egrity of conduct be
brought to a conclusion worthy of the Gospel. To this end I shall help
you to the best of my ability. As it is, although the host of monks and
certain theologians assail me with all their artifices, nothing will
induce me wittingly to cast away my soul. You will have the good sense
not to circulate this letter, lest it cause any disturbance. We would
have more discussions if we could meet. Farewell. I had no time to read
this over.

Erasmus of Rotterdam, by my own hand.

[Illustration: XXXI. ERASMUS AT THE AGE OF 60]

XX. TO ALFONSO VALDES[106]

Basle, 1 August 1528

To the most illustrious Alfonso Valdes, Secretary to His Imperial
Majesty, greetings:

... I have learned very plainly from other men's letters what you
indicate very discreetly, as is your way--that there are some who seek
to make _Terminus_,[107] the seal on my ring, an occasion for slander,
protesting that the addition of the device _Concedo nulli_ [I yield to
none] shows intolerable arrogance. What is this but some fatal malady,
consisting in misrepresenting everything? Momus[108] is ridiculed for
criticizing Venus's slipper; but these men outdo Momus himself, finding
something to carp at in a ring. I would have called _them_ Momuses, but
Momus carps at nothing but what he has first carefully inspected. These
fault-finders, or rather false accusers, criticize with their eyes shut
what they neither see nor understand: so violent is the disease. And
meanwhile they think themselves pillars of the Church, whereas all they
do is to expose their stupidity combined with a malice no less extreme,
when they are already more notorious than they should be. They are
dreaming if they think it is Erasmus who says _Concedo nulli_. But if
they read my writings they would see that there is none so humble that I
rank myself above him, being more liable to yield to all than to none.

[Illustration: XXXII. ERASMUS'S DEVICE]

Now those who know me intimately from close association will attribute
any vice to me sooner than arrogance, and will acknowledge that I am
closer to the Socratic utterance, 'This alone I know, that I know
nothing,' than to this, 'I yield to none.' But if they imagine that I
have so insolent a mind as to put myself before all others, do they also
think me such a fool as to profess this in a device? If they had any
Christian feeling they would understand those words either as not mine
or as bearing another meaning. They