See St. Louis edition, vol. XVII, 2147. - The original of this letter is in the library of the Corpus Christi CoIlege at Cambridge. (Kolde, Analecta, p. 316, note 1.)
No. 2396.
Elector Johann Friedrich to Luther.
The Elector is concerned that Margravine Elisabeth might move there given the state of the house in Lichtenberg.
The concept is in the Weimar Archives, Reg. C, fol. 16, No. 12. 2, in part very difficult to read. Printed by Burkhardt, p. 290.
Our greeting before. Venerable and reverend, dear devotee! We graciously inform you that our kind and dear mistress, the Margravine, has now written to us with her own hand and indicated that because her beloved son, the Elector of Brandenburg, has once again refused to come to her lordship in Wittenberg for reasons that were foreseen. She asks, as you will note from the copy of her L.'s letter enclosed, that we give her L. an answer, as you will also note from the copy of the letter enclosed. Now we cannot know whether the said letter from our Lady, the Margravine, was sent to us with your foreknowledge and concern or not, nor whether you consider it good and advise her to go to Lichtenberg on the occasion of her L.'s condition. Because we have all kinds of misgivings on behalf of her l. that she should dispose of herself in Lichtenberg at this time, and first of all, before and before her beloved's household there is set up and brought into order and correctness, also for the sake of the persons who will enter the jurisdiction, change is made, so that otherwise and without her l.'s being given cause for further complaint, she will not be able to go to Lichtenberg. which we did not want, therefore we would have preferred that her son, the Elector of Brandenburg, would have come to her to Wittenberg, we wanted to have a friendly talk with each other for the sake of her household and other complaints. But since the Elector of Brandenburg is lacking, and we nevertheless, in our opinion, do not have unreasonable reasons and reservations to get involved in the matters concerning her household; 1) for if it turned out otherwise, the blame would have to and would be ours. Thus we have all kinds of misgivings that her lord should go to Lichtenberg in such a way and before the household and persons at Lichtenberg are put in order and correct. But because we understand that her lord's son, Margrave Hans, should come to her lord in a beneficial way, our gracious request is that you speak and act with her lord for the reasons indicated, also for the reasons that we have reported to her lord ourselves in our answer, so that her lord may direct and promote Margrave Hansen's arrival to her lord in Wittenberg, and that he may also stay there in Wittenberg for as long as she wishes. For since Margrave Hans, to come to her liege to Wittenberg
1) In Burkhardt: "to allow alone". - Immediately following: "anders, wan wol" 2c.
Letters from the year 1537. no. 2396. 2397. 2398.
1) As we have no doubt, we want to put back all our things and go to Wittenberg at the same time, and with Margrave Hansen, since there is nothing much to do with Margrave Joachim, we want to discuss and compare in a friendly manner her L.'s housekeeping and other more protruding complaints, trusting that her L., to whom we mean friendship and good, will not take this unkindly from us. Since we also note from her two letters that her L. daughter, the one from Brunswick, is also to come to her L., to which we did not want to give a letter of reply through her love, we consider that you should be yearly to bring to her L., the weather that has been before, 2) therefore she wrote to her daughter. For you know that the same has given her L.'s daughter such a complaint, so she may not bring the good princess into further complaint and distress. What you will now do for her daughter, and how it will remain, you will report to us by your letter and let us know. We have not wished to restrain you in our gracious opinion, and we are inclined to do you good and gracious favors. Date at Torgau, Sunday after Conceptionis Mariae Virginis [Dec. 9] 1537.
No. 2397.