The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-28

not n Few pOlnts OF lnleFtst " tHe hIt VI wv
subject are untouched. One would have liked,
for instance. 10 hear at least n reference to the
fact tina, tho barbarous mode OF pronounce
ing Greek, which until recently prevailed In
the English schools and universities. was
duo largely to his suggestion and influence. One
seeks in vain. too, an allusion to the codices
which Erasmus, in the function OF translator,
accepted rs authorities for the Greek text OF the
New Testament. and to the value Of them, COM
psred with that OF other codices then extant or
since discovered. But everything we have no
right To expect In a volume Of this size. and we
may we'll be thankful for what we ind.
T.
Tie subject Of these lectures vas born at Rot
terdam IN l407, when Charles the Bold had Just
become Duke OF Burgundy. lie Is supposed to
have been horn out OF wedlock. The readers OF
Charles Reado's "Cloister and the Hearth are
familiar with ~ story of his parents; the tradi-
ton which ~ expanded in the novel IL condensed
By the present blographcr In n paragraph. The IA
thor OF Erasmus was named Gerard, pronounced
apparently Gierard. from pierer, ito desire" or
"to long psssionn,el-." In the son, the Dutch
word was LR.inizcd Into DesiGerius, anu
G-ercized rftcrwari. according to the aTcctn-
ton Of :ne time, into Erasmus, just rs Rcuchlin
became Capnio and Swnrtzcrte was turned into
Mclnnchthon According to the legend Eras-
mus was. as We nnNc tulb, " lONe ulIh ~
father was n man Of some station. well educated,
with a singuinrly Interesting and even fascina.-
ing character. lie fell in love, !. Is said. with n
certain Margaret. daughter OF a physician Mt
Siebcn Bergen. Margaret was equally In love
with him. For some unknown reason the rese-
tions. either his or hers. opposed their marriage.
They wcro imprudenS, and tho usual conse-
Guenccs seemed likely to follow. At this dam
gerors time business OF some kind required Ger
-..'s. az, D,n,, VI, ,yapt prnaCtinu
to return Immediately. wacn the marriage was
20 be completed. to save the legitimacy OF the
expected child. lie was detained. Conmunica-
lions were irregular. Tho relations sent a story
after him that Margaret was dead. He believed
A., and. in despair. became q priest. His mar
riage was made thus impossible. and he dis
covered the trick when It was too late for remedy;
thus the child was born ont OF wedlock.
So. at least, ran tho story, but. rs Froude
points out. IT, grew up ont OF tradition when
Erasmus had become famous and his enemies
liked to throw \ slur upon his parents. Tho
biograrber thinks that 1t is, perhaps. a lie alto
gethcr: perhaps only partlya lie. The difficulty
Is that Erasmus says distinctly that he was n
second child. and hal n brother three years
older than himself. There is no suggestion or
Any previous marriage with another person.
The connection of his father and mother must,
therefore. have been of long continuance. The
fact Is that Erasmus own letters are the only
Trustworthy authority for lis life. From them.
we learn that the two chil!rcn were brought
up IKE Other Peoples children under the Joint
caro- OF their father and mother. and that
he, the younger. was his mothers special favor
ite, n bright. clever little fellow. with fiaxen
hair. gray-blue eyes. and sharp, clcan-cut tea-
lures: very pretty. it Is said, and with n sweet
toned voice. which seemed to say that nature
meant him for II musician. The mother thought
%, and proposed to make a little angel of him,
and train him rs n chorister. But he had no real
gift that way. and no taste for 1t. In his later
years he came even to hate the droning OF &C.
clesiastical music. The chorister plan failing.
no was entered when % years old as n day boy at
a school at DeveEtcr. his mother removing there
from Rotterdam TO take care Of him. Here the
little boy soon showed talent; he had an ex-
traordinary memory, learnt Horace and Terence
by heart and composed verses OF his own.
He showed q passionate fondness for books; de-
vourcd all that he could get hold of; got up
mimic debates: challenged other boys to dispute
with him on points of language or literature.
He says that he was Ill taught, that his master
was illiterate AMI did not understand him. He
once composed what lie considered an excellent
Latin letter 20 tho man, for which he expected
70 be complimented. The master only told him
20 mind his handwriting and attend to his
punctuation. There was free use of the rod be-
sides; nevertheless. when visitors appeared he
was pointed out as a boy of exceptional promise.
When he was eleven years old the famous
Rudolph Agricola came TO Devcnter to inspect
the school. Erasmus was brought up to
him; the great man patted his tiaxen
poll and said, this little fellow will
come TO something by and by" Shortly
after the visit ct Agricola. the mother died. Her
husband was unable to survive her loss. Eras-
mus and his elder brother Peter were now or
pEans, and were left under the guardianship of
three OF his fathers friends, a banker, an un-
named burgher, who soon died OF the plague,
and the master OF another school at Goude.
The banker was busy with his own affairs. and
gave the schoolmaster the whole charge. There
was some property IN ready money, bills and
land: not much, Erasmus says, but enough TO
launch his brother and himself respectfully in
the world. What followed was related after
ward by himself in a letter to "A high official at
the Apostolic Court, and intended for the Pope
himself. The guardian. he says. made
away with tins property, and he suggests
fraud, but, rs he adds that It Is a COM
mon fault of guardians to neglect their
wards interests, the blographer thinks that he
means no more than that they were guilty OF
~culpable negligence. The banker had left all to
tho schoolmaster; the schOolmaster, on his
part. had been careless; money, land, and bills
were wasted almost TO nothing, and, 10 crown
their own delinquency and get their charge on
their hands. they agreed that the two boys
should be sent into a monastery, and so, as the
phrase went, be provided for. According to
Church law, the mOnastic vow was not to be
taken by any one under age. But practice and
conniyance had set Church law aside. IncOn-
Venient members were DISPOSED OF In this way
by their families. In the case, however, of a boy
like Erasmus. the custom. was certain 10 in
Volve a grievous wrong. From his earliest years
he had u passion for learning. He had no help
from any one, and was refused access TO books.
But they could not be wholly kept from him.