Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1507-1521.djvu/123

 hope of reward, and that he promises him all good will. In short, the Roman Church, if I may say so, is insatiable for gold, and increases her appetite by eating. Farewell forever, and thank the elector for me and commend me to him.

Brother Martin Luther, Augustinian,

84. LUTHER TO PHILIP MELANCHTHON AT WITTENBERG. Enders, i. 244. Augsburg, October ii» 15 18.

. . . Play the man, as you do, and teach the youth the things that are right. If it please the Lord I am going to be sacrificed for you and for them. I prefer to perish, and, what is my greatest sorrow, to lose your sweetest society for- ever rather than to recant what has been well said, and thus became the occasion for the ruin of the noblest studies.

With these enemies of literature and of learning, men as foolish as they are bitter, Italy is cast into the palpable dark- ness of Egypt.^ They are completely ignorant of Christ and of the things which are Christ's, yet we have them as lords and masters of our faith and morals. Thus is the wrath of God fulfilled against us, as he says :* "I will give children to be their princes and effeminate men shall rule over them." Fare- well, my Philip, and avert the wrath of God with pure prayers. Brother Martin Luther.

85. LUTHER TO ANDREW CARLSTADT AT WITTENBERG. Enders, i. 249. De Wcttc, i. 159. German.*

Augsburg, October 14, 1518. I wish you happiness and salvation. Honored Doctor. I must write briefly for time and business press me. At an- other time I will write you and other people more. For three days my affair has been in a hard case, so hard, in- deed, that I had no hope of coming to you again and saw nothing ahead of me more certain than excommunication.

^'^enebras palpabiles" from Exodus, x. 31 » "tenebrae tam denaae at palpari Queant/' in our Tcrsion, "darkness which may be felt." I hare kept Lather's phrase exactly, as it is found in Milton, Paradise Last, xii. 188.

Isaiah, iii. 4, following the Vulgate translation.

This letter was originally written in Latin, but only the German translation has survived.

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