Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1507-1521.djvu/133

 128 LUTHER'S CORRESPONDENCE AND Let gs

whose chief care is to weed out the tares and coccle from the field of the Lord. You will always find us grateful and propitious to you, as you will learn more fully from Miltitz*

Given under the fisherman's ring, in the seventh year o our pontificate. Evangelista.*

93. LUTHER TO GEORGE SPALATIN. Enders, i. 272, Wittenberg, October 31, 1518—^'

Greeting. Dear Spalatin, I have come to-day to Witten- - berg safe, by God's grace, but know not how long I shall re- main so, for my case is in such a state that I both fear and hope. I appealed from the Pope badly informed to the Pope to be better informed, and thus I departed, having left be- hind a brother to present the appeal to the cardinal in the presence of a notary and witnesses. Meantime I shall pre- pare another appeal to a future council, following the pre- cedent of the Parisians* in case the Pope from the plentitude of his power, or rather tyranny, refuses my first appeal. I am so full of joy and peace that I wonder that many strong men regard my trial as severe.

Certainly the cardinal legate showed great benevolence and clemency to me, as he promised the illustrious elector,. but we did not understand him. He offered to do all paternally, most paternally, and doubtless would have acted accordingly, had I only wished to recant. For our whole difficulty was that I would not, and he would, nor do I think he had instructions tp do anything but condemn me; there- fore, I was obliged to appeal.

I shall publish my answer' to his arguments, together with my Appeal and a theological commentary on the Apostolic — or diabolic — Breve,* of which you often wrote me formerly, and of which you recently sent a copy, delivered to me, with other letters of instruction, at Nuremberg on my return

^One of the papal secretaries, not certainly to be identified, perhaps Evmngeliatm Maddaleni de Capodiferro, a poet and historian, and (1514) a municipal officer of Rome. C/. £. Rodocanachi: Rome au temps de Jules II et de Leon X, Paris, 19 13, pp. 228, 283, 323.

'On March 27, 1518, the University of Paris had appealed to a future council. Luther followed their form of appeal to protect himself.

'The Acta August ana, Weimar, ii. 6ff. Smith, 53.


 * The papal Breve to Cajetan of August 23, 15 18, supra, no. 73.

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