I saw what a good and solid foundation you are layingboth in the sciences and religion Son, who has begun such a glorious work in such exalted personages, and beseech
Him to perfect the work And we must all ask this with our whole hearts,for we know that your Highnessesare beingtrained to conduct the highestand most weightymatters in the State as well as in the Church.
One is ever goingabout with his wilyartifices trying to lay countless traps for you, especially in your own home, throughfalse friends and courtiers, even as we read happened to David and every good prince.
Hence the poet'sfable of Atlas supportingthe heavens, and St. Christophercarryingthe whole hemisphereon his shoulders, while he only bore the child
Highnesses'father has doubtless often experiencedthis.
And even althougha good princepossesses genius,power, energy, piety,and spiritual wisdom, still he constantly stands in need of the persevering humble prayers of those about him, that God, despitethe power of Satan,may give him the victory. I commend your
Highnessesto the protectionof this good God for ever and ever.
Keep me always in your graciousremembrance.
My son shall write again,as he has no time at present.
I did not wish to send the messenger back empty handed.
Luther desires his wife to return from Grace and peace, dear I am sendingUrban to you, to prevent you beingalarmed through a rumour of the Turks coming in your direction.
I marvel much that you never write or send any orders,for you are aware that we are not without anxietyon your account, because
^ and many of the nobilityin Archbishopof Mayence.
Theological doctor and firstfaithful missionary at I have received the two fat " nay, rightfat,Martinmas geese " nay, the very fattest I ever received.
Accept my thanks for them.
Heigho ! how is it that you have such superfluity l But more of this again.
You ask for news of the It is currentlyreportedthat the Emperor Charles has taken by storm a haven called Specusfrom Barbarossa,and there is another rumour
(which I fear is the true one) that Doria has lost all the Imperialtroops fighting againstthe said Barbarossa.
I am afraid that all our efforts againstthe Turks will be fruitless so long as we harbour these tyrants, these raging " greed,usury, and the excesses of the nobles
" with tyranny and godlessness, even going the lengthof indulgingin diabolic contempt of the Word, and castinginto ridicule the blood shed for us in our ingratitude
What will it avail us, although we succeed in banishingthose Turks after the flesh,so long as we permit these spiritual Turks to occupy a placeat our firesides, whose mad furyhas made
Germany a more arid waste in God's eyes than anythingthe Turks could have accomplished, even as God repentedhavingmade man on the earth, at the very moment the human race seemed fairest{Q^n. vi.),because of the wickedness of the children of men, the imaginationof whose hearts was only evil continually
It is even the same to-day. The earth is destroyed through incurable vice, and will perishin the last fiery judgment.
I wrote, has not sent any message about his present of a Bible,which lies by me.
Luther begs for a post for his wife's brother.
Grace and peace, and my poor paternoster,Most High-born Prince,graciousLord LatelyI gave my dear brother-in-law a letter to you, which he lost,so I must write again,and if the other be found, and ifin every word it does not agree with this,you will graciously point out the difference,for I keep no copiesof my letters.
Grace to provide him with a post, however small.
He is faithful and pious, that I know, also active and industrious ; but he has not enough to keep himself and child in a proper manner.
He was superintendentof a convent in Leipsic,and althoughtheytried to injurehim, his accounts were found correct, and his enemies' mouths were shut.
I made them admit this.
They wished to add what belongedto the nuns, as they used to do.
Perhaps he suffered on my account, as Pistorius was againin power, and might remember the book of stolen letters.
Grace will deal kindlywith Hans, and give him a comforting answer.
Bishop of Naumburg died in 1541, and the town being Elector appointed Nicolas Amsdorf, rejecting the Cathedral clergy'schoice,JuliusPflug,in spiteof
Luther's remonstrances and the opposition of Charles Melanchthon,his brother John Ernest,Herzog Ernest of Brunswick, and a stately retinue,entered
20th the new bishopwas consecrated.
Reformation in Halle now made rapidprogress under Dr. Jonas. War broke out in Germany.
Ferdinand asked helpagainstthe Turks, but the Princes refused,unless an abidingpeace were secured.
Luther's daughterMagdalenadied this year, to Medler, Superintendentin Naumburg, was created Wittenberg, where he acted as chaplain to the fugitiveconsort of the Elector of Brandenburg.
Medler's high-handed conduct, my excellent I in your position I should act in the opposite manner and enforce silence and conciliation towards him till the approaching church visitation,when it will be decided who is patron.
Meantime it would be imprudent forciblyto deprive the possessor of his rights,and even more, to coerce him into resigningthem.
This is how we acted in our church visitation.
Those who would not be persuaded to resign the old privileges we permitted to abide by their decision.
So the Junkers continued to give away the livingsas before, without consultingthe Medler has placed that potter under the ban, then, as their upper shepherd, exhort them to acquiesce,and admonish
Medler to conciliatory measures.
Medler must not be permitted to treat you as a mere shadow, seeingyou are responsible for the Naumburg community, which has been entrusted to you.
Should it be necessary, I would write him sharply for needlesslybreakingthe peace.
Meantime be steadfast and long-suffering.Although he will never be able to achieve anything contrary to God's will, yet you have managed to extract this devil's claw, which will bring forth fruit.
May you prosper in the I have a dreadful headache, therefore write you to-day.
Grace and peace in Christ,Most Princes,graciousLords Although most unwilHng to be burdensome to you, stillI must beg that your
Highnesseswould, if at all possible, send some game, for I have to help a young relative who lives with us into the holy and divinelyappointedstate of matrimony.
For there is littleof that sort of thingto be had here, for the officials, and courtiers especially, have eaten up everything, so that neither fowls nor any other sort of game are to be had, and I have to satisfy my hungerwith sausage and liver, etc.
I have never thanked your Highnessesfor the pork,but now do so, althoughI expressedmy warm thanks by word of mouth for the gift. For I have constantlyexperienced your
Graces' manifold kindnesses towards my unworthy self;and, had the said pig arrived after the engagement, it would have been set aside for the marriage,and you would not have been troubled now.
But you will graciously take my beggingin good part.
The wedding day is the Monday after St. Paul's I herewith commit you to the dear Luther blames the letter-carriersfor carelessness.
I said to our excellent Kilian,that you need expect no more letters from me unless you arrange that your messengers take the trouble to wait for an answer to yours.
For they deliver them in such a manner, or rather toss them to the first one who comes in their wav, as if they were pressedwith business,