# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1855 05 08_S146
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

146

so quickly that the Elector, from whom, to be sure, his treacherous [illegible] people withheld every report of it, noticed nothing of it until the Emperor stood before Meissen.*) The Elector had the bridge at Meissen burned, and, thinking himself secure, moved down the river toward Mühlberg. That the Emperor was following him on the other side was again concealed from him; indeed he was made so secure that he went to the sermon without any apprehension — it was on the Sunday Misericordias domini. The camp had meanwhile been pitched by the treacherous leaders at a place so wholly flat and shallow that the whole Elbe, above and below, cannot be forded, except just at this spot.

*) On this march the Duke of Alba had to turn pale before the courage of a true German princess. As he was passing through Thuringia, he took breakfast at the castle of Schwarzburg. His Spaniards meanwhile were driving off the cattle from the neighborhood. Thereupon the high-hearted Countess Catharine of Schwarzburg, with her armed servants, fell upon the Duke at table, cried out to him: "Princely blood for oxen's blood," and threatened to have him slaughtered on the spot himself, if he did not at once give back the oxen.

On the evening before, the Emperor rode along the bank late with his brother Ferdinand and Maurice, to reconnoiter. But he saw no possibility of getting across the river. The opposite bank was higher than this side, and moreover probably occupied by the Saxons, who had also taken care that all the boats had been carried over to the other bank. Then the Duke of Alba brought forward a peasant, who, out of vexation that the Elector's men had taken some horses from him, offered to show the Spaniards a ford. Joyfully they now awaited the morning. The joy of having at last before him the opponent he hated, and of being able with one blow to destroy the cause of Protestantism and break all resistance in the Empire, seemed to make him young again, and to have imparted new strength and zest for battle to his body, sorely plagued by sickness. Splendidly adorned, managing a wild Andalusian stallion, armed with a lance, he drew up his ranks. Under the cover of a thick fog the Spanish arquebusiers sought to gain the opposite bank, but in vain; without boats nothing could be accomplished with the mounted troops. Then, fired by the Emperor's presence and his confident words of victory, a band of Spaniards, taking their swords between their teeth, threw themselves into the water, swam across, captured the boats in spite of a murderous fire from the Saxons, and brought them over. They were manned by the Spaniards, who could now keep the Saxons sufficiently occupied until the cavalry — each horseman taking a foot soldier up behind him — had been set across the river in sufficient number. A bridge of boats was then made of the boats, in order to bring over the infantry and the artillery as well. But the Emperor did not wait for the latter, and fell with his cavalry upon the Elector's men. The Elector himself could hardly still mount a heavy Frisian stallion, and followed his fleeing army. Unhappily the greater part of the infantry and the guns had already set out ahead for Wittenberg. The wild train rushed through the Lochau Heath. In vain the Elector sought to marshal his bands, in order at least to hold back the enemy. Before the furious onslaught of the Spanish and Hungarian horsemen, who were far superior to his men in number, they could not stand. His son defended himself bravely, but was cut from his horse, and, although in his fall he still shot down one of his enemies, was in danger of being taken prisoner. Then a small detachment dashed up in the nick of time to his help, lifted him upon a horse and carried him away with them to Wittenberg. Not so fortunate was the noble Elector. He was overtaken by a light swarm of Hungarians. He defended himself with brave, princely courage, although he was bleeding heavily from a blow received on the left cheek. Then a Herr von Trodt called to him in the German language that he should surrender to him. "To a German I surrender," with these words the Elector drew a ring from his finger and gave it to von Trodt as a sign that he regarded himself as his prisoner. As the latter was leading him to the Duke of Alba, it just began to thunder; this restored to the Elector all his composure and cheerfulness. "Ah yes, thou old, strong God, thou makest thyself heard, that thou still livest," he cried out, "Thou wilt make it well." Alba then led him to the Emperor and helped him from his horse. When he came into his sight, he cried out: "Ah Lord God, have mercy upon me, now I am here." So he was led before the Emperor, bleeding heavily from his wound, his face and coat of mail covered with blood. He wished to kneel down on one knee and to take off his iron gauntlet, in order to offer the Emperor his hand after the German custom. The latter prevented both by signs and turned grimly away from him. Then the Elector began: "Most mighty, most gracious Emperor." — Then the latter interrupted him and said: "Yes, yes, am I now a gracious Emperor?" — The Elector continued: "I am now Your Imperial Majesty's prisoner and ask for a princely confinement." "Yes," answered the latter, "as you have deserved it; take him away, we shall know well how to conduct ourselves." But Ferdinand was not ashamed to rail against the unhappy prince with harsh words.

From there the Emperor moved before Wittenberg, which was strongly fortified and moreover had a strong garrison. It refused to surrender, although the Emperor sent to the Elector's consort and to the city the threat that in case of refusal he would send in the Elector's head. He actually had judgment held over him, and sentence was pronounced upon him that as an outlaw and rebel he should be put to death by the sword publicly on a scaffold erected for the purpose in the field. The Elector was just playing chess with his fellow prisoner, Prince Ernest of Brunswick, when this sentence was announced to him. He heard it with great composure and said only: "He supposed His Imperial Majesty would deal somewhat more graciously with him; but if it should be earnest, they would surely tell him, so that he might make disposition concerning his consort and children.

In good time, and probably quite welcome to the Emperor, Elector Joachim of Brandenburg came between. On the news of this sentence of blood he had hastened at once to the Imperial camp, and through his mediation the negotiations now came about. One of the first points was: the Elector should submit to the decrees of the Council of Trent. But he answered steadfastly: "He would abide constantly by the doctrine and confession which he had publicly delivered at Augsburg beside his father and other princes and Estates, and would rather give up electorate, land and people, and his neck besides, than let himself be torn from God's Word." The Emperor, astonished at such magnanimity, commanded that the point be struck out and that he be pressed no further about it. The remaining points, hard as they were, the Elector signed at the urging of his consort and sons and other princes. He had to renounce the electorate for himself and his descendants, which was granted to Maurice. In return he received the revenues of the offices of Eisenach, Gotha, Weimar and Jena. His life was granted him, but he was to remain the Emperor's prisoner as long as it should please him. So the Elector was deprived of his earthly crown and of his freedom, but truly his steadfastness has bestowed upon him a more glorious crown, and a luster that will not be extinguished so long as there shall still be on earth a little flock which keeps in remembrance the memory of its faithful confessors. Yes, when the earth and all the vain glitter of earthly greatness shall be no more, this dear hero of faith will still shine in heavenly glory before the throne of his Lord among the number of those who have overcome the wicked one, by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.

The Emperor is said to have said later, after he had laid down his Imperial dignity and withdrawn into solitude, before the picture which represented the battle of Mühlberg and the capture of the Elector, with a sigh: "Had I left him as he was, I too would have remained what I was."

Quite other feelings, to be sure, may have filled him at that time, when Wittenberg opened its gates to him and he stood at Luther's tomb as victor over so mighty a spiritual and political movement, which now for thirty years had not only shaken the Empire and the whole Church to the depths, but, without this victory, by human reckoning would have had to transform the world.

Incidentally, the Emperor acted imperially in Wittenberg. He did not permit the Lutheran divine service to be discontinued. His wild Spaniards he kept in excellent discipline from all excesses. When the grim Alba reminded him at Luther's grave to take this heretic out of the grave, burn his body and scatter his ashes to the four winds, he answered: "Let