This volume comprises Erasmus' correspondence during the final two years of his life, June 1534–August 1536. In the public sphere it was a time of dramatic events: the reconquest of the duchy Württemberg from its Austrian occupiers; the siege and destruction of the Anabaptist "kingdom" at Münster; Charles V's great victory at Tunis; and the resumption of the Habsburg-Valois wars in Italy. In the private sphere, these were years of deteriorating health, thoughts of impending death, and the loss of close friends (including Thomas Fisher and Thomas More, both executed by Henry VIII). At the same time, however, Erasmus managed to publish his longest book, Ecclesiastes, and to make arrangements, in his final will, for his considerable wealth to be spent for charitable purposes after his death.

Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466–1536), a Dutch humanist, Catholic priest, and scholar, was one of the most influential Renaissance figures. A professor of divinity and Greek, Erasmus wrote, taught, and travelled, meeting with Europe’s foremost scholars. A prolific author, Erasmus wrote on both ecclesiastic and general human interest subjects.

Desiderius Erasmus' profile page

James M. Estes is a professor emeritus in the Department of History at the University of Toronto and a distinguished senior fellow at the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies at Victoria College in the University of Toronto.

James M. Estes' profile page

Alexander Dalzell is professor emeritus in the Department of Classics at Trinity College, University of Toronto.

Alexander Dalzell's profile page

"The Toronto Erasmus project is a magnificent achievement, one of the scholarly triumphs of our time. The succession of fine volumes – both in quality of content and of design and production – has continued to fulfil the original promise of the distinguished team of editors and the equally distinguished advisory committee."

<em>Common Knowledge</em>

"Academic publishing does not get any better than this: durably bound, expertly annotated, beautifully translated editions of the works of one of the finest scholars in the illustrious history of the Christian Church."

<em>Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society</em>

"The Collected Works of Erasmus project has long since established a new standard for scholarly translation series to emulate. Not only have the English versions represented Erasmus’ writings in crisp and accessible language, but meticulous editorial scholarship has placed the author’s thought and work in their proper intellectual contexts."

<em>Renaissance Quarterly</em>

"One of the most ambitious, meticulous, and essential scholarly projects now underway."

<em>Modern Language Notes</em>

“Volume 21, along with the twenty preceding, will speak to all learned people in every land about the life, thought, and teachings of Desiderius Erasmus, and posterity will admire and praise this piece of the finest scholarship.”

<em>Renaissance Quarterly</em>