He removed to Basel in 1521, where, in 1522, his celebrated 'Col loquies' were pnblished. They were composed ostensibly to supply young persons with an easy school-book in the Latin and at the same time to teach them religion and morals. For the purpose of teaching the Latin language this little book seems peculiarly well adapted : it was long used for this purpose in England, in the northern parts of which it was, till very lately, in use, and perhaps still is in some places. In these 'Colloquies,' which are generally very amusing, Erasmus has made some of his smartest attacks on various super stitions of the Roman Catholic Church. On this account the book was prohibited. In 1529 Erasmus removed to Freiburg, when the reformed party acquired the ascendancy in Basel : for to the last he never threw off an external adherence at least to the ancient faith. But in 1535 he returned to his former place of abode, endeared as it was by tho presence of his most valued friends, in hope of renovating his declining health. About this time he received testimonies of high respect from Pope Paul III., who gave Lien a benefice, awl expressed the intention of raising him to the rank of cardinaL But these favours came too late to benefit him. He died at Basel, July 12,1536, leaving an enduring reputation as the first wit of his age, the man of most general learning, and the most active and serviceable instrument in bringing about the revival of sound learning. Nor were his con tributions small towards the success of the Reformation ; he was an able sapper, though he wanted energy to storm the breach with Luther and his associates.
His 'Encomium 31oriaa ' (' Praise of Folly '), written in England in 1510, a very witty production, was meant to show that there are fools iu all place., however high, even in the court of Rome. It had a great run, and Leo X. is said to have been much amused by it; but at the same time it made its author many enemies among those who loved the abuses or were too partial to see the faults of the church, and did more than any of his works, except the 'Colloquies,' to fix the charge of heterodoxy on him. The Adagia' (1498), a large collection of proverbs, explained and commented upon with great learning, is another of his most interesting works. 'Euchiridion Militia Christiani ' (1503) is a valuable manual of practical religion; the Ciceroniauus' is an elegant and stinging satire on the folly of those pedants who, with a blind devotion, refused to use iu their compositions any words or phrases not to be found in Cicero.
Erasmus's own Latin style is clear and elegant : not always strictly classical, but like that of one who spoke and wrote Latin as readily as his mother tongue. His Letters,' comprising those of many learned men to himself, form a most valuable and amusing collection to those who arc interested in the manners and literary histories of the age in which they were written ; and several of them in particular are highly valuable to Englishmen as containing a picture of the manners of the English of that day. Of his numerous works, those which we have mentioned are moat likely to be read with pleasure iu the present day; the rest of them consist chiefly of translations, theology, grammar, and occasional treatises addressed to his friends and patrons.
His greatest work however was the edition of the New Testament, in Greek, from manuscripts, for the first time ; for though that portion of Scripture was printed in the Conplutensian Polyglot so early as 1514, it was not published till 1522 ; while the Editio Priuceps of Erasmus was published in 1516. It is much commended by Michaelis, who says—" Natural abilities, profound learning, a readiness in detecting errors, with every qualification that is requisite to produce critical sagacity, Erasmus possessed in the highest degree; and perhaps there never existed a more able editor of the New Testament. As an edition for common use however, it is of course superseded, in conse quence of the accumulated knowledge of later labourers, and the great improvement in biblical criticism. Erasmus superintended the first Greek edition of the Geography of Ptolemwus, which was printed at Basel by Frobenius iu 1533, 4to. The edition was founded on good manuscript, but it contains numerous typographical errors. At Rot terdam there is a fine bronze statue of Erasmus, erected in 1622; at Basel there is a portrait of him by Holbein. The last edition of the complete works of Erasmus is that of Leyden, by Leclerc, 1703, 10 vole. folio, often bound iu eleven.