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The main purpose of the article is to reconstruct a frequent motive in Renaissance literature, particularly in Neo-Latin one, referring to the appearance of the Graces with the Muses. The object of the analysis and interpretation is a fragment of the occasional elegy by Grzegorz of Sambor, starting a hagiographical poem on the life of Saint Stanisław Kostka, two epigrams (trifle and foricenium) by Jan Kochanowski and four songs by Szymon Szymonowic from a panegyric Flagellum Livoris. These three poets representing various genres and means of creating poesy evoke precisely the same motive, assigning it somewhat different meaning every time. The appearance of the Charites along with the Muses is for Grzegorz of Sambor an element of spring awakening of nature, which denotes the revival of poetic invention; for Kochanowski - it is a way of expressiveness of spontaneous joy that invites to create poetry; for Szymonowic - an element of mythology of Envy that emphasizes a power of lyrical songs always connected to linguistic charm.

The main aim of the article is to show with selected 16th century examples (Erasmus of Rotterdam, Philip Melanchthon, Stanisław Sokołowski, Jan of Trzciana) in what way novelty and search for the new in the theory and practice of rhetoric functioned. Two contexts are especially important for the reflections contained in this article. The first context - that of invention - is related to the topoi and discovery of arguments; in this case, novelty tends to be related to a novel use of readymade schemes, the example of which is the ex novitate argument, strongly dependent on the context of the statement. The second one - that of elocution - revolves around the question of seeking new forms of linguistic expressions. In both cases, the essence of novelty is, according to the author, restoration of the rhetorical form (topos, argument, trope, figure) by means of new linguistic formulation. L’objectif principal de l’article est de montrer - aux exemples choisis du XVIe siècle (Érasme de Rotterdam, Philippe Mélanchthon, Stanisław Sokołowski, Jan de Trzciana) - comment fonctionnaient la nouveauté et la recherche de ce qui était nouveau dans la théorie et dans la pratique rhétorique. Essentiels pour les réflexions de l’auteur sont deux contextes. Premièrement, le contexte inventif lié à la topique et à la recherche des arguments, où la nouveauté se lie généralement à la nouvelle application des schémas tout prêts, comme c’est dans le cas de l’argument ex novitate qui dépend fortement du contexte de l’énoncé. Deuxièmement, le contexte élocutoire se concentrant autour de la question de la recherche de nouvelles formes d’énoncés langagiers. Dans les deux cas, selon l’auteur, ce qui constitue l’essentiel de la nouveauté, c’est la rénovation d’une forme rhétorique donnée (topos, argument, trope ou figure) à l’aide d’un nouveau traitement langagier.

This paper provides glosses to one of the most remarkable episodes from Odyssey - Odysseus’s encounter with the seductive and menacing song of the Sirens. The proposed interpretation emphasises the intertextual nature of their singing, originated from the Iliadic tradition. Taking into account analyses and considerations of modern scholars (Pietro Pucci, Charles Segal, David Schur), the text presents the Sirens’ performance as a self-conscious model of Homeric epic that involves the tensions between song and silence, memory and oblivion. Singing their ‘sweet-sounding’ (or literally "honey-sweet") song, the Sirens configure a new, narrative song (described also as "unsung" or "promised") about Odysseus’s glorious exploits during the Trojan War, which they would like to perform (but never do) for the famous hero.

The main aim of the paper is to urge a correction in Jan Kochanowski’s translation Euripides’s Alcestis (v. 67), edited posthumously by Jan Januszowski in the volume Fragmenta albo pozostałe pisma (1590). In the Greek text (Prologue, l. 67) Apollo prophesizes that a man on the way back from wintry Thrace (Θρῄκης ἐκ τόπων δυσχειμέρων) (the reference to King Eurystheus’ horses enables us to identify him as Heracles) will snatch Alcestis from the hands of Death. In the Polish version of Apollo’s prophesy we fi nd the phrase ‘do zimnej Trąby’ (‘cold Tube’). The philological investigation undertaken in this paper has two goals to achieve. Firstly, it reconstructs the literary tradition of presenting Thrace as a land of severely cold climate (Homer, Livy, Virgil, Horace, Ovid, Statius). And secondly, it takes into consideration the meaning of this poetical landscape in Kochanowski’s Latin poetry and proposes the emendation of what must have been a printer’s error.

The main purpose of the paper is to provide a commentary on one of the sections from Mikołaj Rej s important work Żywot człowieka poczciwego (The Life o f an Honest Man, Krakow, 1567/68): the considerations of Christopher, who never existed historically, although he came to represent the figure of a good and honest man. The analysis and interpretation of this passage are focused on allegory as a type of figurative representation, in which the form and meaning appear to be negotiable through both attentive and creative reading. Taking into account critical approaches to Saint Christopher as a historical figure by early modern writers, particularly by Erasmus of Rotterdam and Philipp Melanchthon, the text presents him as the figure of a good Christian and a typical charismatic preacher. Obviously, both meanings are derived from the Greek name Christophoros, “Christ-bearer.” Due to the allegorical reading by Rej, just as Melanchthon had proposed earlier, Christopher, whose life and miracles had been chronicled in various popular legends and hagiographie narratives, remained a comprehensible role model for leading an honest life.

The main aim of the paper is to make some remarks on apostrophe (aversio), its figurative nature and discursive functions. The figure of rhetorical address to some person other than judge has many affinities with other linguistic or stylistic devices, for instance exclamation, a rhetorical question, animation, personification, aposiopesis, prosopopoeia. As a rhetorical aversion it remains always involved in a communicative context. Using many modes of figuration, apostrophe conveniently gives the poet an opportunity to modulate his poetic voice. Then, it seems to be a mark of invested passion or sublime poetry. The considerations on apostrophe are concentrated on three issues: forms and meanings of this figure in rhetorical tradition (Quintilian, Górski, Keckermann, Stanisław Kostka Potocki, Euzebiusz Słowacki), idea of apostrophe as a central figure of post-Enlightenment poetry (Jonathan Culler), and its role in a poetic invocation (for example of Jan Kochanowski’s Latin ode to Henryk Walezy and stanza addressed to ‘Heavenly Muse’ in Torquato Tasso and Piotr Kochanowski).

The main aim of the paper is to present, in the form of transcription and translation from Latin, a fable written by a Spanish humanist, Juan Luis Vives (1492-1540), and addressed to his disciple, Antoon van Bergen, a young Belgian nobleman. Drawing much inspiration from both the classical (Plato, Plotinus, Cicero, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius) and early modern authors (Fazio, Pico della Mirandola, Manetti), Vives rewrites the most important concepts of the Renaissance anthropology (the dualism of human nature, the dignity of man, the immortality of the human soul, the desire of knowledge, the excellence of mimetic art, and good fame). Therefore, he creates in mythological settings a fable about an actor on the stage in the great theatre of the world. The narrative reveals the author’s familiarity with contemporary philosophy, his taste for literary refinement, and his capability to use rhetorical strategies and devices. Vives elaborates in an allegorical framework Pico’s idea of the dignity of man sharing with God alone the ability to be potentially all things. As the son of Jupiter he was born to imitate upon the stage the inferior (the plants and animals) and superior forms of life (the Olympian gods and Jupiter himself ). His Protean activity is the ability to become another; the perfect performance of an actor who transforms himself into the person of Jupiter, unlocking for the artist, the gates of Olympus. The allegorical lesson of the story is simple: man becomes god due to his similarity to the Father and the excellence of imitation. Thus, the fable appears to be in praise of human greatness, but at the same time it emphasizes the divine power of mimetic art. The affirmative anthropology sees the discourse concentrated, though uncritically, only on the dignity and excellence of human nature.