Handwritten at Gotha in Cod. 187. 4. Printed by De Wette, vol.V, p. 3.
To the highly famous and valuable man, Mr. Justus Jonas, Doctor of Theology and Provost at Wittenberg, his superior in the Lord.
Grace and peace in Christ! You send, my dear Doctor Jonas, greetings to the Lord Spalatin, because I could not write to him. Fare well in the Lord and pray for me. 1536, Wednesday in Pentecost [June 7].
Your Mart. Luther.
1) In the prints: "Schwer", read from: "Fewer".
But listen to what I had forgotten: your letters seemed to me far too cheerful, and to give off the odor of a righteously enjoyed red wine, although you and Spalatin did not indicate this, and other causes were put forward. I am glad that the hope of harmony is so great, but soon that old man, easily inclined to quarrel and restless, will invent another discord, since, as the salamander lives on fire, so he lives on hatred, strife and disturbance of himself and all. I write little, because yesterday all day I suffered the precursor of the stone, which you with your horror call 2) lead; but since I avoided wine, a number of grains came off, and so I have recovered. I was pleased to hear everything from the landgrave, especially that our prince treated our united or to be united so generously and graciously. My lord Käthe greets you reverently and is pleased that you are cheerful, but she fears that the goodness of the wine may deceive you, that you may accumulate stones through too abundant use of it and bring back kidneys full of them, "as rough and sharp" (these are her words) "from stones as the wine casks are, when they have been drunk", but afterwards you may say that they arise for you here in Wittenberg, although you always sow them elsewhere, which you are forced to give out here and to give back, as Michael Stiefel once said that you sometimes let out a wind outside, but when you come in again to your comrades, you bring the stink with you. You will undoubtedly recognize philosophy, as I also recognized it in Coburg through her 3). Everything in your house is fine. Again, be well.
No. 2248.