Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1507-1521.djvu/411

 lutely on human intellect. You have often blown the trumpet, and Hutten, who will soon try arms, shouts war for us. I think you will be safe there, nor shall our chief lack an asylum. Our enemies are protected by strong bulwarks, cas- tles and moats, relying on money, arms and numerous de- pendents. The people stand unanimously for you; not the smallest part is with the Romanists. "Alas!" the latter ex- claim, "what is this monstrosity, that a private man should unpunished call into question the ancient decretals!" To which the saner reply: "What impiety it is to extinguish Christ's doctrines with human laws!" Why do I say all this? Only to show that everything is tending towards a tremendous revolution, of which the outcome is uncertain. There arc men who fear that such a strife would obliterate all show of religion. For they take your teachings in a sinister way, as it were.

Someone has written a satiric dialogue^ at Cologne against Hochstraten, taxing Eck and Aleander with burning the books, and even casting some aspersions at me, who certainly did not wish the books burned, but who did conceal my opinion about it. Eck wrote back furiously to Cologne. Aleander digests the insult in silence, making not very witty jokes about it; therefore he has been branded with another sharp letter, and with a by no means bad song, and another more learned one with much gall in it. The man speaks hostilely of me, al- though, as you know, I study nothing but peace and tran- quillity. He burned your books with much bluster at Cologne, but as I was absent the attempt was unfortunate and the issue much more unfortunate. He was hissed by the people as a Jew' who under the pretext of religion would labor for the glory of Moses, as though he were not a sincere Christian, having been recently converted. The people are of two minds. The shame of the burning terrified some, but exacerbated the

��'The Hochstratus ovans, reprinted Bocldng, supplement, i. 46a. Cf. Arekiv fir Reformationsgeschichte, i. 58.

'Aleander was at this time often charged with being a Jew, eren by Erasmus. His skill in Hebrew was at the basis of this untrue aUegation. the purpose of which was not solely to excite odium against him, but also to cast doubts on his capacity to discharge the duties of legate from which conrerted Jews were legally excluded.

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