Very rare early edition of Erasmus first written work, a letter in praise of monastic life, which was only published later in his career. Erasmus wrote it in 1488 or 1489 when he was 20 years old, at the request of Theodoricus of Haarlem, a fellow canon at the Augustine monastery at Steyn, in order to persuade his nephew to join the order. It circulated in manuscript form for many years, and was likely used to entice prospective candidates to enter the order of Canons Regular of St. Augustine.
The work is divided into three parts: the first seven chapters focus on the evils of this world; chapter eight through eleven on the pleasures of the religious life; and chapter twelve on the ultimate choice between the material world or the religious state. This final chapter appears to counteract the rest of the work as it advises Theodoricus' nephew to carefully consider whether he truly wanted to enter a religious order, since being a Christian is enough in itself. As such, it has been suggested that Erasmus rewrote the text before its publication, adding the 12th chapter, but as he apologises for his adolescent writing style in the preface, the work was likely mostly unedited.
The first edition was published in Louvain in 1521, more than 30 years after it was written. The present edition is the first by Michiel Hillen van Hoogstraten, and one of four printed in 1523. It is exceptionally rare on both the market and in institutions, as only four copies have been recorded in libraries, and we have not been able to find any others in sales records of the past century.
The vellum is slightly soiled. The work is slightly browned throughout. Otherwise in good condition. Adams E-569; Erasmus Online 1383; Nijhoff & Kronenberg 804; USTC 403708 (4 copies); Vander Haeghen, p. 64; WorldCat 71746606 (2 copies); cf. De Molen, R., "First fruits. The place of Antibarbarorum Liber and De contemptu mundi in the formulation of Erasmus Philosophia Christi", in: Colloque érasmien de Liège, 1986, pp. 177-196; not in Bezzel; De Reuck; STCV.