Reverendissimo domino, domino Ioannes Dantiscus (Johannes von Höfen, Ioannes de Curiis, Jan Dantyszek, Johannes Flachsbinder) (*1485 – †1548), eminent diplomat and humanist in the service of the Jagiellons, neo-Latin poet; 1530-1537 Bishop of Kulm; 1537-1548 Bishop of Ermland⌊Ioanni DantiscoIoannes Dantiscus (Johannes von Höfen, Ioannes de Curiis, Jan Dantyszek, Johannes Flachsbinder) (*1485 – †1548), eminent diplomat and humanist in the service of the Jagiellons, neo-Latin poet; 1530-1537 Bishop of Kulm; 1537-1548 Bishop of Ermland⌋ episcopo Varmiensi etc. domino suo observandissimo

Reverendissme Domine, domine observandissime. Post servitiorum meorum commendationem.

Etsi iam diu ad Vestram Reverendissimam Dominationem non scripserim, in causa est Ferdinand I of Habsburg (*1503 – †1564), from 1521 Archduke of Austria, from 1526 King of Bohemia and Hungary, Croatia and Slavonia as Ferdinand I, 1531-1558 King of the Romans, 1558-1564 Holy Roman Emperor; son of Philip I the Handsome and Joanna the Mad of Castile, a younger brother of Charles V of Habsburg⌊serenissimi regis RomanorumFerdinand I of Habsburg (*1503 – †1564), from 1521 Archduke of Austria, from 1526 King of Bohemia and Hungary, Croatia and Slavonia as Ferdinand I, 1531-1558 King of the Romans, 1558-1564 Holy Roman Emperor; son of Philip I the Handsome and Joanna the Mad of Castile, a younger brother of Charles V of Habsburg⌋ adventus ex Haganoa[1]. Is enim tantum negotii dedit, ut etiam ante adventum non poterat bene inchoari et demum perfici. Interim etiam advenit dominus Cornelis De Schepper (Cornelius Scepperus, Cornelis De Dobbele, Cornelius Duplicius) (*1503 – †1555), erudite, diplomat in the Habsburgs' service; close friend of Ioannes Dantiscus; initially in the service of Christian II of Oldenburg, King of Denmark; 1526 secretary and councillor to Emperor Charles V of Habsburg (CE, vol. 3, p. 218-220; DE VOCHT 1961, p. 15-24)⌊Cornelius Scep<p>erusCornelis De Schepper (Cornelius Scepperus, Cornelis De Dobbele, Cornelius Duplicius) (*1503 – †1555), erudite, diplomat in the Habsburgs' service; close friend of Ioannes Dantiscus; initially in the service of Christian II of Oldenburg, King of Denmark; 1526 secretary and councillor to Emperor Charles V of Habsburg (CE, vol. 3, p. 218-220; DE VOCHT 1961, p. 15-24)⌋ observandissimus Vestrae Reverendissimae Dominationis, cumque ipse omnia et singula ad Vestram Reverendissimam Dominationem perscriberet, nihil mihi residui reliquit. Mitto itaque Vestrae Reverendissimae Dominationi illius cf. Cornelis DE SCHEPPER to Ioannes DANTISCUS Vienna, 1540-08-18, CIDTC IDL 2334⌊litterascf. Cornelis DE SCHEPPER to Ioannes DANTISCUS Vienna, 1540-08-18, CIDTC IDL 2334⌋, ego vero defessus denuo curro in Lithuania⌊LithuaniamLithuania⌋[2]. Utinam esset opportunitas conveniendi Vestram Reverendissimam Dominationem! At non video modum, curabo tamen, si saltem se aliqualis condicio offeret. cf. Vulg. Lc 22:15 et ait illis desiderio desideravi hoc pascha manducare vobiscum antequam patiar ⌊Desiderio desiderocf. Vulg. Lc 22:15 et ait illis desiderio desideravi hoc pascha manducare vobiscum antequam patiar ⌋ Vestram Reverendissimam Dominationem posse videre meam Moscoviam[3] et Illius audire opinionem, si in aliquo mutanda esset aut omnino supprimenda. Item de tabula Sueciae cuperem conferre, de illis inauditis mirabilibus. Accidit ante aliquot tempus de illis latis cornibus et gravibus in formam quasi manus extensis disputatio ad serenissimum regem Romanorum dominum meum clementissimum, qui contendebat esse cornua onagri[5]. Ego contra afferebam multa cornua illorum animalium me vidisse, quae tamen in nullo nec in longitudine, latitudine et gravitate conveniunt. Atque ita cf. Hor. Ars 77-78 quis tamen exiguos elegos emiserit auctor, / grammatici certant et adhuc sub iudice lis est ⌊in hunc diem lis sub iudice pendetcf. Hor. Ars 77-78 quis tamen exiguos elegos emiserit auctor, / grammatici certant et adhuc sub iudice lis est ⌋. Sup<p>lico Vestrae Reverendissimae Dominationi, si posset me de his informare. Immo si Vestra Reverendissima Dominatio pronunc non certo habet, ab aliis inquirat, quorum animalium sunt illa ipsa cornua tam lata, tanta et gravia. Ego in quibuscumque potero reserviam Vestrae Reverendissimae Dominationi, cui me et mea servitia denuo commendo.

Ex Cracow (Kraków, Cracovia), city in southern Poland, Małopolska, on the Vistula river, from 1038 capital of the Kingdom of Poland⌊Crac{c}oviaCracow (Kraków, Cracovia), city in southern Poland, Małopolska, on the Vistula river, from 1038 capital of the Kingdom of Poland⌋, VIIII Septembris anno 1540.

Vestrae Reverendissimae Dominationis obsequentissimus Sigmund von Herberstein (*1486 – †1566), diplomat in the service of Emperor Maximilian I, Charles V, and Roman King Ferdinand I, writer and historian. In 1517 sent to Poland to conduct the marriage between King Sigismund I Jagiellon and Duchess Bona Sforza d'Aragona, and to Moscow to arrange a truce between the Grand Duchy of Muscovy and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania; 1515 member of the Council of the Holy Roman Empire, in 1515-1553 carried out many diplomatic missions (in 1517 and 1526 he was twice an imperial envoy at the Muscovy court)⌊Sigismundus ab HerberstainSigmund von Herberstein (*1486 – †1566), diplomat in the service of Emperor Maximilian I, Charles V, and Roman King Ferdinand I, writer and historian. In 1517 sent to Poland to conduct the marriage between King Sigismund I Jagiellon and Duchess Bona Sforza d'Aragona, and to Moscow to arrange a truce between the Grand Duchy of Muscovy and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania; 1515 member of the Council of the Holy Roman Empire, in 1515-1553 carried out many diplomatic missions (in 1517 and 1526 he was twice an imperial envoy at the Muscovy court)⌋, liber baro[7].

[1 ] Since June 12, 1540 to July 28 a colloquium of Protestants and Catholics was in session, called there by Ferdinand I, with the participation of great theologians (including Martin Bucer and John Calvin), electors and dukes. The aim of the meeting was to pacify religious relations in the Reich and, in accordance with the intentions of Emperor Charles V, facilitate its unity in the face of the Turkish threat. One of Ferdinand I’s political objectives in calling this congress was also to obtain final recognition for his title of king of the Romans from the leader of the Schmalkaldic League – Johann Friedrich, Saxon elector, who did not come to Hagenau, however, nor did he send a representative. The colloquium did not bring the desired results. In July, an epidemic broke out in Hagenau, and soon after the colloquium opened, when news came of the death of János I Zápolya (d. July 21, 1540), Ferdinand I set off towards Vienna, where he arrived on August 8, ordering the war alert to the court (cf. cf. Lexutt p. 32-38 ⌊Lexutt, p. 32-38cf. Lexutt p. 32-38 ⌋; cf. FICHTNER p. 115-117 ⌊Fichtner, p. 115-117cf. FICHTNER p. 115-117 ⌋; cf. KOHLER 2003 p. 203-204 ⌊Kohler II, p. 203-204cf. KOHLER 2003 p. 203-204 ⌋; ⌊ No. 651, p. 87-88 No. 32, p. 30-31, No. 380, p. 136-139 ⌋, cf. VOIGT 1857 No. 380, p. 136-139 ⌊Voigt, p. 278cf. VOIGT 1857 No. 380, p. 136-139 ⌋)

[2 ] Namely to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and its capital – Vilnius (cf. cf. Ioannes DANTISCUS & Nikolaus NIBSCHITZ (NIPSZYC) to Sigmund von HERBERSTEIN Cracow, 1518-[02]-21, CIDTC IDL 126⌊IDL 126cf. Ioannes DANTISCUS & Nikolaus NIBSCHITZ (NIPSZYC) to Sigmund von HERBERSTEIN Cracow, 1518-[02]-21, CIDTC IDL 126⌋, footnote 8). Herberstein left Vienna on September 1, 1540 arriving in Cracow on September 7, to leave on September 10 for Vilnius. From May 1540 to May 1542, Sigismund I resided there with queen Bona Sforza and Sigismund II Augustus. It was Herberstein’s task to talk to the king of Poland about the situation in Hungary after the death of János I Zápolya. He arrived in Vilnius on September 26 at the latest, and departed on October 5 (see cf. GĄSIOROWSKI 1973 p. 267 ⌊Gąsiorowski, p. 267cf. GĄSIOROWSKI 1973 p. 267 ⌋; cf. HERBERSTEIN 1855 p. 324-326 ⌊Herberstein 1855, p. 324-326cf. HERBERSTEIN 1855 p. 324-326 ⌋; cf. HERBERSTEIN 1560 f. D4r ⌊Herberstein 1560, f. D4rcf. HERBERSTEIN 1560 f. D4r ⌋; cf. VOIGT 1857 p. 279-280 ⌊Voigt, p. 279-280cf. VOIGT 1857 p. 279-280 ⌋; cf. EFE 48 No. 378, p. 132, No. 379, p. 134, No. 383, p. 142, No. 394, p. 174-175 ⌊Elementa, XLVIII, No. 378, p. 132, No. 379, p. 134, No. 383, p. 142, No. 394, p. 174-175cf. EFE 48 No. 378, p. 132, No. 379, p. 134, No. 383, p. 142, No. 394, p. 174-175 ⌋)

[3 ] It is hard to resolve unequivocally whether Herberstein is referring to the text of Rerum Moscoviticarum commentarii (Vienna 1549) then being prepared for printing, which the editor, Lucas Guettenfelder (Agathopedius) referred to simply as Moscovia at this time, or – as the next sentence of the letter could suggest – he means a map that may have been the initial version of the map prepared by Augustin Hirschvogel for the first edition of Commentarii. This map, titled Moscovia Sigismundi liberi baronis in Herberstein... , was published with the date 1546 (see Plate 5). For more about the cartographic issues in this letter and the terminology that causes problems with interpretation, see Introduction, p. !!!

[5 ] Most likely a reference to the extraordinarily impressive elk antlers that strongly intrigued Herberstein at the time in connection with his zoological investigations and his work on the appropriate chapter of Rerum Moscoviticarum commentarii (De feris). The main aim was to explain the differences between a bison and an auroch, as the two animals were usually confused in Western Europe at the time. (cf. cf. Ioannes DANTISCUS & Nikolaus NIBSCHITZ (NIPSZYC) to Sigmund von HERBERSTEIN Cracow, 1518-[02]-21, CIDTC IDL 126⌊IDL 126cf. Ioannes DANTISCUS & Nikolaus NIBSCHITZ (NIPSZYC) to Sigmund von HERBERSTEIN Cracow, 1518-[02]-21, CIDTC IDL 126⌋, footnote 10!!!. For more about zoological themes in connection with the commented letter, see Introduction, p. !!!, cf. Plate 4)

[7 ] The Latin equivalent of the hereditary title Freiherr (Lat. Liber baro) that Ferdinand I granted to the Herbersteins on January 24, 1537 (see cf. HERBERSTEIN 1855 p. 319-321 ⌊Herberstein 1855, p. 319-321cf. HERBERSTEIN 1855 p. 319-321 ⌋)