Origin of the work:
1651 – 1652 Sárospatak
Editions:
1652 Sárospatak (printed together with the collection Primitiae laborum scholasticorum)
1657 Amsterdam, in: Latinitatis schola triclassis
1657 Amsterdam, Opera didactica omnia III
1915 Brno, Veškeré spisy J. A. Komenského, vol. IX
1957 Prague, Opera didactica omnia III (phototype edition)
1960 Prague, Vybrané spisy J. A. Komenského, vol. II, Czech translation by J. Kopecký
Contents:
Three speeches are gathered under this title, setting out the programme under which Comenius opened in turn the three classes of the lower (philological) school at Sárospatak: the vestibular grade on February 13th 1651, the janual grade on March 14th 1651 and the atrial or rhetorical grade on January 10th 1652.
In the first of these speeches, the Methodi verae encomia (the Encomium on Right Method or Methodi encomia) Comenius speaks of the importance of correct methodology, by which pupils may be shown a path through the labyrinth of learning, using therewith an allegorical comparison to the ancient myth of Theseus and Ariadne.
While the first grade was to given the foundations of an understanding of things and languages (Latin), the task of the second grade was to become familiar with the composition (structure) of things and of the Latin language. Comenius sets this out in his second speech, the De utilitate accuratae rerum nomenclaturae (On the utility of a precise naming of things; the De utilitate nomenclaturae). The names of things (words) should be understandable, and should go hand in hand with a knowledge of the things themselves.
The third grade was to expand on its grammatical knowledge of Latin through rhetorical and stylistic learning, as is considered in the third speech, the De eleganti elegantiarum studio (On the refined study of refinement; De elegantiarum studio). At its conclusion, Jan Amos upbraids the Hungarian students for their idleness and disinterest in working, and attempts to awaken them out of their indifference.
This third speech is preceded by a dedication to Ondřej of Klobusice, administrator of the Rákóczi estates. It is here that Comenius first mentions the sudden death of Sigismund Rákóczi, and later asks Klobusický, as curator of the school, if he would continue to bestow his favour upon it, and help Comenius rectify its shortcomings.
For further study see also:
Veškeré spisy J. A. Komenského, vol. IX. Prague 1915, pp9-10
J. V. Novák & J. Hendrich, Jan Amos Komenský, jeho život a spisy. Prague 1932, pp465-466
Jan Kumpera, J. A. Komenský, poutník na rozhraní věků. Prague & Ostrava 1992, pp254-255