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Clown Bluey's History of Clowns: Jesters, Fools and Buffoons. "Speak what you think" could have been the motto for all jesters and fools of the Courts of Europe. From ancient times until the early 17th century, these medieval clowns entertained and amused with astonishing freedom of speech in the palaces of monarchs, the homes of wealthy families and churchmen and, later, in brothels and taverns. In addition to providing entertainment for people who had no printed books and who, in most cases, could not have read them anyway, the jester served a purpose that was probably not recognised at the time: he represented the principle of freedom of speech in an age in which such freedom hardly existed for anyone else. |
![Clown Bluey's History of Clowns: A 19th century impression of a Jester. [Mary Evans Picture Library]](http://www.clownbluey.co.uk/albums/Clown-Blueys-History-of-Clowns-images/Jester_impression_from_the_19th_century.jpg "Clown Bluey's History of Clowns: A 19th century impression of a Jester. [Mary Evans Picture Library]")