The Landgrave regrets that his second marriage has become known against his will and without his consent, and reports that Duke Heinrich of Saxony has had the wife of Sala picked up by guards. Now he asks Luthern to intercede for her with Duke Heinrich, to make the whole matter clear to him, and also to report the facts to the preachers in Dresden.
A copy signed by the landgrave himself is in the state archives at Marburg. Printed by Kolde, p. 349.
Our gracious greetings beforehand. Worthy and highly learned, dear faithful! You, Doctor Luther, have undoubtedly recently been sufficiently informed by Philippum Melanthonem, what form we performed the digamiam with a respectable woman of the nobility's daughter. 1) Now we would have liked to keep the same dispensation in good secrecy, according to your and the other scholars' concerns, as nothing has changed in us in this case.
We also kept it so secret that we did not like to let the taken person see out of a window. For ever our opinion was and still is to keep such dispensation as much as possible secret, so that it would not give birth to an introduction that everyone should or wanted to follow. However, that such a thing may have become known through undisclosed people, whom this trade trusts, and especially also our sister, 2) who has no reason for the writing, nor knows how it stands around a troubled conscience, does not do us any favors.
And therefore we do not want to deprive you of our good faith, although we have confidentially informed our dear cousin, Duke Moritz of Saxony, who has been with us for a few days, of this trade, after his beloved had already understood something about it, 3) and the surplus (because we, since his beloved had to know something about this trade, could not avoid discovering the same to his beloved), also his beloved.
1) The wedding was not on March 4, as Köstlin and Kolde state; others place it correctly on March 3, so also Seckendorf, Hist. Luth. lib. III, p. 278 b, who reports that it took place on Wednesday after Oculi (that is March 3). Oculi fell on February 29.
2) The Duchess Elisabeth of Rochlitz, the daughter-in-law of George of Saxony. With her, the landgrave had met Margaretha von der Sala, her lady-in-waiting.
3) Added by us.
We have been friendly and well pleased with us, but it seems to us that his beloved father, Duke Henry of Saxony, should have sent for the woman in question as soon as she had returned from our country to her house, and had her brought with several equipped horses, and written to her as if he had to speak to her. Since the woman had not been able to give us her daughter unless we had promised her that it was permissible with God in the form of a dispensation, and we had therefore let her see your writings and those of other scholars, 5) as well as our wife's permission, 6) on the other hand, we had put her off, if she should encounter anything about our wanting to place our body and goods with her. Now, if something troublesome were to happen to the women, it would be very bad for her, and we would not be able to avoid taking care of her, and, as far as our ability goes, we would have to take care of her.
Therefore, since Duke Henry is related to the Gospel, and you will undoubtedly be held in good esteem and hearing by him, we indicate to you that, in order to prevent further harm, inasmuch as we wish to remind you of this in a Christian and well-meaning manner, and trust you with all the best, you should send the aforementioned Duke Henry a skillful letter, how you know what to do, and let it go out in the most favorable way, or send a trusted person, by which you report what form would be dispensed with us, and that it should also, as far as possible, be kept secret and used in such a way that it should not give birth to a consequence or common introduction that everyone wants to follow 2c., and that the same report should also be made to the prelates in Dresden (Tresen), as you will know how to write it more skilfully than you have now told, and especially add: because this dispensation would have the form that he [Duke Henry] would therefore, for the sake of peace and for the good of all things, let the much-touched wife move back into her house without charge and therefore not burden or harass her any further.
In this you are undoubtedly doing a good work conducive to peace, which we again want to blame on you, to whom we are well inclined, in all goodness, and have not been able to save you in this way.
4) These brackets are set by us.
5) No. 2610.
6) Printed in Corp. Ref. Vol. III, 864, of Dec. 11, 1539.
Letters from the year 1540. No. 2673 to 2677.
No. 2673
To the Elector Johann Friedrich.
See St. Louis edition, vol. XVII, 363, no. 1303.
No. 2674.