Erasmus
Home

Erasmus to Johannes Caesarius, March 1518. The Latin text is taken from P.S. Allen, "Opus Epistolarum Des. Erasmi Roterodami", Vol. III. Oxford University Press, 1913. Re-issued 1992.

Erasmus of Rotterdam to his own Johann Caesarius, Greetings.

Let me ask you, Caesarius, honest man that you are, whether it is not clearly the case, as the proverb says, of "attracting trouble as the north-easter draws clouds", since I am like a beast of burden that has fetched work for itself. I translated the first book of Theodorus [Theodorus of Gaza's Greek grammar] into Latin, mainly so that I could remove some of the work for those eager for Greek letters, and at the same time as a bait with which I could lure those who seemed to be deterred by the difficulty of the language. But these people have now been drawn in and are forcing me on to the task of further work, and since I have taken away some of their labours, they think I must be loaded with new ones. Now that I have given them the first book, they are demanding the second, and that as if they do so by law, as if indeed, one who offers breakfast immediately owes lunch, tea and dinner too. But what do you do when the public is urging you? Whether you want to or not, you have to obey. I hope that already within a short time, they will be well-developed and active in this sort of study and not desiring my service, even swimming themselves without corks.
Farewell.

Louvain, 20th. February, 1518.

Translated by Ealasaid Gilfillan. 04/04

Erasmus
Home