Luther sends some letters back to Spalatin, reminds him of the delivery of the letter from the university and his letter to the Elector, in which he answers Cajetan's letter, and awaits Spalatin's verdict on the same. He is aware of the excommunication from Rome and is determined to then leave Wittenberg. Just then, the ^.uAU8tarm should be issued.
The original of this letter is in the Anhaltisches GesammtArchiv. Printed in Aurifaber, Vol. I, p. I04d; in Löscher's Ref.-Acta, Vol. II, p. 637; in De Wette, Vol. I, p. 188 and in Erlanger Briefwechsel, Vol. I, p. 303.
To his Georg Spalatin, the worthy and highly learned man, his best friend in Christ.
JEsus.
Hail! I am sending back to you 2) the letter of the pretended Bishop of Liège, 3) my dear Spalatin, and the other one of Crotus 4); but you will see to it that the most illustrious Prince gets to see the letter of the University and mine 5). I await your judgment on my answer, which I have given with reference to the letter of the legate, if it is not to be erased completely. Now my Acta [Augustana] are published.
2) The original has reruitto and so the Erlanger Briefwechsel; in the other editions: remitte.
3) It is Document No. 166 in this volume. It seemed so unbelievable to Luther that a bishop so openly denounced the abuses of the Roman court that he doubted the authenticity of the document.
4) Crotus Rubianus, actually Johann Jäger from Dornheim, Luther's study friend in Erfurt. The letter written from Italy to Luther in Augsburg no longer exists (Köstlin, Martin Luther, Vol. I, p. 286).
5) The letter from the university is No. 263 and Luther's No. 238 in this volume.