Letters
The correspondence of Erasmus, cited here for the letters of 1516 in which he reports the printing of his New Testament and explains its purpose to Pope Leo X.
Erasmus kept and published his letters, and several collections were printed in his lifetime. The letters cited here were written while his New Testament was in the press at Basel and in the months after it appeared. They are first-hand evidence for when the book was finished and for how its editor wished it to be understood. They are also letters to patrons and friends, written to win support for the work.
Nichols translated a selection in full and summarised the rest. The dedication of the New Testament to Leo X is among the pieces he summarises; it is read here in the 1516 edition itself.
Cited in
- 1516, firm date