Epis´tolæ Obscuro´rum Viro´rum

( Letters of Obscure Men ), the title of a collection of satirical letters which appeared in Germany in 1515, and profe ed to be the composition of certain ecclesiastics and profe ors in Cologne and other places. It is considered as one of the most masterly pieces of sarcasm in the history of literature, and its importance is enhanced by the effect it had in promoting the cause of the Reformation. The authorship of this satire has been a fertile subject of controversy, and is yet apparently far from being settled. It was ascribed to Reuchlin, and afterwards to Reuchlin, Erasmus, and Hutten. By a Papal bull the work was placed on the Index of forbidden books.