Inspired by the heavy defeats King Ferdinand suffered at the hands of the Turks, the Elector orders church prayers against the Turks.
The concept is in the Weimar Archives, Reg. C, p. 242. 49. Printed by Burkhardt, p. 392.
Worthy, dear devotee! We graciously inform you, and with sorrow, that it has been credibly written to us, and also otherwise reported, that the Turkish Emperor Vasa, with her warband, which he had sent and ordered beforehand for the purpose of disposing of the city of Ofen, has recently captured and slain King Ferdinand's warband, which he had manufactured in Hungary and in the aforementioned city of Ofen, up to the head, recently completely killed and slain up to the head, in addition to having captured and received all guns (except for a small number that had been on the water), which frightening capture caused a great flight, both old and young, to Austria, as can easily be observed. Above this, the Turkish emperor himself, with two sons and the whole force on his feet, shall be ready to follow later on Ofen, which city, as well as Pesth, has now been taken by the said Turkish army, so that he shall not be hindered in his advance, which is truly quite frightening, and also pathetic to hear, that the above-mentioned King Ferdinandi's army has again fallen into the hands of the Turks. Since this is the reason for the
1) The copy, dated July 31 (after which the above time determination), orders that M. Sachse is to be employed for the Greek lesson. Because Franz Burckhart was a teacher of Greek at the same time as Melanchthon, but the latter later also administered this position and now had to give it up, M. Sachse was taken care of. (Burkhardt.)
It is also highly to be feared that the Turkish Emperor will not be satisfied with Ofen and Pesth at first, after he has been seized with an excellent power, but will go further than Austria and Vienna, as he will be able to do in a dissolute manner, and from this not only the bordering countries, but also us and the whole of Christendom, before the German nation, great, lasting and irretrievable damage, harm and trouble, if not complete ruin, which the Almighty God will mercifully prevent, is to be suffered, and such the Turk's actions and intentions are a punishment and punishment from God for our sin and wickedness: We therefore request, with special gracious diligence, that you order the preachers of our Electorate of Saxony, in your superintendence, to exhort the people in all their sermons to pray with the utmost earnestness for the sake of the Turks' imminent distress and tyrannical action, and to ask His omnipotence with all their hearts for a gracious averting, also to give and grant gracious victory and conquest to all those who fight and battle against the Turk, and that especially the people and each one of them be urged and reminded to renounce their sinful life and nature, and to look more to God and His Word. And if this happens, and if it is done with earnestness and diligence, we have no doubt that the Almighty God will graciously hear the pleading, calling and crying, as He has promised and promised to do, and will graciously turn away His wrath, even the Turk's plan, as His punishment and rod, as well as all other burdens. You will not fail to make the same exhortation to yourselves and to order the captains to do the same, and we will be graciously pleased to do so. Date.
No. 2820.
To the Elector Johann Friedrich.
About the care of M. Sachse, which does not yet want to progress, because the university wants to leave the Greek lection to M. Veit Winsheim, as the older master. Melanchthon does not want to give up the Greek lection, in order to do enough for the 100 Fl. allotted to him by the Elector. Luther wished that the Elector would tell him clearly that he could take this allowance with a clear conscience, even though he would no longer have the Greek lection.
2) "liderlich" == easy.
Letters from the year 1541. No. 2820. 2821.
The original is in the Weimar Archives, O, x. 1 25, lit. XXX. Printed in the Leipzig Supplement, p. 94; in Walch, vol. XXI, 444; in De Wette, vol. V, p. 386 and in the Erlangen edition, vol. 55, pp. 326 f.
To the most illustrious, highborn Prince and Lord, Johann Friedrich, Duke of Saxony, Archmarshall and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, Landgrave of Thuringia, Margrave of Meissen and Burgrave of Magdeburg. The most noble Prince and Lord Johann Friedrich, Duke of Saxony, Archmarshall and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, Landgrave of Thuringia, Margrave of Meissen and Burgrave of Magdeburg, my most gracious Lord.
G. and Peace in Christ. Most Serene, Highborn Prince, Most Gracious Lord! It does not yet want to proceed with the unaccompanied lection, and the gentlemen of the university report to me that they would all rather let M. Veit Winsheim take the Greek lection, not that M. Holstein is too little for it, but that M. Veit has taken the same lection up to now, and is also older and has served the school most in the university next to M. Philipp. Which is now true, and M. Holstein does not desire the Greek lesson, nor M. Veit, as the parents, to be deprived of it, would probably have let him suffice with M. Fach's lesson, as I wrote for him for the first time. 1) But this is a bad thing, in which E. C. F. G. will soon meet. They tell me, however, that M. Philipps did not want to leave the Greek lection; for he is very meidsam 2) and wants to serve the university in such a way that the salary of the Greek lection should go to the university, and thus wants to save the salary, because E. C. F. G. has given him a hundred florins. 3) he is so holy and shameful in the foundation of N. that he does not want to take the same hundred fl. if he is not to be a Greek lecturer, so that E. C. F. G. and the university will not be burdened for his sake with the hundred fl, will not be burdened.
So it is now up to E. C. F. G. to clarify and clearly state whether M. Philipps may take the added 100 fl. with a clear conscience, even if he no longer has the Greek lection, unhindered, whether he wants to read something else in Greek authors out of his own devotion, as he has done up to now. Methinks he has done enough up to now, now probably twenty years and beyond the greater
1) in No. 2812.
2) "meidsam" - shy.
3) In the editions the words: "in the foundation N." are drawn to the preceding.
He has done so much work in the university or school that he would now like to take rest in part, so that, praise God, young masters could speak Greek, and his students could take care of the lessons. For E. C. F. G. himself knows well what a famulus communis he is in this school, that he is undoubtedly worthy of that which E. C. F. G. so graciously grants him, and Christianity knows how to thank him; the papists also now, praise God, fear him and his disciples more than anyone else among the scholars. E. C. F. G. will know how to graciously signify and order it, for E. C. F. G. must be the highest Rector, Pastor and Castle in these lands. Hiemit GOtt befohlen, Amen. Julii 3. [should read: "Augusti 3."] 4) 1541.
E. C. F. G. undersigned Mart. Luther.
Elector Johann Friedrich to Luther.
Response to the previous letter. To the LI. Veit Winsheim is confirmed the Greek lection; Ll. Joh. Sachse is assigned Winsheim's earlier lection on rhetoric.
The original concept (with many corrections) is in the Weimar Archives, Reg. O, p. 125, lit. A A A. Printed by Burkhardt, p. 394.
Our greetings to you. Venerable and reverend, dear devotee! We have read your letter, again concerning the reassignment of M. Holstein with a lesson, and therefore order, on the report now made to us at the university, that Magister Winsheim should leave the Greek lesson, which he administered for Magister Philips, and that Magister Holstein should be assigned Winsheim's previous lesson in rhetorica, with further content, as you will learn from the enclosed copies. However, the fact that we did not grant Holstein such a lesson in rhetoric is due to the fact that [Marcellus] 5) the university soon prescribed him to us as an industrious and also skilled master, and finally nominated him for this purpose, in addition to the fact that he had already read for a time on our foundation in the Pädagogio. In our gracious opinion, we do not want to let this go unreported to you, and we are graciously inclined to you. Date Lochau, Thursday after Vincula Petri [Aug. 4] Anno 1541.
4) "Julii" is an oversight by Luther.
5) That by the "thu" (in) Marcellus is to be understood, results from No. 2813.
No. 2822.