A Very Pleasaunt & Fruitful Diologe Called the Epicure

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About this book

Pleasure and moral conduct meet in a conversation about what makes life satisfying. Desiderius Erasmus's dialogue weighs apparent benefits against genuine good, arguing that enjoyment depends on virtue and a quiet mind. Anger and revenge provide examples of feelings that promise satisfaction yet leave pain behind. The English translation bears the date 1545 and retains the spelling of the early printed text.

A priest's apparent feast supplies a concrete example of deceptive pleasure: guests believe they have eaten lavishly, only to find themselves hungry soon afterward. The opening dedication praises learning and Christian scripture as guides for a prince. Readers interested in religious ethics or the history of English prose can explore an argument carried by questions, replies and illustrative stories, with everyday appetites used to examine the relation between happiness and good conduct.

About the author

Desiderius Erasmus

Desiderius Erasmus (1466 to 1536) was a Dutch scholar and Catholic priest, the leading humanist of the Renaissance. He edited the Greek New Testament and argued for reform through learning and reason rather than schism, corresponding with thinkers across Europe.