Pagina 9 [9]
PREFACE
Tus work, which had its origin in an attempt to use the
correspondence of Erasmus for an Oxford prize essay, was
undertaken with the encouragement of the late Professor
Froude, at the time when he was lecturing here on Erasmus.
It has occupied my leisure for the last thirteen years, and has
been carried on under the gloom of Indian summers and in
high valleys in Kashmir.
That I have been able to bring this first instalment of the
task to a conclusion is due, firstly, to the generosity of the
Delegates of the Clarendon Press in publishing a work of such
magnitude; and, secondly, to the toil of many predecessors,
whose years have failed in preliminary preparations and into
whose labours I have been permitted to enter. So much
unprinted material has been brought to light during the
last two centuries that a new edition of Erasmus’ letters
has been frequently desired and essayed; and to pass over
earlier pioneers, the undertaking has been projected within
recent years by Dr. Horawitz and Dr. Hartfelder, whose
indefatigable exertions have given to the world great numbers
of the letters of the humanists, including an edition of the
correspondence of Beatus Rhenanus ; by Dr. Knaake, the
editor of Luther’s works, who had planned a scheme of equal
magnitude for the works of Erasmus ; by Dr. Max Reich, the
author of a careful thesis on Erasmus, whose far-reaching
inquiries received the support of the Berlin Academy of
Sciences; and by the Dutch Historical Commission: whilst
the new century has seen two volumes of translations, similar
in plan to the present work though with an ampler com¬
mentary, from the scholarly pen of my friend, Mr. Francis
Morgan Nichols, Honorary Fellow of Wadham College,
and there is hope that a third may follow. The fruits
of Dr. Horawitz’ researches appeared in many occasional
publications during his lifetime; the great framework of
Dr. Knaake’s edition has been placed at my disposal by the