Protestants consider this book "perhaps the most beautiful of Luther's writings, the result of religious contemplation rather than of theological labor."[7] "It takes rank with the best books of Luther, and rises far above the angry controversies of his age, during which he composed it, in the full possession of the positive truth and peace of the religion of Christ."[8] The clear presentation of the thought of the liberty of a Christian man occurs at the close of the Tessaradecas.[9] In the Babylonian Captivity Luther had promised to publish a treatise on the subject after he had seen the effect of that treatise.[10] But the promise to send a treatise to the pope gave him an earlier opportunity, so that barely a month and a half intervened between the publication of the Captivity, October 6th, and that of the Liberty, middle of November. The German, although a translation in part and in part an abbreviation and rewriting of the Latin, appeared first, before November 16th. The publisher, seeing his opportunity, had, however, issued the Letter to the Pope in German separately before November 4th,[11] so that a new dedicatory letter, addressed to Hieronymus Mülphordt (Mühlpfort), of Zwickau, was prefixed to the German edition. Our translation is made from the Latin, although the German has been compared wherever it is a real translation. Two translations into English appeared in the sixteenth century: one printed by John Byddell before 1544, the translation being, according to Preserved Smith,[12] by John Tewkesbury; the other, prepared by James Bell and printed by Ralph Newbery and H. Bynneman, in 1579. Unfortunately, neither of these was accessible to the present translators. Modern translations, into English by Wace and Buchheim, and into German by Lemme, have been consulted. W. A. LAMBERT. South Bethlehem, PA. FOOTNOTES [1] _Catholic Encyclopedia_, x, 318. [2] _Church History_, vi, 224 f. [3] _De consideratione_, i, I. [4] _Martin Luther and the Reformation in Germany_, London, 1889, p. 370. [5] _Luther_, I, 351. [6] _Du Luthéranisme au Protestantisme_, 1911, p. 199. [7] Kolde, _Luther_, 1, 274. [8] Schaff, VI, 224. [9] Vol. I, p. 170. [10] See above, page 284. [11] Enders, II, p. 496, gives as the date when the letter was written, "after Oct. 13th"; Smith, _Life and Letters of Martin Luther_, p. 91, dates it Oct. 20th. [12] _Nation_, May 29, 1913. LETTER TO POPE LEO X. JESUS. To Leo the Tenth, Pope at Rome: Martin Luther wishes thee salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. [Sidenote: The Pope's Person]