Letter #3241
[Ioannes DANTISCUS] to Stanisław HOZJUSZ (HOSIUS)Heilsberg (Lidzbark), 1547-10-31
English register:
Dantiscus trusts that the addressee remembers what he wrote to him previously and in the letter of 8 October regarding the widow of Georg Schewecke [Katarina Schewecke]. That which the widow was then fearing has now come to pass. Her husband’s heirs have consented neither to the transferring to her of the land estates – a passage right in Güttland (Koźliny) and a manor near the village of Orha (Orunia) – nor to accepting the sum of money due to them in compensation.
The widow summoned the heirs before the land court [of Dirschau (Tczew)], which, on the basis of the deed of endowment and its royal confirmation [by Sigismund I Jagiellon] issued in their presence, ruled that they should accept the due sum for the estates and not contest the confirmation. For many years, the matter was considered settled and met with no opposition from the heirs. Now, instead of first appealing to the Council of Royal Prussia, they have lodged an appeal to the king before a notary and witnesses.
Dantiscus has enclosed copies of the royal verdict and the recent land court decree with his letter to the king, so that the king, the bishop of Cracow (Kraków) [Samuel Maciejowski], and the addressee might better understand the matter should the previously sent transcripts have been mislaid. The widow fears that she might suffer the same fate as the city council of Elbing (Elbląg), namely, the admission at the royal court of an appeal lodged before a notary and witnesses. Dantiscus has already written of this matter in the letter recommending the secretary of the city council of Elbing; it is possible that the bearer of the present letter will reach the addressee before him. The widow has requested that Dantiscus approach the addressee in advance with a request to thwart the efforts of her opponents.
Dantiscus appeals to the addressee to intercede with the king, the bishop of Cracow, and the vice-chancellor [Mikołaj Grabia], to whom he has also sent a letter with copies of the royal decision and the ruling of the land court, as well as with other influential persons in the kingdom who have a decisive voice in the royal courts, to abolish the new custom of lodging appeals directly to the king. This custom stands in contradiction to the royal statutes and the laws of Royal Prussia. Such disorder in the judiciary is detrimental to the public interest.
Dantiscus expresses his conviction that the king will not issue a ruling contrary to his earlier decree. He asks the addressee to oversee this matter and to look after the widow’s interests, so that she might retain the endowment and not be summoned to the royal court because of it.
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Text & apparatus & commentary Plain text Text & commentary Text & apparatus
Doctori Hoseo
Venerabilis etc.
Quae antea et superinscribed⌈antea etantea et superinscribed⌉ octava huius per nuntium meum in causa honestae viduae, uxoris olim nobilis Georgii Scheveken, proconsulis Gedanensis, scripsi, Dominationem Vestram adhuc meminisse non dubito, ita ut de illis ei memoriam refricare necesse iam superinscribed⌈iamiam superinscribed⌉ non sit. Nunc vero illi accidit superinscribed⌈illi acciditilli accidit superinscribed⌉, quod tum temporis dicta vidua metuebat, ne videlicet heredes defuncti eius mariti in donationem, cessionem et mutuam condescensionem bonorum terrestrium, traiectus in Gitlandt et curiae apud villam Orha, inter eos factas essent consensuri et pecuniam, quam ratione illorum bonorum illis deponere debere superinscribed⌈rere superinscribed⌉t, non superinscribed⌈nonnon superinscribed⌉ accepturi. illi accidit
Nam, cum nuper eam ob causam, ut iuxta de senten prius lata decret{r}um regium super ea donatione citatis latum, dictis heredibus satisfaceret et se quietem redderet, eos ad iudicium terrestre citasset ibiq ibidemque donationem et eiusdem confirmationem, regiam et deinde etiam superinscribed⌈etiametiam superinscribed⌉ subsecutum regium on the margin⌈regiumregium on the margin⌉ decretum, quod ad instantiam dictorum co<n>iugum in praesentia utriusque superinscribed in place of crossed-out eorum⌈eorum utriusque utriusque superinscribed in place of crossed-out eorum⌉ heredum ad hoc vocatorum, qui tum, ut exceptiones suas, si quas contra da(?) [ist]am mutuam do[n]ationem haberent on the margin⌈si quas contra da(?) ist hidden by binding⌈[ist]ist hidden by binding⌉am mutuam don hidden by binding⌈[n]n hidden by binding⌉ationem haberentsi quas contra da(?) [ist]am mutuam do[n]ationem haberent on the margin⌉, coram tribunali regiae maiestatis eo cita proponerent, eo citati fuerant, produxisset, et a superinscribed in place of crossed-out a⌈a a a superinscribed in place of crossed-out a⌉ iudicio written over is(?)⌈is(?)oo written over is(?)⌉, ut auctoritate sua adversam partem ad accipiendum pecuniam in sententia regiae maiestatis expressam, [q]uam illa paratam tum habuit on the margin⌈q hidden by binding⌈[q]q hidden by binding⌉uam illa paratam tum habuit[q]uam illa paratam tum habuit on the margin⌉, compelleret, petiisset, pronuntiatum fuit a iudicio ut sententiae regiae maiestatis satisfa iudicium post lectam regiam sententiam pronuntiavit adversam pa heredes dicti olim Georgii Scheveke... illegible⌈...... illegible⌉ eam pecuniam accipere debere superinscribed⌈deberedebere superinscribed⌉, nec serenissimae r maiestatis regiae sententiae repugnare, vel illi contravenire cum, praesertim cum illa tam sollemniter esset promis prola lata, et ut etiam in rem iudicatam iam a multis annis transierit superinscribed in place of crossed-out v and then crossed-out⌈veriterit superinscribed in place of crossed-out v and then crossed-out⌉erit, quorum neutrum nec sentientiam animadvertentes, frivole et non prohibiti dicti heredes contra receptum in his terris morem ad serenissimam maiestatem regiam provocarunt, cum tamen prius appellandum illis ad dominos hic consiliarios fuisset, provocarunt coram notario et testibus provocarunt.
Mitto autem Adiunxi autem meis litteris, quas in hac causa ad serenissimam maiestatem regiam dedi, exempla sententiae regiae in ea latae written over m⌈mee written over m⌉ et novissimum decretum iudicii terrestris, ut inde eo superinscribed in place of crossed-out tanto⌈tanto eo eo superinscribed in place of crossed-out tanto⌉ melius serenissima maiestas regia dominus, reverendissimus dominus Cracoviensis et Dominatio Vestra, si priores copiae per me missae quod fors forsan sepositae essent, se informare possent. Et cum saepius memorata vidua sibi metuat, ne idem illi, quod nuper hic Elbingen(sibus) ea(?) in quorum fer in simili fere causa contigit superinscribed⌈contigitcontigit superinscribed⌉, de qua etiam ad Dominationem Vestram, illi eorum secretarium commendans, scripsi, quem fortassis hic nuntius meus antevertet, eveniat, ut ea appellatio inusitate written over us⌈usee written over us⌉ coram notario et testibus f per adversam eius partem facta, in aula regis admittatur, et ut ita eius respectu eo citaretur. Qua potuit diligentia me written over ihi⌈ihiee written over ihi⌉ rogavit superinscribed in place of crossed-out supplicavit⌈supplicavit rogavit rogavit superinscribed in place of crossed-out supplicavit⌉, quo Dominationem Vestram citius, si tale quicquam ibidem tentaretur, praemonerem, ut illa per me edocta superinscribed⌈per me edoctaper me edocta superinscribed⌉ conatus adversariorum eius [...]e quicquam quod, quod contra [...]m esset, ibidem [im]petrent on the margin⌈[...] paper damaged⌈[...][...] paper damaged⌉e quicquam quod, quod contra [...] paper damaged⌈[...][...] paper damaged⌉m esset, ibidem im paper damaged⌈[im]im paper damaged⌉petrent[...]e quicquam quod, quod contra [...]m esset, ibidem [im]petrent on the margin⌉, impediret posset.
Quare plurimum rogo cum haec causa sit iustissima, cum donationem eam, quae inter virum et uxorem causa mortis iuxta fit, iura omnia tam nostra hic, quam civilia (ut vocant) le ms. i(!)
⌈ee ms. i(!)
⌉gitime fieri posse, so
AAWO, AB, D. 70, f. 319vllemniter disponant, nec ea in fraudem alterius, sed mutuae inter illos fac hidden by binding⌈[c]c hidden by binding⌉ta sit de propriis bonis et peculio, quod propria mar industria et superinscribed⌈etet superinscribed⌉ conque hidden by binding⌈[ue]ue hidden by binding⌉runt et non ex hereditate aliqua cons conquisiverunt, facta sit, eam hidden by binding⌈[m]m hidden by binding⌉ etiam serenissima maiestas regia ante multos annos ratam habuit, et inter omnes heredum exceptiones, imposito illis perpetuo silentio, per decretum suum sustulit, ita ut plane iam vigorem iuris in rem iudicatam tran hidden by binding⌈[n]n hidden by binding⌉sierit, et nullam post latam sententiam regiam in vita mariti ea donatio impugnationem passa sit, ut Dominationi Vestrae, quod mihi promisit, huic iustissimae hidden by binding⌈[mae]mae hidden by binding⌉ causae et afflictissimae viduae, quarum curam gerere nobis incumbit, deesse hidden by binding⌈[sse]sse hidden by binding⌉ non velit, sed omni conatu in id incumbere, et apud serenissimam maiestatem regiam et, reverendissimum dominum Cracoviensem, apud(?) dominum vicecancellarium superinscribed⌈apud(?) dominum vicecancellariumapud(?) dominum vicecancellarium superinscribed⌉ dominum vicecancellarium, cui etiam in ea causa scripsi et exempla sententiarum regiae maiestatis et iudicii terrestris misi cui etiam in ea causa scripsi et exemplum sententiarum misi on the margin⌈dominum vicecancellarium, cui etiam in ea causa scripsi et exempla sententiarum regiae maiestatis et iudicii terrestris misi cui etiam in ea causa scripsi et exemplum sententiarum misidominum vicecancellarium, cui etiam in ea causa scripsi et exempla sententiarum regiae maiestatis et iudicii terrestris misi cui etiam in ea causa scripsi et exemplum sententiarum misi on the margin⌉, alios etiam etia proceres Regni, quorum nutu iu paper damaged⌈[u]u paper damaged⌉dicia reguntur et illis subsunt, instare, ut haec insolita et nova ap paper damaged⌈[ap]ap paper damaged⌉pellandi consuetudo, contra constitutiones regias et iura hic nostra inducta, tollatur, et tandem nobis iustus ordo iudiciorum, sine quo nihil hidden by binding⌈[l]l hidden by binding⌉ solidum respublica habere pobe potest, nobis reddatur restituatur. Nam dici non potest, quanta hic apud nos inde sit exorta confusio, ut fere hidden by binding⌈[e]e hidden by binding⌉ omnia iudicia plane contemnantur et solito more non exerceantur on the margin⌈et solito more non exerceanturet solito more non exerceantur on the margin⌉.
Nec dubito serenissimam maiestatem regiam quicqua paper damaged⌈[qua]qua paper damaged⌉m in hac causa contra prius latam suam sententiam pronuntiaturam, quod in praeiudicium vid eius vergere posset, verum multo magis eandem ratam habituram. Hoc superinscribed in place of crossed-out Quod ut⌈Quod ut Hoc Hoc superinscribed in place of crossed-out Quod ut⌉ ut Dominatio Vestra efficiat et viduam eam commendatam habeat, quo in donatione e... ea conserve ea et sententia regia conservetur, nec ob id ad aulam citetur on the margin⌈et viduam eam commendatam habeat, quo in donatione e... superinscribed⌈e... illegible⌈...... illegible⌉e... superinscribed⌉ ea conserve ea et sententia regia conservetur, nec ob id ad aulam citeturet viduam eam commendatam habeat, quo in donatione e... ea conserve ea et sententia regia conservetur, nec ob id ad aulam citetur on the margin⌉, iterum atque iterum rogo.
Cui eand Cui omnia faustissima a Domino Deo ex animo precor.
Datae paper damaged⌈[tae paper damaged, possibly um⌈aeae paper damaged, possibly um⌉]tae paper damaged⌉ Heilsberg XXX, ultima Octobris MDXLVII.