Ueber die evangelische Stellung des Königs von Schweden und seine Aufnahme in den Schmalkaldischen Bund.
A copy is found in the Weimar Archives, Reg. H 389. 147. Printed by Burkhardt, p. 383.
Our greeting and gracious will before. Venerable and esteemed, dear special! As in addition to your recent letter 3) the honorable, our dear faithful, Balthasar Funck, has brought to us in his arrival for the most subservient instruction, how that with you it will be put to us, equally as 4) we in praejudicium of all religious comrades have agreed with the Roman Emperor, the Holy Roman Emperor, the Holy Roman Emperor, the Holy Roman Emperor, the Holy Roman Emperor. Maj. and the Burgundians in an unseemly relationship, and against the great prince, our friendly dear brother-in-law, brother and neighbor, Mr. Christian of Denmark, King, by a Burgundian, 5) who would have intruded upon us: In all of which we, with the dear almighty God and the truth, can testify our innocence, and also well suffer that you, together with all Protestant religious comrades, potentates, chiefs and estates, have been informed of every past event and dealings between us and the two kingdoms (which were brought to you by our dear faithful, Balthasarn Funcken, who will report the] 6) contents of his instruction for legitimate reasons) had recently been 7) reported to you, without doubt, you and only you would, without being questioned, against such unfounded statements and murmurings, give us a Christian 8) pardon of our royal glimpses and innocence. Christian excuse
3) In any case, the letter is lost. There is also no trace in the Imperial Archives in Stockholm. (Burkhardt.)
4) "sam" == as if. Burkhardt: "as it were".
5) Cf. no. 3121. This matter leads us to the assumption that this letter is to be placed in the year 1544.
6) Added by us. Without this addition, instead of "display" it would have to read: "be displayed", which might be better.
7) Burkhardt: "hätten"; immediately following: "wurden" instead of: "würdet".
8) After "itself," Burkhardt mistakenly has a comma.
Letters from the year 1541. No. 2793 to 2797.
digtigt nehmen. However, dear Doctor, when out of special well-meaning affection you recommended to the above-mentioned Balthasarn Funcken, to (? zwir) that you would like to know whether it would be convenient for us to accept it, and that we graciously informed you of our mind, then 1) you wanted to act for our sake; which your Christian and humble offer we have understood to be of such pleasure and gracious thanksgiving at this time, and we also want to consider this towards you in but graciousness, and also not to hold you back in completely confidential gracious good opinion, that we have indeed from part 2) of our covenant relatives of the highly thought of religious fellowship with inherited conditions long ago kindly requested to know a reason, for the sake of the 3) cause indicated afterwards: because our realm and principality are almost remote in the outermost places, whether perhaps the same conditions and means might be tolerable to our realms for that reason, [so that we] 4) would know how to decide on it with good mutual consideration. When we, from the time of our government on, have preached the Gospel in all transparency for the praise of God's holy Word, for the acceptance and increase of the Christian religious community, and for the prosperity, welfare, peace and unity of our kingdoms, we have had every unchristian superstition and all original church ceremonies abolished 5) according to your doctrine among all our subjects: Nevertheless, we did not enjoy this, especially [we] 6) have always been forgotten about our confidence in the religious community and unfortunately remained excluded through no fault of our own. And because in the meantime someone has not given us the opportunity to ask for it, we have had to remain patient and silent about this matter until the appropriate time. Although now our gracious request to be reported by you quite confidentially for the sake of the highly thought of religious fellowship conditions and the incorporated points, and what you in such a way first of all give to God, his holy word and teachings, we are not obliged to do so.
1) Burkhardt: "wollet".
2) "von teils" == from sides. Following immediately, we have assumed "our" instead of "ours" in Burkhardt.
3) Burkhardt: "vmb nach angezaigter vrsach willen".
4) Inserted by us.
5) So set by us. Burkhardt offers: "and all Christian churches, ceremonien Euer lahr nach" 2c.
6) Inserted by us.
No. 2794.