#2048-To Spalatin

To the worthy man, Herr Master Georg Spalatin, Servant of the Word, and actually Bishop of the churches of Meissen, his brother.

Grace and peace in Christ! The pastor in Crossen has requested of me that I remind you and though he has much praised to me your beneficent will very much except that he is likely requiring my letter as witness, namely, that you be conducive to help in whatever way you are able so that he will not be hindered by the envy of the peasants from building his dwelling in that village, as you know. You know best the matter best that if the peasants complain in vain an example will be set. Not all their pastors who do such in the future,yes, they will also not have a pastor since the threatened shortage of pastors has begun so that ten villages will not likely find one pastor as already the large cities and princes do not have as many as would like.

My lord Kaethe greets you and yours. She is suffering a severe fever. We are dwelling here in the midst of flames uncertain every hour whether we might be burned up. Several villages around us here have been burnt; within the city we have had fires four times; the first destroyed four houses; the others to a great extent were extinguished. It is certain that an enemy has done this since one has found tinder, tinder wood (lychni), gun-powder, and igniters (fomites. I have the great suspicion that this has been through the unworthiness of Markgraf Joachim so that I almost believe that this instrument of Satan is hastening his end so that his evil deeds will bring him to destruction. Christ will soon ruin him. Be it right well with you in the LOrd. 1534 on the Sunday Ouasimodogeniti (12 April). Your Martin Luther.