Selections from Erasmus: Principally from his Epistles — Inside the Classic

Erasmus's Living Latin and Editorial Adjustments

Allen's preface directly addresses the linguistic character of Erasmus's Latin. He describes it as a living language, written with easy straightforwardness whether narrating everyday events or developing serious themes. This quality, Allen argues, makes the letters suitable for beginners. However, he also acknowledges a certain laxity, principally in the use of moods and tenses, which he has brought into conformity with classical usage. The spelling, Renaissance in origin, has also been modified. These editorial liberties are presented as necessary adjustments, not as corrections of error. The vocabulary list is limited to words not found in Lewis's Elementary Latin Dictionary, excluding classical words used for modern counterparts and diminutives whose origin is clear. This apparatus suggests a pedagogical aim: to ease the student into Erasmus's text while preserving its distinctive voice.

Portraits of English Contemporaries

Allen's stated purpose is to illustrate English life through Erasmus's letters, and the excerpts bear this out. The longest passage describes a preacher—likely John Colet—whose habits are detailed with precision. Erasmus notes that the preacher had memorized Paul's epistles so thoroughly that he could recite any part without error, and that he prepared for sermons by reading Paul until he felt his heart grow warm. The description emphasizes the preacher's avoidance of theatrical gestures and noisy declamation; instead, he spoke from a sober, ardent heart, connecting the epistle with the gospel reading in a continuous flow. Erasmus contrasts this with contemporary preachers who stitch together cold patches from Scotus, Thomas, and other authorities. The passage also records that the preacher sometimes delivered seven sermons in one day, yet never lacked learned discourse when speaking of Christ. These details, drawn from Erasmus's observation, offer a vivid picture of clerical practice and ideals in early Tudor England.

The Preacher's Life as a Continuous Sermon

Erasmus extends his portrait beyond the pulpit. The preacher's whole life, he writes, was nothing but a sacred sermon. At meals he was cheerful but never frivolous, mixing learned and pious conversation. When traveling, powerful friends provided a mule or horse so they could talk; the preacher then spoke with such spirit that his words could not be valued by any gems. He sent no one away sad, and made everyone better and more eager for piety. Erasmus emphasizes the preacher's freedom from ambition, greed, and other vices: he gave thanks to God for whatever happened, and his only joy was inflaming others to the study of evangelical piety. The proof of his influence, Erasmus claims, was seen in his disciples' deaths: they died with joyful spirit, singing a swan song, while others, after performing ceremonies, breathed their last in distrust. This contrast between true piety and mere ritual is a recurring theme in the letter, and it anchors Erasmus's moral vision in concrete observation of one man's conduct.

Readers approaching this volume should attend to the interplay between Erasmus's Latin and Allen's editorial framing. The letters are not merely linguistic exercises; they are documents of a particular historical moment, filtered through Erasmus's sharp eye for character and his commitment to a reformed piety. Allen's notes and vocabulary are aids, but the real interest lies in the details Erasmus chooses to record—the preacher's seven sermons, his mule rides, his memorized Paul. These specifics ground the abstract ideals of Renaissance humanism in the texture of daily life.

I have often sat with P. S. Allen’s Erasmus, watching him fret over his friends and their warm, flawed company, and it puts me in mind of another old companion, Dreamthorp — A Closer Reading. Both whisper of quiet rooms where letters and thoughts linger, unhurried, like tea left to steep. A gentle, knowing kinship, that one. They feel like old friends. Dreamthorp holds a similar hush.