it to
you: but not just yet, as I am too busy to revise it. My public
lectures take up a good deal of my time. I have a fairly large
audience; but their zeal is greater than their ability. The
majority of them are M.A.'s or students in the Arts course;[7]
who are obliged to spend all their time on their disputations,
so they have only a meagre part of the day left for these
studies. In consequence, as they can do so little, I am not
very active.

'In addition to this I am trying to keep up my Latin and Greek
(though they are fast slipping from me) and am beginning
Hebrew, which I find very difficult: indeed to my surprise it
costs me more effort than Greek did. However, I shall go on
with it as I have begun: also because I like to have something
new on hand, and much as I like Greek, its novelty has somewhat
worn off. I have made up my mind to devote my old age, if I
ever reach it, to theology. You know how I detest the
barbarisms of those who fill the schools. On their side they
are indignant with me for daring to question their decisions;
but this will not deter me.

'My greetings to your host, Master Richard (Paffraet), and his
wife.

'Worms, in great haste, on the third day of the week: as I have
determined to call it, instead of our unclassical Feria
secunda, tertia, &c., or the heathen names, Monday, Mars' day,
Mercury's day, Jove's day.'

[7] Scholastici, vt nos dicimus, artium.

We may notice the anticipation of the Quakers, who in a similar way
would only speak of first day and sixth month.

6. HEGIUS TO WESSEL; from Deventer <between 1483 and 1489>.

'I am sending you the Homilies of John Chrysostom, and hope
you will enjoy reading them. His golden words have always been
more acceptable to you than the precious metal itself from the
mint.

'I have been, as you know, at Cusanus' library, and found there
many Hebrew books which were quite unknown to me; also a few
Greek. I remember the names of the following: Epiphanius
against heresies, a very big book; Dionysius on the Hierarchy;
Athanasius against Arius; Climacus.

'These I left behind there, but I brought away with me: Basil
on the Hexaemeron and some of his homilies on the Psalms; the
Epistles of Paul and the Acts of the Apostles; Plutarch's Lives
of