Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1507-1521.djvu/343

 will write so that those Roman heads may understand that Germany, by an mscrutable judgment of God, has hitherto been oppressed not by her own stupidity, but by that of Italians. Farewell. I send this letter sealed, as you did yours. Martin Luther.

276. ELECTOR FREDERIC OF SAXONY TO CARDINAL

RAPHAEL RIARIO AT ROME.

Lutheri Opera latina varii argumenti (Erlangen, 1865), ii. 551.

LocHAU, July la 153&

In the reprint here cited the date is given as "Augsburg, August 5, 1520." On the true date cf. Enders, ii. 431.

Rafael Riario (1461-July 9, 1521), of Savona, one of the most power- ful men in Rome. He had been created cardinal 1477. Cf. Pastor, vols, vii., viii. He had written the elector urging him to make Luther recant (cf. supra, no. 275) ; this is Frederic's answer.

Most reverend Father in Christ, and dear Lord, your kind letter dated Rome, April 3, was delivered to me on July 7. . . . I already knew, my dear Sir, what you write about Dr. Mar- tin Luther. Please understand that with God's help I wiB never do nor be other, and that I never had the purjMse or wish of being other than an obedient son of the Holy Catholic Church.

I have never hitherto undertaken to defend either tfie writ- ings or the sermons of Dr. Martin Luther, nor do I do so to-day, as I showed to his Holiness's legate Cardinal Cajetan, and to the papal nuncio Charles Miltitz, both by my letters and orally.

Moreover I hear that Dr. Luther has never shown himself unready obediently to appear, armed with a safe-conduct, be- fore just, convenient, disinterested and prudent judges to de- fend his doctrine in person, and, when he has learned better and more holy doctrine from Scripture, submissively to obey.

To this duty I hear the Archbishop Elector of Trier has been appointed commissioner, a friend of mine, at whose stun- mons I doubt not that Luther, provided with safe-conduct, will appear. So no one can rightly blame me on this account It is a heartfelt sorrow to me that in my time errors in the Catholic faith should arise, and this would annoy me still more, that such errors should be promoted by me. . ..

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