Educated in Scotland and France, George Buchanan became one of the most influential writers of 16th century Europe. Writing in the lingua franca of his time - Classical Latin - he was to be hailed internationally as 'easily the prince of poets'. Here fifteen scholars, from many countries, analyse his writings, his creative use of ancient texts for contemporary purposes, and his impact on the culture of Scotland and of Europe - not least in the spheres of tragedy and music.

In Virgil's third Eclogue, Palaemon concludes the poetry competition between Menalcas and Damoetas by saying that he cannot choose between them, a judgment that is emblematic of the contest between Neo-Latin and vernacular poetry in Renaissance France. Both forms of poetry draw on similar roots, both are equally accomplished, and the contest between them is largely amicable. The Judgment of Palaemon illustrates the almost symbiotic relationship between Renaissance Latin and French poetry, while exploring poets' motivation for choosing one language over another, the different...

CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title 2014 Library Journal Best Print Reference Selection 2014 With its striking range and penetrating depth, Brill's Encyclopaedia of the Neo-Latin World traces the enduring history and broad cultural influence of Neo-Latin, the form of Latin that originated in the Italian Renaissance and persists to the modern era. Featuring original contributions by a host of distinguished international scholars, this 800,000 word two-volume work explores every aspect of the civilized world from literature and law to philosophy and the...