Page 80 [80]
OCR
52 LETTERS OF ERASMUS [1524 grauemque ob hanc rem inuidiam sustinuit a barbaris et monachis. Vsque ad annum quinquagesimum nec impetiuerat quenquam, nec 150 impetitus est a quoquam stylo. Idque habebat sibi propositum omnino stylum incruentum seruare. A Fabro primum est impetitus ; nam Dorpiana orsa suppressa sunt. In respondendo semper erat ciuilitate. Lutherana tragoedia onerauerat illum intolerabili inuidia ; discerptus ab vtraque parte, dum vtrique studet consulere. Augebo 155 catalogum operum meorum; ex hoc quoque multa colligentur. Scripsit ad me Gerardus Nouiomagus quosdam meditari vitam Erasmi, partim carmine, partim oratione. Ipse cupiebat instrui secreto ; sed non ausus sum mittere. Si contingat cum illo colloqui, poteris illi communicare. Nec tamen expedit aliquid tentare de 160 vita, nisa res ipsa vrgeat. Sed his de rebus fortassis alias, aut etiam coram. Haec vbi scripsissem, venit Berckman onustus mendaciis. Scio quam sit difficile continere arcanum ; tamen vni tibi credo omnia. Celebraui Viandulum nostrum ; Liuinus exhibebit libellum : hortare 165 Ceratinum vt si quando relegat auctorem annotet aliqua. Fauendum est Frobenio; ego non possum illi semper adesse. Et eius causa grauor magna inuidia. Nosti quam sint figuli. Rursum vale. Ill. Brarus RHENANUS TO HERMANN OF WIED. Origenis Opera 1536 (a). Schlettstadt. Lond. init. : LB. i. init. 15 August 1536. [The following sketch of Erasmus’ life occurs in the preface contributed by Beatus Rhenanus to the edition of Origen (Opera latine, studio et labore D. Erasmi Roterodami partim versa, partim recognita. Basle. H. Froben and N. Episcopius, Sept. 1536, 2 vols. fol.) on which Erasmus had been engaged in his last years. It was intended for dedication to Hermann of Wied, Archbishop of Cologne, who had shown Erasmus some attention through Cornet Agrippa in 1533, and seemed likely to become a liberal patron ; ‘and the intention was carried out after his death by Beatus Rhenanus, who had doubtless taken no light part in the work. As early as 1537 this extract from the preface was included with other matter illustrative of Erasmus’ life in a pirated edition of Erasmus’ Catalogi duo published at Antwerp. It was afterwards enlarged by Beatus Rhenanus into the short biography prefixed to the collected edition of Erasmus’ works, which follows it 150. à quoquam 0: vnquam a. 158. ciuilitate 0: ciuilior a. O! addit in margine: Sic in Autographo erat; voluit addere praeditus, vel scribere ciuilior. onerauit a. 156. ad me 0: iam mihi a. 157. partim carmine . . . 158 secreto OM. a. 159. Nec... 160 vrgeat om. a. 162, Bireman a. 164, Viamdulum veserum a. 167. Rursum om. a. 149. Vsque...seruare]Cfi.p.21.27-86. as Erasmus passes into the first person This passage is plainly a reminiscence. at the end of the Compendium it may _ 154. Augebo catalogum) Cf. i. be retained here. introd, TETS 164. Viandulum] Erasmus’ Paraphra162. Hacc vbi seripsissem] This con- sis in tertium Psalmum is dedicated to cluding passage is properly a post- Melchior Viandal with a preface dated script to the letter to Goclen. But 25 Feb. 1524.
