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

This volume provides the first critical editions of four works on counsel by the distinguished Tudor humanist, Thomas Elyot (1490-1546). Included with the texts are critical introductions, textual variants, substantive notes, and a general introduction to Elyot’s life. 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 ‎Contents ‎Acknowledgements ‎Introduction ‎Chapter 1. Thomas Elyot: Life and Work ‎Chapter 2. Elyot on Rhetoric and Counsel ‎Chapter 3. Doctrinal of Princes: Critical Introduction ‎Chapter 4. Doctrinal of Princes: Text ‎Chapter 5. Pasquill the Playne: Critical Introduction ‎Chapter 6. Pasquill the Playne: Text ‎Chapter 7. Of That Knowlage Whiche Maketh a Wise Man: Critical Introduction ‎Chapter 8. Of That Knowlage Whiche Maketh a Wise Man: Text ‎Chapter 9. The Defence of Good Woman: Critical Introduction ‎Chapter 10. The Defence of Good Woman: Text ‎Bibliography ‎Index of Subjects