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594 APPENDIX VII fortunately survives to throw light on the practice of Hrasmus, and doubtless of his contemporaries, in this matter, having found a home, after many vicissitudes, in the Atheneum Library at Deventer’. The care with which Erasmus usually preserved his writings is shown, however, by the address to his readers, added to the last collection of letters published by him (M), from which it appears that shortly before he had examined the accumulations of his papers and expected to find among them some of the writings of his youth still surviving `. Erasmus’ first essay at publication was on his return to Basle in August 1515. Finding that Froben had a miscellaneous volume (A) in the press, he took the opportunity to print with great amplifications three important letters, to which, for some unexplained reason, he wished to assign corrected dates, and also an apology for the Moria, which had recently been attacked with some ability by a young professor at Louvain. In the following year, while staying at Antwerp with his intimate friend Peter Gilles, he had a small selection from his correspondence, the Epistole ad Erasmum (B), printed, a preface being contributed by Gilles, who represents himself as being responsible for the publication. As the title implies, the greater part of the letters (fourteen out of twenty-one) are by Erasmus’ friends ; and there is no ostensible sign of his complicity, although to his intimates he made no attempt to conceal it®. It was natural enough for an author to assume modesty about the merits of his own compositions” and in similar volumes of that period it is common to find an introductory letter, apologizing with more or less fervour for the publication, and attributing it to the pressure of friends. The next volume, the Epistole elegantes (O), divided about equally between Erasmus and his correspondents, was also fathered by Peter Gilles, who again assumes in his preface sole responsibility. But a note™ from Rutger Rescius, who was correcting for Martens’ press, about a difficulty in one of the letters, makes it quite clear that Erasmus had a hand in the publication ; and the book itself revealed” that he was a guest in Gilles’ house not long before the preface was written. In spite of this, Erasmus thought it worth while to pretend some months later that the book had been made up in his absence, and to protest a reluctance to its publication which he very possibly felt. Again, the editor of the Auctarium (D), Beatus Rhenanus, who was Erasmus’ trusted friend and loyal fellow-worker, represents himself as privately culling some letters from Erasmus sheaves of correspondence and publishing them after their writer’s departure for Louvain. But, in fact, Erasmus had contemplated a new volume of letters, and began making preparations for it before he set out for Basle in the spring of 1518". He did not, however, actually supervise the printing; and in consequence some passages were included which had afterwards to be excised. 7 See App. 8. 11 LB. App. 54. 8 Lond. xxvii. 42, LB. 1295. 2 Lond. i, 16, LB. 203. ° Lond. i, 12, LB. 200. 15 LB. App. 214. ODATA 4 LB, App. 265 and 312.
