Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1521-1530.djvu/159

 to do without. Meanwhile those who receive the stipends are either not lecturing at all, or else they are men who are not to be compared with Bugenhagen in any respect They are complaining, therefore, not about Bugenhagen, for they know the stipends of those swine ought to go to him, but because they are not getting their lectures gratis, though they came here with that hope, especially those who have but slender means. Mention this to the Elector, then, if you can; per- haps he may be willing to remedy the matter. Although the lectures of Philip and Carlstadt are excellent and there are enough of them, nevertheless I would not be without those of Bugenhagen, for Carlstadt's lectures are irrq^arly given. I tell you this in confidence. Farewell, and pray for me. Please give me an answer about the game, so that they may know what preparations to make. Martin Luther.

564. HANS VON DER PLANITZ TO THE ELECTOR FREDERIC

OF SAXONY. ,

Wulcker-'N^rck, 301. German. Nusehberg, Jamiary 2, 1523.

. . . Luther has had to suffer with us again, but nothing has been finally decided as yet, for we have not been able to agree. They are ascribing all sorts of things to the good man. For one thing, he is said to write and preach that Christ's true body is not present under the form of bread, but only a figure of it, such as is also in the Supper, and that no one can consecrate the sacrament, because the words of benediction with which Christ blessed the bread are lost; the Gospel says, indeed, "J^^us took bread and blessed it and brake it,'* etc., but how He blessed it, and with what words, we do not know. Again he is said to preach and say that Jesus was conceived of the seed of Joseph,^ and that Mary was not a virgin, but had many sons after Christ. It is said that these things are held and believed at Wittenberg and that the Chris- tian faith will be utterly destroyed within three years unless they are looked after seriously very soon. It is said, too, that Luther will not accept any judge, or any advice about hb doctrines, for he absolutely refused to do so at Worms. It

>C/. infra, no. 5S8.

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