In it, the king tries to persuade him to eradicate the Lutheran heresy, as he calls it, and to destroy Luther and his books by force.
Greenwich, May 20, 1521.
Translated from the Latin by Spalatin.
To the most holy and most powerful Lord Carl, by favor of divine goodness Roman King, chosen Emperor, at all times Major of the Empire, and to Hispania, both Sicily, Arragon, Castile 2c. King, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, Brabant, Counts of Flanders 2c., our most beloved uncle and ally, Henry, by the grace of God King of England and France, and Lord of Hibernia, wishes the blessedness and constant increase of brotherly love and loyalty.
Although we consider that the Lutheran pestilence, poison and death, is now better known to the whole world, than that it may henceforth poison a Christian man with a few falsities and fabrications: Nevertheless, it is to be feared, if it were permitted to rage and rage further with invented guile and preconceived treachery, to pervert the holy laws and rights, to deny the holy fathers' decrees and to tear the unseamed skirt of our Lord JEsu Christ (as it is subjected to by the devilish inspirations) in the most cruel manner and to
He will henceforth lead into captivity some who follow after-talk and innate hatred rather than Christian truth, or rather, as the unlearned and those who are inclined to believe this deceitful, seductive man, who alone shows the appearance of a God-fearing man, together with him, to cut off their own necks and deprive them of their salvation. Therefore, we ask, admonish and remind Your Imperial Majesty, as sincerely as we are able, to root out this weed and poisoned heresy, to show a Christian prince's duty, office and aim in a bold and stately manner, and to consider that she may not prove a more pleasant service to the Almighty God than when she will endeavor to do so, to root out this weed from the Christian Commun (as we are undoubtedly hoping to do in the near future), to drive this fragile, sick and mischievous sheep from the Christian faith far and wide and to chase it away, and not to suffer and allow such a great heresy to be attributed to the German bloodline.
*This letter is found in Cyprian's "Nützliche Urkunden zur Reformations-Geschichte", Theil II, p. 222 in Latin, and in German after Spalatin's translation.
That the divine teaching and commandment of the saints be interpreted by the schismatic, unpeaceful and deceitful man, out of the hope of his senseless mind, and that the holy and many hundred years outdated ceremonies and customs and worship be diminished, or else destroyed; Yes, rather, cut off and cut off in time this impure and stubborn member from the noblest part of the corpse, and the heretical and harmful books, because there is no hope of salvation, together with Luther, as much as possible, with the fire, and sword, if he converts and improves himself, and no longer allow such a great pestilence, which is to be hated and cursed at all times, to grow up and spread with impunity. To what so holy and such a work, which is good for a Christian mind and heart, if not our petition, nor the brotherly and pure remembrance and admonition, nor the most inward and great covenant, should move the same your highness: so they should at least the increase of the holy right faith, the love of the Christian fear of God, the bond of the Christian confession, the common blessedness of all of us,
and, finally, to kindle the love that we all owe to Almighty God to confront and control this rampant disease. For that we advise this to Your Most Holy Majesty, we are moved by no other cause than that we desire to maintain the honor and dignity of the Holy Church and the Papal See whole and unharmed, and to be driven away from the German nation, which is otherwise a most solid fortress of the Christian faith, such a great stain, dishonor and disgrace. If, then, Your Imperial Majesty will bear and bring forth the fruits of the most God-fearing mind, which has been hoped for, and prove that she is worthy of such a great and high status, which she has attained by divine endowment, to which we want to give assistance at all times, with our council, our fortune and our blood, to carry out such an excellent and fine work, if necessity so requires. Your most holy majesty, whom the almighty God will be pleased to protect and handle for the increase of the Christian faith for a long time.
From our Royal Castle Greenwich, on the twentieth day of May, Anno 1521.