Part 16 (2/2)
_This selection from the vast correspondence of Erasmus is intended to exhibit him at a few points in his strenuous and rather comfortless life, always overworked, often ill, and perpetually hurried--many of his letters have the postscript 'In haste' or 'I had no ti always tenaciously to his aiion between the corruption and fossilization of the old and the uncoanism on the one hand and the indolent refusal, under the pretext of piety, to apply critical methods to sacred texts on the other The first letter has been included because it may provide a clue to his later reluctance to trust his feelings when self-committal to any cause seemed to be required of him, a reluctance not unnaturally interpreted by his eneant refusal to 'yield to any'_
_The notes have been compiled from P S and H M Allen's_ Opus epistolarum Des Erasmi Roterodaates of the Clarendon Press, and references are to the numbers of the letters in that edition_
I TO SERVATIUS ROGER[21]
[Steyn, _c_ 1487]
To his friend Servatius, greetings:
You say there is so which you take very hard, which torments you wretchedly, which in short e betray this, even if you were silent Where is your wonted and beloved cheerful countenance gone, your forlance? Whence come these sorrowful downcast eyes, whence this perpetual silence, so unlike you, whence the look of a sick man in your expression? assuredly as the poet says, 'the sick body betrays the tor soul, likewise its joys: it is to the mind that the face owes its looks, well or ill'[22]
It is certain then,which troubles you, which is destroying your forood health But what am I to do now? Must I comfort you or scold you? Why do you hide your pain from me as if we did not know each other by this time? You are so deep that you do not believe your closest friend, or trust even the most trustworthy; or do you not know that the hidden fire burns stronger? And for the rest, my Servatius, what is it makes you draw in and hide yourself like a snail? I suspect what the matter is: you have not yet convinced yourself that I love you very s sweetest to you in life, by our great love, if you have any care for your safety, if you want me to live unhars, but whatever it is, entrust it to my safe ears I will assist you in whatever way I can with help or counsel But if I cannot provide either, still it will be sweet to rejoice with you, to ith you, to live and die with you Farewell, my Servatius, and look after your health
II TO NICHOLAS WERNER[23]
Paris, 13 Septereetings:
If you are all well there, things are as I wish and hope; I myself am very well, the Gods be thanked I have now made clear by my actions--if it was not clear to anyone before this--how ant clai fro Father Lately I had fallen in with certain Englishmen, of noble birth, and all of the priest,[24] very rich, who said he had refused a bishopric offered him, as he knew that he was not well educated; nevertheless he is to be recalled by the King to take a bishopric within a year, although, apart from any bishopric even, he has a yearly income ofhe proceeded in unbelievably affectionate fashi+on to devote himself to me, to frequent and revere me--he lived for a while in my house He offered 100 _scudi_, if I would teach him for a year; he offered a benefice in a few months' time; he offered to lend me 300 _scudi_, if I should need them to procure the office, until I could pay them back out of the benefice By this service I could have laid all the English in this city under an obligation to h the for the splendid inco for their entreaties and the tears which acco not at all; the English realize that theto me This refusal, which I still maintain, was not made without due consideration; not for any reill I let ical studies I did not coold, but to learn
Indeed I shall seek a Doctorate in Theology, if the Gods so will it
The Bishop of Cambrai is marvellously fond of me: he makes liberal promises; the reood health, excellent Father I beg and entreat you to commend me in your prayers to God: I shall do likewise for you From my library in Paris
III TO ROBERT FISHER[25]
London, 5 Dece in Italy, greetings:
I hesitated not a little to write to you, beloved Robert, not that I feared lest so great a sunderance in ti of your affection towards me, but because you are in a country where even the house-walls are more learned and more eloquent than are our men here, so that what is here reckoned polished, fine and delectable cannot there appear anything but crude, land assuredly expects you to return not merely very learned in the law but also equally eloquent in both the Greek and the Latin tongues You would have seensince, had not my friend Mountjoy carried me off to his country when I was already packed for the journey into Italy Whither indeed shall I not follow a youth so polite, so kindly, so lovable? I swear I would follow him even into Hades You indeed had most handsomely commended him and, in a word, precisely delineated him; but believe me, he every day surpasses both your coland pleases me If you have any confidence in me, dear Robert, I would have you believeso well I have found here a clihtful as it is wholeso, not of the outworn, commonplace sort, but the profound, accurate, ancient Greek and Latin learning, that I now scarcely ht of it
When I listen to my friend Colet, I seem to hear Plato himself Who would notin Grocyn?[26] What could be keener or nobler or nicer than Linacre's[27]
judgeentler or sweeter or happier than the character of Thoue the rest?
It is round the harvest of ancient literature is here everywhere flowering forth: all the more should you hasten your return hither Your friend's affection and re that he speaks of none so often or so gladly Farewell
Written in haste in London on the 5th of December
IV TO JAMES BATT[28]
Orleans [_c_ 12 December] 1500
If you care sincerely what becomes of your Erasmus, do you act thus: plead my shyness before my Lady[29] in pleasant phrases, as if I had not been able to bring myself to reveal my poverty to her in person But youto the great expense of this flight to Orleans, as I had to leave people fro some money Tell her that Italy is by far the ree of Doctor, and that it is ie sum of money; particularly because I am not even at liberty to live meanly, on account ofYou will explain howthan are the other theologians ues: I write works destined to live for ever Their ignorant triflings are heard by one or two persons in church: my books will be read by Latins, Greeks, by every race all over the world Tell her that this kind of unlearned theologian is to be found in hordes everywhere, whereas a man like myself is hardly to be found once in many centuries; unless indeed you are so superstitious that you scruple to employ a few harmless lies to help a friend Then you must point out that she will not be a whit the poorer if, with a few gold pieces, she helps to restore the corrupt text of St Jero sha on this with your custoth on my character, my expectations, my affection for my Lady and my shyness, you must then add that I have written to say that I need 200 francs in all, and request her to grantthis, o to Italy with 100 francs, no, less than 100 francs, seems to me a hazardous enterprise, unless I want to enslave myself to someone once more; may I die before I do this Then how little difference it will ives me the e her to look out for a benefice for me, so that onin peace Do not stop at this, but devise on your own theto her that she should promise me, before all the other candidates, at least a reasonable, if not a splendid, benefice which I can change as soon as a better one appears I am well aware that there are many candidates for benefices; but you must say that I am the one man, whom, compared with the rest, etc, etc You know your old way of lying profusely about Erasmus You will add at the end that I have made the same complaint in my letter which Jero s look as if I shall have to follow his exaue only; and persuade her, in thewords at your coeht I would have told you eet the information out of your doctor Let me tell you what else I want you to atterant from the Abbot You know hi this request Tell hin in hand--to constitute in its entirety the text of Jerome, which has been corrupted, norance of the theologians (I have detected s), and to restore the Greek[30] I shall reveal [in hie of antiquities which no one, I venture to clai many books are needed, also Greek works, so that I , Batt; I aed on this work Farewell, my best and dearest Batt, and put all of Batt into this business I mean Batt the friend, not Batt the slowcoach