Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1507-1521.djvu/131

 the holy golden Rose, blessed with our hands, and nobly consecrated on the fourth Sunday of last Lent, our noblest gift, a thing of secret meaning and a splendid decoration for the noble House of Saxony this year. The said Charles will show your Grace what we have commanded him to undertake against the dire foes of the Christian man and against the crime and presumptuous error of a friar Martin Luther.

Noble Sir and beloved Son. It seems to us more necessary every day to take thought for a crusade against the Turk unholy wrath. … But while we were considering how bring this to pass, and were bending all our forces to this end, Satan reveals this son of perdition or of damnation, Martin Luther, of the order of St. Augustine, who has dared in your territories to preach to the Christian flock against us and the holy Roman see. This not only savors of open heresy, but merits heavy punishment, of which, as it is well known both to us and to you, we shall say nothing more. It becomes us not to tolerate this any longer, both because of our honor and that of the papal see, and because the credulous people may be hereby led to evil doctrine with great scandal. In order, therefore, that this infected, scrofulous sheep may not grow strong in the healthy sheepfold of the Lord, and in order that the boldness of this wicked Martin may stop, and not send his root too deep and firm to be rooted out of the field of the Lord given to our charge, and as we know and have no doubt that this troubles your conscience not a little, for the reputation and honor of yourself and of your famous ancestors, who were always the hottest opponents of heresy, we have commanded the said Charles, our nuncio and chamberlain, in another letter and breve, to take cognizance of this affair and to act against the said Martin and against his followers, who support his scandalous opinions. This is further explained in our letter of credence. We remind your Lordship, and admonish you paternally, to act according to your reason and the virtue of a Christian prince, on which not a little depends, for the sake of your noble reputation, to