Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1507-1521.djvu/407

 me for my destruction. They have laid false charges against / me before the papal nuncio, as though I alone upheld Luther • and prevented his death, which, rather than his correction, is I what they alone desire. Francis von Sickingen related that ^when he expostulated with the Emperor about the mandate against Luther, which is being carried around, the Emperor said that he had never issued such a mandate. When the Elector Frederic of Saxony spoke with him about Luther he received the reply that Luther should not be condemned un- heard. The bishops are forced to dissimulate, only when they showed the elector the breve in which he was conmianded to throw Luther into prison, he said that he was surprised that the Pope should make such a demand of him, a layman, when he was not convinced that Luther deserved such treat- ment and when the affair had been referred to the Diet of Worms. The nuncios took this answer very ill. It is clear that the bull was published contrary to the conunand of the Pope. Aleander, who brought it, had no conunission save to confer with the universities. He is a man skilled in the three languages, and if all say that he is a Jew, surely his life lends color to the assertion. What he has done in Lower Germany furious Eck does in Upper Germany. The Ger- mans publish seditious tracts, and I wonder that no one is able to quiet the tumult. Luther writes more fiercely every _ day and seems to be aiming at rebellion against my advice. He writes that he simply despises the Roman bull, but re- news his old appeal at the advice of friends. A breve* was shown to Matthew Lang, Cardinal of Gurk, at Cologne, com- manding him to invite Staupitz, vicar general of the Augus- tinians, who favors Luther, and force him to abjure all Luther's dogmas, and if he did not do this throw him into prison or punish him some other way.

There are many things in Luther's books which are worthy of being known; some things which had better have been omitted and all things too violently, not to say seditiously, written. For if he had said what was necessary more mod- erately, even if he had accused the intolerable vices of the Roman Curia, he would have had the support of all.

^On this, c/. Smith, op. cit,, 107. On Lang, supra, no. 8o, note.

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