even to you; they fill the world with their raving books, and, because of them, they think it right to despise the older ortho- dox writers. But if I were to write of these things, it would be a long story. I pray that God may turn everything to His glory.
In the Sponge you notice a lack of moderation, although I did not say a single word in the Sponge about Hutten's life, his high-living, his harlots, his damnable dice, about his fool- ish boasting (intolerable even to a patient friend), about his spendthrift habits, about the money he extorted from the Carthusians, about the two preachers whose ears he cut off, about the highway robbery which he committed against three abbots on the public road (for which crime one of his servants was beheaded), nor about his other evil deeds, which are known to everybody, though, without provocation by a single word of mine, he betrayed our friendship to earn the favor of a single worthless knave and accused me of such a manu- factured catalogue of crimes as only one buffoon can think up against another. I do mention the letter to the Arch- bishop of Mayence,* which he treacherously published, sup- pressing his own name, but concerning another perfidy that he practiced against me I am silent He extorted from me many letters of recommendation to the imperial court, though he had conspired against the Emperor; but his purpose was to use the name of the Emperor for the purchase of a wife. With such provocation from one who owed me so much, I might have been much harder on him and yet have been within my rights; and yet I am called immoderate. What has Otto* to do with Hutten? I never injured him with a single word; why does he rave? You call these men my likes; I am so far from recognizing the likeness that I think them not men at all, but furies. Is it by prodigies of this kind, forsooth, that the Gospel will be restored? Is the reborn Church to have such pillars as these? Shall I enter into the alliance of these men? But this is more than enough about these things.
Joachim* pleased me very much. It is too bad that there
1 Vide Vol. I, aaSflF. mnd 279.
- Otto Braunfels, who published m reply to the Sponge (BScldng, ii, j^sff)*
- Camerarius, who brought Luther's letter to Erasmtit.
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