In Praise of Folly: Illustrated with Many Curious Cuts

Illustrated with many curious CUTS, Designed, Drawn, and Etched By Hans Holbein WITH PORTRAIT, LIFE OF ERASMUS, AND HIS Epistle addressed to Sir Thomas More. LONDON: REEVES & TURNER, 196, STRAND, W.C. 1876. THE LIFE OF ERASMUS. On the Argument and Design of the following Oration. ERASMUS's Praise of FOLLY. List of Illustrations Frontispiece Titlepage Erasmus 036 038 044 048 051 052 055 057 060 063 064 068 070 075 079 85 89 097 100 109 113 126 131 138 142 147 151 156 159 164 169 173 178 182 186 190 194 199 202 206 210 215 218 222 226 230 234 238 242 250 254 257 262 270 274 278 282 288 294 302 312 316 320 324 329 332 336 340 344 348 352 356 360 364 370 378 384 397 THE LIFE OF ERASMUS. ERASMUS, so deservedly famous for his admirable writings, the vast extent of his learning, his great candour and moderation, and for being one of the chief restorers of the Latin tongue on this side the Alps, was born at Rotterdam, on the 28th of October, in the year 1467. The anonymous author of his life commonly printed with his Colloquies (of the London edition) is pleased to tell us that de anno quo natus est apud Batavos, non constat . And if he himself wrote the life which we find before the Elzevir edition, said to be Erasmo autore , he does not particularly mention the year in which he was born, but places it circa annum 67 supra millesintum quadringentesimum . Another Latin life, which is prefixed to the above-mentioned London edition, fixes it in the year 1465; as does his epitaph at Basil. But as the inscription on his statue at Rotterdam, the place of his nativity, may reasonably be supposed the most authentic, we have followed that. His mother was the daughter of a physician at Sevenbergen in Holland, with whom his father contracted an acquaintance, and had correspondence with her on promise of marriage, and was actually contracted to her. His father's name was Gerard; he was the youngest of ten brothers, without one sister coming between; for which reason his parents (according to the superstition of the times) designed to consecrate him to the church. His brothers liked the notion, because, as the church then governed all, they hoped, if he rose in his profession, to have…