Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1521-1530.djvu/101

 thing would not have gone so far. Now the evil must be rooted out, the contagion is so widely spread. If he were to declare himself in three words a Lutheran, we should see

jSL very different game among us and the Germans. But he has not written against Luther 1 No, for he had no leisure

Jo write books, but wrote letters. Thought he could serve Christianity better otherwise.

532. LUTHER TO THE ELECTOR FREDERIC OF SAXONY.

DeWette, ii, 146. German. Wittenberg^ March 12, 1522.

Upon the receipt of the Elector's commands to Schurff (supra, no. 530), Luther immediately wrote the Elector (DeWette, ii, 141), giving his reasons for returning to Wittenberg. In a postscript he said that if this letter was not satisfactory he was willing to make any changes in it which the Elector might desire. On March 9 the Elector wrote again to Schurff, ordering him to have certain changes made (Enders, iii, JQ3). This is the final form of the letter of March 7, revised according to the Elector's wbhes.

Favor and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. My humble services.

Serene, high-bom Prince, gracious Lord. I humbly wish your Grace to know that by God's help I have returned again to Wittenberg, which undoubtedly is against your Grace's will, since you have never wished to be involved in this matter, for it seems as though it might cause great danger to others as well as to myself, who am banned and condemned by the edicts of the Pope and the Emperor, and am obliged to look for death at any moment. But what am I to do? God forces me and calls me, and the cause is urgent. It had to be so; so be it then, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord of life and death.

But in order that your Grace may not think that I have so unexpectedly and without your Grace's knowledge, will and consent, betaken myself again to your Grace's univer- sity and city of Wittenberg because of mere perversity or needless curiosity, I wish htmibly to inform your Grace of the causes which move me. And first of all and above all, I wish to say explicity that I was not moved to it by any con- tempt for his Imperial Majesty or any other temporal author-

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