Erasmus' reply, dated 28 Jan. 1521 from Louvain, has no address but'N. viro praepotenti'; and in consequence its connexion with Artlebusof Boskowitz has escaped notice. As was to be expected, he declinedthe proposal that he should set up a standard of Christian observance.He might criticize with all freedom the practices of monks and clergyand speak straightly of Papal iniquities: but the standard of theChurch was still the life of Christ, and he would not arrogate tohimself the right to draw the picture of this anew. He took theopportunity to lament, as he had done to Slechta, the discordprevailing in Bohemia, and to urge that a serious attempt should bemade to reconcile the Brethren to the Church. But since hiscorrespondence with Slechta the world had gone forward. Luther hadburned the Pope's bull at Wittenberg, and Aleander at Worms waspressing the Diet to annihilate him. Erasmus has less to say toArtlebus in favour of the Brethren than he had said to Slechta:indeed, after the appeal for moderation, he goes no further than tocondemn the attitude of the opponents of the Papacy, doubtlessintending to include among them the Brethren. About Luther he wouldgive no decided opinion. 'It is absurd how men condemn Luther's bookswithout reading them. Some parts of Luther's writings are good; butparts are not, p 298and over these I skip. If Luther stands by theCatholic Church, I will gladly join him.' Artlebus' reply is notextant; but a sentence in a letter of Erasmus to Wolsey a year latershows that the 'Bohemian Captain' was greatly vexed by the failure ofhis overtures.
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