Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1507-1521.djvu/248

 power. We have, I believe, a pious Pope, but one who does | not know all that is going on behind these tumults, and even I if he knew it could not prevent it all, as Virgil says: "The charioteer is carried along by the horses, nor does the car obey the reins." His piety will be helped by those who exhort him to do what is worthy of Christ. It is no secret that they incite his Holiness against Luther, or rather against all who dare to mutter against their doctrines. But great princes should rather consider what is the permanent will of the Pope than the duty they owe to a command wrongly extorted from him. . ..

/They take it very ill that sound learning and the tongues should flourish, and the old, worm-eaten, dust-covered authors should revive to recall the world to its former state. These men fear for their own failings; they cannot bear to seem ignorant of anything, and they are afraid that something may wound their dignity. They kept the sore spot covered for a while, but at last pain has conquered their pretence and they have had to show it. They, especially the Dominicans and^ Carmelites, whom I prefer to consider fools rather than : knaves, did their best even before Luther's books appeared. \ But when Luther did begin to publish they took his works as a convenient excuse to attack Greek and sound learning, Reuchlin, Luther and even me, confounding us all and nQt_ separating the good from the bad. In the first place, what on earth has the degree of a man's learning to do with his piety ? And then what have I to do with Reuchlin and Luther ? But they mixed all things together so as to render all culti- vators of sound learning invidious alike. One can see how little candor they displayed when they themselves confessed that there was no author, ancient or modern, in whom some errors were not found. But they don't notice the many errors of Alvarus, or Cajetan, or Prierias, because they are Domin- icans. They only clamor against Reuchlin because he knows Hebrew and Greek, and against Luther because they think him more learned than themselves. But Luther wrote much rather imprudent than impious. . ..

r Formerly a heretic was one who erred from the gospel truth. . . . now whoever displeases them is a heretic. It is

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