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ERASMUS’ EARLY LIFE 581 at Emmerich ; for Agricola’s letter™ to him, written from Groningen on 20 Sept. 1480, hardly admits of the supposition that Hegius was then at Deventer, since in that case the two friends must have met when Agricola passed through on his embassies to Brussels”, and Hegius would not have come to Groningen in search of him during his absence. Also the Arnold, ‘presbyter et philosophus,’ to whom Agricola sends greetings through Hegius, is probably Arnold de Hildesheim, who was at one time master of the school at Groningen”, and afterwards held a similar position at Emmerich”. All this is in agreement with the Compendium Vitae, which indicates that Hegius was not at Deventer when Erasmus first went there ®, As to the meeting with Agricola certainty is not to be attained. Erasmus’ estimate of his age quoted above cannot be correct, if 1466 is rightly taken for his birth-year; for Agricola did not return from Italy until 1479. But between 1480 and 1484 Agricola probably passed through Deventer many times on his way to and from Groningen. He mentions a visit” in Oct. 1480; and in April 1484 he was staying there, perhaps with Hegius® in the house of the printer, Richard Paffraet®. From the close connexion which existed in Erasmus’ mind between Hegius and Agricola, whom he frequently mentions together”, there is some ground for supposing that it was on this occasion that he saw the great scholar, whom he afterwards regarded as the teacher of his own master. A bucolic poem by Erasmus, entitled Pamphilus, was published by Alard of Amsterdam at Leiden in 1538, with the statement that it was written when Erasmus was ‘perquam adolescens’ and was studying under Hegius at Deventer. It is printed also by Leclere*® from a manuscript formerly possessed by Peter Scriverius**, with the addition that Erasmus was ‘natus annos quatuordecim ° at the time. From the part which Alard took in collecting and publishing Agricola’s papers”, it is possible that this was a poem presented to Agricola on this visit” and preserved by him; but Alard also had in his keeping in 1516 the ‘tyrocinia’ of Erasmus and William Herman”, a description which suits well with the contents of Scriverius’ manuscript. Soest, of Hegius being headmaster at Deventer (Agric.? p. 177) as though it were a new thing. EA 0 FAO, 25 Agric. 11, and Agric. p. 183. 26 See the preface to Liber’s Famil. Epist. Compendium (p. 106), which is dedicated to him. 2 Butzbach, p. 240. 28 ii.ggn. The description of Hegius in Adag. 1181 as ‘primus pueritiae meae doctor’ is not to be pressed. » Agric.’ 11; wrongly dated 1481 by Hartfelder. N 80 Agric.? p. 177. The ‘Magister Gerardus Gaudensis’ who is mentioned there by Agricola as visiting him at this time at Deventer and negotiating with him about a commentary on Vergil is possibly Erasmus’ father, but the name occurs too frequently at Gouda to allow of any certain inference. 81 Reichling in Pick’s Monatsschrift, 1877, p. 290. 5° e, g. in Adag. 339, where it seems to be suggested that Erasmus was at Deventer when he read Agricola’s letter of 1 Nov. (1482), probably as printed in Agricola’s translation of Plato's Amiochus, Louvain, John of Westphalia, c. 1483 (Campbell, r420, Copinger, 4768). 83 LB, viii. 561. # See p. 46. % See EHR. Apr. 1906, 3 For Melanchthon’s attribution to Agricola of the prophecy of Erasmus’ future greatness see iy. 25 n. T LB. App. 66.
