstaff", the fattest and the foUy-est of all the tribe of Follyists .'' 



Hail, all hail, then. Folly ! — thou queen of all good things and all 

 good fellows ! — thou princess of laughter ! — thou chief of mirth ! — thou, 

 in whose train walk 



" Quips, and cranks, and wanton wiles. 

 Nods, and becks and wreathed smiles !" 



