Oecolampadius--Erasmus's half-hearted dogmatics: confession,
ceremonies, worship of the Saints, Eucharist--_Institutio
Christiani Matrimonii_: 1526--He feels surrounded by enemies

At length Erasmus was led, in spite of all, to do what he had always
tried to avoid: he wrote against Luther. But it did not in the least
resemble the _geste_ Erasmus at one time contemplated, in the cause of
peace in Christendom and uniformity of faith, to call a halt to the
impetuous Luther, and thereby to recall the world to its senses. In the
great act of the Reformation their polemics were merely an after-play.
Not Erasmus alone was disillusioned and tired--Luther too was past his
heroic prime, circumscribed by conditions, forced into the world of
affairs, a disappointed man.

Erasmus had wished to persevere in his resolution to remain a spectator
of the great tragedy. 'If, as appears from the wonderful success of
Luther's cause, God wills all this'--thus did Erasmus reason--'and He
has perhaps judged such a drastic surgeon as Luther necessary for the
corruption of these times, then it is not my business to withstand him.'
But he was not left in peace. While he went on protesting that he had
nothing to do with Luther and differed widely from him, the defenders of
the old Church adhered to the standpoint urged as early as 1520 by
Nicholas of Egmond before the rector of Louvain: 'So long as he refuses
to write against Luther, we take him to be a Lutheran'. So matters
stood. 'That you are looked upon as a Lutheran here is certain,' Vives
writes to him from the Netherlands in 1522.

Ever stronger became the pressure to write against Luther. From Henry
VIII came a call, communicated by Erasmus's old friend Tunstall, from
George of Saxony, from Rome itself, whence Pope Adrian VI, his old
patron, had urged him shortly before his death.

Erasmus thought he could refuse no longer. He tried some dialogues in
the style of the _Colloquies_, but did not get on with them; and
probably they would not have pleased those who were desirous of
enlisting his services. Between Luther and Erasmus himself there had
been no personal correspondence, since the former had promised him, in
1520; 'Well then, Erasmus, I shall not mention your name again.' Now
that Erasmus had prepared to attack Luther, however, there came an
epistle from the latter, written on 15 April 1524, in which the
reformer, in his turn, requested Erasmus in his own words: 'Pl