Dantiscus informs Giese that on the day this letter was dispatched, the castellan of Gdańsk (Danzig) [Achatius von Zehmen (Cema)] departed [from Heilsberg (Lidzbark)], having returned from the royal court two days earlier. Although von Zehmen himself will provide details in a letter to Giese, at his request, Dantiscus briefly recounts his actions in Vilnius: Queen Bona Sforza (Nostra) had attempted to prejudice the bishop of Chełm [Samuel Maciejowski] against von Zehmen. Nevertheless, in cooperation with Maciejowski, von Zehmen succeeded in presenting the matters entrusted to him by Dantiscus and Giese to the king [Sigismund I Jagiellon] in private.

The king [Sigismund I Jagiellon] has approved the suggestions [of the Council of Royal Prussia] regarding negotiations with the king of the Romans [Ferdinand I of Habsburg] on matters concerning the duke [Albrecht I von Hohenzollern]. The monarch has explained that the harsh tone of his message to the previous [Royal Prussian] Diet in Graudenz (Grudziądz) resulted from pressure from the Royal Council, but [the Council of Royal Prussia] is free to respond to it in accordance with its own interests. Maciejowski’s advice was not to mention that the tax had not been collected at that time to avoid the blame being solely attributed to Dantiscus and Giese. He suggested that the matter could be resolved through other means. Maciejowski brought up the issue of Rheden (Radzyn) with the king privately, at a suitable moment, so that the queen would not become aware of it. Wishing to show favour to Giese, the king did not object to entrusting the [Gdańsk] burgraviate to [Johann] Stutte, since his name had already been included in the document customarily issued by the magistrate [the Gdańsk city council]. Regarding the scholarships for students to study in Leipzig, the king expects the council of Royal Prussia to adopt a responsible stance; he does not wish for anyone from Royal Prussia to be sent there to study. The abbots offered an extensive justification of their actions in the letter to the king, but the matter was postponed for joint deliberation. The king promised he would respond to the letter from the [Royal Prussian] Diet in Graudenz as soon as his health allowed. The castellan of Gdańsk will soon provide a more detailed account. However, many matters cannot be committed to writing due to court intrigues.

Dantiscus considers the only significant success of von Zehmen’s mission to be the confirmation that the unfavourable [from the Prussian perspective] message to the Diet in Graudenz did not reflect the king’s original intention. The castellan achieved nothing regarding the grain issue, as the queen intervened to block the matter. She even wrote to Dantiscus herself, warning him not to oppose her. Dantiscus asks the recipient to exert influence on the voivode of Pomerania [Jerzy Konopacki (Georg von Konopat)], urging him to restrain his son [Jerzy Konopacki (Georg von Konopat) Jr], who is attempting to acquire grain in violation of the decision made by the council [of Royal Prussia]. Dantiscus himself has also written to the voivode of Pomerania on the matter, at the same time admonishing him to speak with the nobility of his district and encourage them to show goodwill at the next [Royal Prussian] Diet towards the vice-chancellor [Samuel Maciejowski].

Dantiscus conveys to Giese news of the difficult situation in Hungary, where ongoing conflicts pit magnates against each other, some supporting the Turkish sultan [Suleiman the Magnificent], others the king [Sigismund I Jagiellon], and still others King Ferdinand. Having recovered her dowry, Queen Isabella [Jagiellon] left Buda together with her son [John Sigismund Zápolya] and her female court, heading to a castle designated for her by the king of the Romans. Ferdinand, meanwhile, lost a great number of soldiers during the siege of a Hungarian castle. The king [Sigismund I Jagiellon] is feeling somewhat better. He is preoccupied with the issue of reconciliation among the opposing parties and is negotiating with the pope [Paul III] and other rulers regarding the convocation of a general council.

Dantiscus sends Giese a letter containing further news, received from the queen’s trusted confidant, the chamberlain (podkomorzy) of Sieradz, Mikołaj Grabia. He promises to support Giese’s affairs.