586. LUTHER TO SPALATIN. DeWette, u, 334. GennaiL (WrmcNBEiG), May 27, 1523.
Grace and peace, worthy master. Our prior ^ asks, and I, too, ask, that you will ask my gracious lord ' that he will give him some good advice. The tax collector of Wittenberg wishes to be paid before next Saturday for the malt he sold the prior, and the prior has no money and will not be able to get any. The b^igar's sack has a great hole in it, but, sad to say, it cannot yet be torn up. God willing, it will not trouble us long, however. If I had not to waste so much money on runaway monks and nuns, I could have given the prior a con- tribution. Pfaffenbeck has been beseeching me again, but I dare not. make any more requests for him ; God help him. I have sent my gracious Lord's answer to Leimbach,' and have heard nothing more since then. God have you in His keeping.
Martin Luther.
587. LUTHER TO THE ELECTOR FREDERIC OF SAXONY.
DeWctte, 11, 335. German. Wittenberg, May 29, isas.
The reply of the Estates of the Empire to the papal nuncio, Chiere- gato (supra, no. 574), was embodied in a decree of the Council of Regency, March 6 (RTA, iii, 448ff.). The text of the decree was com- municated to Luther with the request that he obey that part of it which prohibited the publication of any new books until the meeting of the proposed council This is Luther's reply. The first part of it, which represents essentially the contents of no. 573, is omitted.
... In reply, I would humbly inform your Grace that I have humbly and thankfully received your Grace's request, and can say to your Grace with good reason that my idea and purpose (to write without boasting, and in accordance with public protestations that I have previously made) never was, and is not now, to slander anyone of high station or low, or to write, teach or preach an3rthing that might give rise to disturbance, disobedience, disunion and rebellion in the em-
> Eberhard Brisger, Luther't lole remaining companion in the Auguttinian mon- astery at Wittenberg. He was afterwardi provided with a living at Altenlmrg, in 1S26. Cf. supra^ p. 179, n. 4.
•The Elector.
- A certain John Leimbach had asked Luther's help in the collection of money
owed him, as he claimed, by the Elector.
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