This collection of maxims by significant classical figures was written by the Greek scholar Arsenius Apostolius (1465-1535). Born in Crete to refugees from the fall of Constantinople, Apostolius travelled to Florence to aid Janus Lascaris (1445-1545) in his search for Greek manuscripts for the library of Lorenzo de' Medici. In 1495, Apostolius, along with fellow Cretan, Marcus Musurus, worked with Aldus Manutius when the printer began to publish works in Greek. It is likely that during this time he became acquainted, and worked, with other scholars exiled from Greece, as well as notable humanists including Erasmus in both Florence and Venice.

By 1506, Apostolius' reputation was significant enough for Pope Julian II to appoint him Orthodox bishop of Monemvasia, an islet off the coast of the Peloponnese. While at Monemvasia, he declared himself in communion with both the Church in Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople. This decision led to his being excommunicated by the Patriarch in 1509. Soon after, he was forced to leave the island, and travelled to Venice, where he continued his acquaintances with Greek scholars, printers and humanists, resulting in this compilation of maxims, printed in 1519, by Zacharias Calliergis at Rome