The study of Greek had made but slight progress out of Italy but Erasmus was fortunate in receiving some little instruction in that language from Alexander Hegius, the headmaster of this school. An outbreak of the plague of which his mother died led to his quitting this school in 1484 and retiring to Gouda, the residence of his father, who died soon after. Erasmus and is only brother, Peter, were left to the care of three trustees who grossly neglected their charges. They placed them at another school of the "Brothers of the Common Life" at Bois-leDuc. Again the plague drove Erasmus back to Gouda where his guardians tried every means to persuade him and his brother to become monks. After prolonged reluctance Erasmus became, as a compromise, an Augustinian canon in St. Gregory's at Steyn near Gouda. Here, accordingly, for the next six years (1484-1493), he lived the life of a monk. It was undoubtedly this personal experience of the ways of living and thinking of the monks that made Erasmus their relentless and lifelong enemy. In this monastery he met his friend Servatius Rogerus and fell in love with him. The Dutch psychiatrist Dr. V. W. D. Schenk has written a book (From Devil-believing to Luther's Purge, Amsterdam, 1946) about the life of Erasmus and translated his nine love letters to his beloved friend from the Latin originals written in the years 1487 and 1488.

Some excerpts from these follow:

"But what do you do at present, oh part of my soul? Is all well with you? Do you sometimes think about the figure of him who does adore you? For you know, suspicious as all lovers are, I ask myself sometimes if you do think about me, if you do not forget me. I should like, if this might be possible, for you to care for me as much as I care for you and that you were plagued by love for me as much as I am continually bothered by my longing for you....

"I should like to console you, although I want myself rather to be consoled. Not only is there each day no distress spared me but, above all, your misfortune has for long been the cause of my sadness. However, my most loved friend Servatius, my stormy love for you does merely induce me to forget my own trouble and only to think how I can help you in your sorrow..

"You know that you are more dear to me than my soul, you know that nothing is so difficult, so hard, that I should not do nor suffer for you with pleasure, you know, however, that nobody is more faithful than I am, you know how I am suffering because of your trouble. . . .”

"Your name is always on my tongue, I bear you in my heart, you are my only hope, you are the half of my soul, the consolation of my life. I enjoy nothing when you are away; nothing is disagreeable if you are present; when I see that you are cheerful I forget all my sorrows; when something disagreeable overcomes you, by all the gods, I suffer more by that than do you. . . .

Unfortunately, Rogerus did not respond to this homophile love. Notwithstanding his misfortunes Erasmus passed through the various steps which culminated in his ordination as priest on April 25, 1492. Release from monastery life came to him in 1494 from the Bishop of Cambrai, Henri van Bergen, who engaged him as his private secretary.

P. S. Allen wrote in THE AGE OF ERASMUS (Oxford, 1914): "Erasmus was not fitted for the monastic life. This is not to say that he was a bad man. Few men outside the ranks of the holy have worked harder or made greater sacrifices to do God's service. But his was a free spirit. His work could only be done in his own way." And Albert Hyma wrote in THE YOUTH OF ERASMUS (1930): "It is

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