To Franz Birckmann, citizen of Cologne and bookseller of distinction, Johannes Cochlaeus sends his warmest greetings.

Although the response of the most Serene King of England to Martin Luther's epistle has been printed and published among the Germans at least three times in Latin and twice in German (that I have seen with my own eyes), nevertheless all the copies have sold out so quickly that even more are needed. It was translated into German both by Hieronymus Emser, that most faithful and indeed most steadfast champion of the church, and by me, when I had acquired a written copy and did not yet know at that time that so much as one letter of this matter had been undertaken by Emser. But as soon as I had finished my translation there appeared that German tirade of Luther's against the king's most latinate response, against which I immediately issued a supplement, also in German, in case the false boasting of Luther should impose upon the simple people (something that he has done often enough elsewhere), and I sent it all to that upright citizen Peter Quentell in Cologne. Since, though, neither the English nor the French can read things in German, I thought it would be worthwhile if I quickly translated both Luther's tirade and my supplement from German into Latin, so that if by any chance some Germans might by ill disposition think ill of it, at least other nations, who have no sympathy for that barbarous sect of Luther’s, should see how inept and frenzied is this Teutonic prophet's response, which so stupidly manages both to contradict his own previous epistle and to bring against the King's letter absolutely nothing but impudent braggadocio. Since you are a bookseller of high repute in both England and France, and you have a bookshop very well stocked with the Catholic doctors of the church everywhere, both ancient and modern, out of which, as though from armouries and arsenals, you readily supply weapons to those who want to fight against this most revolting sect, I reckoned these things which I have translated from German into Latin should be sent in particular to you, so that they might recommend even more the royal letter, of which you are a most assiduous promoter.