Luther indicates his return to Wittenberg; that those which the prince did not want to be published are now finally being printed with his permission. He complains about Cajetan's malicious letter to the Elector, but has answered it properly. The Elector wishes to have him removed, and therefore a meeting with Spalatin has taken place in Lichtenberg, but his departure for France is being resisted. The Erfurt fathers do not want Johann Lang to receive his master's degree.
Handwritten, this letter is in the Oo6. cken. k. 24, 1. 178. Printed in Aurifaber, vol. I, p. 101 (without date); in Löscher's Ref.-Acta, vol. II, p. 639 (presumably dated Dec. 7 without giving a reason); in De Wette, vol. I, p. 194 and in Erlanger Briefwechsel, vol. I, p. 319 (Dec. 13 after Eocl. cken.).
To the venerable and dear Father Johann Staupitz, Vicar of the Augustinian Hermits, his most beloved Father in Christ.
JEsus.
I came to Wittenberg at the beginning of the holy evening before All Saints, happy and healthy, venerable and dear father, but I came against everyone's expectation, but afterwards I found this shameful case, and immediately I was sorry that I had arrived. May the Lord have mercy on us.
2) The prince has absolutely objected to my [Augsburg] Acta being published; now he has finally allowed it, and now they are being printed. 1) In the meantime, the reverend Lord Legate has written a lengthy letter to the prince, 2) in which he accuses me and you and my comrades (as he calls them) horribly, because we left without his knowledge, and complains that this is a fraudulent act. Finally, he has advised that he may send me to Rome or expel me from his lands, so that
1) namely with the approval of the Elector, which, as we see from No. 26, was not yet available on December 9. Thereupon, in the already completed copies, the blackening of the objectionable passage in Document No. 177 in this volume will have been carried out, and the printing of further copies, with their omission, will have been permitted. Already on Dec. 11, Luther sent a copy to Link. See No. 24 of this appendix.
2) No. 237 in this volume.
he does not (these are his words) bring a stain on his honor for the sake of a little brother, and says that they will pursue the matter in Rome, 3) because he has written my fraudulent action to Rome and washed his hands. The prince wanted me to answer this letter, and so I did, 4) and, as I believe, gave him his fee.
But the prince is very concerned for me, but he would rather that I had a place elsewhere. He had M. Spalatin in Lichtenberg, where I was appointed, talk to me about this matter for a long time. I said: If the Baun comes, I will not stay; and he advised me not to go so quickly to France. I am still waiting for his advice. But farewell, my dearest father, and command only my soul to Christ. I see that they have made a firm resolution to condemn me, but Christ again strengthens in me the resolution not to give way. Let it be done, let his holy and blessed will be done. Pray for me.
4 I ask you, what kind of absurdity are the fathers at Erfurt up to, that they do not want to let the father Vicarius, the Licentiate, 5) come to the Magister dignity? how long, I ask you, shall this peculiar nature and this disobedience last? For I forgot this, since I was with you and wanted to talk to you as much as possible. Our university is doing well, except that the best lessons do not have enough hours. On the day of Lucia [13 December] 1518.
Your Martin Luther, a poor man.