Respectable, highly learned Lord Chancellor etc. According to yesterday's order of my most gracious Elector and Lord, I hereby send you a list of my opinions. Firstly, that my most gracious Elector and Lord have a safe and good conscience against the repugnant princes' outrages, where it would be necessary to defend oneself, this is to be considered, as never before.
No one can deny that S. C. F. G., as a Prince of the Empire, has no sovereign on earth who has the right and power to punish or judge S. C. F. G., except for the Imperial Majesty himself; for all other princes and kings are either of equal or lesser status to S. C. F. G., who have no right or power over S. C. F. G..
2) Secondly, the C.F.G. is obligated to protect and handle her subjects against such princes, as Paul teaches, Rom. 13:4, that "temporal authority is God's servant to punish the wicked and protect the pious" etc. For if it is guilty of protecting against one or a few murderers, it is also guilty of protecting against many or great murderers. And there is no difference among the murderers, be he prince or countryman.
3 Thirdly, where these murderous princes or enemies pretend to attack S. C. F. G. out of Imperial Majesty's command, S. C. F. G. must again judge the conscience thus:
4 First of all, that H.C.F.G. is not obliged to believe or accept such an order, but to interpret it as a false, unjust and rebellious treachery, therefore that Imperial Majesty has promised to be a gracious master to H.C.F.G. and not to do anything against H.C.F.G. without previous address, as I hear that an answer has come from Spain. Upon such Imperial Majesty's promise S. C. F. G. must stand by such promise, as firmly and faithfully as they are obliged to hold Imperial Majesty to be true and honest, and not allow themselves to be turned back by any order until Imperial Majesty herself revokes such promise. For H. C. F. G. owes Imperial Majesty himself more to be believed than to all princes, especially more than to such suspicious enemies, who boast of their command as much as they like.
5. On the other hand, it is found in fact and leaves no doubt that such enemy princes' attack is carried out behind and without knowledge, will and command of Imperial Majesty, because they themselves testify that they want to issue such command only after such had counsel and redirection; It must be understood that such actions flow neither from divine nor human order, but from envious, rebellious, evil motives, for which they want to use Imperial Majesty as a cover of shame, against which all faithful and pious members of Imperial Majesty should act; for they do not do what they owe to Imperial Majesty, but Imperial Majesty shall be the cover of what they undertake maliciously.
6. the third is public in the whole
The Holy Roman Empire is aware that this mandate, issued at Worms, was not granted by the common estates of the Empire, but was also opposed by the highest and most courageous, so that there is no doubt that it is to be considered a mandate of the priests and not of the Emperor or the Empire; as it was also subsequently revoked at Nuremberg, request etc.
7. Therefore, out of pure malice, as a sham, which is known to all the world and is null and void, the ringleaders base themselves on the same; therefore, with a good conscience, before God and the world, all orders that may be issued on such a null and void mandate shall be considered unjust and as (such) that the Imperial Majesty does not do, nor can or will do, without any doubt; and that what the ringleaders do thereupon is to be regarded as a real insurrection and rebellion against the Empire and Imperial Majesty, to which not only no obedience is shown before God and the world, but also all kinds of resistance.
The fourth is the appeal and protest, which, if it were necessary for God's sake, would have to be settled with all the grace of my most gracious lord and with all kinds of displeasure against the ruffians and princes as the deceivers of imperial majesty and the whole empire's rebels, and whatever else serves this purpose, as there will be necessity and justice. However, much water will pass and the night deadline will become a year's deadline, if God wills it. But we hope and pray, because God has given us His word that there shall be no such trouble and justice etc.
(9) But to attack, and to try to forestall such counsel of the rulers by war, is not to be advised in any way, but is to be avoided in the highest possible way; for there is God's word, Matt. 26:52: "He that taketh the sword shall perish by the sword. Now there is no command here to use the sword, because the adversary's guilt and deed is not yet convinced, nor is it in daylight, and yet these enemy princes are not under the power of our most gracious Lord. For this would be a public punishment, even a vicious attack, on those who had not yet done anything public, nor were they convinced, and would thereby gain the right to be punished.
First of all, not only the appearance, but also the right of all things, to defend themselves as a matter of necessity against those who, without the Emperor's Majesty's command, seditiously attacked the innocent; for God can still well prevent their secret counsel.
(10) But if they were thus attacked, it could no longer be prevented, and would first of all come to pass. For just as now our defiance and consolation is that the enemy flocks, as the rebellious, want to attack my most gracious lord without all previous right and interrogation; so they would then again have the same defiance and consolation, that they would be attacked without all previous right, in addition as the innocent, who have not yet forfeited anything, and would be forced to defend themselves.
11. O protect God from the abomination; that would be fishing right in front of the Hamen (fishing rod), and using violence for right; no
greater disgrace could befall the gospel. For this would not be a peasants' revolt, but a princes' revolt, which would ruin Germany to the ground; which Satan would also like to see.
(12) But if my gracious lord the landgrave would not follow, but continue, my gracious lord is not bound to keep the covenant. For one must be obedient to God more than to men: so all covenants must suffer and abide by God and right above them, so that they do not do or undertake anything contrary to it.
If, however, my gracious lord, the Landgrave, or those of Magdeburg were to be attacked, my gracious lord is obliged by obligation of alliance, as for H. C. F. G. himself, to assist him and to act in the above-mentioned manner; for God will have kept faith and loyalty.