nder the cloak of reviving
ancient literature paganism tries to rear its head, as there are those
among Christians who acknowledge Christ only in name but inwardly
breathe heathenism'. This he writes in 1517 to Capito. In Italy scholars
devote themselves too exclusively and in too pagan guise to _bonae
literae_. He considered it his special task to assist in bringing it
about that those _bonae literae_ 'which with the Italians have thus far
been almost pagan, shall get used to speaking of Christ'.

How it must have vexed Erasmus that in Italy of all countries he was, at
the same time and in one breath, charged with heresy and questioned in
respect to his knowledge and integrity as a scholar. Italians accused
him of plagiarism and trickery. He complained of it to Aleander, who, he
thought, had a hand in it.

In a letter of 13 October 1527, to a professor at Toledo, we find the
_ebauche_ of the _Ciceronianus_. In addition to the haters of classic
studies for the sake of orthodox belief, writes Erasmus, 'lately another
and new sort of enemies has broken from their ambush. These are troubled
that the _bonae literae_ speak of Christ, as though nothing can be
elegant but what is pagan. To their ears _Jupiter optimus maximus_
sounds more pleasant than _Jesus Christus redemptor mundi_, and _patres
conscripti_ more agreeable than _sancti apostoli_.... They account it a
greater dishonour to be no Ciceronian than no Christian, as if Cicero,
if he should now come to life again, would not speak of Christian things
in other words than in his time he spoke of his own religion!... What is
the sense of this hateful swaggering with the name Ciceronian? I will
tell you briefly, in your ear. With that pearl-powder they cover the
paganism that is dearer to them than the glory of Christ.' To Erasmus
Cicero's style is by no means the ideal one. He prefers something more
solid, succinct, vigorous, less polished, more manly. He who sometimes
has to write a book in a day has no time to polish his style, often not
even to read it over.... 'What do I care for an empty dish of words, ten
words here and there mumped from Cicero: I want all Cicero's spirit.'
These are apes at whom one may laugh, for far more serious than these
things are the tumults of the so-called new Gospel, to which he next
proceeds in this letter.

And so, in the midst of all his polemics and bitter vindication, he
allowed himself once more the pleasure of giving the reins to