Caption: "Erasmus, Adages, 'The forerunner of Bartlett's Familiar Quotations', printed by Jerome Froben, Basle, 1528. Desiderius Erasmus' travels and writings made him the great international humanist of his day. To a profound and extensive learning Erasmus joined a refined taste and a delicate wit. He was an extraordinary linguist, a textual scholar, and a fine Latin stylist, and therefore was able to render invaluable service to the great printers of his day, Aldus of Venice and Froben of Basle. Although he was favorably impressed with the Reformation he remained with the Catholic church, hoping to correct some of its faults. With this in mind he wrote Adages, a collection of Latin phrases and allusions designed to polish and enrich the sermons of the priests, and more significantly to illustrate the fusion of Christianity and Humanism. After the invention of printing, Erasmus was probably the first author who profited by the opportunity for wide circulation, 3200 copies for the Adages, which was in his day even more popular than the now famous Praise of Folly. The first issue of the Adages, a small volume hastily prepared, was printed by Aldus in the year 1500, while Erasmus was in Paris and apparently in need of money. In 1520 it was reprinted by Aldus’ son, Paul, but issued as the work of a ‘certain Hollander,’ because of the increasing hostility of the church against Erasmus. This edition of the Adages was nearly finished when Erasmus’ friend, the famous printer and scholar of Basle, John Froben, died. ‘A truer friend than Froben I could not wish from the gods,’ Erasmus said of this generous patron. This work was completed by Froben’s son, Jerome.”
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