ABSTRACT
Erasmus was especially distressed by preachers who made concessions to the antics of the unlearned and the illiterate to be found in all ranks of society. All levels of society rejoiced in the permitted licence of Twelfth Night and Shrovetide. Erasmus would have none of it. They were survivals of the ancient Bacchanalia. Erasmus's natural and chosen territory was wit, not comedy and certainly not seasonal fun-and-games. His crimped attitude towards seasonal licence severely limited the scope of Christian laughter for those who followed him. Many did, for he remained a good laugh-raiser. The kind of joking he most detested is the kind often associated with friars and monks. The religious often make their jokes by misapplying biblical texts. Erasmus does concede to preachers, even outside the periods of permitted licence, liberties which he would never himself adopt. A preacher may wake up a sleepy congregation by telling a funny story.
