Adages III iv 1 to IV ii 100

by Erasmus

February 21st, 2009

I've had this book for nearly a year now and I finally finished it. It's the fifth and last volume of the set of translations of the Adages of Erasmus. These have been some of my favorite works of Erasmus. However, this last volume is not as lively as the previous ones; I think that Erasmus was slowing down when he added these. Hence, getting through this volume was more of a slog. However, there are still plenty of jewels in the pile:

To walk a straight path
Open-heartedly
To break the ice
You're teaching a fish to swim
Groping in the dark
To bite one's lip
You're fighting with words, not facts
To die laughing
Either less ambition, or more strength

I have marked about a hundred of these adages for further use, and someday I will compile a list of all the adages that have survived to this day.