equal not to two, but to three other men. Behold, this Chris- tian moderation and how the popes, theologians, princes and people stand silently gaping at it! This is the fury of the Lord. I am wretched whenever I think of it I beseech you, Spalatin, for aid. Luther, the soldier of the Lord, has brought this on himself. Stand fast and watch with us. I write this earnestly and in sadness thinking over the crimes of the the- ologians. . . . Agricola^ and I have begun to take down Luther's lectures for you, and I hope we shall all have a good book from them, for the subject now b^ins to glow. All your friends salute you.
Your Philip.
I hoped that the printer would have finished the sermon on marriage,* but his laziness is too much for me.
151. LUTHER TO GEORGE SPALATIN. Enders, ii. 56. (Wittenberg), May 22, 15 19.
Greeting. Erasmus' letter' greatly pleased me and my friends. Only I should have preferred not to have my praises sung by so great a man. I know myself, at least this side of myself.
Before you leave,* please tell us what the elector proposes to do about the professor of Hebrew. . . .* The number of students is growing* and their quality is good. One of the last to come was a Nuremberg licentiate in theology, a man of mature age, preacher in the church of St. Sebald.^ Our
ijobn AgricoU of Eiileben (1494-1566), at Wittenberg 1516, M. A. 15 18, in wbich year he publiahed from bis own notes Luther's homilies on the Lord's prajer. He married 1530, and taught at Wittenberg and Eisleben. He was present at the Diets of 1526, 1529. 1530. He bad a riolent quarrel with Luther and Melanchthon, on account of which he mored to Berlin about 1540. He took an important part in the Interim, 1548. Life by G. Kaweran, x88i. Cf. Smidi,
'Lather's Sermon von dem ehelichen Stand, preached January 16, 15x9. Weimar, ii. i6a.
- To the Elector Frederic. Supra, no. 141. It was published in 15 19 by Melchior
Lotthcr of Leipsic. As diis printer did some of Luther's work at this time, we may conjecture that Erasmus' epistle was published by Luther's friends.
- For Frankfort on the Main, where the elector was going to take part in the
imperial election.
•On this ef, last letter.
- The number rote from aja in 15x7 to 458 in 1519 and 579 in isao.
tjohn Herhdit, who matriculated May a6, 15x9. Lather had met him at Karemberg in the antomn of 1518. Enders, i. 317.
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