I. By Andrea de Doria.
2. from Tamerlan.
3. from the great Alexander.
4. of the great and small Tartars.
5. heroes are God's gift.
6. from King Alexander.
7. from the papist blindness.
8. from Joab.
God sometimes gives great miracle workers.
10. not all heroes are skilled to monarchy, to rule alone.
11. from Kunz von der Rose.
12. of a gentleman who went to the holy land.
13. of a great hero and warrior office.
14. of heroes in government office.
15 From the Indignation at Cologne.
1. by Andrea de Doris.
It is said that Andreas de Doria, Emperor Carl the Fifth's chief captain, was one of those who, when surrounded by Turks everywhere, was forced by hunger and finally driven to break through the Turks' camp and army with his small band of soldiers and fled into Italy; that he then strengthened himself again and once more forced his way through the Turks' camp and came to the previous place and encamped. This must truly be a manly deed and the work of a great hero, to break through the enemy in this way.
The rumor came that our people had won against the Turks, but that two thousand men remained. M. Luther said: "Oh, dear God, the battle happened with few pious people. We Germans are too safe and drunken people. The great Tartars, who are much closer to the Turks, he leaves well satisfied, because they are men of war, skilled in robbing and plundering, and can carry their food on horses for two weeks.
2. from Tamerlan.
And at that time he also spoke of Tamerlan, the Tartern king, who had defeated the Turk with two hundred thousand men and captured the Turkish emperor: he put him in an iron fence, like a birdcage, and led him around everywhere as a spectacle and a mocking bird. He also met the Turk at once with twice a hundred thousand men, and captured much territory from him. When he besieged a city, he first pitched a white camp and offered them peace. The second time a red one, which meant blood. The third day a black one, which meant destruction and devastation. He was a great tyrant, boasting that he was God's burning wrath and the world's desolation.
3. from the great Alexander.
Such an excellent hero and warlord was also King Alexander, who lived a short time, and in twelve years he brought into his
He was a monkey, because he destroyed the regiment and the common good. Julius Caesar wanted to imitate him, but he was only a monkey, because he disrupted and destroyed the regiment and the common good. For one sword often keeps another in its sheath.
4. large and small tare.
The great Tarts, wild people, are subject to no one, and are a nation of their own; yet they are always in hair, and fight with the Persians and Turks, as the small Tarts fight with the Muscovites and Poles. In sum, God is the Lord and Founder of all kingdoms, principalities and regiments. He changes and gives them to whom He wills, as Daniel says; nor shall we pattern Him, master Him, and be wise. We who cannot know ourselves, much less search out God. For who can search out only his eyes, since the eyeball can grasp heaven? nor do we want to be wise, and master God.
5. heroes of God's gifts.
Great people and heroes are special gifts of God, which He gives and sustains, who do not conduct their business and do great deeds with vain imaginations and cold, sleepy thoughts, but are specially moved and driven by God to accomplish their course and work; as King Alexander the Persian brought the kingdom to himself, and after him Julius Caesar the Roman Empire. In the same way, the prophets, St. Paul and other great and excellent people did and accomplished their deeds by the special grace of God; as the book of Judges shows, where it is seen how God gave and took away great things with one person.
6. from King Alexander.
When Darius, the Persian king, offered Alexandro peace, he refused and would not accept it. Then Parmenio, his most distinguished councilor, said, "If I were Alexander, I would accept it. But Alexander said, "If I were Parmenio, I would," as if to say, "You are not the man I am.
7. papist blindness.
(Lauterbach, Nov. 6, 1538, p. 159.)
The papists' blindness to the revealed truth comes from the fact that they think it was revealed by One Man [Luther], as if Elijah the Thisbite, this beggar, One Man, had not done great things against so many servants of Baal. Likewise, John the Baptist, One Man, in such a short time defeated the Pharisees in such a glorious victory. It is not called One Man, but a man of God. Therefore, heroes are not One Man.
8. from Joab.
(Contained in Cap. 44, § 6.)
God sometimes gives great miracle workers.
Some times bring more excellent, great, fine, skilful people. When I was a young boy, there were fine, high, understanding, excellent, magnanimous people, both skillful in counsel and action: like Emperor Maximilian in Germany; King Sigismund in Poland; King Ladislaus in Hungary; King Ferdinand, this Emperor Carl the Fifth's ancestor, in Hispania. Pious, wise and generous princes. Likewise, there were also fine pious bishops, such as the one at Würzburg, Cologne, who would undoubtedly have accepted this doctrine with a cheerful, joyful heart if they had lived at that time. For I have often heard that they condemned the Pope's superstition and nature. And the bishop of Wuerzburg had a saying when he saw a bad boy: "Ei, in ein Kloster mit dir," he said, "du bist weder GOtt noch den Menschen nutz. As if he wanted to say: In monasteries only lazy swine and belly slaves feast, who do nothing but eat and drink, fatten themselves, go idle, sleep, laze, and serve no one but themselves, like rat mice.
10. not all heroes are skilled to monarchy, to rule alone.
(Lauterbach, April 3, 1538, p. 52 f.)
After that Luther said of the very great virtues of the heroes, of Alexander, of Au
gustus, Hannibal and Pompey. But not all of them would have been suitable for government, but only for war. For the warriors look only at the victory, not at the empires; such people were Hannibal and Scipio. But Alexander, Julius and Augustus took the empires into consideration. The Turk with his robbery does neither. Alexander was a very great drunkard, strong in body, who, when drunk, is said to have spent three whole days and nights in very deep sleep; the following rule is usually attributed to him: When you are full, lie down, get up and drink again. In this way, one fill drives out the other. This is the rule of Alexander. And yet he marveled at the humility of these heroes, that they took such pains to listen to soothsayers and keep them with them. These were their preachers, whom they followed. But the people were unwilling that they were with the princes. Therefore, such people were considered to be a trustworthy race; they were held dear, as the courtiers now hold the preachers. Summa, one cannot do without the scribes, yes, by them one governs. Then Luther asked Philip about the passage in Revelation (17:6) which says that the Antichrist sheds the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs, where it mentions a twofold blood and indicates an exceedingly great tyranny, external and internal.
11. from Kunz von der Rose.
Kunz von der Rose, 1) said D. M. Luther, Maximiliani's servant and a cheerful amusing man, must have been a stout-hearted fellow. For it is said that when he was riding through a forest for some time and was late, he had to go to a single inn in the same forest, where the host was a rogue and a murderer, but he received the guests kindly. There he saw that a virgin inside was very angry, and he secretly asked her why she was crying so much. She said, "There are all murderers inside, so he should be aware of them and beware, she would faithfully guard him.
1) Cf. cap. 45, § 33.
because she considered him to be an honest man. She soon told him how he should behave and said: "If the innkeeper would have the lights lit and ring a little bell, the peasants would come in as guests. When the table had been laid and the dishes had been prepared, the innkeeper would go out of the room and say, "Clean yourself up, light. For if one of the peasants were to put out the light, you would be stabbed to death. Which he took to heart, as a brave and courageous man, took care of his armor; asked the maiden to give him a light in a lantern, which he secretly placed under the bench, kept his armor on and his weapons with him, as well as his servants, whom he ordered to be aware of the game and to defend themselves honestly. As he was sitting over the table waiting, one of his pawns came up at once, as if to snuff out the light, and put it out, and wanted to stab him. But he still had his armor on, ordered the lanterns with the burning light to be pulled out, and with his servants drove the peasants all at once into flight, and stabbed them: the host, however, he captured afterwards.
12. of a gentleman who went to the holy land.
(This 8, which is found in Stangwald col. 224 in another, more extensive redaction, is according to his information not by Luther. Stangwald says: Extat Tom 4. declam. Witeberg. in praefatione Philippi, in sermone de tribus virtutibus.
13. of a great hero and warrior office.
A good, pious, excellent warrior's will and opinion is that he would rather preserve one citizen or man who is a friend than kill a thousand enemies; as Scipio the pagan and the Romans' supreme commander said. Therefore no right
Man of war easily and without great cause instigates a war, does not like to deliver a battle, nor besiege a city.
14. of heroes in government office.
If a country or a mighty city had only one wonderful and skilful man, all the counsels and decrees would go better; but where there is no one, everything goes behind, like crabs, whether there are many who govern and advise.
(Here 5 lines are omitted because contained in Cap. 65, § 6.)
15 The Cologne Outrage.
Cologne, said D. M. Luther, is a very large city in Germany, larger than Nuremberg, Augsburg and Florence. A few days ago, the inhabitants and citizens of Cologne caused an uproar, because they stormed the cathedral, chased out the priestly whores, and expelled more than 200 monks and nuns, and buried the sanctuary. So writes M. Spalatinus. But M. Luther said: "Oh, that is not good: such violent deeds and actions do a great harm to the Gospel, annoy many people, and provoke the tyrants. They want to fish us with their fist before the name, since Isaiah, Cap. 11, 4, and Paul, 2 Thess. 2, 8, teach and say: "I will crush him" (the Antichrist) "with the rod of my mouth", and "with the spirit of his lips he will kill him" 2c. With this one must strike the Pabstthum. The papacy cannot be destroyed nor preserved by force, for it is built on lies and stands on them: therefore such an empire must be reversed and overthrown with the word of truth. I am hostile to those who plump and storm into it by force. It is said: Preach thou, and I will give strength 2c. But we leave off preaching, and fall in by force.