thus to show his animus. Then I should like the work printed for many reasons. The man is one of the most skilful in theology; nor do I doubt that he writes as he has disputed, using solid arguments and not invective. As I do not ap- prove having Luther crushed by mere vociferations and con- spiracies, I am all the more desirous of seeing him refuted by the Bible and good reasons. Let us attribute all we pos- sibly can to the Pope's bull, yet such a refutation would be more convincing to the learned and to the intelligent. Do you therefore persuade the man not to refuse, and I will do the same as much as I can. Farewell.
��346. ERASMUS TO
��Erasmi opera (1703), iii. 1889. (Late in isaa)
. . . You know what a smoke has been raised at Louvain by the theologians who fathered the bull ;^ the same was done at Liege with the connivance of the bishop who is ambitious of the cardinal's hat; finally it was also done at Cologne in an even more hateful way under the rule of Hochstraten. But though Luther's writings are not approved by all, yet there is none who is not displeased by this way of acting and this savage tyranny. Nor would they have acted with im- punity at Cologne had not the presence of the king protected them. Now Luther's works are sold there as before.
Two men, Latomus and Tumhout, have here written against Luther, but neither publishes his books on account of dif- fidence, I think. Indeed, it is much easier to conquer him with bulls and with smoke than with arguments. I have never mixed in the Lutheran affair, but yet I have not approved the clamors nor the pamphlets of these who have hitherto op- posed Luther. They take this ill, for if I stood by Luther the same engines would be directed against me; if I wrote against him these men of evangelic meekness and simplicity would use the hatred of the Germans thus aroused against
art of printing at Venice, set up a shop at Alost, and in 1493 moved to Antwerp, when he retired to Alost. P. S. Allen, i. 514.
illuch of the theological material in the bull Exsurge Doming was taken from the condemnation of Luther by the Unirersity of Louvain. "The smoke" refers to the burning of Luther's books, at Louvain October 8, at Liige October 17, at Cologne November u.
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