VIII. 7.

him "a fury, an abomination; one, whom Italy, 1521-1529. "France and Germany, held in horror, an opprobrium to the Christian name."

Æt. 54-62.

But, even with this second invective, Scaliger was not satisfied; he addressed letters to different persons; and, what the reader will think not very easy, filled them with still harsher epithets, and still grosser abuse.

Universal indignation was expressed by the learned of every nation at his proceedings: his second invective was never seen by Erasmus. Omphalus, the common friend of both, endea voured to effect a reconciliation between them. At his suggestion, Scaliger addressed to Erasmus a letter, dated the 14th May 1536. He retracts by it, universally, his abuse of Erasmus; declares that he had constantly admired him; acknowledges the great services rendered by him to learning, professes great respect for his arduous labours, and announces, that he ceases to be his enemy; Erasmus, highly to his honour, accepted the apology.

Erasmus did not long survive the receipt of this letter. Very soon after his death, Scaliger composed an elegy to his memory, in which he feelingly laments, that death had snatched Erasmus from him, before their reconciliation had been completed, and pronounces his panegyric.

Joseph, the son of Julius Scaliger, and many

other friends of Julius, endeavoured to suppress all the publications we have mentioned, as highly injurious to his father's memory. This had made them extremely rare; but they fell into the hands of Maussac, who published them in 1621, at Toulouse.* They are only curious, as a monument of the rabid fury, to which literary animosity, when unchecked by religion or good sense, may arise.

16

Græcique sermonis pronuncatione," On the "right pronunciation of the Greek and Latin "language," followed, and has been often printed with his Ciceronianus. It is a curious treatise on the pronunciation of the Greek and Latin vowels and consonants. He had to struggle in it with the great difficulty of conveying sounds by words, or describing them: it is observable, that he approves of the English pronunciation of the theta t.

* Julii Cæsaris Scaligeri adversus Desiderium Erasmum, orationes duæ, eloquentiæ Romanæ vindices; cum quibusdam epistolis et opusculis aliquot nondum evulgatis; quibus de novo etiam accedunt problemata Gallicana, ut reperiri potuerunt Tolosæ-Tectosagum, apud Dominum Petrum Bosc. 1621.

+ This treatise, with several others, is published in the Sylloge of Havercamp. 2 vol. oct. Lugd. Bat. 1736-1740.

VIII. 8.

Letters of Erasmus.

These are unquestionably entitled to a place among the works of Erasmus: even Cardan and Scaliger, his violent adversaries, acknowledged their excellence. They may serve as models for every species of epistolary correspondence :common place compliment, delicate insinuation, dignified address, elaborate discussion, laboured defence, and bitter invective. They unfold the inmost recesses of the writer's heart, and, if due allowance be made for the weakness and fallibility of human nature, it will be admitted, that Erasmus appears in them to advantage. They also throw great light upon the history of the times; particularly the two most important events in them,-the revival of letters, and the rise of the Reformation.

The style of his letters, as of all his other works, is captivating: it is not that of Cicero, or any other classical author; it is his own. Its warmest admirers admit that it is deficient in purity: Mr. Gibbon, perhaps too harshly, calls it 'Belgic Latin." But all the writings of Erasmus display so much learning, ingenuity, spirit, fancy, science and taste, and that,-without which,

VIII. 8.

Erasmus.

nothing is excellent,-genius so much abounds in them, that no works, either ancient or modern, Letters of are read with greater pleasure. The ancient work which bears the greatest resemblance in style or manner to that of Erasmus, is the dialogue, De causis corruptela Eloquentia,-so well translated by Melmoth.

ERASMUS EDITION, AND LATIN VERSION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT; AND CONTROVERSY WITH STUNICA, ON 1 JOHN, V. v. 7.

the

ac

WE are now arrived at the work of Erasmus, which, of all his writings, is most honourable to his memory; and which, if he had published no other, would have immortalized his name, and placed him among the greatest benefactors to sacred and profane literature, his edition and Latin version of the New Testament. A treatise, in which he professed to point out "best method of arriving at true theology, companied it, as a preface. He soon afterwards published his "Exhortation to the Study " of Christian Philosophy.Ӡ Bothare ranked among the happiest exertions of his pen. It may be said of them, as of his other writings, those even which are most valuable, that they' contain some doubtful and some reprehensible positions; but that the general fund is excellent. The passages, which gave most offence at the

* Ratio seu methodus perveniendi ad veram theologiam. + Paraclesis, id est, Exhortatio ad Christianæ Philosophia Studium.