To the most learned collegiate and supposed poet of Leipzig, Johann 3) Miritionos.
1. we add to you, you most learned collegiate and supposed poet, to know that to the heretic Martin Luther your other present book 4) has been given before us; and he does not want to give us
3) His name is: Joachim.
4) This is the second edition of the book of Myricianus (Joachim von der Heyden): "Ein Sentbrief, Kethen von Bhore, Luthers vormeynthem eheweybe sampt eynem geschenck freuntlicher mehnung tzuvorfertigt".
But he said, "The donkey's head illuminates itself all too well, and threw it into a corner. But we wonder at your great ingratitude, that you first learned through our illuminating, how you are too little of things, and do not understand them, as you now testify of yourself, 5) and do not like us for it.
5) This is done in the "condition" attached to the "Sentbrief, Kethen von Bhore" etc. "In this condition, Myricianus says that he is too little to disputiren with Luther.
But if we did not spare your presumed poetry, we would say that you are a dishonorable, lying knave, who, as a common judge, publicly condemns a pious woman before all the world and shouts her out for a faithless, perjured, runaway whore, and yet you say that you do not know and do not understand the matter. Where did you learn the virtue of defiling people, and yet you confess that you do not understand and are too ignorant of the matter? We are surprised that you should be so bold as to walk the streets of Leipzig, where there are so many good, honest citizens, and in the high school so many exquisite men, doctors, magistrates and students, against whom you can be counted no more than horse manure among apples.
2. Nor is your arrogance so great that you, filth and stink of the praiseworthy city and highly famous school, break out alone, and sing under the beautiful apples of Leipzig, Nos poma natamus, 1) as if you were the one jewel of Leipzig, and the others were all filth and muck against you; from which one may well feel that you coarse snotspoon and donkey's head have never learned either discipline or honor, and do not respect such fine people, whom you should take to counsel in your writing, or grab your hat against them. Thou shouldst sweat with shame when thou lookest at a house in Leipzig, and think that stone and wood would see thine iniquity, and spy upon thee. But because you are a supposed poet, we want to keep quiet about this, otherwise you might become angry and proceed against the blasphemers. Therefore we are afraid, and consider it better to have your friendship, and ask you to be merciful to us. And as a sign of our humility, we hereby send you a friendly gift, a new fable, so that your poetry may have a matter to practice and gain honor.
3) For we have seen, because thou Oecolampad, spread with rods, 2) hast denied that thine
1) The full meaning of this proverb is: We apples swim, said the horse manure, when he swam under the apples.
idle art seeks cause to prove itself. But allow you, as a supposed poet, where you want to make such fables into verses or feet, that you may well put five feet in a verse 3) or even seven, and not, as more arid poets do, only need six feet. How else would you be a supposed poet? So you also have good examples. If a horse has only four feet, and a caterpillar twenty, shouldn't your poetry make as many feet as it wants? A louse has six feet, therefore all other poets are vain lousy verses, with their six feet. Miritionos alone is a traveling poet, with feet as he pleases. But if thou canst not break thy wrath, and wilt eat us, we pray thee, if thou wilt lift up the bottom of the seat, then thou wilt keep cornpest and mustard beforehand.
The illuminists of the books Miritiani.
A new fable Aesopi, recently found translated, of the lion and the donkey.
The old lion fell ill and called upon all the animals to hold his last imperial diet and to appoint his heir, the young lion, as king in his place. The animals came obediently and accepted the old lion's last will. But when the old lion died, and was buried gloriously, as befits a king, some unfaithful, false advisors of the old king, whom the old king had done much good and helped to great honors, came forward: Nolumus hunc regnare super nos; they pointed out how cruelly the lions had ruled until now, how they tore and devoured the innocent animals, so that no one could be safe from them; as it then happens that all good things are kept silent, and only the worst things are spoken of by the overlords.
2nd From this speech there was a great murmur among all the estates of the kingdom; some of them wanted to keep the young lion, but the
3) In the original: "in one verse". -In the five distichs which have the superscription: ckouaUirni M^ricnuni IMri8om^86N8i8 äst I^utUsrurn odsurZatio, the third hexameter is one foot too short.
Several parts also wanted to try another. Finally, they were asked together to choose the full word of the majority and to put an end to the matter. Then the false, unfaithful councilors had made the fox the speaker, who was to speak before the estates of the kingdom, and gave fine instructions and lessons on how he should propose the donkey. At first it was ridiculous to the fox himself that a donkey should be king; but when he heard their concern about how freely they could live under the donkey, and would like to rule it as they wished, the mischievous man put up with it, and helped faithfully, fasted the matter as he wanted to present it nicely.
(3) And he came out before the people of the kingdom, and reproached them, and commanded silence, and began to speak of the kingdom's distress and grievous things, but drove the whole speech to the effect that the king's fault had been, and so nullified the lion's sex that the people fell away altogether. But since there was a great doubt as to which animal should be chosen, he again ordered silence and listening, and gave the donkey's gender, and spent about an hour on the donkey's praise, how the donkey was neither proud nor tyrannical, did a lot of work, was patient and humble, let another animal also be something, and did not have much to offer, was also not cruel, did not eat the animals, let him be content with little honor and interest. When the fox noticed that this tickled the mob and pleased them, he made the right addition and said: "About this, dear sirs, we have to think that he might also be ordained and created for this by God, which could be noticed by the fact that he carries a cross on his back forever.
4th When the fox remembered the cross, all the estates of the kingdom sat down before it, and fell down with a great noise, saying, Now have we found the right king, which can destroy both the temporal and spiritual government. Then each one praised something about the donkey; one said, he had fine long ears, which were good for hearing confessions; the other said, he also had a good voice, which was well suited for preaching and singing in the churches. There was nothing about the whole donkey that was not worthy of royal and papal honors. But above all other virtues, the cross on the donkey shone.
Back. So the donkey was chosen as king among the animals.
The poor young lion went miserable and sorrowful, as an outcast orphan from his hereditary kingdom, until some old, faithful, pious councilors (who were sorry for such trade) took pity on him, and discussed how it was a blasphemous sin that one should let the young king be so shamefully outcast, his father had not deserved such for them. It should also not happen in the kingdom, as the fox and his companions wanted, who sought their own courage and not the kingdom's honor. They gathered themselves together and asked the imperial estates to come forward with something necessary. Then the eldest, who was an old dog, a loyal advisor to the old lion, came out and told with a beautiful speech how such a choice of the donkey would be too easy and too hasty, and the lion would have done a great injustice; not all that glitters there would have to be gold.
(6) The ass, even if it had the cross on its back, could be a sham and nothing behind it, as all the world is deceived by glitter and good appearances. The lion would have proved his virtue by his deed, but the donkey would have proved no deed; therefore they should take care that they do not choose a king who is no more than a carved image, which might well bear a cross. And if there were a war, they would not know what the vain cross could do for them, if there were nothing more behind it.
Such a serious, brave speech of the dog moved Omnes. The fox and the unfaithful robbers were afraid, pretending that what had been decided in the kingdom should remain; but the crowd was nevertheless moved by the fact that the donkey had never proved anything with the deed, and that the cross might well have deceived them; and yet they could not go back with the election. Finally, since the dog pressed so hard for the deed and for the false appearance of the cross, it was granted by his suggestion that the donkey should fight with the lion for the kingdom, whoever would win would be king; they could not do otherwise now, because the election had taken place in the kingdom. Then the young lion regained his heart, and all the pious subjects had great hope. But the fox hung his tail with his companions, and took care of himself.
not much chivalrous fight to their new king, unless it wanted to ring with Farzens, or with Distelfressens. The day of battle was set, and all the animals came to the square; the fox held fast to the donkey, the dog to the lion.
8th The donkey let the lion choose the fight. The lion said, "Well, he who jumps over this brook, so that he does not wet a foot, shall be the winner. But it was a big brook. The lion took to it and jumped over it as a bird would fly over it. The donkey and the fox thought: Well, we have not been kings before, dare wins, dare loses; he had to jump, and jumped into the middle of the brook, like a block falling into it. Then the lion jumped around on the bank and said: I mean yes, the foot is wet. But now look what luck and cunning can do. A small fish had gotten tangled in the donkey's ear under the water and was caught; when the donkey crawled out of the brook and the animals had laughed themselves to pieces, the fox saw that the donkey was shaking the fish out of his ear and said, "Now be quiet and listen.
(9) Where then are they that despise the cross, that it can prove no virtue? My lord, King Donkey, says: He would have jumped over the brook, but that would have been a bad art for him to prove the virtue of his cross, as the lion and other animals do without a cross; but he saw a little fish in the brook while jumping, so he jumped after it, and that the miracle of his cross would be all the greater if he did not see it with his mouth or paws, but with his ears: let the lion also do this, and then be king. But I think he should not catch a fish with his mouth and all four legs, if he would go after it, let alone jump. The fox made a fuss again with such talk, and the cross wanted to win badly. The hound was annoyed by the luck, but much more that the false fox with his fox tail thus fooled the bunch, began to bark, it would have been schlnmps so gerathen, and no wonder.
010 But lest the bite of the fox and the hound should cause a disturbance, it was thought good that the lion and the hound should be kept away.
Donkeys went alone to a place and fought there.
(11) They went to a wood, to the kingdom's escort and peace. The lion who sows the most agile animal is the one who counts," said the lion. And he ran into the wood and hunted until he saw a hare. The lazy donkey thought that the kingdom would cost me too much trouble, that he should have no peace with the wise man, and he lay down in the sun and lapped at it with his tongue: 1) Then a raven came, thinking that it was a carrion, and sat down on his lips and wanted to eat, but the donkey snapped at him and killed the raven. 2) When the lion came running happily with his hare, he found the raven in the donkey's mouth, and was frightened; in short, it was lost, and now he himself began to dread the cross of the donkey, but he did not like to leave the kingdom, and said: "Dear donkey, there is still one thing for the sake of good fellows, all good things should come in threes. The donkey did half of it out of fear, because he was alone with him, and accepted it.
012 And the lion said, Beyond the mountain is a mill: he that getteth there first shall have the spoil: wilt thou go down thither, or over the mountain? And the ass said, Run thou over the mountain. The lion, as in the last fight, ran as far as he could run. The donkey stood still and thought: I will become a mockery, and make my legs tired when I run; so I realize that the lion does not begrudge me the honor, so I will not work in vain. When the lion comes over the mountain, he sees a donkey standing in front of the mill. Has the devil already brought you here? Well, once more back to our place; but when he comes over again, he sees the donkey standing there; for the third time also (he said) back to the mill, there he sees the donkey standing there for the third time, and must give the donkey victory, and confess that the cross is not to be joked with. So the donkey remained king, and to this day his family reigns mightily in the world among the animals.
1) In the original: lechet.
2) Marginal gloss in the original: Hie sähet Miritianus die Collegiatur zu Leipzig, ,
To the strict and firm H. V. B., 1) my favorable master and dear brother.
1. my willing service before. Kind sir and dear brother! The other booklet of Miritianus, which you sent to me, has come to me, if it is another booklet, because methinks it is the previous one; perhaps they were not able to expel the first one, that necessity forced them to decorate the last sixth under another veil. Or perhaps Miritianus' art has become so light that it has dried up so soon and can no longer do anything. The dear spoons have done a fine job, they themselves confess that they are too little in the matter, and yet they have taken the liberty of writing against this matter. They should have this in mind, and write what they can, as Horatius teaches them: Versate diu quid valeant humeri.
I am surprised that the rector of the university does not forbid the fools their foolish writing, so that they brew vain shame, as you also indicate in your letter. But you are also too Lutheran, and make too much of the mockery of our Leipzig poets. They are not all Miritian in Leipzig, they themselves have his poetry for foolishness and children's work. I was recently in a good company, where Miritianus had to be the show dinner: some cursed him, some called him not Miritianus, but Miritionos. (Some thought that if Duke George knew that he was such a proud donkey, he would take away his collegiate position and ban him from the city. It was their common complaint that they had to be ashamed of the Miritionos among learned people everywhere.
I wanted to speak his best, and said that he had, in addition to his writing, translated Ambrosii's epistle and let it go, which should be spared; then I arrived right. Yes, they said, you really hit the nail on the head, it
1) Regarding "H. V. B." Seidemann remarks in his ^Erläuterungen zür Reformationgeschichte", p. 151: "It rst ein Irrthum der beiden Walchs fVater und Sohn], wenn sie glauben, eben dieser Brief sei von Luther an seinen Schwager Hans von Bora." Walch XIV, preface p. 49. Walch ülius: "Wahrhaftige Geschichte der seligen Frau Catharina von Bora" etc. Second edition, Halle 1752,
Miritionos did not have enough to prove his ass's head to Luther, he must also prove it to St. Ambrose, Ambrose writes of a nun who had become a whore, so Miritionos shows it on a married nun; that can be a coarse ass, who considers whores and pious wives to be the same. They also said how pointed and scornful the Lutherans at Wittenberg are on them, who scold married nuns for whores; pretending that such is rather the pope disgraced, than the Luther. And showed me how Luther recently let out a booklet in which he proves that the pope himself often allowed monks and nuns to marry.
If some nuns are whores, let the pope be the cause, teacher, father and patron of such whores. He who scolded Luther must also scold the pope; that is why Miritionos, with his book, has defiled the pope in the highest way; and if he should leave Luther's name outside and write to Rome that married nuns are whores, the pope should learn to write to him and his masters what married nuns are.
(5) And it seems shameful to me that a nun whom the pope marries should be called a pious woman, and if others do, she should be called a whore. The pope himself misleads us with his dispensations, so that I almost do not know who is cook or waiter, without realizing that whoever wants to consider the pope right is dangerous to attack Luther, because the pope himself considers it right to do and to leave what Luther teaches to do and to leave. They let me read a letter from Wittenberg, in which it was stated that Luther has nothing better than that the papists write, scold and curse much and confidently against both forms and the marriage of the clergy, because he speaks: they put him to the trouble of not being allowed to write against the pope, they do him a service by it, scold their own head and lord, bite and devour each other because they do not write anything against him that is not also against the pope, their own teacher, and laugh at the fine disciples and students who thus pay their own master with blasphemy.
6. neither did they think that the epistle
784 Erl. 64, 336 f. 346. L.'s Mtheil von öffentl. Schriften in Privatsachen. W. XIV, 1346 si. 1357 f. 785
St. Ambrose was a fine, brave man, because he should have written such a clumsy epistle. They also did not like to think that it was St. Jerome's epistle, although he is in the habit, when he is angry, of judging the beam in other people's eyes so sharply, and all the Scriptures that speak of Christianity point to physical virgins, and what the words of God say about faith, he points with his hair to virginity, which is very bad for a Christian teacher. Therefore, they consider it to be a heretic's epistle, sold under Jerome's name, from the Pelagian or Novatian sects. I like it most of all that he rages and rages, not like a teacher, but like a devil, over the fall of the flesh, as if heaven and earth had collapsed, and should probably provoke more despair than repentance.
(7) Such a teacher should have the devil as his disciple, and not a poor sinner or fallen man. After all, there is neither measure nor end to the fear, rebuke, terror and condemnation, as if he wanted the poor sinner or fallen man.
Whore into the abyss of hell. And on the other hand, there is not a comforting word of the forgiveness of sins to keep the poor damned conscience from despair. No teacher, not even Jerome himself, no matter how angry he is, has ever stormed the tenth part against murder, even against heresy, or against sin in the Holy Spirit, which are a hundred times more serious, as this soul murderer storms against a poor female, frail vessel.