Praise of Folly, query, chapter 36

Latin Medieval and Neo-Latin
1

Context: Folly declares that Fools are sincere speakers, while Wise Men “speak with forked tongue”, as the old western movie cliche goes, and adds:

Porro in tanta felicitate, tamen hoc nomine principes mihi videntur infelicissimi, quod deest, a quo verum audiant, et assentatores pro amicis habere coguntur.



Moreover [Porro], in the midst of their [seeming] great fortune, princes to me seem unfortunate on this account [hoc nomine], that there is nobody from whom they may hear the truth, and they have only yes-men for friends.

  1. I’m a little unsure about “Porro”, a word Erasmus frequently uses.

  2. I’m reading “hoc nomine” as a metaphor, the original being the headings in a ledger.

2

porro – in this context, “furthermore”, “moreover”.

Not this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignazio_Porro

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porro_prism

I’m reading “hoc nomine” as a metaphor, the original being the headings in a ledger.

Seems right. Maybe “under this head” or even “in this column”.

3

Nor this: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b&ei=5NKUWovvD8f2swWR54N4&q=porro+dizionario+italiano&oq=porro+dizionario+italiano&gs_l=psy-ab.3...0.0.1.70569.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1..64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.fGkueasxRIk

Nor this: http://docenti.unicatt.it/eng/antonietta_porro/

“they are compelled to have …”

“yes-men” is perfect! infelicissimus Trump.

4

Pro can mean something like “instead of.” I wonder whether this should be translated “they are forced to have ‘yes-men’ instead of friends.”

Agreed that “yes-men” is perfect here.

5

Many thanks to Hylander and mwh. Reading this work is giving rise to a thousand questions about what Erasmus was up to.

6

hlawson38,

Where are you getting the chapter numbers (e.g., chapter 36)? I’m looking at the two editions I have just bought, the Adams you mentioned and the Amsterdam/Elsevier/Brill. I haven’t started reading yet, but in any case I don’t see chapter divisions in either (the Brill has line numbers).

Randy

7

Sorry about the delay in answering, Randy. The chapter numbers in the printed version I have agree with the numbers in latinlibrary. I think the printed edition I have may be a print-on-demand version of the latinlibrary text.

8

I see. Thanks.