Luther reports on his work, and news.
A copy from the original of this letter can be found in Wolfenbüttel, Ooü. H<üin8t. 108,1.30 b. Printed in Ooklestinus, tom. I, col. 37; at Ln<ZÜ6U8, p. 89 at De Wette, vol. I V, p. 11 and in Erlanger Briefwechsel, vol. VII, p. 345.
Grace and peace in Christ! Of course, my dear Wenceslaus, you accuse me quite nicely of silence and even of negligence, that you might also be ready to accuse me with the suspicion, as if
1) Lindemann. The letter is not available. - The "Admonition to the Clergy" 2c. No. 1000 in this volume.
2) These "Landsknechte" are not (with Köstlin, Mart. Luth. [3], vol. II, p. 201) to be referred to the soldiers of the castle guard, who disturbed him by making noise, but (with Kolde, Mart. Luth., vol. II, p. 330) to the impetuous attacking thoughts.
3) Äl66ioian6N8ibu8 - Non6ÜuIan6N8ibu8, a play on words which can be rendered in German approximately by: Walen - Dahlen. - "Dahlen" occurs also otherwise with Luther for jackdaws.
4) According to the manuscript, only the Erlangen correspondence has the date: "May 28", all other editions May 8. The above date is made very probable by the fact that Luther states in this letter that he has almost completed the Jeremiah, while he mentions nothing about it in the letter to Melanchthon of May 12 (in the next number).
whether I accuse you because of the tragedy of that Moab 5) either of recklessness or outrageousness, since you yourself confess that, apart from the letter in which I asked you for Johann Ernst, 6) you also received four living and speaking letters 7). But I don't want to hold out on this reason for proof, you see, moreover, how much opportunity you show me here yourself to hurl everything back at you abundantly and forcefully, and you may also, even if you wrote many comments to me, never have answered these four letters of mine sufficiently.
I am indeed idle here and live splendidly, and have resolved to translate what is left of the prophets into the German language, and have already almost completed Jeremiah. Perhaps I will also scatter some little psalms among the people with the addition of my cogitatiunculis, so that I do not sit here in vain, and I will further write to you more often, if only messengers can be had. I have also set myself the task of preparing Aesop's fables 8) for the childish and coarse people, so that they can be of some use to the Germans. So I have something to do. I do not deny that I would have liked to see you; but what GOtte liked, I also like. I also know very well that I am completely useless on this journey, and perhaps I would have been more useful at home with my teachings, but I could not resist the one who called me.
I have no news from Wittenberg, except that Pomeranus writes that the gospel has also begun in Lübeck and is strongly attacking the Lüneburgers, and things are progressing peacefully and righteously in those cities. Thanks be to God! Furthermore, news of new events is awaiting you. I fear very much that Germany,
5) "Moab" is the Duke George. The "tragedy" is the incident which culminates in "Luther's writing of secret and stolen letters". See St. Louis edition, vol. XIX, introduction, p. 20 ff. and the writing itself, idiä. Col. 518.
6) No. 917 in this volume.
7) Thus, in a letter to Eoban Hesse in Nuremberg of April 23, 1530 (De Wette, Vol. IV, p. 6), Luther names those mentioned in the above-mentioned letter No. 917, namely Melanchthon, Jonas, Eisleben and Spalatin.
8) St. Louis edition, vol. XIV, 792.
especially the upper one, deserves a strong judgment from God because of the blasphemies, murders, contempt and other abominations against the Word of God, which increase daily, and the Turk does not defend himself in vain. May God have mercy on us! Fare well in the Lord and pray for me again, as I pray for you. Greet your darling and your meadowlings, that is, your daughters and their mother. From the Diet of the Jackdaws, which is held here. May 28, 1530.
Your Martin Luther.