April 24, 1523.
Most Serene, Highborn Elector! My submissive, obedient and always willing services are ready for your Electoral Grace with diligence, most gracious Elector and Lord. Ew. Churfürstl. Grace I humbly inform you that I rode out to Nuremberg next Monday 3) and the English herald with me; have come here today towards Gera. In the meantime, I have made an effort to find out from him (but without noting it, as if I knew enough) what the things are for which he has been dispatched, but so far I have not heard anything special, for yesterday alone he indicated to me from his own motion, among other speeches, that he had orders from his King to send a letter to Your Electoral Grace as his friend. Grace, as his friend,
3) April 20, 1523.
much good to say, and that the King kindly commands and commends himself to Ew. Gnaden friendly and commendable. On the other hand, he would have a treasure, which he should hand over to Ew. Gn. and ask him to accept it as a favor. Thirdly, he has several letters belonging to Ew. Gn., which he should also hand over and ask for a friendly answer. This would be his order and nothing more, but if he were asked for something, he would also report as much as he knew. Today he also let himself be heard, saying that he could not be a good man, since he had previously been with Ew. Gn. and would have received a good answer. He was also asked whether the king was displeased with the booklet that Luther had made against him; he said that in England there was no mention of it at all, that people there did not respect it at all. At Nuremberg I was told that
*) This letter is found in Cyprian's "Nützliche Urkunden zur Ref.-Gesch.", Vol. II, p. 267.
says that the pope should have made a booklet 1) . Against Luther, and attributed it to the King of England, in which he calls him defensorem Ecclesiae and the most Christian king, with much other praise, which the Pope should ascribe to him, which booklet the herald should hand over to His Holiness the Prince. Gn., but I do not know the actual reason. He praises the House of Saxony almost highly, says that the King of England is of the tribe, and of the Dukes of Saxony origin, and gives many good words; but whether it is serious, I do not know. The herald knows French, English, because he is from England, Lombard, Welsh; but not almost perfect, because he also mixes other languages at times; he also knows Dutch German, but not well, and no Latin; I am willing, God willing, to go with him to Grimm on Saturday morning, where I want to keep him for a day, so that he rests there, so that he does not go to Your Lordship without prior knowledge. Grace, so that he does not come to Your Lordship! Grace. Margrave Joachim is here today.
1) This refers to the diploma that the Pope issued to the King of England for the title "Protector of the Faith" attached to him. To this the pope wrote an accompanying letter, in which he praised the king's book beyond all measure and declared it to be a work that had come about through the assistance of the Holy Spirit.
and lies today at Zeiz, has taken its way from Nuremberg to Culmbach. The Duke of Pomerania also went out next Monday to Nuremberg up to Forchheim, and Duke Henry of Mecklenburg on Tuesday up to Bamberg, there they have come together, and are now moving with each other, I understand, will lie today to the new town. The affair between the appointed princes and princes has remained unresolved in kindness, and in the end they have parted, but one with more grief than the other, as I have told Your Lordship. God willing, I still want to report. If the two main faults, avarice and greed, had not been at hand, we would have been able to well tolerate the error, but these two always interfered and prevented the direction, all of which I, out of courtesy to Your Lordship, have been able to report to you. I did not want to behave out of submissive obedience, because the same Ew. I am willing to do so without hesitation and with diligence. Date Gera on Friday after Misericordias Dom. Anno 1523.
Ew. Churfürst! Yours sincerely, obedient
Hans von der Planitz, Knight.
He is well acquainted with the French language, as I note, so he will make his application to Your Electoral Grace in French. Grace in French.