Letter #2132
Ioannes DANTISCUS to Tiedemann GIESEHeilsberg (Lidzbark Warmiński), 1539-04-12
English register:
Dantiscus is pleased by Giese’s declaration, contained in his letter, of friendship and loyalty on the matter of Alexander [Sculteti], and assures him of his own unchanging good will.
When Giese’s letter arrived [on April 11], Dantiscus was conferring with the Castellan of Gdańsk (Danzig) [Achatius von Zehmen (Cema)]. They were both pleased with the stance taken by Giese and the Thorn (Toruń) Town Council. The castellan promised to speak from these positions with the Duke [Albrecht I von Hohenzollern-Ansbach], as he was setting off the next day to see him.
Because the plague has appeared in Marienburg (Malbork), they decided it was advisable to ask the King [Sigismund I Jagiellon] to suggest a different location and a realistic date for the next [Royal Prussian] Diet, e.g. for Trinity Sunday [June 1] in Elbing (Elbląg). Dantiscus asks Giese to impart this information to the other [Prussian] councillors.
Fabian [von Zehmen (Cema)] has written from Cracow to his brother [Achatius] informing him of the news brought to the court by the messenger of the Roman King [Ferdinand I of Habsburg]: the Emperor [Charles V] and the King of France [Francis I of Valois] have set off together with an enormous fleet against the Sultan [Suleiman the Magnificent] in order – as rumour has it – to recapture Rhodes. This information is confirmed in a letter Dantiscus has received from the elect of Lund and Constance [Johan Weze]. He is currently travelling to the negotiations (conventus) in Frankfurt as the Emperor’s general commissioner for religion, very hopeful about an end to the religious conflicts.
Dantiscus thinks it advisable to issue a directive in the [Kulm (Chełmno) and Ermland (Warmia)] dioceses ordering prayers for the success of the expedition against the Sultan.
Manuscript sources:
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Text & apparatus & commentaryPlain textText & commentaryText & apparatus
BCz, 245, p. 166Reverendissimo in Christo Patri Domino, domino Tidemanno Dei gratia episcopo Culmensi, fratri et amico carissimo et honoran(do) or honoran(dissimo)⌈honoran(do)honoran(do) or honoran(dissimo)⌉
BCz, 245, p. 163Reverendissime in Christo Pater et Domine, frater et amice carissime et honoran(de) or honoran(dissime)⌈honoran(de)honoran(de) or honoran(dissime)⌉.
Salutem et fraternum amorem.
Non mediocriter me exhilararunt Dominationis Vestrae Reverendissimae litterae, quae dederunt hanc, quam optabam, de Dominatione Vestra Reverendissima, significationem. Neque erat, quod haesitarem, immo scripsi induci me non posse, ut istiusmodi quippiam de Dominatione Vestra Reverendissima crederem, quemadmodum Alexander fertur esse gloriatus, quem Dominatio Vestra Reverendissima intus et in cute novit. Nolui tamen ista Dominationem Vestram Reverendissimam ignorare non ob id, quasi ea in animum admisissem, sed ut penitius hominem satis prius cognitum agnosceret. Neque adeo labilis sum, ut quolibet movear vento, quin potius citra arrogantiam de me praedicare ausim, quod neminem umquam odi, quem semel intime amavi, etiam gravibus offensus iniuriis. Tantum abest, ut qui commodare ac gratificari cupio Dominationi Vestrae Reverendissimae in omnibus, quod ob eos rumusculos in diligendo Dominatione Vestra Reverendissima fieri deberem lentior, maxime cum me ab illa amari existimo et mihi tuto persuadeo etc.
Cum mihi heri litterae Dominationis Vestrae Reverendissimae redderentur, fuit mecum in conclavi generosus dominus castellanus Gdanensis, qui hodie a me ad ill(ustrissimum) or ill(ustrem)⌈ill(ustrissimum)ill(ustrissimum) or ill(ustrem)⌉ dominum ducem est profectus. Adfuit, inquam, ipsa oportunitate oportunior. Cum eo consilia nostra communicavi placuitque utrisque nobis Dominationis Vestrae Reverendissimae et dominorum Thoronensium sententia, quam se sic cum ill(ustrissimo) or ill(ustri)⌈ill(ustrissimo)ill(ustrissimo) or ill(ustri)⌉ domino duce tractaturum suscepit, quod illi concedet, verum sermo nobis erat, ubinam instans conventus noster sine aeris suspicione fieri posset. In Marienburgo locus est infectus, ideo et dominus Costka thesaurarius inibi non agit, qui illi loco addictus est, et cum nobis alium designare non liceat, scribendum esset serenissimae maiestati regiae, ut vel pro Dominica Trinitatis alium, salubriorem constitueret, et si non displiceret, in Elbingo, aut ubi videretur commodius. Quod ut Dominatio Vestra Reverendissima in aliorum etiam dominorum consiliariorum notitiam deduceret, operae pretium esse censeo, salvo tamen prudentiori iudicio etc.
In hoc turbulento tempore Deus laeta quaedam nobis dedit nova: dixit dominus castellanus Gdanensis fratrem suum Fabianum feria sexta ante Dominicam Palmarum ex Cracovia scripsisse venisse ad maiestatem regiam nuntium a serenissimo Romanorum rege, qui retulit passim omnibus caesarem cum sua ingenti classe et Galliae regem cum sua in propriis personis cum centum millibus bonorum militum in profectione esse contra Turcam, rumoremque emisisse se ituros ad recuperandum Rhodum. Cum recta Byzancium sint petituri, Dominus Deus sit eorum dux praestetque victoriam.
Habui item pauloante litteras a reverendissimo domino Lundensi et Constantiensi electo, oratore maiestatis caesareae apud serenissimum Romanorum regem, in praesens per Germaniam et ad conventum Francfordiensem commissario ms. commissarium(!)
⌈commissariocommissario ms. commissarium(!)
⌉ 
BCz, 245, p. 164 generali ms. generalem(!)
⌈generaligenerali ms. generalem(!)
⌉, quod in causa religionis per dispositos equos a caesare nuper ex Hispania missus ad eum conventum paper damaged⌈[um]um paper damaged⌉ se conferat, plenus spe, quod hoc dissidium tandem compo paper damaged⌈[o]o paper damaged⌉ni possit. Et ille de hac caesaris in Turcam profectione paper damaged⌈[tione]tione paper damaged⌉ innuebat, et quam ingentem comparasset classem, mihi descripsit paper damaged⌈[it]it paper damaged⌉.
Quod si ista duo orbis Christiani capita concordes unanimiter paper damaged⌈[animiter]animiter paper damaged⌉ in Turcam progrediuntur, quemadmodum certo credo, adhuc Dominus Deus nostri miserebitur infideliumque infringet consilia et reprimet conatus. Quod ut fiat, a nobis et ecclesiis nostris serio esset orandum.
Quod reliquum est, Dominationem Vestram Reverendissimam diutissime optime et feliciter valere opto ex animo. Quae sibi de me atque de sincero fratre cuncta semper persuadeat.
Dat(ae) or Dat(um)⌈Dat(ae)Dat(ae) or Dat(um)⌉ Heilsberg, XII Aprilis MDXXXIX.
Dominationis Vestrae Reverendissimae frater integerrimus Ioannes episcopus Varmiensis scripsit