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Letter #1489

[Ioannes DANTISCUS] to [Matthias, Abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Koronowo]
Löbau (Lubawa), 1536-06-21

English register:

Dantiscus urges Abbot Matthias to keep to the truth of his earlier statements on the drastic circumstances of the death of Matthias, guardian [of the Franciscans] in Kulm. He quotes those testimonies as well as the words of the deceased man’s confessor, uttered in the addressee’s presence when the two of them visited Dantiscus, that the deceased had entrusted vengeance on the murderer and his associates to God.

Based on those statements, Dantiscus launched proceedings for murder. Dantiscus warns Abbot Matthias that he will appeal to the authority of the primate of the Kingdom of Poland. In Dantiscus’ view the new testimony, stating that the guardian’s death was allegedly caused by a fall into a ditch near the furnace before the baths, is a lie. He warns the Abbot about sinning against the Holy Spirit and about divine punishment for lying. He demands a reply, because he does not want to act too hastily.




Manuscript sources:
1rough draft in Latin, autograph, BCz, 244, p. 116-115(!)

 

Text & apparatus & commentaryPlain textText & commentaryText & apparatus

 

BCz, 244, p. 116

Reverende etc.,

Ex cf. Matthias, Abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Koronowo to Ioannes DANTISCUS Koronowo, 1536-06-18, CIDTC IDL 1467⌊litteriscf. Matthias, Abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Koronowo to Ioannes DANTISCUS Koronowo, 1536-06-18, CIDTC IDL 1467⌋ Dominationis Vestrae quas heri accepimus longe aliud, quam sperabamus, accepimus. Occasionem mortis Matthias (Maciej) (†1536), Guardian of the Franciscan Monastery in Kulm⌊guardiani CulmensisMatthias (Maciej) (†1536), Guardian of the Franciscan Monastery in Kulm⌋ se ignorasse Dominatio Vestra scribit, cum nobis proprio ore fassa sit superinscribed in place of crossed-out est⌈est sit sit superinscribed in place of crossed-out est⌉, quod ex percussionibus, livoribus et tumoribus admodum infirmus et on the margin⌈admodum infirmus etadmodum infirmus et on the margin⌉ aeger ad monasterium Vestrum in vigilia Sabato ante written over prius(?)⌈prius(?) ante ante written over prius(?)⌉ Palmarum[1] veniens superinscribed in place of crossed-out pervenerit et⌈pervenerit et veniens veniens superinscribed in place of crossed-out pervenerit et⌉ in eadem infirmitate in festo Pascae mortuus est superinscribed in place of crossed-out sit⌈sit est est superinscribed in place of crossed-out sit⌉ totumque superinscribed⌈queque superinscribed⌉ Matthias (Maciej) (†1536), Guardian of the Franciscan Monastery in Kulm⌊eiusMatthias (Maciej) (†1536), Guardian of the Franciscan Monastery in Kulm⌋ corpus ex livoribus et tumoribus ut carbo nigrum fuerit et foetidum, quod sine sepultura diutius retineri non potuit. Neque umquam novi istius commenti coram nobis meminit ipsum Matthias (Maciej) (†1536), Guardian of the Franciscan Monastery in Kulm⌊guardianumMatthias (Maciej) (†1536), Guardian of the Franciscan Monastery in Kulm⌋ flammea illa signa habuisse ex casu in fossam fornacis ante balneum, quod a veritate longe esse diversissimum arbitramur superinscribed⌈arbitramurarbitramur superinscribed⌉, immo in extremis Dominatio Vestra et prior ille confessor Matthias (Maciej) (†1536), Guardian of the Franciscan Monastery in Kulm⌊eiusMatthias (Maciej) (†1536), Guardian of the Franciscan Monastery in Kulm⌋, qui cum Dominatione Vestra fuit apud nos in Starigrod on the margin⌈qui cum Dominatione Vestra fuit apud nos in Althausen (Starogród, Antiquum Castrum), town on the Vistula river, ca. 1.5 km S of Kulm, initial location of Kulm; given to the Kulm cathedral by Alexander Jagiellon, it was the summer residence of the Kulm bishops⌊StarigrodAlthausen (Starogród, Antiquum Castrum), town on the Vistula river, ca. 1.5 km S of Kulm, initial location of Kulm; given to the Kulm cathedral by Alexander Jagiellon, it was the summer residence of the Kulm bishops⌋qui cum Dominatione Vestra fuit apud nos in Starigrod on the margin⌉, Matthias (Maciej) (†1536), Guardian of the Franciscan Monastery in Kulm⌊guardianumMatthias (Maciej) (†1536), Guardian of the Franciscan Monastery in Kulm⌋ proclamasse in occisorem superinscribed in place of crossed-out in Christoferum Ossi[ecz]kowski⌈in Krzysztof Osieczkowski in 1538 Kulm sword-bearer (Urzędnicy 5/2, p. 224; AT 18, p. 430-431)⌊Christoferum Ossiecz hidden by binding⌈[ecz]ecz hidden by binding⌉kowskiKrzysztof Osieczkowski in 1538 Kulm sword-bearer (Urzędnicy 5/2, p. 224; AT 18, p. 430-431)⌋in occisoremin occisorem superinscribed in place of crossed-out in Christoferum Ossi[ecz]kowski⌉ et adiutores eius vindictam Deo commitens nobis(?) hidden by binding⌈[is(?)]is(?) hidden by binding⌉ retulerunt, unde permoti nos processus nostros pro officio et debito nostro ecclesiastico superinscribed in place of crossed-out contra occisorem et complicem eius⌈contra occisorem et complicem eius pro officio et debito nostro ecclesiastico pro officio et debito nostro ecclesiastico superinscribed in place of crossed-out contra occisorem et complicem eius⌉ dedimus. Utque Dominatio Vestra sciat, quae hidden by binding⌈[ae]ae hidden by binding⌉ nobis scripsit, iussimus quaedam ex litteris vestris per modum instrumen hidden by binding⌈[men]men hidden by binding⌉ti a notario publico colligi, quae ob id mittimus, ne veritati et verbis suis coram nobis prolatis adversetur. Reliqua hidden by binding⌈[ua]ua hidden by binding⌉ in omnem eventum servamus, cum res ad forum venerit cogemurque, nisi Dominatio Vestra firma in priori instructione nobis hidden by binding⌈[bis]bis hidden by binding⌉ BCz, 244, p.115 facta manserit, cum primis contra Dominationem Vestram, quemadmodum in novissimis scripsimus, apud Andrzej Krzycki (Andreas Cricius) (*1482 – †1537), humanist, neo-Latin poet, diplomat, correspondent of Erasmus of Rotterdam; in 1525 he took part in the negotiations leading to the secularisation of the state of the Teutonic Order; from 1504 Canon of Poznań (from 1511 Scholastic, from 1519 Provost); from 1512 Canon of Cracow, Scholastic of Płock, and secretary to the first wife of Sigismund I Jagiellon, Barbara Zápolya; 1515-1523 royal secretary; 1518-1530 Provost of the Chapter of St. Florian in Cracow; 1522-1525 Bishop of Przemyśl; 1525-1527 Bishop of Poznań; 1527-1535 Bishop of Płock; 1535-1537 Archbishop of Gniezno, Primate of Poland (PSB 15, p.544-549)⌊reverendissimum dominum archiepiscopum regni primatem et legatum natumAndrzej Krzycki (Andreas Cricius) (*1482 – †1537), humanist, neo-Latin poet, diplomat, correspondent of Erasmus of Rotterdam; in 1525 he took part in the negotiations leading to the secularisation of the state of the Teutonic Order; from 1504 Canon of Poznań (from 1511 Scholastic, from 1519 Provost); from 1512 Canon of Cracow, Scholastic of Płock, and secretary to the first wife of Sigismund I Jagiellon, Barbara Zápolya; 1515-1523 royal secretary; 1518-1530 Provost of the Chapter of St. Florian in Cracow; 1522-1525 Bishop of Przemyśl; 1525-1527 Bishop of Poznań; 1527-1535 Bishop of Płock; 1535-1537 Archbishop of Gniezno, Primate of Poland (PSB 15, p.544-549)⌋ nobis consulere ecclesiasticamque auctoritatem et istius crudelissimae mortis, sicut illam nobis Dominatio Vestra exposuit superinscribed in place of crossed-out demonstravit(?)⌈demonstravit(?) exposuit exposuit superinscribed in place of crossed-out demonstravit(?)⌉, historiam et veritate<m> tueri.

Velimus praeterea, ut nobis Dominatio Vestra liquidius declareret, quis casus iste in fossam fornacis ante balneum fuerit, de quo nobis Dominatio Vestra neque quispiam alius vel minimum umquam verbum retulit, planeque confictum esse putamus superinscribed in place of crossed-out arbitramur⌈arbitramur putamus putamus superinscribed in place of crossed-out arbitramur⌉.

Qua de re Dominationem Vestram iterum amice commonemus et rogamus, ne litteris et verbis suis, quibus nos de superinscribed in place of crossed-out nob(is(?))⌈nob(is(?)) nos de nos de superinscribed in place of crossed-out nob(is(?))⌉ huius rei seriem certiores reddidit, reluctari praesumat Deumque meminerit et veritatem esse et veritatis defensorem, acriterque veritatis adversarios et impugnatores, qui ea in parte in Spiritum Sanctum peccant, divinam maiestatem castigare solere illa on the margin⌈illailla on the margin⌉, quae ab ea plaga et animadversione Dominationem Vestram custodiat atque in viam veritatis reducat Ex castro nostro.

Exspectamus in his Dominationis Vestrae responsum, ne quid vid<e>amur in hac causa on the margin⌈in hac causain hac causa on the margin⌉ non satis considerate fecisse.

Eandemque Dominationem Vestram bene valere optamus.

[1] April, 8.