Desiderius Erasmus was the most brilliant and most important leader of German humanism, born at Rotterdam, Holland, probably in 1466, and died at Basle, Switzerland, in 1536. When nine years old he was sent to the school of the celebrated humanist Hegius at Deventer, where his taste for humanism was awakened and his powers of mind received their bent for life. The most brilliant qualities of his intellect, a wonderful memory and an extraordinarily quick power of comprehension, showed themselves even in this his earliest training. Ephraim Emerton was Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Harvard University from 1882 to 1918. He was one of the founders of the American Historical Association and served a term as President of the American Society of Church History. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.