Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1507-1521.djvu/112

Let. 75 Supreme Most Blessed Pontiff, and publicly to preach his false doctrine and many other propositions suitable not to a monk and a Christian as he is, but to a schismatic heretic and to one whose name, perhaps, has been erased from the book of life. Now we have warned this rebel to his profession and this enemy of the cross of Christ to desist from his cursed doings, and we have cited him to Rome, either to correct or to show reason for all that he has said against Our Supreme Lord and the Holy Roman Church. But as he was blind enough in his heresy to dare to lift up his face against heaven, and to rage and rebel against Our Supreme Lord, thus he did not fear to show his rebellious contumacy against his vow and us. Now his iniquity has multiplied and his sin has grown to such a degree that by the command of the Supreme Pontiff Our Lord, we ought to apply opportune remedies to this contagious pestilence, and, lest he should infect and ruin others, to proceed against him as a rebel to his vow and a heretic towards the Holy Roman Church. And as we cannot be everywhere, we rely on your well-tried virtue, moderation and probity. Therefore we command you under pain of losing all your promotions, dignities and offices, when you receive this letter, to proceed to capture the said Brother Martin Luther, have him bound in chains, fetters and handcuffs, and detained under strict guard in prison at the instance of our Supreme Lord Leo X. And as he belongs to that Congregation which thinks itself free from your government, that he may have no way of escape, we give you in this matter all our authority, and we inform you that our Supreme Lord, the Pope, has delegated to you plenary apostolic authority to imprison, bind and detain this man, notwithstanding anything done to the contrary, all of which, in as far as concerns this business, his Holiness expressly waives. Furthermore, he grants you power of putting the interdict on all places, and of excommunicating all persons by the apostolic authority, as you will see further in the apostolic breve, and of doing all things which seem to you needful for imprisoning this scoundrel; all of this in the name