Page 630 [630]
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 col¬
lection 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 amplifica¬
tions 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 correspon¬
dence, the Epistole ad Erasmum (B), printed, a preface being contri¬
buted by Gilles, who represents himself as being responsible for the
publication. As the title implies, the greater part of the letters (four¬
teen 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 responsi¬
bility. 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 publica¬
tion 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 correspon¬
dence 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 super¬
vise 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.