January 20, 1526.
Translated from Latin.
Mercy and peace! I have written to Duke George in good hope, but I have deceived myself and humbled myself in vain; I will not answer him either. His lies and his insults do not challenge me. And why should I not suffer him (ferrem), since I have to suffer the children of my body, my Absalom, who resist me in the most furious way? namely, those sacramentalists, against whose nonsense I have to consider the papists as gentle people; that is how Satan attacks me through them. I did not believe before that Satan is such a malicious spirit, nor did I understand Paul's word [Eph. 6, 12]: "with the
evil spirits" 2c. But Christ lives. Now Theobald Billican, 4) preacher at Nördlingen, writes against Zwingli, Carlstadt and Oecolampad. 5) God is awakening his primeval against the new heretics. It is good hope; may Christ prosper. I too would write against them if I had time, but I will first see what this Lord will do.
I am glad that you like my book "that free will is nothing", but I expect the same or even more aerge- from that [Erasmus].
4) Born in Billigheim near Landau (Burkhardt p. 101).
5) This refers to Billican's letter to Urban Rhegius and his answer from it. Walch, old edition, vol. XVII, 1922, 1945.
*) This letter is found in Latin in Aurifaber, vol. II, lol. 310d and in De Wette, vol. Ill, p. 87. German in the Wittenberg edition (1569), vol. IX, p. 234; in the Jena edition (1556), vol. Ill, p. 214; in the Altenburg, vol. Ill, p. 337 and in oer Leipziger, vol. XIX, p. 365. We have retranslated according to De Wette.
res than from Duke George. For the poisonous snake will feel that it is hit and grabbed by the throat, and will not be moved by my modesty either. God grant that I am wrong, but I know the nature (ingenium) of man.
This section includes the following
Luther's letter to Amsdorf, January 2, 1526. In this volume, Appendix, No. 12.
Luther reports that he had written a humble and completely sincere letter to Duke George, but that he had received an extremely foolish answer, in which the boorish crudeness was revealed, which the Duke had inherited from his Bohemian blood and which was entirely worthy of him.
and the devil's tool, unless GOD changed him. Otherwise, there is nothing new here. Farewell and pray for me. Saturday after Antonii, in the year 1526.
Martin Luther.
two letters:
Luther's letter to Wenceslaus Link, about Christmas 1526. In this volume, Appendix, No. 11.
Luther's humble petition to the King of England had been answered by the latter in such a hostile manner that it seemed he was looking forward to an opportunity for revenge, as was Duke George.