Mediaeval and modern history . earning. John Colet (1466-1519) was leader and master of the littleband. His generous enthusiasm was kindled in Italy. It was animportant event in the history of the Reformation when Coletcrossed the Alps to learn Greek at the feet of the Greek exiles;for on his return to England he brought back with him notonly an increased love for the classical learning but a fervent zealfor religious reform, inspired, perhaps, by the stirring eloquenceof Savonarola. His lectures at Oxford on St. Pauls Epistles aresaid to have seemed to his listeners almost like a new revela-t
Mediaeval and modern history . earning. John Colet (1466-1519) was leader and master of the littleband. His generous enthusiasm was kindled in Italy. It was animportant event in the history of the Reformation when Coletcrossed the Alps to learn Greek at the feet of the Greek exiles;for on his return to England he brought back with him notonly an increased love for the classical learning but a fervent zealfor religious reform, inspired, perhaps, by the stirring eloquenceof Savonarola. His lectures at Oxford on St. Pauls Epistles aresaid to have seemed to his listeners almost like a new revela-tion. The great influence of Colet upon the world was exertedfor the most part indirectly, — through Erasmus and More, hisdisciples and fellow-workers. Desiderius Erasmus (i467?-i536) of Rotterdam went to Eng-land to learn Greek. There he came into close friendship withColet, More, and other lovers of learning, with whom he declaredhe could have been happy in Scythia. He was the leader of the 296 BEGINNINGS OF THE REFORMATION. humanistic movement in the North, as Petrarch was the fatherof the movement in the South. His celebrated satire entitledMorice Encomium^ or Praise of Folly (1509), was directedagainst the foibles of all classes of society, but particularly againstthe sins of unholy men in holy orders. A little later (in 15 16)Erasmus published his Novum Instrumentufii, the Greek text of the New Testamentwith a Latin publicationsmust be given aprominent placeamong the agencieswhich prepared theminds and hearts ofthe northern peo-ples for the Refor-mation. Thomas More(14 7 8-1 535) wasdeclared by Coletto be the sole gen-ius in all was a man withwhom men weresaid to fall inlove. As theauthor of Utopia he is, perhaps, after Erasmus, the best knownof all the humanists of the North. His work, while closely associ-ated with the religious and social history of the Reformation periodin England, had less significance than that of either Colet orErasmus for
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