The first of April; $b or, The triumphs of folly A poem dedicated to a celebrated duchess. By the author of The Diaboliad.

A lively 18th‑century satire opens as a mock‑serious address to a celebrated Dutch noblewoman, inviting her to consider the “triumphs of folly” that have come to court the very highest ranks. The speaker paints Folly as a glamorous companion of fashion, delighting in lavish toiletry, opera boxes and endless conversation, while subtly warning that her glittering allure masks vanity, vice and wasted time. The poem’s tone oscillates between playful flattery and pointed admonition, framing the witty critique as a friendly counsel from a devoted confidant.

Listeners are treated to a richly embroidered verse that drips with period‑specific diction, rhetorical flourishes and a steady, rhythmic cadence that suits the spoken word. As the narrator sketches the perils of frivolous extravagance, the work invites reflection on how taste and responsibility clash in any era of excess, without revealing the later twists of the larger collection it belongs to.