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586] TO THE DUKES OF SAXONY 579 and revised by Erasmus (a?), who besides correcting the obvious blunders of the secretary also rewrites and amplifies the text in places. a? necessarily takes precedence of at; but it is not always easy to distinguish between them, especially when the correction is in the form of a letter, such as the addition of the cedilla by which e is made into ae. Erasmus often so transforms Hand D’s e; but these corrections and such as seem made by the secretary himself are not worth reproducing. The Hist. Aug. Scriptores were printed by Froben in June 1518 (6'), Duke Frederick being included in the dedication ; and again by Froben’s successors in July 1533 (y). It is noticeable that from 1. 62 onwards Erasmus makes the dedication to both Dukes even in the manuscript (a?), although the heading and opening sentences are left unchanged. In printing he seems to have designed to amplify his preface for 61, but after a few lines he abandoned the undertaking, and the substantial revision is not made until y. The Gouda MS. (8?) is evidently copied from 61. In a preface to the reader (f°. 8°, 1518) dated 23 June 1518 and perhaps written by Erasmus, Froben states that for Spartianus and the following authors he was able to use a MS. of Spartianus borrowed from Murbach, and Egnatius’ Caesares (Ep. 588. 55 n.), which he received through Frankfort, probably the autumn fair of 1517; but that the volume was far advanced before these reached him. For Frederick the Wise of Saxony (17 Jan. 1463 — 5 May 1525), the champion of Luther and the Reformation, see ADB; and, for his relations to Erasmus, Hartfelder in Zs. f. vergl. Litteraturgesch. N. F. iv. 1891, pp. 203-14. The date is confirmed by the fact that in no other year was Erasmus at Antwerp at this time.] ILLVSTRISSIMIS SAXONIAE DVCIBVS, FEDERICO SACRI IMPERII ELECTORI, ETC. EIVSQVE PATRVELI GEORGIO ERASMVS ROTERODAMVS S. D. Vr ab his viris quos fortunae calculus mundi gubernaculis admouit, Federice ac Georgi ducum incorruptissimi, haud exegerim anxiam atque exactam scholasticarum disciplinarum cognitionem, in quibus qui consenuerint, eos fere sensu etiam communi carere videmus, tantum abest vt tractandis rerum habenis sint idonei: ita vehementer ab istis dissentio qui reges prorsus ab omni librorum commercio ceu re noxia ablegant, perinde quasi hoc demum vere regium sit, nihil omnino vel scire vel agere praeter aleam, venatus, moriones et his etiam sordidiores voluptates. Cum quibus enim amicis libentius confabuletur cordatus et pius princeps quam cum 10 iis qui et semper presto sunt et sapiunt plurimum et nihil loquuntur ad gratiam? Verum nullis ex libris, mea sententia, plus vtilitatis capi possit quam ex eorum monumentis qui res publice priuatimque gestas bona fide posteris prodiderunt, presertim si quis regalis philosophiae decretis imbutus huc accesserit. Etenim qui in hoc munere rerum gerendarum exemplum quam gestarum fidem spectare maluerunt, in quibus est Herodotus, hactenus modo prosunt, quod boni PATRVELI ' (FREDERICO 8°): ILLVSTRISSIMO SAXONIAE 2. Federice ac add. t (Frederice 8°). n 4 on TIT. ILLYSTRISSIMIS .. DVOI a. I. his ay: iis £’. 8: incorruptissime a. 3. anxiam atque exactam add. B. 4. conI = 2. esnercio al vis . senuerunt y. 5. a’: idonii al, 7. af: conercio al. 9. his ay: lis 82, rr. iis ay: his 82. a? : loquntur a}. I4, quis add. y17. in quibus est Herodotus add. y. ns tr 4. sensu] Cf. Hor. 8. 1. 3. 66. Pp2
