Page:The whole familiar colloquies of Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam.djvu/359

THE SERMON. 355 it ; for those that were the most favourable to him took it to be the effect of his wine, and looked upon it accordingly. Le. But what excuse had he when he was reproved for it 1 Hi. He said he did not speak it seriously. Le. Seriously ] how should he, when he had neither seriousness nor sense in him 1

Hi. But it is, in my opinion, and also of all learned men, an insufferable thing that this nasty fellow should set forth his nasty ware so publicly in so venerable a place, before such an auditory, and in the hearing of so many great princes. Le. I am with child to hear what it was he said. Hi. He foolishly raved against our Erasmus, saying a great many scurvy things of him, the substance of which was as follows : There is, says he, in our days a new upstart doctor called Erasmus. My tongue failed me, I would have said Asinus. Then he informed the people what Asinus signified in the German tongue. Le. A very comical fancy ! Hi, Was it so very comical, do you think ? I think it was rather very foolish. Le. Was it not very comical that such an ass as he should call anybody ass, and much less Erasmus ? I am confident had Erasmus been there he would not have forborne laughing. Hi. In truth, he resembles an ass as much by his stupidity as he does by the colour of his clothes. Le. I believe all Arcadia does not produce an ass that is so much of an ass, or better deserves to be fed with hay than he does. Hi. In short, he is Apuleius turned inside out ; for Apuleius hid a man under the form of an ass, but this fellow hides an ass under the shape of a man. Le. In short, we make so many of these asses pampered with wine and dainties, that it is no wonder if they bite and kick all that come near them.

Hi. This doctor ass, says he. presumes to correct the Magnificat, notwithstanding it is a song of the Holy Spirit's own inditin^, pro- nounced by the mouth of the most holy Virgin herself. Le. I know the proverb of the brothers. Hi. And then he sets it out in words as though it was the utmost pitch of blasphemy. Le. Now my heart aches for fear of the crime committed. Hi. Why, he said Erasmus had translated that which the church uses in the litany in these words : Quia respexit Dominus humilitalem ancillce sute, thus, Qui respexit vilitatem ancillce suce Because the Lord hath regarded the low- liness of his handmaid ; he has translated it, The Lord hath regarded the vileness of his handmaid. And that word sounds worse in hih Dutch than it does in Latin. Le. Who will not own that it were a horrid blasphemy for any one to call the most holy mother of Christ (who was higher in dignity than the angels themselves) a vile hand- maid 1 Hi. Why, suppose any one should call the apostles them- selves unprofitable servants? Le. I would find faggots to burn such a blasphemer. Hi. What if any one should say that famous apostle Paul was unworthy the name of an apostle 1 Le. I would have him burned for a heretic. " Hi. And yet Christ himself, that teacher who cannot be refuted, taught His apostles to speak after this manner : " When you have done whatsoever is commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants." And St. Paul, not unmindful of this command, says of himself, " I am the least of all the apostles, and not worthy the name of an apostle." Le. Ay, but when godly men say such things of themselves, it is their modesty, than which nothing is more well- pleasing to God. But if anybody else should say such things of them,