to living well, and he points it out to criticize conceit and to enlighten but not to judge.As Folly continues, her tone and her subject matter become more serious. As she moves on from human nature to human affairs, she takes on a more serious second voice to compliment the increasing seriousness of her subject. This section starts suddenly and clearly when Folly grimly describes life by the many disasters in store for it (47). In this cynical paragraph it becomes clear that her attitude has changed with her subject. Folly first addresses religious issues, a topic of great importance to Erasmus, in this section when she criticizes religious superstitions such as the belief that one can attain supreme bliss for repeating daily those seven short verses of the holy Psalms- the magic verses . . . (65). This part of Erasmuss commentary is much harsher than the first because Erasmus does not have the sympathy for this type of folly that is indicated by the humor of Follys first voice. But Folly has not completely lost her sense of humor yet. She returns to her more amusing first voice to note that Dogs dung smells sweet as cinnamon to them [hunters], I suppose, and what delicious satisfaction when the beast is to be dismembered! (60). She also laughs at architects, those who seek to manipulate nature, and gamblers in this brief reappearance of her comic banter. Though the subject matter of this second part of the satire doesnt completely wipe the grin off of Erasmuss face, he has nothing to smile about in his stinging criticism of churchmen.For this, Folly takes up yet another voice- critical and harsh; comedy has no place here. Nor is there any hint of amusement when Folly praises Pauline Folly in a voice which is practically that of Erasmus. These are the issues to which Erasmus attributes the greatest import. The conceit of a theologian looking down from aloft, almost with pity, on all the rest of mankind as so many cattle cr...
