See VfidcU, 8t7-eitigkeiten iimerli(tlh der hith. Kirche; Canstein, Lebensheschreihiinf/ Sjieiiers (1740); Stein- metz, in his cd. of Spener's minor works (1746 ) ; Knapp, Lehen u, Chtiracter einiger frotnmen Manner cles vvrigen Jnhrhunclerts (1829); Hossbach, Lehen Spener's (2d ed. 18.')3); Thilo, Sjiener cils Kcitec/iet (1841). — Herzog, Recti- Encyklop. s. v.
Spengler, Lazarus, recorder, syndic, and council- lor of Nuremijcrg from 1502 to 1534, and one of the ear- liest of Luther's friends, was born jNIarch 13, 1479, and qualified himself for the practice of law at the Univer- sity of Leipsic. He wrote in defence of Luther's teach- ing, and his name was in consequence included with
SPEll
924
SPERATUS
that of rirklicimer Oi. v.) in the bull of excommuni- cation wliiili Dr. Kck procured for the destruction of Luther and liis adherents. Eck also wrote to the Coun- cil of Nureniberi:, urj^inj; the execution of the bull; and the two men were olilijjed to apply to him for absolu- tion (see I'iancU, (.i.-n-li. </. jnnhst. l.thibegriffs [Leips. IT'.U]. i. 'XVI). .S|>enj;ler was the representative of Nu- remUrj; at the Diet of Worms in loJO. He endeavor- ed to promote the interests of the Heformation in his native city liy securiuf; the establisliment of an evan- iielical school; and for this purpose negotiated with Slelanotiion and visited Wittenberg in person. His wisli was realized in lo-.','). lie also participated in the Convention of Spiritual and Secular Councillors called bv margrave George of Franconian Brandenburg (June 14. lo2X) at Anspach, for the purpose of lixing regula- tions to govern a visitation of the churches. When Melancthon seemed to be yielding too much to the op- ponents of the Heformation at the Diet of Augsburg, in IMO, Spengler was commissioneil to report the state of affairs to Luther, then sojourning at Coburg. lie also «lrew up an able opinion on the response given by the I'rotestant deputies to the proposals made by their ad- versaries on Aug. 19, 1530. Spengler was esteemed by many princes and lords, particularly b}' the elector of Saxony; and also liy many prominent leaders in the Church — e. g. Hruck, Jonas, IJugenhagen, Camerarius, and others. Tlie letters of Luther and Melancthon show how warm and intimate was their friendship for him. His health gave way in 1529; and, after repeated attacks of sickness, he die<l Nov. 7, 1534. He was mar- ried in 1501 to Ursida .Sulmeister. and became the fa- ther of nine children. A hymn by his hand is still ex- tant, and has been rendered into several languages, be- ginning with J)urch A Join's Fall ist i/anz verderbt. Others were composed by him, but are no longer extant. See Haundorfl", /.fbciisbexchn'ih. eines christl. Politici, nehmlirh L. Speiir/ler ( Nnremb. 1741). A list of his published and unpublished works is given in Planck, 1/^ itiij). [). 559-565. — Ilerzog, Real-Encijldnp. s. v.
Sper (Si'i'K, SPAit), a name applied by old writers to pieces of timber of various kinds, such as quarters, rafters, wooden bars for securing doors, etc. riic term is still used in some districts for rafters. Sper -batten is not an unusual name with Middle-age au- I iiors for a rafter. They also frequently speak of sperriufj a door, meaning the se- curing it with a wood- en l)ar, or fastening it with a l)olt. Another sense of the word spur is for the ornamented wooden brackets whicth support the sommer-beam by the this usage is believed to See
Walmgntc, York.
Hides of doorways at York
be quite \i>i:a\.—VarV,CT,UloK8. of Architect. s.\
lJll,\( kkt; HAfM'll.
Speratus, Pai;!., a Swabian poet and Reformer, is Haid to ii;n<- been descended from a noble Swabian fam- ily named .Spn-tttr or SprHt. His name is fre(iuehtly followed in documents by the addition of <i Rutilis, the Hiu'uilicance of which is not well understood. He was born Dec. 13, \\H\ (sec .M.lch. Adami I'if. fJerin. T/icol. i, 200). He is said to have been educated in Paris and Italy, but bis name does not appear on the lists of the Sorlxiune. He first appears as a preacher at Dinkels- blihl, in Franconia, and then, in 1519, as preacher in the cathedral at Wtlrzburg, His sermons presented I lie Word of (Jod in its purity, and fearlessly rebuked
! existing abuses and corruptions in the Church; and as Luther's influence became more powerful in the chap- ter, Speratus was accused of fomenting disturbances, and : was dismissed from his post (see Scharold, Luther's Ref. I in Jieziehum/ uuf das diimali(/e Bisthum [Wiirzburg, I 1«24], p. 13G sq. ; De Wette. Luth. Briefe, ii, 448). He ' also labored for a time in the ininistrj' at Salzburg, but ! the exact period is not known. In 1521 he was at Vienna, living in privacy until January. 1522, when he took occasion, from a notorious sertnon by a monk in defence of celibacy, to demonstrate the sanctity of the marriage state and to show that the traditional theory and jiractice of vows are in direct contradiction of the {ios()el and the baptismal covenant, (Jn the 12th of that month he preached a sermon to this end from the pul|)it of St. Stephen's Church, which was subsecpiently printed at Konigsberg (1524 ), and a cop}' of which he sent to Luther. The theological faculty at once brand- ed the sermon as heretical, and selected from it eight specitications for a charge against him which was laid before the bishop, and also published. Being wholly unprotected against the rage of his foes, Speratus de- parted from Vienna, and, having been thrice summoned to appear, he was formally excommunicated under the canon law. His word had, however, fallen upon recep- tive soil, and the refutation of his arguments which was required of all preachers served only to spread his ser- mon over a wider area.