Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1521-1530.djvu/344

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your own. In the meantime keep on with what you are doing. Farewell in the Lord.

Yours, Martin Luther.

708. MARK ANTONY LONGIN, SECRETARY OF CHARLES CONTARINI, TO JOHN FRANCIS CONTARINI.

Brown, 1520-6, no, 1153. Tx^bingen, October 28, 1525.

Transmits the work written by Luther against the peasants. The towns hereunder mentioned have become Lutheran, viz., Strassburg, Nuremberg and Ulm, but not so entirely, and the other free towns in succession, some more and some less; also Zurich in Switzerland. In the above-mentioned towns they no longer celebrate mass or the offices, and have reduced their churches to mosques, that is to say to white walls. The general opinion is that the affairs of Germany are more embar- rassed than ever and that the princes will at length have to wage war against the free towns.

Luther has composed a work, De instituendis scolis} He no longer replies to those who write against him, but leaves the task to his followers, viz., to Zwingli," Philip Melanchthon and John Oecolampadius. Has procured a new work of Melanch- thon's, namely, the ftmeral oration composed by him on the death of Elector Frederic of Saxony. On arriving at Augs- burg, where we expect to be in a fortnight, I will endeavor to obtain some others.

709. LUTHER TO THE ELECTOR JOHN OF SAXONY. DcWette, iii, 38. German. WrrrENBERC^ October 31, 1525.

Grace and peace in Christ. Serene, highborn Prince and gracious Lord. I humbly beg your Grace not to be angry with

  • In 1524, Weimar, xv, 27*93.
  • I follow the text as given in Sanuto, ed. Tbomas. Instead of "Zwingli, Philip

Melanchthon and John Oecolampadius," Brown writes, "Philip Melanchthon, of Zurich, and John Oecolampadius.'* Brown, presumably, worked from the MS. and not from t^e printed text of Sanuto, which in this case is certainly right. No one would have put Melanchthon in Zurich. I can only conjecture that the original from which both texts are derived, read Ti4furino Pilippo Melancton e Joanne Ecolampadio, the Tiffurino referring to Zwingli, and so rightly interpreted by Sanuto or his editor, but by Brown mistakenly made an adjective agreeing with Melanchthon.

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