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Metaphor
Explanation and Analysis—Honey and Spice:
In praising the personal and civic benefits of flattery, Folly uses a metaphor which imagines flattery as “the honey and spice of all human intercourse”:
My flattery raises the dejected spirit, it soothes those who are grieving, freshens the faint, quickens the dull, eases the suffering, mollifies the fierce, joins loves together and keeps them so joined. It allures childhood to pursue the study of literature, it cheers the old, and, under the color of praise, it warns and instructs princes without offense. In brief, it acts to make every man more pleasing and more dear to himself; this is indeed the main point of happiness [...] To conclude, it is honey and spice of all human intercourse.
Throughout her speech, Folly has claimed the concept of flattery, or insincere praise, as one of her primary gifts to mankind. Here, she expounds upon the various advantages of flattery. Flattery, she claims, is able to bring relief to those who are “grieving” or “suffering,” and so too does it bring people together and maintain all interpersonal relationships. Folly, then, believes that there is a degree of insincerity in the kind words that people exchange with each other, though ultimately these polite deceptions make everyone happier. Flattery, she concludes, is the “honey and spice” that brings sweetness to all social interactions, a metaphor which suggests that false compliments make everyday encounters pleasurable, much as honey and spice make food enjoyable.
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