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341 | TO THE READER 119 euulgari velimus quicquid cum amiculo congerrone vel stomachamur vel nugamur. Ediderunt epigrammata a me quidem scripta (non inficior) sed non in hoc scripta. Ea, sicuti coniicio, famulus suffuratus typographis vendidit. Alius quispiam ex pauculis paginis iisque ro deprauatissime scriptis, velut ex opere edito, dictu mirum quam multa citet et inculcet de ratione conscribendarum epistolarum. Et vt de caeteris minutioribus sileam, nuper hunc rep) ouvraéews libellum mihi veluti postliminio vindicarunt, primitus nullius aeditum titulo. Quaerebat Iohannes Coletus, theologus inter Anglos eximius, 15 nouae scholae suae nouum de Constructione libellum, qui simul et compendio pueris commendaretur et perspicuitate. Eum huius iussu scripserat Gulielmus Lilius, vir vtriusque literaturae haud vulgariter peritus et mirus recte instituendae pubis artifex. Absolutum ab illo mihi tradidit, imo obtrusit emendandum ; quid enim facerem, cum 20 vir ille rogandi finem non faceret, tam amicus vt nefas esse ducerem quicquam negare precanti, tantae vero authoritatis, sic de me meritus, vt suo iure quiduis etiam imperare posset Erasmo ? Quoniam autem sic emendaram vt pleraque mutarim (nam id mihi videbam esse facilius), nec Lilius, vt est nimia quadam modestia praeditus, passus 25 est librum suo vulgari nomine, nec ego iudicaui mei candoris esse vsurpare mihi in quo quicquam esset alienum. Proinde magnopere sum interminatus, cuiusuis titulum asscriberent, modo ne meum. Itaque recusante vtroque libellus åvóvvpos prodiit, Coleti duntaxat praefatiuncula commendatus. Quem quidem libellum in praesentia nec laudaturus sum, ne cui videar arrogantior, nec vituperaturus, ne parum candidus habear. Verum haec praefari visum est, ne posthac quisquam vyt meum amplectatur quod ipse praefatiuncula mihi non assero. Plus satis erratorum et in iis quae publicantur a nobis, vt nemo alius edat 35 30 22, sic a: om. y: tam è. he contended in verse-writing (see 8. epigrammata] First published More’s Epigrammata), and with Colet, by Badius with the Adagia 8 Jan. 1507; Badius also published a separate edition on 15 July 1512. g. famulus] This statement is perhaps only another instance of the disclaimer in the cause of modesty ; cf. Ep. 30. 16 n. 12. epistolarum] Cf. Ep. 7x introd. 18. Lilius] Wm. Lily (1468 ?—1522) after a degree at Oxford went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and resided for some years in Rhodes (BRE. 72). He also studied in Italy and became a good Greek scholar. His return to England may probably be placed before 1500. Settling in London (ef. Ep. Ts saro) ho was intimate with More, with whom who appointed him first high master of St. Paul's School in 1512—an office which he held until his death. But his name rarely occurs in Erasmus’ writings. His fame as a grammarian was great and rested upon this work and another small syntax composed at Colet’s request c. 1509. The two books were subsequently combined and served for more than a century as a national Latin grammar. See DNB. 29. libellus] The first edition was by R. Pynson, 1513, with a preface by Colet, also dated in 1513 ; from which it appears that Colet had some share in the book.
