Macropedius facts for kids
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Georgius Macropedius (born Joris van Lanckvelt; April 1487 – July 1558) was a famous Dutch teacher and writer. He was known as a "humanist," which means he believed in the importance of human values and education. Many people called him "the greatest Latin playwright of the 16th century."
Contents
Biography: A Life of Learning
Macropedius was born as Joris van Lanckvelt in Gemert, a town in the Netherlands, in 1487. We don't know much about his early childhood. After going to his local school, Joris moved to 's-Hertogenbosch. There, he went to a grammar school.
Joris lived in a boarding house run by the Brothers of the Common Life. This group followed a way of life called the Modern Devotion. In 1502, when he was fifteen, Joris joined the Brothers. He began to prepare for a career in teaching. About ten years later, he became a priest and started teaching Latin. From 1506 to 1510, he also began writing plays in Renaissance Latin for his students. His first play, Asotus (about the Prodigal Son), was started around this time.
It was common for humanists in the 16th century to choose a classic name. So, Joris became Georgius, and his last name, Van Lanckvelt, was translated into Macropedius.
Teaching in Different Cities
In 1524, Macropedius became the headmaster of St. Jerome's school in Liège. The school did very well thanks to his work and others. In 1527, Macropedius returned to 's-Hertogenbosch. By the end of 1530, he moved to Utrecht, which was the biggest city in the northern Netherlands at the time.
Macropedius was already quite famous and known as a loyal Roman Catholic. He was chosen to be the headmaster of St. Jerome's in Utrecht. He made it the most famous school in the country. He taught many subjects, including Latin, Greek, poetry, and public speaking. He might have also taught Hebrew, math, and music. Every year, he wrote a long Latin school song, including both the words and the music.
Most of his Latin textbooks and plays were written at St. Jerome's. These were published in many cities, not just Utrecht. They were printed in places like Antwerp, Basel, Cologne, Frankfurt, Paris, and even London.
Later Years and Legacy
Between 1552 and 1554, his collected plays were put together in two books in Utrecht. The songs in these books were printed with their music. After this, he wrote only one more play, called Jesus Scholasticus.
In 1557 or 1558, he stopped being headmaster. He left Utrecht and went back to his home region, Brabant. He lived for another year in the House of Brothers of the Common Life in 's-Hertogenbosch. He passed away in July 1558, at the age of 71, during a time when the plague was widespread. He was buried in the Brothers’ church.
After he died, his former students built a special tomb for him. They also had a portrait painted of him, which was hung above the tomb. Sadly, both the tomb, the painting, and the church are now gone.
Writings: Textbooks and Plays
Macropedius wrote several textbooks for students. His most famous one was Epistolica. This book taught students how to write letters. It was first published in Antwerp in 1543. It was also printed under the title Methodus de Conscribendis Epistolis in many other cities.
The book was even published in London in 1576 and reprinted ten more times. The last reprint was in 1649. It's possible that even William Shakespeare knew about this book. His friend and printer, Richard Field, reprinted it. This shows that the book was used in many schools across Western Europe for a long time.
His schoolbooks showed that Macropedius was a very cultured humanist, much like Erasmus. He knew a lot about the "seven Free Arts." He also knew "the Three Languages": Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. He was very familiar with old Greek and Roman stories, the Bible, and the writings of early Church leaders. Many reprints of his textbooks prove that people admired his work. He helped a lot with improving education in the 16th century. He strongly encouraged the study of Greek, both for reading the New Testament and classic Greek authors.
His Famous Plays
Macropedius is most famous for his twelve plays. In the Netherlands and Germany, he was the first, most active, and best Latin playwright.
One of his plays, Bassarus, is a Shrovetide play, which means it was written for a festival before Lent. Another play, Asotus, is based on the Bible story of the prodigal son. Students at Trinity College in Cambridge and at Prague University performed this play.
His most successful play, Hecastus, was published in 1539. This play made him famous around the world. It was a new version of an old Dutch play called Elckerlijc (known in English as Everyman). The main character, Hecastus, is a rich young man who loves to have fun. When he finds out he's going to die soon, none of his friends, family, or servants want to go with him on his final journey. This play is considered a masterpiece and was very popular.
Before the end of the 16th century, Hecastus was performed and printed in Latin and in other languages. There were twelve different editions and six German translations. One of these translations was made by the famous poet Hans Sachs. The play was also translated into Danish, Dutch, and in 1681, into Swedish. In the Netherlands, Hecastus was performed several times. It was most successful in Germany, with at least eighteen known performances.
For the second edition of Hecastus in 1552, Macropedius had to change and add to the play. He was a tolerant humanist, but people thought he might be supporting the Reformation. So, he was forced to revise the play, as you can tell from the introduction he wrote.
Legacy: Influential Students
Macropedius's success wasn't just in writing plays. As a teacher and headmaster, he had many students who became important people. These students became leaders in government, science, and the arts.
Some of his famous students include:
- Arnoldus Arlenius, a Greek scholar.
- Willem Canter, a language expert.
- Johannes Heurnius, a medicine professor at Leyden university.
- Gerardus Mercator, a famous mapmaker.
- Elbertus Leoninus, a lawyer and friend of William of Orange.
- Lawrence Torrentinus, a printer who became famous in Italy.
- Johannes Wier, a well-known doctor who argued against the belief in witchcraft as early as 1563.
Macropedius remained famous for about fifty years after he died. In 1565, some of his former students published a collection of poems to honor him. In the 17th century, Macropedius and his works slowly became forgotten. His plays were no longer performed, and his books were not reprinted. This was partly because plays were now being written in Dutch, not Latin.
However, after two centuries, his name became known again. In the 20th century, many books and articles were written about him. In 1972, Thomas W. Best published a book about Macropedius in a famous series. More recently, books and articles have been published in many countries. His plays have also been translated into Dutch and English. You can even find English translations of three of his plays online.
Images for kids
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Saint Jerome's in Utrecht in the 17th century. Drawing by J. Liefland, Utrecht 1857.
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Title page of Macropedius' Methodus de Conscribendis Epistolis, printed in 1649 by Abraham Miller in London.
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First edition of Macropedius' Hecastus, printed by Johannes Hillen in Antwerp 1539.
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Title page of Sven Dalius' Swedish translation of Hecastus, printed by Lars Loehnbohm in Goeteborg in 1681.
See also
In Spanish: Georgius Macropedius para niños
