Desiderius Erasmus (c.1466-1536)




      Erasmus was a Dutch humanist philosopher and scholar who made a name for himself by opposing SCHOLASTICISM, which naturally brought a great deal of Church criticism his way.

Erasmus, that great injur'd name
(The glory of the priesthood and the shame!)
    —Alexander Pope, "An Essay on Criticism", III

      I rather doubt that there is much truth in the following clerihew:

Desiderius Erasmus
Suffered from one of the rare asthmas,
His worst wheezes
Were caused by over-ripe cheeses.
    —Paul Horgan

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