MELANCHTHON, Philipp.

Sermo habitus apud iuuentute Academiae Vuittenberg. de corrigendis adulescentiae studijs. Rodolphus Agricola Phrisius de studiorum omnium colluuie, iudelicet Iuris Medicinae, Physices, & Theologiae.

      January 1519, Basel, Jo(hannes) Froben - With wide archtectural woodcut title-border showing a triumphal arch, incorporating Froben's device in a wreath at head, and the decapitation of St. John the Baptist in lower part (Hollstein XVI, 13), large woodcut initial "N" (two children wrestling; Hollstein XVI B, Alphabet 115), both by Hans Holbein the Younger; woodcut printer's device on last leaf verso (Hollstein XVI, 4), smaller figured woodcut intitial (Hollstein XVI, Alphabet 28) by Ambrosius Holbein, and figured woodcut border on A3 composed of four different blocks. 26 pp., 1 unn. leaf. 4to. Old manuscript vellum. Basel, Jo(hannes) Froben, January 1519. First edition in this form of an important text in the history of education. Melanchthon's (1497-1560) inaugural speech was held at Wittenberg University on the 28 August 1518. It met with great admiration, and was printed immediatly by Johannes Rhau-Grünenberg. The focus of the speech lies on university reforms in a humanistic sense, it was the impetus for changes in German universities. Melanchthon propagated the rebirth of the classical studies, as the "artes" had been abused by barbarians. He stressed the importance of studying the old "biblical" languages, next to Latin also Greek and Hebrew. Through direct access to the original sources a new understanding of theology and jurisprudence, but also of natural and social sciences should be created. History attains a significant importance because it offers examples for human behaviour and therefore becomes part of ethical tuition. At the end of the sermon (pp. 23-24) there is a verse in Greek by Melanchthon about Luther, and Roelof Agricola's (1444-1485) "In primo capite secundi libri de Inventione Dialectica" on pp. 25-26. The work is preceded by a verse "Iuventuti Saxoniae" by Johannes von der Oesten and a letter by Melanchthon to Otto Beckmann, dated Wittenberg, October 1518. - VD 16 M 4234; STC (German) 614; Pegg (Swiss) 4054; Jackson 2055; BL 3906.f.121; Beuttenmüller 39; Koehn, Philipp Melanchthons Reden, 47; Panzer VI, 210.267; Heitz/Bernoulli 30; not in Adams. [Attributes: First Edition]