Page:The whole familiar colloquies of Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam.djvu/290

286 FAMILIAR COLLOQUIES. the very walls there teach divinity. Fi. You say very right; but as for me, I brought nothing out of it but my body full of gross humours, and my clothes full of lice. But to go on as I began: At that time one John Standoneus was president, a man whose temper you would not mislike, and whose qualifications you would covet; for as I remember, in his youth, when he was very poor himself, he was very charitable, and that is much to be commended; and if he had still supply’d the necessities of young persons, as he found them materials for going on with their studies, he would not have had so much money to have spent lavishly, but would have done praise-worthily: But what with lying hard, by bad and spare diet, late and hard studies, within one year’s space, of many young men of a good genius, and very hopeful, some he kill’d, others he blinded, others he made run distracted, and others he brought into the leprosy, some of whom I know very well; and in short, not one of them but what was in danger by him. Was not this cruelty against one’s neighbour? Neither did this content him, but adding a cloke and cowl, he took away the eating of flesh altogether, and transplanted such plants as those into far distant countries: So that if every one should give themselves such a liberty as he did himself, their followers would over-spread the whole face of the earth.

If monasteries had their rise from such beginnings as these, what danger are not only popes, but kings themselves in? It is a pious thing to glory in the conversion of a neighbour to piety; but to seek for glory in a dress or diet, is pharisaical. To supply the want of a neighbour, is a part of piety; to take care that the liberality of good men be not converted to luxury, is discipline; but to drive a brother into distempers, madness, and death, is cruelty, is murdering him. The intention of murder may, indeed, be wanting, but murder it is. Perhaps some will say, no body forces them into this kind of life; they come into it voluntary, they beg to be admitted, and they are at liberty to go away when they are weary of it; but this is a cruel answer. Is it to be thought, that young men can tell better what is good for them, than men of learning, experience, and age? A man might thus excuse himself to a wolf, that had drawn him into a trap, when he was almost famished with hunger. But can he that sets unwholesome and poisonous food before a man that is ready to gnaw his flesh for hunger, so excuse himself to him when he is perishing, by saying, no body forc’d you to eat it, you devour’d what was set before you willingly and eagerly? May he not justly answer him, you have not given me food, but poison? Necessity is very prevaLent, hunger is very sharp; therefore let them forbear to use these plausible excuses, that they were, indeed, at liberty to let it alone. But whosoever uses such engines, uses force.

Neither did this cruelty only destroy mean persons, but many gentlemens sons too, and spoiled many a hopeful genius. It is, indeed, the part of a father, to hold in youth that is apt to grow lascivious, by restraint. But in the very depth of winter, here’s a morsel of bread given them when they ask for their commons; and as for their drink, they must draw that out of a well that gives bad water, unwholesome of itself, if it were not made the worse by the coldness of the morning: I have known many that were brought to such an ill state of health