Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1521-1530.djvu/218

 whole Church sends you greeting, especially James Propst and the brethren from Antwerp, and they commend themselves to your prayers. Martin Luthbr.

6ii. LUTHER TO ALBERT OF MAYENCE. De Wette, ii, 484. German. WrrrENBERC, February 14, 1524.

Grace and peace in Christ our Lord, Reverend Father in God, high-bom Prince, gracious Lord. Although I hear that it is forbidden by your Grace's officials to write either to your Grace or to the people of Miltenberg about the things that have transpired there,* nevertheless I am doing it. I am heartily sorry to do it, and should abstain, if I could do so with a clear conscience. But my conscience will suffer no prohibition, even though it were enforced with the power of all the angels. I am also heartily sorry that now for the third time the seed is sprouting in your Grace's realm. To be sure, some must suffer violence, even though it were at the hands of holy men, not to mention the kind of people who are doing this behind your Grace's back, or stirring up your Grace to do it. They are not so pure that they could cast a stone at the adulterous woman." Everybody knows that, and the whole land is witness that the people of Miltenberg are not perse- cuted because of any uprising on their part, but only because of the Gospel and the preaching of it. That such people should do such things under your Grace's rule really hurts me. I have no wish to displease your Grace, and so I will leave this subject, though I would gladly intercede for these poor innocent people, if that might be.

But there is one thing I cannot refrain from. Since these poor people are forbidden to receive letters, I must publish an open letter of consolation, so that my Christ may not say to me at the Last Day, "I was in prison and you visited Me not." In this letter I will spare your Grace all I can, for I am still convinced that your Grace is not of one mind with* some of the wolves and lions at your Grace's court. Therefore I am sending your Grace this letter so as to admonish your Grace beforehand, as the Gospel bids us do, on the chance that your Grace may not know what is going on. Then, too»

i Vide no. 6x3. 'John viSL, iff.

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