134 I^UTHER'S CORRESPONDENCE AND Let. loo
Doctor John Auer, is strong in the Lord, and I desire to t^ remembered to him. Dr. Carlstadt, Amsdorf, Otto Beckmar^-^ and all your friends heartily salute you.
Farewell in the Lord, may he keep you in eternity as he do^^^ in this world. Greet from me the truly noble John SchenF-=^
Brother Martin Luther, Augustinian.
loa LUTHER TO GEORGE SPALATIN AT ALTENBURQ
Greeting. Had not your letters come yesterday, dear Spala tin, I should already have left/ and I am yet prepared for eitlier alternative. The solicitude of our friends for me is remarkable, and greater than I myself can bear. Some urge me to give myself into the elector's custody, for him to keep somewhere, in which case he could write the legate that I was being kept bound in a safe place pending my examination. I leave this plan to your wisdom, I am in the hands of God and of my friends.
One may surely believe that the elector favors me and the university, as I recently heard from one who I know would not lie to me. In the court of the Bishop of Brandenburg they lately discussed what favor and whose support I had. Some- one said: Erasmus, Capito and other learned men favor him." "No," replied the bishop, "these men are nothing to the Pope; it is the University of Wittenberg and the Elector of Saxony that really count." So I know it is commonly believed that the elector is with me, which displeases them. I only wish they were as much afraid of the university. Truly the suspicion cast upon the elector will compel me to withdraw, if necessary, although the elector may excuse him- self in his writings by saying that as a layman he is unable to judge of such matters, especially as he sees that a university approved by the Church does not contradict me. But these are incidentals. If I stay here I shall not have much freedom of
some mesaage sent in cipher. Hoppe translates: '*Es bteibt noch tibrig, die Aufs- zeichnungen kennen zu lemen" which he confesses is "etwas dunkel." Lutkers IVerke, St. Louts, xxi. A, iigf.
^After Cajetan's request to the elector to give Luther up or to banish htm, there was some talk of doing so, and also of hiding him in a castle, as was done later (1521-2) in the Wartburg. Cf. Smith, cp. cit., p. 53.
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