Hieronymous Bosch (c.14553-1516) is one of the most enigmatic of painters, and among the most universally popular. His mysterious scenes of devils, monsters and other strange creatures tweak the imagination but very little is known about the meaning of his paintings or about his life. This book attempts to show how Bosch's ideas were consistent with those of his contemporaries in northern Europe, who include the scholar and humanist Erasmus, a major figure in the Reformation.