Christianorum regnis non amplius hoc tempore cogitare, quam ut relictis praesidiis necessariis ea tantum, quae ab illo sunt parta, in reditum suum defendi ac retineri possent, et haec tanto ingenio et artificio fingebantur, ut eos quoque fallerent, qui secretorum tyranni se non esse ignaros arbitrarentur, qua fraude et simulatione nihil aliud agebatur, quam ut nos securos et imparatos possunt opprimere.

Habemus 2 enim recens ex waywodis Moldavo 3 et Transalpino, 4 aliisque exploratoribus nuntium destinasse Turcas omni genere apparatuum instructissimos proximo mense Martio regnum hoc nostrum Tartaris etiam in societatem belli adiunctis invadere.

[2.] Quod ubi ex auctoribus certis serenissimus quoque frater noster, archidux Austriae 5 cognovisset, misit et ipse ad Sanctissimum Dominum Nostrum 6 oratorem, 7 quod pro avertendis periculis aperte imminentibus opportunum Sedis Apostolicae praesidium imploraret. Tecum is ex mandato sui principis consilia communicabit, tecum una ad Sanctitatem Domini Nostri et ad reverendissimos dominos cardinales accedet. Vide, ne illi usquam desis, agitur commune utriusque nostrum negotium. Hostis instat, tempus breve est. Vos ita provinciam vestram administretis, ut, quod ab ista Sede Apostolica flagitamus, auxilium adsit in tempore.

[3.] Nam in his quinquaginta milibus ducatorum, quod reverendissimus dominus legatus 8 habet in potestate, adversus hostem potentissimum leve admodum et per exiguum habebimus praesidium. Mandet nihilominus Sanctitas Domini Nostri eidem domino legato, ut hanc pecuniam, quoad maius auxilium miserit, aut in arcium nostrarum instaurationem, sicuti antea petebamus, aut, si id secum fuerit, ad comparandas saltem copias iam tandem erogare non dubitet. 9 9 ignaros correxi ex: ignoras 11 Moldavo correxi ex: Moldano 2  The part between Habemus...invadere published: Veress Endre (ed.), Akták és levelek Erdély- és Magyarország Moldvával és Havasalfölddel való viszonyához, Budapest, 1914, 128. 3  Stephen IV (1517–1527), Voivod of Moldova. 4  Probably refers to V. Radu (Radu de la Afumaţi), who fled to Hungary in April 1523, away from Turks who invaded Wallachia (see the letter by Louis II to Brodarics on 1 June 1523). He fought the throne back in January 1524 from his own brother Radu VI (Radu Baduca) who got the position from the Turks. 5  Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Habsburg (1522–1564), brother-in-law of Louis II, Hungarian and Czech King (1526–1564), Holy Roman Emperor (1558–1564). 6  Pope Clement VII. 7  Andreas da Burgo (dal Borgo) (1467–1533). Comes from a merchant family in Cremona. He was raised in the court of Ludovico Sforza in Milan and entered the service of Maximilian Habsburg in 1502. Fulfilled diplomatic tasks until his death. More on his life: Rosemarie Aulinger, Andrea da Borgo = Contemporaries of Erasmus: a Biographical Register of the Renaissance and Reformation, Toronto, 1985, 172–173; Rill, Fürst und Hof ...141–150. 8  Cardinal Tommaso Cajetan De Vio, Bishop of Gaeta, was sent to Hungary as a legate with Baron Burgio in 1523 by Hadrian VI. 9  Pope Hadrian promised aid of 100,000 gold pieces for the fight against the Turks. He really sent 50,000 by Cardinal Vio.