Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1521-1530.djvu/39

 portion of his spirit, which may the Lord Jesus graciously grant you. Amen.

Do not be downcast, therefore, but sing the song which the Lord has commanded in the night ;^ I will join in the $ong, and let us be anxious only for the Word. He that is igno- rant, let him be ignorant; he that perishes, let him perish; only so they cannot complain that we did not do our duty by them. Let the Leipzigers* boast, for this is their hour; we must go out from our own land, from our kindred and from our father's house, and be scattered for a time in a land we know not.' Meanwhile let them adore and brag about their N. N.* For James the Fleming" the mere sight of you is enough; do you grudge him his happiness in seeing all he wishes ?

I have not given up hope of returning to you, but may the Lord do what is good in His eyes. If the Pope shall take steps against all those who think with me, Germany will be in a tumult ; and the sooner he tries it, the sooner he and his will perish and I shall return. The Lord is arousing the spirits of many, and especially the hearts of the common people, and it seems to me unlikely that this matter can be put down by force; if they start to put it down, it will become ten times greater. Germany has many Karsthanses.* Mumar is silent; what the goat ^ will do, I do not know, perhaps he will be a second Ortwin.* One thing you write I do not believe, — that saddest and bitterest of news. While you and Amsdorf and the rest are there, you are not without a shepherd. Do not talk that way, or God may be angered and we be found guilty
 * you are wandering without a shepherd. That would be the

1 C/. Pstim xlii, 8.

trines.
 * The theologians of I«eip«ic were among the bitterest opponents of Luther's doc-

« Cf. Genesb xU, i.

^ Duke George of Saxonj.

•Probst. Cf, VoL I, p. 351, n. 3; also, O. Clemen, Breitr&ge but Reforma- tionsgeschicte, 1900, i, 37ff, and J. Reitsma: Gtschiedenit von de Htrvorming en d# Hervormdt Ktrk der Nedtriondeti^, 191 3t if i49ff>

^Kortikans ("the man with the hoe," a common name for the German peasant), the title of an anonymous satire on Thomas Mumar, (cf. VoL I, p. 407, n. i), published in 1530. Reprinted by Burckhardt in Plugschriften aus den ersten Jahren der Ref., ir. Ft. i.

^Emser.

• The butt of the Letters of Obscure Men. Cf. Smith, p. J9.

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