The Manual of a Christian Knight

THE mortal world a field is of battle Which is the cause that strife doth never fail Against man, by warring of the flesh With the devil, that always fighteth fresh The spirit to oppress by false envy; The which conflict is continually During his life, and like to lose the field. But he be armed with weapon and shield Such as behoveth to a christian knight, Where God each one, by his Christ chooseth right Sole captain, and his standard to bear. Who knoweth it not, then this will teach him here In his brevyer, poynarde, or manual The love shewing of high Emanuell. In giving us such harness of war Erasmus is the only furbisher Scouring the harness, cankered and adust Which negligence had so sore fret with rust Then champion receive as thine by right The manual of the true christian knight.

Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466-1536), a Dutch humanist, Catholic priest, and scholar, was one of the most influential Renaissance figures. A professor of divinity and Greek, Erasmus wrote, taught, and travelled, meeting with Europe's foremost scholars. A prolific author, Erasmus wrote on both ecclesiastic and general human interest subjects.