Preface by D. Martini Luther.
1. among the Germans is a proverb, which means: an obvious lie is not worth an answer. Because the impudent mouth and heart of Witzel, against his own conscience, even obviously lies in his blasphemy booklet, that [it] even his papists themselves would have to take hold of it, if they were equal, I have
I did not consider the reckless boy worthy of answering his lies; for I have answered for such books many, many times with silence, and as a goose whistle let them rush by, but have not wanted to defend myself where someone else wanted to answer. For this reason, I have had this booklet deleted.
2. although I am told, and I want to do it easily
Aegidius Faber, who was one of the first "proclaimers" of the Gospel in Mecklenburg, published the book entitled: "Von dem falschen Blut vnd Abgott jm Thum zu Schwerin. With a beautiful preface by D. Mart. Imth. By M. Egidium Fabrum. Wittemberg. MDXMiij." 7 quarto sheets. At the end: "Printed at Wittemberg by Nickel Schirlentz. DDXXXIII (them)." In the collections, the preface is found: in the Wittenberg (1559), vol. XII, p. 356; in the Jena (1568), vol. VI, p. Ill; in the Altenburg, vol. VI, p. 119; in the Leipzig, vol. XXII, appendix, p. 106; and in the Erlangen, vol. 63, p. 312.
*Georg Witzel was at first a follower of the Reformation, for ten years, and, as such, preacher at Niemeck. Then, however, he fell away to the papists and found his supply by Cardinal Albrecht at Mainz. Agricola is the Latin for George, and Phagus he called himself from his birthplace Vach in Hesse. Now he attacked the Lutheran doctrine fiercely because of doctrine and life. Probably the writing to which Raida's answer refers is the coacervatio locorum utriusque testamenti de absoluta necessitate bonorum a fide operum, which appeared in Leipzig in 1532. Raida's answer is entitled: "Widder das lester vnd lügen büchlin Agricole Phagi, genant Georg Witzel. Answer, Balthassar Raida pfarherr zu Hirsfeld. Preface by D. Martin Luther. Wittemberg
332 Erl. 63, 317-319. Prefaces on the writings of others. W. xiv, 304-306. ZZZ
believe that the Cardinal of Mainz's Tellerlecker, called Doctor Toad 1), is said to have put a lot of his poison into this booklet, which also once began to whistle a dance; and since the whistle was tuned differently than he had intended, and he had now ruined the dance, he became insane, and became worried that he would also be expelled from the Halle Dishlickery, and not find the fool at the Cardinal that he is looking for, he would like to avenge his wrath, and cool his troubles on us, and yet, praise God! he can accomplish nothing.
(3) And indeed, because the pope together with his own have hitherto raged and raged with lies, murders and burnings against God and his word, as it befits their holiness to bear such figs and grapes, I do not begrudge them that our false brothers and poisonous toads run away from us and join them; for in such churches such saints, like and like, gladly belong. I have long since felt a dizziness and a grimace in my body, but now that such worms and toads are leaving me below and above, I realize what I was missing, and I have become better; just hurry out, what does not want to stay, here no one holds the other.
(4) But such an example is good for a warning, that one may learn from it what a shameful wretch is the belly that makes such peelers and knaves for the sake of licking plates, so that one may see that the wise man's teaching of Sirach
1) "Doctor Toad" is Rabianus Crotus.
is true, since he says Cap. 40, 30. f.: "He who takes comfort in a strange table does not think to feed himself with honor; he must also sin for the sake of strange food. Therefore a sensible, wise man isware of it." Item [P. 32.]: "Such begging (or plate-licking) is well pleasing to the insolent mouth, but at last he will get a nasty fever from it." Here they stand finely painted, the lazy rogues, who do not want to feed themselves with work, but seek their pleasure with hypocrisy, lies and after-talk at the tables of the rich, and it is called a life, since they feed themselves with sins. Just as the lewd women, and the common women's innkeepers, feed on sins. Vide, cibus quid facit alienus [See what foreign food does].
(5) But I would like to see that both, bishops and princes, once order such ass-writers to stop, because they know well that such writing has been nothing else so far, nor can it be more than blowing into the fire, which is now somewhat quenched by the pious Emperor Carol and buried in the ashes. If the buntings will be picked up again and a lot of wind blown into them, they may wait and see whose eyes will be struck by the sparks; if a fire also arises from this, then I will be excused; and I will have warned them faithfully. We know all too well how all their things stand, and our stock is still whole, and we still have feathers and ink, whether their skin itches too much for us to scratch it. But I advise peace, and may the merciful God grant it to us, amen.
MDXXIII." 6 quarto sheets. At the end: "Printed at Wittemberg by Nickel Schirlentz." With two larger silences, the same preface by Luther is found before another text which Raida published at Erfurt in 1539: Concordia und Vergleichung der Papisten, Wiedertäufer, Rotten, Wicelianer und Lutheraner in und mit der heiligen Catholischen Christlichen Kirchen an die zwei Abt zu Fulda und Hersfeld. Our preface is found in the Wittenberg edition (1559), vol. XII, p. 356V; in the Jena edition (1568), vol. VI, p. 112; in the Altenburg edition, vol.VI. p. 120; in the Leipzig edition, vol. XXII, appendix, p. 107; and in the Erlangen edition, vol. 63, p. 316.