Poetic Works of Helius Eobanus Hessus

Hailed as "e;King of Poets"e; by Johann Reuchlin in 1514, Eobanus Hessus (1488-1540) was eager to build on his fame with a stream of new works: "e;Easter Hymn,"e; "e;On True Nobility,"e; "e;On the Avoidance of Drunkenness,"e; "e;Response from His Majesty Maximilian"e; (answering Hutten's "e;Letter from Italia"e;), and the short epic "e;Christ's Victory over the Underworld,"e; as well as a hitherto unknown "e;Inaugural Lecture"e; on Cicero and Plautus. In 1515 he anonymously published a mock-quodlibetical speech that applies the scholastic method of argumentation to "e;The Species of Drunkards."e; Eobanus' first bestseller, this brilliant satire was reprinted well into the eighteenth century. All of these texts are included in the present volume, along with annotated translations, ground-breaking introductions, and commentary.