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609 | FROM WILLIAM BUDAEUS 23 nescio. Impressa extat epistola mea qua tibi gratias ago ob honorem mihi habitum in eximio tuo opere. Quare me admoneas, nunc non intelligo. Quam operam dare me tibi velis scribito, vt tibi morem geram ; etiam si breui rus iturus sum ob negocia villatica, nec ante duos menses roémoroy quieturus a curis istis ab litteris abhorrentibus. Oo rfs olkovoplas vdv por Tapevox\ovons ade dj) TAV ToLoITOv emperev. Discrutior miser, cum id tempus perire omne putem quod nec cultui diuino nec Musarum impertior, et interim êkrimrtew por rà èvbuuýpara alohávopar (Kai) piňoropà èvofpara, elopeovons ris àvrMas ravrnoi rs rûv rayev ppovriðwv. Vale xvii die Iulii. Raptim haec scripsi, cum ad prandium iam structum vocitarer. 610. From JoHN CAESARIUS. Deventer MS. 91, f. 119. Cologne. LB. App. 152. 20 July (1517 ?). [It is not easy to determine the year-date. The general resemblance to Ep. 442 suggests 1516; with the interpretation that Erasmus had sent to Caesarius a manuscript copy of his preface to Gaza, accompanied by a letter in which he asked for advice as to where to print it. Ep. 428 might well have reached Cologne about 1 July (Ep. 442. 1); and this date would also make it possible to identify ‘Tacobus adolescens studiosissimus’ (l. 48) with James Nepos, who entered Erasmus’ service about this time (cf. Ep. 595. 11 n.). I incline, however, to retain 1517, the date assigned by Leclere, and followed by Dr. Reich and Mr. Nichols, though without reason given in any case. On this view Caesarius is expressing his thanks, either for the dedication of book ii of Gaza, which Erasmus translated about this time (cf. Ep. 771), and may have promised already ; or, more probably, for some work on behalf of Reuchlin (cf. 1. 24 n.) which Erasmus had long promised to write, but for which a suitable motif had only recently occurred to him (ll. 1-3). After his long experience of Martens and Froben it seems hardly likely that Erasmus would have consulted Caesarius as to a printer for Gaza; but for a composition which would involve him as a partisan in the Reuchlin controversy he might well turn to a printer recommended by Reuchlin’s friends. Other indications are that this is possibly the letter referred to in Epp. 615. 3, 622; the verbal resemblance noted in 1.31; and the fact that this letter is copied in the Deventer Letter-book by Hand A in its straight form, in which it also wrote the manuscript of Gaza, book ii, about this time (ef. vol. i, p. 605). Also Ep. 622 supplies a more probable identification of Iacobus (l. 48 n.), since Teyng was certainly ‘conterraneus’ to Erasmus. | IO. IVLIACENSIS D. ERASMO S. Erasmo suo salutem. Animaduerto plane te iamdudum promissum mihi exoluisse quam libentissime, modo, vt et alias scripsisti, constitisse tibi quid scripseris. Nempe nune plus mihi praestas quam exigere abs te ausus fuissem vnquam. Itaque maximum nune de te capio argumentum amicitiae inter nos conflatae. Vtinam autem 609. 34. alo0dvoua MS., sequente lacuna. kat add. LB. 35. dvrAlas scripsi : åvr siue åur MS., breui relicta lacuna: drys cont. LB. Tournoi MS. ¢povriéwr LB: povriðwv MS., f. Ep. 568. 14 n. 37. vocitarerer MS. 609. 26. epistola] Ep. 403. 38-82. 39 35
