The Frugal Life: A Paradox

The Frugal Life: A Paradox

THE friendship of Nicholas Ferrar, the head of the remarkable household at Little Gidding, and of the saintly George Herbert, is a pleasant episode of seventeenth century history. One of its results was the appearance at Cambridge in 1634 of a little volume, entitled Hygiasticon. This contains a translation, believed to be by Ferrar, of the treatise on dietetics by the learned Jesuit, Leonard Lessius, George Herberts version of Luigi Cornaros book on Long Life, and A discourse translated out of Italian that a spare diet is better than a splendid and sumptuous. This version was made by one whose initials, T.S., have not been deciphered. The name of the original author was equally unknown to bibliographers. It is, in fact, the twenty-fourth of the Paradossi printed at Lyons in 1543. This book, although it has no authors name attached, is known to be the production of Ortensio Lando, sometimes known by his Latin name of Hortensius Tranquillus. He was born at Milan about the end of the fifteenth century, and died at Venice about 1553. He was a graduate in medicine of the University of Bologna, and for years led the life of a wandering scholar, but finally settled at Venice where he died. He was the author of fifty or more books.[A] This seventeenth century version of Landos paradox whilst not slavish, makes an excellent presentation of the spirit and aim of the original. In the few places where the English writer has amplified the additional matter is noteworthy. It has, therefore, been thought sufficient to modernise the spelling, modify the arrangement and punctuation, and substitute here and there a modern word for one that sounded less crude in the seventeenth than in the nineteenth century. [Pg 3]When a scholar, such as Ortensio Lando was, undertakes to defend paradoxes he is not always to be taken too seriously, but in this praise of frugal life and simple diet there is an accent of sincerity that carries conviction. William E. A. Axon. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 68053
Author: Landi, Ortensio
Release Date: May 12, 2022
Format: eBook
Language: English
Publisher: Not known
Publication Date: 1899
Publisher Country: UK