<P> When the city of Basel definitely adopted the Reformation in 1529, Erasmus gave up his residence there and settled in the imperial town of Freiburg im Breisgau . </P> <P> Certain works of Erasmus laid a foundation for religious toleration and Ecumenism . For example, in De libero arbitrio, opposing certain views of Martin Luther, Erasmus noted that religious disputants should be temperate in their language, "because in this way the truth, which is often lost amidst too much wrangling may be more surely perceived ." Gary Remer writes, "Like Cicero, Erasmus concludes that truth is furthered by a more harmonious relationship between interlocutors ." Although Erasmus did not oppose the punishment of heretics, in individual cases he generally argued for moderation and against the death penalty . He wrote, "It is better to cure a sick man than to kill him ." </P> <P> A test of the Reformation was the doctrine of the sacraments, and the crux of this question was the observance of the Eucharist . In 1530, Erasmus published a new edition of the orthodox treatise of Algerus against the heretic Berengar of Tours in the eleventh century . He added a dedication, affirming his belief in the reality of the Body of Christ after consecration in the Eucharist, commonly referred to as transubstantiation . The sacramentarians, headed by Œcolampadius of Basel, were, as Erasmus says, quoting him as holding views similar to their own in order to try to claim him for their schismatic and "erroneous" movement . </P> <P> When his strength began to fail, he decided to accept an invitation by Queen Mary of Hungary, Regent of the Netherlands, to move from Freiburg to Brabant . However, during preparations for the move in 1536, he suddenly died from an attack of dysentery during a visit to Basel . He had remained loyal to the papal authorities in Rome, but he did not have the opportunity to receive the last rites of the Catholic Church; and whether he asked for a priest or not is nowhere mentioned in the reports of his death . According to Jan van Herwaarden, this is consistent with his view that outward signs were not important; what mattered is the believer's direct relationship with God, which he noted "as the (Catholic) church believes". However, Herwaarden observes that "he did not dismiss the rites and sacraments out of hand but asserted a dying person could achieve a state of salvation without the priestly rites, provided their faith and spirit were attuned to God ." He was buried with great ceremony in Basel Minster (the former cathedral) there . </P>

How did erasmus laid the egg that luther hatched