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).

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.

Table of Contents

Front Matter -- Copyright Page -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Thomas Elyot: Life and Work -- Elyot on Rhetoric and Counsel -- Doctrinal of Princes: Critical Introduction -- Doctrinal of Princes: Text -- Pasquill the Playne: Critical Introduction -- Pasquill the Playne: Text -- Of That Knowlage Whiche Maketh a Wise Man: Critical Introduction -- Of That Knowlage Whiche Maketh a Wise Man: Text -- The Defence of Good Woman: Critical Introduction -- The Defence of Good Woman: Text -- Back Matter -- Bibliography -- Index of Subjects.