The Reception of Erasmus’ Adages in Sixteenth-Century England

Abstract

The Adages of Erasmus, a collection of more than 4,000 classical proverbs, was a bestseller in its time. The book was valued both for its usefulness in Latin composition and its witty asides on contemporary society. The dissemination of the Adages in England is of special significance because the genesis of the book and its dedication to the members of the Mountjoy family closely link it to that country. Its influence can be traced through the use of "Erasmian" adages in English literature as well as through translations and adaptations published in England during the sixteenth century. More immediate evidence of the wide dissemination of the work comes from the lists of English booksellers and book collectors. The present study is based primarily on the Oxford University Inventories and the wills in the Oxford Registrum Cancellarii. It furthermore examines reader reaction in the form of marginal remarks and inscriptions found in over 70 copies from the sixteenth century in the Bodleian Library.