For long I have wished to show my devotion to your Grace by offeringyou some of my spiritual wares ; but alwaysthoughtthem too insignificant for your
Highness's acceptance.
But seeingmy graciouslord, Frederick, Herzog of Saxony, and Grace's brother,received my little book so graciously, I presume once more on the royal blood, trustingyou will not disdain my humble offering, which I consider the most importantof all my small books
" such a commotion havingarisen on the great question of good works, through which more deceptionis being practised and more simplepeopleare beingled astray than by any other means.
Jesus has commanded us to " beware of false prophetswhich come to you in sheep'sclothing, but inwardlythey are raveningwolves."
AlthoughI know that many despisemy poverty, and say I onlymake littlebooks and sermons for the unlearned laity, I am not upset by this.
I had devoted my whole lifeto the improvement of one layman God, and let my books perish.
I leave others to judge if writingmany largebooks is a science,and tends to the improvement of If I desired to write largebooks, perhapswith the Divine help I could do so, with better results than they could imitate me in writinga little treatise.
If we cannot all be poets, we would all like to be judges. Gladlydo I leave the honour of accomplishing great thingsto others, and am not ashamed of writingand preachingGerman for the unlearned,althoughnot very qualified to do so.
And it seems to me that if we had done this hitherto Christendom would have derived no little advantage therefrom,much more than it has reaped from the large books and learned discussions in the universities. Besides,
I have neither asked nor compelledany one to read my works.
I have served the peoplefreelywith what God has given me, and whoever does not care for this can read something else,which would not distress me greatly.
For it is more than enough if some of the laity,in-