the Greek
language and to be drawn away from it no more. This is not done out of
vanity, for how little does pretension become me! but from the
necessity of a thorough understanding of the Holy Scriptures." We find
also that he wrote off the original Greek text of the Epistles of Paul
in the form of a small book, in order to have it continually with him,
and added in the margin the observations of the most approved
commentators. In the year 1522, we hear him thus speak of the manner,
in which he tried at that time to penetrate into the spirit of these
records: "In my youth I made as much advance in human learning as any
one of my age, and when, six or seven years ago, I devoted my whole
strength to the study of the Holy Scriptures, the philosophy and
theology of the controversialists threw continual difficulties in my
way. At last I came to this conclusion. I thought: Thou must lay aside
all these and get the meaning of God fresh from his own, simple word.
Then I began to implore God for his light, and the Scripture became
much clearer to me, although I read it merely, as I would have read
many commentaries and interpreters." The letters written by him and to
him at this time show us plainly, that those who were committed to his
training, especially young men of promise, crowded around him, full of
love and reverence, and that he never was weary of giving them counsel,
support and recommendation in foreign countries, of watching over their
progress and morals, whilst there, and of rejoicing in every evidence
of talent and noble purpose and helping to turn them to practical
account. Glareanus thanked him for permission to continue his studies
abroad, though obliged to give up a benefice in Mollis, where, "like a
goat-herd," he had to receive a new election every year. The same
friend wrote to him on another occasion: "You are always helping those,
who deserve it." Argobast Strub of Vienna was about to dedicate a
commendatory poem to him, when death surprised the ingenious youth and
the sorrowful Vadianus sent his literary remains to his former teacher
as a pledge of love from the departed one. Peter Tschudi wrote to him
from Paris, "You are like a tutelar god to us;" and his brother
Aegidius in Basel begged him, "Help, that I may be called back to you
again, for with no one have I wished rather to live than with you."
Valentine Tschudi, the cousin of the two first named, was yet more
strongly attached to their beloved mas