The Festival of Fools

Signed at lower left: P. Brueghel Inventor; at lower left: ·PVAHE· [in monogram]; at lower centre: Aux quatre vents.; inscribed in the margin: Ghij sottenbollen, die met ijdelheijt, ghequelt sijt,/ Compt al ter banen, die lust hebt om rollen,/ Al wordet d'een sijn eere en dander t'gelt quijt,/ De weerelt die prijst, de grootste Sottenbollen.// Men vint Sottebols, onder elcke nacie,/ Al en draghen sij geen sotscappen, op haeren cop,/ Die int dansen hebben, al sulcken gracie/ Dat hunnen Sottenbol, drayet, ghelijck eenen top.// De vuylste Sottebols, lappent al duer de billen,/ Dan snijder, die d'een dander, metten nuese vatten,/ De sulck, vercoopt trompen en dander brillen,/ Daer sij veel, Sottebollen mede verschatten.// Al sijnder Sottebols, die haer wijsselijck draghen,/ En van t Sottenbollen, den rechten sin smaken,/ Om dat sij in hun selfs sotheijt hebben behaghen,/ Sal hueren Sottebol alder best de pin raken (four quatrains) [You numskulls who are plagued with foolishness,/ Come to the green if you want to go bowling,/ Although one has lost his honour and another his money,/ The world values the greatest numskulls.// Numskulls are found in all nations,/ Even if they do not wear a fool's cap on their heads./ They have such grace/ in dancing that their foolish heads spin like tops.// The foulest numskulls squander their estates./ Then there are those who take others by the nose./ Some sell Jew's harps and the others spectacles/ With which they deceive many nitwits.// Yet there are numskulls who behave themselves wisely,/ And understand the true sense of numskulling/ Because they (who) have found folly in themselves/ Shall best hit the pin with their numskulls.]