A decorative woodcut headpiece featuring symmetrical scrolling vine-work, foliage, and floral patterns.

A SIX-LINE STANZA BY ANEMOLIUS original: "Hexastichon Anemolii". Anemolius is a fictional persona; the name is derived from the Greek word for "windy" or "empty," a characteristic bit of Renaissance humor.

Poet Laureate, and Nephew of Hythlodaeus Raphael Hythlodaeus is the fictional explorer who "discovered" Utopia; his surname translates roughly to "expert in nonsense."

by his sister, regarding the Island of Utopia.

Utopia I was called by the ancients, because I was so secluded,
Now I am a rival to the Platonic city, Plato (c. 427–347 BCE) described an ideal city-state in his "Republic." This poem claims More's Utopia has surpassed Plato's theoretical vision.
Perhaps even its victor (for what that city merely sketched
In words, I alone have manifested,
With men, and resources, and the best of laws),
I am deservedly to be called by the name Eutopia. The author plays on a Greek pun: "Utopia" means "No-place," while "Eutopia" means "Good-place." The poem suggests the island has moved from being a non-existent myth to a real, perfect society.