Luther intercedes for a prisoner, he gives thanks for a booklet sent to him by Hirschseld, in which he finds a reference to the King of England. In the postscript of the Anabaptist Claus Storch and some news.
The original is in the Anhaltisches Gesammt-Archiv. Printed by Aurifaber, vol. II, p. 91 d and 92 (he made a special letter out of the postscript); by De Wette, vol. II, p. 244 and in the Erlanger Briefwechsel, vol. IV, p. 1. Walch, who followed Aurifaber, also has the postscript as no. 106 of this appendix. We have transferred it here.
To the learned and godly man, Mr.
Georg Spalatin, preacher of the Word (a verbo) to the Elector of Saxony, his [friend] in the Lord.
JEsus.
Grace and peace! I knew that whatever I wrote against the King of England, the tasteless and poisonous Thomist, would annoy many. But I liked it that way, and it was necessary for many reasons. What I do, one does not know now, but will find out later.
Only one thing I bring forward, namely that I wish to know, indeed I ask, that you procure, if it can in any way be obtained from the prince, for that poor man, the Bohemian, who has now been imprisoned with us for sixteen weeks in a vile and filthy dungeon, that he be taken out and kept in the upper vault, with
kaoies, page. Now two pages are produced by one print at the same time, e.g. with A1 at the same time the page A 6d opposite to it; with Aid at the same time A 6a 2c., so that thus a ternio was finished in six prints, but the single sheet of two sheets or four pages in two prints. The "ten thousand pages" thus represent five thousand impressions. This will also be the opinion of the Erlanger Briefwechsel, vol. Ill, p. 436, note 5. - Köstlm, Martin Luther (3), vol. I, p. 808 aä. p. 600 says: that the above words are unclear; "because in reality, according to the judgment of experts at that time, could not be printed so quickly".
I want him to be kept in the strongest and safest way possible, bound in iron and chains, as he can only ever be, so that he can have a little air and light. I am very sorry for the man, and they drag the matter out, so that it is quite unreasonable that he should be tortured so cruelly for such a small fault. Do it, therefore, if you are able, and answer. The castles dare nothing without the prince's command, nor do they want to.
By the way, I thank Hirschfeld for the booklet he sent us, which elicited a laugh from many of us. But they criticized that the first king, who carries the coat of arms of the red heart, is missing. This I point to the foolishly confident king who boldly attacked me, and behold, he does not appear, and is made nothing by the pomposity and arrogance of his heart, according to the words [Luc. 1, 51]: "He scatters those who are confident in their hearts." Now there is no need for you to send me any more of the new coins; Lucas has brought me one as a gift from the prince. Fare well in the Lord. The New Testament will be finished on the day of Matthew [September 21]. Wittenberg, the fourth day of September.
Martin Luther.
There has been with us the prince of the prophets, Claus Storck, 1) who went along in the manner and dress of the men of war, whom we call "Lanzknecht", and had another with him in a long skirt and the Doctor Gerhard 2) of Cologne. And the man disagrees almost in all things with Marcus 3) and Thomas, and has dealt with nothing but infant baptism, and he seems to be driven by a reckless spirit, which does not even greatly esteem what he holds. Thus Satan has his game in men.
Count Georg von Wertheim 4) asks me for an evangelical preacher (evangelistam),
1) See St. Louis edition, vol. XX, introduction, p. 10b f.
2) Gerhard Westerburg. He remained a raving enthusiast even later. See Brismann's letter to Luther of Nov. 29, 1542, in Krafft's "Briefe und Documente," p. 84 f.
3) "Marcus" is Stübner; "Thomas" is Münzer.
4) He had been a member of the commission at the Diet of Worms, which demanded Luther. See Document No. 591 in this volume, Z3.
to whom he wants to give a hundred gold florins and feed him at his table. A very good example!
Gabriel, 5) who had put on his cap again in Neustadt, has now taken it off again and is staying in Düben.
To Philip was born one Hannah 6), a beautiful girl.
Johann Pomeranu's engagement has been canceled; 7) now he looks for another.
Let this sermon be given to the man whom you recommended to me the other day, the bookseller, namely to the one who delivered to me from you the Defence of Gallus, because I promised him at your request to give him this. Farewell.