Page:The letters of Martin Luther.djvu/160

 The man accuses his wife of wicked desertion, declaring he can prove he is blameless. But he has not done so as yet, so one must act according to Matthew 18, as the man has hitherto been too modest to prove his wife’s guilt in her presence, or bring forward the testimony of the whole town that she left her husband without cause. For it is not right to condemn her unheard, or without having convicted her of guilt.

It seems AEgidius of Erfurt only heard part of the matter, and then gave his opinion, which is even more contrary to the gospel than to law. In the next place, best of men, pray submit the following to your Prince at my request. Carlstadt has set up a printing-press at Jena in order to print what he pleases, desiring to indulge his weakness for teaching where he is not wanted, and maintaining a persistent silence where he has a call to act.

Although this cannot do much injury to our ministerium, still it is apt to bring dishonor upon our Prince and University, as both have promised that nothing should be published without censorship by proper parties.

Seeing the Prince and we have kept the bargain, Carlstadt and his adherents cannot be allowed in the Prince’s land to emancipate themselves from all authority. Would the Prince, therefore, order him to send any work to any censor he pleases, or suppress his undertaking, so that we may not come into bad odor through breaking our promise? Farewell in the Lord, and give my respects to the Prince. MARTIN LUTHER.

C
TO GEORGE SPALATIN

The first evangelical hymn-book appeared this spring in Wittenberg, containing eight hymns — four by Luther. “Aus tiefer Noth schrei ich zu Dir” (Psalm 130) was in this collection.

February 23, 1521.

Grace and peace! I write, dear Spalatin, only because I wished to write you. For you are sitting at Nurnberg as still as if you were in Rome, so that we do not