(Regest.)
He found the circumstances in such a way that there was a prospect of settling the disputes between the Elector and Duke Moritz. He had been informed that Luther was being incited against him, but he hoped that Luther would not allow himself to be moved against him and against what God had left to the fathers, whereas he also wanted to do everything for the preservation and spread of the divine word 2c.
Mitgetheilt von Max Lenz in der Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte, IV, 144. The above regest in Kolde, p. 380.
No. 2905
To the Elector Johann Friedrich.
At the request of the Landgrave of Hesse, Luther asks the Elector to be found gentle and kind in the peace negotiations with Duke Moritz.
The original is in the Dresdner Hauptstaatsarchive, Locat 9138, fol. 9. Printed in the Erlanger Ausgabe, vol. 56, p. LIII and in De Wette-Seidemann, vol. VI, p. 311.
1) In this letter, he reports that he arrived in Grimma on the evening of April 8, and that now, after dealing with both parties, a contract is to be hoped for. (De Wette-Seidemann, Vol. VI, p. 312.)
To the most illustrious, highborn Prince and Lord, Johann Friedrich, Duke of Saxony, Arch-Marshal and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, Landgrave of Thuringia, Margrave of Meissen and Burgrave of Magdeburg, my most gracious Lord.
G. u. F. Serene, highborn prince, most gracious (gt.) lord! My lord, the Landgrave, has Lord, the Landgrave, has sent his) urgent messenger to us. messenger to us 2) who woke us from our sleep at eleven o'clock and requested that we ask E. C. F. G. most earnestly that they not be too hard and stiff, and especially that they grant us passage or a passport, so that we may find a way with the tax and other things. To which we replied: We would do so most diligently. In addition, we again asked H.F.G. to act with Duke Moritz so that H.F.G.'s protection would not be weakened. And although we knew nothing of the secular law, especially of this case, we nevertheless consider that H. Moritz would do wrong, with such pernicious, bloodthirsty furnem, to establish his law himself, before such dark (Tunckel) and disputed law would become bright and clear; for because it is disputed, it is not bright, and one disputatio will continue to bring another for and for. Accordingly, we ask that whatever E. C. F. G. is ever able to do, in honor of God, and to let such misery degenerate, be found gentle and kind, God will know how to honor E. C. F. G. again for it. Sometimes you have to get a mad dog's foot out of the way and light two candles for the devil or throw a mash into the mouth of the Cerbero (as the poets say). It is true that the passport to Erfurt is that of Mainz, but with moderation, without harm to the sovereign in his protection. I have delivered letters to Doctor Bridges of the Landgrave here, so they wanted to see E. C. F. G.. On Easter Day [April 9, early 1542.
E. C. F. G.
subservient
Mart. Luther.
2) "to us," namely to Luther and Melanchthon. See No. 2902.
No. 2906 .