The seconde tome or volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Newe Testament conteynyng the epistles of S. Paul, and other the Apostles : wherunto is added a paraphrase vpon the reuelacion of S. John.

Erasmus of Roterodame to the Ryght reuerende Byshop and mooste excellent Prynce of Traiecte / Philip of Bur∣gundye / sendeth gretyng.

ALbeit in these monethes / feldes lye here and there bare and barein, mooste honourable prelate, yet there is no tyme of the yeare but the feldes of learnynge brynge forthe one profytable croppe or other: so that there is none so rugged a wynter, but some profyte aryseth of the feldes wherin good studyes are sowen. Me thynketh it standeth with indyfferent reason than, that a great por∣cion should be cut therout and geuen to the Bishop as the chiefe ploughman of this husbandrye. For where to oure powers we laye oure helpyng handes to the furtheraunce of the gospell, we in some parte serue the turnes of the office that you ought to care for. In consyderacion wherof I haue doen this so muche the more wyllynglye, because the Argument of this matier selfe prouoked me therunto. For I haue expounded by waye of Paraphrase, the two epistles of Saint Paule to Tymothie, and the one t•• Titus: wherun∣to I haue added, as it were in stedde of a perfyte ende, tha••, that he wrote to Philemon, bycause it should not be lefte alone vndoen, beyng the hyndermoost, which though it treate not of lyke matier as these other doe, yet there is nothing in Paules wrytinge, that perteigneth not to the offyce of a byshop. For in these three former Epistles he paynteth out after a wondrefull maner and setteth forthe the ymage of a righte and a true Christian prelate: and what qualy∣nes and gyftes it behoueth him to be garnyshed withall that is called to this so arduous a trauayll and what his dueties are to doe that taketh that offyce in hande. For how harde a mattier it is, to playe the partes of a blameles byshop, and on the other syde, howe pernicious a daungier it is to the ordryng of man∣nes lyfe, to haue a corrupte keper of the lordes flocke, it is euidētlye appearaūt in that, that Paule geueth commaundement of no thing more instauntlye nor more carefully than he doeth of it. For how often rehearsal maketh he of alwaye one thing, and howe often beateth he in y^• same mattiers that he spake of afore? howe many tymes doeth he beseche, charge, and adiure by al that holy is, nowe by fayre speache now by promyses, nowe by feare allurynge the people with the example somtyme of himselfe and somtyme of Christ? Nowe seyng Paule was so afrayed of their quayling, whome he had instructed by his owne teachinge, whome also he had ordayned by the layeng on of his owne handes, & had sear∣ched and throughly tryed their faithfulnes and integritie by so many maner of wayes: howe muche more daungier is it at this daye to committe an office of so weyghtye importaunce vnto any man at auenture without good ad uisement? In tymes past euery citie had a resident byshop of his owne, and yet in those ci∣ties howe small a porcion of folkes were there that-professed Christe?

And besydes that, in those dayes the bloude of Christ was yet in feruent remē∣braūce in mennes haries, bicause it was but lately sheade. And the heauēly fy∣er that was geuen men in baptisme, was yet flamyng hoote: whiche thinges I can not tell howe, they bothe seme to be colde at this present in our conuersaciō. For these causes sake, a Byshop had not onely the charge and ouersyght of a fewer than nowe, but also of suche as were obedyent without compulsion. Me thynketh it therefore, a matier of muche more dyfficultie, at •• his daye to playe the faithfull vncorrupte byshop: not onely for that, that one man hathe the au∣toritie ouer so many tounes, but muche more in that the moost parte of them o∣uer and besydes the dyspensacion and teaching of the gospe••l, whiche is y^e chie∣fest and the very peculiar office of a Byshop, are burthened with the admini∣stracion of secula••e offices. But it is a wondrous matter to talke of, how euyll the worlde and Christ agree one with the other, and how harde a thinge it is for heauenly busynes and worldly affaires to be at one concorde. Than seyng it is a great weyghtye mattier to doe either of them bothe as it should be, that is to saye, eyther to be a good byshop or a profytable prince: what a busye piece of worke is it for a man that is tangled bothe the wayes, so to ordre the mattier, that he leaue no paite of his office vndone, eyther touching his spiritual charge or his temporall autoritic: so to content his mortall prince, that he offende not the prince immortall: and so to be in fauour w^t the courte, that he come not out of fauour in heauen? In tymes past who soeuer toke the office of a byshop vpon him, must out of hande haue prepared him selfe wyllynglye to abyde al stormes of persecucions. And yet it passeth my knowledge to saye whether there be more daungier in the tranquillytie of the worlde that now goeth, in case it be a tran∣quillitie, or in the stormye tempestes of those dayes. And althoughe by reason of altring the state of thinges, it is not possible that the maner of vsynge a bys∣shoppes office shoulde be throughly in al thinges alwayes after one sorte. And yet the thing is not to be vtterly condemned that varieth from the example of that age, nether the mutable changeinges of humayne mattiers doe alwayes permitte a byshop to brynge to passe the thing that he thinketh best to be doen: lyke as a Master of a shyp that is bothe experte and vigilaunt doeth no good somtymes with sittyng at the helme, but is caried awaye as the wynde and we∣ther wyll: yet not withstandynge he shall goe the lesse out of the waye, from the syncere perfyte image of a good byshop, that wyll haue this forme of Paule, as it were a certaine directorie alwayes before his eyes. Lyke as a stoute go∣uernour of a shyppe, albeit he be dryuen parforce to goe somtyme a great deale out of his right course, doeth not set his eye besydes y^e compasse and loode sterre for all that, lest he shoulde chaunce to goe quyte out of his ame all together. And althoughe a man can not doe as Paule did in al thinges yet it is somwhat yf he folowe his example in some thinges. And who so wyll endeuour himselfe to those thinges that are y^• best to be doen, shal not faile of the forewardenes of Christes helpe, whose vicegerent your lordeshyp is, and without his helpe all that men goeth aboute is but vayne. Fare ye well.

The yeare. M.D.XIX.