Stupidity says: let the rude mortals talk about her as they please, but she dares to claim that her divine presence, only one, amuses the gods and people. And therefore, the laudable word of Nonsense will be pronounced now.

Who, if not Stupidity, should be the trumpeter of his own glory? After all, lazy and ungrateful mortals, diligently honoring her and willingly taking advantage of her good deeds, for so many centuries have not bothered to give praise to Stupidity in a thank-you speech. And here she is, Stupidity, a generous bearer of all kinds of blessings, which the Latins call Stuction, and the Greeks Moriah, personally speaks to everyone in all their glory.

So, since not everyone knows from what kind it comes from, then, having called for the help of the Muse, he first of all expounds the stupidity of his genealogy. Her father is Plutus, who, not in anger

will be told to Homer, Hesiod, and even Jupiter himself, there is the only and true father of the gods and people. Whoever favors him, does not care about Jupiter with its thunders. And Stupidity was born, using the words of Homer, not in the bonds of a dull marriage, but from the lust of free love. And at that time her father was deft and vigorous, drunk from youth, and even more from nectar, which he sipped pretty at the feast of the gods.

Stupidity was born on those Happy islands, where they do not sow, do not plow, and collect them in the granaries. There is neither old age, nor diseases on these islands, and you will not see there any wolfworms, beans or the like rubbish, but only lotuses, roses, violets and hyacinths. And the child nourished with their nipples two lovely nymphs - Mete-Intoxication and Apedia-Bad manners. Now they are in the retinue of companions and confidants of Stupidity, and with them Kolakiiya-Flattery, and Summer-Oblivion, and Misoponia-Sloth, and Gedone-Pleasure, and Anoya-Madness, and Trypha-Gluttony. And here are two more gods who were mixed up in a girl’s round dance: Komos-Razgul and Negretos Hypnos-Unforgettable dream. With the help of these faithful servants, the whole human race is subjugated by Stupidity and gives orders to the emperors themselves.

Having found out what kind, kind of upbringing and what is the retinue of Stupidity, prick up your ears and listen to what blessings it bestows on gods and people and how wide its divine power extends.

First of all, what could be sweeter and more precious than life itself? But to whom, if not to Stupidity, should a sage cry if he suddenly desires to become a father? After all, tell me honestly, what husband would agree to put on the bridle of marriage, if, according to the custom of the sages, he had previously weighed all the hardships of married life? And what kind of woman would allow her husband to come to her if she thought and thought about the dangers and torments of childbirth and the difficulties of raising children? So, only thanks to the intoxicating and funny game of Stupidity are born gloomy philosophers, and porphyry sovereigns, and three-time-high priests, and even the whole swarm of poetic gods.

Moreover, all that is pleasant in life is also a gift of Stupidity, and now it will be proved. What would earthly life be if it were deprived of pleasures? The Stoics themselves do not turn away from pleasures. After all, what remains in life, except for sadness,

boredom and hardship, if you do not add a small fraction of pleasure to it, in other words, if you do not spoil it with stupidity?

The first years - the most pleasant and fun age in human life. How can we explain our love for children, if not by the fact that wisdom has enveloped infants with an attractive cover of stupidity, which, bewitching their parents, rewards them for their labors, and delivers to the little ones the love and care they need.

Childhood is followed by youth. What is the source of the charm of youth, if not in Stupidity? The less a boy clever by the grace of Stupidity, the more pleasant he is to everyone and everyone. And the more a person moves away from Stupidity, the less he has to live until finally a painful old age comes. None of the mortals would have endured old age if Stupidity had not taken pity on the unfortunate and hastened to their aid. By her grace, old men can be considered good drinking companions, pleasant friends and even take part in a cheerful conversation.

And what a skinny morose who give in to the study of philosophy! Not having had time to become young men, they were already old, stubborn thoughts dried their life juices. And the fools, on the contrary, are smooth, white, with a sleek skin, real Akarn pigs, they will never experience the hardships of old age, unless they become infected by communicating with smart people. It is not without reason that a popular proverb teaches that stupidity alone is capable of holding back a rapidly running youth and alienating a hateful old age.

And after all, one cannot find on the earth neither fun nor happiness, which would not be gifts of Stupidity. Men born for the affairs of government and therefore received a few extra drops of reason, marry a woman, a cattle dull and stupid, but funny and sweet, so that her stupidity and sweeten the dreary importance of the male mind. It is known that a woman will forever be a woman, in other words - a fool, but how do they attract men if not Stupidity? In Woman's Stupidity, man's supreme bliss.

However, many men find supreme bliss in drinking bouts. But can you imagine a fun feast without seasoning Stupidity? Is it worth it to burden the womb with food and treats, if

this eyes, ears and spirit do not enjoy laughter, games and jokes? Namely, Stupidity brought all this for the good of the human race.

But maybe there are people who find joy only in communicating with friends? But here it will not do without stupidity and frivolity. What is there to interpret! Cupid himself, the culprit and parent of any rapprochement between people, is he not blind and doesn’t the ugly beauty seem to him? Immortal God, how many divorces would be everywhere, or something worse if husbands and wives did not brighten up and make home life easier with flattery, jokes, frivolity, delusion, pretense, and other companions of Stupidity!

In a word, without Stupidity, no connection would be pleasant and lasting: the people could not take down their sovereign for a long time, master - slave, servant - mistress, teacher - student, wife - husband, tenant - householder, if they did not treat each other honey of stupidity.

Allow the sage to a feast - and he will immediately confuse everyone with gloomy silence or inappropriate questions. Call him to dance - he will cry like a camel. Take it with you to some sight - it will spoil any pleasure to the public with one look. If a sage intervenes in a conversation, everyone will be scared no worse than a wolf.

But let us turn to the sciences and the arts. There is no doubt that any thing has two faces, and these faces are by no means similar to one another: under beauty - disgrace, under scholarship - ignorance, under fun - sadness, under benefit - harm. Eliminating a lie means spoiling the whole performance, because it is hypocrisy and pretense that catches the eye of the audience. But the whole human life is nothing but a kind of comedy in which people, having put on masks, each play his own role. And everyone loves and pamper fools. And sovereigns, they love their fools, without a doubt, more than gloomy sages, because the latter have two languages, one of which speaks the truth, and the other rants according to time and circumstances. Truth in itself is characterized by an irresistible attractive force, if nothing offensive is mixed with it, but only one fools has been granted the gods the ability to tell the truth without offending anyone.

All happier is the one who is all crazier. People who love stories of false signs and miracles are baked from this test, and they cannot possibly hear enough of fables about ghosts, lemurs, people from the other world, and the like; and the more these fables diverge from the truth, the more willingly they believe them. However, one must remember those who, reading daily seven verses from the Holy Psalter, promise themselves for that eternal bliss. Well, can one be dumber?

But do people ask the saints for something unrelated to Stupidity? Take a look at the gratitude offerings that decorated the walls of other temples right up to the roof - will you see among them at least one donation for getting rid of stupidity, for the bearer becoming a little smarter than a log? It’s so sweet not to think about anything that people will give up everything, but not Moriah.

Not only most people are infected with stupidity, but entire nations. And in self-delusion, the British claim exceptional claims on bodily beauty, musical art, and a good table. The French only ascribe to themselves a pleasant courtesy. The Italians took the lead in fine literature and eloquence, and therefore are in such a sweet seduction that of all mortals they do not only consider themselves barbarians. The Spaniards do not agree to give up their military glory to anyone. The Germans boast of high growth and knowledge of magic. Hand in hand with self-seduction comes flattery. It is thanks to her that everyone becomes nicer and nicer to himself, and yet this is the highest happiness. Flattery is honey and seasoning in all communication between people.

It is said that to err is misfortune; on the contrary, not to be mistaken - this is the greatest of misfortunes! Happiness does not depend on things themselves, but on our opinion about things, and knowledge often takes away the joy of life. If a spouse is ugly to the extreme, but her husband seems to be a worthy rival of Venus, is it not all the same, as if she were truly beautiful?

So, either there is no difference between the sages and fools, or the position of fools is not an advantage. Firstly, their happiness, based on deception or self-deception, comes to them much cheaper, and secondly, they can share their happiness with most other people.

Many people owe everything to Nonsense. Among them are grammars, rhetoricians, lawyers, philosophers, poets, speakers, and especially those who scribble paper with all sorts of rubbish, for whoever writes in a scholarly way is more likely to be sorry than envy. Look how such people are tormented: they add, change, delete, then, after about nine years, they print, still dissatisfied with their own work. Add to this the upset health, withered beauty, myopia, early old age, but you can’t list everything. And our wise man imagines himself rewarded, if two or three of the same learned blind people praise him. On the contrary, how happy the writer is, obedient to the suggestions of Nonsense: he will not pore at night, but writes down everything that comes to his mind without risking anything, except for a few pennies spent on paper, and knowing in advance that the more nonsense will be in his the scriptures, the more truly it will please the majority, that is, all fools and ignoramuses. But the funniest thing is when fools begin to praise fools, ignoramuses - ignoramuses, when they mutually glorify each other in flattering messages and verses. As for theologians, is it not better not to touch this poisonous plant, although they are greatly indebted to Stupidity.

However, no one should forget the measure and the border, and therefore says Stupidity: "Be sound, applaud, live, drink, the glorious partakers of the sacraments of Moria."