Translated from Latin.
Erasmus of Rotterdam wishes salvation to D. Martin Luther.
Dearest brother in Christ! Your letter has been very pleasant to me and shows the sharpness of your mind and reveals your Christian sense. I cannot tell you in words what a great noise your books have made here. Even now, the completely false suspicion cannot be torn from the hearts of those who think that your works were written with my help and that I am, as they put it, the standard-bearer of this party. They thought that they would be given the opportunity to suppress the beautiful sciences, which they hate mortally, as if they would be harmful to the theological majesty, which they esteem much higher than Christ, and at the same time to give me a boost, because they think that I contribute something to these studies. The whole thing has been carried on with clamor, with presumption, with intrigues, with slanders, with deceit; so that, if I had not witnessed it as an eye-witness (praesens), yes, felt it, I would never have believed it of any writer that the theologians were so nonsensical; one would call it a deadly pestilence. And yet the poison of this evil, which started from a few, has passed unnoticed to a large number, so that a large part of this well-visited academy has been carried away in madness by the contagion of this disease. I testified that you were completely unknown to me, that I had not yet read your books, therefore I could neither reject nor approve anything. I only admonished that, before they had read your books, they should not cry out so spitefully to the people, since they were very anxious to do so, since their judgment would be a
must be very serious. Yes, they would also like to consider whether it would be useful that what should be refuted more correctly in printed matter or disputed among learned people, especially since the life of the author would be unanimously praised, should be heckled before all the people. Nothing has been done; to this day they continue with their perverse, even vituperative disputations. How often we have compared ourselves about peace! How often have they made a new noise out of a very slight suspicion without any reason! And such people consider themselves theologians! The theologians are hated here by the courtiers and they also blame me for that. All the bishops are very fond of me; they do not trust in books, but base their hope to achieve victory only on intrigues. I despise them in the confidence of my good conscience. Against you they already become a little softer. They fear my pen because they are not aware of anything good. I would truly paint them with their right colors, as they deserve, if Christ's teaching and example did not prevent me from doing so. Wild animals become tame through love, but these become wild animals 1) through benevolence. There are people in England who have a very good opinion of your writings, namely the most highly placed. There are also people here, among them the bishop of Liège, 2) who are favorable to your cause. I
1) süsrantur is derived from stksro, süsravi, not from süsro, extuli.
2) In the edition organized by Erasmus, in October 1519: "a certain man of high standing". The bishop of Liège was Erard (or Eberhard) von der Mark, 1506-1538. At the Imperial Diet of Augsburg in 1518, he made his anti-Roman sentiments known.
*) This letter is found attached in Latin to two editions of vs rations disputandi, prasssrtirn iu rs tüsoloZssa, vstri ülossHani vrotsZsnsis oratio sts, one of which appeared in July 1519 at Leipzig with Melchior Lotther, the other at Augsburg 1519 with Sigismund Grimm and Marcus Wirsung; further in the varraM Vova vpistolaruna vss. vrasnai Votsrodami sts. by Joh. Frobenius in Basel, October 1.519, p. 136; then attached to two editions of vssidsrii vrasmi Kotsrodami vrssl-^tsri ad Rsvsrsndissirnuin Oardinalsr" ÄloAuntinur" spistola sts., the first of which is without year and place of printing, the other printed in 1520 at Erfurt by Matthäus Maler. In the collections: vss. vrasnai Rotsrod. spistolaruirl opus sts. at Basel by Frobenius 1538, lid. VI, p. 244, and consistent with it in the edition of the works of Erasmus by Frobenius at Basel 1540, Dom. Ill, 1il>. VI, p. 244; in the London edition of the letters of Erasmus, 1642, lid. VI, p. 348, xo. 4; in the edition of the works of Erasmus at Leyden by Clericus 1703, Dom. Ill, v. I, p. 444, Uo. 427; in Löscher, Reformation Acta, vol. ill, p. 112; in Lsoksndork, Historia Vutüsranisnii lid. I, § 51. additio, p. 69; and in Erlanger Briefwechsel vol. II, p. 64. According to the latter edition we hahen translated.
I keep myself, as far as it concerns, impartial (Integrum), in order to be able to be of the more use to the again-blooming beautiful sciences. And it seems to me that more is accomplished by polite modesty than by impetuosity. In such a way Christ has brought the whole world under his power. In this way, Paul has done away with the Jewish law by interpreting everything figuratively. It is more useful to cry out against those who abuse the papal prestige than against the popes themselves. Likewise, I think, one should act in relation to the kings. The schools should not be despised, but rather brought back to more reasonable studies. About things that are too ingrained to be suddenly torn from the hearts, one should rather dispute with strong and effective reasons of proof than make firm assertions. It is more useful to despise the poisonous quarrels of some people than to refute them. Everywhere we must be careful not to speak and do anything in a presumptuous manner, or in such a way as to cause factions, which, I believe, is
However, in order to gain the cardinal's hat, he soon became a bitter enemy of the Reformation, so that at the Diet of Worms he himself denied having been somehow involved in that writing of 1518. <Erl. Briefw.)
pleasing to the spirit of Christ. In the meantime, the heart must be kept from being corrupted by anger, or hatred, or lust for honor, for these are apt to cause us to stray in the midst of the pursuit of godliness. I do not remind you that you should do this, but that you should constantly do what you do. I have read your explanations of the Psalms a little, they please me very much, and I hope that they will be of great use. There is in Antwerp the prior 1) of the [Augustinian] monastery, a truly Christian man, who loves you especially, a former student of yours, as he boasts. Almost alone of all, he preaches Christ; the others, however, 2) either preach human fables or their profit. To Melanchthon I wrote. 3) May the Lord Jesus give you his Spirit daily in greater measure for his glory and the general benefit. As I wrote this, I did not have your letter at hand. Farewell.
Leuven, May 30, 1519.
1) This is the Jacob of Ypres, called Jacob krutzpositus, so often mentioned in Luther's letters.
2) Here we have adopted the reading voro offered by several editions, instead of lere.
3) Cf. the penultimate note to the previous letter.