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Letter #1776

[Ioannes DANTISCUS] to [Seweryn BONER]
Löbau (Lubawa), 1537-11-16

English register: Dantiscus hopes that in accordance with his request, contained in the letter of September 28 (letter No. 43), Boner made sure to send the enclosed letter from Dantiscus to Otto Heinrich (Wittelsbach), count of the Rhine Palatinate. Dantiscus condemns the cruelty, licentiousness and despotism of the king of England (Henry VIII), spilling the blood of his subjects who rise to defend the confiscated estates of the church and of shut-down monasteries. He is also outraged by the king’s taking advantage of the privileges of the head of the English church, which he has appropriated, to make the duration of his marriages dependent on the gender of the progeny produced by successive queens. Dantiscus is fearful of the future of the present queen (Jane Seymour) who is due to give birth soon. Dantiscus asks for news about the emperor, French and Turkish affairs, and also about the General Council.


Manuscript sources:
1rough draft in Latin, autograph, BCz, 244, p. 310 (b.p.)
2copy in Latin, 18th-century, BK, 232, p. 233-234
3copy in Latin, 18th-century, B. Ossol., 151/II, f. 170r-v
4copy, 18th-century, BCz, 55 (TN), No. 72, p. 467-468
5register with excerpt in Latin, English, 20th-century, CBKUL, R.III, 32, No. 631

Auxiliary sources:
1register in Polish, 20th-century, B. PAU-PAN, 8248 (TK 10), f. 646

Prints:
1CEID 1/1 No. 80, p. 338-340 (in extenso; English register)

 

Text & apparatus & commentaryPlain textText & commentaryText & apparatus

 

Magnifice Domine, amice carissime et honorande. Salutem et successuum felicissimorum continuum precor Magnificentiae Vestrae profectum.

cf. [Ioannes DANTISCUS] to [Seweryn BONER] Löbau (Lubawa), 1537-09-28, CIDTC IDL 1733⌊Scripsi XXVIII Septembris novissimi Magnificentiae Vestraecf. [Ioannes DANTISCUS] to [Seweryn BONER] Löbau (Lubawa), 1537-09-28, CIDTC IDL 1733⌋ additis cf. Ioannes DANTISCUS to Ottheinrich of Palatinate-Neuburg 1537-09-01 — 1537-11-16, CIDTC IDL 6502, letter lost⌊litteriscf. Ioannes DANTISCUS to Ottheinrich of Palatinate-Neuburg 1537-09-01 — 1537-11-16, CIDTC IDL 6502, letter lost⌋ ad illustrissimum dominum Ottheinrich of Palatinate-Neuburg (Ottheinrich von der Pfalz) (*1502 – †1559), son of Ruprecht von Wittelsbach, Count Palatine of the Rhine, and Elisabeth, daughter of Duke Georg von Bayern-Landshut; nephew of Ludwig V von Wittelsbach, Elector of the Rhine Palatinate; 1556 elector of Palatinate⌊Ottonem HenricumOttheinrich of Palatinate-Neuburg (Ottheinrich von der Pfalz) (*1502 – †1559), son of Ruprecht von Wittelsbach, Count Palatine of the Rhine, and Elisabeth, daughter of Duke Georg von Bayern-Landshut; nephew of Ludwig V von Wittelsbach, Elector of the Rhine Palatinate; 1556 elector of Palatinate⌋ comitem palatinum Rheni[1], quas, quemadmodum rogavi a Magnificentia Vestra, iam perlatas esse existimo. Neque in praesentia mihi temperare potui, cum Bernhard von Höfen (Bernhard Flachsbinder) (†after 1548), Ioannes Dantiscus' brother, stayed with Dantiscus in Spain, as a member of his mission's retinue, and was used as a trusted courier to Poland at least from 1526; after 1530 Starost of Löbau⌊hunc fratrem meumBernhard von Höfen (Bernhard Flachsbinder) (†after 1548), Ioannes Dantiscus' brother, stayed with Dantiscus in Spain, as a member of his mission's retinue, and was used as a trusted courier to Poland at least from 1526; after 1530 Starost of Löbau⌋ ad aulam allegarem, quin per illum et hanc scriptionem Magnificentiae Vestrae faustum statum et, ut in bono more apud nostrates positum est, prosperam valetudinem inviserem, quam diu fore cf. Adagia 1526 No. 3437 sarta tecta ⌊sartam tectamcf. Adagia 1526 No. 3437 sarta tecta ⌋ atque integram Magnificentiae Vestrae cupidissime opto. Ceterum quid hinc scribam, non habeo, quam quod Henry VIII Tudor (*1491 – †1547), 1509-1547 King of England; son of Henry VII Tudor and Elizabeth of York⌊Angliae rexHenry VIII Tudor (*1491 – †1547), 1509-1547 King of England; son of Henry VII Tudor and Elizabeth of York⌋ indutam semel tyrannidem adeo in suos fertur atrociter in dies exercere, maxime in magnos et bonos viros, qui monasteriorum et templorum expilationibus non applaudunt, quod abhinc multis saeculis omnes, qui umquam humanum sanguinem sicientes profuderunt, superarit longeque post se reliquerit. Novi item et prodigiosi priusque numquam auditi pacti, quod inivit ratione coniugii cum Jane Seymour (*1508 – †1537), Queen consort of England, the third wife of Henry VIII Tudor (married in 1536), and mother of Edward VI⌊ea, quam duxit loco reginaeJane Seymour (*1508 – †1537), Queen consort of England, the third wife of Henry VIII Tudor (married in 1536), and mother of Edward VI⌋, occisa Anne Boleyn (*1507 – †1536), Queen of England (1533-1536) as a second wife of Henry VIII Tudor; in 1536 charged with treason and beheaded⌊prioreAnne Boleyn (*1507 – †1536), Queen of England (1533-1536) as a second wife of Henry VIII Tudor; in 1536 charged with treason and beheaded⌋ , eventum dicitur expectare, quae, ut fama est, iam gravida partui appropinquat; si marem pepererit, manebit uxor, sin minus, soluta fuerint iura matrimonii et vitae fortassis huius miserae puerperae, ducturus eadem condicione aliam atque aliam, quousque masculinum quiddam nascatur. Hanc legem, cum in England⌊ea insulaEngland⌋ se et regem, et pontificem fecerit[3], ipse sibi sanxit libidinosis et impuris adulteris non ingratam. Porro legislatorem tot sceleribus et caedibus madentem paulo post Deus pro sua in omnes et omnia aequitate non imp[unitate] impunitate non donabit. De Charles V of Habsburg (*1500 – †1558), ruler of the Burgundian territories (1506-1555), King of Spain as Charles I (1516-1556), King of Naples and Sicily, King of the Romans (1519-1530), Holy Roman Emperor of the German Nation (elected 1519, crowned 1530, abdicated 1556); son of Philip I the Handsome and Joanna the Mad of Castile⌊caesare nostroCharles V of Habsburg (*1500 – †1558), ruler of the Burgundian territories (1506-1555), King of Spain as Charles I (1516-1556), King of Naples and Sicily, King of the Romans (1519-1530), Holy Roman Emperor of the German Nation (elected 1519, crowned 1530, abdicated 1556); son of Philip I the Handsome and Joanna the Mad of Castile⌋ et Gallicis ac Turcicis rebus iam dudum hic nihil audimus. Si quid certi atque etiam de concilio Magnificentia Vestra habuerit, ut me participem faciat, meque, qua cepit, benevolentia prosequi non desinat, impense oro. Eandem Magnificentiam Vestram Jesus of Nazareth (Jesus Christ), in Christianity the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament⌊Christus dominus nosterJesus of Nazareth (Jesus Christ), in Christianity the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament⌋ quam diutissime sospitet prosperetque in omnibus.

[1 ] As requested by Sigismund I, Dantiscus held negotiations with Otto Heinrich Wittelsbach in Cracow during the Diet of 1536/37 (cf. letter cf. [Ioannes DANTISCUS] to [Mauritius FERBER] Cracow, 1537-01-22, CIDTC IDL 1575⌊CEID 1.1, No. 2, p. 133-136cf. [Ioannes DANTISCUS] to [Mauritius FERBER] Cracow, 1537-01-22, CIDTC IDL 1575⌋). A few months later, he received a gold cup from him as gift, for which he thanked him in a letter enclosed with his previous letter to Boner (see letter cf. [Ioannes DANTISCUS] to [Seweryn BONER] Löbau (Lubawa), 1537-09-28, CIDTC IDL 1733⌊CEID 1.1, No. 43, p. 249-251cf. [Ioannes DANTISCUS] to [Seweryn BONER] Löbau (Lubawa), 1537-09-28, CIDTC IDL 1733⌋)

[3 ] The Act of Supremacy (1534) with which the English parliament legalized the split of the English church from Rome, at the same time making the king the supreme head of the newly established and independent Church of England