Melanchthon published Luther's excellent little book, "A Warning to my beloved Germans," and added an encouraging introduction, in which he says: "Let all who fear God in Germany, now seriously consider and remember what they owe to God in these terrible warlike preparations. For now that it is known that the Pope is lending such great aid in money and soldiers to carry on this war, there can be no doubt that it is his principal aim to exterminate the true doctrine, which is now preached in our churches, and to re-establish and secure forever his own idolatry and errors, by shedding of blood, murder, the lasting destruction of the German nation, and by dismembering all the Electoral and princely families." He encourages resistance, and adds: "I am surprised that wise men have suffered themselves to be induced to begin this war. But it is not only the work of men, the devil's rage, and desire to bring about greater destruction and misery in Christendom.... But I pray all God-fearing men earnestly to beseech God to protect his Church, in which the true doctrine is preached, and also every Christian government. Besides this, all such should remember that every one is in duty bound to aid in preserving the true Christian doctrine, according to his position and means. For this we live, and we cannot do a better work in this life."
The Imperial ban of the Empire against the Elector and the Landgrave, the two leaders of the league of Smalkald, made its appearance on the 20th of July. Besides this, Duke Maurice of Saxony, who was full of ambition, betrayed the cause of his relative, the Elector, and the cause of the Protestants in general. He went over to the Emperor's side. But before the Emperor had gathered his troops, the Protestants were already standing on the banks of the Danube, in the month of July, with an army of 40,000 men, prepared to strike. But they did not make a good use of their favorable position, for they could at this time have brought the war to an end by one decisive blow. The experienced commander of the Upper Germans, Sebastian Schärtlin, wished to fall upon the Emperor, who with a few hundred men was then in Ratisbon, and compel him to make peace. But his plan was defeated by the scruples of the leaders of the League, until the Emperor had received reinforcements, and was now able to assume an offensive attitude. He soon became master of the Danube, and entered Swabia. When the leaders of the League now proposed terms of peace, he ordered them to surrender at discretion. Here they also learned that Duke Maurice had united with the Emperor, and therefore the two leaders of the League resolved to return to their own dominions, in order to protect them, especially as Maurice had already entered the Electoral dominions, and was capturing one city after the other. The Emperor had also promised the Electoral dignity to Duke Maurice. When the princes retreated, with the intention, it is true, of meeting the Emperor the following spring with a stronger force, they placed the game entirely in his hands. He conquered, and laid under contribution, the various confederate cities in Southern Germany; and on the Rhine, humbled the aged Duke Ulrich, of Würtemberg, and deprived the aged Archbishop of Cologne of his princely dignity. He had thus covered his rear in Swabia and on the Rhine, and was now able, without much difficulty, to shift the war into the dominions of the two leaders of the Confederation.
While the Emperor was proceeding thus in Southern Germany, and on the Rhine, the Elector, John Frederick, entered Thuringia with 2000 men, and soon swept away the armies of Duke Maurice. He even entered his dominions, and conquered the whole land, with the exception of Leipzig. At Altenberg, he was opposed by Maurice and his ally, the Margrave Albert, of Brandenburg, but in vain. For the Margrave was taken prisoner, and Maurice evacuated the country. Thus John Frederick stood as a victor upon the banks of the Elbe, but without taking advantage of his victory.
We may easily suppose that the University and schools could not prosper much in these warlike times. When the troops of Duke Maurice were advancing, it was thought advisable in Wittenberg to dissolve the University. The Margrave Joachim offered a retreat to Melanchthon. Many fled to Magdeburg, but Melanchthon selected Zerbst, when the troops of Maurice threatened Wittenberg. We may conceive the feelings of Melanchthon's heart, when aged sires, women, and children, were thus compelled to flee, in mid-winter, in a snow-storm. He was received in a hospitable manner at Zerbst, and at the same time also received invitations from Brunswick and Nuremberg. But, while everything looked so gloomy, the sky assumed a bright appearance at the return of the Elector, who had so expeditiously cleared his dominions of hostile troops. Melanchthon, too, returned to Wittenberg, now freed from the siege, but only for a few days, as matters were still in a state of insecurity and uncertainty. He returned to Zerbst, and was destined soon to experience greater calamities than ever before. But, although he was greatly afflicted, he comforted himself with the word of God. He at this time wrote to Camerarius: "Let us be assured that God will preserve the seed of his Church and of the truth, as he has so repeatedly promised in his divine word, and let us not doubt that God has our welfare at heart, even if the world should be destroyed." In the beginning of February, 1547, he again returned to Wittenberg for a few days, and thence wrote to the Elector to make peace, but without effecting anything.
While Melanchthon was deeply afflicted by the death of his beloved daughter Anna, who had been married to Sabinus, and died on the 26th of February, in the flower of life, he was also to behold calamities falling upon the dominions of his prince from every quarter. The Emperor had arisen with the determination to subdue John Frederick. He united with his brother Ferdinand and Duke Maurice, at Egra, and advanced into the Electoral dominions with 27,000 men, while the Elector had rapidly retreated to Wittenberg, which was well fortified. But he was overtaken by the Imperial cavalry. A battle was fought at Mühlberg, April 24. The pious Elector was at the time attending divine worship, and thought that he ought to remain until the close; he was overtaken on the heath of Lochau, and after a brave resistance on his part, was made prisoner. The Emperor received him in a very ungracious manner, and ordered him, together with the captive Duke Ernest of Brunswick-Lüneburg, to be conveyed to the camp. Intoxicated by his victory, he even went so far as to pronounce sentence of death upon the Elector, against all the prerogatives of princes. But the Elector received the announcement with the greatest tranquillity. However, he did not venture to execute the sentence, and changed it to imprisonment for life. As the Elector steadily rejected the resolutions of the Council of Trent, he was declared to have forfeited his lands and electoral dignity, and the traitor Maurice was entrusted with the Electorate. When Melanchthon, who was then at Zerbst, heard of the defeat of the Elector, he was deeply moved, and thus expresses his troubles in a letter written to Caspar Cruciger, on the 1st of May: "Dearest Caspar, if I were able to weep as many tears as the Elbe rolls deep waters by you and our walls, I could not weep out my sorrow on account of the defeat and imprisonment of our prince, who truly loved the Church and Justice. Many important considerations increase my distress. I deeply commiserate the prisoner. I foresee a change of doctrine, and a new confusion of the Churches. Then, what an ornament is destroyed in the dispersion of our school? and we too are torn asunder. Truly, if it were possible for one to consider, I would rather die in your society, and before your altars, than wander about in this state of exile, in which my strength is daily decreasing." As the Spanish and Italian soldiers made great havoc, and especially mal-treated women and maidens, he did not consider Zerbst a safe retreat any longer. He, therefore, removed with his family to Magdeburg. He here met Luther's widow, who was about to depart to Denmark, where she had found a noble patron in the king. He accompanied her to Brunswick, where she remained for some time, and he went to Nordhausen. A faithful friend, Mayor Meienberg, resided here, with whom he had carried on a cordial correspondence. He had written to him on Ascension day, shortly before his arrival in Nordhausen: "I write this letter on a happy day, in which the Ascension of the Son of God is publicly commemorated, and which was beheld in former days by many of the Church with their own eyes. And I thought of the sweet words of comfort which are read on this day. But the Son of God still sitteth at the right hand of the Eternal Father, and bestows his gifts upon the children of men. Therefore, if we call upon him, he will also grant us gifts, and protect and preserve his Church." And this trust, which he reposed in the Lord of the Church, was not put to shame.
He dropped the plan he had formed, of visiting his home, and also declined a call to the University of Tübingen, which he received at this time; for his heart was wedded to Wittenberg, which had become his second home. He wrote to a friend on the 5th of June: "The University of Tübingen has called me. But in my bosom and inmost feelings I feel a great affection for our little nest on the Elbe, and towards the friends residing there, and in the neighborhood, so that it would give me the greatest pain to part from them. Therefore I shall soon return to the Elbe again."
CHAPTER XXVI.
RESTORATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WITTENBERG.