matter is still in doubt, and my Theses overwhelmed with abuse. Yet I may say two things, the first to you and my friends only, until the matter shall be decided publicly. Indulgences now seem to me to be nothing but a snare for souls, and are worth absolutely nothing except to those who slumber and idle in the way of Christ. Even if our Carlstadt does not share this opinion, yet I am certain that there is nothing in them. For the sake of exposing this fraud, for the love of truth I entered this dangerous labyrinth of disputation, and aroused against myself six hundred Minotaurs, not to say Radamanthotaurs and Aeacotaurs.^
Secondly I may say, what is not in doubt and what even my adversaries and the whole Church are forced to confess, that alms and helping our neighbor is incomparably better than buying indulgences. Therefore take heed to buy no indul- gences as long as you find paupers and needy neighbors to whom you may give what you may wish to spend for pardons. . . . God willing, you will see more of this when I publish the proofs of my Theses. For I am compelled to do this by those men more ignorant than ignorance itself, who proclaim me a heretic in all their speeches, and are so furious that they even try to make the University of Wittenberg infamous and hereti- cal on account of me. I labor much more to restrain myself, and not to despise them, though by thus doing I sin against Christ, than to triumph over them. ... I am particularly sorry to have to inform you that those brawlers and others with them have constructed another engine against me, by spreading the rumor that all that I do is at the best of our prince on account of his hatred to the Archbishop of Magde- burg.* . . .
49. LUTHER TO JOHN LANG AT ERFURT. Enders, i. 157. WrrrENBEKC, February 19 (1518).
Greeting. Wolfgang Capito" writes, reverend Father, that
'Tbeteut slew the Ball of Minos (Minotaar) in the Labyrinth of Crete. Minot. Ridamanthus and Aeacus were the three judges of the infernal regions; Luther oieaas that he had excited all the monsters of hell against himself.
V. e„ Albert of Mayence. Luther mentions this charge elsewhere.
>Wolfgang Fabrititts Kopfel of Hagenau ( 1478 ?-i 541), studied at Freiburg and Ingolstadt, where he took his doctorate in divinity by isia. In 1513 he went to Basic, where he became cathedral preacher and professor of theology in the
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