Page:History of the German people at the close of the Middle Ages vol1.djvu/113

 UNIVERSITIES AND OTHER CENTRES OF LEARNING 101 of learning at his Court, and who won great praise by his generous encouragement of the arts and sciences. Count Philip specially encouraged the study of history, ' for,' said he, ' by this study we arrive at a knowledge of God and His dealings with mankind, and we come to see clearly that the succession of monarchies is ordained by His decree in order to preserve peace and order in the world.' It was at his instigation that Eudolph Agricola wrote his ' History of the World,' which was considered the first Humanist history. The publishing house which Trithemius wished to establish in Spon- heim for the purpose of collecting documents relative to German history owed much to the protection of this prince. The most influential friend of this university was Johann von Dalberg, of whom Agricola says : ' All that is best of what I have received or given, learnt or taught, I owe to this friend. Only those who know him inti- mately can appreciate the riches of his mind and the simplicity of his heart, his manly courage and childlike humility, his zeal for the glory of God and the advance- ment of science.' Johann von Dalberg, the scion of a noble and ancient family, born at Oppenheim in the year 1455, had, at the age of fifteen, won the baccalaureat of liberal arts at the University of Erfurt ; after which he went to Italy, and, by intercourse with Greek and Italian scholars, acquired an accurate knowledge of the classical writings of antiquity. On his return home he was appointed curator of the Heidelberg University (in 1482) by Count Palatine Philip, and in the same year he was elected bishop of Worms and confirmed by the Pope. From that time forward he divided his work