Luther wants to move Hausmann away from Dessau. All kinds of news.
The original is in Dessau. Manuscript in Aurifaber, vol. III, p. 238. From the Hanische Sammlung at Kiel in Schütze, vol. III, p. 21; in Strobel-Ranner, p. 256 and in De Wette, vol. V, p. 22. German in Walch, vol. XXI, 1451.
To the highly gifted man, Mr. Nicolaus Hausmann, servant of Christ in the church at Dessau, his extremely dear brother in the Lord.
Grace and peace! I seldom write to you, best Nicolaus, because I thought there was nothing, since all our news is always very well known to you, and your court learns the news sooner than ours. Both Margraves 1) have turned away from the Gospel; if you do not know this yet, you shall know it now, and I do not know what kind of evil is breaking out among us here. I will tell you my new advice about you. For I am anxious to call you away from there and make you my housemate, so that you can finally enjoy peace and quiet. I already have the promise of your brother that he wants to keep you here with me. For I see that this place is not for you.
D. Hieronymus Weller is cheerful; he has moved away from me to a house neighboring mine, which I was glad to see.
The emperor's cause is not as fortunate as it is praised. 2) One hears that about five thousand men perished from hunger, among them several distinguished leaders in the war, such as Margrave Frederick, the provost of Würzburg, Caspar von Fronsberg, and I do not know which others.
It seems to me that the Concilium is in truth more pretended than actually practiced, although it is said that Duke Georg
1) Probably Joachim and Johann von Brandenburg, the sons of the Elector, who later declared themselves for the Reformation.
2) About the emperor's unfortunate move to Provence, see Seckendorf, Hist. III, §46, p. 127. (De Wette.)
Letters from the year 1536. no. 2288. 2289. 2290.
He writes a great book against the bishops, whom he intends to put in order according to the canons, that is, to compare the devil with God.
From England our Alesius writes here that the new Queen Joan 1) is to be crowned on Michaelmas, an enemy of the Gospel, as he says, and the shape of the kingdom is now different, so that Antony must be hidden and silent and is not without danger. Nevertheless, the king persists in rejecting the pope, and it has been decided with the consent of the whole kingdom that no one should travel to the Concilium unless the king has previously consented to the Concilium, which will never happen. Since the rulers are in disagreement, the concilium will become a fairy tale or at least will not take place at the appointed time. But if the time has passed, who can determine another one? "All the world is full of confusion." Fare well in Christ and pray for me, my dear brother, for I am in great need of it. Greet from me your very good princes reverently. Wednesday after Lamberti [20 Sept.] Anno 1536.
No. 2289.