the prince with a graceful
dedication.

In October Erasmus was at Oxford which, at first, did not please him,
but whither Mountjoy was to follow him. He had been recommended to John
Colet, who declared that he required no recommendations: he already knew
Erasmus from the letter to Gaguin in the latter's historical work and
thought very highly of his learning. There followed during the remainder
of Erasmus's stay at Oxford a lively intercourse, in conversation and in
correspondence, which definitely decided the bent of Erasmus's
many-sided mind.

[Illustration: III. JOHN COLET, DEAN OF ST. PAUL'S]

John Colet, who did not differ much from Erasmus in point of age, had
found his intellectual path earlier and more easily. Born of well-to-do
parents (his father was a London magistrate and twice lord mayor), he
had been able leisurely to prosecute his studies. Not seduced by quite
such a brilliant genius as Erasmus possessed into literary digressions,
he had from the beginning fixed his attention on theology. He knew Plato
and Plotinus, though not in Greek, was very well read in the older
Fathers and also respectably acquainted with scholasticism, not to
mention his knowledge of mathematics, law, history and the English
poets. In 1496 he had established himself at Oxford. Without possessing
a degree in divinity, he expounded St. Paul's epistles. Although, owing
to his ignorance of Greek, he was restricted to the Vulgate, he tried to
penetrate to the original meaning of the sacred texts, discarding the
later commentaries.

Colet had a deeply serious nature, always warring against the tendencies
of his vigorous being, and he kept within bounds his pride and the love
of pleasure. He had a keen sense of humour, which, without doubt,
endeared him to Erasmus. He was an enthusiast. When defending a point in
theology his ardour changed the sound of his voice, the look in his
eyes, and a lofty spirit permeated his whole person.

[Illustration: IV. SIR THOMAS MORE, 1527]

Out of his intercourse with Colet came the first of Erasmus's
theological writings. At the end of a discussion regarding Christ's
agony in the garden of Gethsemane, in which Erasmus had defended the
usual view that Christ's fear of suffering proceeded from his human
nature, Colet had exhorted him to think further about the matter. They
exchanged letters about it and finally Erasmus committed both their
opinions to paper in the form of a 'Little disputation con