About a matrimonial matter. About the care of a priest. About the English legation.
The original is in Dessau. Handwritten at Wolfenbüttel in Cod. HeImst. 85 and in Aurifaber, vol. III, p. 234. From the Hanische Sammlung at Kiel in Schütze, vol. III, p. 6; in Strobel-Ranner, p. 250 and in De Wette, vol. IV, p. 666. German in Walch, vol. XXI, 1440.
To the worthy and highly esteemed man, Mr. M. Nic. Hausmann, servant of the Word in Dessau, his superior in the Lord.
Grace and peace in Christ! I beg you, my dear househusband, to let M[eister] Peter's marriage 1) proceed. For Master Peter has no power over her, since as a widow she has long since been removed from her father's power (emancipata) and is independent, and M[eister] Peter has also been deprived of the house and all possessions by public court. She marries at her peril, and it is enough that M[eister] Peter had such a sad deal with the former son-in-law that he does not bother much with this now, too, but takes care of his own.
For the pastor at Wörlitz I do not know of any vacant position at the moment (so that I do not make him nice promises in vain); but if I can, I will gladly be of service to him where any position becomes vacant.
1) That is, the marriage which Master Peter opposes. We have no doubt that M. Peter means "Master Peter Balbierer", who shortly before Easter 1535 (Easter fell on March 28) stabbed his son-in-law Dietrich at the table. Through Luther's use of the Elector, the death penalty was averted from him (see Veit Dietrich's letter to Fesel in Coburg, Kolde, Analecta, p. 209 f.), but on July 30, 1535 he was sent into exile. If our assumption about the person of M. Peter is correct, we see that Master Peter (probably also through Luther's use) had found a place to stay in Dessau. In Luther's letters we meet M. Peter in Dessau twice more, namely on February 23, 1538, where Luther's Ketha respectfully greets M. Petrum, and on March 27, 1538, where Luther himself greets M. Petrum. It is remarkable that in the latter place Aurifaber, Schütze and Walch have the reading: "Master Peter". Cf. St. Louis edition, vol. IX, 1821 ff.
I have no news except what you have no doubt heard there from M. Francis. The English legation is waiting here for M. Philip to promote the King's cause. But I, who am busy with many things, am becoming less and less adept at the individual ones. My Käthe greets you respectfully; be well in Christ. I will write briefly about Spiegel's and your cause at another time. Again, farewell. On the day of St. Antonii [17 Jan.] Anno 1536.
No. 2206.
To Caspar Müller, Chancellor at Mansfeld.
Of personal and family affairs, and of the negotiations with the English envoys and the papal legate.
From the Cod. Palat. 689, p. 20 b, in De Wette, Vol. I V,
p. 667 and in the Erlangen edition, vol. 55, p. 119.
To the honorable and cautious Caspar Müller, Chancellor of Mansfeld, my favorable lord and dear sire.
Grace and peace. My dear Chancellor and Godfather! I would like to write you much for your desire; so I am also ill with cough and cold; but the greatest illness arises with me, that the sun has shone on me so long, which plague you know well that it is mean, and almost many die from it. For people become blind at last from such long shining; some turn gray, black and wrinkled from it. Who knows whether your thigh might also have stepped on a star, which, heated by the sun's brilliance, sent you such days of pain? Although it is not the fault of the dear sun that the dung becomes hard and the wax soft from its shine. The species moves and 2) (moves) itself in every thing; how it is sent, it is found in the last everything.
I would have liked to have the cone 3) as a boarding companion for all kinds of reasons, but because
2) sich eugen (äugen) - to show oneself; to catch the eye.
3) In the album, p. 98: "Andreas Gegel de Mansfelt Halberstaden. 15. oct. "
Porse 1) comes back from Jena, then the table is full, and I cannot expel the old company; but where a place would be free, as may happen after Easter, I will gladly show you my will, where else Herr Käthe will then be gracious to me.
I know nothing special to write about the English Embassy (how curious you Mansfeld gentlemen are). For the queen is dead; so they say, the Fräulein, the daughter, is also deadly ill. But the matter has lost her with all the world, without us poor beggars, theologians at Wittenberg. They wanted to keep her with royal honors, where she should have lived. That was the end and the decision.
The pope has acted as a pope in this matter, given contrarias bullas, and thus acted that it has served him right that he has been expelled from England, etiam non Evangelii causa. He has diced the king so well that I almost have to excuse the king's person, and yet I cannot approve of the matter.
Dear, curse also once the Pater noster against the papacy, that it gets Sanct Velten. The Pabst's orator has been here, as you know; but the answer given to him in Schmalkalden I cannot send now in the hurry. For I had to cough and could not look for it because of the cough; and where the cough would have to subside, I wanted to look for it. But I think the coughing should stop when you pray for me.
Because the division of the huts has happened to you, I wish you happiness in this. But out of measure I have evil hope; for my theology tells me that men's nobleness and God's blessing are against each other. If it is granted to my dear fatherland, let it be unprovoked for my sake.
But that neither you, nor Jacob Luther, nor the merchants write how they are doing here, you are almost good fellows, and with your silence you make us poor children (who are here) think that you and they have all become beggars. Nevertheless, God shall feed us, amen.
1) Porse, Borse, Burse, bursa == cooperative.
2) In the editions: "Joraff", read from Jacoff - "Die Kauflent" are the members of the Kaufmann family. Cf. no. 2073.
Tell my brother that my cough and his silence have forbidden me to answer. And give my regards to his black hen and her chicks. I must cough and think of Torgau for the carnival; I don't know what I should cough there. Perhaps I will have to keep Hans full of company. 3) My Lord Käthe sends you friendly greetings and asks if the sun wants to shine on me too much, that you do not let yourself shine over sooner than me, where it is in your power.
Your pathe Dominus loannes greets you; wants to become sheer (evil not) great, that God prevails! Hereby commanded by God.
Let my way please you (as you know it); because I am so hard and coarse, big, gray, green, overloaded, overmixed, attacked with things, that I have to break such little pleasures from a fence for the salvation of the poor cadavoris at times. After all, a man is no more than a man without God being able to make of him what he wills, but not without our anointing. Greetings to all good lords and friends. 1536, Wednesday after S. Petri Cathedrali (Jan. 19).
D. Martinus Luther.
No. 2207.