Page:The letters of Martin Luther.djvu/259

 five tons of gold, which cannot be accepted, as the Pope has promised to supply him with all that is needful, and the French, with their “par ma foi,” have done the same — truly a good joke; but who would rely on such promises?

But I have heard from Dr. Martin Luther himself that even were Venice, the Pope, and Francis loyal to the Emperor, and not each thinking of his own advantage, still they are three different beings in one person, each of whom has an inconceivable hatred against His Imperial Majesty, meanwhile deceiving him, through hypocrisy and lies, till they either perish themselves, or drag that pious, noble youth into difficulty and distress. For “par ma foi” cannot forget the defeat at Pavia, and the Pope, being an Italian, and a Florentine to boot, and a child of the devil, cannot forget the disgrace of the plunder of Rome, no matter how cheerful he tries to appear; and as for the Venetians — they are only Venetians — and excuse their wrath under the pretext of revenging Maximilian’s death. May God help the pious Charles, who is truly a sheep among wolves! Amen. Greet your dear Sophie from me. I commend you to God. From the desert. MARTIN LUTHER.

CCXX
TO CONRAD CORDATUS

On June 15 Charles entered Augsburg, the Elector of Saxony bearing the sword before him.

June 19, 1530.

Grace and peace! I write, dear Conrad, to show you I have not forgotten my promise. For I sit here, and there is little hope of my being called to the Reichstag; but, should I go, I shall let you know.

Your dear vicar (colleague), Herr Hausmann, tells me that you are determined to go, but I question if it would be expedient, as your work would suffer; and it is still doubtful if the religious question would be dealt with, and if it is, whether it may not be in secret, as the Emperor has forbidden a public discussion. We hear no news, as our Augsburg friends never write; but it seems certain