Luther sends back the written remarks of George about the Pabstthum praising, says that it is nothing with the plague in Wittenberg, and thanks for his gifts to the Doctorschmause (Wellers and Medlers on 14 Sept.).
In Lindner, Mittheilungen, p. 27 and in De Wette- Seidemann, vol. VI, p. 163. The postscript, which is found by Seidemann to this letter (in Lindner, p. 29 and in the Erlangen edition, vol. 56, p. 198), belongs according to the investigations of Burkhardt in Dessau (Burkh. p. 496) to the letter of Sept. 29, 1536.
1) In the editions: "to let", but it is in any case the same as the immediately following "to let up".
To the highly famous and very good Prince and Lord, Lord George, Prince of Anhalt, Count of Ascanien, Lord in Bernburg; highly respected (magnifico) Provost of the Church in Magdeburg, his most gracious Lord.
Grace and peace in Christ! I am sending back to E. F. G., Your Serene Highness, the very meaningful thoughts which E. F. G. has compiled against the pontifical unrhymed ungodliness, and not only the matter itself pleased me, but much more the wonderful diligence of E. F. G. in collecting and explaining them. F. G. to collect and explain them. May the Lord Jesus beget and increase this spirit in the heart of E. F. G., and may he also plant it with much fruit in the church, amen.
I hear of our plague that extraordinarily frightening things are raised by it abroad, although, as Christ is my witness, not even one person has been found who had a bump (apostema, as it is called), which nevertheless tends to occur with this disease; if there is any plague, it must surely be an internal poison, a pestilential fever, as it were (as the physicians call it). Then the deaths are very rare, often neither a corpse nor a disease is found in the whole three days in the city. On one or two days there are two or three corpses, but most of them are children and people who have been carried off by a long illness, as it also happens outside the plague season. For four years ago there were either as many or more deaths, although there was no plague, than there are now. Summa: "If it is a dying, then it is a secret dying, since more are born than die," so that we can say: In the midst of death we are in life, and both in Torgau and in Leipzig there are more dying than in Wittenberg. But Satan, since GOD allows it, has by this larva of pestilence scattered this school and troubled the church. This he has wanted from of old, but may Christ tread him down quickly, Amen. This is what I thought I had to tell E. F. G., so that she would not be moved by these rumors of Satan; the other will be communicated by the very good man, Mr. Nicolaus Hausmann.
We, the new doctors and I, thank the princely lords (Pr. Dnis) for the generosity with which E. F. G. has deigned to honor them. Christ bless E. F. G. for ever and ever, Amen. September 17, 1535.
E. F. G.
devoted
Martin Luther.
No. 2171.
Elector Johann Friedrich of Saxony to Luther, Jonas, Bugenhagen, Melanchthon and Cruciger.
News of the incoming message from England and instructions for its reception.
The concept is in the Weimar Archives, Reg. H, fol. 99. 42. Printed by Burkhardt", p. 233.
Our greeting before. Venerable and reverend, dear devotees and faithful! Since it is not known to you that the King of England recently had his orator, Doctor Antonia Barnes, with us and had him do some canvassing: Because the same doctor let himself be heard, among other things, that the said king would send a noble embassy hereafter, which would talk with you as our theologians about several articles and hold friendly conversations and colloquia, he sought from us on behalf of the said king that we would order you to listen to the embassy's arrival, and to talk and confer with it. Since we are then inclined to comply with the king's request, and have agreed to do so with respect to the above-mentioned orator, we graciously request that when the aforementioned embassy arrives in Wittenberg, you wait for it to arrive there, or where it might remain in Wittenberg due to death, or where it might be held in that place.
1) Burkhardt has placed this letter at the beginning of July, but remarks (p. 233, note): "The letter of credence for the first English embassy is dated from Greenwich 8 Feb, for the second from Windsor for Dr. Barnes from 8 July. Nevertheless, this letter cannot be placed chronologically. It belongs to the time when the plague had seriously broken out in Wittenberg, but the university had not yet moved to Jena." On the other hand, Köstlin, M. Luther, vol. II, p. 669 ad p. 375, note 2, says: "Fox's legation was (Corp. Ref., vol. II, 941) announced by Barnes to the Elector in September, with which the letter is to be placed in the same time by Burkhardt, p. 233 f." We have followed the time determination assumed by Köstlin.
We request that you, at our expense, take your message with you to Torgau, and listen to it with good will, and let us hear it with a good reply, and otherwise show us as much fairness and dignity as we can graciously provide for you. What you will hear of the same message and what you will consider to be a conversation, let us know before the message arrives here, so that we may be able to respond to your request all the more conveniently. We do not wish to deprive you of this, and do us the favor of doing so, and we are graciously inclined to you. Date.
Note: Because we may well consider that no final settlement will follow between the embassy and you, just as you will not enter into a final union or consent to it, even if it were to happen, but want to delay the decision for moving causes until our return, God willing, and report it to us beforehand in the content of this document, we did not want to restrain you either.
No. 2172.