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1Praise of Folly

By Desiderius Erasmus

The Praise of Folly (Greek title: Morias Enkomion (Μωρίας Εγκώμιον), Latin: Stultitiae Laus, sometimes translated as In Praise of Folly, Dutch title: Lof der Zotheid) is a satirical essay written in 1509 by Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466/69-1536). It is considered one of the most influential works of literature in Western civilization and one of the catalysts of the Protestant Reformation.<BR><BR>It starts off with a satirical learned encomium after the manner of the Greek satirist Lucian, a piece of virtuoso foolery; it then takes a darker tone in a series of orations, as Folly praises self-deception and madness and moves to a satirical examination of pious but superstitious abuses of Catholic doctrine and corrupt practices in parts of the Roman Catholic Church—to which Erasmus was ever faithful—and the folly of pedants (including Erasmus himself). Erasmus had recently returned, disappointed, from Rome, where he had turned down offers of advancement in the curia, and Folly increasingly takes on Erasmus' own chastising voice. The essay ends with a straightforward statement of Christian ideals.<BR><BR>The essay was hugely popular, to Erasmus' astonishment and sometimes his dismay. Before Erasmus' death it had already passed into numerous editions and had been translated into French and German. An English edition soon followed. It influenced teaching of rhetoric during the later sixteenth century. It was put on the Index of forbidden books by the Council in Trent in 1559. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia)

This collection of Latin dialogues, first published published in 1518 but greatly expanded until 1533, is among the most pleasant reading in the language for students and experts alike. Useful phrases, interesting narratives, humorous character sketches, and social criticism are all to be found here, written in a style rarely matched which prompted the 18th-century translator Nathan Bailey to praise Erasmus "as well for the Usefulness of the Matter of his Colloquies, as the Pleasantness of Style, and Elegancy of the Latin." - Summary by Felipe Vogel

3Lob der Narrheit

By Desiderius Erasmus

Hinter dem tollen Wirrwarr menschlichen Treibens, hinter den Mängeln, Schwächen, Fehlern und Untugenden sieht Erasmus die Thorheit als etwas nur Allzumenschliches an. Sie ist ihm dasjenige geistige Element, das dem Erdendasein überhaupt erst Reiz und Wert verleiht. Das Horazische Dulce est desipere in loco ist hier zu einem Prinzip der Weltanschauung erhoben und wird halb im Ernst, halb im Scherz von einer lächelnden Lebensphilosophie als Vademecum für jeden Erdenpilger gepriesen. Daß der geistreiche und seine Thesen mit unzähligen gelehrten Zitaten erhärtende Autor sich dabei nicht immer konsequent bleibt und mitunter wie z. B. in seiner Polemik gegen Kirche und Theologie aus dem Ton und der Rolle eines Lobredners der Thorheit fällt, darf weiter nicht verwunderlich erscheinen. - Zusammenfassung aus dem Vorwort

One of the most influential works by the medieval scholar Erasmus of Rotterdam, the <i>Enchiridion Militis Christiani</i> (called in English The Manual of the Christian Knight or The Handbook of the Christian Soldier) was originally written in Latin in 1501. William Tyndale translated it into English in 1533, and it is this translation which is presented here. The aim of the book is especially to emphasize the difference between a true religion of the heart and an outward, formal religion of observances. Written in an age of formal righteousness, this book directs the conscience of the individual straight back to the sources of all Christian living, to the plain teaching of Jesus and the plain argument of common sense. -Summary by Devorah Allen

Ecclesiastes or, the preacher. An essay on the duties of a public religious instructor; chiefly taken from a Latin treatise on this subject by Erasmus. - Summary by Subtitle