That would be Erasmus of Rotterdam, whose 1530 Handbook on Good Manners for Children has been published in a new translation. Some things never change: “His basic tenet is that good manners will spring from ‘the ability to ignore the faults of others and avoid falling short yourself’.” On the other hand, among his prescriptions are “Do not indulge in hysterical mirth, [and] do not stagger in the theatrical manner favoured by bishops and Swiss soldiers.”