PART II. the monks and friars for the artifices whereby they prevailed CHAP. V. on the wealthy to bequeath their estates to religious houses rather than to their rightful heirs; in a note on Matt. xxiii. 2, he indulges in a tirade against the bishops; Mark vi. 9 affords an opportunity for attacking the Mendicants,-Christ, he says, never belonged to that order; when he comes to the mention of Dionysius the Areopagite, in Acts xvii. 34, he does not omit to tell, with evident relish and in his very best Latin, the story of Grocyn's humiliating discovery'; while in a note on Timothy i. 6, he attacks the disputations of the schools, and supports his criticisms by a long list of quæstiones, designed as specimens of the prevailing extravagance and puerility of the dialecticians. Whatever, accordingly, may be our opinion of the policy that imperilled the success of a work of such magnitude, by converting it into a fortress from whence to shoot singularly galling darts against the enemy, there can be no doubt that it was by criticisms like the foregoing that the active hostility of the conservative party at Cambridge was mainly provoked, and that they were induced to have recourse to acts of retaliation like that referred to in the following letter from Erasmus,—a letter that affords perhaps the most valuable piece of contemporary evidence with respect to the state of the university that remains to us of this period. reply to Bul31, 1516. The letter is dated from Fisher's palace at Rochester; Erasmus's and Erasmus commences by saying, in response to Bullock's lock: Aug. expressed wish for his return, that he would be only too glad to resume his old Cambridge life and to find himself again magis incumbere patinis quam paginis, et potiorem habere curam nummorum quam voluminum.' (Quoted by Jortin, II 206.) 1 'Ante complures annos, ut memini, vir incomparabilis Willelmus Grocinus, ut theologus summus, ita in nulla disciplina non exquisite doctus et exercitatus, auspicaturus Londini in æde Divo Paulo sacra enarrationem Cœlestis Hierarchiæ, meditata præfatione multum asseveravit hoc opus esse Dionysii Areopagitæ, vehementer destomachans in eorum impudentiam, qui dissentirent. At idem priusquam operis dimidium confecisset, ubi gustum at- 2 Epist. 148, Opera, ш 126. This PART II. his opponents with acri mony. CHAP. V. among so delightful a circle of friends, but at present he is looking forward to wintering at Louvain. He is delighted to hear that his Novum Instrumentum finds favour with those whose good opinion is most to be desired; 'but,' he goes on to say, 'I also hear, on good authority, that there is one most theological college (collegium eoλoуIKÓтaтov) among you, ruled over by a set of perfect Areopagites, who have by formal decree forbidden that the volume be introduced within the college walls, either by horse or by boat, by cart or by porter. Is this,' he exclaims, 'doctissime Boville, more to be laughed at or lamented? Unfortunate men, how their sympathies are vitiated! Hostile and angry against themselves, He attacks grudging at their own profit! Of what race can they be, who are by nature so savage, that kindness, which soothes even wild beasts, only irritates them; who are so implacable that no apologies can soften them? Who, what is yet more to their discredit, condemn and mangle a book that they have never read, and could not understand if they had. Who know nothing more than what they may have heard over their cups or in public gossip, that a new work has come out with which it is designed to hoodwink the theologians; and straightway attack with the fiercest abuse both the author, who by his protracted labours has aimed at rendering service to all students, and the book, from whence they might themselves reap no small advantage. After pointing out what excellent precedents for his performance were to be found in the productions of different scholars at various times, he Justifies him turns to the new translations of Aristotle as his most perpealing to the tinent illustration. What detriment,' he asks, 'did the self by ap precedent afforded by the new ver- writings of Aristotle suffer, when Argyropulos, Leonardo Aretino, and Theodorus Gaza brought forth their new ver sions of Aristotle. 1 Quod genus hoc hominum, usque adeo morosum, ut officiis irritentur, quibus mansuescunt et feræ belluæ; tam implacabile, ut eos nec tam multæ apologiæ lenire possint? immo (quod est impudentius), isti damnant ac lacerant librum, quem ne legerint quidem, alioqui nec intellecturi si legant. Tantum audierunt inter cya thos, aut in conciliabulis fori, prodisse novum opus, quod omnibus theologis, seu cornicibus, oculos tentet configere: ac mox meris conviciis insectantur et auctorem qui tantis vigiliis studiis omnium prodesse studuerit, et librum, unde poterant proficere.' III 126. PART II. Refers to the distinguished approval his work had tained. sions? Surely the translations of these scholars are not to be CHAP. V. suppressed and destroyed, simply in order that the old interpreters of the Aristotelian philosophy may be regarded as omniscient?' He then falls back, reasonably enough, on the argument ad verecundiam: his work had gained the warmest approval of Warham; Capito, professor at Basel, and Berus, already obat Paris, two of the most eminent theologians of the day, had been equally emphatic in their praise; so had Gregory Reischius, who was listened to as an oracle in Germany; so had Jacob Wimpheling. 'But to say nothing of others,' he continues, 'you yourself well know what a distinguished man the bishop of Rochester, your chancellor, is, as regards both character and attainments. And are not these obscure men ashamed to hurl reproaches against what one of such distinguished worth both sanctions and reads? Finally,' he adds, 'if with one man learning has most weight,—I can claim the approval of the most learned; if with another, virtue,-I have that of the most virtuous; if with a third, authority,— I have the support, not only of bishops and archbishops, but of the supreme pontiff himself.' Cambridge of that of thirty years pre vious. 'But perhaps,' he goes on to say, 'they fear lest, if the Compares the young students are attracted to these studies, the schools 1516 with will become deserted. Why do they not rather reflect on this fact. It is scarcely thirty years ago, when all that was taught in the university of Cambridge, was Alexander', the Little Logicals (as they call them), and those old exercises out of Aristotle, and quæstiones taken from Duns Scotus. As time went on, polite learning was introduced; to this was 2 Nei 1 Lewis (Life of Fisher, 1 27) explains this, as referring to Alexander de Hales', called doctor irrefragabilis, Expositio in libros Metaphysicæ Aristotelis.' Jones and Wright (Queens' Coll., p. 13) say, 'the middle-age poem of Walter de Castellis.' ther of these, I think, is right, and Mr Demaus who, in his Life of Lati mer (p. 19), suggests Alexander of Aphrodisias, is still further from the mark. It was more probably the 'Alexander, a gander of Menander's pole,' referred to by Skelton in his 'Speke Parrot,' (ed. Dyce, 11. 8-9, and 347,) as a common text-book at Cambridge. Alexander de Villa Dei was the author 2 See supra, p. 350, n. 4. PART II. CHAP. V. added a knowledge of mathematics; a new, or at least a regenerated, Aristotle sprang up; then came an acquaintance with Greek, and with a host of new authors whose very names had before been unknown, even to their profoundest doctors. And how, I would ask, has this affected your university? Why, it has flourished to such a degree that it can now compete with the chief universities of the age, and can boast of men in comparison with whom theologians of the old school seem only the ghosts of theologians. The seniors of the university, if candid men, do not deny this; they congratulate others on their good fortune, and lament their own. loss. But perhaps these friends of ours are dissatisfied because, since all this has come to pass, the Gospels and the Epistles find more numerous and more attentive students; and, grudging that even this amount of time should be subtracted from studies to which, forsooth, all the student's entire time ought to be devoted, would prefer that his whole life should be wasted in the frivolous subtleties of quæstiones? He hopes his But I shall, on this account, certainly little regret my lead men to midnight toil. It is notorious that hitherto there have been Scriptures theologians who have altogether neglected the Scriptures; and trouble them that too, not for the purpose of studying the Sentences, nor indeed with a view to any other single thing save only the dilemmas of quæstiones. Is it not well, that such as these should be summoned back to the fountain-head? I long, my friend, to see the toil I underwent, with a view to the general good, toil of no ordinary kind,—fruitful of benefit to all...It is my hope, that what now meets with the approval of the best among you, may, ere long, meet with that of the larger number. Novelty which has often won favour for others, has, in my case, evoked dislike. Believes pos- corresponding diversity of fate awaits us, I fancy, in the future. Time, while it deprives them of the popular regard, may perhaps bestow it on me. This do I confidently predict; whatever may be the merit of my literary labours, they will be judged with greater impartiality by posterity". work may study the more, and to selves less with quas tiones. terity will do him more justice. 1 Ante annos ferme triginta, nihil tradebatur in schola Cantabrigiensi, A præter Alexandrum, Parva Logicalia, ut vocant, et vetera illa Aristotelis PART II. His predic Erasmus's prediction was abundantly fulfilled; and, CHAP. V. within a few years from the date of the foregoing letter, he saw the publication of his Novum Instrumentum attended tion fulfilled. by effects of both a character and a degree far outrunning his calculations, and even his wishes, when laboring over those pages in his study at Queens' College. At present however it is sufficient to note the satisfactory evidence above afforded of the progress of the new learning at Cambridge; more trustworthy testimony can scarcely be required than that thus incidentally given, in a confidential letter, written by an emeritus professor to a resident fellow. of Greek con cite the chief interest at Cambridge. The movement in favour of the study of Greek and the The subject opposition it excited, continued, it would seem, to be the tinues to exchief subject of interest at Cambridge for some years after Erasmus thus wrote. In the year 1518, Bryan, his former pupil, ventured upon a startling innovation on the traditional method of instruction. On succeeding to his regency, as master of arts, he not only put aside the old translations of Aristotle, but had recourse to his knowledge of Greek in his exposition of the new versions. It is scarcely necessary to add that in adopting this mode of treatment, he found little Aristotle, time for the discussion of the prevalent nominalistic disputes. versions. dictata Scoticasque quæstiones. Progressu temporis accesserunt bonæ litteræ; accessit matheseos cognitio; accessit novus, aut certe novatus, Aristoteles; accessit Græcarum litterarum peritia; accesserunt auctores tam multi, quorum olim ne nomina quidem tenebantur, nec a summatibus illis Iarchis. Quæso, quid hisce ex rebus accidit academiæ vestræ? nempe sic effloruit, ut cum primis hujus sæculi scholis certare possit; et tales habet viros ad quos veteres illi collati umbræ theologorum videantur, non theologi. Non inficiantur id majores, si qui sunt ingenio candido. Aliis suam felicitatem gratulantur, suam complorant infelicitatem. An hoc istos male habet, quod posthac et plures legent Evangelicas Apostolicasque litteras, et attentius; et vel hoc temporis his studiis decidi dolent, quibus omne tempus oportebat impartiri; malintque univer sam ætatem in questionum frivolis lectures in the schools on Bryan lee from the new |