Introduction
Desiderius Erasmus, the Dutch scholar, first came to England in 1499, a guest of the English court thanks to William Blount, Lord Mountjoy, and of John Colet at Oxford. During this time he paid a visit to a country house and learnt to enjoy some quaint English customs, as he told his Parisian friend Fausto Andrelini, poet to Queen Anne of France.
IF you are a wise man you will cross the Channel yourself.* If you knew the charms of this country your ankles would be winged, or if the gout was in your feet, you would wish yourself Daedalus.*
To mention but a single attraction, the English girls are divinely pretty. Soft, pleasant, gentle, and charming as the Muses. They have one custom which cannot be too much admired. When you go anywhere on a visit the girls all kiss you. They kiss you when you arrive. They kiss you when you go away; and they kiss you again when you return. Go where you will, it is all kisses; and, my dear Faustus, if you had once tasted how soft and fragrant those lips are, you would wish to spend your life here.
* Froude’s translation catches Erasmus’s playful tone nicely. For a more literal translation, see ‘The Epistles of Erasmus’ Vol. 1 (1901) translated by Francis Morgan Nichols, on page 203.
* That is, he would wish he had wings strapped to his arms. Daedalus, according to Greek mythology, was the craftsman who made wings for his son Icarus so they could escape Crete. See The Fall of Icarus. In this letter, Erasmus had already anticipated that his friend would use gout as justification for not leaving Paris.
Précis
In 1499, Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus visited London and Oxford. After staying at one country house, he wrote to a Parisian friend urging him (not entirely seriously) to join him. The English girls were so pretty, he said, and their custom of kissing their guests on almost every occasion was so delightful, that he was tempted to stay for ever. (60 / 60 words)
In 1499, Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus visited London and Oxford. After staying at one country house, he wrote to a Parisian friend urging him (not entirely seriously) to join him. The English girls were so pretty, he said, and their custom of kissing their guests on almost every occasion was so delightful, that he was tempted to stay for ever.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: although, despite, must, ought, unless, until, whereas, whether.
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Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Gentle. Muse. Pretty.
2 Attraction. Much. Which.
3 Charm. Lip. One.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Homophones Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that sound the same, but differ in spelling and also in meaning. Compose your own sentences to bring out the differences between them.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Verb and Noun Find in Think and Speak
Many words can serve as noun or verb depending on context: see if you can prove this with the examples below. Nouns go well with words such as the/a, or his/her; verbs go well after I/you/he etc..
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Spend. 2 Wish. 3 Visit. 4 Mention. 5 Cross. 6 Channel. 7 Taste. 8 Return. 9 Wing.
Variations: 1.if possible, use your noun in the plural, e.g. cat → cats. 2.use your verb in a past form, e.g. go → went. 3.use your noun in a sentence with one of these words: any, enough, fewer, less, no, some.
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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