The Epistles of Erasmus from His Earliest Letters to His Fifty-First Year Arranged in Order of Time

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1901 edition. Excerpt: ...by a thousand plots, disappointed over and over again of the protection of friends, tossed up and down by numberless accidents; but he lives most innocently. I know I shall His attachment to Herman 173 de N. omitted in Merula. f-t omitted in Merula. J Ais Priori nostro multa de me renunciari. Merula. scarcely persuade you to believe this, for you will still have in your thoughts that old Erasmus, and my freedom, and my touch of splendour; but if I could speak to you by word of mouth, nothing would be easier than to convince you. If therefore you would form a true picture of Erasmus, imagine him, not a person given to dissipation, to feasting, or to love, but one most afflicted, woebegone, hated by himself, who cares not to live and is not permitted to die; and yet full of love and zeal and ardour for you. Oh, my William, my old and would I might say my constant support, sorrow almost forces a cry from me with my tears. If I had done violence to our friendship by some grievous wrong, still in place of righteous anger you would have owed some pity and some tears to an unhappy friend. Now you can assail with hard words, you can pursue with reproaches one whom no accident, no change of circumstances has been able to shake in his affection for you; as if there was any lack of men bent heart and soul on my ruin, who would put an end to me with fire and sword. What was there at Stein so dear to me, that it has not among these mischances been lost in oblivion. You have yourself seen me at times playing the youngster, and have often laughed. You know the heart that speaks to you. What have I ever loved more tenderly? Now it is marvellous how cold I am. All those common attachments have been dropped. You alone have remained fixed in my heart, and so fixed...