Part 11 (2/2)

About the close of 1516, Erasmus received a letter from the librarian and secretary of Frederick, elector of Saxony, George Spalatinus, written in the respectful and reverential tone in which the great hly; the elector has all your books in his library and intends to buy everything you may publish in future' But the object of Spalatinus's letter was the execution of a friend's coreat admirer of Erasmus, had requested him to direct his attention to the fact that in his interpretation of St Paul, especially in that of the epistle to the Romans, Erasmus had failed to conceive the idea of _justitia_ correctly, had paid too little attention to original sin: he ustine

The nameless Austin Friar was Luther, then still unknown outside the circle of the Wittenberg University, in which he was a professor, and the criticisarded the cardinal point of his hardly acquired conviction: justification by faith

Erasmus paid little attention to this letter He received sostill more praise and no criticism If he answered it, the reply did not reach Spalatinus, and later Erasot the whole letter

Nine months afterwards, in September 1517, when Erasmus had been at Louvain for a short time, he received an honourable invitation, written by the first prelate of the E The archbishop would be pleased to see hireatly admired his work (he knew it so little as to speak of Erasmus's emendation of the Old Testament, instead of the New) and hoped that he would one day write so Hohenzoller, advocate of the new light of classical studies, whose attention had probably been drawn to Erasmus by Hutten and Capito, who sojourned at his court, had recently becoed in one of the boldest political and financial transactions of his tie of twenty-four, had necessitated a papal dispensation, as he also wished to keep the archbishopric of Magdeburg and the see of Halberstadt This accumulation of ecclesiastical offices had to bepolicy which opposed the rival house of Saxony The Pope granted the dispensation in return for a great sum of money, but to facilitate its payence for the whole archbishopric of Mayence, Magdeburg and the Brandenburg territories

Albert, to whom half the proceeds were tacitly left, raised a loan with the house of Fugger, and this charged itself with the indulgence traffic

When in December 1517, Erasainst indulgences, provoked by the Archbishop of Mayence's instructions regarding their colportage, had already been posted up (31 October 1517), and were circulated throughout Ger the whole Church They were levelled at the same abuses which Erasmus combated, the ion But how different was their practical effect, as compared with Erasmus's pacific endeavour to purify the Church by lenientto the archbishop 'I have tried in ht to the prince of saints himself For the rest, your endeavour, in addition to so e, to get the lives of the saints purged of old wo style, is extre should be suffered in the Church that is not perfectly pure or refined,' And he concludes with athe greater part of 1518, Erasmus was too much occupied by his own affairs--the journey to Basle and his red-hot labours there, and afterwards his serious illness--to concern himself much with Luther's business In March he sends Luther's theses to More, without co, complains to Colet about the iences Luther, now declared a heretic and suate Cajetanus and refuses to recant Seething enthusiasm surrounds him Just about that ti, in very favourable terms about his work The theses have pleased everybody 'I see that the monarchy of the Pope at Rome, as it is now, is a pestilence to Christendom, but I do not know if it is expedient to touch that sore openly That would be a matter for princes, but I fear that these will act in concert with the Pope to secure part of the spoils I do not understand what possessed Eck to take up arainst Luther' The letter did not find its way into any of the collections

The year 1519 brought the struggle attending the election of an emperor, after old Maximilian had died in January, and the atteround with lenity Ger-projected disputation between Johannes Eck and Andreas Karlstadt which, in truth, would concern Luther How could Erasmus, who himself was involved that year in sodisputation, which was to lead Luther to the consequence of rejecting the highest ecclesiastical authority, would re importance in the history of the world, whereas his quarrel with Lee would be forgotten?

On 28 March 1519 Luther addressed himself personally to Erasmus for the first time 'I speak with you so often, and you with me, Erasmus, our ornament and our hope; and we do not know each other as yet' He rejoices to find that Erasn that God has blessed hiet known too, a longer silence between thely interpreted 'Therefore, e also this little brother in Christ, who really admires you and feels friendly disposed towards you, and for the rest would deserve no better, because of his ignorance, than to lie, unknown, buried in a corner'

There was a very definite purpose in this so and half ironical letter Luther wanted, if possible, to make Erasmus show his colours, to win him, the powerful authority, touchstone of science and culture, for the cause which he advocated In his heart Luther had long been aware of the deep gulf separating him from Erasmus

As early as March 1517, six months before his public appearance, he wrote about Erash heavier with him than divine,' an opinion that so many have pronounced about Erasmus--obvious, and yet unfair

The attempt, on the part of Luther, to effect a _rapprochean that extreuous policy of Erasht of the world and to steer ahireat and the petty side of his personality are inextricably intertwined The error because of which most historians have seen Erasmus's attitude towards the Reforht or--as for instance the Ger, is that they erroneously regard hieneous Just that he is not His double-sidedness roots in the depths of his being Many of his utterances during the struggle proceed directly from his fear and lack of character, also fro with a person or a cause; but behind that is always his deep and fervent conviction that neither of the conflicting opinions can completely express the truth, that human hatred and purblindness infatuate men's minds And with that conviction is allied the noble illusion that it ht yet be possible to preserve the peace by ht, and kindliness

In April 1519 Erasmus addressed himself by letter to the elector Frederick of Saxony, Luther's patron He begins by alluding to his dedication of Suetonius two years before; but his real purpose is to say soiven the Louvain obscurants plenty of reason to inveigh against the _bonae literae_, to decry all scholars He his only cursorily as yet, but everyone praises his life How little in accordance with theological gentleness it is to condear! For has he not proposed a dispute, and subeht, convinced him Every error is not at once heresy

The best of Christianity is a life worthy of Christ Where we find that, we should not rashly suspect people of heresy Why do we so uncharitably persecute the lapses of others, though none of us is free from error?

Why do we rather want to conquer than cure, suppress than instruct?

But he concludes with a word that could not but please Luther's friends, who so hoped for his support 'May the duke prevent an innocentsurrendered under the cloak of piety to the impiety of a few This is also the wish of Pope Leo, who has nothing more at heart than that innocence be safe'

At this same time Eras Luther's writings, 'that they may not fan the hatred of the _bonae literae_ still : I do not know Luther, I have not read his writings He makes this declaration to Luther himself, in his reply to the latter's epistle of 28 March This letter of Erasarded as a newspaper leader[17], to acquaint the public with his attitude towards the Luther question Luther does not know the tragedies which his writings have caused at Louvain People here think that Eras them and call him the standard bearer of the party! That see pretext to suppress the _bonae literae_ 'I have declared that you are perfectly unknown to me, that I have not yet read your books and therefore neither approve nor disapprove anything'

'I reservestudies Discreet ress than iated the world'

On the sa, one of Luther's friends and followers, a short note, not meant for publication: 'I hope that the endeavours of yourself and your party will be successful Here the Papists rave violently All the best minds are rejoiced at Luther's boldness: I do not doubt he will be careful that things do not end in a quarrel of parties! We shall never triuned Christians unless we first abolish the tyranny of the Roman see, and of its satellites, the Dominicans, the Franciscans and the Carmelites But no one could atteulf widens, Eras to do with Luther becorow ever eneral sentiust 1519 he turns to the Pope hiainst his opponents He still fails to see hoide the breach is He still takes it all to be quarrels of scholars King Henry of England and King Francis of France in their own countries have imposed silence upon the quarrellers and slanderers; if only the Pope would do the same!

In October he was once more reconciled with the Louvain faculty It was just at this time that Colet died in London, the man who had, better perhaps than anyone else, understood Erasmus's standpoint Kindred spirits in Gerreat ht moment and who had ive his friends the signal

But in the increasing noise of the battle his voice already sounded less powerfully than before A letter to Cardinal Albert of Mayence, 19 October 1519, of about the same content as that of Frederick of Saxony written in the preceding spring, was at once circulated by Luther's friends; and by the advocates of conservatism, in spite of the usual protestation, 'I do not know Luther', it was ainst Eras and conciliatory position which Erasether untenable The inquisitor Jacob Hoogstraten had cone, where he was a ainst Luther there, as he had worked against Reuchlin On 7 Nove the exane, proceeded to take the decisive step: the solemn condemnation of a number of Luther's opinions

In future no place could be less suitable to Erasainst refor that he remained there another two years