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Letter #1805

[Ioannes DANTISCUS] to [Mikołaj RUSSOCKI]
Löbau (Lubawa), 1537-11-28

English register: Dantiscus is replying to Russocki’s letter. He refuses to grant his request that he plead with the king in connection with Russocki being charged with the murder of Tomasz Lubrański. The grounds for his refusal are that he was a friend of the murdered Lubrański, and that cases involving capital punishment are not within his competence as a clergyman. However, he offers his assistance in the form of prayers, both for Lubrański’s soul and for Russocki’s well-being, as he and Dantiscus were close friends from their youth and Russocki is a close cousin of Dantiscus’ friends – the Sieradz voivode (Hieronim Łaski) and the Przemęt castellan (Stanisław Łaski). Dantiscus informs Russocki that, meeting his request, he has interceded for him in a letter to Duke Albrecht, from whom Russocki can expect effective support.


Manuscript sources:
1rough draft in Latin, autograph, BCz, 244, p. 312 (b.p.)
2copy in Latin, 18th-century, BK, 232, p. 239-239
3copy in Latin, 18th-century, B. Ossol., 151/II, f. 173r
4copy, 18th-century, BCz, 55 (TN), No. 80, p. 499-500

Auxiliary sources:
1register in Latin, Polish, 20th-century, B. PAU-PAN, 8248 (TK 10), f. 656

Prints:
1CEID 1/1 No. 87, p. 360-362 (in extenso; English register)

 

Text & apparatus & commentaryPlain textText & commentaryText & apparatus

 

Generose Domine, amice carissime. Salutem et omnem felicitatem.

cf. Mikołaj RUSSOCKI to [Ioannes DANTISCUS] Borysławice, 1537-11-19, CIDTC IDL 1794⌊Heri litteras Dominationis Vestrae accepicf. Mikołaj RUSSOCKI to [Ioannes DANTISCUS] Borysławice, 1537-11-19, CIDTC IDL 1794⌋, ex quibus longe secus, quam mihi narratum est, casum hunc Dominationis Vestrae, et revera non sine animi mei dolore intellexi. Neque mihi deesset ob nostram a iuventa inter nos contractam familiaritatem propensio rebus Dominationis Vestrae opitulandi, verum, cum professionis meae non est eiusmodi causis sanguinem tractantibus misceri, praeterea (quod ingenue Dominationi Vestrae fateri cogor) mihi non vulgarem a multis annis conflatam amicitiam cum Tomasz Lubrański (†1537), following a dispute over property with Biechowo castellan Mikołaj Russocki, Lubrański was attacked and murdered by Russocki’s armed men (1537-05-16). The widely publicized trial concerning this murder (Lubrański was killed on his way to the Brześć diet, where he was going as a representative of the royal court) gave rise to a broad public discussion on reforming the law on homicide. Dantiscus certainly knew Tomasz Lubrański’s uncle Mikołaj (1460-1524), about whom we know that he helped his nephews in their political careers because Mikołaj Lubrański’s participation in the work of the royal chancellery coincided with Dantiscus’ active years there; 1534 Poznań chamberlain; 1535 castellan of Brześć⌊generoso domino Thoma LubranczkiTomasz Lubrański (†1537), following a dispute over property with Biechowo castellan Mikołaj Russocki, Lubrański was attacked and murdered by Russocki’s armed men (1537-05-16). The widely publicized trial concerning this murder (Lubrański was killed on his way to the Brześć diet, where he was going as a representative of the royal court) gave rise to a broad public discussion on reforming the law on homicide. Dantiscus certainly knew Tomasz Lubrański’s uncle Mikołaj (1460-1524), about whom we know that he helped his nephews in their political careers because Mikołaj Lubrański’s participation in the work of the royal chancellery coincided with Dantiscus’ active years there; 1534 Poznań chamberlain; 1535 castellan of Brześć⌋, cuius animae aeternam a domino Deo precor requiem, castellano olim Brzesthensi fuisse, et ob id miserandam hanc caedem tuli dolenter, nedum graviter, ignoscet atque indulgebit mihi igitur , quod in praesentia votis Dominationis Vestrae respondere non valeam, in eo tamen, quo officium meum spectat, amicis commodabo utrisque Deum oraturus, ut in hac causa iustitiae Dominationis Vestrae hic in terris, et animae occisi in caelis per misericordiam suam adsit et faveat. Si quid mihi aliud propter has quas scripsi rationes cum decore status mei liceret, quid ob coniunctionem, quae mihi est cum Dominatione Vestra, tum etiam ob non parum arctam amicitiam, quae cum claris magnificisque dominis Hieronim Łaski (Jarosław Łaski, Hieronymus de Lasco) (*1496 – †1541), diplomat in the service of Sigismund I Jagiellon and John I Zápolya, representing them in diplomatic contacts with Ferdinand I of Habsburg and Sultan Suleiman I; 1520-1522 Crown Carver, 1522-1523 Voivode of Inowrocław, 1523-1541 Voivode of Sieradz, from 1528 Zupan of the Spiš district; from 1530 Voivode of Transylvania (PSB 18, p. 225-229)⌊Siradiensi palatinoHieronim Łaski (Jarosław Łaski, Hieronymus de Lasco) (*1496 – †1541), diplomat in the service of Sigismund I Jagiellon and John I Zápolya, representing them in diplomatic contacts with Ferdinand I of Habsburg and Sultan Suleiman I; 1520-1522 Crown Carver, 1522-1523 Voivode of Inowrocław, 1523-1541 Voivode of Sieradz, from 1528 Zupan of the Spiš district; from 1530 Voivode of Transylvania (PSB 18, p. 225-229)⌋ et Stanisław Łaski (*ca. 1500 – †1550), diplomat and writer; 1534 castellan of Przemęt; 1543 voivode of Sieradz; 1548 starosta of Łęczyca (Urzędnicy 2/2, p. 270)⌊castellano PrzemetensiStanisław Łaski (*ca. 1500 – †1550), diplomat and writer; 1534 castellan of Przemęt; 1543 voivode of Sieradz; 1548 starosta of Łęczyca (Urzędnicy 2/2, p. 270)⌋ mihi intercedit, praestarem non gravate. Neque est, quo meum suffragium pro condicionis meae tenuitate quapiam in re vel obesse vel prodesse Dominationi Vestrae possit.

Ceterum cf. Ioannes DANTISCUS to Albrecht I von Hohenzollern-Ansbach Löbau (Lubawa), 1537-11-28, CIDTC IDL 5425⌊Albrecht I von Hohenzollern-Ansbach (Albrecht von Brandenburg) (*1490 – †1568), 1511-1525 Grand Master of the Teutonic Order; from 1525 to his death Duke in Prussia as a liegeman of the Polish king; son of Friedrich V of Brandenburg der Ältere and Sophia Jagiellon (daughter of Casimir IV Jagiellon), nephew of Sigismund I, King of Poland; founder of the university in Königsberg (1544)⌊illustrissimo domino duci vicino meoAlbrecht I von Hohenzollern-Ansbach (Albrecht von Brandenburg) (*1490 – †1568), 1511-1525 Grand Master of the Teutonic Order; from 1525 to his death Duke in Prussia as a liegeman of the Polish king; son of Friedrich V of Brandenburg der Ältere and Sophia Jagiellon (daughter of Casimir IV Jagiellon), nephew of Sigismund I, King of Poland; founder of the university in Königsberg (1544)⌋, qui, ut saecularis princeps, auctoritate opeque sua non modica potest Dominationi Vestrae adferre adminicula, scripsicf. Ioannes DANTISCUS to Albrecht I von Hohenzollern-Ansbach Löbau (Lubawa), 1537-11-28, CIDTC IDL 5425⌋ libenter, neque inanem puto commendationem meam Dominationi Vestrae futuram. Cui pro novis mihi descriptis gratiam habeo, omniaque fausta precor.