Luther reports news. Kohlhase is caught. From an incident with Henry of Brunswick.
Printed in Innocent News 1704, p. 825; in Tob. Eckhardi Codd. Mss. Quedlinburg, p. 89; in Strobel-Ranner, p. 24 and in De Wette, vol. V, p. 272. German (from your autograph, which came to him from Quedlinburg) in Walch, vol. XXI, 1303.
To the worthy man, M. Philipp Melanchthon, the sincere disciple of Christ, his exceedingly dear brother.
Grace and peace! What I write to you, my dear Philip, I write to all of you. For I assume that you are in Schmalkalden and have the same fate that we had three years ago, since our letters came very slowly to Wittenberg. The last one, which is dated from Weimar, we have
1) "Mezentius" is the name given to Duke Heinrich of Brunswick. This probably refers to his writing of Nov. 24, 1539, which appeared in print in 1540.
from which I see that you have read the book of Mezentius 2). I have not yet had time, nor do I feel like reading it all the way through. I also hear from others that the reasons are coldly refuted by him, it is entirely directed to vituperation. For so far it has been the custom and the manner of the entire papacy (Papae) to rage against my person by leaving the matter I was dealing with. For what else can they do, since they are deprived of conscience and knowledge, and without con and sci, they are nothing but entia [things].
Your little daughter is well and the whole Hans, which I hope you will see from his letters. May the Lord rule you by his certain, joyful Holy Spirit in his cause, and his cause in you, amen.
that more than 40 of his comrades had perished. Our castle owner says that 14 were executed, all of them from the number of those who plundered the Marzan. This is something those wicked murderers would not have believed would happen in such a short time if someone had predicted it to them that night. I will tell a ridiculous prank (stratagema) that M. Anton [Lauterbach] from Pirna writes to me. 4) Namely, that Mezentius, as he was returning through Silesia, had spent the night near Bauzen, then in a certain town of Kalau, and as he had come there late to spend the night, some noblemen came along, who said that they were looking for Hans Spregel 5) and stayed there for the night, because they had agreed that they would meet there that night.
2) See the previous number.
3) Instead of proni at De Wette we have assumed parvi with Eckhardt.
4) Heinrich von Braunschweig refers to this incident in his "Duplik wider den Churfürsten von Sachsen", St. Louis edition, vol. XVII, 1241, § 14 f.
5) Walch reads: "mirror". - Immediately following, Walch reads: Pommetam instead of: pernoctare.
wanted to come. When Mezentius became aware of this, he is said to have immediately mounted his horses and flown away, fearing danger from the inn. "The great heel knight seized the hare-panier very soon." It has been laughed at by those who had made this game, and by all who hear it.
Farewell, and pray, as you do, and write again all the more often, the slower your letters reach us, as you know. Our Elbe had receded from the realms, but yesterday and today it has returned?) It is to be wondered what this constant flooding means. Friday after Oculi [March 5] 1540.
My Lord Käthe greets you respectfully; she wanted me to write this by all means, and says thank you for leaving me here. She is beginning to be hopeful in the glory of returning health, thank God. She is not walking around yet, but it is more [walking] than crawling.
No. 2635.