Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1507-1521.djvu/565

 if they do not openly and boldly utter such words. Recently a Spaniard seized a copy of Leo's bull, edited by you, and trampled it in the mud. Day before yesterday a priest of the Emperor's court took from a poor man a bundle of eighty Babylonian Captivities, tore up some of them and would have torn up the rest if a neighboring bookseller had not come up and compelled the wretch and his assistants to take refuge in the palace. Aleander has wormed himself into the confidence of the Emperor. . . and the nuncios are of all men the most hostile to liberty, to Luther and to you. If they get out of Germany safe, you will greatly disappoint our expectations, Hutten. ... I am waiting here for the publication of the im- perial edict against Luther and the Lutherans ; the Romanists loudly threaten us with it, which they say will be directed not only against the books, but against the persons of Lutherans. Farewell.

473. ALEANDER TO VICE-CHANCELLOR CARDINAL DE'

MEDICI AT ROME.

Kalkoff: Aleander, 205^ Worms (May 5), 1521.

After the events sketched in my letter of the 29th ultimo, the electors and princes took council together in Luther's affair and resolved to support the Emperor's procedure against Luther and his books. The Saxon said neither yes nor no to this, but maintained an obstinate silence. I am not clear about the position of the Elector Palatine, but I have learned that the majority of the electors are in agreement with the Em- peror. After that [probably on May i] the Emperor and Privy Council charged me with the drafting of the edict, which I was to justify as carefully as possible so as to quiet the people, and that is all the more necessary as Luther has already published in German an account of his hearing before the Emperor, and has thus cleverly vindicated himself, though with lies, in order to strengthen his followers and win back public opinion which was largely estranged by his bad morals and demeanor, his obstinacy and his bestial expres- sions about councils, all of which made a deep impression on the Germans. But that does not prevent a large number from holding fast to him, not as though they embraced his views.

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