Luther asks the king to take care of the abandoned wife of a certain Peutinger, chancellor in Swedish service. - The king replied on June 3.
Ex actis litterar. Sueciae 1724, p. 595, in the Leipzig Supplement, p. 106, No. 199; in Walch, vol. XXI, 493; in De Wette, vol. V, p. 640 and in the Erlangen edition, vol. 56, p. 86.
To the most noble Lord, Lord Gustav, King of the Goths and Wends in Sweden, my most gracious Lord.
Grace and peace in the Lord. Most powerful, most noble, most gracious Lord King! My poor Pater noster be humbly before E. K. Maj. E. K. M. I would like to know how one, named Conradus Peutinger, who boasts of being a doctor, which he has never been, has a wife here in these lands, named Katherin Unwerdin, of nobility, of good sex, also lived with her publicly for several years, but finally ran away from her, and let her sit in misery and poverty for many years: then he took another, of the sex of a Köckeritz, has turned with all mischievousness through the countries, until he became chancellor with E. K. M.. K. M. chancellor. Now letters have often been written to E. K. M., by myself as well; but we think he has embezzled the letters, and they say he keeps himself like a grass, when he is nothing more than a burgher, the son of a furrier (Korsner) in Frankfurt am Main, which is publicly the truth. So now the poor woman asks, and I also ask for God's sake, that His Holiness will set the boy to rights, or help that the poor woman receive a fair amount of entertainment from his goods, as is fair: for he has brought her into such misery that she almost has to look for begging bread from her friends, and she is also almost oppressed, [and almost] 1) by
1) Inserted by us in the gap.
The fact that she has come to her senses from great misery and suffering, although there is evidence that she has been a fine, healthy, sensible matron. In this, His Royal Highness will do a royal, Christian work of mercy and justice, which God will reward abundantly, to which I hereby command His Royal Highness with right faithfulness 2) into His grace, Amen. On Easter Eve [April 12] 1544.
E. K. M.
Martinus Luther, D.
No. 3107.
To King Christian in Denmark.
Luther asks the King to convey his letters to the King of Sweden because Peutinger is misappropriating them.
The original is in the Imperial Archives in Stockholm. Printed in the Leipzig Supplement, p. 106, No. 200; in Walch, vol. XXI, 494 f.; in the Danish Bibl., 4th St. 157; in Schumacher's Scholarly Men Letters to the Kings in Denmark, 2nd Th., p. 263; in De Wette, vol. V, p. 641 and in the Erlangen edition, vol. 56, p. 87 f.
To the great, most noble, highborn Prince and Lord, Lord Christian, King of Denmark, Norway, the Wends and the Goths, Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn and Ditmarschen, Count of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst, my most gracious Lord.
Grace and peace and my poor Pater noster. Almighty, most illustrious, highborn, most gracious Lord King! The poor abandoned Mrs. Katherin Peutinger has asked me for this intercession to J.K.M., and this is the matter. There is a loose boy at J. K. M. in Sweden, who has called himself Doctor Peutinger, and with lies and practices has come so far that he has become Chancellor in Sweden, and, as I hear, lets himself be considered a Count. The same boy is the son of a furrier (Kursner) in Frankfurt am Main, has never become a doctor, has been wandering through the countries and has done all sorts of mischievous things, among which this is also one, that he has married this woman Katherin, who is of nobility and good friends,
2) So put by us instead of: "with right faithfully (?)".
He is said to boast that he was divorced from her by D. Luther and M. Philipps (this is not true) and then took another woman of the family Köckeritz with whom he was found in Sweden and became chancellor. Luther and M. Philipps divorced him from her (this is not true), and then took another, from the family Köckeritz, with whom he found himself in Sweden and became chancellor. Now often to J. K. M. in Sweden was written, I myself also once wrote; but the knave has to misappropriate the letters. Because now there is no hope nor way to J. K. M. in Sweden, because through E. K. M.: is our most submissive request, E. K. M. want to do a good work of mercy and graciously help advise that these letters may . We all have no doubt that if J. K. M. were to recognize the boy in Sweden, they would know how to do him justice. J.K.M. has graciously granted me this humble request. I could not refuse it; so the matter is certain and obvious to prove with country and people, and the poor woman must help herself with her friends almost of the begging bread. Hiemit dem lieben GOtte befohlen, Amen. On Easter Eve (April 12, 1544. E. K. M.
willing servant Martinus Luther, D.
No. 310 8.