Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1507-1521.djvu/282

 refreshed, not only by the excellent delicacies of the table, but by the exquisite and sweet meat of the Scriptures, for which, indeed, I came more hungry than for the bodily food. Among the other excellent gifts of your mind, the genuine humility of our Lord Jesus^ manifested itself with special brilliance; your face, words, gesture and whole body testified to it. This is the reason why I now dare to approach you, so great a priest of eternal wisdom, who perpetually sacrifice to wisdom from the field of your genius richer and more fertile than any Arabia, sweet incense, and to write you a letter, not only in poor Latin, but inept and most unseasonable. I am sure that you will condone this sin.

The occasion of my writing now for the first time is my inmiense desire for your Commentary on the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians. For I only had a chance to see it, when a certain man brought it here from Nuremberg. By various wiles I extorted it from him and sent it to Beautus Rhenanus,' so that, if no one gets ahead of us, it can be reprinted by Laz- arus Schurer.' For each of them is now at Schlettstadt, our common birthplace. And having no little need of the com- mentary, which seemed to me a treasury full of the dogmas of pure theology, I ordered someone else to procure me your works. Then, by chance, a certain messenger was starting out hence from our prince to yours. But your Peter,* sec- retary of Wolfgang Count Palatine, relieved him of this bur- den, and transferred it to Spalatin,* a man who deserves well on account of his learning and piety.

Peter also urged me to write,* although unknown to him and inexperienced in all polite literature. I had previously given myself altogether to him, nor could I return to my former state. Moreover I could not trifle with your dogmas, or rather with the pure doctrine of Christ. I ap-

^The worda in italics are Greek.

•With a letter dated Spires, January 15, isao. Brxefwecksel des Beatus Rkenanus, p. 203.

•This hope was probably not fulfilled. Weimar, ii. 439. Schurer was a printer of Schlettstadt.

^Perhaps Peter Beymann, a client of Wolfganjr, matriculated at Wittenberg 1515.

ftprom whom Bucer received a copy by March 19. Cf. Brief wechsel des Beatus Rkenanus, p. 216.

•Buccr's letter to Spalatin, January 23, printed in Kolde: Analecta Lutherana, p. 437, and Stahelin: Brief e aus der Reformationseit, p. 6.

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