16 Andrzej Krzycki 1 to István Brodarics Cracow, 18 February 1523 Manuscript used: BK 243fol. 222v–223r. 2 1. Krzycki expresses his joy over Brodarics’ letter to him. Neither long years nor distance made him forget their old friendship. – 2. He thanks for Brodarics’ congratulation to him for his appointment as Bishop of Przemiśl. He did not strive for it, did not even think of it. He is afraid, however, that a bishopric so near the Turks will hinder him in achieving his literary goals. – 3. He has been informed about the election of the Pope, and is worried that the situation of the church would not improve in Poland, especially due to schemes of the Czech. – 4. He has been informed that there are plots in Rome regarding the rest of his benefices, although he cannot accept the bishopric without those. Reverendissime Domine, Domine et Amice Honorandissime.

[1.] Rediens huc ex Lithvania litteras Dominationis Vestrae a quodam, qui dudum istinc 4 nostro om. BCzart TN 35 4 alteris: alterius BCzart TN 35 1 domine om. BK 245 2  15 voluerit: velit BCzart TN 35 2 post Vestrae ms. BK 245: Reverendissimae add. Presumably Brodarics’ letters written on 1 and 15 January 1523. 1  Andrzej Krzycki (1482–1537) Humanist, poet, high priest, diplomat. Cousin of Bishop of Cracow and Vice-Chancellor Piotr Tomicki. On his life more recently: Leszek Barszcz, Andrzej Krzycki, poeta, dyplomata, prymas, Gniezno, 2005. [Bibliography 196–203.] 2  Another manuscript: BK 245 fol. 29 r–v

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ex Urbe venerat, accepi, ex quibus quam non oblita nostrae veteris consuetudinis, 3 et qua me benevolentia complectatur, abunde cognovi. Quae quidem litterae loco magni cuiuspiam muneris mihi exstiterunt. Fuit enim spectata semper virtus Vestrae Dominationis et consuetudo iucundissima, quam cum per tot annos tantamque locorum intercapedinem video non exstinctam, plurimum mihi gratulor, et Vestrae Dominationi, quas maiores possum, gratias ago. Equidem nihil magis cupio, quam hunc illius erga me animum aliquibus meis officiis demereri, meumque vicissim erga illam studium et observantiam testari. Quod ut aliquando praestare possim, nihil operae meae, nihil occasionis praetermittam.

[2] Quod vero Vestra Dominatio eam mihi gratiam, qua me valere apud serenissimum dominum meum intellexit, gratulatur, ago quidem illi immensas gratias, verum mallem, ut aliquando quieti meae, cuius sum amantissimus, praesertim in tantis rerum publicarum turbis ac discriminibus gratulari possit. Nescio autem, quo meo fato sit, ut quo magis me in portum refero, hoc magis aestus me in altum repellit. Nam ipse clementissimus dominus meus me non vulgaribus sacerdotiis auxisset, et ego iam mihi et litterulis meis vivere destinassem, ecce me adeo non ambientem, ut ne cogitantem quidem haec unquam ad Premisliensem pontificatum 4 evexit, tanquam e sinu quodam, ubi lenior fluctuatio, ad pelagus fluctuosissimum. Primum enim episcopatus ipse situs est in faucibus infidelium, ubi continuo casus et ruina est metuenda. Deinde in quantis turbis versetur res ecclesiastica in his regionibus, credo Vestram Dominationem non ignorare, in quibus nihil consultius videatur, quam latere.

[3.] Porro intelligimus summum pontificem, quem sperabamus redempturum Israel, huic incendio faces etiam addere, 5 quo haud dubium est aliquod grave discrimen secuturum, et si Vestra Dominatio hic adesset, et animum principis ac regnicolarum omnium exacerbatum videret, iudicaret prorsus de ipsa re ecclesiastica hic actum. 13 post vestris ms. BK 245: sit add. 17 post Vestrae ms. BK 245: Reverendissimae add. 18 illius erga me: erga me illius BK 245 19 et om. BK 245 12 Vestra Dominatio: Reverendissima Dominatio Vestra BK 245 13 post dominum ms. BK 245: regem add. 15 ac: et BK 245 15 post discriminibus ms. BK 245: Reverendissima Dominatio Vestra mihi add. 15 autem: enim BK 245 16 sit: fit BK 245 16 post nam ms. BK 245: cum add. 3  18 ut: et BK 245 19 post unquam ms. BK 245: clementia domini mei add. 21 est om. BK 245 22 post Dominationem ms. BK 245: Reverendissimam add. 23 ignorare: ignorasse BK 245:, in...latere om. BK 245 24 Porro intelligimus om. BK 245 25 redempturum Israel: Israel redempturum BK 245: 25 quo haud: ex quibus non BK 245 26 secuturum: sequi BK 245 26 post Dominatio ms. BK 245: Reverendissima add. 27 hic: sit BK 245 This is the earliest letter in the Krzycki–Brodarics correspondence. We do not know exactly how long they had known each other, but it must have been a long time (per totos annos). Since Krzycki, like Brodarics, studied in Bologna in the first years of the century, conceivably they might have met there. 4  After the death of Bishop of Płock Erazm Ciołek (1522) Sigismund appointed Rafał Leszczyński, Bishop of Przemiśl as his successor. Thus the latter bishopric became vacant. Krzycki, who had been Provost of Poznań got this. 5  A clear allusion to the discord between the Pope and the Polish court regarding the appointment of bishops

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Non desunt Bohemi et alii vicini, qui ignem succendant, nisi quod aegre adhuc per pontifices nostros arcetur incendium. Ego me huic aleae admixtum vehementer doleo, meque, si iuris mei essem, ex hac turba libentissime subducerem. Episcopatus Plocensis iussus est in manus secularium tradi, electo regio locus in senatu episcopi Plocensis, et mihi Premisliensis est assignatus imperio principis ac procerum omnium. Quid reliquum futurum sit, ubi pontifex et vos istic ita rem, ut coepistis, tractaveritis, non libet augurari.

[4.] Scribitur etiam nobis, quod de meis istic sacerdotiis nescio quid cudatur, sine quibus ego nunquam episcopatum hunc recipiam, 6 et proinde rogo et obsecro Vestram Dominationem, ut me quamprimum certiorem reddere dignetur, quid monstri istic alatur, et in hoc saltem mihi opituletur, si in alio non libet, ut in hac re, quomodocunque successerit, diutius non pendeam. De reliquis viderint alii.

Commendo me Dominationi. Cracoviae die 18. Februarii 1523.