. The literature of all nations and all ages; history, character, and incident . red so many misfortunes, long journeysby day and night, so much want and care, and such shamefulpoverty ; and all this in the prime of my life—in the best,blooming years of youth ! Surely for all my good intentionsI have some claim on your assistance. ... If I cannot moveyou by my own case, be moved with pity for my friends andrelatives. My poor and aged father and mother, my youngerbrother, who is in great trouble about me, all my relatives,and many who love and respect me, besides several learnedmen, and some no
. The literature of all nations and all ages; history, character, and incident . red so many misfortunes, long journeysby day and night, so much want and care, and such shamefulpoverty ; and all this in the prime of my life—in the best,blooming years of youth ! Surely for all my good intentionsI have some claim on your assistance. ... If I cannot moveyou by my own case, be moved with pity for my friends andrelatives. My poor and aged father and mother, my youngerbrother, who is in great trouble about me, all my relatives,and many who love and respect me, besides several learnedmen, and some noblemen ; all these join in my petition. If Ihave added something to the honor of our Fatherland by mywriting—if I have endeavored to serve my country—help menow! Must I be torn away from you, my brethren; fromthis earth, which has supported me from infancy; from mynative air; from all the friendly and familiar faces of thepeople ; from my parental dwelling; from my German homeand altar; and must I be hurried away, not to spend my life, 238 i^itbrature; of ai,i, however miserable, abroad, but to cruel tortures and a shame-ful deatb? Germans all! my brethren ! help me now ! Standby the persecuted man, and do not suffer me to be torn awayfrom you. MARTIN LUTHER. Martin Luther (1483-1546) isjustly honored as the Father of ModernHigh German Language and Litera-ture. In literature not less than inreligion he was the commanding spiritof the age,—the giant of his day. Itwould be aside from our purpose toenter here into the Titanic story of thisgreat reformers life-work: how theslate-cutters son became a monk onlyto half-dethrone the Pope; how he nailed his ninety-fivetheses against John Tetzel and the sale of indulgences on thedoor of the Castle Church at Wittenberg (1517), and after-wards, when excommunicated, publicly burned the Popesbull (1520); how he was judged and outlawed by the EmperorCharles V. at the famous Diet of Worms, but rescued andprotected by the Elec
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