Laudator Temporis Acti

François Rabelais (1483?-1553), Gargantua and Pantagruel II.8 (letter of Gargantua to Pantagruel; tr. J.M. Cohen):

Now every method of teaching has been restored, and the study of languages has been revived: of Greek, without which it is disgraceful for a man to call himself a scholar, and of Hebrew, Chaldean, and Latin. The elegant and accurate art of printing, which is now in use, was invented in my time, by divine inspiration; as, by contrast, artillery was inspired by diabolical suggestion. The whole world is full of learned men, of very erudite tutors, and of most extensive libraries, and it is my opinion that neither in the time of Plato, of Cicero, nor of Papinian were there such faculties for study as one finds today. No one, in future, will risk appearing in public or in any company, who is not well polished in Minerva's workshop. I find robbers, hangmen, freebooters, and grooms nowadays more learned than the doctors and preachers were in my time.

Why, the very women and girls aspire to the glory and reach out for the celestial manna of sound learning. So much so that at my present age I have been compelled to learn Greek, which I had not despised like Cato, but which I had not the leisure to learn in my youth. Indeed I find great delight in reading the Morals of Plutarch, Plato's magnificent Dialogues, the Monuments of Pausanias, and the Antiquities of Athenaeus, while I wait for the hour when it will please God, my Creator, to call me and bid me leave this earth.

Therefore, my son, I beg you to devote your youth to the firm pursuit of your studies and to the attainment of virtue.

In French:

Maintenant toutes disciplines sont restituées, les langues instaurées, Grecque, sans laquelle c'est honte qu'une personne se die savant, Hebraicque, Caldaicque, Latine. Les impressions tant elegantes et correctes en usance, qui ont esté inventées de mon aage par inspiration divine, comme, à contrefil, l'artillerie par suggestion diabolique. Tout le monde est plein de gens savans, de precepteurs tres doctes, de librairies tres amples, et m'est advis que, ny au temps de Platon, ny de Ciceron, ny de Papinian, n'estoit telle commodité d'estude qu'on y voit maintenant. Et ne se fauldra plus doresenavant trouver en place ny en compagnie, qui ne sera bien expoly en l'officine de Minerve. Je voy les brigans, les bourreaux, les aventuriers, les palfreniers de maintenant plus doctes que les docteurs et prescheurs de mon temps.

Que diray je? Les femmes et les filles ont aspiré à ceste louange et manne celeste de bonne doctrine. Tant y a qu'en l'aage où je suis, j'ay esté contrainct d'apprendre les lettres Grecques, lesquelles je n'avois contemné comme Caton, mais je n'avois eu le loisir de comprendre en mon jeune aage. Et voluntiers me delecte à lire les Moraulx de Plutarche, les beaux Dialogues de Platon, les Monumens de Pausanias, et Antiquités de Atheneus, attendant l'heure qu'il plaira à Dieu mon créateur m'appeler, et commander issir de ceste terre.

Parquoy, mon filz, je t'admoneste qu'employe ta jeunesse à bien profiter en estude et en vertus.

Gerbrand van den Eeckhout (1621-1674),
Scholar with his Books
Hat tip: Jane Seeber.