Babin Republic

The Babin Republic (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Babińska), was a satirical, literary and carnival society founded in 1568 in Babin, Lublin county, Poland. Its Latin motto was: omnis homo mendax ("Every man is a lier"). The Babin Republic bestowed sarcastic "offices" and "titles" to those who embarrassed themselves in public due to some fault or folly, and to those who told ridiculously untrue stories. People with poor speaking skills were declared "Speakers of the Republic", known rumormongers were made members of the "Secret Council", litigious people were declared "Justices of Peace", people who exaggerated their hunting exploits were made "Masters of the Hunt", etc. All accounts were dutifully entered into the Memorial Register of Babin Officials. There was a total of 411 accounts in the register. Some of the fanciful stories show influences of Rabelais and Bocaccio. The society was an institution in the cultural life in post-Renaissance Poland and survived until 1677.

References

Babinische Republik [German], Meyers Konversations-Lexikon. 4th Ed., Vol 2, Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig, 1885–1892, ‎p. 203.