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10 LETTERS OF ERASMUS
[1514
5 sacratiora tua adyta temeritate aliqua impiarem? Sed Bonifacii
adulescentis optimi suasu fidentior factus, qui tuam singularem
humanitatem praedicare non cessat, haec rurestria ad te dedi; tantum
precatus me non quidem clientibus tuis (nec enim me tali dignor
honore), sed mediastinis certe seruitiis adscribas. Ero enim ita tibi
toa pedibus, ab atriis, a pauimento, a verriculis, a scopis seruus, vt
reiectaneorum nihil sim abominaturus, dum vel vestibula tua mihi
verrere concedatur.
Vale, decus orbis, non dico Germani, sed omnium viuentium
splendor. Nos in iure ciuili, quod profitemur, mendicula quaedam
15 pro veris intellectibus contra aliorum communia sensa meditamur ;
in quibus mihi, vt mortalibus Deus, praedicaris. Denuo vale.
Ex Fryburgo vii idus Septemb. 1514.
Tuus Vdalricus Zasius,
Legum et doctor et ordinarius in Achademia Fryburgensi.
304,,, From MARTIN van Dore.
Gouda MS. 1324, f. 51 v°. Louvain.
Enarratio in Ps. 1, fo. H5. vo. {c. September 1514.)
Brussels MS. 4850-7, f. 68.
[This letter was not at hand (cf. Ep. 356) when Erasmus’ reply was printed
by Froben in A, August 1515. The best text of it (a) is supplied by one of the
Gouda manuscripts (App. 9). It was first published in Martens’ reprint of
Erasmus’ Enarratio in primum Psalmum, Oct. 1515 (68`), and afterwards by Badius,
with Ep. 337, in the Moria, 24 June 1524 (8). The Bibliothèque Royale at
Brussels has a manuscript copy (y) in the volume written by Martin Lypsius (ef.
Ep. 296 introd.) ; which was probably made from the printed book like some of
Lypsius’ other extracts in the same volume. There is also a xvii® manuscript
copy in the University Library at Utrecht (No, 843, f. 83) by the hand of
Arnold Buchelius (1565-1641); but as some specimen readings, with which
Prof. van Someren has kindly furnished me, agree uniformly with BI, it may
be inferred that the manuscript was probably copied either directly or indirectly
from the printed book.
14. mendicula scripsi : inedicula MS.: modicula Riegger. Cf. Ep. 380. 26 n.
15. contra Riegger, cf. Ep. 319. 42n : ceu MS. 16. mortalibus scripsi : mortales
MS.: mortalis Riegger. praedicaris scripsi secundum Ep. 307. 49, cf. Ep.
319. 19: praedicatis MS,
5. Bonifacii] Amerbach. See Ep.
408.
15. pro veris intellectibus] His In¬
tellectus Singulares (Opera, vol. v), which
contain such headings as ‘Intellectus
verus. . . contra communes opiniones ;
. . contra omnes doctores; ... contra
doctorum sententiam.’ They were first
published by Cratander at Basle, Jan.
1526.
16. praedicaris] I cannot find any
reference to Erasmus in the Intellectus,
but he is mentioned in Zasius’ Oratio
de laudibus legum (Opera, v. 168,9);
‘sicuti Erasmo Roterodamo magno illo
dicente, littora validius communiri
solent quae vehementissimis fluctibus
impelluntur.’ It was Zasius’ custom
to deliver an oration at the opening
of term after the summer vacation,
and this one, which was delivered by
him as ‘ordinarius,’ may possibly be¬
long to this year. I cannot trace the
words quoted in it from Erasmus.