November 22, 1521.
To his dearest Georg Spalatin.
1. hail. Please see to it, my dear Spalatin, that these two prefaces, the German one to the Gospels, the Latin one to the booklet of the monastic vows, are presented to the reader.
The documents that are to be added are to be carefully preserved, both by you and by Philip, so that they do not perish until I have finished the rest of the postilles on which I am now working.
*) This letter is found in Latin in the Ooä. len. a; k. 132; then in Aurifaber, vol. I, tot. 363and b "i De Wette, vol. II, p. 105. According to the latter we have translated.
I have heard from a vague and uncertain story that some of you have taken off your robe, and I feared that they might have done so out of a conscience that was not yet sufficiently fortified. This booklet has relieved me of this fear, so that through the reputation of my name, even if only slight, they could more easily get through to pious and honest people, as well as gain greater courage for themselves. It is clear that the monastic vow is a reprehensible one today, even if it is only because the word of God is not acted upon in the monasteries and mere human lies rule there.
1) i.e., the monastery at Wittenberg.