with Prierias' Epitome,^ which that barbarous Greek and cooker of Latin^ himself calls "Epithoma." Send it right back; it will be printed* soon to the praise and glory of all enemies of the truth, with my notes. / think that at Rome they have all become mad, silly, raging, insane fools, stocks, stones and devils of hell,^ See now what we have to hope from Rome who allows this infernal writing to go out against the Church. These portents overwhelm me with the great- ness of the folly.
While inveighing against the ass Alveld I am not forgetful of the Roman Pontiff, though I will please neither of them. I am forced to write thus, for at length the secrets of Anti- christ must be revealed. For they press on and will not lie hidden any more.
I have the intention of publishing a broadside' to Charles and the whole German nobility against the tyranny and wick- edness of the Roman court.
My postilla to the Epistles and Gospels are being prepared for the press.*
I am writing to the most illustrious elector in behalf of the commonweal. Pray do what you can to help us. Other- wise we shall soon go hungry, or buy food at too high a price. Farewell and pray for me.
Brother Martin Luther.
267. MELANCHTHON TO JOHN HESS AT BRESLAU. Corpus Reformatorutn, i. 201. (Wittenberg), June 8, 1520.
. . . Wittenberg is not yet under the interdict, and things are said to be peaceful at Rome, except that Sylvester Prierias is publishing an Index of his dialogue against Luther,^ his
>Greek.
'So called because of his title, as written on the heading of his Epitome, "magiri [instead of magistri] sacri Palacij." "Magirus" means "cook." This ia not a misprint, as Enders thinks, but a regular, though peculiar, form, mis* widerstood by Luther.
•C/. supra, no. 265.
^German.
"This became the famous Address to the Nobility, of which the preface was dated June 23, 1520. It appeared early in August. Smith, op. cit., 79S.
- These first appeared in March, 1521. Weimar, vii. 458.
^The Epitome responsionis ad Lutherum, with the subtitle: Index quidem longis- simus sed brevissimum Epitoma. Cf. supra, 266.
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