Recommendation of Johann Milde (Melde) to a parish office, and an economic order from his housewife.
The original is in the library at Wittenberg. Printed from the Löscher Collection at Wittenberg by Schütze, vol. I, p. 398, and from the original by De Wette, vol. V, p. 161 f.
Your in Christ highly venerable husband, M. Gabriel Zwilling, the faithful bishop of the church at Torgau, his extremely dear brother.
Grace and peace in Christ! Johann Melde has asked me, my dear Gabriel, that I would use myself for him, whether he could perhaps become his successor as pastor in Neiden (Neyden) through your help. He has been held up for a long time in the life of the countryside and among the drudgery of the peasants, and for the parish priests the stay in the countryside is burdensome with the so great wickedness of the ballers. It is said that he had some tendency to drink. But that this could have taken place with him daily, his poverty did not permit, as you know, and I hope that he will improve. Therefore, if it is in your power and can be done, let him be commanded to you, if perhaps he could have a quiet life, to spend his time reading and praying.
"My lord Ketha calls me thus to write about the box and sedel [scedula? Zeddel]: that she wonders how a box should be so expensive as four fl. For it should be a clean box, for linen equipment to put in it, since not iron struck through the linen Ge-
Letters from the year 1539. No. 2507. 2508. 2509.
advice iron painting light 1) made. For we have a treasure chest ready, and it is probably a thousand times too far for our treasure. Therefore describe to us the chest with wood, form, iron, as it is. For you have given me one, as you know. If it did not have such loose, worm-eaten wood that it was like worm meal in the box, it would be good enough for linen. If it is also like this, or even a little better, it would be right. Otherwise she may have one made here. Hereby God commands. I would have had more to do than write about boxes, if He Johann Milde had not guided me to the paper." Monday after Apollonia [Feb. 10] 1539.
Martin Luther.
No. 2508.
Duke Albrecht of Prussia to Luther.
(Regest.)
The duke testifies to Luthern's sympathy on the news of his sickness (No. 2481).
No. 2509.