Thomas Elyot, critical editions of four works on counsel : : The doctrinal of princes, Pasquill the playne, Of that knowlage whiche maketh a wise man, and The defence of good women / / edited by Robert Sullivan, Arthur E. Walzer.

• Superior document: International studies in the history of rhetoric ; 9
• Author: Elyot, Thomas, Sir, 1490?-1546.
• TeilnehmendeR: Sullivan, Robert, 1951-; Walzer, Arthur E., 1944-
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, [2018]
• Year of Publication: 2018
• Language: English
• Series: International Studies in the History of Rhetoric 09.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (420 pages).
• Other title: Essays.
• Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• ISBN: 9004365168
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: edited by Robert Sullivan, Arthur E. Walzer.

This volume provides the first modern scholarly editions of four works on the rhetoric of counsel by Sir Thomas Elyot (1490-1546), humanist scholar and advisor to Henry VIII of England. The Doctrinal of Princes , a translation of Isocrates’ To Nicocles , and probably the earliest English book translated directly from Greek into English, consists of a collection of aphorisms, all advising moderation, addressed to monarchs. Pasquill the Playne , the first English pasquinade, is a comic dialogue on the ethical challenges involved in counseling a prince. Of That Knowledge Which Maketh a Wise Man is a direct imitation of a Platonic dialogue, in which Plato’s confrontation with the Sicilian tyrant Dionysius is given dramatic form. A third dialogue, The Defense of Good Women , is the first printed English book that argues for the moral and political equality of women to men. Included in the volume are a general introduction to Elyot’s life and political career, extensive critical introductions to each of the texts, full recordings of the variations between printed editions, and substantive notes.