Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1521-1530.djvu/320

 684. LUTHER TO DUKE JOHN FREDERIC OF ELECTORAL

SAXONY. De Wette^ ii, 664. German. Wittenberg, May 20, 1525.

For some time before the death of the Elector Frederic Lutiier had viewed with growing concern the decline in the number of students at Wittenberg, and especially the weakening of the faculty through the acceptance by its members of calls to other fields of activity (vide supra, no. 672). With the accession of John the Steadfast his pleas for the strengthening of the university became more urgent

I have written your Grace's father and lord/ my gracious Lord, that he shall set the university in order and secure a man who will tmdertake the task. It is true that your Grace has much else to do in these troublous times, but in this matter, too, delay is dangerous, for things have been hanging in the air long enough, and everything is upset. Besides, men are moving away and being called away every day. It will not be easy to bring them together again, and our neighbors are already gloating, as though the death of the Elector were the end of Wittenberg and it was all up with us. Necessity, therefore, demands that if we are to continue to have a university here, we must take prompt action. It were a pity if such a school, from which the Gospel has gone out into all the wbrld, were to go down, and if, when men are needed everywhere, nothing were done to educate them. If, then, your Grace is willing to do something, it is my humble request that he will help this cause along and close his ears when certain court-sponges speak contemptuously of writers. For your Grace sees that the world cannot now be ruled by force alone, but must have men of learning, who by preaching and teaching the Word of God, help to restrain the people. If there were no preachers and teachers the temporal govern- ment would not long endure, not to speak of the Kingdom of God, which would be taken from us. I hope that in this matter your Grace will show himself gracious and a true Christian. God have your Grace in His keeping.

Your Grace's humble servant. Mart. Luther.

685. LUTHER TO JOHN RUHEL AT MANSFELD. DeWette, ii, 666. German. Wittenberg, May as, 1525.

I thank you, honored and dear sir and brother-in-law,* for

^The Elector John. The letter hu been lost.

'Ruhel't wife Hannah was a kinswoman, but not sister of Luther.

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