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PRINCIPAL EDITIONS OF ERASMUS’ EPISTOLAE 599
rejected. He was assisted perhaps by De la Faye, who afterwards
worked up the Deventer letter-book*. The letters were printed
with care, the basis being apparently the London text; for in some
cases where this differs inadvertently from the Basle text the Leiden
edition reproduces the mistakes.” But this is not always so; for
sometimes the Leiden text reverts from a change (not manifestly an
error) made by the London editor to the reading of the authorized
editions *.
The arrangement of the letters, however, was done superficially.
The dates assigned in the preceding editions were accepted almost
without question, and the letters placed accordingly ; those which
too obviously conflicted with Erasmus’ movements as shown by
other letters being deferred to the Appendix, which was swelled by
the inclusion of the Deventer letter-book and other late-gathered
contributions ©. In consequence, for the years up to 1517, during
which the Basle folio was a false guide, the Leiden arrangement is
not of much more value than that of its original. For two hundred
years, however, it has remained the standard edition of Erasmus’
Epistolae.
TABLE OF EDITIONS
A (Damiani Elegeia). Iani Damiani Senensis ad Leonem X. Pont.
Max. de expeditione in Turcas Hlegeia, etc.
Basle, J. Froben, August 1515. 4°. No Preface.
4 letters, all of May 1515.
B (Epistole ad Erasmum). Epistole aliquot illustrium virorum ad
Erasmum Roterodamum et huius ad illos.
Louvain, Th. Martens, October 1516. 4°. Preface: Peter
Gilles to Gaspar Halmal, 26 Sept. 1516, Antwerp.
21 letters: 3 from A; 18 new.
Range of new letters: 11 Oct. 1514-Aug. fin. 1516.
Distribution : 1514, 2; 1515, 2; 1516, 14.
C! (Epistole elegantes). Aliquot epistole sanequam elegantes Erasmi
Roterodami et ad hune aliorum eruditissimorum hominum,
antehac nunquam excusae praeter vnam et alteram.
Louvain, Th. Martens, April 1517. 40 Preface: Peter
Gilles to Antony Clava, 5 March 1517, Antwerp.
35 letters: 4 from B; 31 new.
Range of new letters: Oct. 1515—March 1517.
Distribution: 1515, 1; 1516, 10; 1517, 20.
C? Idem. Basle, J. Froben, Jan, 1518. 40.
52 letters. A reprint of A (except one letter), B, and C+.
D? (Auctarium). Auctarium selectarum aliquot Epistolarum Erasmi
Roterodami ad eruditos et horum ad illum.
Basle, J. Froben, August 1518. 4° Preface: Beatus
.g. Epp. 215. 20, and 283. 6.
% See App. 8. we
3 T 32 See p. 608.
37 @, 9, Epp. 283. 149, 293. 8.