Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1507-1521.djvu/166

 defend my opinions of indulgences. The boastful little beast is most unfortunate. He promises a fight after Easter. Some say he is suborned by the Dominicans. The Lord's will be done. I would have sent a copy of his paper, but I only have one sent me from Nuremberg. I send Carlstadt's booklet on the Justification of the Wicked^ and the conclusion of his edition of Augustine's De spiritu et litera* hoping that you have the first part. Farewell in Christ and pray for me.

Martin Luther.

125. JOHN FROBEN TO MARTIN LUTHER, Enders, L 42a Basle, February 14, 1519.

John Frobcn (c 1460-1527), of Hammelburg in Franconia, studied at Basle, where he printed his first book, a Bible, 1491. In 1500 he made a partnership with John Amorbach. In 15 14 he formed a con- nection with Erasmus for the purpose of bringing out the Greek Testament and Jerome's works, both of which appeared in 15 16. After this his relations with Erasmus were close until his death. Life in Allgemeine deutsche Biographie. This letter, which is of great interest as showing how early Luther's books attained an international reputation, arrived at Wittenberg on March 12th.

Blasius Salmonius/ a printer of Leipsic, gave me some of your books, which he had bought at the last Frankfort Fair,* which, as they were approved by all the learned, I immediately reprinted.* We have sent six hundred copies to France* and Spain ;^ they are sold at Paris, and are even read and ap-

��writing this) masks or psntomimes were played by mummers. They are known as "Fastnachtspiele."

^Epitome A, Carohtadii D§ impii justificatione. Leipsic, 15 19.

SC/. supra, no. 51 and A. Humbert: Les Origines de la thiologie moderns,

p. aap.

'Otherwise unknown.

4The great book-mart of Germany. Cf. J. W. Thompson: The Frankfort Book Fair: the Francofordiense Emporium of Henri Estienne. Chicago. Caxton Club, X911.

Mn the days before copyright books were free for all. In this case the learned did not include Erasmus, who protested earnestly against the publication of Lather's works. Cf, infra, no. 149. Froben's volurae contained The Ninety-five Theses, the Resolutions, the Answer to Prierias, and the sermons on Penitence and on the Eucharist. Also Carlstadt's Theses of May, 15 18. De Jongh: L'ancienne Pacuiti de Thiologie d Louvain, p. 306. Cf. supra, no. 94.

are bought more quickly than Luther's. Corpus Reformatorum, xciv. 362. Thus also Lefirre d'fitaples learned to know Luther, to whom he sent a greeting on
 * So Glarean writes to Zwingli on November i, 1520, from Paris, that no books

▼An early indication of the spread of Lutheranism and probably of Lutheran

II

��i

�� �