to Holland and
to the bishop. In Holland his friends were little pleased with his
studies. It was feared that he was contracting debts at Paris. Current
reports about him were not favourable. He found the bishop, in the
commotion of his departure for England on a mission, irritable and full
of complaints. It became more and more evident that he would have to
look out for another patron. Perhaps he might turn to the Lady of Veere,
Anna of Borselen, with whom his faithful and helpful friend Batt had now
taken service, as a tutor to her son, in the castle of Tournehem,
between Calais and Saint Omer.

Upon his return to Paris, Erasmus resumed his old life, but it was
hateful slavery to him. Batt had an invitation for him to come to
Tournehem, but he could not yet bear to leave Paris. Here he had now as
a pupil the young Lord Mountjoy, William Blount. That meant two strings
to his bow. Batt is incited to prepare the ground for him with Anna of
Veere; William Hermans is charged with writing letters to Mountjoy, in
which he is to praise the latter's love of literature. 'You should
display an erudite integrity, commend me, and proffer your services
kindly. Believe me, William, your reputation, too, will benefit by it.
He is a young man of great authority with his own folk; you will have
some one to distribute your writings in England. I pray you again and
again, if you love me, take this to heart.'

The visit to Tournehem took place at the beginning of 1499, followed by
another journey to Holland. Henceforward Anna of Veere passed for his
patroness. In Holland he saw his friend William Hermans and told him
that he thought of leaving for Bologna after Easter. The Dutch journey
was one of unrest and bustle; he was in a hurry to return to Paris, not
to miss any opportunity which Mountjoy's affection might offer him. He
worked hard at the various writings on which he was engaged, as hard as
his health permitted after the difficult journey in winter. He was
busily occupied in collecting the money for travelling to Italy, now
postponed until August. But evidently Batt could not obtain as much for
him as he had hoped, and, in May, Erasmus suddenly gave up the Italian
plan, and left for England with Mountjoy at the latter's request.

FOOTNOTES:

[2] Allen No. 43, p. 145, where the particulars of the case are
expounded with peculiar acuteness and conclusions drawn with regard to
the chronology of Erasmus's stay at Paris.

C