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:
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Text & apparatus & commentary Plain text Text & commentary Text & apparatus
Reverendissime etc.
Quod Dominatio Vestra Reverendissima litteris suis XX huius datis ternis meis responderit, gratiam habeo. Ex quibus fuit mihi oppido gratum intelligere, quod se tandem serenissimae maiestati regiae offerre statuerit. Qua in re Dominationem Vestram Reverendissimam aliquoties commonefacere volui, sed verebar, ne offenderem. Quodsi in ea aula, Deo sic disponente, convenerimus, agnoscet se secus de me sensisse in eo, quod scribit, animum suum perculisse, quam mentis nostrae sit institutum exonerationemque conscientiae meae et fidei non tendere in patriae perniciem, quemadmodum Dominationi Vestrae Reverendissimae interpretari placuit, neque ulla acerbitatis et male affectae voluntatis in illam mihi inesse iudicia percipiet. Quod vero fraterne me cohortatur non praecipitare sententiam et consilia atque, posthabitis patriae et meorum rationibus, non severitate et acrimonia, quam mihi inesse non puto, sed prudentia et moderatione mihi esse utendum, libenter quidem accipio, verum his duobus ultimis nemo est, qui non egeat, videoque, si quando mihi haec duo desunt, commune mihi id esse et cum Dominatione Vestra Reverendissima, et cum multis aliis etc.
Incendia facile excitari ferociaque con[si]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 ne pili quidem facio, modo id praestem, quod Deo meo et principi, cui me Deus subesse voluit, debeo. Hoc, in quo mihi et meis, et patriae sum debitor, quemadmodum feci hucusque, facere non sum desiturus. De memoria nominis, modo illud cum iniuria sugilletur, non est, quod me infelicem reddere possit. Qui enim hominibus placent, confusi sunt et Deus sprevit eos, maxime autem nostri temporis impietate infectis hominibus. Et ne omnia, quae Dominatio Vestra Reverendissima prolixe et amice scripsit, persequar, hoc adhuc addendum putavi me de his neminem scire, qui suis affectibus studentes me contra quempiam incitare valeant. Si Dominatio Vestra Reverendissima hunc unum sibi persuasit esse de iis, cuius novissimas ad me litteras adiunxi, quas remitti peto, non existimo, cum eas litteras legerit, de bono viro Dominationem Vestram Reverendissimam illius modi opinionem habituram etc.
De gangrena et quae scribit, testibus lacrimis, quarum non memini, 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 se exsereret. Quae res ne alias illi incommodet, subvereor, nihilominus pro foedere inter nos inito, cuius Dominatio Vestra Reverendissima meminit, ubi patrueli eius, quem a multis annis dilexi, neque umquam, quod scio, mihi adversantem agnovi, ubi, inquam, illi ex re et usu esse possum, quoad eius a me fieri potest, meam offero operam.
Satis mirari nequeo, immo et dolenter fero, quod in me faba illa cuditur, cum ex se rex et non ex me citationem dederit. Mihin[e] ea vis est, ut voluntatem regiam in mea habeam potestate? Aut c[on]scius sim, quid rex reginae, ut in proverbio est, in aurem? Statuant se vocati, intelligent causam et quis illorum sit accusator, ego sane ill[is] sancte et sincere consulere ausim, ut regiae clementiae, in qua nihil umquam asperius insedisse auditum est, se committant. Etsi fratres mei, qu[i] duo mihi sunt, ad tribunal regium postularentur, quemadmodum in hac causa factum est, etiamsi ipsa causa mihi esset incognita, omnino illis persuaderem, ut se statuerent, oboedientia enim et non victima quaeritur.
Ceterum, quod mihi nuper dominus castellanus Gedanensis cum sua et domini palatini Marienburgensis sententia scripsit, praeter voluntatem scilicet domini Ioannis a Werden ob eam citationem XVI huius, Gedani communitatem ad praetorium vocatam fuisse et, ut huc rumor pervenit, de communi consilio inibi statutum esse, ne citati compareant. Hoc quidem duobus istis bonis viris posset incommodare non parum, et quidem haec ferocia sunt consilia, quae malus manet exitus. Nihilosecius ea, quae dominis consiliariis, quorum Dominatio Vestra Reverendissima mihi misit litteras, visa sunt citatis expedire, quantum fieri potest maturius, serenissimae maiestati regiae diligenter sum perscripturus.
Nuntius [ta]men meus ob angustiam temporis ad dictum diem adesse nequit, aderit autem paulo post, sunt enim in his votis dominorum colligendis non pauca scribenda, qui tamen non ad singula, quae maiestas regia scripsit, respondent, quod si gratum erit, nescio etc. De commissariis non petimus, ut sint alienigenae, sed ut in his terris designentur, dummodo obtineri poterint. Addubito, an maiestas regia dominis consiliariis causam hanc sit commissura, qui se parti favere aperte declararunt. A me nihil operae praetermittetur, si quo pac[to] causam hanc ad nos retrahere possimus. De palatinatu Culmensi rebusque aliis, cum breve sit nobis ad aulam profectionis tempus, tractatus differendos existimo, quandoquidem illic omnia opportunius transimus, ubi Dominationem Vestram Reverendissimam, Deo bene favente, adeo videbo libenter, ut nusquam lib[e]ntius.
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.
Datae Heilsperg, XXVI Februarii 1543.
Postscript:
De litteris ad me regiis, in quibus, quod liberius pro libertate nostra scripserim, corripior, nihil, quid Dominatio Vestra Reverendissima aut alii domini sentiant, mihi rescribitur, cum tamen illis responso Marienburgi dato respondeatur. Missa est praeterea cum illis haec iis addita ad me oratio Poloni non indocti, qui illam ex Albi hausisse videtur, ut quantum pro hac tempestate privilegiis tribuendum inhaerendumque sit, exploratius haberem, immo h[a]beamus omnes. In eoque nomine omnium, cum, ut litteras eas et aliis communicarem, mihi iniunctum fuerat, maiestati regiae rescribendum fuisset. Quod ex me, sed sine pondere, fiet etc.
Affinis meus calvus moechus, ut in corpore loco alicui inclusus, quousque libido illa aestuans et ... more nequiter concepta refrixerit, castigetur, non erit mihi ingr[a]tum.
Meque iterum Dominationi Vestrae Reverendissimae commendo etc.