Letter #4784
[Ioannes DANTISCUS] to [Tiedemann GIESE]Heilsberg (Lidzbark), 1543-02-26
English register:
Dantiscus thanks the addressee for the letter of 20 February, responding to his three letters. He is glad that the recipient has finally decided to offer his services to the king [Sigismund I Jagiellon]. He has wanted to recommend this on many occasions, but feared causing offence. If they meet at court, he will realise that he was wrong to worry that Dantiscus might act against the homeland’s [Prussian] interests, or be in any way hostile towards the addressee. He accepts his encouragement to express opinions and advice prudently, to not disregard the interests of his fellow countrymen and his homeland, and to replace severity with prudence and moderation. Those two latter qualities are something that every person needs to have. If he has ever been lacking in either, this would be in no way different from the addressee or many others as well.
The accusations levelled against him are made by people who do not know him at all. He does not care about them. He only cares about fulfilling his duties to God and the king. He will not abandon acting in the interest of himself, his countrymen, and his homeland. He is not concerned about other people’s opinion of himself where he is being unjustly defamed. He will act in keeping with the advice sent by the addressee, but he must add that no impulsive person could ever incite him to act against anyone else. If the addressee has come to believe that the sender of the last letter to Dantiscus (which he has enclosed with this one and asks to be returned) is that kind of person, then after reading it, the addressee will no longer consider that person a good man.
He has no recollection of having made promises concerning gangrene or the other matters mentioned by the addressee. Due to lack of time, he cannot currently address these and other issues, which require a more detailed response, as he is busy writing letters to the court on a number of matters. He will discuss them with the addressee at some point, either by correspondence or in person. He thanks him for openly sharing critical remarks about his conduct and, in turn, asks him to see his point of view. He appreciates his concern for the welfare of his loved ones, even if he is not acting entirely impartially. He fears that this may someday come to harm him. Nevertheless, out of regard for their friendship, he will continue to help his nephew [Tiedemann Giese Jr] as long as he is able to do so.
He is surprised to be blamed for the lawsuit brought by the king [against Barthel Brand and Tiedemann Giese Jr], as he has no such influence over the king or any knowledge of confidential matters occurring at court. He advises the defendants to appear before the king and to rely on the king’s mercy. If his brothers [Bernhard von Höfen, Georg von Höfen] were summoned before the royal court, even if he did not know the matter, he would advise them to appear anyway. It is about showing obedience, not about being sacrificed.
He has recently received a letter from the castellan of Gdańsk (Danzig) [Achatius von Zehmen (Cema)], who enclosed his own opinion along with that of the voivode of Marienburg (Malbork) [Georg von Bayesn (Jerzy Bażyński)]. He informed him that, contrary to the will of Johann von Werden, the community of Gdańsk (Danzig) was convened at the city hall regarding the lawsuit dated 16 February. According to a rumour that has reached here, it was decided by mutual consent that the defendants would not appear before the court. This may seriously harm those two virtuous men [Barthel Brand and Tiedemann Giese Jr]. Such audacious ideas lead to ruinous consequences. As soon as possible, he will present to the king the opinion of the members of the Council [of Royal Prussia], whose letters the addressee has sent him, about what to convey to the defendants.
Given the short notice, his envoy will not be able to reach [the king] on the specified day but only slightly later, as he must first compile the collected opinions of the members of the [Royal Prussian] Council. Those do not address everything the king wrote about. He believes the king will not be pleased. The council members ask that the commissioners not be foreigners [from outside Royal Prussia], but that they be appointed from within these lands if possible. Dantiscus doubts that the king will entrust this matter to the council members [of Royal Prussia], given that they are openly favouring one party. He will make every effort to ensure that the matter is entrusted to them again. In his view, discussion of the office of the Kulm (Chełmno) voivode and other matters should be postponed due to the limited time available before [the envoy] departs for the court. It will be more convenient to deal with these matters when himself and the addressee meet up in person.
He asks the recipient to graciously accept the chaotic letter which he has dictated.
In the postscript Dantiscus mentions the king’s letter to him, in which he was reproved for invoking their liberty [meaning the inhabitants of Royal Prussia] too freely in writing. Neither the addressee nor the other members of the council have replied to him about this letter, even though a response has been given in Marienburg (Malbork). Along with that letter, a speech by a certain learned Pole was sent, the content of which he seems to have drawn from the river Elbe [i.e. from Wittenberg, meaning Lutheran influence], asking that he and all other members of the Council of Royal Prussia might understand more thoroughly how to safeguard their privileges in the present situation. On this matter, he was supposed to reply on behalf of them all, having shared the contents of the letter with the others.
If Dantiscus’ relative [Czenke] faces imprisonment for adultery, this will not displease him.
Manuscript sources:
Auxiliary sources:
| ||||||||
Text & apparatus & commentary Plain text Text & commentary Text & apparatus
Reverendissime etc.
Quod Dominatio Vestra Reverendissima cf.
Incendia facile excitari ferociaque co(n)si stain⌈[si]si stain⌉lia impingere et consultori minuere fidem periculososque esse ictus resultante malleo, ut recte philosophatum probo, ita ea in me haerere non velim, qui longe ad mitiora, Deo id largiente, animum meum induxi. Qui secus de me sentiunt, penitius me non norunt, et quod prius scripsi, odiosa eiusmodi iudicia cf. Adagia 704 Pili non facio ⌊ne pili quidem faciocf. Adagia 704 Pili non facio ⌋, modo id praestem, quod Deo meo et
De gangrena et quae scribit, testibus lacrimis, quarum non memini written over ...⌈... illegible⌈...... illegible⌉minimini written over ...⌉, me esse pollicitum et de plerisque aliis, quae uberiore responsione opus habent, non est, quod me in praesens, deficiente otio, in multa ad aulam scriptione occupem. De quibus aliquando vel litteris, vel coram fusius. Gratiamque Dominationi Vestrae Reverendissimae ago, quod me in eo, quae illi displicere videntur, sub ea adeo libera libertate commonuit, utque me in ea vicissim, sed paucis, audiat, amice velim. Mihi quidem omnia, quae per Dominationem Vestram Reverendissimam fiunt, probantur, etiam ea propensio et indulgentia, qua in suos utitur, si non plus aliquantulum aequo written over i⌈ioo written over i⌉ se exsereret. Quae res ne alias illi incommodet, subvereor, nihilominus pro foedere inter nos inito, cuius Dominatio Vestra Reverendissima meminit, ubi
Satis mirari nequeo, immo et dolenter fero, quod cf. Adagia 84 In me haec cudetur faba ⌊in me faba 
AAWO, AB, D. 2, f. 123v illa cuditurcf. Adagia 84 In me haec cudetur faba ⌋, cum ex se
Ceterum, quod mihi nuper dominus
Nuntius ta text damaged⌈[ta]ta text damaged⌉men meus ob angustiam temporis ad dictum diem adesse nequit, aderit autem paulo post, sunt enim in his votis
Quam rogo, ut hanc meam tumultuariam dictaturam ex sincero certe animo profectam, non secus atque mutuo nostro inter nos amori convenit, amicissime suscipiat. Cui, inquam, amori me intime commendo utque in dies fiat auctior et firmior, ex animo cupio.
Dat(ae) or Dat(um)⌈Dat(ae)Dat(ae) or Dat(um)⌉
Postscript:
De cf.
Meque iterum Dominationi Vestrae Reverendissimae commendo etc.