Page:The Library, volume 5, series 3.djvu/364

 350 SOME ROGUERIES OF phylosopher Plutarche, the moste eloquent Eras- mus beynge interpretoure.' 1 Plutarch's little essay was appropriate on such a book-list as Wyer's. At the moment, Plutarch's moral writings were in high repute for wisdom as to the conduct of life, and some of them had been introduced to the modern world by Erasmus and his group through Latin translations. Plutarch himself, in his own day, had been compelled to meet the arguments of those who believe that the ' philosopher ' had no business with medical topics, and begins his essay by confuting the objections of a certain truculent Glaucus who despised philosophic inter- meddling. Sixteenth century physicians likewise expressed themselves with some sharpness when their mysteries were taken out of the learned languages ; and Wyer or his editor had reason for giving a tang to the chapter-heading : ' Of enuyous Physicyans, that wolde not have any other to the perfect state of helthe.' There were humour and force in taking weapons from the enemy's arsenal and calling Plutarch from antiquity as an authority on the side of amateur physic. The translation, as the title declares, is from Erasmus's Latin version. In fact, so far is the translator from having Greek enough to deal with the original, that his little Latin is inadequate to 1 The B.M. copy is No. 51 of Mr. Plomer's list; the U.L.C. copy No. 52. As Miss Palmer (Palmer, Henrietta R., List of English editions and translations of Greek and Latin classics printed before 1641. . . . Bibliographical Society, 191 1) indicates, they are of the same edition ; to Mr. Plomer's description of the B.M. copy the 'Cum privilegio' clause, as in the U.L.C. copy, should be added.