Intercession for the orphans of Mr. Paul Knod, that the prescribed fiefs may be left undiminished to them.
The original in Canzleihand (the signature of "E. C. F. G." on is original) is in the Weimar Archives, Reg. Mm, fol. 48. N. 29. Printed by Burkhardt, p. 489.
God's grace through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, our Savior, beforehand. Most noble, highborn, most gracious Prince and Lord! After Mr. Pauli Knod, 1) blessed, abandoned children's guardians reported to us how E. C. F. G., at the submissive request of the heads of the common estate at Torgau, ordered to assign the reported heads to the fief, which Mr. Paul Knodt at Torgau had before, as then also happened, and because of this order the income of the same fief may be withdrawn from the abandoned children, but E. E. F. G. such fief may be withdrawn from the abandoned children. E. F. G. such fief, Petri and Pauli in the parish church at Torgau, and the other at Liebenwerd on the castle on the altar Johannis Evangelistä, income on our, the
1) Paul Knod was a scribe at the visitations in Meissen, whose negotiations he recorded and compiled in two large volumes, for which the visitators gave him the aforementioned fief in 1536, Wednesday St. Nicolai [Dec. 6]. (Burkhardt.)
The guardians have therefore asked us to request the poor orphans against E. C. F. G. that they remain with such a pardon and not be forced out of it before the time of the three years by the heads of the common caste. Since we are well aware of such matters, and have seen for ourselves E. C. F. G.'s prescription about such pardon, as well as all the assurances given by the time visitators, which copies we hereby send to E. C. F. G. to remind them of this, our humble request is to E. C. F. G. that E. C. F. G. want the poor orphans, whose father and mother both died within a fortnight of each other and left them little else, to have such two fiefs income for the three years, as the prescriptions read, follow gracious order, so that they may remain unhampered by the rulers of the common treasury at Torgau until the end of the three years, that also such income by Johann Walter, cantor at Torgau, as with Mr. Pauli's life, may be admonished and handed over to the children for their good. E. C. F. G. God the Lord, who calls himself the father of the orphans, will undoubtedly be pleased with this, so we are always willing and obligated to do so for the sake of E. C. F. G.'s sake. Given at Wittenberg, on the day of Fabiaui and Sebastian! [Jan. 20] in the year 1546.
E. C. F. G. subject Martinus Luther, D. Johannes Bugenhagen, Pomer., D.
No. 3296. January 21, 1546.