hurt me alr^dy wounded; think whether you will thereby become the hostile disturber of a man or of the Holy Word I have determined rather to endure war and tyrannical si^;c than a perverse peace at the price of disparaging the divine writings and of my own perdition. I will stick to this, what- ever may happen to myself. But if you let me I should prefer to enjoy your friendship. Indeed, I love you heartily. May I perish if I desire you to perish or any evil to befall you. It is my particular study by what means God's Word, unfortunately for our unhappy skulking in a comer, may daily become sweeter and better known, that is, as well known as possible. Long live our Luther who gives us a chance to extract the kernel of the law of God. Long live Eck, as his friend. But if he be an enemy, let him at least be a sincere lover of the truth. This is all I have leisure to write at this time. . . .
67. LUTHER TO CHRISTOPHER SCHEURL AT
NUREMBERG.
Enders, i. 208. Wittenberg, June 15, 1518.
Greeting. What you ask in behalf of our Eck, dearest Christopher, would have been superfluous from such a friend, had there been nothing to complicate the situation and had he himself written before you did. But my suspicion that Eck's mind is alienated from me is confirmed by the fact that after he called me such dreadful names, even though only in private, he wrote me no letter and sent me no message. And now, since our Carlstadt's theses* have been published, though without my knowledge or consent, I am not quite sure what both of us ought to do. I know that we love the man's nature and admire his learning; I am, moreover, certain and bear witness to it, that what I did, at least, was done rather in sorrow than in anger or envy. As for myself, I have written him the enclosed letter,* which you see is friendly and full of good will towards him. I am quite reconciled to him, not
^While Luther was at Heidelberg Carlstadt published some theses on free will and the authority of Scripture directed against Eck, who replied with some counter-theses. On this, and 00 the "dreadful names" Eck called Luther, see Smith, op, eii., 58f.
'Luther probably meant a letter, now lost, sent with that of Carlstadt, no. 66.
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