De Duplici Copia Verborum ac Rerum Commentarii Duo

1573

Shoults Eb 1573 E

[London: Henry Middelton]

Born in the Netherlands, Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466-1536), or Erasmus of Rotterdam, was the illegitimate son of a priest. Well-educated, Erasmus entered an Augustinian monastery about 1486 and was ordained as a priest. However, the monastic life did not suit him and in 1493 he was given dispensation to leave and concentrate on his humanist studies. Erasmus believed mastering ‘the Classical languages’ was the only means of gaining a well-rounded mind and a better understanding of the Scriptures. In the years before Luther posted his 95 theses and began publishing in earnest, Erasmus was the most published author in Europe. Here is Copia, his textbook on rhetoric. It contains advice on Latin style, grammar, and syntax with a focus on ‘varieties of expression’. It was first published in 1512.