His time in England was fruitful in the making of lifelong friendships with the leaders of English thought in the days of King Henry VIII: John Colet, Thomas More, John Fisher, Thomas Linacre and William Grocyn.

In 1499, while in England, Erasmus was particularly impressed by the Bible teaching of John Colet who pursued a style more akin to the church fathers than the Scholastics.

John Colet, William Grocyn, William Lilye and other eminent scholars were his intimate friends, and he was esteemed by a still wider circle of literary correspondents in all parts of Europe.

John Colet ( January 1467 – 10 September 1519 ) was an English churchman and educational pioneer.

Colet was an English scholar, Renaissance humanist, theologian, and Dean of St. Paul ’ s Cathedral, London.

The eldest son of Sir Henry Colet, ( Lord Mayor of London 1486 and 1495 ), he was born in London in January 1467, and was educated at St Anthony's school and at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he took his M. A.

Colet was rector of the guild of Jesus at St Paul's Cathedral and chaplain to Henry VIII.

His depiction of Colet was partly a depiction of himself.

Kennett passed his notes to Samuel Knight who utilized them to write a biography of Colet which was published in 1724.

Later critics went on view Colet as Protestant-like, though historical revisionists believe that Colet was a reform preacher that wanted to improve the quality of the Church.

Colet died in 1519 of the " sweating sickness ", his monument was erected on the south aisle of the choir at the cathedral church of Saint Paul and perished in the fire of 1666.

Erasmus stated that Colet was a man for the ages and a true Christian.

In 1510 John Colet, dean of St Paul's, who was then founding the school which afterwards became famous, appointed Lily the first high master in 1512.

Since both of us refused our names it was published anonymously, Colet merely commending it in a preface.

By the 16th century however, it had declined, and in 1509, a new school was founded by John Colet, Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, on a plot of land to the north of the Cathedral.

St Paul's School plaque LondonThe eldest son of Sir Henry Colet, a member of the Mercers ' Company and twice Lord Mayor of the City of London, he inherited a substantial fortune and used a great part of it for the endowment of his school, having no family of his own ; his 21 siblings all died in childhood and he was a celibate priest.

In 1876 the company were legally established as trustees of the Colet estate and the management of the school was assigned to a Board of Governors consisting of the Master, Wardens and nine members of the company, together with three representatives each of the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and London.

The preparatory school, Colet Court, was soon afterwards housed in new premises in a similar style on the opposite side of the road.

The Waterhouse building on Hammersmith Road was demolished amid protests to allow building of flats, apart from the gates and the peripheral walls, the High Master's House, and a toolhut, though the Colet Court building also survives.

In 1941 Ayres was sent to Colet Court, the junior school for St Paul's, in Hammersmith, where on her eleventh birthday she finally learnt to read.

Joseph was first presented as a 15-minute pop cantata at Colet Court School in London in 1968 and was recorded as a concept album in 1969.

Colet cites four evils, referencing the Apostle, that constitute the corrupt, priestly living: devilish pride, carnal concupiscence, worldly covetousness, and worldly occupations.

While at St. Paul ’ s between 1505 and 1519, Colet used his preaching, administration, scriptural exegesis and education towards Church reform.

It represents his work, or as Colet said himself, he is “ speaking out of zeal, a man sorrowing for the ruin of the Church ”.

Furthermore, Colet stated that he came “… here today, fathers, to admonish you with all your minds to deliberate, in this your Council, concerning the reformation of the Church ”.

Erasmus likely portrayed Colet to show that one could be highly critical of the Church while still a loyal priest.

In the introductory paragraph, Colet concludes by stating that his presence is due to the need for the Council to consider a Church reformation.

Colet explains that the priests should set an example for others as be a beacon of light, because if they are instead figures of darkness, the Church will be engulfed by darkness.

Colet states that: “ every corruption, all the ruin of the Church, all the scandals of the world, come from the covetousness of priests ”.

Colet distrusted the Church as a managing body for his school, declaring that he " found the least corruption " in married laymen.

There are four schools in the town ; The John Hampden School, named after politician and English Civil War participant John Hampden, a community infant school with approximately 275 pupils aged 4 – 7, Wendover Church of England Junior School, a voluntary controlled junior school with approximately 360 pupils aged 7 – 11, The John Colet School, named after the Renaissance humanist John Colet, is a community secondary school with approximately 1100 pupils aged 11 – 18, Wendover House School a school for boys aged 11 – 16 who have special educational needs.

These reached their peak in the Renaissance and Wolfe particularly draws inspiration from the Renaissance humanists that supported the Catholic Church, such as Erasmus, Thomas More, Johann Reuchlin and John Colet.

In a letter addressed to me in 1888, Mr. Gladstone, whom I had asked in what sense he understood the existence of a spiritual continuity between the ancient Catholic Church and the existing Church of England, replied, In the Elizabethan interval, and before Anglicanism had a recognised existence as a form of thought, I should look for the spiritual continuity in men like Bernard Gilpin, as, before the Reformation, mainly in men like Colet.

To this day, Colet's achievement is celebrated by St Paul's School, St Paul's Girls ' School and Colet Court on John Colet Day at St Paul's Cathedral ( having begun in 2003 ).

First, in regard to pride of life, Colet believes that priests of the day were more consumed by the honor and dignity one could receive by being a part of the priesthood.

On his return to Oxford, full of the learning and imbued with the spirit of the Italian Renaissance, he formed one of the brilliant circle of Oxford scholars, including John Colet, William Grocyn and William Latimer, who are mentioned in the letters of Erasmus.

Colet influenced Erasmus, a key figure in Christian humanism.

His methods did much to influence Erasmus, who visited Oxford in 1498, and who later received an annuity from Colet.

Many opinions regarding Colet emerged due to this sermon, in addition to the biographical information described by Erasmus.

While Colet is not as well known a Christian humanist as Erasmus, his writings are reflective of Christian humanism.

Erasmus said of Colet: “ When I listen to Colet it seems to me that I am listening to Plato himself ”.

Scholars believed Colet strongly impacted Erasmus and the English Reformation.

Together with Lilye, Erasmus, and Wolsey, Colet produced materials forming the basis of the authorized Latin Grammar, used for centuries in the English schools.

A number of letters from Colet to Erasmus also survive.

This Brevissima Institutio, a sketch by Colet, corrected by Erasmus and worked upon by Lily, contains two portions the author of which is indisputably Lily.

Yonge was on terms of intimate friendship with Dean Colet, and was a correspondent of Erasmus.