by the cursed pronouncement of Louvain and Cologne, sent to Hutten by Erasmus of Rotterdam. It gave us great ma- terial both for laughter and for wrath; we mingled the laughter with our festive and pious joy, and we modulated our indignation to the harp of David, so that it should not become so great as to be sin, although we do not read with- out sin, if everything is sin which proceeds from a mind moved by indignation. For we are not such Stoics that we can free our minds from every malady, especially when we see men audaciously rage to mock Germany, to hurt religion, to de- stroy innocence, men, too, who ought to be the ornament of Germany, the honor of religion and the last to hurt innocence. In this opinion I always contained myself by a sort of happy assent. If any wish to show the innocence of their life, to hold burning lamps in their hands, to defend the cause of truth with the sword of the Holy Spirit, to lay down their lives for the salvation of their brethren, they ought to be the theologians. But it is far otherwise; hardly any more mon- strous tyranny rages among Christians than that of the the- ologians, especially those who are commonly called monks and inquisitors. Instead of light they show darkness and un- happy envy, instead of the lamp of virtue they breathe from their nostrils fire, as the poet^ says; the sword of the execu- tioner has taken the place of the sword of Scripture, sophistry the place of God's Word. For from caring for their brother's salvation their mind is not a sweet savor of Christ' redolent with the ointment of charity, but one which, clad in a deadly garment of foul hatred, attacks the vitals of one's neighbor.
I still remember how I heard at Cologne* a monstrous and more than bloody deed done by Hochstratten in Lower Ger- many, which I shudder to think of. How much more, there- fore, should you beware of false brothers thirsting for blood, pnless perchance you have decided to follow the example of Huss and increase the number of Christian martyrs. I would, if I could, dissuade you from this decision, for how can you be a saint imless the Pope, who alone has the power as was
^Virgil, Aeneid, vii. 281.
- 3 Corinthians, it. 15.
- Crotus matriculated at Cologne, Norember 17, 1505.
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