Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1521-1530.djvu/439

 Kawerau/ ii, iii£F.; Smith, 224, and literature 461; Walch,' xix, iTff. ; ARG^ i, 172S.

Reverend and learned Lord Chancellor. According to the command of my gracious Lord, given me yesterday, I send you here my opinion in writing.

First, in order that my gracious Lord may have a good con- science toward the outrages of the opposing princes, in case it shall be necessary for him to defend himself, it is to be remembered — ^and no one can deny it — ^that his Grace, as an Elector of the empife, has no overlord with the right and authority to punish him or pass judgment on him, save only his Imperial Majesty alone. All the other princes and kings are either his equals or his inferiors, and have no power or authority over his Grace.

Second, it is his Grace's duty to protect his subjects against such other princes and so conduct his administration that, as St. Paul teaches in Romans xiii, the temporal power may be God's servant to punish the evil and protect the good. For if it is his duty to protect them aganist one murderer f)r murderers of low rank, it is also his duty to protect them against many and great murderers. For there is no difference among murderers, whether they are princes or tramps.

Third, if these murdering princes pretend to attack his Grace at the command of his Imperial Majesty, his Grace's con- science may be guided as follows: First, his Grace is not 55bliged to believe or receive any such commandment, but to interpret it as a false, wicked and seditious trick, because his Imperial Majesty has promised to be a gracious Lord to his Grace, and to take no measures against him without first notifying him ; I hear that this is the reply that has come from Spain. His Grace must firmly and faithfully stand upon this promise of his Imperial Majesty, as he is bound to hold his Imperial Majesty a true and honest man, and not be turned away from it by any commandment until his Imperial Majesty himself revokes the promise. For his Grace is in duty bound to believe his Imperial Majesty himself more than all princes, and especially more than such suspicious enemies, no matter how they boast about commands.

In the second place, it is a fact, and there can be no doubt

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