First published in the year 1734, Alexander Pope's poem 'An Essay on Man Moral Essays and Satires' is concerned with the natural order God has decreed for man.

These two sets of essays by the seventeenth-century clergyman Tuvil illustrate literary tastes and fashions of the time and offer examples of such popular genres as the sermon, the resolve, and the meditation.

One of the greatest essayists of the Graeco-Roman world, Plutarch (c. AD 46 -120) used an encyclopedic knowledge of the Roman Empire to produce a compelling and individual voice. In this superb selection from his writings, he offers personal insights into moral subjects that include the virtue of listening, the danger of flattery and the avoidance of anger, alongside more speculative essays on themes as diverse as God's slowness to punish man, the use of reason by supposedly 'irrational' animals and the death of his own daughter. Brilliantly informed, these essays offer a treasure-trove of ancient wisdom, myth and philosophy, and a powerful insight into a deeply intelligent man.

First Published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.