Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1521-1530.djvu/283

 the said collector for this wheat, for I believe and hope that it will not be necessary any more.

Moreover, gracious Lord, since I am now alone in the mon- astery with the prior ^ (except for the exiles' whom, out of Christian love, we keep with us), and I have now kept the prior here for more than a year serving me, and cannot and will not keep him longer, because his conscience compels him to change his manner of life ; ' since, besides, I cannot endure the misery of dunning people every day for the revenues; therefore we are minded to hand over the monastery, with all that belongs to it, to your Grace, as the ultimate heir. For if the prior leaves, there is nothing left here for me, and I shall have to see where the Lord will support me.

But in order that we, who are the last inmates, may not go away entirely empty-handed, I himibly ask that your Grace will graciously grant and convey either to the prior or to me in my own name, the plot adjoining the hospital which our monastery bought for N. gulden. Not that I wish to have from your Grace a public grant or deed, for I know very well how much importance your Grace attaches to that;* but I wish your Grace to wink at it, so that we may take pos- session with a clear conscience, and by a secret grant. Thus we could use my name to resist or defend ourselves against anyone who wanted to be grasping or otherwise too shrewd, and then appeal to your Grace as though petitioning for a grant and permit yet to be issupd. To be sure, a public grant would be pleasing to God.

Duty and love compel me to make this request, for the prior has had to give up his paternal inheritance, which lies in the jurisdiction of Trier,* because he was persecuted for the Gospel's sake; otherwise he would be rich enough. God's grace keep your Grace. Amen.

Your Grace's htmible servant,

Martin Luther.

^ Britger.

sWbom thdr adherence to the evangelical cause had rendered homelew.
 * Brisger married in the following year (July 2is> 15215).

«In accordance with the Elector's consistent unwillingness to seem to llTOr Luther. As a matter of fact the Elector gave Luther the whole monastery in !$$»•
 * At Muhlheim, near Coblenz.

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