I shall finish the book on Marriage Laws * within three days. A Latin book on the Worship and Character of the Turks,* pub- lished almost seventy years ago, is in press. We have finished the corrections on the New Testament and more than half of it is printed ; after that we shall go back to translating the Prophets. Farewell and pray for me.
Yours, Martin Luther.
865. LUTHER TO CONRAD CORDATUS AT ZWICKAU. Enders, vii, 216. (Wiitenberg), January 3, 1530.
Grace and peace in the Lord. I congratulate you heartily, my dear Cordatus, that the birth of a son has made you a father. The Lord be with him that you may rejoice in him all your days. Amen. As soon as I can I will send you a cer- tificate accepting sponsorship for him, as you have asked, so that when your son grows up he, too, may have something to remember me by.
The papists are triumphing and scribbling, saying : A saviour is come, that is, the Emperor. But, alas, he is a hard saviour, and will swallow them up ! I believe you have heard that the Pope, with the Emperor's consent, has sent to CJermany two bishops— one of whom is the Bishop of Trent — ^bringing a de- cree that all the gold and silver in the churches of Germany is to be handed over to Ferdinand for use against the Turks.' If this is not enough (and what is enough for them?) then a third part of all the church revenues is to be added. If even this is not enough (and it cannot be enough for men who want to exhaust and destroy Germany), then they are to sell their castles and cities and all their possessions and hand the pro- ceeds over to Ferdinand, the victor and devourer. When this was read in the cathedral at Paderbom (now you will laugh !) one of the canons said, "The devil smite the Pope's body";* another said, "Now Dr. Martin will last another year." " The
' Von Ehesachen (Weimar, xxx,« T98fF.).
- Dt Ritu et Moribuj Tuircorum, written 1475*86, by an unknown author, per-
haps George of Hungary, a Dominican. Luther wrote a preface for the edition here mentioned. Weimar, xxx,* pp. i98fF.
•A bull to this effect, dated August 27. 1529. given to Pimpinella. Pastor-Kerr, X, 183.
^Dat de DUwel dem Bawest int Liejf fare.
■ So will Doctor Martinus noch tool tin Jahr bltihen.
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