The Correspondence of Erasmus : Letters 1535-1657, Volume 11

1536 1 Cf Ep 1480, a letter from Pirckheimer enclosing a medallion bearing his own likeness. 2 Allen Ep I536:an notes the existence of a well-known engraved portrait of Pirckheimer by Albrecht Diirer but observes that no painting of this period is known. Perhaps a drawing made preparatory to the engraving is involved here, since the nearly contemporary engraving of Frederick the Wise was preceded by a silverpoint drawing now in Paris, Ecole des Beaux-Arts. See Walter L. Strauss The Complete Drawings of Albrecht Diirer (New York 1974) IV 2252, and the facing plate, for that drawing. For Diirer's engravings of both Pirckheimer and Frederick the Wise see F.W.H. Hollstein German Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts, ca. 1400-1700 (28 vols to date, 1954-80) VII no 103, no 102. Cf Ep 1376 nni and 2. 3 Diirer is frequently called an Apelles, a reference to the famous ancient Greek painter. 4 An unidentified fugitive Franciscan; the letter he carried seems to have been lost. Cf Allen Ep 1536:3^1 5 2O

The Peasant's War in Germany and his own ill-health combined to keep Erasmus confined to the city of Basel during 1525, but he was still able to maintain an active correspondence spanning all of Europe. In the preceding year, he had published De libero artbitrio/Freedom of the Will, his first open attack on the teachings of Martin Luther. Despite this public defence of Catholic doctrine, Erasmus was continually forced in his correspondence to reply to open or veiled attacks by Catholic critics.

Erasmus directly addressed one of his critics, No l BTda, of the Paris theological faculty, in the spring of 1525. BTda was preparing analyses of Erasmus' publications that would eventually form the basis for a formal condemnation. Erasmus' correspondence with BTda, intended to head off such a condemnation, continued past 1525 and became increasingly hostile in tone. That same year, Erasmus also followed up reports that an influential Italian humanist, Alberta Pio, Prince of Carpi, was circulating at the papal curia a manuscript accusing Erasmus of being the major source of Luther's errors. Again, he directly addressed his opponent in order to prove his orthodoxy and to urge (in vain) that no such attack be published. In both cases, however, despite his break with Luther and his public and private opposition to the Protestant leader Oecolampadius in Basel, he was unsuccessful in turning aside the hostility of his Catholic critics.

Volume 11 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.

Contents 7 Illustrations 9 Preface 11 Map showing the principal places mentioned in volume 11 24 Letters 1535 to 1657 26 1535 / To John Longland – 1571 / To Noël Béda 26 1572 / To Alexius Thurzo – 1587 / From Celio Calcagnini 126 1588 / From Clement VII – 1621 / To Pierre Barbier 225 1622 / To Hieronim Łaski – 1657 / To Simon Grynaeus 326 Table of Correspondents Works Frequently Cited Short-Title Forms for Erasmus' Works Index 426 Table of Correspondents 426 Works Frequently Cited 429 Short-Title Forms for Erasmus' Works 433 Index 437 In the letters 1523-4, Erasmus' mounting anger at the authors of these attacks goes hand in hand with his slowly formed decision to publish a book against Luther on free will.