Reverendissime Domine, Frater et Amice carissime ac
honorande. Salutem et fraterni amoris commendationem.
Post abitum ⌊hinc⌋ Dominationis Vestrae Reverendissimae venit huc dominus ⌊Hermannus a Bremen⌋ allegatus ab heredibus ⌊reverendissimi olim domini Mauritii episcopi Varmiensis⌋, multaque mecum ratione testamenti in iis, quae et nobilis dominus ⌊Ioannes a Verden⌋[1] ad me scripsit, suis nixus persuasionibus egit, verum non persuasit, ususque sum ad eum hoc argumento: Do tibi omnia, quae habeo ⌊Romae⌋, ⌊Gdani⌋ et alibi, non igitur acciperet ea, quae hic habeo, quod enim alibi est, hic non est. Ad hoc dissolvendum retulit se rursum ad castrum ⌊Preuschmarckt⌋, unde instructus venerat, obtinuit tamen ad dominos testamentarios litteras[2] a me eius tenoris, cuius est iis adiuncta copia, quae si reddetur, sciet Dominatio Vestra Reverendissima cum aliis suis collegis, quid facere debeat. Ad ea frater Dominationis Vestrae Reverendissimae, qui mille apud me aureos Hungaros reliquit, ex ⌊Preuschcmarckt⌋, ubi adhuc ⌊dominum Hermannum⌋ offendit, nullum responsum ⌊⌋, reportavit. Quid moliantur experiemur brevi. Hodie hinc Dominationis Vestrae
Reverendissimae frater ad ⌊dominum a Werden⌋ revertitur, ut fortassis ex eius litteris clarius intelliget. Rediit item et nuntius meus, quem ex ⌊Graudencz⌋ cum ⌊⌋ miseram. Quid
rescriptum sit, ex adiuncto litterarum exemplo Dominatio Vestra Reverendissima habebit. Mitto et litteras ⌊reverendissimi domini Cracoviensis⌋[5] communisque amici nostri ⌊domini Nipschicz⌋[6], quas metiri seu expendere oportet non quales sunt, sed qualis sit homo, qui scripsit; quod si Dominationi Vestrae Reverendissimae cognitum non esset, retinuissem. ⌊Frater meus Bernardus⌋ rediens ex ⌊Toronia⌋ cum ⌊domino Iacobo Ludovici⌋ sic convenit, quod pecuniae nostrae[7] apud illum numeratae consignataeque maneant,
significetque suis litteris domino ⌊Georgio Hegel⌋, quod istiusmodi summa apud se reposita sit, ut commodo tempore cum fraternis pecuniis ⌊Cracoviam⌋ mittantur. De quibus cum sic ⌊Georgius Hegel⌋ certus factus fuerit, securius dominis suis ut ⌊Romae⌋ reddantur scribere possit. Ea missio visa mihi est longe tutior quam illa, quam prius conceperamus. Curabo itaque, ut quam primum ⌊frater meus Bernardus⌋ melius ex impetigine, quae illi iis diebus ex exanthematis et
pusulis erupit, habuerit, {ut} pecuniis nostris ⌊Thoronia⌋e relictis quantum potest citius ⌊Cracoviam⌋ se conferat, et cum ⌊Georgio Hegel⌋ in
omnibus negotia nostra absolvat. Quod si ⌊dominus cancellarius episcopus Cracoviensis⌋ {non} aberit ad ⌊serenissimum forsan Romanorum regem⌋ ablegatus, aget nihilominus ⌊frater meus⌋ aliorum amicorum meorum opera apud ⌊dominum vicecancellarium⌋, quod litterae a Dominatione Vestra Reverendissima praescriptae ad ⌊pontificem⌋ a ⌊maiestate regia⌋ dabuntur. Alia in praesens non restant, quam quod Dominationem Vestram Reverendissimam felicissime bene valere cupio. ⌊Domino Felici⌋ communi amico nostro omnibusque bonis fratribus nostris omnia fausta precor. Scripsi fere in ipso meridie, tanta fuit caligo, ad lucernam.
⌊Lubaviae⌋, III Novembris 1537
Reverendissimae Dominationis Vestrae integerrimus frater
⌊Ioannes episcopus Culmensis, postulatus Varmiensis⌋
Postscript:
Quibus modis nobis utrisque
⌊illustrissimus
dominus dux vicinus noster⌋ congratulatur, ex litteris eius manu scriptis Dominatio Vestra Reverendissima intelliget. ⌊⌋ mittens nuntium meum cum litteris ⌊domini Nipschicz⌋, pollicitusque sum pro Dominatione Vestra Reverendissima, quod et illa cum gratitudine respondebit. etc.
[1 ] On October 27, 1537 Dantiscus received Werden’s letter from Przezmark, mentioned here and dated October 26, 1537 (German orig. ⌊⌋). In this letter, Werden wants Dantiscus, in his role as official successor of the deceased Warmia bishop, to issue letters of attorney to the executors of Ferber’s testament
[2 ] Dantiscus is referring to the letter ⌊⌋
[3 4 ] Tiedemann Giese had six brothers: Albrecht (b.1474), Martin (b.1476), Michael (b.1477), Eberhard (1479-1508), Hermann (b.1484) and ⌊Georg (Jurgen) (b.1497)⌋; they were all involved in trade (⌊⌋, p. 27)
[5 ] Doubtless this is a reference to ⌊⌋
[6 ] Doubtless Dantiscus is sending Giese ⌊⌋
[7 ] Dantiscus is writing here about his and Giese’s money, for paying the annates. Fees for church benefices – annates – were introduced in 1316 by Pope John XXII. The beneficiary’s formal pledge to pay the annates was the necessary condition of receiving a provision bulla for the new office. Starting from the Council of Constance (1414-1418), annates from higher-ranking benefices were to be paid in two annual installments at the Apostolic Camera in Rome. The amount of annates was specified for every benefice, though information was also gathered about the actual situation of each beneficiary and analyzed at the consistory during which the provision
was to be settled, and this is doubtless where Dantiscus saw a chance for reducing the fee (cf. Dudziak; further references there). Applications for a reduction to the fee seem to have been widespread at the time, as shown, for example, by the Polish episcopate’s letters to the pope in 1537 (cf. ⌊⌋, No. DLXXX, DLXXXI, p. 520-523). See also ⌊⌋, ⌊⌋, ⌊⌋, ⌊⌋, ⌊⌋, ⌊⌋