would produce some health in the body of the people of Christ. Now, however, since I find that many people are in- terpreting my moderation as collusion with Luther — with whom I have never had any secret agreement — and since I see, besides, that under cover of the Gospel a new people is growing up, wordy, shameless and intractable, such people, in a word, as Luther himself cannot endure (though, to be sure, they revile Luther as much as they despise the bishops and princes), I have gone into the arena at almost the sam^ age as Publius the playwright* went on the stage. I do not know whether my entrance will have a happy result; certainly I hope it will turn out well for the Christian state. I am sending your Highness a pamphlet On the Free Will; I have seen your own learned letter on the same subject." The Serene King of England * and Clement VII * have also given me the spur in their letters, but I have been far more influenced by the audacity of some of those brawlers who will destroy both the Gospel and literature unless they are put down. It was my hope that the tyranny of the Pharisees might be done away with, not merely changed; but if it must be kept, I prefer popes and bishops to those low Phalarides,* who are more in- tolerable than all the rest. I await the criticism of your Highness, to whom I wish all good things.
��1 Pttblhis Syrtis, a Roman mimeographer of the I Century B.Cm whose Senfenfiae had been printed by Erasmus in 1518.
•To Henry VIII (Gcss, i, 504).
- Two letters of Erasmus to Henry VIII, one dated November 4, 1533 (EpistoUu,
London, 1642, xx, 36), and the other probably written early in 1524 (ibid, xx, 49, dated 1523. which, according to the old style, might mean any time before Maneh 25f 1524) shows that he was planning to write the Free Will in hopes of pleasing Henry VUL
- Erasmus sent « first draft of his work to Rome early In 1534, ef. Ennius
Filonardus to Erasmus, April 14-1 5t 15^4. Forstemann-Gunther: Brief e an Bras- sums, 1904, nos. 23 and 24. In reward for this Clement sent him 200 gold florins, April 3, 1524. P. Balan: Monumenta SaecuH XVI historiam illustrantia, Inns- bruck, 18S5, pp. I off. That this date is correct may be seen by Erasmus's letter to Pirckheimer, July 19, 1524, speaking of Clement's present, Bpistolae, xxx, 36. He sent Clement a copy on September 2, ibid, xxi, 5. It was received October 24, and the messenger given ten ducats, Pastor-Kerr, x, 337.
'Phalaris of Agrigentum (c. 60 B.C.) roasted his subjects alive !n a brasen bull. Erasmus is here punning on the name of the Swiss Reformer, William Farel, whom he calls "Phalltcus" in contemporary letters, and with whom he had ft savage quarrel. Hutten wrote a book called Phalarismus, 1519, also alluded to In this place by Erasmus.
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