a
word in the Supreme Pontiff's tongue, nor is the heart of the
king in his own hand. [Ps. 138:4 (Vulgate), Prov. 21:1] He is the
Judge whose verdict I await from the Roman See.

As for those threatening friends of mine, I have no answer for
them but that word of Reuchlin's--"He who is poor fears nothing;
he has nothing to lose." Fortune I neither have nor desire; if I
have had reputation and honor, he who destroys them is always at
work; there remains only one poor body, weak and wearied with
constant hardships, and if by force or wile they do away with
that (as a service to God), they will but make me poorer by
perhaps an hour or two of life. [John 16:2] Enough for me is the
most sweet Saviour and Redeemer, my Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom I
shall always sing my song; [Ps. 104:33] if any one is unwilling
to sing with me, what is that to me? Let him howl, if he likes,
by himself.

The Lord Jesus keep thee eternally, my gracious Father!

Wittenberg, Day of the Holy Trinity, MDXVIII

FOOTNOTES

[1] "Penitence," "repentance," "penance," are all translations of
this word. See above, p.29, note 1.

[2] The _modus confitendi_, or "way of confession" is the
teaching of what sins are to be confessed to the priest and how
they are to be confessed. The subject is discussed fully by
Luther in his _Discussion of Confession_, below, pp. 81-102.

[3] Gr. _meta_, Lat., _post_. Eng., "after"; Gr. _nous_, Lat.,
_mens_, Eng., "mind."

[4] The Greek _meta_ can also be translated by the Latin _trans_,
which, in compounds, denotes movement from one place, or thing,
or condition, to another.

[5] Lat. _transmutatio_, "the act or process of changing," not
simply "a change" (_mutatio_).

[6] _Transitus mentis_.

[7] The derivative of the term "Hebrew" is still disputed (v.
PRE3 VII, p.507). Luther conceives it to mean _transitor_, "one
who passes through tor across the land," "a pilgrim." Cf. Genesis
12:6.

[8] _Burgenesis_, i. e. Paul of Bourgos (1353-1435).

[9] Another bit of Mediaeval philology.

[10] See Introduction, p. 19.

[11] Cf. Thesis 1, and foot-note.

[12] Here again, as above, we have the double sense of
_poentitentia_. Satisfaction is a part of sacramental penance.
Luther's charge is that in preaching the remission of this part
of the Sacrament the doctrine of true penitence (cf. Thesis 1) is
passed by.

[13] The Ninety-five Theses.

[14] Tetzel's reply to the Theses (_Disputatio II, Jo.
Tetzelli_), 1