Martin  Luther  had  erred  in  his  writing  and  preaching.  Where-
upon he  answered  in  Latin,  '  Yes,  iadeed,  in  two  things,  that  he
has  attacked,  first,  the  Pope's  crown,  and  next  the  monks'
bellies.'  Thereupon  this  Elector  smiled,  and  bethought  him  of
this  answer  hardly  a  year  before  his  death."  It  was  after  this
interview,  or  another  a  few  days  later,  that  Erasmus,  going
with  Spalatia  into  the  house  of  the  Count  of  Neuenar,  hastily
conmiitted  to  paper  certain  "axiomata,"  in  which  he  briefly
gave  his  view  of  the  whole  controversy.  These  he  had  no
sooner  written  than  with  characteristic  caution  he  asked  for
them  back  again,  fearing  lest  they  should  bring  him  into  trouble
with  Aleander  and  Caraccioli,  the  Papal  agents,  who  were  then
in  Koln.  Before  a  year  had  passed,  however,  the  document
had  found  its  way  to  the  press,  through  what  channel  it  is  now
impossible  to  say.  As  might  be  supposed  from  the  circum-
stances under  which  it  was  written,  it  represents  Erasmus's
relation  to  Luther  on  its  friendliest  side.  Erasmus  takes  up
no  theological  position,  but  advises  caution,  condemns  the
severity  of  the  Pope's  buU,  sustains  Luther's  claim  to  a  fair'
trial,  and  speaks  with  some  contempt  of  his  adversaries.  Had
not  the  tone  of  this  paper  been  so  completely  that  of  Erasmus
himself  in  his  more  courageous  moments,  it  might  seem  to  have
been  an  echo  caught  from  the  Elector's.  But  indeed  the  con-
troversy had  long  overpassed  these  bounds.^

It  has  been  too  much  the  custom  to  put  down  the  attitude
of  Erasmus  to  Luther  and  his  movement  to  mere  timidity  or
selfish  caution.  He  was  a  sickly  scholar,  it  is  said,  whose
character  was  cast  in  no  heroic  mould ;  living  on  terms  of
intimacy  with  great  men  in  Church  and  State,  and  unwilling

1  Spalatin,  Fried,  der  Weise,  p.  164;  Seckendorf,  lib.  i.  see.  34,  §  Ixxxi.;  Erl.
