earnestly desire the appearance of this Antichrist is plain from the form of their summons. The Elector of Branden- burg has spoken to me of a splendid plan concerning Luther's aflfair by himself and his brother, from which he expects great results, but at present he won't say anything more about it. We shall soon see what it is. I hope that God will turn it all to the best. . . .
It is remarkable that some Germans who write against Luther in German and Latin find no printers, and if by money and good words they actually do get their books printed, all the copies are immediately bought by the Lu- therans, who, like the Marannos,^ have common funds, and destroyed. . . .
425. ALEANDER TO THE VICE-CHANCELLOR JULIUS DE'
MEDICI.
Kalkoff: Aleander, 139. Worms (March 19), 1521.
Yesterday morning I set out to press forward the mandate, the printing of which was finished yesterday evening. But those who are entrusted with its preparation exercise pressure on us for its delay for no other reason, as far as I can guess, or rather am almost certain, than that it should not be pub- lished before Luther has started to come hither. For the opinion of all these gentlemen is that if he knew of the mandate he would not come, and that would be, as I have already often stated, not according to the wish of the im- perial council.
Further I discovered another merchant, who, returning from the Frankfort Fair, brought a great mass of Lutheran books, both the earlier ones and some that have appeared since and are as bad as the others. People are beginning to talk of Martin again. But if these imperialists don't do us an injustice, we will take all these books away within forty- eight hours. . . .
This noon Caracciolo and I dined with a numerous and noble company as guests of the most serene Elector of Brand-
- The Spanish Jews or Moors who had been converted by force to Christianity.
A good many of them were at Antwerp, where they made a rery clannish community.
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