ad seen it, particularly of
Spalatin, prevailed, and on December 18th Luther writes to the
latter that "the Tessaradecas, in both Latin and German, is in
the hands of the printer." On February 8th, 1520, he sends
Spalatin a printed copy of the Latin, and six days later, one of
the German edition. The latter contained a dedicatory letter to
the Elector, which, however, by an oversight of the printer, and
owing to Luther's absence at the time, was omitted in the Latin
edition.

In 1535, fifteen years after its first appearance in print,
Luther issued his Tessaradecas in a new and final edition, adding
a brief prefatory note. He no longer holds many of his former
views, and there is much in his little book that he has outgrown
and might now correct. But with characteristic unconcern, he lets
it all stand, and even restores many passages that had been
corrupted or omitted to their original form. It is a revised
edition, with the errors, as it were, underscored. It is to be
chiefly an historical record, to show the world how far he has
progressed since its first writing (1 Tim. 4:15), a mile-post on
the road of his inner development.[2] And more than this--and
here one fancies he can see the sardonic smile on the
battle-scarred face--it is to furnish his enemies with weapons
against himself; he desires to show a favor to the hunters of
contradictions in his works, "that they may have whereon to
exercise their malice."

2. The plan of the work is in the highest degree original and
artificial. The title, _Tessaradecas consolatoria_, which we
have rendered "The Fourteen of Consolation," [3] is explained by
Luther in the dedicatory epistle to the Elector, pp. 110 ff. The
"Fourteen" were the fourteen patron saints of medieval devotion,
called the "Defenders from all evils" (_defendores_,
_auxiliatores_). Whence the cult arose is not altogether
certain. It is said to have become popular in Germany since the
vision of a Franconian shepherd, in 1446, to whom there appeared,
in the fields, the Christ-child surrounded by the fourteen
saints. The _Vierzehnheiligenkirche_ at Staffelstein, a famous
shrine for pilgrims, marks the spot. The names of the "Fourteen,"
each of whom was a defender against some particular disease or
danger, are as follows: Achatius (Acacius), Aegidius, Barbara
(cf. St. Barbara's cress), Blasius (the "defender" of those
afflicted with throat diseases), Catharine (cf. St. Catharine's
flower), Christopher (cf