Ttios. J. Kiptart-' 

el ts c t ¥t Pi ATI, o. 



Presented to the 

LIBRARIES of the 
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO 

by 

Nancy Kiphart Logan 

In memory of 
Her grandfather 
Thomas J. Kiphart 



I 



i 



f 




Dr. martin LUTHER 



" Here I stand. 

I cannot do otherwise. God help me ! Amen." 



HISTORY 

OF 

THE REFORMATION 

OF 

THE SIXTEENTH CENTUEY. 

BY J. H. MERLE D^AUBIGNE, D. D, 

PRESIDENT OP THE THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL OF GENEVA, AND TICK- 
PRESIDENT OF THE SOCI^^ ^VANGELIQUE. 

TRANSLATED BY H. WHITE, B. A. 

TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE ; M. A. AND PH. DR. HEIDELBERG. 

THR TRANSLATION CAREFULLY REVISED BY DR. d'aUBIGNE, WHO HAS 
ALSO MADE VARIOUS ADDITIONS NOT HITHERTO PUBLISHED. 

VOL. II. 



AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 

150 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK. 



CONTENTS. 



BOOK T. 

THE LEIPSIC DISPUTATiaN. 

1519. 



CHAPTER I. 

Luther's danger — God preserves Luther — The pope sends a chamber- 
lain — The legate's journey — Roman briefs — Circumstances favor- 
able to the reform — Miltitz with Spalatin — TetzePs alarm — Mil- 
titz's flattery — Demands a retraction — Luther refuses, but offers 
to keep silence — Agreement between Luther and the nuncio — 
The legate's kiss — Tetzel reproached by the legate — Luther to the 
pope — Nature of the Reformation — Luther opposes separation — 
De Vio and Miltitz at Treves — Luther's cause extends over vari- 
ous countries — Luther's writings begin the Reformation 11 

CHAPTER II. 

Pauae iu Germany — Eck revives the contest — Disputation between 
Eck and Carlstadt — Quest. on of the pope — Luther repLes — Feara 
of Luther's friends — Luther's courage — The truth triumphs un- 
aided — Refusal of Duke George — Gayety of Mosellanus — Fears 
of Erasmus - 28 



CHAPTER III. 

Arrival of Eck and of the Wittembergers — AmsdorfF— The students 
— Carlstadt's accident — Placard — Eck and Luther — The Pleis- 
senburg — Judges proposed — Luther objects — He consents at 
last 37 

CHAPTER IV. 

Opening of the disputation — Speech of Mosellanus — Veni, Sancte 
Spiritus — Portraits of Luther and Carlstadt — Doctor Eck — Carl- 
stadt's books — Merit of congruity — Natural powers — Scholastic 
distinction — Point at which Rome and the Reformation diverge 
— Liberty given to man by grace — Carlstadt's notes — Clamor of 
the spectators — Melancthon during the disputation — H.s op nion 
— Eck's manoeuvres — Luther preaches — Citizens of Leipsic — 
Quarrels between the students and doctors 43 

CHAPTER V. 



The hierarchy and rational ism —The two peasants' pons — Eck and 
Luther begin — The head of the church — Primacy of Rome — 



i 



CONTENTS. 



Equality of bishops — Peter the foundation-stone — Christ the cor- 
ner-stone — Eck insinuates that Luther is a Hussite — Luther on 
the doctrine of Huss — Agitation among the hearers — The word 
alone — The court-fool — Luther at Mass — Saying of the duke — 
Purgatory — Close of the discussion 55 

CHAPTER VI. 

Interest felt by the laity — Luther's opinion — Confession and boasts 
of Doctor Eck — Effects of the disputation — Poliander — Cellarius 
— The young prince of Anhalt — The students of Leipsic — Cruci- 
ger — Melancthon's call — Luther's emancipation 67 

CHAPTER VII. 

Eck attacks Melancthon — Melancthon's defence — Interpretation of 
holy Scripture — Luther's firmness — The Bohemian brothers — 
Emser — Staupitz 75 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The epistle to the Galatians — Christ for us — Blindness of Luther's 
opponents — Earliest ideas on the Lord's supper — Is the sacra- 
ment without faith sufficient ? — Luther a Bohemian — Eck attack^ 
ed — Eck goes to Rome 7d 



BOOK VI. 



THE PAPAL BULL. 

1520, 

CHAPTER I. 

Character of Maximilian — Candidates for the empire — Charles-^ 
Francis 1. — Disposition of the Germans — The crown offered to 
Frederick— Charles elected emperor 85 

CHAPTER II. 

Luther's letter to the emperor — His danger — Frederick's instructions 
to his envoy at Rome — Luther's sentiments — Melancthon's fears — 
The German nobles favor the Reformation — Schaumburg — Sick- 
ingen — Ulric of Hiitten — Luther's confidence — Erasmus defends 
Luther — Abstemius — Hedio — Luther becomes more free — Faith 
the source of works — What gives faith ? — Luther judging his own 
writings 90 

CHAPTER III. 

The Papacy attacked— Appeal to the nobility — The three walls — 
All Christians are priests — The magistrate should chastise the 



CONTENTS. 



6 



clergy — Roman corruptions — Ruin of Italy — Dangers of Germa- 
ny — The Pope — The legates — The monks — Marriage of priests — 
Celibacy — Festivals — The Bohemians — Charity — The Universi- 
ties — The empire — The Emperor should retake Rome — Unpub- 
lished book — Luther's moderation — Success of the address --101 



CHAPTER IV. 

Preparations at Rome — Motives for papal resistance — Eck at Rome 
— The king of crowns — Eok prevails — The pope is the world — 
God brings about the separation — A Swiss priest pleads for Lu- 
ther — The Roman consistory — Exordium of the bull — Luther 
condemned 113 



CHAPTER V. 

Wittemberg — Melancthon — His marriage — Catherine — Domestic life 
— Benevolence — Good-humor — Christ and antiquity — Labor — 
Love of letters — His mother — Revolt of the students 123 



CHAPTER VI. 

The gospel in Italy — Sermon on the mass — Babylonish captivity of 
the church — Baptism — Abolition of other vows — Progress of re- 
form - -1 / 



CHAPTER VII. 

Fresh negotiations — The Augustines at Eisleben — Miltitz — Deputa- 
tion to Luther — Miltitz and the elector — Conference at Lichtem- 
berg — Luther's letter to the pope — Book presented to the pope — 
Union of Christ with the believer — Liberty and bondage 135 



CHAPTER VIII. 

The Bull in Germany — Eck's reception — The Bull at Wittemberg — 
Zwingle's intervention 145 

CHAPTER IX. 

Luther's appeal to God — His opinion of the bull — A neutral family 
— Luther on the bull — Against the bull of antichrist — The pope 
forbids faith — Effects of the bull — The burning pile of Lou- 
vain 151 

CHAPTER X. 

Decisive step of the reformer — Luther's appeal to a general council 
— Close combat — The bull burnt by Luther — Meaning of this 
daring act — Luther in the academy — Luther against the pope — 
New work by Melancthon — How Luther encourages his friends — 
Progress of the struggle — Melancthon 's opinions on the weak- 
hearted — Luther's treatise on the Bible — Doctrine of grace — Lu- 
ther's recantation - --159 



6 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XL 

Coronation of Charles the Fifth — The nuncio Aleander — Shall Lu- 
ther's books be burnt? — Aleander and the emperor — The nun- 
cios and the elector — Duke John's son in behalf of Luther — 
Luther's calmness — The elector protects Luther — Reply of the 
nuncios — Erasmus at Cologne — Erasmus at the elector* s — Dec- 
laration of Erasmus — Advice of Erasmus — System of Charles 
V. 170 

CHAPTER XII. 

Luther on confession — Real absolution — Antichrist — Luther's popu- 
larity — Satires — Ulrich of Hiitten— Lucas Cranach — The carni- 
val at Wittemberg — Staupitz intimidated — Luther's labors — His 
humility — Progress of the Reformation - 181 



BOOK VII. 

THE DIET OP WORMS. 
1521 JANUARY TO MAY. 

CHAPTER I. 

Victories of the word of God — The Diet of Worms — Policy of Rome- 
Difficulties— Charles demands Luther — The elector to Charles V. 
— State of feeling — Alarm of Aleander — The elector departs with- 
out Luther — Aleander arouses Rome — Excommunication by the 
pope, and communion with Christ— Fulminations of the bull- 
Luther's motives in the Reformation 191 

CHAPTER II. 

A foreign prince — Council of politicians — Conference between the 
confessor and the chancellor — Inutility of these manoeuvres — 
Aleander's activity — Luther's words — Charles yields to the 
pope - - 202 

CHAPTER III. 

Aleander introduced to the diet — Aleander 's speech — Luther is ac- 
cused — Rome is justified— Appeal to Charles against Luther — 
Effect of the nuncio's speech 210 

CHAPTER IV. 

Sentiments of the princes— Speech of Duke George — Character of the 
Reformation — One hundred and one grievances — CharlcB giv©i 



CONTENTS. 



T 



way — Aleander's stratagems — The grandees of Spain — Peace of 
Luther — Death and no retraction 216 

CHAPTER V. 

Shall Luther have a safe-conduct — The safe-conduct — Will Luther 
come — Holy Thursday at Rome — The pope and Luther 224 

CHAPTER VI. 

Luther's courage — Bugenhagen at Wittemberg — Persecutions in 
Pomerania — Melanctbon desires to accompany Luther — Ams- 
dorff, Schurff, and Suaven— Hutten to Charles V.--- 231 

CHAPTER VII. 

Departure for the diet of Worms — Luther's farewell — His condem- 
nation is posted up — Cavalcade near Erfurth — Meeting between 
Jonas and Luther — Luther in his former convent — Luther 
preaches at Erfurth — Incident — Faith and works — Concourse of 
people, and Luther's courage — Luther's letter to Spalatin — Stay 
at Frankfort — Fears at Worms — Plan of the imperialists — Lu- 
ther's firmness 236 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Entry into Worms — Death-song — Charles' council — Capito and the 
Temporizers — Luther's numerous visitors — Citation — Hi'itten to 
Luther — Luther proceeds to the Diet— Saying of Freundsberg — 
Imposing assembly — The chancellor's speech — Luther's reply — 
His discretion — Saying of Charles V. — Alarm — Tr umph — Lu- 
ther's firmness — Violence of the Span'ards — Advice — Luther's 
struggles and prayer — Strengtli of the Reformation— His vow to 
the Scriptures — The court of the Diet— Luther's speech— Three 
classes of writings — He requires proof of his errors — Serious 
warnings — He repeats his speech in Latin— Here I stand ; I can 
say no more — The weakness of God stronger than man — A new 
attempt — Victory 247 

CHAPTER IX. 

Tumult and calmness — The flagon of Duke Eric — The elector and 
Spalatin — The emperor's message — Proposal to violate the safe- 
conduct — Violent opposition — Enthusiasm in favor of Luther — 
Language of conciliation — Fears ot the elector — Luther's numer- 
ous visitors — Philip of Hesse 268 



CHAPTER X. 

Conference with the archbishop of Treves — Wehe's exhortation to 
Luther — Luther's replies — i*rivate conversation — Visit of Coch- 
Iceua — Supper at the archbishop's — Conference at the hotel of the 



8 



CONTENTS. 



knights of Rhodes — A council proposed — Luther^s last interview 
with the archbishop — ^Visit to a sick friend — Luther receives 
orders to leave Worms — Luther's departure 277 

CHAPTER XI. 

The conflict at Worms — Luther's letter to Cranach — Luther's letter 
to Charles V. — Luther with the abbot of Hirschfeldt — The parish 
priest of Eisenach — Several princes leave the diet — Charles signs 
Luther's condemnation — The edict of Worms — Luther with his 
parents — Luther attacked and carried away — The ways of God 
— The Wartburg — Luther a prisoner 287 



BOOK VIII. 

THE SWISS. 

1484 — 1522. 

CHAPTER I. 

Movement in Switzerland — Source of the Reformation — Its demo- 
cratic character — Foreign service — Morality — The Tockenburg 
— A chalet on the Alps — A family of shepherds. — Young Ul- 
rich - 299 

CHAPTER II. 

Ulrich at Wesen and Basle — Ulrich at Berne — The Dominican con- 
vent — Jetzer — The apparitions — Passion of the lay-brother — Im- 
posture — Discovery and punishment — Zwingle at Vienna and 
Basle — Music at Basle — Wittembach proclaims the gospel— Leo 
Juda— The priest of Glaris 306 

CHAPTER III. 

Fondness for war — Schinner— Pension from the pope — The Laby- 
rinth — Zwingle in Italy — Principle of reform — Zwingle and Lu- 
ther — Zwingle and Erasmus — Zwingle and the ancient classics — 
Paris and Glaris 315 

CHAPTER IV. 
Zwingle to Erasmus — Oswald Myconius — The robbers — (Ecolampa- 
dius — Zwingle at Marignan — Zwingle and Italy — ^Zwingle's meth- 
od — Commencement of the reform — Discovery — Passage from one 
world to the other 323 

CHAPTER V. 

Our Lady of Einsidlen — Zwingle's call — The abbot — Geroldsek — A 
learned society — The Bible copied — Zwingle and Buperstition— 



CONTENTS. 



First opposition to error — Sensation — Hedio — Zwingle and the 
legates — The honors of Rome — The bishop of Constance — Sam- 
son and the indulgences — Stapfer — Zwingle's charity — His 
friends - 331 



CHAPTER VI. 

The canon's college — Election to the cathedral — Fable — Accusa- 
tions — Zwingle's confession — Development of God's purposes — 
Farewell to Einsidlen — Arrival at Zurich — Zwingle's bold dec- 
laration — First sermons — Their effect — Opposition — Zwingle's 
character — Taste for music — Arrangement of the day — The book- 
hawker - 342 

CHAPTER VII. 

The indulgences — Samson at Berne and at Baden — The dean of 
Bremgarten — Young Henry Bullioger — Samson and the dean — 
Zwingle's internal struggles — Zwingle opposes the indulgences 
— Samson is sent back 354 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Zwingle's toils and fatigue — The baths of Pfeffers — The moment of 
God — The great death — Zwingle attacked by the plague — His 
adversaries — His friends — Convalescence — General joy — Effects 
of the pestilence — Myconius at Lucerne — Oswald encourages 
Zwingle — Zwingle at Basle — Capito invited to Mentz — Hedio at 
Basle — The unnatural son — Preparations for the struggle ---361 



CHAPTER IX. 

The two reformers — The fall of man — Expiation of the Man-God — 
No merit in works — Objections refuted — Power of love for Christ 
— Election — Christ the sole master — Effects of this preaching — 
Dejection and courage — First act of the magistrate — Church and 
state — Attacks — Galster 374 



CHAPTER X. 

A new combatant — The reformer of Berne — Zwingle encourages 
Haller — The gospel at Lucerne — Oswald persecuted — Zwingle's 
preaching — Henry Bullinger and Gerold of Knonau — Rubli at 
Basle — The chaplain of the hospital — War in Italy — Zwingle 
protests against the capitulations 383 



CHAPTER XI. 

Zwingle opposes human tradit'ons — Commotion during Lent — Truth 
triumphs amid opposition — The b'shop's deputies — Accusation 
before the clergy and the council — Appeal to the great council 
— The coadjutor and Zwingle — Zwingle's reply — Decree of the 
great council — Posture of affairs — Hoffman's attack 392 



10 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Mourning and joy in Germany — Plots against Zwingle — The bish- 
op's mandate — Archeteles — The bishop's appeal to the diet — 
Injunction aga'.nst attacking the monks — Zwingle's declaration 
— The nuns of (Etenbach — Zwingle's address to Schwytz 400 



CHAPTER XIII. 

A French monk — He teaches in Switzerland — Dispute between 
Zwingle and the monk — Discourse of the commander of the Jo- 
hannites — The carnival at Berne — The Eaters of the Dead — The 
skull of St. Anne — Appenzel — The Grisons — Murder and adul- 
tery — Zwingle's marriage 407 



CHAPTER XIV. 

How the truth triumphs — Meeting at Einsidlen — Petition to the 
bishop and confederates — The men of Einsidlen separate — Scene 
in a convent — Dinner with Myconius — The strength of the reform- 
ers — Effect of the petitions at Lucerne — The council of the Diet 
— Haller at the Town-hall — Friburg — Oswald's destitution — 
Zwingle consoles him — Oswald quits Lucerne — The Diet's first 
act of severity — Consternation of Zwingle's brothers — Zwingle's 
resolution — The future — ^Zwingle's prayer - 419 



HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



BOOK Y. 

THE LEIPSIC DISPUTATION. 

1519 

CHAPTER I. 

Luther's danger — God preserves Luther — The pope sends a chamber- 
lain — The legate's journey — Roman briefs — Circumstances favor- 
able to the reform — Miltitz with Spalatin — Tetzel's alarm — Mil- 
titz's flattery — Demands a retractation — Luther refuses, but offers 
to keep silence — Agreement between Luther and the nuncio — 
The legate's kiss — Tetzel reproached by the legate — Luther to the 
pope — Nature of the Reformation — Luther opposes separation — 
De Vio and Miltitz at Treves — Luther's cause extends over vari- 
ous countries — Luther's writings begin the Reformation. 

Dangers had gathered round Luther and the Reforma- 
tion. The appeal of the Wittemberg doctor to a general 
council was a new assault upon the papal power. A 
bull of Pius II. had pronounced the greater excommuni- 
cation even against the emperors who should dare be 
guilty of such an act of revolt. Frederick of Saxony, as 
yet weak in the evangelical doctrine, was ready to ban- 
ish Luther from his states.* A new message from Leo X. 
would therefore have driven the reformer among stran- 
gers, who might have feared to compromise themselves 
by receiving a monk under the anathema of Rome And 
if any of the nobles had drawn the sword in his defence, 
these simple knights, despised by the mighty princes of 

* Letter from the elector to his envoy at Rome. L« 0pp. I4, 
17. 298. 



13 HISTORY OF THE UEFORMATION. 



Germany, would soon have been crushed in their perilous 
enterprise. 

But at the very moment that the courtiers of Leo X. 
were urging him to measures of severity, and when an- 
other blow would have placed his adversary in his hands, 
this pope suddenly changed his policy, and entered upon 
a course of conciliation and apparent mildness.* We 
may reasonably presume that he was deceived as to the 
elector's sentiments, and thought them more favorable 
to Luther than they really were ; we may admit that the 
public voice and the spirit of the age — ^powers then quite 
new — appeared to surround Luther with an impregnable 
rampart ; we may suppose, as one of his historians has 
done,f that he followed the impulses of his judgment and 
of his heart, which inclined to mildness and moderation ; 
but this new mode of action adopted by Rome at such a 
moment is so strange, that it is impossible not to recog- 
nize in it a higher and a mightier hand. 

A Saxon noble, the pope's chamberlain, and canon 
of Mentz, Treves, and Meissen, was then at the Roman 
court. He had contrived to make himself of importance. 
He boasted of being distantly related to the Saxon princes, 
so that the Roman courtiers sometimes gave him the title 
of duke of Saxony. In Italy, he made a foolish display 
of his German nobility ; in Germany, he was an awk- 
ward imitator of the elegance and manners of the Ital- 
ians. He was fond of wine, J and his residence at the 
court of Rome had increased t'his vice. The Roman cour- 
tiers, however, entertained great expectations of him 
His German origin, his insinuating manners, his skill in 
business, all led them to hope that Charles of Miltitz — 
for such was his name — would by his prudence succeed 
in arresting the mighty revolution that threatened to 
Bhake the world. 

It was of importance to conceal the real object of the 
mission of the Roman chamberlain. This was effected 

• Rationem agendi prorsus oppositam inire etatuit. Cardinal 
Pallavicini, Hist. Concil. Trident. 1. 51. f Roscoe, Life of Leo X., 
chap. 19. t Nec ab usu immoderato vini abstinuit. Pallaiicinii 
Hist. Coneil. Trid. 1. 69. 



THE LEGATE'S JOURNEY. 



13 



without diflBculty. Four years previously, the pious elec 
tor had petitioned the pope for the Golden Rose. This 
rose, the most beautiful of flowers, represented the body 
of Jesus Christ ; it was consecrated yearly by the sov- 
ereign pontiff, and sent to one of the chief princes in 
Europe. It was resolved to give it this year to the elec- 
tor Miltitz departed with a commission to examine the 
state of affairs, and to gain over Spalatin and Pfeffinger, 
the elector's councillors. He carried private letters for 
them. In this manner, by seeking to conciliate those 
who surrounded the prince, Rome hoped erelong to have 
her formidable adversary in her power. 

The new legate, who arrived in Germany in Decem 
ber, 1618, was engaged during his journey in sounding 
the public opinion. To his great surprise he found, that 
wherever he went, the majority of the inhabitants were 
partisans of the Reformation.* They spoke of Luther 
with enthusiasm. For one person favorable to the pope, 
there were three favorable to the reformer.*}" Luther has 
transmitted to us one of the incidents of his mission. 
**What do you think of the papal chair?" the legate 
would frequently ask the landladies and maid-servants 
at the inns. On one occasion one of these poor women 
artlessly replied, '*What can we know of the papal 
chair, whether it is of wood or of stone ?" J 

The mere rumor of the new legate's arrival filled the 
elector's court, the university and town of Wittemberg, 
and the whole of Saxony, with suspicion and distrust. 
" Thanks be to God, Luther is still alive," wrote Melanc- 
thon in affright. § It was affirmed that the Roman legate 
had received orders to get Luther into his power either 
by violence or stratagem. Every one recommended the 
doctor to be on his guard against the treachery of Mil- 

• Sciscitatus per viam Miltitzius quanam esset in aestimatione 
Lutherus .... sensit de eo cum admiratione homines loqui. Palla* 
vicini, Hist. Concil. Trid. 1. 51. f Ecce ubi unum pro papa stare 
inveni, tres pro te contra papam stabant. li. 0pp. Lat. in Praef. 

X Quid nos scire possumus quales vos Romae habeatis sellas, lig- 
neasne an lapideas? Ibid. § Martinus noster. Deo gratiaa, adbui 
ipirat. Corpus Reformatorum edidit Bretschueider, 1. 61. 



14 HISTORY OF THE REFOJIMATION. 



titz. " He is coming," said they, " to seize yon, and give 
you up to the pope. Trustworthy persons have seen the 
briefs he is bringing with him." " I await God^s will,** 
replied Luther.* 

Miltitz indeed came bearing letters for the elector, 
for his councillors, and for the bishops and the burgo- 
master of Wittemberg. He brought with him seventy 
apostolical briefs. If the flattery and the favors of Rome 
attained their end, if Frederick delivered Luther into his 
hands, these seventy briefs were, in some measure, to 
serve as passports. He would produce and post up one in 
each of the cities through which he would have to pass, 
and by this means he hoped to succeed in dragging his 
prisoner to Rome without opposition.f 

The pope appeared to have taken every precaution. 
Already, in the electoral court, they did not know what 
course to adopt. They would have resisted violence ; 
but how could they oppose the head of Christendom, who 
spoke with so much mildness, and with so great an 
appearance of reason ? Would it not be desirable, they 
said, for Luther to conceal himself until the storm had 
passed over? An unexpected event extricated Luther, 
the elector, and the Reformation from this diflScult posi- 
tion. The aspect of the world suddenly changed. 

On the 12th of January, 1519, Maximilian, emperor 
of Germany, expired. Frederick of Saxony, in conform- 
ity with the Germanic constitution, became administrator 
of the empire. Henceforth the elector no longer feared 
the projects of nuncios. New interests began to agiiate 
the court of Rome, which forced it to be cautious in its 
negotiations with Frederick, and arrested the blow that 
Miltitz and De Vio undoubtedly were meditating. 

The pope earnestly desired to prevent Charles of 
Austria, already king of Naples, from filling the imperial 
throne. He thought that a neighboring king was more 
to be feared than a German monk. Desirous of securing 
the elector, who might be of great use to him in this 

* Bxpevto consilium Dei. L. Epp. 1. 191. f Per singula op 
pida affigeret uuum, et ita tutus me perduceret Romam. L. Opp 
Lat in Praof. 



FAVORABLE CIRCUMSTANCES. 



16 



affair, he resolved to let the monk rest, that he might 
the better oppose the king ; but both advanced in de- 
spite of him. Thus changed Leo X. 

Another circumstance also contributed to turn aside 
the storm that threatened the Reformation. Political 
troubles broke out immediately after Maximilian's death* 
In the south of the empire, the Swabian confederation 
desired to punish Ulric of Wurtemberg, who had been 
unfaithful to it ; in the north, the bishop of Hildesheim 
threw himself with -an armed force upon the bishopric of 
Minden, and on the territories of the duke of Brunswick. 
In the midst of all this agitation, how could the great 
ones of the age attach any importance to a dispute about 
the remission of sins ? But God especially advanced the 
cause of the Reformation by the wisdom of the elector, 
now become vicar of the empire, and by the protection 
he granted to the new teachers. "The tempest sus- 
pended its rage," says Luther, "the papal excommuni- 
cation began to fall into contempt. Under the shadow 
of the elector's viceroy alty, the gospel circulated far 
and wide, and popery suffered great damage in conse- 
quence."* 

Besides, during an interregnum the severest prohibi- 
tions naturally lost their force. All became easier and 
more free. The ray of liberty that shone upon these 
beginnings of the Reformation powerfully developed the 
yet tender plant ; and already it might have been seen 
how favorable political liberty would be to the progress 
of evangelical Christianity. 

Miltitz, who had reached Saxony before the death of 
Maximilian, had hastened to visit his old friend Spalatin ; 
but he had no sooner begun his complaints against Lu- 
ther, than Spalatin broke out against Tetzel. He made 
the nuncio acquainted with the falsehoods and blasphe- 
mies of the indulgence-merchant, and declared that all 
Germany ascribed to the Dominican the divisions by 
which the church was rent. 

Miltitz was astonished. Instead of being the accuser, 

• Tunc desiit paululum saevire tempestas, etc. L. 0pp. Lat in 



16 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



he found himself the accused. All his anger was imme* 
diately directed against Tetzel. He summoned nim to 
appear at Altenburg and justify his conduct. 

The Dominican, as cowardly as he was boastful, 
fearing the people whom his impositions had exaspei- 
ated, had discontinued passing from town to town, and 
had hidden himself in the college of St. Paul at Leipsic 
He turned pale on receiving Miltitz's letter. Even Rome 
abandons him. She threatens and condemns him ; she 
wishes to draw him from the only asylum in which he 
thinks himself secure, and to expose him to the anger of 
his enemies. Tetzel refused to obey the nuncio's sum- 
mons. " Certainly," wrote he to Miltitz on the 31st of 
December, 1518, "I should not care about the fatigue of 
the journey, if I could leave Leipsic without danger to 
my life ; but the Augustine Martin Luther has so excited 
and aroused the men of power against me, that I am no- 
where safe. A great number of Luther's partisans have 
sworn my death ; 1 cannot, therefore, come to you."* 
What a striking contrast is here between these two 
men, the one residing in the college of St. Paul at Leipsic, 
the other in the Augustine cloister at Wittemberg. The 
servant of God displayed an intrepid courage in the 
presence of danger ; the servant of men a contemptible 
cowardice. 

Miltitz had been ordered to employ persuasive meas- 
ures in the first instance ; and it was only when these 
failed that he was to produce his seventy briefs, and at 
the same time make use of all the favors of Eome to 
induce the elector to restrain Luther. He therefore inti- 
mated his desire to have an interview with the reformer. 
Their common friend Spalatin ofiered his house for that 
purpose, and Luther quitted Wittemberg on the 2d or 
3d of January to visit Altenburg. 

In this interview, Miltitz exhausted all the cunning 
of a diplomatist and of a Roman courtier. Luther had 
scarcely arrived, when the nuncio approached him with 
great demonstrations of friendship. " Oh," thought Lu- 
ther, "how his violence is changed into gentleness 
♦ T^scher. 2. 667. 



CARESSES OF MILTITZ 



IT 



This new Saul came to Germany, armed with more than 
seventy apostolical briefs, to drag me alive and in chains 
to that murderous Rome ; but the Lord has thrown him 
to the ground by the way."* 

" My dear Martin," said the pope's chamberlain in a 
fawning tone, " I thought you were an old theologian, 
who, seated quietly at his fireside, was laboring under 
seme theological crotchet ; but I see you are still a 
young man and in the prime of life.f Do you know," 
continued he, assuming a graver tone, "that you have 
drawn away everybody from the pope and attached them 
to yourself?"! Miltitz was not ignorant that the best 
way of seducing mankind is to flatter their pride ; but 
he did not know the man he had to deal with. If I had 
an army of 25,000 men," added he, " I do not think I 
should be able to carry you to Rome."§ Rome with all 
her power was sensible of her weakness, compared with 
this poor monk ; and the monk felt strong, compared 
with Rome. " God stays the waves of the sea upon the 
shore," said Luther, " and he stays them — with sand."|| 

The nuncio, believing he had now prepared his ad- 
versary's mind, continued in these terms : " Bind up the 
wound that you yourself have inflicted on the church, 
and that you alone can heal. Beware," said he, drop- 
ping a few tears, "beware of raising a tempest that 
would cause the destruction of Christendom."^ He then 
gradually proceeded to hint that a retractation alone 
could repair the mischief ; but he immediately softened 
down whatever was objectionable in this word, by giv- 
ing Luther to understand that he felt the highest esteem 

* Sed per viam a Oomino prostratus mutavit violentiam 

m benevolentiam fallacissime simulatam. L. Epp. 1. 206. 

t 0 Martine, ego credebam te esse senem aliquem theologiim, 
qui post fornacem sedens — sitting behind the stove, etc. L. 0pp. 
Lat in Prsef J Quod orbem totum mlhi conjunxerim et papse 

abstraxerim. L. Epp 1 231. § Si haberem xxv. millia arma- 
torum, non confiderem te posse a me Romam perduci. L. 0pp. Lat. 
in Praef. || L. 0pp. W. 22. ^ Profusis lacrymis ipsunj 

oravit, ne tam perniciosam Christiano generi tempestatein cieret 
Pallavioini, 1. 52. 



18 HISTORY OF THE REFOEMAIION. 



for him, and by storming against Tetzel. The snare was 
laid by a skilful hand : how could it fail to catch the 
prey ? " If, at the outset, the archbishop of Mentz had 
spoken to me in this manner," said the reformer after* 
wards, " this business would not have created so much 
disturbance."* 

Luther then replied, and set forth with calmness, but 
with dignity and force, the just complaints of the chuioh ; 
he did not conceal his great indignation against the 
archbishop of Mentz, and complained in a noble manner 
of the unworthy treatment he had received from Rome, 
notwithstanding the purity of his intentions. Miltitz, 
who had not expected to hear such decided language, 
was able, however, to suppress his anger. 

I offer," resumed Luther, to be silent for the fu- 
ture on this matter, and to let it die away of itself,f pro- 
vided my opponents are silent on their part ; but if they 
continue attacking me, a serious struggle will soon arise 
out of a trifling quarrel. My weapons are quite pre- 
pared." " I will do still more," he added a moment 
after ; "I will write to his holiness, acknowledging I 
have been a little too violent, and I will declare to him 
that it is as a faithful son of the church that I opposed 
discourses which drew upon them the mockeries and in- 
sults of the people. I even consent to publish a writing 
desiring all those who read my works not to see in them 
any attacks upon the Roman church, and to continue 
under its authority. Yes, I am willing to do and to 
bear every thing ; but as for a retractation, never expect 
one from me." 

Miltitz saw by Luther's firm tone that the wisest 
course would be to appear satisfied with what the re- 
former so readily promised. He merely proposed they 
should choose an archbishop to arbitrate on some points 
that were still to be discussed. " Be it so," said Luther ; 
** but I am very much afraid that the pope will not ac- 
cept any judge ; in that case I will not abide by the i>ope'« 
decision, and then the struggle will begin again. The 

• Nou evasisset res in tantum tumultum. L. 0pp. Lat. in Vvmt 

i Und die Sache sich zu Tode bluten. L. Epp. 1. 207. 



AETICLES OF AaUEEKEKT. 



19 



pope will give the text, and I shall make my own com^ 
ments upon it." 

Thus ended the first interview between Luther and 
Miltitz. They had a second meeting, in which the truce, 
or rather the peace was signed Luther immediately 
informed the elector of what had taken place. " Most 
serene prince and most gracious lord/' wrote he, "I 
hasten most humbly to acquaint your electoral highness 
that Charles of Miltitz and myself are at last agreed, and 
liave terminated this matter by deciding upon the follow- 
ing articles : 

" 1. Both parties are forbidden to preach, write, or do 
any thing further in the discussion that has been raised. 

"2. Miltitz will immediately inform the holy father 
of the state of affairs. His holiness will empower an 
enlightened bishop to investigate the matter, and to 
point out the erroneous articles I should retract. K 
they prove me to be in error, I shall willingly recant, 
and will do nothing derogatory to the honor or authority 
of the holy Roman church."* 

When the agreement had been thus effected, Miltitz 
appeared overjoyed. " These hundred years past," ex- 
claimed he, "no question has occasioned more anxiety 
to the cardinals and Roman courtiers than this. They 
would rather have given ten thousand ducats than con- 
sent to its being prolonged."f 

The pope's chamberlain spared no marks of attention 
to the monk of Wittemberg. At one time he manifested 
his joy, at another he shed tears. This show of sen- 
sibility moved the reformer but little ; still, he avoided 
showing what he thought of it. " I pretended not to 
understand the meaning of these crocodile's tears," said 
he.^ 

Miltitz gave Luther an invitation to supper, which 
thd latter accepted. His host laid aside all the severity 

• L. Epp. 1. 209. t Ab integro jam saeculo nullum negotium 
Ecclesise coutigisse quod majorem illi solicitudinem incussisset. 
Pallavicini, 1. 62, X Ego dissimulabam has crocodili lacrymas a 
me intelligi. L. Epp. 1 216. The cj:ocodile is said to weep when 
be Cflumot seize his pre^ 



20 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



connected with his mission, and Luther indulged in all 
the cheerfulness of his disposition. The repast was joy- 
ous,* and when the moment of departure was come, the 
legate opened his arms to the heretical doctor, and kiss- 
ed him.f " A Judas kiss," thought Luther. " I pre- 
tended not to understand these Italian artifices," wrote 
he to Staupitz.J 

Was that kiss destined to reconcile Eome and the 
dawning Reformation? Miltitz hoped so, and was de- 
lighted at the thought ; for he had a nearer view than 
the Roman courtiers of the terrible consequences the 
Papacy might suffer from the Reformation. If Luther 
and his adversaries are silenced, thought he, the dispute 
will be ended ; and Rome, by calling up favorable cir 
cumstances, will regain all her former influence. It ap- 
peared, then, that the termination of the contest was at 
hand. Rome had opened her arms, and the reformei 
seemed to have cast himself into them. But this work 
was not of man, but of God. The error of Rome was 
in seeing a mere dispute with a monk in what was an 
awakening of the church. The kisses of a papal cham- 
berlain could not check the renewal of Christendom. 

Miltitz being of opinion that he would by this means 
reclaim the erring Lutherans, behaved most graciously 
to all of them, accepted their invitations, and sat down 
to table with the heretics ; but soon becoming inebri- 
ated — it is a pope who relates this§ — the pontifical nun- 
cio was no longer master of his tongue. The Saxons 
led him to speak of the pope and the court of Rome ; 
and Miltitz, confirming the old proverb, in vino veritaSf\\ 
gave an account in the openness of his heart of all the 
practices and disorders of the Papacy.^ His compan- 

• Atque vesperi, me accepto, convivio laetati sumus. L. Epp. 1. 
231. t Sic amice discessimus etiam cum osculo — Judae scilicet. 
Ibid 216. t Has italitates. Ibid. 231. i) Saepe perturbatoa 
vino. Instructio data episcopo Mutinae Pauli III. nuntio, 24th Octo- 
ber, 1536. The MS. was discovered by Ranke in a library at Rome. 

li When the wine is in, the wit is out. Old. Eng. Prov. 

H Ea effutire de pontifice et Eomana curia a Saxonibus induce 
butiv. Initructio, etc. 



TETZEL REBUKED. 



21 



Ions smiled, urging and pressing him to continue ; ev- 
ery thing was exposed ; they took notes of what he said ; 
and these scandals were afterwards made matter of pub- 
lic reproach against the Romans, at the diet of Worms, 
in the presence )f all Germany. Pope Paul III. com" 
plained, alleging they had put things in his envoy's 
mouth that were utterly destitute of foundation, and in 
consequence ordered his nuncios, whenever they were 
invited out, to make a pretence of accepting the invita- 
tions, to behave graciously, and to be guarded in their 
conversation.* 

Miltitz, faithful to the arrangement he had just con- 
cluded, went from Altenburg to Leipsic, where Tetzel 
was residing. There was no necessity to silence him, 
for sooner than speak he would have concealed himself 
if possible in the centre of the earth. But the nuncio 
resolved to vent all his anger on him. As soon as he 
reached Leipsic, he summoned the wretched Tetzel be- 
fore him, overwhelmed him with reproaches, accused 
him of being the author of all his trouble, and threat- 
ened him with the pope's displeasure.f This was not 
enough. An agent from the house of Fugger, who was 
then in the city, was confronted with him. Miltitz laid 
before the Dominican the accounts of this establishment, 
the papers he had himself signed, and proved that he 
had squandered or stolen considerable sums of money. 
The unhappy man, whom in the day of his triumph noth- 
ing could alarm, bent under the weight of these just 
accusations : he fell into despair, his health suffered, he 
knew not where to hide his shame. Luther was informed 
of the wretched condition of his old adversary, and he 
alone was affected by it. " I am sorry for Tetzel," wrote 
he to Spalatin.J He did not confine himself to words : 
it was not the man, but his actions that he hated. At 
the very moment that Rome was venting her wrath on 
the Dominican, Luther sent him a letter full of consola- 

* Hilari quidem vultu accipere si fingant invitationes. Instruo- 
tio, etc. t Verbis minisque pontificiis ita fregit hominem, hao 
tenua terribilem cunctis et imperterritum stentorem. L. Opp to 
Pnet X Doleo Tetzelium. L. Epp. 1. 223. 



\ 



22 HISTORT OF THE REPORMATIOK. 



tion. But all was unavailing. Tetzel, a prey to remorse, 
terrified by the reproaches of his best friends, and dread- 
ing the pope's anger, died very miserably not long after. 
It was believed that grief accelerated his death.* 

Luther, in accordance with the promise he had given 
Miltitz, wrote the following letter to the pope on the Sd 
of March : 

" Blessed Father — May your holiness condescend to 
incline your paternal ear, which is that of Christ himself, 
towards your poor sheep, and listen kindly to his bleat- 
ing. What shall I do, most holy father ? I cannot bear 
the lightnings of your anger, and I know not how to es- 
cape them. I am called upon to retract. I would most 
readily do so, could that lead to the desired result. But 
the persecutions of my adversaries have circulated my 
writings far and wide, and they are too deeply graven 
on the hearts of men to be by any possibility erased. 
A recantation would only still more dishonor the church 
of Rome, and draw from the lips of all a cry of accusa- 
tion against her. Most holy father, I declare in the pres- 
ence of God, and of all his creatures, that I have never- 
desired, and that I shall never desire to infringe, either 
by force oi by stratagem, the power of the Roman church 
or of your holiness. I confess that nothing in heaven or 
in earth should be preferred above that church, except 
Jesus Christ alone, the Lord of all."f 

These words might appear strange, and even repre- 
hensible, in Luther's mouth, did we not remember that 
he reached the light not suddenly, but by a slow and 
progressive course. They are a very important evi-^ 
dence that the Reformation was not simply an opposi* 
tion to the Papacy ; it was not a war waged against 
certain forms ; nor was it the result of a merely negs^- 
tive tendency. Opposition to the pope was in the sec- 
ond line of the battle : a new life, a positive doctrine 
was the generating principle. " Jesus Christ, the Lord 
of all, and who must be preferred above all," even above 

* Sed conscientia indignitate Papoe forte occubuit. L. 0pp. in 
Prsef. t Prseter unum Jeeum Christum, Dominum omnium. Lt 
fipp. 1. 234, 



LUTHER AaAINST SEPARATION?. 23 



Rome itself, as Luther writes at the end of his letter, was 
the essential cause of the revolution of the sixteenth 
century. 

It is probable that shortly before this time the pope 
would not have passed over unnoticed a \etU^Y in which 
the monk of Wittemberg plainly refused to rcjtract. But 
Maximilian was dead : men's minds were occupied with 
the choice of his successor, and in the midst of the in- 
trigues which then agitated the pontifical city, Luther's 
letter was disregarded. 

The reformer made a better use of his time than his 
powerful adversary. While Leo X. was occupied with 
his interests as a temporal prince, and was making every 
exertion to exclude a formidable neighbor from the throne, 
Luther grew each day in knowledge and in faith. He 
studied the papal decrees, and the discoveries he made 
therein greatly modified his ideas. " I am reading the 
decrees of the pontiffs," wrote he to Spalatin, " and — I 
whisper this in your ear — I do not know whether the 
pope is antichrist himself, or his apostle,* so greatly is 
Christ misrepresented and crucified in them." 

Yet he still felt esteem for the ancient church of 
Rome, and had no thought of separating from it. That 
the Roman church," said he in the explanation which he 
had promised Miltitz to publish, "is honored by God 
above all others, is what we cannot doubt. St. Peter, 
St. Paul, forty-six popes, many hundreds of thousands of 
martyrs, have shed their blood in its bosom, and have 
overcome hell and the world, so that God^s eye regards 
it with especial favor. Although every thing is now in 
a very wretched state there, this is not a sufficient rea- 
son for separating from it. On the contrary, the worse 
things are going on within it, the more should we cling 
to it ; for it is not by separation that we shall make it 
better. We must not desert God on account of the 
devil ; or abandon the children of God who are still in 
the Roman communion, because of the multitude of the 
ungodly. There is no sin, there is no evil that should 

* Nescio an Papa sit \ntichristus ipse vel apostolus cgus. L. 
Epp. 1. 239. 



24 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION 



destroy charity or break the bond of union. For chanty 
can do all things, and to unity nothing is diflScult.''* 

It was not Luther who separated from Rome ; it was 
Rome that separated from Luther, and thus rejected the 
ancient faith of the Catholic church, of which he was then 
the representative. It was not Luther who deprived Rome 
of her power, and made her bishop descend from a throno 
which he had usurped : the doctrines he proclaimed, the 
word of the apostles which God manifested anew in the 
universal church with great power and admirable purity, 
could alone prevail against that dominion which had for 
centuries enslaved the church. 

These declarations, which were published by Luther 
at the end of February, did not entirely satisfy Miltitz 
and De Vio. These two vultures, who had both seea 
their prey escape from their talons, had retired within 
the ancient walls of Treves. There, assisted by the 
prince-archbishop, they hoped to accomplish together the 
object in which each of them had failed separately. The 
two nuncios felt clearly that nothing more was to be 
expected from Frederick, now invested with supreme 
power in the empire. They saw that Luther persisted 
in his refusal to retract. The only means of success 
were to deprive the heretical monk of the elector's pro- 
tection, and entice him into their hands. Once at Treves, 
in the states of an ecclesiastical prince, the reformer will 
be very skilful if he escapes without having fully satis- 
fied the demands of the sovereign pontiff. They imme- 
diately applied themselves to the task. " Luther," said 
Miltitz to the elector-archbishop of Treves, " has acceptr 
ed your grace as arbitrator. Summon him before you.'' 
The elector of Treves accordingly wrote on the 3d May 
to the elector of Saxony, requesting him to send Luther 
to him. De Yio, and afterwards Miltitz himself, wrote 
also to Frederick, informing him that the Golden Rose 
had arrived at Augsburg. This, thought they, is the 
moment for striking a decisive blow. 

But circumstances had changed : neither Frederick 
nor Luther permitted himself to be shaken. The elao 
• L. 0pp. L. 17. 224. 



SPREAD OP LUTHER'S OPINIONS. 25 



tor comprehended his new position. He no longer fear- 
ed the pope, much less his agents. The reformer, see- 
ing Miltitz and De Vio united, foresaw the fate that 
awaited him if hv complied with their invitation. " Every- 
where," said he, and in every manner they seek after 
my life."* Besides, he had appealed to the pope, and 
the pope, busied in intrigues with crowned heads, had 
not replied. Luther wrote to Miltitz, How can I set 
out without an order from Rome, in the midst of the 
troubles by which the empire is agitated ? How can I 
encounter so many dangers, and incur such heavy ex- 
pense, seeing that I am the poorest of men ?" 

The elector of Treves, a prudent and moderate man, 
and a friend of Frederick's, was desirous of keeping on 
good terms with the latter. Besides, he had no desire 
to interfere in this matter, unless he was positively call- 
ed upon. He therefore arranged with the elector of Sax- 
ony to put off the inquiry until the next diet, which did 
not take place until two years after, when it assembled 
at Worms. 

While a providential hand thus warded off, one by 
one, the dangers by which Luther was threatened, he 
himself was boldly advancing towards a goal which he 
did not suspect. His reputation increased ; the cause 
of truth grew in strength ; the number of students at 
Wittemberg was augmented, and among them were the 
most distinguished young men of Germany. Our 
town," wrote Luther, " can hardly receive all those who 
are flocking to it ;" and on another occasion, " The num- 
ber of students increases considerably, like an overflow- 
ing river.""|" 

But it was no longer in Germany alone that the re- 
former's voice was heard. It had passed the frontiers 
of the empire, and begun to shake, among the different 
nations of Europe, the foundations of the Romish power. 
Frobenius, a celebrated printer at Basle, had published a 
collection of Luther's works. It was rapidly circulated, 

* Video ubique, undique, quocumque modo, animam meam quseri. 
L. Epp. 1. 274. May 16. f Sicut aqua inundans. L. Epp, 1 
178, 279. 

Ktotociur, u. 



26 HISTORY OP THE REFOUMATIOll 



At Basle, the bishop himself commended Luther. The 
cardinal of Sion, after reading his works, exclaimed with 
a slight tone of irony, playing upon his name, " 0 Lu- 
ther, thou art a real luther I"* 

Erasmus was at Louvain when Luther's writings 
reached the low countries. The prior of the Augustinea 
of Antwerp, who had studied at Wittemberg, and who, 
according to the testimony of Erasmus, was a follower 
of true primitive Christianity, read them with eagerness, 
as did other Belgians. But those who consulted their 
own interests only, remarks the sage of Rotterdam, and 
who fed the people with old wives' tales, broke out into 
gloomy fanaticism. " I cannot describe to you," wrote 
Erasmus to Luther, the emotion, the truly tragic sensa- 
tion which your writings have occasioned.^f 

Frobenius sent six hundred copies of these works 
into France and Spain. They were sold publicly in 
Paris. The doctors of the Sorbonne, as it would appear, 
read them with approbation. "It is high time," said 
some of them, "that those who devote themselves to 
biblical studies should speak out freely." In England 
these books were received with still greater eagerness. 
Some Spanish merchants translated them into their moth- 
er-tongue, and forwarded them from Antwerp to their 
own country. "Certainly these merchants must have 
been of Moorish descent," says Pallavicini.| 

Calvi, a learned bookseller of Pavia, carried a great 
number of copies to Italy, and circulated them in all the 
transalpine cities. It was not the love of gain that 
inspired this man of letters, but a desire of contributing 
to the revival of piety. The energy with which Luther 
maintained the cause of Christ filled him with joy. "All 
the learned men of Italy," wrote he, "will unite with 
me, and we will send you verses composed by our most 
distinguished writers." 

Frobenius, in transmitting a copy of his publication 
to Ijuthei, related all these joyful tidings, and added, 

* Lauterer — purifier, refiner. f NuUo sermone consequi queam, 
quae tragoedias hic excitarint tul libelli. Erasm. Epp 6 4. 
} Maurorum »tirpe prognatis. Pallay. L 91. 



SPfiEAB OP LtTTHEIl»S OPINIONS. 



27 



" I have sold every copy, except ten ; and 1 have never 
made so good a speculation." Other letters informed 
Luther of the joy caused by his works. " I am delight- 
ed," said he, *'that the truth is so pleasing, although 
she speaks with so little learning and in so barbarous a 
tone."* 

Such was the commencement of the awakening in 
the various countries of Europe. If we except Switzer- 
land, and even France, where the gospel had already 
been preached, the arrival of the Wittemberg doctor's 
writings everywhere forms the first page in the history 
of the Reformation. A printer of Basle scattered the 
first germs of truth. At the very moment when the 
Eoman pontiff thought to stifle the work in Germany, it 
began in Prance, the low countries, Italy, Spain, Eng- 
land, and Switzerland. What matters it, even should 
Rome cut down the parent stem ? . . . . the seeds are 
already scattered over every land. 

* In his id gaudeo, quod Veritas tarn barbard et indoctd loqneoe* 
aded placet. L. Epp. 1. 255 



\ 



28 HISTOHY OP THE REFORMAlIOlf, 



CHAPTER II. 

Panpe in Germany — Eck revives the contest — Disputation oettveeii 
Eck and Carlstadt — Question of the pope — Luther repl es — Fcarp 
of Luther^s friends — Luther^s courage — The truth triumphs un 
Bided — Refusal of Duke George — Gayety of Mosellanus — Fears 
of Erasmus. 

While the combat was beginning beyond the con- 
fines of the empire, it appeared dying away within. The 
most impetuous of the Roman champions, the Francis- 
cans of Juterbock, who had imprudently attacked Luther, 
had hastily become silent after the reformer's vigorous , 
reply. The papal partisans were mute : Tetzel was no 
longer in a condition to fight. Luther was entreated by 
his friends not to continue the discussion, and he had 
promised compliance. The theses were passing into obliv- 
ion. This treacherous peace rendered the eloquence of the 
reformer powerless. The Reformation appeared checked. 
"But," said Luther somewhat later, when speaking of 
this epoch, men imagine vain things ; for the Lord 
awoke to judge the people.'*' God does not guide me," 
he said in another place ; " he pushes me forward, he 
carries me away. I am not master of myself. I desire 
to live in repose ; but I am thrown into the midst of 
tumults and revolutions."f 

Eck the scholastic, Luther'is old friend, and author of 
the Obelisks, was the man who recommenced the combat. 
He was sincerely attached to the papacy, but seems to 
have had no true religious sentiments, and to have been 
one of that class of men, so numerous in every age, who 
look upon science, and even theology and religion, as 
the means of acquiring worldly reputation. Vain-glory 
iies hid under the priest^s cassock, no less than under 
fche warrior's coat of mail. Eck had studied the art of 

* Dominus evigilavit et stat ad judicandos populos. L. 0pp. 
Lat. in Praef. f Deus rapuit, pellit, nedum ducit me : non sum 
compos mei : volo esse quietus, et rapior in medios tumultua. U 
Epp. 1. 231. 



ecb: renews the contest. 



29 



disputation according to the rules of the schoolmen, and 
had become a master in this sort of controversy. While 
the knights of the middle ages and the warriors, in the 
time of the Reformation, sought for glory in the tourna- 
ment, the schoolmen struggled for it in syllogistic dispu- 
tations — a spectacle of frequent occurrence in the uni- 
versities. Eck, who entertained no mean idea of himself, 
and was proud of his talents, of the popularity of his 
cause, and of the victories he had gained in eight uni- 
versities of Hungary, Lombardy, and Germany, ardently 
desired to have an opportunity of trying his strength 
and skill against the reformer. He had spared no exer- 
tion to acquire the reputation of being one of the most 
learned men of the age. He was constantly endeavor- 
ing to excite some new discussion, to make a sensation, 
and aimed at procuring, by means of his exploits, all the 
enjoyments of life. A journey that he had made to Italy 
had been, according to his own account, one long series 
of triumphs. The most learned scholars had been forced 
to subscribe to his theses. This experienced gladiator 
fixed his eyes on a new field of battle, in which he thought 
the victory already secure. The little monk who had sud- 
denly grown into a giant — that Luther whom hitherto 
no one had been able to vanquish, galled his pride and 
excited his jealousy.* Perhaps in seeking his own glory, 
Eck might ruin Rome. But his scholastic vanity was 
not to be checked by such a consideration. Theologians, 
as well as princes, have more than once sacrificed the 
general interest to their personal glory. We shall see 
what circumstances afforded the Ingolstadt doctor the 
means of entering the lists with his importunate rival. 

The zealous but too ardent Carlstadt was still on 
friendly terms with Luther. These two theologians 
were closely united by their attachment to the doctrine 
of grace, and by their admiration for Saint Augustine, 
Carlstadt was inclined to enthusiasm, and possessed lit- 
tle discretion ; he was not a man to be restrained by the 
skill and policy of a Miltitz. He had published some 
* Nihil cupiebat ardentius, quam sui specimen prasbere in solemni 
disputatione cum semulo Fallavicini, torn. 1. 55, 



80 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



theses in reply to Dr. Eck's Obelisks, in which he defend- 
ed Luther and their common faith. Eck had answered 
him ; but Carlstadt did not let him have the last word.* 
The discussion grew warm. Eck, desirous of profiting 
by so favorable an opportunity, had thrown down the 
gauntlet, and the impetuous Carlstadt had taken it up. 
God made use of the passions of these two men to accom- 
plish his purposes. Luther had not interfered in their 
disputes, and yet he was destined to be the hero of the 
fight. There are men who by the force of circumstances 
are always brought upon the stage. It was agreed that 
the discussion should take place at Leipsic. Such was 
the origin of that Leipsic disputation which became so 
famous. 

Eck cared little for disputing with and even conquer- 
ing Carlstadt : Luther was his great aim. He therefore 
made every exertion to allure him to the field of battle, 
and with this view published thirteen theses,f which he 
pointed expressly against the chief doctrines already set 
forth by the reformer. The thirteenth was thus drawn 
up : " We deny that the Roman church was not raised 
above the other churches before the time of Pope Syl- 
vester ; and we acknowledge in every age, as the suc- 
cessor of St. Peter and the vicar of Jesus Christ, him 
who has filled the chair and held the faith of St. Peter." 
Sylvester lived in the time of Constantine the Great ; by 
this thesis, Eck denied, therefore, that the primacy en- 
joyed by Rome had been conferred on it by that emperor. 

Luther, who had reluctantly consented to remain 
silent, was deeply moved as he read these propositions. 
He saw that they were aimed at him, and felt that he 
could not honorably avoid the contest. "This man,'' 
said he, "calls Carlstadt his antagonist, and at the same 
time attacks me. But God reigns. He knows what he 
will bring out of this tragedy.^ It is neither Doctor 
Eck nor myself that will be at stake. God's purpose 
will be accomplished. Thanks to Eck, this affair, which 

• Defenfiio adversus Eckii monomachiam. f L. 0pp. L. 17. 242. 
t Sed Deus in medio deorum ; ipse novit quid ex ea tragcedia 
deducer© voluerit. L. Epp. 1. 230, 222. 



LUTHER REPLIES 



81 



hitherto has been mere play, will become serious, aud 
inflict a deadly blow on the tyranny of Rome and of the 
Roman pontiff." 

Rome herself had broken the truce. She did more ; 
in renewing the signal of battle, she began the contest 
on a point that Luther had not yet attacked. It was the 
papal supremacy to which Doctor Eck drew the atten- 
tion of his adversaries. In this he followed the danger- 
ous example that Tetzel had already set.* Rome invited 
the blows of the gladiator ; and if she left some of her 
members quivering on the arena, it was because she 
had drawn upon herself his formidable arm. 

The pontifical supremacy once overthrown, the whole 
edifice would crumble into ruin. The greatest danger 
was impending over the Papacy, and yet neither Miltitz 
nor Cajetan took any steps to prevent this new strug- 
gle. Did they imagine that the Reformation would be 
vanquished, or were they struck with that blindness 
which often hurries along the mighty to their destruc- 
tion? 

Luther, who had set a rare example of moderation 
by remaining silent so long, fearlessly replied to the 
challenge of his antagonist. He immediately published 
some new theses in opposition to those of Doctor Eck. 
The last was conceived in these words : " It is by con- 
temptible decretals of Roman pontifi*s, composed within 
the last four centuries, that they would prove the pri- 
macy of the church of Rome ; but this primacy is op- 
posed by all the credible history of eleven centuries, by 
the declarations of holy Scripture, and by the resolutions 
of the council of Nice, the holiest of all councils."f 

" God knows," wrote he at the same time to the elecr 
tor, "that I was firmly resolved to keep silence, and 
that I was glad to see this struggle terminated at last. 
I have so strictly adhered to the treaty concluded with 
the papal commissary, that I have not replied to Sylves- 
ter Prierio, notwithstanding the insults of my adversar 
ries and the advice of my friends. But now Doctor Eck 
attacks me, and not only me, but the university of Wit* 

• See vol. 1, p. 312-315. f L. 0pp. L. 17. 245. 



33 HISTORr OF THE EEFORMATIOlf . 



temberg also. I cannot suflfer the truth to be thus cot* 
ered with opprobrium."* 

At the same time Luther wrote to Carlstadt : "Most 
excellent Andrew, I would not have you enter upon this 
dispute, since they are aiming at me. I shall joyfully 
lay aside my serious occupations to take my part in the 
sports of these flatterers of the Roman pontiff."f Then 
addressing his adversary, he cries disdainfully from 
Wittemberg to Ingolstadt, "Now, my dear Eck, be 
brave, and gird thy sword upon thy thigh, thou mighty 
man.J If I could not please thee as mediator, perhaps 
I shall please thee better as antagonist. Not that I 
imagine I can vanquish thee, but because, after all the 
triumphs thou hast gained in Hungary, Lombardy, and 
Bavaria — if at least we are to believe thee — I shall 
give thee opportunity of gaining the title of conqueror 
of Saxony and Misnia, so that thou shalt for ever be 
hailed with the glorious title of August."§ 

All Luther's friends did not share in his courage ; for 
no one had hitherto been able to resist the sophisms of 
Doctor Eck. But their greatest cause of alarm was the 
subject of the discussion, the pope's primacy. How can 
the poor monk of Wittemberg dare oppose that giant 
who for ages has crushed all his enemies ? The cour- 
tiers of the elector were alarmed. Spalatin, the prince's 
confidant and Luther's intimate friend, was filled with 
anxiety. Frederick was uneasy : even the sword of the 
knight of the holy sepulchre, with which he had been 
invested at Jerusalem, || would be of little avail in this 
war. The reformer alone did not blench. " The Lord," 
thought he, "will deliver him into my hands." The faith 
by which he was animated gave him the means of en- 
couraging his friends : "I entreat you, my dear Spala- 
tin," said he, " do not give way to fear. You well know 
that if Christ had not been on my side, all that I have 

* L. Epp. 1. 237. t Gaudens et ridens posthabeo istoi'um 

mea igeria ludo. Ibid. 251. i Esto vir fortis et accingere gla* 
dio tuo super femur tuum, potentissime ! Ibid. § Ac si voles, 
Bemper Augustus saluteris la sBternum. Ibid. 251. || Vol. 1 

pp. 76. m» 



TEUTH TRIUMPHS UNAIDED. 



3a 



hitherto done must have been my ruin. Quite recently 
has not the duke of Pomeranians chancellor received 
news from Italy, that I had turned Rome topsyturvy, 
and that they knew not how to quiet the agitation ? so 
that it was resolved to attack me, not according to the 
rules of justice, but by Roman artifices — such was the 
expression used — meaning, I suppose, poison, ambush, 
or assassination. 

" I restrain myself, and from love to the elector and 
the university I suppress many things that I would pub- 
lish against Babylon, if I were elsewhere. 0 my poor 
Spalatin, it is impossible to speak with truth of the 
Scriptures and of the church without arousing the beast. 
Never expect to see me free from danger, unless I aban- 
don the teaching of sound divinity. If this matter be of 
God, it will not come to an end before all my friends 
have forsaken me, as Christ was forsaken by his disci- 
ples. Truth will stand alone, and will triumph by its 
own right hand, not by mine, nor yours, nor any other 
man's.* If I perish, the world will not perish with me 
But, wretch that I am, I fear I am unworthy to die 
in such a cause." " Rome," he wrote again about the 
same time, " Rome is eagerly longing to kill me, and I 
am wasting my time in braving her. I have been as- 
sured that an effigy of Martin Luther was publicly 
burned in the Campo di Fiore at Rome, after being 
loaded with execrations. I await their furious rage.f 
The whole world," he continued, is moved, and totters 
in body and mind ; what will happen, God only knows. 
For my part, I foresee wars and disasters. The Lord 
have mercy on us."| 

Luther wrote letter upon letter to Duke George, § 
begging this prince, in whose states Leipsic was situ- 
ated, to give him permission to go and take part in the 
disputation ; but he received no answer. The grandson 

* Ea sola sit Veritas, quae salve t se dextera sua, non me a, noE 
tua, non ullius hominis. L. Epp. 1. 261. f Expecto furorem 

Ulorum. Ibid. 280. May 30, 1519. t Totus orbis nutat et 

movetur, tarn corpore quam anima. Ibid. § Ternis literia, a 

duoe Georgio npn potui certum obtinere responsum. Ibid. 283. 



3 



34 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION, 



of the Bohemian king, alarmed by Luther's proposition 
on the papal authority, and fearing the recurrence of 
those wars in Saxony of which Bohemia had so long 
been the theatre, would not consent to the doctor's 
request. The latter therefore resolved to publish an 
explanation of the thirteenth thesis. But this writing, 
far from persuading the duke, made him only the more 
resolved ; he positively refused the sanction required by 
the reformer to take a share in the disputation, allowing 
him only to be present as a spectator.* This annoyed 
Luther very much : yet he had but one desire, to obey 
God. He resolved to go, to look on, and to wait his 
opportunity. 

At the same time the prince forwarded to his utmost 
ability the disputation between Eck and Carlstadt. 
George was attached to the old doctrine ; but he was 
upright, sincere, a friend to free inquiry, and did not 
think that every opinion should be judged heretical 
simply because it was offensive to the court of Rome. 
More than this, the elector used his influence with his 
cousin ; and George, gaining confidence from Frede- 
rick's language, ordered that the disputation should 
take place.f 

Adolphus, bishop of Merseburg, in whose diocese 
Leipsic was situated, saw more clearly than Miltitz and 
Cajetan the danger of leaving such important questions 
to the chances of single combat. Rome dared not ex- 
pose to such hazard the hard-earned fruits of many cen- 
turies. All the Leipsic theologians felt no less alarm, 
and entreated their bishop to prevent the discussion. 
Upon this, Adolphus made the most energetic represen- 
tations to Duke George, who very sensibly replied, " I 
am surprised that a bishop should have so great a dread 
of the ancient and praiseworthy custom of our fathers, 
the investigation of doubtful questions in matters of 
faith. If your theologians refuse to defend their doc- 
trines, it would be better to employ the money spent on 

• tta ut non disputator, sed spectator futurus Lipsiam ingr<ide- 
rer. L. 0pp. in Praef. f Principis nostri verbo firmatus. U 

Epp. 1, 256. 



MOSELLANUS AND ERASMUS. 



36 



them in maintaining old women and children, who at 
least could spin while they were singing."* 

This letter had but little effect on the bishop and his 
theologians. There is a secret consciousness in error 
that makes it shrink from examination, even when talk- 
ing most of free inquiry. After having imprudently 
advanced, it retreated with cowardice. Truth gave no 
challenge, but it stood firm : error challenged to the 
combat, and ran away. Besides, the prosperity of Wit- 
temberg was an object of jealousy to the university of 
Leipsic. The monks and priests of the latter city beg- 
ged and entreated their flocks from the pulpit to flee 
from the new heretics. They vilified Luther ; they de- 
picted him and his friends in the blackest colors, in order 
to excite the ignorant classes against the doctors of the 
Keformation.f Tetzel, who was still living, awoke to 
cry out from the depth of his retreat, "It is the devil 
who urges them to this contest."^ 

All the Leipsic professors did not, however, enter- 
tain the same opinions : some belonged to the class of 
indifferents, always ready to laugh at the faults of both 
parties. Among this body was the Greek professor, 
Peter Mosellanus. He cared very little about either 
John Eck, Carlstadt, or Martin Luther ; but he flattered 
himself that he would derive much amusement from 
their disputation. " John Eck, the most illustrious of 
goose-quill gladiators and of braggadocios," wrote he to 
his friend Erasmus — " John Eck, who, like the Ari Ste- 
phanie Socrates, despises even the gods themselves, will 
have a bout with Andrew Carlstadt. The match will 
end in loud cries. Ten such men as Democritus would 
find matter for laughter in it."§ 

The timid Erasmus, on the contrary, was alarmed at 
the very idea of a combat, and his prudence would have 
prevented the discussion. "If you would take Eras- 
mus' word," wrote he to Melancthon, " you would laboi 
rather in cultivating literature, than in disputing with 

• Sctneider, Lips. Chr. 4. 168. f Theologi iDterim mo pre 
Bcindunt .... populum Lipsiee inclamant. L. Epp. 1. 255 
t Dew wait der Teufel Ibid. ^ Seckend. p. 201. 



36 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOIT. 



its enemies.* I think that we should make greater 
progress by this means. Above all, let us never forget 
that v^e ought to conquer not only by our eloquence, 
but also by mildness and moderation." Neither the 
alarm of the priests nor the discretion of the pacifica- 
tors could any longer prevent the combat. Each man 
got his arms ready. 

• Malim te plus operse sumere in asserendis bonis literis, qoini 
in aectandis harum hostibus. Corpus Reformatorum, edit Bret- 
Schneider, 1. 78, April 22, 1519. 



AERITAL OF THE DISPUTANTS. 



87 



CHAPTER III. 

Arrival of Eck and of the Wittembergers^— Amsdorff— -The studenta 
— Carlstadt's accident — Placard — Eck and Luther — The Plei»- 
senburg — Judges proposed — Luther objects — He consents at last 

While the electors were meeting at Frankfort to 
choose an emperor, June, 1519, the theologians assem- 
bled at Leipsic for an act unnoticed by the world at 
large, but whose importance was destined to be quite 
as great for posterity. 

Eck came first to the rendezvous. On the 21st of 
June he entered Leipsic with Poliander, a young man 
whom he had brought from Ingolstadt to write an ac- 
count of the disputation. Every mark of respect was 
paid to the scholastic doctor. Robed in his sacerdotal 
garments, and at the head of a numerous procession, he 
paraded the streets of the city on the festival of Corpus 
Christi. All were eager to see him : the inhabitants 
were on his side, he tells us himself ; ''yet," adds he, 
"a report was current in the town that I should be 
beaten in this combat." 

On the day succeeding the festival, Friday, June 24 
which was the feast of St. John, the Wittembergere 
arrived. Carlstadt, who was to contend with Doctor 
Eck, sat alone in his carriage, and preceded all the rest. 
Duke Barnim of Pomerania, who was then studying a1 
Wittemberg, and who had been named honorary rector 
of the university, came next in an open carriage : at 
each side were seated the two great divines, the fathers 
of the Reformation, Luther and Melancthon. The latter 
would not quit his friend. " Martin, the soldier of the 
Lord," he had said to Spalatin, *'has stirred up this fetid 
pool.* My spirit is vexed when I think of the disgrace- 
ful conduct of the papal theologians Be firm, and abide 

• Martinus, Domini miles, banc camarinam movit. Corp. Ret 
1. 83 



38 HIStOEY OF tHE RBFOEHATION 



with as.'' Luther himself had wished that his AchateS; 
as he called him, should accompany him. 

John Lange, vicar of the Augustines, many doctors 
in law, several masters of arts, two licentiates in theol- 
ogy, and other ecclesiastics, among whom was Nicholas 
Amsdorff, closed the procession. Amsdorff, sprung from 
a noble family, valuing little the brilliant career to 
which his illustrious birth might have called him, had 
dedicated himself to theology. The theses on indul- 
gences had brought him to a knowledge of the truth. 
He had immediately made a bold confession of faith.* 
Possessing a strong mind and an ardent character, Ams- 
dorff frequently excited Luther, who was naturally vehe- 
ment enough, to acts that were perhaps imprudent. Born 
in exalted rank, he had no fear of the great, and he some- 
times spoke to them with a freedom bordering on rude- 
ness. " The gospel of Jesus Christ," said he one day 
before an assembly of nobles, " belongs to the poor and 
afflicted ; not to you, princes, lords, and courtiers, who 
live continually in luxury and pleasures.^f 

But these persons alone did not form the procession 
from Wittemberg. A great number of students followed 
their teachers : Eck affirms that they amounted to two 
hundred. Armed with pikes and halberds, they sur- 
rounded the carriages of the doctors, ready to defend 
them, and proud of their cause. 

Such was the order in which the cortege of the reform- 
ers arrived in Leipsic. They had already entered by the 
Grimma gate, and advanced as far as St. PauPs ceme- 
tery, when one of the wheels of Carlstadt's carriage gave 
way. The archdeacon, whose vanity was delighted at 
so solemn an entry, rolled into the mud. He was not 
hurt, but was compelled to proceed to his lodgings on 
foot. Luther's carriage, which followed next, rapidly 
outstripped him, and bore the reformer in safety to his 
quarters. The inhabitants of Leipsic, who had assem- 
bled to witness the entry of the Wittemberg champions, 

* Nec cum came et sanguine diii contulit, sed statim palam ad 
alios fidei coufessionem constanter edidit. M. Adami Vita Ain» 
dorff. t Weismaun, Hist. Eccl. 1. lU4u 



ECK AND LUTHEE 



39 



looked upon this accident as an evil omen to Carlstadt . 
and ere long the whole city was of opinion that he would 
be vanquished in the combat, but that Luther would 
come off victorious.* 

Adolphus of Merseburg was not idle. As soon as he 
heard of the approach of Luther and Carlstadt, and even 
before they had alighted from their carriages, he ordered 
placards to be posted upon the doors of all the churches, 
forbidding the opening of the disputation under pain of 
excommunication. Duke George, astonished at this 
audacity, commanded the town-council to tear down the 
placards, and committed to prison the bold agent who 
had ventured to execute the bishop^s order.f George 
had repaired to Leipsic, attended by all his court, among 
whom was that Jerome Emser at whose house in Dres- 
den Luther had passed a remarkable evening. J George 
made the customary presents to the respective combat- 
ants. " The duke," observed Eck with vanity, " gave me 
a fine deer ; but he only gave a fawn to Carlstadt."§ 

Immediately on hearing of Luther's arrival, Eck went 
to visit the Wittemberg doctor. *' What is this ?" asked 
he ; "I am told that you refuse to dispute with me.'' 

Luther. How can I, since the duke has forbidden 
me? 

Eck. If I cannot dispute with you, I care little about 
meeting Carlstadt. It was on your account I came 
here. II Then after a moment's silence he added, If I 
can procure you the duke's permission, will you enter 
the lists with me ? 

Luther, joyfully. Procure it for me, and we will 
fight. 

Eck immediately waited on the duke, and endeavored 
to remove his fears. He represented to him that he was 
certain of victory, and that the papal authority, far from 
Buffering in the dispute, would come forth covered with 
glory. The ringleader must be attacked : if Luther re- 

• Seb Froschel vom Priesterthum. Wittemb. 1585. In the Pre- 
face, t L. Opp L. 17. 245. X See Vol. 1. p. 239. § Seek- 
end. p. 190. || Si tecum non licet disputare, neque cum Carlr 
•Utio volo ; propter te eoim hue veni. L. Opp. la Fr»f. 



40 



HISTORY OF THE HEFORMATIOW 



mains standing, all stands with him ; if he falls, every 
thing will fall with him. George granted the required 
permission. 

The duke had caused a large hall to be prepared In 
bis palace of the Pleissenburg. Two pulpits had been 
erected opposite each other ; tables were placed for the 
notaries commissioned to take down the discussion, and 
benches had been arranged for the spectators. The pul- 
pits and benches were covered with handsome tiangings. 
Over the pulpit of the Wittemberg doctor vv^afe suspended 
the portrait of Saint Martin, whose name ne bore ; over 
that of Doctor Eck, a representation of riaint George the 
champion. " We shall see," said tne presumptuous Eck, 
as he looked at this emblem, " whether I shall not ride 
over my enemies.'' Every thing announced the impor- 
tance that was attached to this contest. 

On the 25th of June, both parties met at the palace to 
hear the regulations that were to be observed during the 
disputation. Eck, who had more conjfidence in his decla- 
mations and gestures than in his arguments, exclaimed, 
" We will dispute freely and extemporaneously ; and the 
notaries shall not take down our words in writing." 

Carlstadt. It has been agreed that the disputation 
ehould be reported, published, and submitted to the judg- 
ment of all men. 

Eck. To take down every thing that is said is dis- 
piriting to the combatants, and prolongs the battle. 
There is an end to that animation which such a discus- 
flion requires. Do not check the flow of eloquence.* 

The friends of Doctor Eck supported bis proposition^ 
but Carlstadt persisted in his objections. The champion 
of Eome was obliged to give way. 

Eck. Be it so ; it shall be taken down. But do not 
let the notes be published before they have been sub- 
mitted to the examination of chosen judges. 

Luther. Does then the truth of Doctor Eck and his 
followers dread the light ? 

Eck. We must have judges. 

Luther. What judges? 

* Melancth. 0pp. 1. 139. Koethe's edition. 



LUTHER'S OPPOSITIOK. 



41 



EcK. When the disputation is finished, we will arrange 
about selecting them. 

The object of the partisans of Rome was evident. If 
the Wittemberg divines accepted judges, they were lost ; 
for their adversaries were sure beforehand of those who 
would be applied to. If they refused these judges, they 
would be covered with shame, for their opponents would 
circulate the report that they were afraid to submit their 
opinions to impartial arbitrators. 

The judges whom the reformers demanded were, not 
any particular individual, whose opinion had been previ- 
ously formed, but all Christendom. They appealed to 
this universal suffrage. Besides, it was a slight matter 
to them if they were condemned, if, while pleading their 
cause before the whole world, they brought a few souls 
to the knowledge of the truth. Luther," says a Ro- 
manist historian, " required all men for his judges ; thaA 
is, such a tribunal that no urn could have been vast 
enough to contain the votes."* 

They separated. " See what artifices they employ," 
said Luther and his ftiends one to another. " They de- 
sire, no doubt, to have the pope or the universities for 
judges." 

In fact, on the next morning the Romanist divines 
sent one of their number to Luther, who was commis- 
sioned to propose that their judge should be — the pope I 
. . . . " The pope," said Luther ; " how can I possibly 
agree to this ?" 

" Beware," exclaimed all his friends, " of acceding to 
conditions so unjust." Eck and his party held another 
council. They gave up the pope, and proposed certain 
universities. Do not deprive us of the liberty which 
you had previously granted," answered Luther. "We 
cannot give way on this point," replied they. "Well 
then," exclaimed Luther, " I will take no part in the dis- 
cussion."f 

Again the parties separated, and this matter was a 

• Aiebat, ad universos mortales pertinere judicium ; hoc est ad 
tribunal cujus coUigendis calculis nulla urna satjs capax. Pallavi- 
cini, 1. 66. f L. 0pp. L. 17. 246. 



43 HISTOUT OP THE REFORMATIOJT. 



general topic of conversation throughout the city. " Lu 
ther," everywhere exclaimed the Romanists, "Luther 
will not dispute. . . .He will not acknowledge any 
Judge." His words were commented on and misrepre- 
sented, and his adversaries endeavored to place them in 
the most unfavorable light. What, does he really de- 
cline the discussion?" said the reformer's best friends. 
They went to him and expressed their alarm. "You 
refuse to take any part in the discussion," cried they. 
*'Yoar refusal will bring everlasting disgrace on your 
university and on your cause." This was attacking Lu- 
ther on his weakest side. " Well, then," replied he, his 
heart overflowing with indignation, " I accept the condi- 
tions imposed upon me ; but I reserve the right of ap 
peal, and except against the court of Rome."* 

^ L. 0pp. L. 17. 245. 



OPBNINa OF THE DISPUTATION 43 



CHAPTER IV. 

Opening of the disputation — Speech of Mosellanus — /em, fiancte 
Spiritus — Portraits of Luther and Carlstadt — Doctor Eck — Carl- 
stadt's books — Merit of congruity — Natural powers — Scholastic 
distinction —Point at which Rome and the Reformation diverge 
— Liberty given to man by grace — Carlstadt's notes — Clamor of 
the spectators — Melancthon during the disputation — His op nion 
— Eck's manceuvres — Luther preaches — Citizens of Leipsic- 
Quarrels between the students and doctors. 

The 27th of June was the day appointed for the open- 
ing of the discussion. Early in the morning the two 
parties assembled in the college of the university, and 
thence went in procession to the church of St. Thomas, 
where a solemn mass was performed by order and at the 
expense of the duke. After the service, they proceeded 
to the ducal palace. At their head were Duke George 
and the duke of Pomerania ; after them came counts, 
abbots, knights, and other persons of distinction, and 
last of all the doctors of the two parties. A guard com- 
posed of seventy-six citizens armed with halberds ac- 
companied the train, with banners flying, and to the 
sound of martial music. It halted at the castle gates. 

The procession having reached the palace, each took 
his station in the hall appointed for the discussion. Duke 
George, the hereditary Prince John, Prince George of 
Anhalt, then twelve years old, and the duke of Pome- 
rania, occupied the seats assigned them. 

Mosellanus ascended the pulpit to remind the theo- 
logians, by the duke's order, in what manner they were 
to dispute. " If you fall to quarrelling," said the speaker, 
" what diflerence will there be between a theologian in 
discussion and a shameless duellist? What is your 
object in gaining the victory, if it be not to recover a 
brother from the error of his ways ? It appears to mo 
that each of you should desire less to conquer than to i>o 
conquered.'^* 

^ Seckend. p. 209. 



44 HISTOEY OP THE REFORM ATIO». 



When this address was terminated, sacred mnsic 
resounded through the halls of the Pleissenburg ; all the 
assembly knelt down, and the ancient hymn of invocar 
tion to the Holy Ghost, Fern, Sancte Spiritus^^ was sung. 
This was a solemn moment in the annals of the Refor- 
mation. Thrice the invocation was repeated, and while 
this solemn strain was heard, the defenders of the old 
do( crine and the champions of the new, the churchmen 
of the middle ages and those who sought to restore the 
cLarch of the apostles, here assembled and confounded 
with one another, humbly bent their heads to the earth. 
The ancient tie of one and the same communion still 
bound together all those different minds ; the same 
prayer still proceeded from all those lips, as if pro- 
nounced by one heart. 

These were the last moments of outward, of deal 
unity : a new unity of spirit and of life was about to 
begin. The Holy Ghost was invoked upon the church, 
and was preparing to answer and to renovate Chris- 
tendom. 

The singing and the prayers being ended, they all 
rose up. The discussion was about to open ; but as it 
was past the hour of noon, it was deferred until two 
o'clock. 

The duke invited to his table the principal persons 
who were to be present at the discussion. After the 
repast, they returned to the castle. The great hall was 
filled with spectators. Disputations of this kind were 
the public meetings of that age. It was here that the 
representatives of their day agitated the questions that 
occupied all minds. The speakers were soon at their 
posts. That the reader may form a better idea of their 
appearance, we will give their portraits as drawn by 
one of the most impartial witnesses of the contest. 

" Martin Luther is of middle stature, and so thin, in 
consequence of his studies, that his bones may almost 
be counted. He is in the prime of life, and has a clear 
and sonorous voice. His knowledge and understanding 
of the holy Scriptures is unparalleled ; he has ctie word 
• Come, Holy S|virit, 



LUTHER, CARLSTADT, AND ECK.. 



45 



of God at his fingers' ends.* Besides this, he possesses 
great store of arguments and ideas. One might perhaps 
desire a little more judgment in arranging his subjects 
In conversation he is pleasing and affable ; there is noth- 
ing harsh or austere about him ; he can accommodate 
himself to every one ; his manner of speaking is agree- 
able and unembarrassed. He displays firmness, and has 
always a cheerful air, whatever may be his adversaries' 
threats ; so that it is difficult to believe that he could 
undertake such great things without the divine protec- 
tion. He is blamed, however, for being more caustic, 
when reproving others, than becomes a theologian, par 
ticularly when putting forward novelties in religion. 

" Carlstadt is of shorter stature ; his complexion is 
dark and sunburnt, his voice unpleasing, his memory 
less trustworthy than Luther's, and he is more inclined 
to anger. He possesses, however, though in a smaller 
degree, the qualities that distinguish his friend. 

" Eck is tall, broad-shouldered, and has a strong and 
thorough German voice. He has good lungs, so that he 
would be heard well in a theatre, and would even make 
an excellent town-crier. His accent is rather vulgar 
than elegant. He has not that gracefulness so much 
extolled by Fabius and Cicero. His mouth, his eyes, 
and his whole countenance give you the idea of a soldier 
or a butcher, rather than of a divine.f He has an excel- 
lent memory, and if he had only as much understanding, 
he would be really a perfect man. But he is slow of com- 
prehension, and is wanting in judgment, without which 
all other qualities are useless. Hence, in disputing, he 
heaps together, without selection or discernment, a mass 
of passages from the Bible, quotations from the fathers, 
and proofs of all kinds. He has, besides, an impudence 
almost beyond conception. If he is embarrassed, he 
breaks off from the subject he is treating of, and plunges 

* Seine Gelehrsamkeit aber und Verstand in heiliger Schrift ist 
unvergleichlich, so dase er fast alles im Griflf hat. Mosellanus in 
Seckend. p. 206. f Das Maul, Augen und ganze Gesicht, pre- 

Bcntirt ehe einea Fleischer oder Soldaten, als einen Theologom 
Ibid. 



40 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



into another ; he sometimes even takes up his adver- 
sary's opinion, clothing it in other words, and with 
extraordinary skill attributes to his opponent the ab- 
surdity he had been himself defending." 

Such, according to Mosellanus, were the men at that 
time attracting the attention of the crowd which throng- 
ed the great hall of the Pleissenburg. 

The dispute began between Eck and Carls tad t. 

Eck's eyes were fixed for a moment on certain ob- 
jects that lay on the desk of his adversary's pulpit, and 
which seemed to disturb him ; they were the Bible and 
the holy fathers. " I decline the discussion," exclaimed 
he suddenly, " if you are permitted to bring your books 
with you." Surprising that a divine should have recourse 
to books in order to dispute ! Eck's astonishment was 
still more marvellous. " It is the fig-leaf which this 
Adam makes use of to hide his shame,"* said Luther. 
"Did not Augustine consult his books when arguing 
with the Manlcheans ?" What did that matter ? Eck's 
partisans raised a great clamor. The other side did the 
same. " The man has no memory," said Eck, At last 
it was arranged, accoi-ding to the wish of the chancellor 
of Ingolstadt, that each should rely upon his memory 
and his tongue only. " Thus, then," said many. " the 
object of this disputation will not be to discover the 
truth, but what praise is to be conferred on the tongue 
and the memory of the disputants." 

As we are unable to give the details of this disciis 
sion, which lasted seventeen days, we shall, as a histo- 
rian expresses it, imitate the painters, who, when they 
have to represent a battle, set the most memorable ac- 
tions in the foreground, and leave the others in the dis* 
tance.f 

The subject of discussion between Eck and Carlstadt 
was important. "Man's will, before his conversion," 
said Carlstadt, "can perform no good work: every good 
work comes entirely and exclusively from God, who gives 
man first the will to do, and then the power of accom- 

• Praetexit tamen et hie Adam ille folium t< pulcherrimum. L.^ 
Bpp. 1. 294. t Pallavicini, 1. 65. 



MERIT OF CONaUUITT. 



47 



pliflhing." This truth had been proclaimed by Scripture, 
which says, " It is God which worketh in you both to 
will and to do of his good pleasure," Phil. 2:13; and by 
St. Augustine, who, in his dispute with the Pelagians, 
had enunciated it in nearly the same terms. Every work 
in which the love of God and obedience towards him do 
not exist, is deprived, in the eyes of the Almighty, of all 
that can render it good, even should it originate in the 
best of human motives. Now there is in man a natural 
opposition to God, an opposition that the unaided strength 
of man cannot surmount. He has neither the will nor 
the power to overcome it. This must therefore be eflfect- 
ed by the divine will. 

This is the whole question of freewill, so simple, and 
yet so decried by t'he world. Such had been the d*jctrine 
of the church. But the schoolmen had so explained it 
that it Was not recognizable. Undoubtedly, said they, 
th« natural will of man can do nothing really pleasing 
to God ; but it can do much towards rendering men meet 
to receive the grace of God, and more worthy to obtain 
it. They called these preparations a merit of congru 
ity :* because it is congruous/^ said Thomas Aquinas, 
"that God should treat with particular favor him who 
makes a good use of his own will." And as regards 
the conversion to be effected in man, undoubtedly it must 
be accomplished by the grace of God, which, according 
to the schoolmen, should bring it about, but not to the 
exclusion of his natural powers. These powers, said 
they, were not destroyed by sin : sin only opposes an 
obstacle to their development ; but so soon as this ob- 
stacle is removed — and k was this, in their opinior, that 
the grace of God had to effect — the uction of these pow- 
ers begins again. The bird, to use one of their favorite 
comparisons, that has been tied for some time, has in 
this state neither lost its ability nor forgotten the art of 
flying ; but some hand must loose the bonds, in order 
that he may again make use of his wings. This is the 
case with man, said they.f 

Such was the question agitated between Eck and 
• Meritum congruum. t Planck, 1. 176 



48 



HISTORY OF THE REFGRMAnOUr. 



Carlstadt. At first Eck had appeared to oppose all Carl- 
stadt's propositions on this subject ; but finding his po 
sition untenable, he said, I grant that the will has not 
the power of doing a good work, and that it receives 
tl is power from God." "Do you acknowledge, then,** 
asked Carlstadt, overjoyed at obtaining so important a 
Donc(^ssion, "that every good work comes entirely from 
God?" " The whole good work really proceeds from God, 
but not wholly, cunningly replied the scholastic doctor. 
" Truly, this is a discovery not unworthy of the science 
of divinity," exclaimed Melancthon. " An entire apple,'^ 
continued Eck, "is produced by the sun, but not entirely 
and without the cooperation of the plant."* Most cer- 
tainly it has never yet been maintained that an apple 
is produced solely by the sun. 

Well then, said the opponents, plunging deeper into 
this important and delicate question of philosophy and 
religion, let us inquire how God acts upon man, and how 
man conducts himself under this action. "I acknow- 
ledge," said Eck, "that the first impulse in man's con- 
version proceeds from God, and that the will of man in 
this instance is entirely passive.'^f Thus far the two 
parties were agreed. " I acknowledge," said Carlstadt, 
" that after this first impulse which proceeds from God, 
something must come on the part of man, something 
that St. Paul denominates mil, and which the fathers 
entitle consents Here again they were both agreed ; 
but from this point they diverged. "This consent of 
man," said Eck; " comes partly from our natural will, 
and partly from God's grace.'-| " No," said Carlstadt ; 
" God must entirely create this will in man."§ Upon 
this Eck manifested anger and astonishment at hearing 
words so fitted to make man sensible of his nothingness* 

* Quanquam totum opus Dei sit, non tamen totaliter a Deo esse ; 
quemadmodum totum pomum officitur a sole, sed non a sole totalu 
ier et sine plantae efficentia. Pallavicini, 1. 68. f Motioaem 

Beu inspirationem prevenientem esse a solo Deo ; et ibi liberum arbi- 
trium habet se passive. J Partim a Deo, partim a libera arbitrio. 

§ Cousentit homo, sed consensuM est donum Dei. Consentire noB 
Mt agere. 



THE DOCTRINi!; OF FREEWxLL. 



49 



^ Your doctrine/' exclaimed he, " converts a man into a 
stone, a log, incapable of any reaction.'' " What," replied 
the reformers, **the faculty of receiving this strength 
which God produces in him, this faculty which, accord- 
ing to us, man possesses, does not sufficiently distinguish 
liim from a log or a stone ?" But," said their antago- 
nist, '- by denying that man has any natural ability, you 
contradict all experience." We do not deny," replied 
they, " that man possesses a certain ability, and that he 
has the power of reflection, meditation, and choice. We 
consider this power and ability as mere instruments, that 
can produce no good work until the hand of God has set 
them in motion. They are like a saw in the hands of a 
sawyer."* 

The great doctrine of freewill was here discussed ; 
and it was easy to demonstrate that the doctrine of the 
reformers did not deprive man of his liberty as a moral 
agent, and make him a mere passive machine. The lib- 
erty of a moral agent consists in his power of acting 
conformably to his choice. Every action performed with- 
out external constraint, and in consequence of the deter- 
mination of the soul itself, is a free action. The soul is 
determined by motives ; but we continually observe the 
same motives acting differently on different minds. Many 
men do not act in conformity with the motives of which, 
however, they acknowledge the full force. This ineffi- 
cacy of motives proceeds from the obstacles opposed to 
them by the corruption of the understanding, and of the 
heart. But God, by giving man a new heart and a new 
spirit, removes these obstacles ; and by removing them, 
far from depriving him of his liberty, he takes away, on 
the contrary, every thing that prevented him from act- 
ing freely, from listening to the voice of his conscience, 
and, in the words of the gospel, makes him free in- 
iced" John 8 : 36. 

A trivial circumstance interrupted the discussion. 
We learn frcm Eck,f that Carlstadt had prepared a 
aumber of arguments ; and, like many public speakers 
of our own day, he was reading what he had written. 
* Ut serra in manu hominis tralientis. f Seckend. p. 192. 

HiA0(R«f. IL ^ 



50 HISTORY OF THE EEFORMATION. 



Eck saw in this the tactics of a mere learner, and ob* 
jected to it. Carlstadt, embarrassed, and feaiing that 
he should l^rcak down if he were deprived of his papers, 
persisted. " Ah," exclaimed the schoolman, proud of tho 
advantage he thought he had obtained, " his memory is 
not so good as mine." The point was referred to the 
arbitrators, who permitted the reading of extracts from 
the fathers, but decided that in other respects the dispm- 
tants should speak extempore. 

This first part of the disputation was often interrupt- 
ed by the noise of the spectators. They were in commo- 
tion, and frequently raised their voices. Any proposition 
that ofiended the ears of the majority immediately excited 
their clamors, and then, as in our own days, the galleries 
were often called to order. The disputants themselves 
were sometimes carried away by the heat of discussion. 

Near Luther sat Melancthon, who attracted almost 
as much attention as his neighbor. He was of small 
stature, and appeared little more than eighteen years 
old. Luther, who was a head taller, seemed connected 
with him in the closest friendship ; they came in, went 
out, and took their walks together. " To look at Me- 
lancthon," wrote a Swiss theologian who studied at Wit- 
temberg,* " you would say he was a mere boy ; but in 
understanding, learning, and talent, he is a giant, and 1 
cannot comprehend how such heights of wisdom and 
genius can be found in so small a body." Between the 
sittings, Melancthon conversed with Carlstadt and Lu- 
ther. He aided them in preparing for the combat, and 
suggested the arguments with which his extensive learn- 
ing furnished him ; but during the discussion he remain- 
ed quietly seated among the spectators, and carefully 
listened to the words of the theologians.f From time 
to time, however, he came to the assistance of Carlstadt | 
and when the latter was near giving way under the 
powerful declamation of the chancellor of Ingolstadt, the 
young professor whispered a word, or slipped him a 
piece of paper, on which the answer was written. Eck 

* John Kessler, afterwards the reformer of St. GalL f Lipaica 
paguae otiosus sj)ectator in reliquo vulgo sedL Corp. Ref. 1 HI, 



MELANCTHOlf'S SENTIMENTS. 51 



having perceived this on one occasion, and feeling in* 
dignant that this grammarian, as he called him, should 
dare interfere in the discussion, turned towards him and 
said haughtily, Hold your tongue, Philip ; mind your 
studies, and do not disturb me."* Perhaps Eck at that 
time foresaw how formidable an opponent he would after- 
wards find in this young man. Luther was offended at 
the gross insult directed against his friend. " Philip's 
judgment," said he, has greater weight with me than 
that of a thousand Doctor Ecks." 

The calm Melancthon easily detected the weak points 
of the discussion. "We cannot help feeling surprise," 
said he, with that wisdom and beauty which we find in 
all his words, "when we think of the violence with 
which these subjects were treated. How could any one 
expect to derive any profit from it ? The Spirit of God 
loves retirement and silence : it is then that it pene- 
trates deep into our hearts. The bride of Christ does 
not dwell in the streets and market-places, but leads her 
Spouse into the house of her mother."")* 

Each party claimed the victory. Eck strained every 
nerve to appear the conqueror. As the points of diver- 
gence almost touched each other, he frequently exclaim- 
ed that he had convinced his opponent ; or else, like 
another Proteus, said Luther, he suddenly turned round, 
put forth Carlstadt's opinions in other words, and asked 
him, with a tone of triumph, if he did not find himself 
compelled to yield. And the unskilful auditors, who 
could not detect the manoeuvre of the sophist, applauded 
and exulted with him. In many respects they were not 
equally matched. Carlstadt was slow, and on some oc- 
casions did not reply to his adversary's objections until 
the next day. Eck, on the contrary, was a mastei in his 
science, and found whatever he required at the very in- 
stant. He entered the hall with a disdainful air ; ascend- 
ed the rostrum with a firm step ; and there he tossed 
himself about, paced to and fro, spoke at the full pitch 
of his sonorous voice, had a reply ready for every argu- 

* Tace tu, Philippe, ac tua studia cura, nec me perturba. Corp. 
Ref. X. 14^. t Melancth. 0pp. p. 134. 



62, HISTORT OF THE EEFORMATIOIT. 



ment, and bewildered Ws hearers by his memory and 
skill. And yet, without perceiving it, Eck conceded 
during the discussion much more than he had intended. 
His partisans laughed aloud at each of his devices ; 
"but," said Luther, " I seriously believe that their laugh- 
ter was mere pretence, and that in their hearts they were 
annoyed at seeing their chief, who had commenced the 
battle with so many bravados, abandon his standard, 
desert his army, and become a shameless runaway."* 

Three or f ^ur days after the opening of the confer- 
ence, the disputation was interrupted by the festival of 
Peter and Paul the apostles. 

On this occasion the duke of Pomerania requested 
Luther to preach before him in his chapel. Luther cheer- 
fully consented. But the place was soon crowded, and 
as the number of hearers kept increasing, the assembly 
was transferred to the great hall of the castle in which 
the discussion was held. Luther chose his text from 
the gospel of the day, and preached on the grace of God 
and the power of St. Peter. What Luther ordinarily 
maintained before an audience composed of men of learn- 
ing, he then set before the people. Christianity causes 
the light of truth to shine upon the humblest as well as 
the most elevated minds ; it is this which distinguishes 
it from every other religion and from every system of 
philosophy. The theologians of Leipsic, who had heard 
Luther preach, hastened to report to Eck the scandalous 
words with which their ears had been shocked. "You 
must reply," exclaimed they ; "you must publicly refute 
these subtle errors." Eck desired nothing better. All 
the churches were open to him, and four times in succes- 
sion he went into the pulpit to cry down Luther and his 
sermon. Luther's friends were indignant at this. They 
demanded that the Wittemberg divine should be heard 
in his turn. But it was all in vain. The pulpits were 
open to the adversaries of the evangelical doctrine ; they 
were closed against those who proclaimed it. " I wab 
silent," said Luther, " and was forced to suffer myself to 

* Relictis sigais desertorew exercitijs et transfugam factum. L.. 
0pp. I. 296. 



CONDUCT OF THE CITIZEKS. 



53 



be attacked, insulted, and calumniated, without even the 
power of excusing or defending myself."* 

It was not only the ecclesiastics who manifested their 
opposition to the evangelical doctors : the citizens of 
Leipsic were, in this respect, of the same opinion as the 
clergy. A blind fanaticism had rendered them the dupes 
of the falsehood and hatred that the priests were attempt* 
ing to propagate. The principal inhabitants did not visit 
either Luther or Carlstadt. If they met them in the street, 
they did not salute them, and endeavored to traduce their 
characters with the duke. But on the contrary, they 
paid frequent visits to the doctor of Ingolstadt, and ate 
and drank with him. The latter feasted with them, en- 
tertaining them with a description of the costly banquets 
to which he had been invited in Germany and Italy, sneer- 
ing at Luther who had imprudently rushed upon his in- 
vincible sword, slowly quaffing the beer of Saxony, the 
better to compare it with that of Bavaria, and casting am- 
orous glances — he boasts of it himself — on the frail fair 
ones of Leipsic. His manners, which were rather free, 
did not give a favorable idea of his morals.f They were 
satisfied with offering Luther the wine usually presented 
to the disputants. Those who were favorably disposed 
towards him, concealed their feelings from the public ; 
many, like Nicodemus of old, visited him stealthily and 
by night. Two men alone honorably distinguished them- 
selves by publicly declaring their friendship for him. 
They were Doctor Auerbach, whom we have already 
seen at Augsburg, and Doctor Pistor the younger. 

The greatest agitation prevailed in the city. The two 
parties were like two hostile camps, and they sometimes 
came to blows. Frequent quarrels took place in the tav- 
erns between the students of Leipsic and those of Wit- 
temberg. It was generally reported, even in the meet- 
ings of the clergy, that Luther carried a devil about with 
him shut up in a little box. " I do n't know whether the 
devil is in the box, or merely under his frock," said Eck 
insidiously ; " but he is certainly in one or the other." 

• Mich verklagen, Bchelten und schmaehen. L. 0pp. L. 17. 247. 

t Eck to Haven and Bourkard, July 1, 1515. Walcb 15. 1^0, 



54 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



Several doctors of the two parties had lodgings dur 
ing the disputation in the house of the printer Herbipolis. 
They became so outrageous, that their host was compel- 
led to station a police officer armed with a halberd at 
the head of the table, with orders to prevent the guests 
from coming to blows. One day Bauragartner, an indul- 
gence-merchant, quarrelled with a gentleman, a friend of 
Luther's, and gave way to such a violent fit of anger 
that he expired. I was one of those who carried him 
to his grave," said Froschel, who relates the circum- 
stance.* In this manner did the general ferment in 
men's minds display itself. Then, as in our own times, 
the speeches in the pulpits found an echo in the draw- 
fng-room and in the streets. 

Duke George, although strongly biassed in Eck's fa- 
vor, did not display so much passion as his subjects. He 
invited Eck, Luther, and Carlstadt to meet each other at 
his table. He even begged Luther to come and see him 
in private ; but it was not long before he displayed all 
the prejudices with which he had been inspired against 
the reformer. By your work on the Lord's prayer," 
said the duke with displeasure, "you have misled the 
consciences of many. There are some people who com- 
plain that they have not been able to repeat a single 
pai&**\oster for four days together." 

* Losoher, 3. 27a 



THE HIERARCHY AND RATIONALISM. 65 



CHAPTER V. 

The hierarchy and rationaifem—The two peasants' sons— Eck and 
Luther begin —The head uf the church — Primacy of Rome — 
Equality of bishops — Peter the foundaf on-sto-ne — Christ the cor* 
ner-stone- Eck iuvsinuates thai iiUther is a Hussite — Luther on 
t]ie doctrine of Huss — Agitation among the hearers — The word 
alone — The court-fool — Luther at Mass — Saying of the duke — 
Purgatory— Close of the discussion. 

On the 4th of July the discussion between Eck and 
fiuther commenced. Every thing seemed to promise that 
it would be more violeT)t, more decisive, and more inter- 
esting than that which had just concluded, and which 
had gradually thinned the hall. The two combatants 
entered the arena resolved not to lay down their arms 
until victory declared in favor of one or the other. The 
general expectation was aroused, for the papal primacy 
was to be the subject of discussion. Christianity has 
two great adversaries : hierarchism and rationalism 
Rationalism, in its application to the doctrine of man's 
ability, Lad been attacked by the reformers in the previ- 
ous part of the Leipsic disputation. Hierarchism, con- 
sidered in what is at once its summit and its base — the 
doctrine of papal authority — was to be contested in the 
second. On the one side appeared Eck, the champion of 
the established religion, vaunting of the discussions he 
had maintained, as a general boasts of his campaigns.* 
On the other side advanced Luther, who seemed destined 
to reap persecution and ignominy from this struggle, 
but who still presented himself with a good conscience, 
a firm resolution to sacrifice every thing in the cause of 
truth, and an assu/unce grounded in faith in God, and 
in the deliverance lit grants to all who trust in him. 
New convictions had sunk deep into his soul ; they were 

* Faciebat hoc Eccius quia certam sibi gloriam propositam cer* 
nebat, propter propositionem meam, in qua negabam Papam esse 
jure divino caput Ecclesiae ; hue patuit ei campus magnue. L, 0pp. 
in Praef. 



56 HISTORY OF THE EEFORMATION. 



not as yet arranged into a system ; but in the heat of the 
combat they flashed forth like lightning. Serious and 
daring, he showed a resolution that made light of every 
obstacle. On his features might be seen the traces of 
the storms his soul had encountered, and the courage 
with which he was prepared to meet fresh tempests. 
These combatants, both sons of peasants, and tlie repre- 
sentatives of the two tendencies that still divirle Chris- 
tendom, were about to enter upon a contest on which 
depended, in great measure, the future prospects of the 
state and of the church. 

At seven in the morning the two disputants were in 
their pulpits, surrounded by a numerous and attentive 
assembly. 

Luther stood up, and with a necessary precaution, he 
said modestly : 

" In the name of the Lord, Amen, I declare that the 
respect I bear to the sovereign pontiff would have pre- 
vented my entering upon this discussion, if the excellent 
Dr. Eck had not dragged me into it.'- 

EcK. In thy name, gentle Jesus, before descending 
into the lists, I protest before you, most noble lords, 
that all that I may say is in submission to the judgment 
of the first of all sees, and of him who is its possessor. 

After a brief silence, Eck continued : 
There is in the church of God a primacy that Com- 
eth from Christ himself The church militant was formed 
in the image of the church triumphant. Now, the latter 
is a monarchy in which the hierarchy ascends step by 
step up to God, its sole chief. For this reason Christ has 
established a similar order upon earth. What a monster 
the church would be if it were without a head !"* 

Luther, turning towards the assembly. When Dr. Eck 
declares that the universal church must have a head, he 
says well. If there is any one among us who maintains 
the contrary, let him stand up. As for me, it is no con- 
cern of mine. 

Eck. If the church militant has never been without 
Nam quod monstrum esset, Ecclesiam esse acephalam 1 L. 0pp. 
Lat. 1. 2i3. 



FEIMAOY OP ROME 



57 



a bead, I should like to know who it can be, if not the 
Roman pontiff? 

Luther. The head of the church militant is Christ him 
self, and not a man. I believe this on the testimony of 
God's word. " He mnst reign," says Scripture, " till he 
hatl. put all enemies under his feet." 1 Cor. 15:25 
Lot us not listen to those who banish Christ to the 
church triumphant in heaven. His kingdom is a king- 
dom of faith. We cannot see our Head, and yet we 
have one.* 

Eck, who did not consider himself beaten, had re- 
course to other arguments, and resumed : 

"It is from Rome, according to Saint Cyprian, that 
sacerdotal unity has proceeded."f 

Luther. For the Western church, I grant it. But is 
not this same Roman church the offspring of that of Jeru- 
salem ? It is the latter, properly speaking, that is the 
nursing-mother of all the churches. J 

Eck. Saint Jerome declares that if an extraordinary 
power, superior to all others, were not given to the 
pope,§ there would be in the churches as many sects as 
there were pontiffs. 

Luther. Given ; that is to say, if all the rest of be- 
lievers consent to it, this power might be conceded to 
the chief pontiff by human right. \\ And I will not deny, 
that if all the believers in the world agree in recogniz- 
ing as first and supreme pontiff either the bishop of 
Rome, or of Paris, or of Magdeburg, we should acknow- 
ledge him as such from the respect due to this genera] 
agreement of the church ; but that has never been seen 
yet, and never will be seen. Even in our own days, 
does not the Greek church refuse its assent to Rome ? 

• Prorsiis audiendi non sunt qui Christum extra Ecclesiam raiii* 
tantem tendunt in triumphantem, cum sit regiium fidei. Caput no* 
trum non videmus; tamen habemus. L. 0pp. Lat. 1. p 243. 

f Unde sacerdotalis unitas exorta est. Ibid. t Haec est ma' 
trix proprie omnium ecclesiarum. Ibid. 244. § Cui si non ex 
Bors quaedam et ab omnibus eminens detur potestas. Ibid. 243. 

II Detur, inquit hoc est jure humano ; posset fieri, consentienii 
bos cieieris omnibus fidelibus. Ibid. 244. 



58 HISTORY OF THE UEFOHMATIOH . 



Luther was at that time prepared to acknowledge 
the pope as chief magistrate of the church, freely elected 
by it ; bat he denied that he was pope of divine right. 
It was not till much later that he denied that submission 
was in any way due to him ; and this step he was led 
tc take by the Leipsic disputation. But Eck had men- 
tis red on ground better known to Luther than to him- 
gclf. The latter could not, indeed, maintain his thesis 
that the papacy had existed during the preceding four 
centuries only. Eck quoted authorities of an earlier 
date, to which Luther could not reply. Criticism had 
not yet attacked the false decretals. But the nearer the 
discussion approached the primitive ages of the church, 
the greater was Luther's strength. Eck appealed to the 
fathers ; Luther replied to him from the fathers, and all 
the bystanders were struck with his superiority over his 
rival. 

"That the opinions I set forth are those of Saint 
Jerome,'' said he, I prove by the epistle of St. Jerome 
himself to Evagrius : * Every bishop,' says he, * whether 
at Rome, Eugubium, Constantinople, Rhegium, Tanis, or 
Alexandria, is partaker of the same merit and of the 
Bame priesthood.* The power of riches, the humiliation 
of poverty, are the only things that make a difference m 
the rank of the bishops.' " 

From the writings of the fathers, Luther passed to 
the decisions of the councils, which consider the bishop 
of Rome as only the first among his peers.f 

We read," said he, " in the decree of the Council of 
Africa, * The bishop of the first see shall neither be call- 
ed prince of the pontiffs, nor sovereign pontiff, nor oy 
any other name of that kind ; but only bishop of the fiist 
Bee.' If the monarchy of the bishop of Rome was of 
divine right," continued Luther, " would not this be an 
heretical injunction ?" 

Eck replied by one of those subtle distinctions that 
wore so familiar to him : 

• iJjuBdem meriti et ejusdem sacerdotii est. L. 0pp. Lai 1. 24i 
1 Primus inter pares. 



EQUALITY' OF BISHOPS. 



69 



" The bishop of Kome, if you will have it so, is not 
aniversal bishop, but bishop of the universal church."* 

Luther. I shall make no reply to this : let our hear 
ers form their own opinion of it. Certainly, added he 
directly, this is an explanation very worthy of a theo- 
logian, and calculated to satisfy a disputant who thirsts 
for glory. It is not for nothing, it seems, that I have 
remained at great expense at Leipsic, since I have learnt 
that the pope is not, in truth, the universal bishop, but 
the bishop of the universal church.f 

EcK. Well, then, I will come to the point. The wor- 
thy doctor calls upon me to prove that the primacy of 
the church of Rome is of divine right. I will prove it 
by this expression of Christ : " Thou art Peter, and on 
this rock will I build my church." Saint Augustine, in 
one of his epistles, has thus explained the meaning of 
this passage : Thou art Peter, and on this roc^," that 
is to say, on Peter, I will build my church." It is true 
that in another place the same father has explained that 
by this rock we should understand Christ himself, but he 
has not retracted his former exposition. 

Luther. If the reverend doctor desires to attack me, 
let him first recoucile these contradictions in Saint Au- 
gustine. For it is most certain that Augustine has said 
many times that the rock was Christ, and perhaps not 
more than once that it was Peter himself. But even 
should Saint Augustine and all the fathers say that the 
apostle is the rock of which Christ speaks, I would resist 
them single-handed, in reliance upon the holy Scriptures, 
that is, on divine right ;J for it is written, Other foun- 
dation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus 
Christ." 1 Cor. 3:11. Peter himself terms Christ " the 
chief corner-stone," and a living stone," on which we 
are built up a spiritual house. 1 Peter 2 : 4-6. 

EcK. I am surprised at the humility and modesty 
with which the reverend doctor undertakes to oppose, 

* Non episcopus universalis, sed universalis Ecclesiae episcopas. 
L. 0pp. Lat. 1. 24i. f Ego glorior me tot expensis non frustra, 
L Epp. 1. 299. X Resistam eis ego unus, auctoritate apostoli, 
est, divino jure. L. 0pp. Lat. 1. 137. 



60 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOIT. 

alone, so many illustrious fathers, and pretends to.knoTV 
more than the sovereign pontiffs, the councils, the dpo 
tors, and the universities I .... It would be surprising, 
no doubt, if God had hidden the truth from so many 
saints and martyrs, until the advent of the reverend 
father. 

Luther. The fathers are not against me. Saint An- 
gustine and Saint Ambrose, both most excellent doctors, 
teach as I teach. Super isto articulo fideiy fundata est 
Ecclesiay^ says Saint Ambrose, when explaining what ia 
meant by the rock on which the church is built. Let my 
opponent then set a curb upon his tongue. To express 
himself as he does will only serve to excite contention, 
and not be to discuss like a true doctor. 

Eck had no idea that his opponent's learning was so 
extensive, and that he would be able to extricate him- 
self from the toils that were drawn around him. " The 
reverend doctor," said he, "has come well armed into 
the lists. I beg your lordships to excuse me, if I do not 
exhibit such accuracy of research. I came here to dis- 
cuss, and not to make a book." Eck was surprised but 
not beaten. As he had no more arguments to adduce, 
he had recourse to a wretched and spiteful trick, which, 
if it did not vanquish his antagonist, must at least em- 
barrass him greatly. If the accusation of being Bohemi- 
an, a heretic, a Hussite, can be fixed upon Luther, he is 
vanquished ; for the Bohemians were objects of abhor- 
rence in the church. The scene of combat was not far 
from the frontiers of Bohemia ; Saxony, after the sen- 
tence pronounced on John Huss by the Council of Con- 
stance, had been exposed to all the horrors of a long 
and ruinous war ; it was its boast to have resisted the 
Hussites at that time ; the university of Leipsic had 
been founded in opposition to the tendencies of John 
Huss ; and this discussion was going on in the presence 
of princes, nobles, and citizens whose fathers had fallen 
in that celebrated contest. To insinuate that Luther 
and Huss are of one mind, will be to inflict a most tei> 

* The church !b founded on that article of faith. L. 0pp. Lat 
L 254. 



ECK'S INSINUATION 



61 



rible blow on the former. It is to this stratagem that 
the Ingolstadt doctor i^w has recourse : " From the 
earliest times, all good Christians have acknowledged 
that the church of Rome derives its primacy direct from 
Christ himself, and not from human right. I must con- 
fess, however, that the Bohemians, while they obsti- 
nately defended their errors, attacked this doctrine. I 
beg the worthy father's pardon, if I am an enemy of the 
Bohemians, because they are enemies of the church, and 
if the present discussion has called these heretics to my 
recollection ; for, in my humble opinion, the doctor's 
<5onclusions are in every way favorable to these errors. 
It is even asserted that the Hussites are loudly boast- 
ing of it.* 

Eck had calculated well : his partisans received this 
perfidious insinuation with the greatest favor. There 
was a movement of joy among the audience. " These 
insults," said the reformer afterwards, "tickled them 
much more agreeably than the discussion itself." 

Luther. I do not like, and I never shall like a schism. 
Since on their own authority the Bohemians have sepa- 
rated from our unity, they have done wrong, even if the 
divine right had pronounced in favor of their doctrines ; 
for the supreme divine right is charity and oneness of 
mind."f 

It was during the morning sitting of the 6th of July 
that Luther had made use of this language. The mee^ 
ing broke up shortly after, as it was the hour of dinner. 
Luther felt ill at ease. Had he not gone too far in thus 
condemning the Christians of Bohemia? Did they not 
hold the doctrines that Luther is now maintaining ? He 
saw all the difficulties of his position. Shall he rise up 
against a council that condemned John Huss, or shall he 
deny that sublime idea of a universal Christian church 
which had taken full possession of his mind ? The un- 
shaken Luther did not hesitate. He will do his duty, 

* Et, ut fama est, de hoc plurimum gratulantur. L. 0pp. Lat. 1, 
250. t Nuuquam mihi placuit, nec in ajternum placebit quod- 

cunque Bchisma. Cum supremum jus divinum sit cbaritas et unitmi 
SfHTitua. L. 0pp. Lat. 1, 250, 



62 HISTORY OF THE EEFOEMATIOlf . 



whatever may be the consequences. Accordingly when 
the assembly met again at two in the afternoon, he was 
the first to speak. He said with firmness, 

Among the articles of faith held by John Huss and 
the Bohemians, there are some that are most Christ.' an 
This is a positive certainty. Here, for instance, is one ; 
*That there is but one universal church and here is 
another : ^ It is not necessary for salvation to believe 
the Roman church superior to all others.' It is of little 
consequence to me whether these things were said by 
"Wicklifie or by Huss ; they are truth.'' 

Luther's declaration produced a great sensation 
among his hearers. Huss, Wickliffe — those odious 
names pronounced with approbation by a monk in the 
midst of a catholic assembly 1 An almost general mur- 
mur ran round the hall. Duke George himself felt 
alarmed. He fancied he saw that banner of civil war 
upraised in Saxony which had for so many years deso- 
lated the states of his maternal ancestors. Unable to 
suppress his emotion, he placed his hands on his hips, 
shook his head, and exclaimed aloud, so that all the as- 
sembly heard him, *'He is carried away by rage 1"* The 
whole meeting was agitated : they rose up, each man 
speaking to his neighbor. Those who had given way to 
drowsiness awoke. Luther's friends were in great per- 
plexity ; while his enemies exulted. Many who had thus 
far listened to him with pleasure, began to entertain 
doubts of his orthodoxy. The impression produced on 
Duke George's mind by these words was never effaced ; 
from this moment he looked upon the reformer with an 
evil eye, and became his enemy.f 

Luther did not suffer himself to be intimidated by 
these murmurs. One of his principal arguments was, 
that the Greeks had never recognized the pope, and yet 
they had never been declared heretics ; that the Greek 
church had existed, still existed, and would exist with 
out the pope, and that it as much belonged to Christ as 
the church of Rome did. Eck, on the contrary, impu- 

* Das wait die Suchtl f Nam adhuc erat Dux Georgius miW 
o^ODL iuiioicud, quod sclebam certd. L. Opp. m Pr»f. 



THE WORD OF aOD ALONE. 



63 



dently maintained that the Christian and the Roman 
church were one and the same ; that the Greeks and 
Orientals, in abandoning the pope, had also abandoned 
the Christian faith, and were indisputably heretics. 
" What 1" exclaimed Luther, " are not Gregory of Nazi- 
anzum, Basil the Great, Epiphanius, Chrysostom, and an 
immense number besides of Greek bishops — are they not 
saved ? and yet they did not believe that the church of 
Rome was above the other churches. ... It is not in the 
power of the Roman pontiffs to make new articles of 
faith. The Christian believer acknowledges no other 
authority than holy Scripture. This alone is the right 
divine* I beg the worthy doctor to concede that the 
Roman pontiffs were men, and that he will not make 
them gods." 

Eck then resorted to one of those jests which give a 
specious ail of triumph to him who employs them. 

" The reverend father is a very poor cook," said he ; 
"he has made a terrible hodge-podge of Greek saints 
and heretics ; so that the odor of sanctity in the one 
prevents us from smelling the poison of the others."f 

Luther, interrupting Eck with warmth. The worthy 
doctor is becoming abusive. In my opinion, there can 
be no communion between Christ and BeliaL 

Luther had made a great stride in advance. In 1516 
and 1517, he had only attacked the sermons of the indut 
gence-hawkers and the scholastic doctrines, but had 
respected the papal decrees. Somewhat later he had 
rejected these decrees, and had appealed to a council. 
Now he had thrown off even this latter authority, declar- 
ing that no council could lay down a new article of faith, 
and claim to be infallible. Thus had all human authori- 
ties fallen successively before him ; the sands that the 
rain and the torrents carry with them had disappeared ; 
and for rebuilding the ruined house of the Lord nothing 

• Neo potest fidelis Christianus cogi ultra sacram Scripturam, 
qu« est proprie jus divinum. L. 0pp. Lat. 1. 252. f At Rey. 
Pater, artis coquinarice minus instructus, commiscet sanctos Graocof 
cum Bchismaticis et haereticia, ut fuco sanctitatis Patrum IxaejrwtiQO 
nun tueatur perfidiam. Ibid 



64 HISTOEY OF THE UEFORMATIOIT. 



remained but the everlasting rock of the word of Goi 
"Reverend father," said Eck, '*if you believe tliat a 
council, regularly assembled, can err, you are in my 
eyes nothing better than a heathen and a publican/' 

Such were the discussions that occupied the two ioo 
tors. The assembly listened with earnestness ; but their 
attention sometimes flagged, and the bystanders were 
dslighted when any incident occurred to amuse and ex- 
cite them. It often happens that the most serious matters 
are mixed up with others the most ridiculous. This was 
the case at Leipsic. 

Duke George, according to the custom of the times, 
had a court-fool. Some wags said to him, "Luther main- 
tains that a court-fool may marry, while Eck says that 
he cannot." Upon this, the fool took a great dislike to 
Eck, and every time he entered the hall in the duke's 
train, he looked at the theologian with a threatening air. 
The chancellor of Ingolstadt, who was not above indulg- 
ing in buffoonery, closed one eye — the fool was blind of 
an eye — and with the other began to squint at the little 
gentleman, who, losing his temper, overwhelmed the doc- 
tor with abuse. The whole assembly, says Peifer, burst 
into laughter, and this interlude somewhat diminished 
the extreme tension of their minds.* 

At the same time scenes were enacting in the city 
and in the churches, that showed the horror inspired in 
the Romish partisans by Luther's bold assertions. It 
was from the convents attached to the pope's interest 
that the loudest clamors proceeded. One Sunday, the 
Wittemberg doctor entered the Dominican church before 
high mass. There were present only a few monks re- 
peating low mass at the smaller altars. As soon as it 
was known in the cloister that the heretic Luther was 
in the church, the monks ran in hastily, snatched up the 
remonstrance, and carrying it to the tabernacle,f there 

* L. Opp W. 16. 1440. 2 Loscher, 3. 281. f The tabernacle 
is aa octagonal shaped case, etandiag in the centre of the altar, and 
made of polished brass, marble, sUv«r fcold^ or a*^ l<^a8t gilded wood. 
Its size varies from eighteen iiAches to four feet Id height, and froxn 
one foot to three in diameter, in it are oapoelted the jkht coutam- 



PU&aATORY AND INDULaENCES. 65 



shut it up carefully, watching over it lest the hosbshould 
be profaned by the heretical eyes of the Wittemberg Au- 
gustine. At the same time those who were reading mass 
hurriedly caught up the various ornaments employed in 
the service, deserted the altar, fled across the church, and 
took refuge in the vestry, as if, says a historian, Satan 
Lad been at their heels. 

The subject of the discussion furnished matter for 
conversation in every place. In the inns, the university, 
and the court, each man expressed his opinion. How- 
ever great might have been Duke George's exasperation, 
he did not obstinately refuse to be convinced. One day, 
as Eck and Luther were dining with him, he interrupted 
their conversation by saying, "Whether the pope be pope 
by huma?a or by divine right, nevertheless he is pope."* 
Luther was much pleased at these words. "The prince," 
said he, "w uld never have made use of them, had he 
not been strikck by my arguments." 

The discussion on the papal primacy had lasted five 
days. On the 8th of July, they proceeded to the doc- 
trine of purgatory. This spread over a little more than 
two days. Luther still admitted this doctrine, but denied 
that it was taught in Scripture, or in the fathers, in the 
manner that his opponent and the schoolmen pretended. 
" Our Doctor Eck," said he, alluding to the superficial 
character of his adversary's mind, " has this day skim- 
med over Scripture almost without touching it, as a spi- 
der runs upon water." 

On the 11th of July they came to indulgences. "It 
was a mere joke," said Luther ; "the dispute was ridic- 
ulous. The indulgences fell outright, and Eck was nearly 
of my opinion."! Eck himself said, " If I had not dis- 

ing the large consecrated wafer intended to be exhibited for the 
adoration of worshippers, and the ciborium, in which are the SLa:ill 
ones prepared for the communicants. The remonstrance is a highly 
ornamented stand with a circular opening to receive the larger wafei 
used in the elevation of the host. 

* Ita rit ipse dux Georgius inter prandendum, ad Eccium et me 
iicat : " Sive sit jure humano, sive sit jure divino, papa ; ipse est 
" 0pp. in Prsef. f L. 0pp. L. 17. 246. 

5 



66 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOJI . 



pnted with Doctor Martin on the papal supremacy, I 
should almost have agreed with him."* 

The discussion next turned on repentance, absolution 
of the priest, and satisfactions. Eck, according to his 
usual practice, quoted the scholastic doctors, the Domin- 
icans, and the pope^s canons. Luther closed the dispu- 
tation with these words : *^ The reverend doctor flees 
from the Scriptures, as the devil from before the cross. 
As for me, with all due respect to the fathers, I prefer 
the authority of holy writ, and this test I would recom- 
mend to our judges."f 

Here ended the dispute between Eck and Luther. 
Carlstadt and the Ingolstadt doctor kept up the discus- 
sion two days longer on human merits in good works. 
On the 16th of July the business was concluded, after 
having lasted twenty days, by a speech from the rector 
of the university. As soon as he had finished, loud mu- 
sic was heard, and the solemnity was concluded by sing- 
ing the Te Deum, 

But during the chanting of this solemn thanksgiving, 
men's minds were no longer as th-ey had been during the 
Veni Spiritus at the opening of the discussion. Already 
the presentiments of many had been realized. The blows 
that the champions of the two doctrines had aimed at 
each other had inflicted a deep wound upon the Papacy 

• So wollt er fast einig mit mir gewest seyn. L. 0pp. L. 17. 246. 

t Videtur fugere a facie Scripturarum, sicut diabolus crucem. 
Qnare, salvis reverentiis Patrum, praefero ego auctoritatem Scriptu- 
rtD, quod comroendo judicibus futuris. L. 0pp. Lat. L 231, 



IHTEEEST FELT BY" THE LAITY. 



67 



CHAPTER VI. 

fnterest felt by the laity — Luther's opinion — Confession and boastfl 
of Doctor Eck — Effects of the disputation — Poliander — CellariurJ 
— The young prince of Anhalt — The students of Leipsic — Cruci- 
ger — Melancthon's call — Luther's emancipation. 

These theological disputes, to which the men of the 
world would now be unwilling to consecrate a few brief 
moments, had been followed and listened to for twenty 
successive days with great attention : laymen, knights, 
and princes had manifested a constant interest. Duke 
Barnim of Pomerania and Duke George were remarkably 
regular in their attendance. But, on the contrary, some 
of the Leipsic theologians, friends of Doctor Eck, slept 
soundly, as an eye-witness informs us. It was necessary 
to wake them up at the close of the disputation, for fear 
they should lose their dinners. 

Luther quitted Leipsic first ; Carlstadt followed him ; 
but Eck remained several days after their departure. 

No decision had been come to on the discussion.* 
Every one commented on it according to his own feel- 
ings. **At Leipsic," said Luther, "there was great loss 
of time, but no seeking after truth. We have been ex- 
amining the doctrines of our adversaries these two years 
past, so that we have counted all their bones. Eck, on 
the contrary, has hardly grazed the surface ;f but he 
made more noise in one hour than we have in two Ic ng 
years." 

La his private letters to his friends, Eck confessed his 
defeat on certain points ; but he had abundant reasons 
to account for it. " The Wittembergers," wrote he to 
Hochsiraten on the 24th of July, " conquered me on sev- 

* Ad exitum certaminis, uti solet, nulla prodiit decisio. Palla- 
▼icini, 1. 65. f Totam istam conclusionum cohortem multo 

acrius et validius nostri Wittembergenses oppugnaverunt, et 

ita examinaverunt ut ossa eorum numerare licuerit, quae Eccius vil 
in facie cutis leviter perstrinxit. L. Epp. 1. 291. 



68 



HISTORY OF THE RE POftMATIOlT. 



eral points :* first, because they brought their books with 
them ; secondly, because some of their friends took notes 
of the discussion, which they examined at their leisure ; 
thirdly, because they were many : two doctors, Carlstadt 
and Luther ; Lange, vicar of the Augustines ; two licen- 
tiates, Amsdorflf, and a very presumptuous nephew of 
Reuchlin, Melancthon ; three doctors of law, and several 
masters of arts, all of whom aided in the discussion, 
either in public or in private. But as for me, I appeared 
alone, the justice of my cause being my sole compan- 
ion." Eck forgot Emser, and the bishop and doctors of 
Leipsic. 

If such avowals escaped from Eck in his familiar cor- 
respondence, his behavior in public was very different 
The doctor of Ingolstadt and the Leipsic divines loudl;j 
vaunted of what they called their victory. They circii 
lated false reports in every direction. All the mouth- 
pieces of their party repeated their self-congratulations 
"Eck is triumphing everywhere," wrote Luther.f But 
in the camp of Rome et*ch man disputed his share of the 
laurels. " If we had not come to Eck's support," said 
the men of Leipsic, " the illustrious doctor would have 
been overthrown." "The Leipsic divines are very good 
sort of people," said the Ingolstadt doctor, "but I ex- 
pected too much of them. I did every thing single-hand- 
ed." "You see," said Luther to Spalatin, "that they are 
singing a new Iliad and a new ^neid.| They are so 
kind as to make a Hector or a Turnus of me, while Eck, 
in their eyes, is Achilles or ^neas. They have but one 
doubt remaining, whether the victory was gained by the 
arms of Eck or by those of Leipsic. All that I can say 
to clear up the subject is this, Doctor Eck never ceased 
bawling, and the Leipsic divines did nothing but hold 
their tongues." 

" Eck is conqueror in the eyes of those who do not 
understand the matter, and who have grown gray under 
the old schoolmen," said the elegant, witty, and wise 

* Verum in raultis me obrueruni Corp. Ref. 1. 83. f Ecciui 
triumphat ubique. L. Epp. 1. 290. f Novam quamdam Iliad» 
et .^eida illos can tare. Ibid. 305. 



CELLARIUS-aEOROE OF ANHALT. 69 



Mosellanus ; " but Luther and Carlstadt are victorious, 
in the opinion of those who possess any learning, under- 
standing, and modesty."* 

The Leipsic disputation was not destined, however, 
to evaporate in smoke. Every work performed with 
devotion bears fruit. Luther's words had sunk with 
irresistible power into the minds of his hearers. Many 
of those who daily thronged the hall of the castle were 
subdued by the truth. It was especially in the midst of 
its most determined adversaries that its victories were 
gained. Doctor Eck's secretary, familiar friend, and dis- 
ciple, Poliander, was won to the Reformation ; and in 
the year 1522, he publicly preached the gospel at Leip- 
sic. John Cellarius, professor of Hebrew, a man vio- 
lently opposed to the reformed doctrines, was touched 
by the words of the eloquent doctor, and began to search 
the Scriptures more deeply. Ere long he gave up his 
station, and went to Wittemberg to study humbly at 
Luther's feet. Some time after, he was pastor at Prank- 
fort and at Dresden. 

Among those who had taken their seats on the benches 
reserved for the court, and who surrounded Duke George, 
was a young prince, twelve years old, descended from a 
family celebrated for their combats against the Sara- 
cens — it was George of Anhalt. He was then studying 
at Leipsic under a private tutor. An eager desire for 
learning and an ardent thirst for truth had already dis- 
tinguished this illustrious youth. He was frequently 
heard repeating these words of Solomon : " Lying lips 
become not a prince." The discussion at Leipsic awak- 
ened serious reflections in this boy, and excited a decided 
partiality for Luther.f Some time after, he was offered 
a bishopric. His brothers and all his relations entreated 
him to accept it, wishing to push him to the highest 
dignities in the church. But he was determined in his 
refusal. On the death of his pious mother, who was 
secretly well disposed towards Luther, he became pos- 

* Lutheri Sieg sey um so viel weniger beriihint, weil der Gelehjv 
ten, Yerstandigen, und derer die sich selbst nicht hoch riihinen, we^ 
nig seyen. Seckendorf, p. 207. t 0pp. W. 16. 1440. 



70 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION 



sessed of all the reformer's writings. He offered up 
constant and fervent prayers to God, beseeching him to 
turn his heart to the truth, and often in the solitude ol 
his closet, he exclaimed with tears, " Deal with thy ser- 
vant according to thy mercy, and teach me thy stat- 
utes/'* His prayers were heard. Convinced and car- 
ried away, he fearlessly ranged himself on the side of 
the gospel. In vain did his guardians, and particularly 
Duke George, besiege him with entreaties and remon- 
strances. He was inflexible, and George exclaimed, half 
convinced by the reasoning of his ward, " I cannot an- 
swer him ; but I will still remain in my own church, for 
it is a hard matter to break in an old dog." We shall 
meet again with this amiable prince, one of the noblest 
characters of the Reformation, who preached in person 
to his subjects the words of everlasting life, and to whom 
has been applied the saying of Dion on the Emperor Mar- 
cus Antoninus : **He was consistent during the whole of 
his life ; he was a good man, one in whom there was no 
guile.^f 

But it was the students in particular who received 
Luther's words with enthusiasm. They felt the differ- 
ence between the spirit and energy of the Wittemberg 
doctor, and the sophistical distinctions, the empty spec- 
ulations of the chancellor of Ingolstadt. They saw that 
Luther relied upon the word of God, and that Eck's opin- 
ions were grounded on human tradition. The effect was 
instantaneous. The lecture-rooms of the university of 
Leipsic were speedily deserted after the disputation. 
One circumstance, indeed, contributed to this result : 
the plague seemed on the point of breaking out in that 
city. But there were other universities, Erfurth, Ingol« 
stadt, etc., to which the students might have gone. The 
power of truth drew them to Wittemberg, where the 
number of students was soon doubled.J 

* A Deo petivit, flecti pectus suum ad veritatem, ac lacrymani 
Baepe haec verba repetivit .... M. Adami, Vita Georgii Aulialt, p. 
248. t 'O/Lioiog 6lu irdvToyv eyeve^Oj dya&dg 6e ijv, xal ijvdev itpoo- 

mirrrcv elxev. Melch. Adam. p. 265. J Peifer. Histor. Lipaiei> 
sis, p. S56. 



CEUCiaER-MELANCTHON^S CALL. 71 



Among those who removed from the one university 
(o the other, was observed a youth of sixteen years, ol 
melancholy disposition, speaking seldom, and who, in 
the midst of the conversations and sports of his fellow- 
students, often appeared absorbed in his own reflec- 
tions.* His parents had at first thought him of weak 
intellect ; but soon found him so quick in learning, and 
so constantly occupied with his studies, that they formed 
the greatest expectations of him. His uprightness and 
candor, his modesty and piety, won him the affection of 
all, and Mosellanus pointed him out as a model to the 
whole university. His name was Gaspard Cruciger, a 
native of Leipsic. The new student of Wittemberg was 
afterwards the friend of Melancthon, and Luther's assist- 
ant in the translation of the Bible. 

The Leipsic disputation bore still greater fruits. 
Here it was that the theologian of the Reformation re- 
ceived his call. Melancthon sat modest and silent listen- 
ing to the discussion, in which he took veiy little part. 
Till that time literature had been his sole occupation. 
The conference gave him a new impulse, and launched 
the elo(iuent professor into the career of divinity. From 
that hoar his extensive learning bowed before the word 
of God. He received the evangelical truth with the 
simplicity of a child ; explained the doctrine of salva- 
tion with the grace and perspicuity that charmed all his 
hearers ; and trod boldly in that path so new to him, 
for said he, Christ will never abandon his followers."f 
Henceforward the two friends waiked together, contend- 
ing for liberty and truth — the one with the energy of St. 
Paul, the other with the meekness of St. John. Luther 
has admirably expressed the difference of their callings. 

I was born," said he, " to contend on the field of battle 
with factions and with wicked spirits. This is wny my 
works abound with war and tempests. It is my task to 
uproot the stock and the stem, to clear away the briars 
and underwood, to fill up the pools and the marshes. I 

* Et cogitabuadus et saepe in medios eodalitios quasi peregri- 
nante animo. Melch. Adami Vita Crucigeri, p. 193. f Christiifl 
snis non dearit. Corp. Ref. 1. 104. 



72 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



am the rough woodman who has to prepare the way and 
smooth the road. But Philip advances quietly and soft- 
ly ; he tills and plants the ground ; sows and waters it 
joyfully, according to the gifts that God has given him 
with so liberal a hand."* 

If Melancthon, the tranquil sower, was called to the 
work by the disputation of Leipsic, Luther, the hardy 
woodman, felt his arm strengthened by it, and his cour- 
age reinvigorated. The greatest effect of this discussion 
was that wrought in Luther himself. "The scales of 
scholastic theology," said he, " fell then entirely from 
before my eyes, under the triumphant presidence of Dr. 
Eck." The veil which the school and the church had 
conjointly drawn before the sanctuary was rent for the 
reformer from top to bottom. Driven to new inquiries, 
he arrived at unexpected discoveries. With as much 
indignation as astonishment, he saw the evil in all its 
magnitude. Searching into the annals of the church, he 
discovered that the supremacy of Rome had no other 
origin than ambition on the one hand, and ignorant cre- 
dulity on the other. The narrow point of view under 
which he had hitherto looked upon the church, was suc- 
ceeded by a deeper and more extended range. He rec- 
ognized in the Christians of Greece and of the East true 
members of the universal church ; and instead of a visible 
chief, seated on the banks of the Tiber, he adored, as 
sole chief of the people of God, an invisible and eternal 
Redeemer, who, according to his promise, is daily in the 
midst of every nation upon earth, with all who believe 
in his name. The Latin church was no longer, in Lu- 
ther's estimation, the universal church ; he saw the nar- 
row barriers of Rome fall down, and exulted in discov* 
ering beyond them the glorious dominions of Christ. 
From that time he comprehended how a man might be 
a member of Christ's church, without belonging to the 
pope's. But above all, the writings of John Huss pro- 
duced a deep impression upon him. He there found, to 
bis great surprise, the doctrine of St. Paul and of St. 
A.ugu8tine — that doctrine at which he himself had arrived 
* L. 0pp. W. 14. 200. 



73 



after so many struggles. I believed and I taught all 
the doctrines of J ohn Huss without being aware of it 
and so did Staupitz. In short, although unconscious of 
it, we are all Hussites. Paul and Augustine were so 
themselves. I am confounded, and know not what to 
think. Oh, how terribly have men deserved the judg- 
ments of God, seeing that the gospel truth, which has 
been unveiled and published this century past, has been 

condemned, burned, and stifled Woe, woe to the 

world.'' 

Luther separated from the papacy, and then felt tow- 
ards it a decided aversion and holy indignation ; and all 
the witnesses that in every age had risen up against 
Rome came in turns before him and testified against her, 
each revealing some abuse or error. " Oh, what thick 
darkness 1" exclaimed he. 

He was not allowed to be silent on this sad discovery. 
The insolence of his adversaries, their pretended triumph, 
and the efforts they made to extinguish the light, decid- 
ed his soul. He advanced along the path in which God 
conducted him, without anxiety as to the goal to which 
it would lead him. Luther has pointed to this moment 
as that of his emancipation from the papal yoke. " Learn 
from me," said he, how difficult a thing it is to throw 
off errors confirmed by the example of all the world, f 
and which, through long habit, have become a s«cond 
nature to us. I had then been seven years reading and 
publicly explaining the holy Scriptures with great zeal, 
so that I knew them almost by heart.| I had also all 
the first-fruits of knowledge and faith in our Lord Jesus 
Christ ; that is to say, I knew that we are justified and 
saved not by our works, but by faith in Christ ; and I 
even maintained openly that the pope is not the head of 
the Christian church by divine right. And yet I could 
not see the consequences that flowed from this ; namely, 
that the pope is necessarily and certainly of the devil 

• Ego imprudens hucusque omnia Johannis Huss et docui et 
tenui. L. Epp. 2. 452. f Quam difficile sit eluctari et emergere 
ex erroribus, totius orbis exemplo firmatis. . . . L. 0pp. Lat. in Prsef. 

X Per septem annos, ita ut memoriter pene omnia tenerem. Ibid. 



74 



HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOIT. 



For what is not of God raust needo be of the devil/'* 
Luther adds further on, " I no longer permit myself to 
be indignant against those who are still attached to the 
pope, since I, who had for so many years studied the 
holy Scriptures so attentively, still clung with so much 
obstinacy to popery."f 

Such were the real results of the Leipsic disputation^ 
results of more importance than the disputation itself. 
It was like those first successes which discipline an army 
and excite its courage. 

* Quod enim ex Deo non est, necesse est ex diabolo esse. L. 
0pp. Lat. in Praef. f Cum ego tot annis sacra legens diligenlofl- 
mmifi tamen ita hso&l tenaclter. Ibid. 



ECK ATTACKS MELANCTHON. 



76 



CHAPTER VII 

EJck attacks Melancthon — Melancthon's defence — Interpretation of 
holy Scripture — Luther^s firmness — The Bohemian brothers— 
Emser — Staupitz. 

EcK gave way to all the intoxication of what he 
wished to represent as a victory. He inveighed against 
Luther ; heaped charge upon charge against him ;* 
wrote to Frederick ; and desired, like a skilful general, 
to take advantage of the confusion that always follows 
a battle, to obtain important concessions from that 
prince. While waiting for the measures that were to be 
taken against his adversary's person, he called down 
fire upon his writings, even on those he had not read. 
He begged the elector to summon a provincial council : 
" Let us exterminate these vermin," said the coarse doc- 
tor, before they multiply beyond all bounds."f 

It was not upon Luther alone that he vented his 
anger. His imprudence called Melancthon into the lists. 
The latter, connected by tender ties of friendship with 
the excellent (Ecolampadius, wrote him an account of 
the disputation, speaking of Dr. Eck in terms of com- 
mendation. J Nevertheless the pride of the chancellor of 
Ingolstadt was wounded. He immediately took up the 
pen against " that grammarian of Wittemberg, who was 
not ignorant, indeed, of Latin and Greek, but who had 
dared to publish a letter in which he had insulted him — 
Dr. Eck."§ 

Melancthon replied, and this was his first theological 
writing. It is characterized by all that exquisite urbani- 
ty which distinguished this excellent man. Laying down 
tlie fundamental principles of hermeneutics,|| he showed 

* Proscidit, post abitum nostrum, Martinum inhumanissime. Me- 
lancth. Corp. Ref. 1. 106. f Ehe das Ungczififer uberhand nehme. 
L. 0pp. L. 17 271. X Eccius ob varias et insignes ingenii dctes. 
L. 0pp. Lat. 1 . 337. § Ausus est grammaticus Wittembergensk. 
GrsBce et Latlne sane non indoctua, epistolam edere. Ibid. 33^. 

II The art ol interpreting the holy Scriptures. 



76 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



that we ought not to interpret Scripture by the fathers, 
but the fathers by Scripture. " How often has not Je* 
rome been mistaken/' said he ; " how frequently Augus- 
tine, how frequently Ambrose ; how often their opinions 
are different, and how often they retract their errors 1 
There is but one Scripture, inspired by the Holy Ghost;, 
and pure and true in all things.* 

" Luther does not follow certain ambiguous explana- 
tions of the ancients, say they ; and why should he ? 
When he explains the passage of Saint Matthew, * Thou 
art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,' he 
says the same thing as Origen, who alone is a host ; as 
Augustine in his homily ; and as Ambrose in his sixth 
book upon Saint Luke : I will mention no others. What, 
then, will you say the fathers contradict one another? 
And is there any thing astonishing in that ?f I believe 
in the fathers, because I believe in Scripture. The mean- 
ing of Scripture is one and simple, like heavenly truth 
itself. It is obtained by comparing Scripture with Scrip- 
ture : it is deduced from the thread and connection of 
the discourse.| There is a philosophy that is enjoined 
us as regards the divine Scriptures ; and that is, to bring 
all human opinions and maxims to it, as to a touchstone 
by which to try them."§ 

For a very long period such powerful truths had not 
been set forth with so much elegance. The word of God 
was restored to its place, and the fathers to theirs. The 
simple method by which we may arrive at the real mean- 
ing of Scripture was firmly laid down. The word floated 
above all the difficulties and all the explanations of the 
school. Melancthon furnished the means of replying to 
all those who, lik 3 Dr. Eck, should perplex this subject, 
even to the most distant ages. The feeble grammarian 
had risen up, and the broad and sturdy shoulders of the 

* Una est Scriptura, coelestis spiritus, pura, et per omnia verax. 
Contra Eckium Defensio, Corp. Ref. 1. 115. f Qu'd igitur? Ipsi 
secum pugnant! quid mirum? Ibid. { Quern coUatis Scripturia 
6 filo ductuque orationis licet assequi. Ibid. p. 114. § Ut homi- 
num sententias, decretaque, ad ipsas, ceu ad Lydium lapidem, exigap 
muA. Ibid. p. 115. 



LUTHER AND EMSEE. 



77 



scholastic glad'ator had bent under the first movement 
of his arm. 

The weaker Eck was, the louder he clamored. By 
his boastings and his accusations he hoped to secure 
the victory that he had lost in his discussions. The 
mo iks and all the partisans of Rome refe'choed his clam* 
Dis. From every part of Germany, reproaches were 
pc ured upon Luther ; but he remained unafifected by 
them. " The more I find my name covered with oppro- 
brium, the more do I glory in it," said he at the conclu- 
sion of the explanations he published on the Leipsic 
propositions. " The truth, that is to say, Christ, must 
needs increase, and I must decrease. The voice of the 
bride and the Bridegroom causes me a joy that far sur- 
passes the terrors inspired by their clamors. Men are 
not the authors of my sufierings, and I entertain no 
hatred towards them. It is Satan, the prince of wicked- 
ness, who desires to terrify me. But He who is within 
us is mightier than he that is in the world. The judg- 
ment of our contemporaries is bad ; that of posterity will 
be better."* 

If the Leipsic disputation augmented Luther's ene- 
mies in Germany, it also increased the number of his 
friends in foreign countries. " What Huss was in Bohe- 
mia in other days, you are now in Saxony, dear Martin,'' 
wrote the Bohemian brethren to him ; for this reason, 
pray and be strong in the Lord." 

About this time the war broke out between Luther 
and Emser, then professor at Leipsic. The latter wrote 
to Dr. Zack, a zealous Roman-catholic at Prague, a letter 
in which his design appeared to be to deprive the Huss- 
ites of their notion that Luther belonged to their party 
Luther could not doubt that by seeming to justify him, 
the learned Leipsicker was endeavoring to fix upon him 
the suspicion of adhering to the Bohemian heresy, and 
he accordingly resolved to tear aside the veil under 
which his former host of Dresden desired to conceal his 
hostility. With this intent he published a letter, ad- 
* Prsesens male judlcat aetas ; judicium melius posteritatis erit 
L. 0pp. Lat 1 310. 



78 



HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



dressed "To Emser the Goat" — his adversary's ciest 
was a goat — and concluded by these words, so clearly 
depicting his character: "My maxim is, to love all men, 
but to fear none."* 

While new friends and enemies thus sprung up 
around Luther, his old friends seemed to be deserting 
him. Staupitz, who had brought the reformer from the 
obscurity of his cloister at Erfurth, began to evince some 
coolness towards him. Luther had soared too high for 
Staupitz, who could not follow him. "You abandon me," 
wrote Luther to him. "All day long I have been very 
sad on your account, as a weaned child cries after its 
mother.f I dreamed of you last night," continues the 
reformer : " you were leaving me, while I groaned and 
shed bitter tears. But you stretched out your hand, bade 
me be calm, and promised to return to me again." 

The pacificator Miltitz was desirous of making a fresh 
attempt to calm the agitation of men^s minds. But what 
hold could he have over men still agitated by the emo- 
tions the struggle had excited ? His endeavors proved 
unavailing. He was the bearer of the famous golden 
rose presented to the elector, but the latter did not con- 
descend to receive it in person. | Frederick knew the 
artifices of Rome, and all hope of deceiving him was 
relinquished. § 

* L. 0pp. Lat. 1. 252. | Ego super te, sicut ablactatus 

super matre sua, tristissimus hac die fui. Epp. 1. 342. 

t Rosam quam vocant auream nullo hoQore dignatus est; imo 
pro ridicula habuit. L. 0pp. Lat in Praef. § Intellexit prin* 

cepe artes Romanes curiae, et eos — legatos — dign^ tractare novii 



COMMENTARY ON aALATIANS. 79 



CHAPTER VIII. 

The epistle to the Galatians — Christ for us — Blindness of Luther's 
opponents — Earliest ideas on the Lord's supper — Is the sacra- 
ment without faith sufficient? — Luther a Bohemian — Eck attack- 
ed — Eck goes to Rome. 

Luther, far from retreating, advanced daily. It was 
at this time that he aimed one of his most violent blows 
against error in his Commentary on the Epistle to the 
Galatians.* The second Commentary is undoubtedly 
superior to the first ; but in the first he expounded with 
great power the doctrine of justification by faith. Each 
expression of the new apostle was full of life, and God 
made use of him to inculcate a knowledge of himself in 
the hearts of the people. " Christ gave himself for our 
sins," said Luther to his contemporaries.f ^' It was not 
silver or gold that he gave for us ; it was not a man ; 
it was not all the angels : it was himself that he gave, 
out of whom there is nothing great. And he gave this 
inestimable treasure for our sins. Where now are those 
who vaunt of the power of our will ; where are all the 
lessons of moral philosophy ; where are the power and 
the strength of the law ? Since our sins were so great 
that nothifig could take them away except a ransom so 
immeasurable, shall we still claim to obtain righteous- 
ness by the strength of our own will, by the power of 
the law, or by the teaching of men ? What shall we do 
with all these artifices, with all these delusions ? Alas, 
we shall cover our iniquities with a false righteousness, 
and we shall make hypocrites of ourselves, whom noth- 
ing in the world can save." 

But while Luther was thus laying down the doctrine 
tliat there is no salvation for men out of Christ, he also 
showed that this salvation transforms man, and makes 
him abound in good works. " He who has truly heard 
the word of Christ," said the reformer, " and who keeps 

• September, 1519. f L. 0pp. L. 10. 461. 



80 HISTOB!^ OF THE REFORMATION. 



it, is immediately clothed with the spirit of charity. If 
you love the man who has made you a present of twenty 
florins, or done you any important service, or in any 
other manner testified his affection, how much more 
ought you to love Him who has given you not gold or 
silver, but himself ; who has even received so many 
wounds foi your sake ; who for you has sweated drops 
blood, and who died for you ; in a word, who, by pay- 
ing for all your sins, has swallowed up death, and ob- 
tained for you in heaven a Father full of love If 

you love him not, you have not heard with your heart 
the things that he has done ; you have not believed 
them, for faith worketh by love." " This epistle is my 
epistle," said Luther, speaking of the epistle to the Gala- 
tians ; I am wedded to it." 

His adversaries compelled him to advance more 
quickly than he would have done without them. At 
this period Eck incited the Franciscans of Jiiterbock to 
attack him again. Luther, in his reply,* not content 
vsdth repeating what he had already taught, attacked 
errors that he had newly discovered. " I should like to 
know," said he, ''in what part of Scripture the power of 
canonizing the saints has been given to the popes ; and 
also what necessity, what utility there is in canonizing 

them For that matter," added he sarcastically, 

" let them canonize as much as they like."f 

Luther's new attacks remained unanswered. The 
blindness of his enemies was as favorable to him as his 
own courage. They passionately defended secondary 
matters, and when Luther laid his hand on the founda- 
tions of the Eoman doctrine, they saw them shaken with- 
out uttering a word. They busied themselves in defend- 
ing the outworks, while their intrepid adversary wai 
advancing into the body of the place, and there boldlj 
planting the standard of truth. Accordingly, they were 
afterwards astonished when they beheld the fortress 
they were defending undermined and on fire, and crum 
bling into ruins in the midst of the flames, while the} 
* Defensio contra malignum Eccii judicium. L. 0pp. Lat. I 
S56 t Cauoniset quisque quantum volet. Ibid. 367. 



FIEST IDEAS ON THE EUCHAEIST. 81 



were flattering themselves that it was impregnable, and 
were still braving those who led the assault. Thus are 
all great catastrophes effected. 

The sacrament of the Lord^s supper was now begin- 
ning to occupy Luther's thoughts. He looked in vain 
for this holy supper in the mass. One day, shortly after 
his return from Leipsic, he went into the pulpit. Let us 
listen to his words, for they are the first he uttered on a 
subject that has since rent the church of the Reforma- 
tion into two parties. He said, " In the holy sacrament 
of the altar there are three things we must observe : the 
sign, which should be outward, visible, and in a bodily 
shape ; the thing signified, which is inward, spiritual, 
and in the mind of man ; and faith, which makes use of 
both."* If definitions had been carried no further, unity 
would not have been destroyed. 

Luther continued : It would be a good thing if the 
church, by a general council, should order both kinds to 
be given to the believer ; not however that one kind is 
not sufficient, for faith alone would suffice." This bold 
language pleased his hearers. A few of them were how- 
ever alarmed and irritated. It is false and scandalous," 
said they.f 

The preacher continued : There is no closer, deeper, 
or more indivisible union than that which takes place 
between the food and the body which the food nourishes. 
Christ is so united to us in the sacrament, that he acts 
as if he were ourselves. Our sins assail him ; his right- 
eousness defends us." 

But Luther was not satisfied with setting forth the 
truth ; he attacked one of the most fundamental errors 
of Rome.J That church maintains that the sacrament 
operates of itself, independently of the disposition of the 
communicant. Nothing can be more convenient than 
such an opinion. Hence the ardor with which the sacra- 
ment is sought ; hence the profits of the Romish clergy. 

• L. 0pp. L. 17. 272. f Ibid. 281. J Si quis dixeri* 

per ipsa novae legis sacramenta ex opere operato non conferri gra 
tiam, sed solam fidem divinae promissionis ad gratiam consequen 
dam BuflScere, anathema sit. Concil. Trident. Session '^y canon 8 

6 



82 HISTORY OF THE EEFOEMATION. 



Luther attacked this doctrine,* and opposed it by the 
contrary doctrine,f by virtue of which faith and the con- 
currence of the heart are necessary. 

This energetic protest was of a nature to overthrow 
the ancient superstitions ; and yet it is most astonishing 
that no one paid any attention to it. Rome passed by 
that which should have called up a shriek of distress, 
and fell impetuously on the unimportant remark Luther 
had made at the beginning of his discourse, touching 
the communion in both kinds. This sermon having been 
published in December, a cry of heresy was raised in 
every quarter. It is nothing more nor less than the 
doctrine of Prague," was the observation at the court of 
Dresden, where the sermon arrived during the festival 
of Christmas ; "the work, besides, is in German, in order 
that the common people may understand it."| The 
prince's devotion was disturbed, and on the third day of 
the festival he wrote to his cousin Frederick : " Since 
the publication of this sermon, the number of those who 
receive the eucharist in both kinds has increased in 
Bohemia by six thousand. Your Luther, from being a 
professor at Wittemberg, is about to become bishop ot 
Prague and archheretic." " He was born in Bohemia," 
said some, " of Bohemian parents ; he was brought up 
in Prague, and taught from Wicklifie's books." 

Luther thought it his duty to contradict these rumors 
in a writing where he seriously gives an account of his 
family. I was born at Eisleben,"§ said he, and chris- 
tened in St. Peter^s church. Dresden is the nearest place 
to Bohemia that I have ever visited." 

Duke George's letter did not estrange the elector 
from Luther. A few days after, this prince invited the 
doctor to a splendid banquet which he gave the Span- 
ish ambassador, and there Luther valiantly contended 
against Charles' minister. || The elector had begged 
him, through his chaplain, to defend his cause with mod- 

* Known as the opus operatum, t That of the opus op^ 

rantis. t L. 0pp. L. 17. 281. § Caeterum ego *iatus sum 

in Eisleben. Luth. Epp. 1. 389. || Cum quo heri ego et Phi- 

lippua certavimus, splendide invitati. Ibid. 396. 



BCK ikTTACKED 



83 



eration. " Too much folly is displeasing to men/' replied 
Lutber to Spalatin ; " but too much discretion is displeas- 
ing to God. The gospel cannot be defended without tu- 
mult and without scandal. The word of God is a sword, 
a war, a ruin, a stumbling-block, a destruction, a poison ;* 
and as Amos says, it meets us like a bear in the road 
or a lioness in the forest. I seek nothing, I ask nothing* 
There is One greater than I, who seeketh and asketh. 
If He should fall, I lose nothing ; if He stand, I am prof- 
ited nothing."f 

Every thing announced that Luther would need faith 
and courage now more than ever. Eck was forming plans 
(rf revenge. Instead of the laurels that he had reckoned on 
gaining, the Leipsic gladiator had become the laughing- 
stock of all the sensible men of his nation. Several bit- 
ing satires were published against him. One was the 
Epistle of Ignorant Canons, written by (Ecolampadius, 
and which cut Eck to the quick. Another was a Gorttr 
plaint against Eck, probably from the pen of the excellent 
Pirckheimer of Nuremberg, overflowing with a sarcasm 
and dignity of which PascaPs Provincial Letters can alone 
give us any idea. 

Luther manifested his displeasure at several of these 
writings. " It is better to attack openly," said he, "than 
to bite from behind a hedge."| 

What a disappointment for the chancellor of Ingol- 
stadt. His fellow-countrymen abandoned him. He pre- 
pared to cross the Alps to seek foreign support. Wher- 
ever he went, he vented his threats against Luther, 
Melancthon, Carlstadt, and the elector himself. " From 
his lofty language," said the Wittemberg doctor, " one 
might take him to be God Almighty."§ Inflamed with 
anger and the desire of revenge, Eck published, in Feb- 
ruary, 1520, a work on the primacy of Peter. In this 

* Verbum Dei gladius est, bellum est, ruina est, scandalum est, 
perditio est, venenum est. L. Epp. 1. 417. f Ego nihil qusero : 
est, qui quaerat. Stet ergo, sive cadat : ego nihil lucror, aut amitto. 
Ibid 418. X Melior est aperta criminatio, quam iste sub sepe 
morsus. Ibid. 426. § Deam crederes Onmipotentem loqui' 

Ibid. 389. 



84 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



treatise, which was utterly destitute of all sound criti« 
cism, he maintained that this apostle was the first of the 
popes, and had dwelt twenty-five years in Rome. After 
this he set out for Italy, to receive the reward of his 
pretended triumphs, and to forge in Rome, under the 
shadow of the papal capitol, more powerful thunderbolts 
than the frail weapons of the schoolmen that had shiT- 
ered in Ids hands. 

Luther foresaw all the perils that his opponent's jour- 
ney might draw upon him ; but he feared not. Spalatin, 
in alarm, begged him to propose peace. " No," replied 
Luther, " so long as he continues his clamors, I cannot 
withdraw my hands from the contest. I trust every 
thing to God. I consign my bark to the winds, and to 
the waves. The battle is the Lord's.* Why should you 
imagine that Christ will advance his cause by peace ? 
Did he not fight with his own blood, and all the martyrs 
after him ?" 

Such, at the opening of the year 1520, was the posi- 
tion of the combatants of Leipsic. The one was rousing 
all the Papacy to crush his rival ; the other waited for 
war with the same calmness that men look for peace. 
The new year was destined to see the storm burst forth. 

* Cogor rem Deo committere, data flatibuB et flnctibus nava 
Bellam Domini est L. Epp. 1. i25. 



OHA&ACTEE OF llAXmiLIAH. 



35 



BOOK VL 

THE PAPAL BULL. 

1520 

CHAPTER I. 

C2iaracter of Maximilian — Candidates for the empire — Charles— 
Francis I. — Disposition of the Germans — The crown offered to 
Frederick — Charles elected emperor. 

A NEW actor was about to appear on the stage. God 
designed to bring the Wittemberg monk face to face 
with the most powerful monarch that had appeared in 
Christendom since the days of Charlemagne. He select- 
ed a prince in the vigor of youth, and to whom every 
thing seemed to announce a long reign — a prince whose 
sceptre extended over a considerable part of the old 
world, and even the new, so that, according to a cele- 
brated saying, the sun never went down on his vast do- 
minions ; and to him He opposed that lowly Reformation, 
begun in the secluded cell of a convent at Erfurth by 
the anguish and sighs of a poor monk. The history of 
this monarch and of his reign was destined, it would 
seem, to teach the world an important lesson. li> was 
to show the nothingness of all the strength of man, when 
it presumes to measure itself with the weakness of God. 
If a prince, a friend to Luther, had been called to the 
imperial throne, the success of the Reformation might 
have been ascribed to his protection. If even an empe- 
ror opposed to the new doctrine^, but yet a weak ruler, 
had worn the diadem, the triumph of this work might have 
been accounted for by the weakness of the monarch. But 
it was the haughty conqueror at Pavia who was destined 
to veil his pride before the power of God^s word ; and the 
whole world beheld the man who found it an easy task to 
drag Francis I. a prisoner to Madrid, obliged to lower his 
Bword before the son of a poor miner. 



BB HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



The emperor Maximilian was dead, and the electors 
had met at Frankfort to choose a successor. This was 
an important event for all Europe under the existing 
circumstances. All Christendom was occupied with this 
election. Maximilian had not been a great prince, but 
his memory was dear to the people. They were delighted 
to call to recollection his presence of mind and his good 
nature. Luther used often to converse with his friends 
about him, and one day related the following anecdote 
of this monarch : 

A mendicant was once following him and begging 
alms, calling him brother; "for," said he, "we are both 
descended from the same father, Adam. I am poor," con- 
tinued he, "but you are rich, and you ought therefore to 
help me.'' The emperor turned round at these words, 
and said to him, " There is a penny for you ; go to all 
your other brothers, and if each one gives you as much, 
you will be richer than I am."* 

It was not a good-natured Maximilian that was des- 
tined to wear the imperial crown. The times were chang- 
ing ; men of overweening ambition were about to dis- 
pute the throne of the emperors of the West ; a strong 
hand was to grasp the reins of the empire, and long and 
bloody wars were on the point of succeeding a profound 
peace. 

Three kings claimed the crown of the Caesars from 
the assembly at Frankfort. A youthful prince, grandson 
of the last emperor, born in the first year of the century, 
and consequently nineteen years old, appeared first. His 
name was Charles, and he was born at Ghent. His pa- 
ternal grandmother, Mary, daughter of Charles the Bold, 
had bequeathed to him Flanders, and the rich domains 
of Burgundy. His mother, Joanna, daughter of Ferdi- 
nand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, and wife of Philip, 
the emperor Maximilian's son, had transmitted to him the 
united crowns of the two Spains, Naples, and Sicily, to 
which Christopher Columbus had recently added a new 
world. His grandfather's death now put him in posses' 
sion of the hereditary states of Austria. This yoiing 
• L. 0pp. W. 22. 1869. 



CANDIDATES FOR THE EMPIRE. 



87 



prince, endowed with great intelligence, and amiable 
whenever it pleased him to be so, joined to a taste for 
military exercises, in which the famous dukes of Bur- 
gundy had long distinguished themselves — to the subtlety 
and penetration of the Italians — to the respect for exist- 
ing institutions which still characterizes the house of 
Austria, and which promised a firm defender to the pa^ 
pacy, an extensive knowledge of public affairs which 
he had acquired under the direction of Chievres ; for, 
from the age of fifteen years, he had attended all the 
deliberations of his councils.* Qualities so various were 
covered and concealed, as it were, by his Spanish taci- 
turnity and reserve ; there was an air of melancholy in 
his long visage. He was pious and silent," said Lu- 
ther ; " I will wager that he does not talk so much in a 
year as I do in a day."f If Charles had grown up under 
free and Christian influences, he would perhaps have 
been one of the most meritorious princes recorded in his- 
tory ; but politics absorbed his whole life, and blighted 
his naturally amiable character. 

The youthful Charles, not content with the sceptres 
he already grasped in his hand, aspired to the imperial 
dignity. " It is a beam of sunshine that casts a splen- 
dor upon the house on wlJch it falls," said many ; but 
stretch forth the hand to seize it, and you find nothing." 
Charles, on the contrary, looked upon it as the summit 
of all earthly grandeur, and a means of obtaining a 
magical influence over the minds of nations. 

Francis I., king of France, was the second candidate. 
The young paladins of the court of this chivalrous sov- 
ereign were ever repeating that he ought, like Charle- 
magne, to be emperor of all the West, and reviving the 
exploits of the knights of old, attack the Crescent that 
threatened the empire, crush the infidels, and recover the 
holy sepulchre. 

" You should convince the dukes of Austria that the 
imperial crown is not hereditary," said the ambassadors 
of Francis to the electors. " Besides, in the present state 
of affairs, Germany requires, not a youth of nineteen, but 
♦ M^moires de du Bellay, 1. 46. ^ f 0pp. W. 22. 1874 



68 



HISTORY OF THE REPORMATIOlf . 



a prince who with a tried judgment combines talents 
already proved. Francis will unite the arms of Prance 
and Lombardy with those of Germany to make war on 
the Mussulmans. As sovereign of the duchy of Milan, 
he is already a member of the empire.^' The French am- 
bassadors strengthened their arguments by four hundred 
thousand crowns which they expended in buying votes, 
and in banquets which the guest generally quitted in a 
state of inebriation. 

Lastly, Henry YIII. of England, jealous of the influ- 
ence the choice of the electors would give Francis or 
Charles, also entered the lists ; but he soon left these 
two powerful rivals to dispute the crown between them. 

The electors were not very favorably disposed tow- 
ards either. Our people," thought they, " will consider 
the king of France as a foreign master, and this master 
may wrest even from us that independence of which the 
great lords of his own kingdom have recently been de- 
prived." As for Charles, it was an old maxim with the 
electors never to select a prince who already played an 
important part in the empire. The pope participated in 
these fears. He was opposed to the king of Naples, his 
neighbor, and to the king of France, whose enterprising 
spirit alarmed him. " Choose rather one of yourselves," 
was the advice he sent to the electors. The elector of 
Treves proposed to nominate Frederick of Saxony ; and 
the imperial crown was laid at the feet of this friend to 
Luther. 

Such a choice would have gained the approbation of 
the whole of Germany. Frederick's wisdom and love for 
the people were well known. During the revolt of Er- 
furth, he had been advised to take the city by storm. He 
refused, that he might avoid bloodshed. But it will 
not cost five men," was the reply. " A single man would 
be too many," answered the prince.* It appeared that 
the election of the protector of the Reformation would 
secure the triumph of that work. Ought not Frederick to 
have seen a call from God in this wish of the electors 1 
Who could have been better suited to preside over the 
• lu 0pp. W. 22. 1858. 



ELECTION OF OHARLES. 



89 



destinies of the empire, than this wise prince ? Who 
could hare been stronger against the Turks than a truly 
Christian emperor ? The refusal of the elector of Saxony, 
so extolled by historians, may have been a fault on the 
part of this prince. Perhaps to him must be partly 
ascribed the contests that devastated Germany in afte]> 
days. But it is a difficult matter to decide whether Fred 
Brick deserves to be blamed for want of faith, or hon- 
ored for his humility. He thought that the very safety 
of the empire required him to refuse the crown.* " We 
need an emperor more powerful than myself to preserve 
Germany/' said this modest and disinterested prince. 
" The Turk is at our gates. The king of Spain, whose 
hereditary possessions of Austria border on the threat- 
ened frontier, is its natural defender." 

The Roman legate, seeing that Charles would be 
elected, declared that the pope withdrew his objections ; 
and on the 28th of June, the grandson of Maximilian 
was nominated emperor. God," said Frederick not 
long after, " hath given him to us in his favor and in his 
anger."f The Spanish envoys offered 30,000 gold florins 
to the elector of Saxony, as a testimonial of their mas- 
ter's gratitude ; but this prince refused them, and for- 
bade his ministers to accept of any present. At the 
same time, he secured the liberties of Germany by a 
capitulation to which Charles' envoys swore in his name. 
The circumstances under which the latter assumed the 
unperial crown seemed, moreover, to give a stronger 
pledge than these oaths in favor of German liberty, and 
of the work of the Reformation. This youthful prince 
was jealous of the laurels that his rival Francis I. had 
gathered at Marignan. The struggle would still be con- 
tinued in Italy, and the interval thus employed would 
doubtless suffice for the Reformation to gain strength. 
Charles quitted Spain in May, 1520, and was crowned at 
Aix-la-Chapelle on the 22d of October. 

• Is vero heroica plan^ moderatione animi magnified repudiavit 
PallaTicini, 1. 7f . f L. 0pp. W. 22. 1880. 



90 HISTOEY OF THE EEFOEMATION. 



CHAPTER II 

Lather's letter to the emperor — His danger — ^Frederick's instrnctione 
to his envoy at Rome — Luther's sentiments — Melancthon's fears— 
The German nobles favor the Reformation — Schaumburg — Sick- 
ingen- Ulric of Hiitten — Luther's confidence — Erasmus defends 
Luther — Abstemius — Hedio — Luther becomes more free — Faith 
the source of works — What gives faith? — Luther judging his owD 
writings. 

Luther had foreseen that the cause of the Reformsi- 
tion would soon be carried before the new emperor. He 
wrote to Charles, while this prince was yet at Madrid: 
" If the cause that I defend/' said he, " is worthy of ap- 
pearing before the throne of the Majesty of heaven, it 
ought not to be unworthy of engaging the attention of a 
prince of this world. 0 Charles, first of the kings of the 
earth, I throw myself a suppliant at the feet of your 
most serene majesty. Deign to receive under the shadow 
of your wings, not me, but the cause of that eternal 
truth, for the defence of which God has intrusted you 
with the sword."* The young monarch laid aside this 
singular letter from a German monk, and made no reply 
to it. 

While Luther was vainly turning towards Madrid^ 
the storm seemed to increase around him. Fanaticism 
was kindling in Germany. Hochstraten, indefatigable 
in his attempts at persecution, had extracted certain 
theses from Luther's writings. At his demand, the uni- 
versities of Cologne and Louvain had condemned these 
works. That of Erfurth, still exasperated at Luther's 
preference for Wittemberg, was about to follow their 
example. But having been informed of it, the doctor 
wrote to Lange so spirited a letter, that the Erfurth 
divines were dismayed, and kept silent. The condemna- 
tion pronounced at Cologne and Louvain sufficed, how- 
ever, to inflame men's minds. Nay, more, the priests 

* CaoBam ipsam veritatis. L. Epp. 1. 392. Jan. 15, 1520, 



LUTHER'S DANaER. 



91 



of Meissen, who had espoused Eraser's quarrel, said pub- 
licly — Melancthon is our authority — that he who should 
kill Luther would be without sin.* Now is the time," 
said Luther, " when men will think they do Christ a ser- 
vice by putting us to death." These homicidal words 
were destined to produce their fruit in due season. 

One day, says a biographer, as Luther was in front 
of the Augustine cloister, a stranger, who held a pistol 
concealed under his cloak, accosted him in these words : 
Why do you go thus alone ?" " I am in God^s hands," 
replied Luther. "He is my strength and my shield. 
What can man do unto me ?"'|" Upon this the stranger 
turned pale, adds the historian, and fled away trembling 
Serra Longa, the ambassador at the Augsburg confer- 
ence, wrote to the elector about this time : " Let not 
Lather find an asylum in the states of your highness ; 
let him be rejected of all, and stoned in the face of heav- 
en ; that will be more pleasing to me than if I received 
ten thousand crowns from you."J 

But it was particularly in the direction of Rome that 
the storm was gathering. Valentine Teutleben, a Thu- 
ringian nobleman, vicar to the archbishop of Mentz, and 
a zealous partisan of the Papacy, was the elector of 
Saxony's representative at the papal court. Teutleben, 
ashamed of the protection accorded by his master to an 
heretical monk, was impatient at seeing his mission 
paralyzed by this imprudent conduct. He imagined that, 
by alarming the elector, he would induce him to abandon 
the rebellious divine. "They will not listen to me here," 
wrote he to his master, " because of the protection you 
show to Luther." But the Romans were deceived if they 
thought to frighten tfie prudent Frederick. This prince 
was aware that the will of God and the movements of 
nations were more irresistible than the decrees of the 
papal chancery. He ordered his envoy to intimate to 
the pope that, far from defending Luther, he had always 

* Ut sine peccato esse eum censebant qui me interfecerit. L. 
Epp. 1, 383. t Was kann mir ein Mensch thun? Keith, L. Urn- 
Btande, p. 89. t Tenzel, Hist. Bericht vom Anfang uiid Fong 
der Reform. Lutheri, 2. 168. 



92 JiIBTORY OP THE REFORMATIOK. 



left him to defend himself ; besides, he had already called 
upon him to quit Saxony and the university ; that the 
doctor had declared his willingness to obey, and that he 
would not then be in the electoral states, if the legate 
himself, Charles of Miltitz, had not entreated the prince 
to keep him near at hand, for fear that, by going to 
other countries, Luther would act with greater liberty 
than even in Saxony.* Frederick went farther than 
this : he desired to enlighten Rome. " Germany,'' con- 
tinues he in his letter, " now possesses a great number 
of learned men, well taught in every language and 
science ; the laity themselves begin to have understand- 
ing, and to love the holy Scriptures ; if, therefore, the 
reasonable conditions of Dr. Luther are rejected, there 
is great cause to fear that peace will never be refe's- 
tablished. Luther's doctrine has struck deep root into 
many hearts. If, instead of refuting it by the testi- 
mony of the Bible, you strive to destroy him by the 
thunderbolts of the ecclesiastical authority, great scan- 
dals will arise, and ruinous and terrible revolts will be 
excited."f 

The elector, having the greatest confidence in Luther, 
communicated Teutleben's letter to him, with another 
that he had received from Cardinal St. George. The 
reformer was agitated as he read them. He immediately 
perceived the dangers by which he was surrounded. His 
soul was for a time quite overwhelmed. But it was in 
such moments that the whole strength of his faith shone 
forth. Often weak, and ready to fall into dejection, he 
rose again, and appeared greater in the midst of the 
tempest. He longed to be delivered from such trials ; 
but he saw at what price peace was offered to him, and 
he indignantly rejected it. " Hold my peace 1" exclaim- 
ed he ; I am disposed to do so, if they will permit me j 
that is, if they will make others keep silence. If any 
one desires my places, let him take them ; if any one 
desires to destroy my writings, let him burn them. I 

• Da er viel freyer und sicherer schreiben und handeln moclite 
was er wollte. L. 0pp. L. 17. 298. f Schreckliche, grauisame, 
lobadliche und verderbliche Emporungen erregen. Ibid, 



LUTHER'S SENimtNTS. 



98 



am ready to keep quiet, provided they do not require 
that the truth of the gospel should be silent also.* I 
do not ask for a cardinaPs hat ; I ask not for gold, or 
for any thing that Rome values. There is nothing in 
the world they cannot obtain from me, provided they 
will not shut up the way of salvation against Chris- 
tians.f Their threats do not alarm me, their promises 
cannot seduce me." 

Animated with such sentiments, Luther soon recov- 
ered his militant disposition, and preferred the Christian 
warfare to the calm of solitude. One night was suffi- 
cient to bring back his desire of overthrowing Rome. 
" I have taken my part," wrote he on the morrow ; " I 
despise the fury of Rome, and contemn her favors. No 
more reconciliation, no more communication with her for 
ever.| Let her condemn me, let her burn my writings. 
In my turn, I will condemn and publicly burn the pon- 
tifical law — that nest of every heresy. The moderation 
I have hitherto shown has been unavailing ; I now re- 
nounce it." 

His friends were far from being thus tranquil. Great 
was the consternation at Wittemberg. "We are in a 
state of extraordinary expecta^tion," said Melancthon; 
" I would rather die than be separated from Luther. § 
If God does not help us, we shall all perish." " Our 
dear Luther is still alive," wrote he a month later, in his 
anxiety ; "may it please God to grant him a long life,|| 
for the Roman sycophants are making every exertion to 
put him to death. Let us pray that this sole avenger of 
sacred theology may long survive." 

These prayers were heard. The warning the elector 
had given Rome through his envoy was not without 
foandation. Luther's words had found an echo every- 

* Semper quiepcere paratus, modo veritatem evangelicam non 
fabeant quiescere. L. Epp. 1. 462. f Si salutis viam Christianii 
permittant esse liberam, hoc unum peto ab illis, ac praeterea nihil 
L. Efp- !• ^62. I Nolo eis reconciliari nec communicare in per 
pctuum. Ibid. 466. July 10, 1520. § Emori mallem, quam ab 
hoc viro avelli. Corp. Ref. 1. 160, 163. || Martinus noster spl- 
rat, atque utinam diu. Ibid. 190, 208 



94 HISTORY OF THE EEFORMATION. 



where — ^in cottages and convents, in the homes of tho 
citizens and in the castles of the nobles, in the universi- 
ties and in the palaces of kings. " If my life," he had 
said to Duke John of Saxony, "has been iTxStrumental 
to the conversion of a single man, I shall willingly con- 
sent to see all my books perish."* It was not one man^ 
h was a great multitude, that had found the light in the 
writings of the humble doctor. Everywhere, accord- 
ingly, were men to be found ready to protect him. The 
sword intended to slay him was forging in the Vatican ; 
but heroes were springing up in Germany to shield him 
with their bodies. At the moment when the bishops 
were chafing with rage, when princes kept silence, when 
the people were in expectation, and when the first mur- 
murs of the thunder were beginning to be heard from 
the Seven Hills, God aroused the German nobles to 
make a rampart for his servant. 

Sylvester of Schaumburg, one of the most powerful 
knights of Franconia, sent his son to Wittemberg at this 
time with a letter for the reformer. " Your life is in 
danger," wrote he. "If the support of the electors, 
princes, or magistrates fail you, I entreat you to beware 
of going to Bohemia, where in former times learned men 
have had much to undergo ; rather come to me. God 
willing, I shall soon have collected more than a hundred 
gentlemen, and with their help I shaU be able to protect 
you from every danger."f 

Francis of Sickingen, the hero of his age,J of whose 
intrepid courage we have already been witnesses, § loved 
the reformer, because he found him worthy of being 
loved, and also because he was hated by the monks.{| 
"My services, my goods, and my body, all that I pcs- 
sess," wrote he to Luther, " are at your disposal. You 
desire to maintain the Christian truth: I am ready ti 

♦ L. 0pp. L. 17. 392. t Denn Ich, und hundert von Adel, die 
Ich, ob Gott will, auf bringen will, euch redlich anhalten. L. 0pp. 
L. 17. 381. t Equitum Germaniae rarum decus — a peerless orna- 
ment of German knighthood — says Melanctkon on this occasion, 
Ck)rp. Ref. 1. 201. § See vol. 1, p. 142. || Et ob id imim 
niifl. Ctorp. Eef. 1. 132. 



ERASMUS DEFENDS LUTHER. 



95 



aid you in the work."* Harmurth of Cronberg held the 
same language. Lastly, Ulric of Hutten, the poet and 
valiant knight of the sixteenth century, never ceased 
speaking in Luther's favor. But what a contrast be- 
tween these two men I Hutten wrote to the reformer : 
It is with swords and with bows, with javelins and 
bombs, that we must crush the fury of the devil." Lu- 
ther on receiving these letters exclaimed, "I will not 
have recourse to arm^ and bloodshed in defence of the 
gospel. By the word the earth has been subdued ; by 
the word the church has been saved ; and by the word 
also it shall be ree'stablished." "I do not despise his 
offer," said he at another time on receiving Schaum- 
burg's letter, which we have mentioned above, "but I 
will rely upon nothing but Jesus Christ."f It was not 
thus the Roman pontiffs spoke when they waded in the 
blood of the Waldenses and Albigenses. Hutten felt the 
difference between his cause and Luther's, and he ac- 
cordingly wrote to him with noble-mindedness : " As for 
me, I am busied with the affairs of men ; but you soar 
far higher, and are occupied solely with those of 6od."| 
He then set out to win, if possible, Charles and Ferdi- 
nand to the side of truth. § 

Luther at this time met with a still more illustrious 
protector. Erasmus, whom the Romanists so often quote 
against the Reformation, raised his voice and undertook 
the reformer's defence, after his own fashion, however, 
that is to say, without any show of -defending him. On 
the 1st of November, 1519, this patriarch of learning 
wrote to Albert, elector of Mentz and primate of all Ger- 
many, a letter in which, after describing in vivid colors 
the corruption of the church, he says, "This is what 
stirred up Luther, and made him oppose the intolerable 
imprudence of certain doctors. For what other motive 
can we ascribe to a man who seeks not honors, and who 

* Corp. Ref. 1. 132. f Nolo nisi Christo protectore niti. 
L. Epp. 1. 148. t Mea humaoa sunt; tu perfectior, jam totua 

ex divinis pendes. L. 0pp. Lat. 2. 175. § Viam facturus liner- 
iaXi -rod. Bavar, veritati — per maximos principes. Corp. Bet J 
SOL 



96 



HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



cares not for money ?* Luther has dared doubt the vir 
tue of indulgences ; but others before him had most 
unblusbingly aflSrmed it. He feared not to speak, cer- 
tainly with little moderation, against the power of the 
Roman pontiff; but others before him had extolled it 
without reserve. He has dared contemn the decrees of 
St. Thomas, but the Dominicans had set them almost 
above the gospel. He has dared give utterance to his 
i*cruples about confession, but the monks continually 
made use of this ordinance as a net in which to catch 
and enslave the consciences of men. Pious souls were 
grieved at hearing that in the universities there was 
little mention of the evangelical doctrine ; that in the 
assemblies of Christians very little was heard of Christ ;f 
that nothing was there talked of, except the power of 
the pontiff, and the opinions of the Romish doctors ; and 
that the whole sermon was a mere matter of lucre, flat- 
tery, ambition, and imposture.^ It is to such a state 
of aflfairs that we should ascribe Luther's violent lan- 
guage." Such was Erasmus' opinion on the state of the 
church, and on the reformer. This letter, which was 
published by Ulric Hiitten, then residing at the court of 
Mentz, made a profound impression. 

At the same time, men more obscure than Erasmus 
and than all the knights, but who were destined to be 
more powerful auxiliaries, rallied round Luther in every 
direction. Doctor Botzhemus Abstemius, canon of Con- 
stance, wrote to him thus : " Now that you have become 
the friend of the universe, or at least of the better part 
of the world, that is to say, of good and true Christians, 
you must also become mine, whether you will or not.§ 
I am so delighted with your writings, that nothing gives 
me greater pleasure than to be living at a time when 

* Quid enim aliud suspicer de eo qui nec honores ambit, nec 
pecuniam cupit ? Erasm. 0pp. 3. 316. f Imo in sacris concion- 
ibus minimum audiri de Christo. Ibid. 315. t Totam oration- 
em jam palam quaestum, adulationem, ambitionem, ac fucum pra 
se ferre. Ibid. § Postquam orbi, aut saltem potiori orbis parti, 
hoc est, bonis et vere Christianis amicus factus es, mens quoque ami* 
'^^a erifl, velis, uoUs, Botzheim and bis J riends, hj Walchner, p. 107. 



LUTHER MORE FREE. 



97 



not only profkne, but also sacred literature is resuming 
its pristine splendor."* And at nearly the same period 
Gaspard Hedio, preacher at Basle, wrote to the reformer : 
** Most dear sir, I see that your doctrine is of God, and 
that it cannot be destroyed ; that it becomes daily more 
efficacious ; and that every hour it is winning souls to 
Obrist by turning them away from sin, and attracting 
ifaem to real piety.f Do not halt therefore, 0 liberator, 
but exert all your power to restore the yoke of Christ, 
80 light and easy to bear. Be yourself the general, and 
we will follow after you, like soldiers whom nothing can 
tear from you."J 

Thus at one time Luther's enemies oppress him, at 
another his friends spring up to defend him. " My bark,^' 
said he, floats to and fro, the sport of the winds ; hope 
and fear prevail by turns ; but what matters it And 
yet these testimonies of sympathy were not without in- 
fluence upon bis mind. " The Lord reigns," said he ; "I 
Bee him there, as if I could touch him."|| Luther felt 
that he was not alone ; his words had borne fruit, and 
this thought filled him with fresh courage. The fear of 
compromising the elector no longer checked him, when 
he found other defenders ready to brave the anger of 
Rome. He became more free, and if possible more de- 
termined. This is an important epoch in the develop- 
ment of Luther's character. Rome ought to under- 
stand," wrote he at this period to the elector's chaplain, 
" that, even should she succeed by her threats in expel- 
ling me from Wittemberg, she would only injure her 
cause. It is not in Bohemia, but in the very heart of 
Germany that those are to be found who are ready to 
defend me against the thunders of the Papacy. If I 
have not done my enemies all the harm I am preparing 
f )r them, they must ascribe it neither to my moderation 

• Et divinse pristinum nitorum recuperant. Weichner p. 107. 

j Lucri facit Ohristo, abducit a vitiis, asserit vera? pietati. Kap- 
pens Nachlese, 2. 433. i Tu dux esto, nos indivulsi milites 

erimus Ibid. § Ita fluctuat navis mea : nunc epeir,, nunc timor 
regnat. L. Epp. 1. 443. || Domiuus regnat, ut palpare posei- 

mu& Ibid. 451. 

0hk «riur., a y 



98 



HISTOEY OF THE EEFOKMATION. 



nor to their tyranny, but to the elector's name and to the 
interests of the university of Wittemberg, which I feared 
to compromise : now that I have such fears no longer, 
they will see me fall with fresh vigor upon Rome, and 
a:Mn her courtiers/'* 

And yet it was not on the great that Luther fixed his 
topes. He had been often solicited to dedicate a book 
to Duke John, the elector's brother. He had not doue 
80. " 1 am afraid," said he, that the suggestion comes 
from himself. Holy Scripture should subserve the glory 
of God's name alone."f Luther now recovered from his 
fears, and dedicated his sermon on Good Works to Duke 
John. This is one of the writings in which the reformer 
lays down with the greatest force the doctrine of justi- 
fication by faith — that powerful truth whose strength 
he sets far above the sword of Hlitten, the army of Sick- 
engen, and the protection of dukes and electors. 

" The first, the noblest, the sublimes t of all works,'' 
says he, is faith in Jesus Christ.J It is from this work 
that all other works must proceed : they are but the 
vassals of faith, and receive their efficacy from it alone. 

" If a man feels in his heart the assurance that what 
he has done is acceptable to God, the work ie good, if it 
were merely the lifting up of a straw ; but if he have not 
this assurance, his work is not good, even should he raise 
the dead. A heathen, a Jew, a Turk, a sinner, can per- 
form all the other works ; but to trust firmly in God, and 
to feel an assurance that we are accepted by him, is what 
a Christian, strong in grace, alone is capable of doing. 

" A Christian who possesses faith in God does every 
thing with liberty and joy ; while the man who is not at 
one with God is full of care, and kept in bondage : he 
asks himself with anguish how many works he should 
perform ; he runs to and fro ; he questions this man and 
that ; he nowhere finds peace, and does every thing -with 
sorrow and fear. 

* Saevius in Romanenses grassaturus. L. Epp. 1. 465. 

t Scripturam sacram nolim alicujus nomini nisi Dei pervire- Ibid. 
431. t Das erste und hochste, alleredelste . . . gute Werck ist 

der Glaube in Chrigtum. h. 0pp. L. 17. 394. 



LUTtHER ON HIS OWN WRITINaS. M 

Consequently I have always extolled faith. But in 
the world it is otherwise. There, the essential thing is 
to have many works — works high and great, and of 
every dimension, without caring whether they are quick- 
ened by faith. Thus, men build their peace, not on 
God's good pleasure, but on their own merits, that is to 
my, on sand. Matt. *l : 2t. 

To preach faith, it has been said, is to prevent good 
w^orks ; but if a man should possess the strength of all 
men united, or even of all creatures,* this sole oJbligatioi; 
of living in faith would be a task too great for him ever 
to accomplish. If I say to a sick man, *Be well, and 
thou shalt have the use of thy limbs,' will any one say 
that I forbid him to use his limbs ? Must not health 
precede labor ? It is the same when we preach faith : 
it should go before works, in order that the works them- 
selves should exist. 

Where then, you will say, can we find this faith ; and 
how can we receive it ? This is in truth what it is most 
important to know. Faith comes solely from Jesus, who 
was promised and given freely. 

" 0 man, figure Jesus Christ to yourself, and contem- 
plate how God in him has shown thee his mercy, without 
any merit on thy part going before. f Draw from this 
image of his grace the faith and assurance that all thy 
sins are forgiven thee. Works cannot produce it. It 
flows from the blood, and wounds, and death of Christ ; 
thence it wells forth into our hearts. Christ is the rock 
whence flow milk and honey." Deut. 32. 

As we cannot notice all Luther's writings, we have 
quoted a few short passages from this discourse on Good 
Works, in consequence of the opinion the reformer him- 
self entertained of it. " In my own judgment," said he, 
" it is the best I ever published." And he added imme- 
diately this deep reflection: ^'But I know that when I 
please myself with what I write, the infection of that 

* Wenn ein Mensch tausend, oder alle Menschen, oder alle Crea- 
trreu ware. L. 0pp. L. 17. 398. f Siehe, also must du Chria- 
tum in dich bilden, und sehen wie in Dim Gott seine Barmberzigkslt 
dir i^halt und anbeut. Ibid. 401. 



100 HISTORY OF THE EEFORMATION. 



bad leaven hinders it from pleasing others."* Melano 
thon, in forwarding this discourse to a friend, accom- 
p^anied it with these words : " There is no one among 
all the Greek and Latin writers who has come nearer 
than Luther to the spirit of St. Paul."f 

* Erit, meo judicio, omnium quaB ediderim optimum ; quanqaam 
ocio quas mihi mea placent, hoc ipso fermento infecta, non solerc 
Bills placere. L. Epp. 1. 431. f Quo ad Paul! splritom nemo 
prapluix 8cce8sit. Corp. Kef. 1. 202. 



APPEAL TO THE aERMAN N0BILIT1. 101 



CHAPTER III. 

The Papacy attacked— Appeal the nobility — The three walls — 
All Christians are priests — The magistrate should chastise the 
clergy — Roman corruptions — Ruin of Italy — Dangers of Germ£^ 
ny — The Pope — The legates — The monks — Marriage of pricwsts — 
Celibacy — Festivals — The Bohemians — Charity — The Universi- 
ties — The empire — Thti Emperor should retake Rome — Unpub- 
lished book — Luther's moderation — Success of the address. 

But there was another evil in the church besides the 
substitution of a system of meritorious works for the 
grand idea of grace and amnesty.* A haughty power 
had arisen in the midst of the shepherds of Christ's flock. 
Luther prepared to attack this usurped authority. Al- 
ready a vague and distant rumor announced the success 
of Dr. Eck's intrigues at Rome. This rumor aroused 
the militant spirit of the reformer, who, in the midst of 
all his troubles, had studied in his retirement the rise, 
progress, and usurpations of the Papacy. His discov 
eries had filled him with surprise. He no longer hesi- 
tated to make them known, and to strike the blow which, 
like Moses' rod in ancient times, was to awaken a peo- 
ple who had long slumbered in captivity. Even before 
Rome had time to publish her formidable bull, it was he 
who hurled his declaration of war against her. " The 
time to be silent is past,'' exclaimed he ; " the time to 
speak is come. At last, we must unveil the mysteries 
of antichrist." On the 23d of June, 1520, he published 
his famous Appeal to his Imperial Majesty^ and to the 
Christian Nobility of the German Nation^ on the Beforma- 
tion of Christianity. '\ This work was the signal of the 
attack that was to decide both the rupture and the 
victory 

" It is not through presumption," said he at the oiieur 
ing of this address, " that I, a man of the people, venture 
to Bpeak to your lordships. The misery and oppression 

• See vol. L, p. 33 seqq. t 0pp. L. 17. 457-602. 



102 



HISTOHr 0^" THE REFORMATION. 



that at this hour weigh down all the states of Christen* 
dom, and particularly Germany, extort from me a cry of 
distress. I must call for help ; I must see if God will 
not give his Spirit to some man in our own country, and 
thus stretch forth his hand to save our wretched nation. 
God has placed over us a young and generous prince,* 
and has thus filled our hearts with great expectations 
But on our parts we must do every thing that lies in out 
power. 

" Now the first requisite is, not to trust in our own 
strength, or in our lofty wisdom. If we begin a good 
work with confidence in ourselves, God overthrows and 
destroys it. Frederick I., Frederick II., and many other 
emperors besides, before whom the world trembled^ have 
been trodden under foot by the Popes, because they 
trusted more in their own strength than in God. There- 
fore they could not but fall. It is against the powers 
of hell that we have to contend in this struggle. Hop- 
ing nothing from the strength of arms, humbly trusting 
in the Lord, looking more to the distress of Christendom 
than to the crimes of the wicked — this is how we must 
set to work. Otherwise the work will have a prosper- 
ous look at the beginning ; but suddenly, in the midst 
of the contest, confusion will enter in, evil minds will 
cause incalculable disasters, and the whole world will 
be deluged with blood. The greater our power, the 
greater also is our danger, if we do not walk in the fear 
of the Lord." 

After this prelude, Luther continues thus : 
**The Romans have raised around themselves three 
walls to protect them against every kind of reformation. 
Have they been attacked by the temporal power ? they 
have asserted that it had no authority over them, and 
that the spiritual power was superior to it. Have they 
been rebuked by holy Scripture ? they have replied that 
no one is able to interpret it except the Pope. Have they 
been threatened with a council ? no one, said they, but 
the sovereign pontifi" has authority to convoke one. 

* The emperor Charles V. Grott hat una ein junges edles Blat 
cam Haupt gegeben. L. 0pp. L. 17. 457. 



ALL CHRISTIANS ARE PRIESTS. 103 

'* They have thus despoiled us of the three rods dc& 
tined to correct them, and have given themselves up to 
every wickedness. But now may God be our helper, and 
give us one of those trumpets that overthrew the walls 
of Jericho. With our breath let us throw down those 
barriers of paper and straw which the Komans have 
b-jilt around tl em, and upraise the rods which punish 
tl.e wicked, by exposing the wiles of the devil.^' 

Luther now begins the attack. He shakes to its 
foundation that papal monarchy which for ages had 
combined the people of the West in one body under the 
sceptre of the Roman bishop. That there is no sacer- 
dotal caste in Christianity, is the truth which he power- 
erfully sets forth at the beginning — a truth hidden from 
the eyes of the church from the earliest ages. 

" It has been said," writes Luther, " that the pope, 
the bishops, the priests, and all those who people the 
convents, form the spiritual or ecclesiastical state ; and 
that the princes, the nobility, the citizens, and peasants, 
form the secular or lay estate. This is a fine story. Let 
no person, however, be startled at it. All Christians be- 
long to the spiritual state, and there is no other difference 
between them than that arising from the functions which 
they discharge. We have all one baptism,* one faith ; 
and this it is which constitutes the spiritual man. The 
unction, the tonsure, ordination, consecration by the 
bishop or the pope, may make a hypocrite, but never a 
spiritual man. We are all consecrated priests by baptism, 
as St. Peter says, ' Ye are priests and kings,' although 
it does not belong to all to exercise such offices, for no 
one can take what is common to all without the consent 
of the community. But if we possess not this divine 
consecration, the pope's anointing can never make a 
priest. If ten brothers, sons of a king, having equal 
claims to the inheritance, select one of them to admin- 
ister it for them, they would all be kings, and yet only 
one of them would be the administrator of their common 
power. So it is with the church. If a few pious lay- 
men were banished to a desert place, and if, not having 
• See voL L, p. 15L 



104 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



among them a priest consecrated by a bishop, they shoald 
agree to choose one of their own number, married or not, 
this man would be as truly a priest as if all the bishops 
in the world had consecrated him. Thus Augustine, 
Ambrose, and Cyprian were elected. 

" Hence it follows that laymen and priests, princes 
and bishops, or, as they say, the clergy and laity, have 
nothing but their functions to distinguish them. They 
have all the same estate, but have not all the same work 
to perform. 

" If this be true, why should not the magistrate chas- 
tise the clergy ? The secular power was established by 
God to punish the wicked, and to protect the good. And 
it must be allowed to act throughout all Christendom, 
whomsoever it may touch, be he pope, bishop, priest, 
monk, or nun. St. Paul says to all Christians, * Let every 
one,'* and consequently the pope also, * be subject unto 
the higher powers ; for they bear not the sword in vain.' " 

Luther, having in like manner overthrown the two 
other walls, passes in review all the corruptions of Rome. 
He sets forth, in an eminently popular style of eloquence, 
the evils that had been pointed out for centuries past. 
Never had a nobler protest been heard. The assembly 
before which Luther spoke was the church ; the power 
whose corruptions he attacked was that Papacy which 
for ages had oppressed all nations with its weight ; and 
the reformation he so loudly called for was destined to 
exercise its powerful influence over all Christendom, in 
all the world, so long as the human race shall endure. 

He begins with the pope. "It is a horrible thing, 
says he, " to behold the man who styles himself Christ's 
vicegerent, displaying a magnificence that no emperor 
can equal. Is this being like the poor Jesus, or tiie 
humble Peter ? He is, say they, the lord of the world ! 
But Christ, whose vicar he boasts of being, has said, * My 
kingdom is not of this world.' Can the dominioBS of a 
vicar extend beyond those of his superior ?" 

Luther now proceeds to describe the effects )f the 
papal rule. "Do you know what is the use ol carCi 
• JLaaa V^^, every souL Rom. 13: 1, 4, 



DANOER OF aERMANt. 



106 



nalsT I will tell you. Italy and Germany have many 
convents, religious foundations, and richly endowed 
benefices. How can this wealth be drawn to Rome ? 
Cardinals have been created ; these cloisters and pre- 
lacies have been given to them ; and now. . . . Italy is 
almost deserted, the convents are in ruins, the bishoprics 
devoured, the cities decayed, the inhabitants corrupted, 
religious worship is expiring, and preaching abolished. 
.... And why is this ? Because all the wealth of the 
churches must go to Rome. The Turk himself would 
never have so ruined Italy 

Luther next turns to his fellow-countrymen : 

"And now that they have thus sucked all the blood of 
their own nation, they come into Germany : they begin 
tenderly ; but let us be on our guard, or Germany will 
ere long be like Italy. We have already a few cardi- 
nals. Before the dull Germans comprehend our design, 
think they, they will no longer have either bishopric, 
convent, or benefice, penny, or farthing left. Antichrist 
must possess the treasures of the earth. Thirty or forty 
cardinals will be created in one day. Bamberg will be 
given to one, the bishopric of Wurtzburg to another; 
rich cures will be attached to them, until the cities and 
churches are desolate. And then the pope will say, I 
am Christ's vicar, and the shepherd of his flocks. Let 
the Germans be submissive." 

Luther's indignation is kindled : 

" What, shall we Germans endure such robberies and 
such extortions from the pope ? If the kingdom of France 
has been able to defend itself, why should we permit our- 
selves to be thus ridiculed and laughed at ? Oh, if they 
only despoiled us of our goods. But they lay waste the 
churches, fleece the sheep of Christ, abolish religious wor- 
ship, and annihilate the word of God." 

Luther here exposes "the practices of Rome" to ob- 
tain the money and the revenues of Germany. Annats, 
palliums, commendams, administrations, reversions, in- 
corporations, reserves, etc., he passes them all in review ; 
and then he says, " Let us endeavor to check such deso 
lation and wretchedness. If we desire to march against 



106 HISTORY O^" THE REFORMATION. 



the Turks, let us march against those who are the worst 
Turks of all. If we hang thieves, and decapitate high- 
way robbers, let us not permit Romish avarice to escape, 
which is the greatest of thieves and robbers, and that too 
in the name of St. Peter and of Jesus Christ. Who can 
suffer this ? Who can be silent ? All that the pope pos' 
sesses, has he not gained by plunder ? For he has nei- 
ther bought it, nor inherited it from St. Peter, nor gained 
It by the sweat of his brow. Whence then has he all 

this r 

Luther proposes remedies for fnese evils, and calls 
energetically upon the nobility of Germany to put an 
end to these Romish depredations. He then comes to 
the reformation of the pope himself : " Is it not ridicu- 
lous," says he, " that the pope pretends to be the lawful 
heir to the empire ? Who gave it him ? Was it Jesus 
Christ, when he said, * The kings of the Gentiles exer- 
cise lordship over them, but it shall not be so among 
you ?'* Luke 22 : 25, 26. How is it possible to govern 
an empire, and at the same time preach, pray, study, and 
take care of the poor? Jesus Christ forbade his minis- 
ters to carry with them either gold or two coats, because 
they would be unable to discharge the duties of their 
ministry, if they were not free from all other care ; and 
yet the pope would govern the empire, and still remain 
pope." 

Luther continues stripping the sovereign pontiff : 
" Let the pope renounce every claim on the kingdom of 
Naples and Sicily. He has no more right to it than I 
have. It is unjustly, and in opposition to all the com- 
mandments of Christ, that he possesses Bologna, Imola, 
Ravenna, the Romagna, the March of Ancona, etc. *No 
man that warreth,' says St. Paul, *entangleth himself 
with the affairs of this life.' 2 Tim. 2 : 4. Yet the pope, 
who pretends to be the leader of the church militant, 
entangles himself with the affairs of this life more than 
any emperor or king. We must relieve him from all 
this toil. Let the emperor put the Bible And a prayer- 
book into the pope's hands, in order that he may leave 
• Tfiug <» olx ofirtjf — <ub. Im, See Matt 20 : 2^. 



MAaRlAG-E OF THIfi PRJESTS 



107 



the cares of government to kings, and confine himself to 
preaching and praying."* 

Luther will no more suffer the pope's spiritual power 
in Germany than his temporal power in Italy. " First 
of all," says he, "we must expel from every German 
state those papal legates, with their pretended benefits 
which they sell us at their weight in gold, and which are 
downright impositions. They take our money, and for 
what ? to legalize their ill-gotten gains, to absolve from 
all oaths, to teach us to be wanting in fidelity, to in* 
struct us how to sin, and to lead us direct to hell. Hear- 
est thou this, 0 pope, not most holy, but most sinful 
pope ? May God from his throne in heaven soon hurl 
thee from thy throne into the bottomless pit." 

The Christian tribune pursues his course. After hav- 
ing called the pope to his bar, he summons before him 
all the corruptions that form the papal train, and pur- 
poses sweeping from the floor of the church the rubbish 
by which it was encumbered. He begins with the 
monks : 

*' And now then I come to that sluggish troop which 
promises much, but does little. Do not be angry, my 
dear sirs, my intentions are good : what I have to say 
is a truth at once sweet and bitter ; namely, no more 
cloisters must be built for mendicant friars. We have, 
indeed, too many already, and would to God that they 
were all pulled down. Strolling through a country like 
beggars never has done, and never can do good." 

The marriage of the clergy now has its turn, and this 
is the first time Luther speaks of it : 

"To what a sad state have the clergy fallen, and 
bow many priests do we not find burdened with women, 
and children, and remorse, and yet no one comes to their 
aid. It is all very well for the pope and the bishops to 
let things go on as before, and for that to continue lost 
which is lost ; but I am determined to save my con>« 
science, and to open my mouth freely : after that, let 
the pope, the bishops, and any one who pleases, take 

t Ihm die Biblien und Betbiicher dafiir anzeigen .... imd er pr^ 
iige und bete. L. 0pp. 17 472. 



108 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



offence at it I assert, then, that according to the 

appointment of Christ and his apostles, each city shouli^ 
have a pastor or bishop, and that this pastor may have 
a wife as St. Paul writes to Timothy, * A bishop must 
be the husband of one wife,' 1 Tim. 3 : 2, and as is still 
practised in the Greek church. But the devil has per* 
suaded the pope, as the same apostle says to Timothy, 
1 Tim. 4 : 1-3, to forbid the clergy to marry; and hence 
tave proceeded miseries so numerous that we cannot 
mention all. What is to be done ? How can we save 
so many pastors in whom we have no fault to find, ex- 
cept that they live with a woman to whom they would 
with all their heart be legitimately married ? Ah, let 
them quiet their consciences ; let them take this woman 
as their lawful wife, and let them live virtuously with 
her, not troubling themselves whether the pope is pleased 
or not. The salvation of your soul is of greater conse- 
quence to you than tyrannical and arbitrary laws, that 
do not emanate from the Lord." 

It is in this way that the Reformation aimed at 
restoring purity of morals in the church. The reformer 
continues : 

"Let all festivals be abolished, and let none but 
Sunday be observed ; or if people desire to keep the 
great Christian festivals, let them be celebrated only in 
the morning, and let the rest of the day be like any 
other working-day. For as on those days men do noth- 
ing but drink, gamble, indulge in every sin, or remain 
idle, they offend God on the festivals more than at other 
times.'^ 

He next attacks the commemorations,* which he 
styles mere taverns ; and after them the fasts and relig- 
ious fraternities. He not only desires to put an end to 
abuses, he wishes also to put away schism. " It is high 
time," says he, " that we busied ourselves seriously with 
the cause of the Bohemians — that we put a stop to envy 
and hatred — and that we united with them." After pro- 
posing some excellent means of reconciliation, he adds, 

♦ Yearly festivals in commemoration of the dedication or openr 
ing of a ohorch : the Belgian kermcas. 



HHE BIBLE IN SCH0CL8. 



109 



"We must convince heretics by Scripture, as did the 
ancient Fathers, and not subdue them by fire. In thip 
latter system, the executioners would be the most learned 
doctors in the world. . . . Oh, would to God that on 
both sides we stretched forth our hands in brotherly 
humility, instead of being inflexible in the sentiment of 
our strength and of our right. Charity is more neces- 
sary than the papacy of Rome. I have now done all 
that is in my power. If the pope and his adherents 
oppose this, the responsibilty will fall on them. The 
pope should be ready to renounce his papacy, all his 
possessions, and all his honors, if he could by that means 
save a single soul. But he would rather see all the 
world perish, than bate even a hair's breadth of the power 
he has usurped.* .... I am clear of these things." 

Luther next proceeds to the universities and schools : 

"I am much afraid that the universities will prove 
to be the great gates of hell, unless they diligently labor 
in explaining the holy Scriptures, and engraving them 
in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place his 
child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. 
Every institution in which men are not unceasingly 
occupied with the word of God must become corrupt."f 
Weighty words, upon which governments, learned men, 
and parents in every age, should seriously meditate. 

Towards the end of this appeal he returns to the em- 
pire and to the emperor : 

" The pope, unable to manage at his will the ancient 
masters of the Roman empire, conceived a plan of tak- 
ing away their title and their empire, and bestowing 
them on us Germans. Thus it happened that we became 
the vassals of the pope. For the pope took possession 
of Rome, and compelled the emperor by an oath never 
to reside there ; whence it is that the emperor is emperor 
of Rome, without Rome. We possess the name ; the 
pope has the country and the cities. We have the title 

♦ Nun liess er ehe die Welt untergehen, ehe er ein Haarbreit sei- 
ner yermessenen Gewalt liesse abbrechen. L. 0pp. L. 17. 483. 

t Es muss verderben, alles was nicht Gottes Wort ohn Unterlasi 
trdbt. Ibid. 486. 



no HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



and arms of the empire ; the pope its treasures, pv/wer^ 
privileges, and liberties. The pope eats the fruit, and 
we play with the husk. It is thus that the pride and 
tyranny of the Romans have always abused our sim- 
plicity. 

** But now may God, who has given us such an em- 
pire, be our helper. Let us act in conformity with oui 
name, title, and arms ; let us preserve our liberty ; and 
let the Romans learn to appreciate what God has given 
US by their hands. They boast of having given us an 
empire. Well, then, let us take what belongs to us. 
Let the pope resign to us Rome, and every portion of the 
empire that he still holds. Let him put an end to his 
taxes and extortions. Let him restore our liberty, our 
power, our property, our honor, our souls, and our 
bodies. Let the empire be all that an empire ought to 
be, and let the sword of princes no longer be constrained 
to bow before the hypocritical pretensions of a pope." 

In these words there are not only energy and enthu- 
siasm, but also a lofty strain of reasoning. Did any 
orator ever speak thus to the nobility of the empire, and 
to the emperor himself? Far from being surprised that 
so many German states separated from Rome, ought we 
not rather to feel astonished that all Germany did not 
march to the banks of the Tiber to resume that imperial 
power whose attributes the popes had so imprudently 
placed on the brow of its sovereign ? 

Luther concludes this courageous appeal in these 
words : 

"I can very well imagine that I have pitched my 
song too high, proposed many things that will seem im- 
possible, and attacked many errors rather too violently. 
But what can I do ? Let the world be offended with 

me, rather than God They can but take away 

my life. I have often proposed peace to my adversaries. 
But God, by their instrumentality, has compelled me 
continually to cry louder and louder against them, I 
have still another song in reserve against Rome. If 
their ears itch, I will sing it them, and loudly too. Dost 
thou clearly understand, 0 Rome, what I mean . . 



RESULTS OF THE ADDREaS. 



Ill 



This is probably an allusion to a work on the papacy 
that Luther had some intention of publishing, but which 
was withheld. About this time the rector Burkhardt 
wrote to Spengler : There is also a little treatise Be 
execrandd Venere Romanorum ; but it is kept in reserve." 
The title promised something very offensive ; and we 
should rejoice that Luther had the moderation not to 
publish this writing. 

If my cause is just," continues he, "it will be con- 
demned by all the world, and justified only by Christ in 
heaven. Let them come on then, pope, bishops, priests, 
monks, and doctors ; let them put forth all their zeal ; 
let them give the rein to all their fury. These are, in 
truth, the men who ought to persecute the truth, as 
every age has witnessed." 

Whence did this monk acquire so clear an under- 
standing of public affairs, which even the states of the 
empire often found so difficult to elucidate ? Whence 
(lid this German derive the courage which made him 
raise his head in the midst of a nation so long enslaved, 
and aim such violent blows at the papacy ? What was 
the mysterious power that animated him ? Might we not 
be led to say that he had heard these words addressed 
by God to a man of the olden time : "Behold, I have 
made thy face strong against their faces. As an adamant 
harder than flint have I made thy forehead : fear them 
not, neither be dismayed at their looks." 

This exhortation, which was addressed to the Ger- 
man nobility, soon reached all those for whom it had 
been written. It circulated through Germany with in- 
conceivable rapidity. Luther's friends trembled : Stau- 
pitz and those who desired to employ mild measures 
found the blow too severe. " In our days," replied Lu- 
ther, " every thing that is handled gently faLs into ob- 
livion, and no one cares about it."* At the same time 
he gave striking evidence of single-mindedness and hu- 
mility. He did not yet know himself. " I cannot tell 
what to say of myself," wrote he. " Perhaps I am Phil- 

* Quae nostro saeculo quLete tractaatur, mox cadere in oblivio 
^Quu L. Epp. 1. 479. 



112 HISTOEY OF THE REFOKMJLTIOK. 



ip's," Melancthon's, forerunner. I am preparing tne way 
for him, like Elias, in spirit and in power. It is he who 
will one day trouble Israel, and the house of Ahab,"* 

But there was no need to wait for another than him 
who had already appeared. The house of Ahab was 
already shaken. The Appeal to the German Nobility was 
published on the 26th of June, 1520 ; in a short time 
four thousand copies were sold, a number unprecedented 
in those days. The astonishment was universal. This 
writing produced a powerful sensation among the peo- 
ple. The vigor, life, perspicuity, and generous boldness 
that breathed throughout, made it a truly popular work. 
The people felt at last that he who spoke to them loved 
them also. The confused views of a great number of 
wise men were cleared up. The Romish usurpations 
became evident to every mind. No one at Wittemberg 
any longer doubted that the pope was antichrist. Even 
the elector's court, so circumspect and timid, did not dis- 
approve of the reformer ; it waited patiently. But the 
nobility and the people did not wait. The nation was 
reanimated. Luther's voice had shaken it ; it was won 
over, and rallied round the standard that he had up- 
lifted. Nothing could have been more advantageous to 
the reformer than this publication. In the palaces and 
castles, in the homes of the citizens and the cottages of 
the peasants, all were now prepared, and defended as it 
were with a breastplate against the sentence of con- 
demnation that was about to fall upon this prophet of 
the people. All Germany was on fire. Let the ball 
arrive ; not by such means will the conflagration bo 
extinguished. 

• L. Bpp 1. 478. 



PEBPAEATI0N8 AT EOMB. 



113 



CHAPTER IV. 

Preparations at Rome — Motives for papal resistance — Eck at Koma 
—The king of crowns — Eck prevails — The pope is the world— 
Grod brings about the separation — A Swiss priest pleads for La- 
ttier — The Roman consistory — Exordium of the buU—Luthei 
condemned. 

Every preparation was made at Rome for condemn- 
ing the defender of the liberty of the church. That 
church had long been living in a state of haughty secu- 
rity. For several years the monks had been accusing 
Leo X. of caring only for luxury and pleasure, of occu- 
pying himself solely with the chase, the theatre, and 
music,* while the church was tottering to its fall. At 
length, aroused by the clamors of Dr. Eck, who had come 
from Leipsic to invoke the power of the Vatican, pope, 
cardinals, monks, and all Rome, awoke, and thought of 
saving the Papacy. 

Rome indeed was compelled to have recourse to the 
severest measures. The gauntlet had been thrown down ; 
the combat must be to the death. Luther did not attack 
the abuses of the Roman pontificate, but the pontificate 
itself. At his command he would have had the pope to 
descend humbly from his throne, and become a simple 
pastor or bishop on the banks of the Tiber. All the dig- 
nitaries of the Roman hierarchy were to renounce their 
wealth and their worldly glory, and become elders and 
deacons of the churches of Italy. All that splendor and 
power which for ages had dazzled the West, was to 
vanish and give place to the humble simplicity of the 
primitive Christian worship. God might have brought 
this about ; he will do so in his own time ; but it could 
not be expected from man. And even should any pope 
have been so disinterested or bold as to be sv^illing to 
overthrow the ancient and costly edifice of the Roman 

♦ E Bopra tutto musico eccellentissimo ; e quando el canta con 
^nalohe uno, li fa donar cento e piu ducati. Zorsi MS- 

8 



114 HISTORY OF THE EEFORMATIOK. 



church, thousands of priests and bishops would have 
stretched out their hands to prevent its fall. The pope 
had received his power on the express condition of main- 
taining what was confided to him. Rome thought her- 
self divinely appointed to the government of the church. 
We cannot therefore be astonished that she prepared to 
strike the most terrible blows. And yet she hesitated at 
first. Many cardinals and the pope himself were op- 
posed to violent measures. The skilful Leo saw clearly 
that a decision, the execution of which depended on the 
very doubtful compliance of the civil power, might seri- 
ously compromise the authority of the church. He was 
aware, besides, that the violent measures hitherto em- 
ployed had only served to aggravate the mischief. Is it 
not possible to gain over this Saxon monk ? asked the 
Roman politicians of one another. Will all the power 
of the church, will all the craft of Italy fail ? They must 
negotiate still. 

Eck accordingly met with powerful obstacles. He 
neglected nothing that might prevent such impious con- 
cessions. In every quarter of Rome he vented his rage, 
and called for revenge. The fanatical portion of the 
monks soon leagued with him. Strengthened by their 
alliance, he assailed the pope and cardinals with fresh 
courage. In his opinion, every attempt at conciliation 
would be useless. These, said he, are idle dreams with 
which you soothe yourselves at a distance from the dan- 
ger. He knew the peril, for he had contended with the 
audacious monk. He saw that there should be no delay 
in cutting off this gangrened limb, for fear the disease 
should infect the whole body. The impetuous disputant 
of Leipsic parried objection after objection, and with 
difficulty persuaded the pope.* He desired to save Rome 
in spite of herself. He made every exertion, passing 
many hours together in deliberation in the pontiff's cab- 
inet, f He excited the court and the cloisters, the people 
and the church. " Eck is stirring up the bottomless pit 

* Sarpi, Council of Trent. f Stetimus nuper, papa, duo car- 

dinales et ego per quinque horas in deliberatione. Eo^ 

Epistola, May 3, in Luth. 0pp. Lat. 2. 48. 



£GK AT EOME 



115 



against me,'' said Luther ; " he is setting fire to the for- 
ests of Lebanon."* 

But the victory, at the very moment Dr. Eck made 
most sure of it, appeared suddenly to escape from his 
hands. There existed even in Rome a respectable party 
to a certain extent favorable to Luther. On this point 
we have the testim )ny of a Roman citizen, one of whose 
letters, written in January, 1521, has fortunately been 
preserved. "You should know," says he, "that in Rome 
there is scarcely an individual, at least among men of 
sound judgment, who is not aware that in many respects 
Luther speaks the truth."f These respectable persons 
resisted the demands of Dr. Eck. "We should take more 
time for reflection," said they ; " Luther should be op- 
posed by moderation and by reason, and not by anathe- 
mas." Leo X. was again staggered. But immediately 
all that was bad in Rome burst out into violent fury.J 
Eck mustered his recruits, and from all quarters, but 
especially from among the Dominicans, auxiliaries ral- 
lied round him, overflowing with anger and apprehen- 
sion lest their victim should escape. " It is unbecoming 
the dignity of the Roman pontiff"," said they, " to give a 
reason to every little wretch that presumes to raise his 
head ;§ on the contrary, these obstinate people should 
be crushed by force, lest others, after them, should imi- 
tate their audacity. It was in this way that the punish- 
ment of John Huss, and of his disciple Jerome, terrified 
many ; and if the same thing had been done to Reuchlin, 
Luther would never have dared what he has done." 

At the same time, the theologians of Cologne, Lou- 
vain, and other universities, and even princes of Ger- 
many, either by letter or through their envoys, daily 
urged the pope in private by the most pressing entrea- 

• Impetratunis abyBsos abyssorum succensurus Baltum 

Libani. L. Epp. 1. 421-429. f Scias, neminem Romae esse, ei 
saltern sapiat, qui non certo certius sciat et cognoscat Marti num in 
plurimis veritatem dicere. Riederer^s Nachrichten zur Kirchen Ge- 
lehrten und Biichergeschichte, 1. 179. f Mali vero, quia veri* 

tatem audire coguntur, insaniunt. Ibid. § Non decere Rom. 

Poat umctti(|U6 vilissimo homunculo rationein reddere debere, Jh 



116 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



ties. But the most earnest solicitations proceeded from 
a banker who, by his wealth, possessed great influence 
at Rome, and who was familiarly styled "the king of 
crowns."* The Papacy has always been more or less in 
the hands of those who have lent it money. This banker 
was Fugger, the treasurer of the indulgences. Inflamed 
with anger against Luther, and very uneasy about his 
profits and his wares,f the Augsburg merchant strained 
every nerve to exasperate the pope : *' Employ force 
against Luther," said he, " and I will promise you the 
alliance and support of several princes." It would even 
appear that it was he who had sent Eck to Rome.| 

This gave the decisive blow. The "king of crowns" 
was victor in the pontifical city. It was not the sword 
of the Gaul, but well-stored purses that were on this 
occasion thrown into the balance. Eck prevailed at last.. 
The politicians were defeated by the fanatics in the 
papal councils. Leo gave way, and Luther's condemna- 
tion was resolved upon. Eck loreathed again. His pride 
was flattered by the thought that it was he who had 
decided the destruction of his heretical rival, and thus 
saved the church. " It was fortunate," said he, " that I 
came to Rome at this time,§ for they were but little ac- 
quainted with Luther's errors. It will one day be known 
how much I have done in this cause." 

Few were more active in supporting Dr. Eck than 
Sylvester Mazzolini de Prierio, master of the sacred pal- 
ace. He had just published a work in which he laid 
down that not only did the infallible decision of all con- 
troverted points belong to the pope alone, but that the 
papal dominion was the fifth monarchy prophesied by 
Daniel, and the only true monarchy ; that the pope was 
the first of all ecclesiastical princes, the father of all 
secular rulers, the chief of the world, and essentially the 

* Super omnia vero mercator 11 le Fuckerus, qui plurimum ob 
pecunias Romae potest, utpote quem nummorum res^cm vocare so- 
lent. Riederer's Nachrichten, 1. 179. j De quaestu suo ac 

beueficiorum mercatura soUicitus. Nachrichten, 1. 179. I Ejusca 
rei causa Eckium ilium suum Romam misit. IbicL § Bonmr 

fiiit me venisse hoc tempore Romam. Ep. EckiL 



EOMISH INFATUATIOH. 



117 



world itself.* In another writing, he affirmed that the 
pope is as much superior to the emperor, as gold is more 
precious than lead ;f that the pope may elect and depose 
both emperors and electors, establish and annul positive 
rights ; and that the emperor, though backed by all the 
laws and nations of Christendom, cannot decide the least 
thing against the pope's will. Such was the voice that 
issued from the palace of the sovereign pontiff ; such 
was the monstrous fiction which, combined with the 
scholastic doctrines, pretended to extinguish the dawn- 
ing truth. If this fable had not been unmasked as it 
has been, and even by learned men in the Romish com- 
munion, there would have been neither true religion nor 
true history. The Papacy is not only a lie in the face of 
the Bible, it is so even in the face of the annals of all 
nations. Thus the Reformation, by breaking its charm, 
emancipated not only the church, but also kings and 
people. It has been said that the Reformation was a 
political work : in this sense it is true ; but this is only 
a secondary sense. 

Thus did God send forth a spirit of infatuation on 
the Roman doctors. The separation between truth and 
error had now become necessary ; and error was the 
instrument of its accomplishment. If they had come to 
an agreement, it could only have been at the expense of 
truth ; but to take away the smallest part of itself, is 
to prepare the way for its complete annihilation. It is 
like the insect which is said to die if one of its antennas 
be removed. Truth requires to be entire in all its mem- 
bers, in order to display that energy by which it is en- 
abled to gain wide and salutary victories, and to propa- 
gate itself through future ages. To mingle a little error 
with truth, is like throwing a grain of poison into a well- 
filled dish ; this one grain is sufficient to change the 
nature of the food, and will cause death, slowly periiaps, 
but surely. Those who defend Christ's doctrine against 

* Caput orbis et consequenter orbis totus in virtute. De juridica 
et irrefragabili veritate Romanae Ecclesiae. Bibl. Max. 19, cap. 4. 

t Papa est imperatore major dignitate plus quam aurum plombo, 
De Papa et ^us potestate, p. 371. 



118 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



the attacks of its adversaries, as jealously keep watcb 
upon its remotest outworks as upon the body of the 
place ; for no sooner has the enemy gained a footing in 
the least of these positions, than his victory is not fai 
distant. The Roman pontiff resolved, at the period we 
have now reached, to rend the church, and the fragment 
that remains in his grasp, however splendid it may be, 
ineffectually conceals under its gorgeous ornaments the 
deleterious principle by which it is attacked. Wherever 
the word of God is, there is life. Luther, however great 
his courage, would probably have kept silence, if Rome 
had been silent herself, and had affected to make a few 
apparent concessions. But God had not abandoned the 
Reformation to the weak heart of man. Luther was in 
the hands of One more far-sighted than him self. Divine 
Providence made use of the pope to break every link 
between the past and the future, and to launch the 
reformer into a new path, unknown and undistinguish- 
able to his eyes, the approaches of which he never could 
have found unaided. The pontifical bull was the letter 
of divorcement that Rome gave to the pure church of 
Jesus Christ in the person of him who was then its hum- 
ble, but faithful representative ; and the church accepted 
it, from that hour to depend solely on her Head who is 
in heaven. 

While, at Rome, Luther^s condemnation was urged 
forward with so much violence, that an humble priest 
living in one of the simple towns of Helvetia, and who 
had never held any communication with the reformer, 
was deeply affected at the thought of the blow impend- 
ing over him ; and while the friends of the Wittemberg 
doctor trembled and remained silent, this child of the 
Swiss mountains resolved to employ every means in his 
power to arrest the formidable bull. His name was 
TJlrich Zwingle. William des Faucons, secretary to the 
pope^s legate in Switzerland, and who, in the legate's ab- 
sence, was intrusted with the affairs of Rome, was his 
friend. "So long as I live," had said the nuncio ad 
interim to him a few days before, "you may count on 
my doin^ all that can be expected from a true friend/' 



A SWISS PRIEST PLEADS FOR LUTHER. 119 

The Helvetian priest, trusting to this assurance, went 
to the nuncio's office — such at least is the conclusion we 
draw from one of his letters. He had no fear on his own 
part of the dangers to which the evangelical faith exposed 
him ; he knew that a disciple of Christ should always be 
ready to lay down his life. " All that I ask of Christ 
for myself," said he to a friend to whose bosom he con* 
fided his anxiety about Luther, *'is, that 1 may endure 
with the heart of a man the evils that await me. I am 
a vess')l of clay in His hands ; let him dash me in pieces 
or strengthen me, as seemeth good to him."*" But the 
Swiss evangelist feared for the Christian church, if so 
formidable a blow should strike the reformer. He en- 
deavored to persuade the representative of Rome to 
enlighten the pope, and to employ all the means in his 
power to prevent Luther's excommunication. f *'The 
dignity of the holy see itself is interested in this," said 
Zwingle ; **for if matters should come to such a point, 
Germany, overflowing with enthusiasm for the gospel and 
for the doctor who preaches it, will despise the pope and 
his anathemas."J This intervention proved of no effect : 
it would appear also, that even at the time it was made 
the blow had been already struck. Such was the first 
occasion in which the paths of the Saxon doctor and of 
the Swiss priest met. We shall again find the latter 
in the course of this history, and see him growing up 
and increasing to a lofty stature in the church of the 
Lord. 

Luther's condemnation being once resolved upon, new 
difficulties were raised in the consistory. The theologians 
were of opinion that the falmination should be issued im- 
mediately ; the lawyers, on the contrary, that it should 
be preceded by a summons. " Was not Adam first sum- 
aioned ?" said they to their theological colleagues ; " so 

* Hoc unum Christum obtestans, ut masculo omnia pectore ferre 
donet, et me figulinum suum rumpat aut firmet, ut ill! placitum sit 
Zwinglii Epistolae, curautibus Schalero et Schulthessio, p. 144. 
t yt poatificem admoneat, ne excommunicatiouem ferat. Ibid 
i Nam si feratur, auguror Gerraanos cum excommunicatione pon 
Uficem qnoque contampturos. Ibid. 



120 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOH 



too was Cain : * Where is thy brother Abel V demanded 
the Almighty." To these singular arguments drawn 
from the holy Scriptures, the canonists added motives 
derived from the natural law : The evidence of a crime/' 
said they, *^ cannot deprive a criminal of his right of de* 
fence."* It is pleasing to find these principles of justice 
fn a Roman assembly. But these scruples were not to 
the taste of the divines in the assembly, who, instigated 
by passion, thought only of going immediately to work. 
One man in particular then came forward whose opinions 
must of necessity have had great influence : this was De 
Vio, Cardinal Cajetan, still laboring under extreme vexa- 
tion at his defeat in Augsburg, and the little honor or 
profit he had derived from his German mission. De Vio, 
who had returned to Rome in ill health, was carried to 
the assembly on his couch. He would not miss this pal- 
try triumph, which afforded him some little consolation 
Although defeated at Augsburg, he desired to take part 
at Rome in condemning this indomitable monk, before 
whom he had witnessed the failure of all his learning, 
skill, and authority. Luther was not there to reply : De 
Vio thought himself invincible. " I have seen enough to 
know," said he, that if the Germans are not kept under 
by fire and sword, they will entirely throw off the yoke 
of the Roman church."f Such a declaration from Cajetan 
could not fail to have great weight. The cardinal was 
avenged of his defeat, and of the contempt of Germany 
A final conference, which Eck attended, was held in the 
pope's presence at his villa of Malliano. On the 15th of 
June the sacred college decided on the condemnation, and 
sanctioned the famous bull. 

Arise, 0 Lord," said the Roman pontiff, speaking 
at this solemn moment as God's vicegerent and head ol 
the church, arise, judge thy cause, and call to mind the 
opprobrium which madmen continually heap on thee. 
Arise, 0 Peter ; remember thy holy Roman church, 
mother of all churches, and queen of the faith. Arise, 

* Sarpi, Council of Trent, 1. 12. f Compertum igitur se ha- 
bere dicebat nisi igne et gladio Germani compescerentur, omnino 
jugum Romanaj Ecclesiaa excussurog. Riederer'B Nachrichten, ] . 179. 



THE BULL OF EXCOMMUNICATION. 121 



0 Paul, for behold, a new Porphyry attacks thy doctrineB, 
and the holy popes, our predecessors. Lastly, arise, ye 
assembly of saints, the holy church of God, and intercede 
with the Almighty I"* 

Tlie pope then proceeds to quote from Luther's works 
forty-one pernicious, scandalous, and poisonous proposi- 
tions, in which the latter set forth the holy doctrine? of 
the gospel. The following propositions are included in 
the list : 

To deny that sin remains in the child after baptism,f 
is to trample under foot both Saint Paul, and our Lord 
Jesus Christ." 

" A new life is the best and sublimest penance." 

" To burn heretics is contrary to the will of the Holy 
Ghost," etc. etc. 

So soon as this bull shall be published," continues 
the pope, ^* the bishops shall make diligent search after 
the writings of Martin Luther that contain these errors, 
and burn them publicly and solemnly in the presence of 
the clergy and laity. As for Martin himself, what have 
we not done? Imitating the long-suffering of God 
Almighty, we are still ready to receive him again into 
the bosom of the church, and we grant him sixty days in 
which to forward us his recantation in a paper, sealed 
by two prelates ; or else, which would be far more 
agreeable to us, for him to come to Rome in person, in 
order that no one may entertain any doubts of his obe- 
dience. Meanwhile, and from this very moment, he 
must give up preaching, teaching, and writing, and com- 
mit his works to the flames. And if he does not retract 
in the space of sixty days, we by these presents condemn 
both him and his adherents as open and obstinate here- 
tics." The pope then pronounces a number of excom- 
munications, maledictions, and interdicts against Luther 
and his partisans, with orders to seize their persons and 
Bend them to Rome. J We may easily conceive what 

• L. 0pp. L. 17. 305, and 0pp. Lat. 1. 82. f Vol. L p. 161. 
bot. I Sub praedictis poenis, prsefatum Lutherum, complices, ad- 
herentcB, receptatores et fautatores, personaliter capiant et ad nos 
mittfiiit Bulla Leoais loc. clt. 

HiA. oi Ref. XL 



123 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



would have become of these noble-minded confessors of 
the gospel in the papal dungeons. 

Thus was the tempest gathering over Luther's head. 
It might have been imagined, after the affair of Reuch- 
tin, that the court of Rome would no longer make com- 
mon cause with the Dominicans and the Inquisition. 
But now the latter had the upper hand, and the ancient 
alliance was solemnly renewed. The bull was publish- 
ed ; and for centuries Rome had not pronounced a sen- 
tence of condemnation that her arm had not followed up 
with death. This murderous message was about to 
leave the Seven Hills, and reach the Saxon monk in his 
cell. The moment was aptly chosen. It might be sup- 
posed that the new emperor, who had so many reasons 
for courting the pope's friendship, would be eager to 
deserve it by sacrificing to him an obscure monk. 
Already Leo X., the cardinals, nay, all Rome, exulted io 
their victory, and fancied they saw their enemy at their 
feet 



MELANGTHON'S MARRIAGB. 133 



CHAPTER V. 

i^ttemberg — ^Melancthon — His marriage — Catherine — Domestic lift 
— Benevolence — Good-humor — Christ and antiquity — Labor — 
Love of letters — His mother — Revolt of the students. 

While the inhabitants of the eternal city were thus 
agitated, more tranquil scenes were passing at Wittem-^ 
berg. Melancthon was there diffusing a mild, but brill- 
iant light. From fifteen hundred to two thousand audi- 
tors, collecting from Germany, England, the Low Coun- 
tries, France, Italy, Hungary, and Greece, were often 
assembled around him. He was twenty-four years of 
age, and had not entered the ecclesiastical state. There 
were none in Wittemberg who were not delighted to 
receive the visits of this young professor, at once so 
learned and so amiable. Foreign universities, Ingol- 
Btadt in particular, desired to attract him within their 
walls. His Wittemberg friends were eager to retain 
him among them by the ties of marriage. Although 
Luther wished that his dear friend Philip might find a 
consort, he openly declared that he would not be his 
adviser in this matter. Others took this task upon 
themselves. The young doctor frequented, in particu- 
lar, the house of the burgomaster Krapp, who belonged 
to an ancient family. Krapp had a daughter named 
Catherine, a woman of mild character and great sensi- 
bility. Melancthon^s friends urged him to demand her 
in marriage ; but the young scholar was absorbed in his 
books, and would hear no mention of any thing besides. 
His Greek authors and his Testament were his delight. 
The arguments of his friends he met with other argu- 
ments. At Length they extorted his consent. All the 
preliminary steps were arranged, and Catherine was 
given him to wife. He received her very coldly,* and 

• Uxor enim datur mihi non dico quam frigenti. Corp. Ref. 1, 



124 HISTORY OF THE REFOEMATION. 

Baid with a sigh, " It is God's will. I must renounce my 
studies and my pleasures to comply with the wishes of 
my friends."* He appreciated, however, Catherine's 
good qualities. ''The young woman," said he, *4ia8 
just such a character and education as I should have 
asked of God : deit4 6 eebc TeKfiaipoiTo.'f Certainly she de- 
serves a better husband." Matters were settled in the 
month of August ; the betrothal took place on the 25th 
of September, and at the end of November the wedding 
was celebrated. Old John Luther with his wife and 
daughters visited Wittemberg on this occasion.^ Many 
learned men and people of note were present at the 
nuptials. 

The young bride felt as much affection as the young 
professor gave evidence of coldness. Always anxious 
about her husband, Catharine grew alarmed at the least 
prospect of any danger that threatened her dear partner. 

Whenever Melancthon proposed taking any step of 
such a nature as to compromise himself, she over- 
whelmed him with entreaties to renounce it. "I was 
compelled," wrote Melancthon on one such occasion, 

"to give way to her weakness such is our lot." 

How many infidelities in the church may have had a 
similar origin. Perhaps we should ascribe to Cathe- 
rine's influence the timidity and fears with which her 
husband has so often been reproached. Catherine was 
an affectionate mother as well as loving wife. She was 
liberal in her alms to the poor. " 0 God, do not aban- 
don me in my old age, when my hair begins to turn 
gray ;" such was the daily prayer of this pious and 
timid woman. Melancthon was soon conquered by nis 
wife's affection. When he had once tasted the joys of 
domestic life, he felt all their sweetness : he was formed 
for such pleasures. Nowhere did he feel himself hap- 
pier than with Catherine and his children. A French 
traveller one day finding *'the master of Germany'^ 

• Ego rneis studiis, mea me voluptate fraudo. Corp. Ref. 1. 266 
\ May God, by his right hand, prosper this matter. Ibid. 212, 
t Parentes mei cum sororibus nuptias honoraruat Philippi. Ia 
<:3pp. 1. 623. 



MELANCTHON'S aoOD-NATURE. 125 



rocking his child's cradle with one hand, and holding a 
book in the other, started back with surprise. But Me- 
lancthon, without being disconcerted, explained to him 
with so much warmth the value of children in the eyes 
of God, that the stranger quitted the house wiser, to 
!ise his own words, than he had entered it. 

Melancthon's marriage gave a domestic circle to the 
Reformation. There was from this time one house in 
Wittemberg always open to those who were inspired by 
the new life. The concourse of strangers was immense.* 
They came to Melancthon on a thousand different mat- 
ters ; and the established regulations of his household 
enjoined him to refuse nothing to any one.f The young 
professor was extremely disinterested whenever good 
was to be done. When all his money was spent, he would 
secretly carry his plate to some merchant, caring little 
about depriving himself of it, since it gave him where- 
withal to comfort the distressed. " Accordingly it would 
have been impossible for him to provide for the wants 
of himself and family," says his friend Camerarius, "if 
a divine and secret blessing had not from time to time 
furnished him the means." His good-nature was ex- 
treme. He possessed several ancient gold and silver 
medals remarkable for their inscriptions and figures. 
He showed them one day to a stranger who called upon 
him. Take any one you like," said Melancthon. " I 
should like them all," replied the stranger. " I confess," 
says Philip, " that this unreasonable request displeased 
me a little at first ; I nevertheless gave them to him."J 

There was in Melancthon's writings a perfume of 
antiquity, which did not however prevent the sweet 
savor of Christ from exhaling from every part, while it 
communicated to them an inexpressible charm. There 
i« not one of his letters addressed to his friends in which 
we are not reminded in the most natural manner of the 
wijsdom of Homer, Plato, Cicero, and Pliny, Christ ever 

* Yideres m aedibus illis perpetuo accedentes et introeuntes et 
liBOedentes atque exeunt es aliquos. Camerar. Vita Melancth. p. 40. 
t Ea domus discipllna erat, ut hihil cuiquam negaretur. Ibid. 
i Sed dedisse uihilominus Hlos. Ibid. p. 43. 



126 HISTOEY OF THE REFORMATIOK. 



remaining his Master and his God. Spalatin had asked 
him the meaning of this expression of Jesus Christ, 
Without me ye can do nothing." John 15:5. Me* 
lancthon referred him to Luther. " Cur agam gestum, 
epectante Bosciof* to use Cicero's words," said he. He 
then continues : " This passage signifies that we must 
be absorbed in Christ, so that we ourselves no Icnger 
act, but Christ lives in us. As the divine nature was 
incorporated with the human in the person of Christ, so 
man must be incorporated with Jesus Christ by faith." 

The illustrious scholar generally retired to rest 
shortly after supper. At two or three o'clock in the 
morning he was again at his studies.f It was during 
these early hours that his best works were written. 
His manuscripts usually lay on the table exposed to the 
view of every visitor, so that he was robbed of several. 
When he had invited any of his friends to his house, he 
used to beg one of them to read before sitting down to 
table some small composition in prose or verse. He 
always took some young men with him during his jour- 
neys. He conversed with them in a manner at once 
amusing and instructive. If the conversation lan- 
guished, each of them had to recite in turn passages 
extracted from the ancient poets. He made frequent 
use of irony, tempering it, however, with great mild- 
ness. " He scratches and bites," said he of himself, 
" and yet he does no harm." 

Learning was his passion. The great object of his 
life was to diffuse literature and knowledge. Let us not 
forget that in his estimation the holy Scriptures ranked 
far above the writings of pagan authors. "I apply 
myself solely to one thing," said he, " the defence of 
letters. By our example we must excite youth to the 
admiration of learning, and induce them to love it for its 
own sake, and not for the advantage that may be derived 
from it. The destruction of learning brings with it the 
ruin of every thing that is good : religion, morals, divine 

* How can I declaim in the presence of Roscius? Corp. Ref, 
Epp April 13, 1520. f Surgebat mox aut non longo intervallq 
post medlam noctem. Camerar. p. 56. 



BEVOLT OF THE STUDENTS. 



121 



and human things.* The better a man is, the greater his 
ardor in the preservation of learning ; for he knows that 
of all plagues, ignorance is the most pernicious." 

Some time after his marriage, Melancthon, in com 
pany with Camerarius and other friends, made a jour- 
ney to Bretten in the Palatinate, to visit his beloved 
mother. As soon as he caught sight of his birthplace, 
he got oflf his horse, fell on his knees, and returned 
thanks to God for having permitted him to see it once 
more. Margaret almost fainted with joy as she em- 
braced her son. She wished him to stay at Bretten, 
and begged him earnestly to adhere to the faith of his 
fathers. Melancthon excused himself in this respect, 
but with great delicacy, lest he should wound his moth- 
er's feelings. He had much difficulty in leaving her 
again ; and whenever a traveller brought him news from 
his natal city, he was as delighted as if he had again 
returned, to use his own words, to the joys of his 
childhood. Such was the private life of one of the 
greatest instruments of the religious revolution of the 
sixteenth century. 

A disturbance, however, occurred to trouble these 
domestic scenes and the studious activity of Wittem- 
berg. The students came to blows with the citizens. 
The rector displayed great weakness. We may imagine 
what was Melancthon^s sorrow at beholding the excesses 
committed by these disciples of learning. Luther was 
indignant : he was far from desiring to gain popularity 
by an unbecoming conciliation. The opprobrium these 
disorders reflected on the university pierced him to th© 
heart.f He went into the pulpit, and preached forcibly 
against these seditions, calling upon both parties to 
submit to the magistrates.^ His sermon occasioned 
great irritation : " Satan," said he in one of his letters, 
"being unable to attack us from without, desires to 
injure us from within. I do not fear him ; but I fear 

* Religionem, mores, humana divinaque omnia labefactat lite- 
rarum inscitia. Corp. Ref. 1. 207. July 22, 1620. f Urit me 
ista confiifiio academiae nostra?. L. Epp. 1. 467. t Commendana 
potest&tem magistratuum. Ibid. 



128 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION 



lest God's anger should fall upon us, for not having 
fully received his word. These last three years I have 
been thrice exposed to great danger : at Augsburg in 
1518, at Leipsic in 1519, and now in 1520 at Wittem- 
berg. It is neither by wisdom nor by arms that the 
renovation of the church will be accomplished, but by 
humble prayer, and a bold faith that puts Christ on our 
side.* My dear friend, unite thy prayers with mine, 
that the evil spirit may not use this small spark to kin- 
dle a great conflagration." 

* . . • Nec prudentia nec armiB, sed hamili oratione et forti fid*, 
^xdbua obtmeamus Christum pro nobis. L. Epp. 1. 469. 



THB GOSPEL IN ITALY. 



129 



CHAPTER VI. 

The gofjpel in Italy — Sermon on the mavss — Babylonish captivity cf 
the chuxch — Baptism — Abolition of other vows — Progress of r©» 
form. 

But more terrible combats awaited Luther. Rome 
was brandishing the sword with which she was about 
to strike the gospel. The rumor of the condemnation 
that was about to fall upon him, far from dispiriting the 
reformer, augmented his courage. He manifested no 
anxiety to parry the blows of this haughty power. It is 
by inflicting more terrible blows himself, that he will 
neutralize those of his adversaries. While the trans- 
alpine assemblies are thundering out anathemas against 
him, he will bear the sword of the word into the midst 
of the Italian people. Letters from Venice spoke of the 
favor with which Luther's sentiments were received 
there. He burned with desire to send the gospel across 
the Alps. Evangelists were wanted to carry it thither. 
" I wish," said he, " that we had living books, that is, 
preachers,* and that we could multiply and protect 
them everywhere, that they might convey to the people 
a knowledge of holy things. The prince could not un- 
dertake a more glorious task. If the people of Italy 
should receive the truth, our cause would then be im- 
pregnable." It does not appear that Luther's project 
was realized. In later years, it is true, evangelical men, 
even Calvin himself, sojourned for a short period in Ita- 
ly ; but for the present Luther's designs were not cai 
ried out. He had addressed one of the mighty princes 
of the world : if he had appealed to men of humble rank, 
but full of zeal for the kingdom of God, the result might 
have been different. At that period, the idea generally 
prevailed, that every thing should be done by govern- 
• Si vivos libroS; hoc est concionatores, possemus multiplicare. 

u Epp. 1. m. 

9 



130 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 

ments ; and the association of simple individuals — that 
power which is now effecting such great things in Chris- 
tendom — was almost unknown. 

If Luther did not succeed in his projects for propa- 
gating the truth in distant countries, he was only the 
more zealous in announcing it himself. It was at this 
time that he preached his sermon on the mass at Wit' 
temberg.* In this discourse he inveighs against the 
numerous sects of the Romish church, and reproaches it, 
with reason, for its want of unity. The multiplicity of 
spiritual laws," «ays he, " has filled the world with sects 
and divisions. Priests, monks, and laymen have come to 
hate each other more than the Christians hate the Turks. 
What do I say? Priests against priests, and monks 
against monks, are deadly enemies. Each one is at- 
tached to his own sect, and despises all others. The 
unity and charity of Christ are at an end.'' He next 
attacks the doctrine that the mass is a sacrifice, and has 
some virtue in itself. " What is most precious in every 
sacrament, and consequently in the eucharist," says he, 
" is the promises and the word of God. Without faith 
in this word and these promises, the sacrament is dead ; 
it is a body without a soul, a cup without wine, a purse 
without money, a type without fulfilment, a letter with- 
out spirit, a casket without jewels, a scabbard without 
a sword." 

Luther's voice was not, however, confined to Wit- 
temberg ; and if he did not find missionaries to bear his 
instructions to distant lands, God had provided a mis- 
sionary of a new kind. The printing-press was the suc- 
cessor of the evangelists. This was the breaching-bat- 
tery employed against the Roman fortress. Luther had 
prepared a mine, the explosion of which shook the edi- 
fice of Rome to its lowest foundations. This was the 
publication of his famous book on the Babylonish Capti\> 
Uy of the Churchy which appeared on the 6th of October, 
1520 f Never did man, in so critical a position, display 
gi'eater courage. 

• L. 0pp. L. 17. 490. t L. 0pp. Lat. 2. 63, and Leips. IT. 
611. 



THE EXCELLENCE OP FAITH. 



ISl 



In this work he first sets forth with haughty irony 
all the advantages for which he is indebted to his ene- 
mies : 

" Whether I will it or not," said he, " I become wiser 
every day, urged on as I am by so many illustrious mas^ 
ters. Two years ago, I attacked indulgences, but with 
BO much indecision and fear, that I am now ashamed of 
it. It is not, however, to be wondered at, for I was 
alone when I set this stone rolling/' He thanks Prierio, 
Eck, Emser, and his other adversaries : " I denied," con- 
tinued he, " that the Papacy was of divine origin, but I 
granted that it was of human right. Now, after read- 
ing all the subtleties on which these gentry have set up 
their idol, I know that the Papacy is none other than 
the kingdom of Babylon, and the violence of Nimrod the 
mighty hunter. I therefore beseech all my friends and 
all the booksellers to burn the books that I have written 
on this subject, and to substitute this one proposition in 
their place : The Papacy is a general chase led by the Bo- 
man bishop, to catch and destroy soulsJ^* 

Luther next proceeds to attack the prevailing errors 
on the sacraments, monastic vows, etc. He reduces the 
seven sacraments of the church to three : baptism, pen- 
ance, and the Lord's supper. After explaining the true 
nature of this supper, he passes on to baptism ;f and it 
is here especially that he lays down the excellence of 
faith, and vigorously attacks Rome. God," says he, 
"has preserved this sacrament alone free from human 
traditions. God has said, * He that believeth and is bap- 
tized shall be saved.' This promise of God should be 
preferred to the glory of all works, vows, satisfactions, 
indulgences, and all inventions of man. Now on this 
promise, received by faith, depends our salvation. If 
we believe, our hearts are strengthened by the divine 
promise ; and though the believer should be forsaken of 
all, this promise in which he believes will never forsake 
hjlm. With it he will resist the adversary who assaults 
his soul, and be prepared to meet death, and stand be* 
* Papatas eet robusta veaatio Romani cpificopL L. 0pp. LaL 
2. T See vol L, p. 151, bot 



132 HISTOEY OF THE EEFOEMAIIOH. 



fore the judgment-seat of God. It will be his consols^ 
tion in all his trials to say, God's promises never de- 
ceive ; of their truth I received a pledge at my bap- 
tism if God is for me, who shall be against me? Oh, 
how rich is the baptized Christian I Nothing can de- 
stroy him, except he refuse to believe. 

" Perhaps to what I have said on the necessity of 
faith, the baptism* of little children may be objected. 
But as the word of God is mighty to change the heaii; 
of a wicked man, who is not less deaf nor less helpless 
than an infant ; so the prayers of the church, to which 
all things are possible, change the little child, by the 
faith it pleases God to place in his heart, and thus puri 
fies and renews it."t 

We state Luther's doctrine upon baptism without 
pretending to approve it. The very scriptural idea that 
no sacrament can be useful without faith, led Luther to 
declare " that children themselves believe in baptism ; 
that they have a faith peculiar to them ;"J and when it 
was objected to him, that not having reason they could 
not have faith, he replied, " What has reason to do with 
fiaith, and with the word of God ? Does it not, on the 
contrary, resist them ? No man can attain to faith un- 
less he becomes a fool, without reason, without intelli- 
gence, and like a little child." § We must not be afraid 
to point out errors in the leaders of the Reformation ; 
we do not pay them honors like those which Rome pays 
to its saints ; we defend neither Calvin nor Luther, but 
only Christ and his word. 

After having thus explained the doctrine of baptism, || 
Luther wields it as a weapon against the Papacy. In 
fact, if the Christian finds all his salvation in the re- 

• See vol. L, p. 151, bot. f Sicut enim Verbum Dei potens 
est dum sonat, etiam impii cor immutare, quod non minus est sur- 
dum et incapax quam ullus parvulus ; ita per orationem Ecclesia 
offerentis et credentis, parvulus, fide infusa, mut-atur, mundatur et 
renovatur. L. 0pp. Lat. 2. 77. J Die Kinder in der Taufe 

Belbst glauben und eigenen Glauben haben. L. Op. Leips. 13. p. 
S60. § So unverniinftig und unverstandig, als kein jan^ Kind. 
Ibid. p. 361. II See vol. L, p. 151, bot 



ABOLITIOK OF MONASTIC YO^A. 183 



newal of his baptism* by faith, what need has he of the 
Romish ordinances ? 

" For this reason, I declare," says Lnther, " that net 
ther pope, nor bishop, nor any man living, has authcritj 
to impose the least thing on a Christian, without hig 
own consent. All that is done without it is an act oi 
tyranny .*f We are free from all men. The vow tha* 
we made at our baptismj is sufficient of itself, and more 
than we can ever fulfil. § All other vows, then, may be 
abolished. Let every man who enters the priesthood, 
or any religious order, be assured that the works of a 
monk or of a priest differ in no respect before God 
from those of a peasant who tills his fields, or of a 
woman who manages her house. || God estimates all 
things by the standard of faith. And it often hap- 
pens that the simple labor of a serving-man or maiden 
is more acceptable to God than the fasts and works of 

a monk, because the latter are void of faith 

Christians are God^s true people, led captive to Baby- 
lon, and there stripped of what they had acquired by 
their baptism."^ 

Such were the weapons by which the religious revo- 
lution we are relating was effected. First, the necessity 
of faith was reestablished, and then the reformers em- 
ployed it as a weapon to dash to atoms every supersti- 
tion. It is with this power of God, which removes 
mountains, that they attacked so many errors. These 
words of Luther, and many others like them, circulating 
through cities, convents, and rural districts, were the 
leaven that leavened the whole mass. 

* See vol. I., p. 151, bot. f Dico itaque, nequa papa, neque 
episoopus, neque uUus hominum habet jus unius syllabae constituen- 
dae super Christianum haminem, nisi id fiat ejusdem consensu ; quid- 
quid aliter fit, tyrannico spiritu fit. L. 0pp. Lat. 2. 17. t See 

vo'. I., p. 151. § Generali edicto tollere vota abunde 

enim vovimus in baptismo, et plus quam poss mus implere. L. 0pp. 
Lat. 2. 78. II Opera quantum libet sacra et ardua religiosorum 
et sacerdotum, in oculls Dei prorsus nihil distare ab operibus rusticl 
in agro laborantis, aut mulieris in domo sua curantis. Ibid. 

V See vol. L, p. 161, bot 



134 HX^ITOttY OF THE REFORMATIOK 



Luther terminates this famous writing on the (7(g> 
Hvit^ of Bhbylon with these words : " I hear that nev* 
papal excommunications are about to be fabricatea 
against me. If it be true, this present book must be 
considered as part of my future recantation. The re- 
mainder will soon follow, to prove my obedience ; and 
the complete work will form, with Christ's aid, such a 
whole as Rome has never heard or seen the like." 



FRESH KEaOTIATIONS. 



135 



CHAPTER VII. 

Freab negotiations — The Augustines at Eisleben — Miltitz — Ecputa/< 
tion to Luther— Miltitz and the elector — Conference at Lichtem- 
berg — Luther's letter to the pope — Book presented to the pope- 
Union of Christ with the believer — Liberty and bondage. 

After such a publication, all hope of reconciliation 
between Luther and the pope must of necessity have 
vanished. The incompatibility of the reformers faith 
with the doctrines of the church, must have struck the 
least discerning ; but precisely at that very time fresh 
negotiations had been opened. Five weeks before the 
publication of the Captivity of Babylon, at the end of 
August, 1520, the general chapter of the Augustine 
monks was held at Eisleben. The venerable Staupitz 
there resigned the general vicarship of the order, and it 
was conferred on Wenceslas Link, the same who had 
accompanied Luther to Augsburg.* The indefatigable 
Miltitz suddenly arrived in the midst of the proceed- 
ings.f He was ardently desirous of reconciling Luther 
with the pope. His vanity, his avarice, and above all, 
his jealousy and hatred, were deeply interested in this 
result. Eck and his boastings annoyed him ; he knew 
that the Ingolstadt doctor had been decrying him at 
Rome, and he would have made every sacrifice to baffle, 
by a peace that should be promptly concluded, the 
schemes of this importunate rival. The interests of 
religion were mere secondary matters in his eyes. One 
day, as he relates, he was dining with the bishop of 
Leissen. The guests had already made pretty copious 
libations, when a new work of Luther's was laid before 
them. It was opened and read ; the bishop grew angry ; 
the official swore ; but Miltitz burst into a hearty laugh. J 

• See vol. I., p. 385. t Nondum tot pressus diflBcultatibus 

animum desponderat Miltitius dignus profecto non mediocri 

laude. Pallaviclni, 1. 6^8. f Der Bischot entriistet, der Officia] 
gefluchet, er aber gelachet habe. Seckend. p. 266. 



136 HJSTOItY OF THE EEFORMLATIOH. 



He dealt with the "Reformation as a man of the world } 
Eck as a theologian. 

Aroused by the arrival of Dr. Eck, Miltitz addressed 
the chapter of the Augustines in a speech, delivered with 
a strong Italian accent,* thinking thus to impose on his 
simple fellow-countrymen. **The whole Augustine or- 
der/' said he, is compromised in this affair. Show me 
the means of restraining Luther."f We have nothing 
to do with the doctor," replied the fathers, " and cannot 
give you advice." They relied, no doubt, on the release 
from the obligations to his order which Staupitz had 
given Luther at Augsburg. Miltitz persisted : " Let a 
deputation from this venerable chapter wait upon Lu- 
ther, and entreat him to write to the pope, assuring him 
that he has never plotted against his person.^ That 
will be sufficient to put an end to the matter." The 
chapter complied with the nuncio's demand, and com- 
missioned, no doubt at his own request, the former vicar- 
general and his successor, Staupitz and Link, to speak 
to Luther. This deputation immediately set out for 
Wittemberg, bearing a letter from Miltitz to the doctor, 
filled with expressions of the greatest respect. " There 
is no time to lose," said he ; " the thunder-storm, already 
gathering over the reformer's head, will soon burst forth ; 
and then all will be over." 

Neither Luther nor the deputies who shared in his 
sentiments! expected any success from a letter to the 
pope ; but that was an additional reason for not refus- 
ing to write one. Such a letter could only be a mere 
matter of form, which would set the justice of Luther's 
cause in a still stronger light. " This Italianized Saxon," 
Miltitz, thought Luther, " is no doubt looking to his own 
private interest in making the request. Well, then, let 
it be so. I will write, in conformity with the truth, 
that I have never entertained any designs against the 
pope's person. I must be on my guard against attack* 

* Orationem habuit Italica pronuntlatione vestitam. L. Epp. 1 
483. t Petens consilium super me compescendo. Ibid, 

t Nihil me in personam suam fuisse molitam. Ibid. 484. 
§ Quibus omnibus causa mea non displicet. Ibid. 486, 



MILTITZ Al^D LITTHER 



187 



fug the see of Rome itself too violently. Yet I wil' 
sprinkle it with its own salt."* 

But not long after, the doctor was informed of the 
arrival of the bull in Germany ; on the 3d of October 
he told Spalatin that he would not write to the pope, 
and on the 6th of the same month he published his book 
on the Captivity of Babylon. Miltitz was not even yet 
discouraged. The desire of humbling Eck made him 
believe in impossibilities. On the 2d of October, he had 
written to the elector full of hope : " All will go on well ; 
but, for the love of God, do not delay any longer to pay 
me the pension that you and your brother have given 
me these several years past. I require money to gain 
new friends at Rome. Write to the pope, pay homage 
to the young cardinals, the relations of his holiness, in 
gold and silver pieces from the electoral mint, and add 
to them a few for me also, for I have been robbed of 
those that you gave me.^f 

Even after Luther had been informed of the bull, the 
intriguing Miltitz was not discouraged. He requested 
to have a conference with Luther at Lichtemberg. The 
elector ordered the latter to go there ;J but his friends, 
and above all, the affectionate Melancthon, opposed it.§ 
" What," thought they, " accept a conference with the 
nuncio in so distant a place, at the very moment when 
the bull is to appear which commands Luther to be 
seized and carried to Rome ? Is it not clear that, as Dr. 
Eck is unable to approach the reformer on account of 
the open manner in which he has shown his hatred, the 
crafty chamberlain has taken upon himself to catch Lu- 
ther in his toils ?" 

These fears had no power to stop the Wittemberg 
doctor. The prince has commanded, and he will obey. 
**I am setting out for Lichtemberg," he wrote to the 
chaplain on the 11th of October ; **pray for me." Hia 

* Aspergeter tamen sale suo. L. Epp. 1. 486. f Des Pabsta 
Nepoten zwei oder drei Churfiirstliche Gold — uod Silberstiicke, rxi 
rerehren. Seckend. p. 267. J Sicut princeps ordinavit. L. 

Epp. 1. 455. § Invito praeceptore — Melancthon — nescio quaute 
metaente. Ibid. 



138 



HISTORY OP THE REFORMATION. 



friends would not abandon him. Towards evening of 
the same day, he entered Lichtemberg on horseback, 
accompanied by thirty cavaliers, among whom was Me- 
lancthon. The papal nuncio arrived about the same 
time, with a train of four persons.* Was not this mod- 
erate escort a mere trick to inspire confidence in Luther 
and his friends ? 

Miltitz was very pressing in his solicitations, assur- 
ing Luther that the blame would be thrown on Eck and 
his foolish vaunting, f and that all would be concluded 
to the satisfaction of both parties. " Well then," replied 
Luther, I offer to keep silence henceforward, provided 
my adversaries are silent likewise. For the sake of 
peace, I will do every thing in my power."J 

Miltitz was filled with joy. He accompanied Luther 
as far as Wittemberg. The reformer and the nuncio 
entered side by side into that city which Doctor Eck 
was already approaching, presenting with a threatening 
hand the formidable bull that was intended to crush the 
Eeformation. " We shall bring this business to a happy 
conclusion," wrote Miltitz to the elector immediately; 
" thank the pope for the rose, and at the same time send 
forty or fifty florins to the Cardinal Quatuor Sanctorum,"^ 

Luther had now to fulfil his promise of writing to the 
pope. Before bidding Rome farewell for ever, he was 
desirous of proclaiming to her once more some important 
and salutary truths. Many readers, from ignorance ol 
the sentiments that animated the writer, will consider 
his letter as a caustic writing, a bitter and insolent 
satire. 

All the evils that afflicted Christendom he sincerely 
ascribed to Rome : on this ground, his language cannot 
be regarded as insolent, but as containing the most 
solemn warnings. The greater his affection for Leo, 
and the greater his love for the church of Christ, the 
more he desires to lay bare the extent of its wound. 

• Jener von mehr als dreissig, diser aber kaum mit vier Pferden 
begleitet. Seckeud, p. 268. f Totum pondus in Eccium ver 

torus. L. Epp. 1. 496. X Ut nihil videar omittere quod in ma 
ad paoem quoquo modo facere posait. Ibid. ^ Seckend. p. 268. 



LETTER TO THE POPE. 



IS9 



The energy of his expressions is a scale by which to 
measure the energy of his affections. The moment is 
come for striking a decisive blow. We may almost 
imagine we see a prophet going round the city for the 
last time, reproaching it with its abominations, reveal- 
ing the judgments of the Almighty, and calling out, "Yet 
a few days more 1" 

The following is Luther's letter : 

"To the most holy father in God, Leo X., pope at 
Rome, be all health in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen, 

" From the midst of the violent battle which for three 
years I have been fighting against dissolute men, I can- 
not hinder myself from sometimes looking towards you, 
0 Leo, most holy father in God. And although the mad- 
ness of your impious flatterers has constrained me to 
appeal from your judgment to a future council, my heart 
has never been alienated from your holiness, and I have 
never ceased praying constantly and with deep groaning 
for your prosperity, and for that of your pontificate.* 

" It is true that I have attacked certain anti christian 
doctrines, and have inflicted a deep wound upon my ad- 
versaries, because of their impiety. I do not repent of 
this, for I have the example of Christ before me. What 
is the use of salt, if it hath lost its pungency ; or of the 
edge of the sword, if it cuts not ?f Cursed be the man 
who does the Lord's work coldly. Most excellent Leo, 
far from ever having entertained an evil thought in your 
respect, I wish you the most precious blessings for eter- 
nity. I have done but one thing — upheld the word of 
truth. I am ready to submit to you in every thing ; but 
as for this word, I will not, I cannot abandon it.J He 
who thinks differently from me, thinks erroneously. 

" It is true that I have attacked the court of Rome 
but neither you nor any man on earth can deny that it is 
more corrupt than Sodom and Gomorrah, and that the 
impiety prevailing there is past all hope of cure. Yes, 

• Ut non totis viribus, sedulis atque quantum in me fuit gcme- 
Imndis precibus apud Deum qusesierim. L. Epp. 1. 498. f Quid 
prodierit sal, si non mordeat ? Quid os gladii, si non cffidat ? Ibid. 499. 

I Yerbum deserere et negare nec poesum, nec volo. Ibid. 



UO HISrORY OF THE EEFORMATIOK. 



I have been filled with horror at seeing, that under yoni 
name the poor people of Christ have been made a sport o£ 
This I opposed, and I will oppose it again : not that I 
imagine I shall be able, despite the opposition of flatter- 
ers, to prosper in any thing connected with this Babylon^ 
which is confusion itself ; but I owe it to my brethren^ 
in order that some may escape, if possible, from these 
terrible scourges. 

" You are aware that Rome for many years past has 
inundated the world with all that could destroy botii 
body and soul. The church of Rome, once the foremost 
in sanctity, is become the most licentious den of robbers, 
the most shameless of all brothels, the kingdom of sin, 
of death, and of hell,* which antichrist himself, if he 
were to appear, could not increase in wickedness. All 
this is clearer than the sun at noonday. 

And yet, 0 Leo, you sit like a lamb in the midst oi 
wolves, like Daniel in the lions' den. What can you do 
alone against such monsters ? Perhaps fnere are three 
or four cardinals who combine learning with virtue. But 
what are they against so great a number? You would 
all die of poison, before being able to make trial of any 
remedy. The fate of the court of Rome is decreed ; God's 
wrath is upon it, and will consume it.f It hates good 
advice, dreads reform, will not mitigate the fury of its 
impiety, and thus deserves that men should speak of this 
city as of its mother : * We would have healed Babylon, 
but she is not healed ; forsake her.' Jer. 51:9. It was 
for you and your cardinals to have applied the remedy ; 
but the sick man mocks the physician, and the horse will 
not obey the rein. 

" Full of affection for you, most excellent Leo, I have 
always regretted that you, who are worthy of better 
times, should have been raised to the pontificate in such 
days as these. Rome merits you not, nor those who 
resemble you ; she deserves to have Satan himself for 

* Facta est ... . spelunca latronum licentiosissima, lupanar om- 
.nium impudentissimuin, regaum peccati, mortis, et inferni. L. Epp. 
1. 500. Actum est de Romana curia ; pervenit in earn ira Dei 

uaqiie in fiaem. Ibid. 



LETTER TO THE POPE. 



141 



her king. So true it is that he reigns more than you in 
that Babylon. Would to God that, laying aside that 
glory which your enemies so loudly extol, you would 
exchange it for some small living, or would support 
yourself on your paternal inheritance ; for none but 
Iscariots deserve such honor. , . 0 my dear Leo, of 
what use are you in this Roman court, except that the 
\)asest men employ your name and power to ruin for- 
tunes, destroy souls, multiply crimes, oppress the faith, 
the truth, and the whole church of God? 0 Leo, Leo, 
you are the most unhappy of men, and you sit on the 
most dangerous of thrones. I tell you the truth because 
I mean you well. 

Is it not true, that under the spreading firmament 
of heaven there is nothing more corrupt or more detesta- 
ble than the Romish court? It infinitely exceeds the 
Turks in vices and corruption. Once it was the gate of 
heaven, now it is the mouth of hell — a mouth which the 
wrath of God keeps open so wide,* that on witnessing 
the unhappy people rushing into it, I cannot but utter a 
warning cry, as in a tempest, that some at least may bo 
saved from the terrible gulf. 

"Behold, 0 Leo, my father, why I have inveighed 
against this death-dealing see. Far from rising up 
against your person, I thought I was laboring for your 
safety, by valiantly attacking that prison, or rather that 
hell, in which you are shut up. To inflict all possible 
mischief on the court of Rome, is performing your duty. 
To cover it with shame, is to do Christ honor ; in a word, 
to 6e a Christian, is not to be Roman. 

" Yet finding that by succoring the see of Rome I 
lost both my labor and my pains, I transmitted to it this 
writing of divorcement, and said. Farewell, Rome. *He 
that is unjust, let him be unjust still ; and he which is 
filthy, let him be filthy still.' Rev. 22 : 11. And I devoted 
myself to the tranquil and solitary study of the holy 
Scripture. Then Satan opened his eyes, and awoke his 
servant John Eck, a great adversary of Jesus Christ, in 

* Olim janua coeli, nunc patens quoddam os infemi ; et tale <M, 
qaod urgente ira Dei, obstrui non potest L. Epp. 1. 601. 



142 HlSTOilY OF THE REFORltATlON. 



order to challenge me again to the lists. He was desin 
ous of establishing, not the primacy of Saint Peter, but 
his own, and for that purpose to lead the conquered 
Luther in his triumphal train. His be the blame of all 
the disgrace with which the see of Rome is covered.'' 

Luther relates his communications with De Vio, Mit 
titz, and Eck ; he then continues : 

"Now then, I come to you, most holy father, and 
prostrate at your feet, I beseech you to curb, if that be 
possible, these enemies of peace. But I cannot retract 
my doctrine. I cannot permit any rules of interpreta- 
tion to be imposed on the Scriptures. The word of God, 
which is the fountain whence all true liberty flows, must 
not be bound.* 

" 0 Leo, my father, listen not to those flattering 
sirens who would persuade you that you are not a mere 
man, but a demi-god, and can command and require what- 
ever you please. You are the servant of servants, and the 
place where you are seated is the most dangerous and 
miserable of all. Believe those who depreciate you, and 
not those who extol you. I am perhaps too bold in pre- 
suming to teach so exalted a majesty, which ought to 
instruct all men. But I see the dangers that surround 
you at Rome ; I see you driven to and fro, like the waves 
of the sea in a storm. Charity urges me, and it is my 
duty to utter a cry of warning and of safety. ^ 

" That I may not appear empty-handed before your 
holiness, I present you a small book which I have dedi- 
cated to you, and which will inform you of the subjects 
on which I should be engaged, if your parasites permit- 
ted me. It is a little matter, if its size be considered ; 
but a great one, if we regard its contents ; for the sum 
of the Christian life is therein contained. I am poor, 
and have nothing else to offer you ; besides, have you 
need of any other than spiritual gifts ? I commend my- 
self to your holiness, whom may the Lord Jesus preserve 
for ever. Amen." 

The little book which Luther presented to the pope 
* Leges interpretandi verbi Dei non patior, cum oporteat verbam 
Dei esse non alligatum, quod libertatem dooet L. ^p. 1. 604. 



CHRISTJ^N LIBERTY. 



143 



was his discourse on Christian Liberty, in which the 
reformer demonstrates incontrovertibly how, without 
infringing the liberty given by faith, a Christian may 
submit to all external ordinances in a spirit of liberty 
and charity. Two truths serve as a foundation to the 
whole argument : The Christian is free, and master in 
all things. The Christian is in bondage, and a servant 
in all and to all. He is free, and a master by faith ; he 
is a servant, and a slave by love." 

He first explains the power of faith to make a Chris- 
tian free. Faith unites the soul to Christ, as a wife to 
her husband," says Luther to the pope. " All that Christ 
has, becomes the property of the believing soul ; all that 
the soul has, becomes the property of Christ. Christ 
possesses everv blessing, and eternal salvation ; they 
are henceforward the property of the soul. The soul 
possesses every vice and sin ; they become henceforth 
the property of Christ. It is then the blessed exchange 
commences : Christ who is God and man, Christ who 
has never sinned, and whose holiness is immaculate, 
Christ the Almighty and Everlasting, appropriating by 
his nuptial ring, that is, by faith, all the sins of the be- 
liever's soul, these sins are swallowed up and lost in 
him ; for there is no sin that can stand before his infi- 
nite righteousness. Thus, by means of faith, the soul is 
delivered from every sin, and clothed with the eternal 
righteousness of her husband, Jesus Christ. Blessed 
union 1 the rich, noble, and holy spouse, Jesus Christ, 
unites in marriage with that poor, guilty, and despised 
wife,* delivers her from every ill, and adorns her with 
the most costly blessings. . . Christ, a priest and king, 
shares this honor and glory with every Christian. The 
Christian is a king, and consequently possesses all 
things ; he is a priest, and consequently possesses God. 
And it is faith, and not works, that brings him to such 
honor. The Christian is free of all things, above all 
things, faith giving him abundantly of every thing." 

* ist nun das nicht eine frohliche Wirthschafft, da der reiche, 
edle, '?romme Brautigam Christus, das arme, verachtete, boise flar 
(eia Eur Ehe nimmt. L. 0pp. L. 17. 385. 



144 



HISTORY OF THE EJEFOEMATIOU. 



In the second part of his discourse, Luther gives 
another view of the truth. Although the Christian is 
thus made free, he voluntarily becomes a slave, to act 
towar4s his brethren as God has acted towards him 
through Jesus Christ. I desire," says he, "to serve 
freely, joyfully, and gratuitously, a Father who has thus 
lavished upon me all the abujidance of his blessings : I 
A^ish to become all things f@r my neighbor, a«s Christ has 
become all things for me." From faith," continues 
Luther, proceeds the love of God ; from love proceeds 
a life full of liberty, charity, and joy. Oh, how noble 
and elevated is the Christian life. But, alas, no one 
knows it, no one preaches it. By fa\th the Christian 
ascends to God ; by love, he descends even to man, and 
yet he abides ever with God. This is true liberty — a 
liberty which surpasses ail others as much as the heav- 
ens are above the eartte" 

Such is the work with which Luther accompanied his 
btter to Leo 



THE BULL IK aE&XAlTY. 



145 



CHAPTER VIII 

The Bxill in Grermany— .Eck^s reception — The Bull at "Wittemberg— 
Zwingle's intervention. 

While the reformer was thus addressing the Roman 
ponliflf for the last time, the bull which anathematized him 
was already in the hands of the chiefs of the German 
church, and at the threshold of Luther's dwelling-place. 
It would appear that no doubts were entertained at 
Rome of the success of the step just taken against the 
Reformation. The pope had commissioned two high 
functionaries of his court, Caraccioli and Aleander, to 
bear it to thf; archbishop of Mentz, desiring him to see 
it put in execution. But Eck himself appeared in Sax- 
ony as the herald and agent of the great pontifical work. 

The choice had long been doubtful. "Eck," wrote 
an inhabitant of Rome about this time, " was peculiarly 
adapted for this mission by his impudence, his dissimu- 
lation, his lies, his flattery, and other vices, that are held 
in high esteem at Rome ; but his fondness for drinking, 
a failing towards which the Italians entertain a great 
aversion, was rather against his election."* The influ- 
ence, however, of his patron Fugger, "the king of 
crowns," prevailed in the end. This bad habit was 
even metamorphosed into a virtue in the case of Dr. 
Eck. " He is just the man we want," said many of the 
Romans ; " for these drunken Germans, what cai be 
better than a drunken legate ?f Their temerity : an 
only be checked by an equal degree of temerity." Fur- 
ther, it was whispered about that no man of sincerity 
and good sense would undertake such a mission ; and 
that even could such a man be found, the magnitude of 

• Temeritate, andacia, mondaciis, simulatione, adulatione, et 
Cflsteris vitiis curiae aptis egregie pellet. Varum sola obstabat ebrie* 
tfts. Italis, ut noeti, perquam odiosa. Riederer, Nachricbten zur 
Kirchen-geschichte. 1. 179. f Nihil magis Germanos temulei> 
fcos quam teraulentum dccere legatum. Ibid. 

Hbt. ofRef.,11 j„ 



146 



HISTOHr OF THE REFOEMATION . 



the danger would soon make him abandon the placa 
The idea of nominating Aleander as Dr. Eck^s colleague 
seemed most excellent. "A worthy pair of ambassa- 
dors/^ said some ; " both are admirably suited for this 
work, and perfectly matched in effrontery, impudence, 
and debauchery."* 

The doctor of Ingolstadt had felt more than any other 
man the force of Luther's attack ; he had seen the dan- 
ger, and stretched forth his hand to steady the tottering 
edifice of Rome. He was, in his own opinion, the Atlas 
destined to bear on his sturdy shoulders the ancient Ro- 
man world now threatening to fall to ruins. Proud of 
the success of his journey to Rome — ^proud of the com- 
mission he had received from the sovereign pontiff — 
proud of appearing in Germany with the new title of 
protonotary and pontifical nuncio — proud of the bull he 
held in his hands, and which contained the condemna- 
tion of his indomitable rival, his present mission was a 
more magnificent triumph than all the victories he had 
gained in Hungary, Bavaria, Lombardy, and Saxony, 
and from which he had previously derived so much re- 
nown. But this pride was soon to be brought low. The 
pope, by confiding the publication of the bull to Eck. had 
committed a fault destined to destroy its effect. So 
great a distinction accorded to a man not filling an 
elevated station in the church, offended all sensible men. 
The bishops, accustomed to receive the bulls direct from 
the Roman pontiff, were displeased that this should be 
published in their dioceses by a nuncio created for the 
occasion. The nation, that had laughed at the pretended 
conqueror at Leipsic at the moment of his flight to Italy, 
was astonished and indignant at seeing him recross the 
Alps, bearing the insignia of a papal nuncio, and fai^ 
nished with power to crush her chosen men. Lutl.er 
considered this judgment brought by his implacable op- 
ponent, as an act of personal revenge ; this condemna- 
tion was, in his idea, says Pallavicini, the treacherous 
• Egregium profecto oratorum par, et causae perqaam convenienij 
Impudentiaque, temeritate, et vitae flagitiis simile. Riederer, Ni^iv 
•iptten zur Kirchen-geBchichte. I. 179» 



JBCK'S EECBPTIOH. 



147 



dagger of a mortal enemy, and not the lawful axe of a 
Roman lictor.* This paper was no longer regarded as 
the bull of the supreme pontiff, but as the bull of Doctoi 
Eck. Thus the edge was blunted and weakened before 
hand by the very man who had prepared it. 

The chancellor of Ingolstadt had made all haste to 
Saxony. 'T was there he had fought ; 't was there he 
wished to publish his victory. He succeeded in posting 
up the bull at Meissen, Merseburg, and Brandenburg, 
towards the end of September. But in the first of these 
cities it was stuck up in a place where no one could 
read it, and the bishops of the three sees did not press 
its publication. Even his great protector, Duke George, 
forbade the council of Leipsic to make it generally known 
before receiving an order from the Bishop of Merseburg ; 
and this order did not come till the following year. 
" These difficulties are merely for form's sake,'' thought 
John Eck at first; for every thing in other respects 
seemed to smile upon him. Duke George himself sent 
him a gilt cup filled with ducats. Even Miltitz, who had 
hastened to Leipsic at the news of his rival's presence, 
invited him to dinner. The two legates were boon com- 
panions, and Miltitz thought he could more effectually 
sound his rival over the bottle. " When he had drunk 
pretty freely, he began," says the pope's chamberlain, 
" to boast at a fine rate ; he displayed his bull, and re- 
lated how he intended bringing that scoundrel Martin to 
reason."f But ere long the Ingolstadt doctor observed 
that the wind was changing. A great alteration had 
taken place in Leipsic during the past year.| On St. 
Michael's day, some students posted up placards in ten 
different places, in which the new nuncio was sharply 
attacked. In alarm he fled to the cloister of St. Paul, in 
which Tetzel had already taken refuge, refused to see 
any one, and prevailed upon the rector to bring these 

* Non tanqnam a securi legltimi lictoris, sed e telo infensissimi 
hostis. Pallavicini, 1. 7. f Nachdem, writes Miltitz, ur nun 

tapfer getrunken hatte, fieng er gleich an trefflich von seiner Ordr« 
su prahlen, etc. Seckend. p. 238. | Longe aliam /aciem oi 

(Qen^m Lipsiae eum invenire quam speraiu^et. L. £pp. 1. 49^ 



148 HISTORY OP THE EEPORMATIOJU. 



youthful adversaries to account. But poor Eck gained 
little by this. The students wrote a ballad upon him, 
which they sung in the streets ; Eck heard it from his 
retreat. Upon this he lost all his courage ; the formi- 
dable champion trembled in every limb. Each day be 
received threatening letters. One hundred and fifty 
students arrived from Wittemberg, boldly exclaiming 
against the papal envoy. The wretched apostolical 
nuncio could hold out no longer. " I have no wish to 
see him killed," said Lutber, " but I am desirous that his 
schemes should fail."* Eck quitted his asylum by night, 
escaped secretly from Leipsic, and went and hid himself 
at Coburg. Miltitz, who relates this, boasted of it more 
than the reformer. This triumph was not of long dura- 
tion ; all the conciliatory plans of the chamberlain failed, 
and he came to a melancholy end. Miltitz, being intox- 
icated, fell into the Rhine at Mentz, and was drowned. 

Gradually, however, Eck's courage revived. He re- 
paired to Erfurth, whose theologians had given the Wit- 
temberg doctor several proofs of their jealousy. He 
insisted that the bull should be published in this city; 
but the students seized the copies, tore them in pieces, 
and flung the fragments into the river, saying, " Since 
it is a bull," a bubble, " let it float l"t " Now," said Lu- 
tiier, when he was informed of this, the pope's paper is 
a real bull," bubble. 

Eck did not dare to appear at Wittemberg ; he sent 
the bull to the rector, threatening to destroy the univer- 
sity if he did not conform to it. At the same time he 
wrote to Duke John, Frederick's brother and coregent: 
" Do not misconstrue my proceedings," said he ; for I 
am fighting on behalf of the faith, which costs me much 
care, toil, and money ."| 

The Bishop of Brandenburg could not, even had he so 

• NoUem eum occidi, quanquam optem ejus consilia irrita fieri. 
£i. Epp. 1. 492. t L. P]pp. 1. 520. A studiosis discerpta et ia 

aquam projecta, dicentibus : Bulla est, in aquam natet ! playing OB 
the word bulla, which means a bubble^ the seal appended to the bull, 
fi&d hence the bull itself. % Mit viel Miihe, Arbeit und Kosteii 
U 0pp. L. 17. 3X7. 



2WINaLE'S lUrXERVENTIOK 



148 



wished, act in Wittemberg in his quality of ordinary ; 
for the university was protected by its privileges. Lu* 
ther and Carlstadt, boCh condemned by the bull, were 
invited to be present at the deliberations that took place 
on its contents. The rector declared, that as the bull 
was not accompanied by a letter from the pope, he would 
rot publish it. The university already enjoyed in the 
surrounding countries a greater authority than the pon- 
tiff himsdf. Its declaration served as a model for the 
elector^s government. Thus the spirit that was in Lu- 
ther triumphed over the bull of Rome. 

While this affair was thus violently agitating the 
public mind in Germany, a solemn voice was heard in 
another country of Europe. One man, foreseeing the 
immense schism that the papal bull would cause in the 
church, stood forward to utter a serious warning, and to 
defend the reformer. It was the same Swiss priest whom 
we have mentioned before, Ulrich Zwingle, who, without 
any relations of friendship with Luther, published a writ- 
ing full of wisdom and dignity — the first of his numer- 
ous works.* A brotherly affection seemed to attract 
him towards the reformer of Wittemberg. "The piety 
of the pontiff," said he, " calls upon him to sacrifice 
gladly all that he holds dearest, for the glory of Christ 
his king and the public peace of the church. Nothing 
is more injurious to his dignity than his defending it by 
bribery or by terror. Before even Luther^s writings had 
been read, he was cried down among the people as a 
heretic, a schismatic, and as antichrist himself. No one 
had given him warning, no one had refuted him ; he 
begged for a discussion, and they were content to con- 
demn him. The bull that is now published against him 
displeases even those who honor the pope's grandeur; 
for throughout it betrays signs of the impotent hatred 
of a few monks, and not those becoming the mildness of 
a pontiff, the vicar of a Saviour full of compassion. All 
men acknowledge that the true doctrine of the gospel of 

• Consilium cujusdam ex animo cupientis esse consultum it pon- 
tificis dignitati, et Christianas religionis tranqailLitatL Zw. OpjK 
Otr. Schnloro et Schulthessio, 3. 1-6. 



130 HISTORY OF THE BEFORMATION. 



Jesus Christ has greatly degenerated, and that we need 
a striking public revival of laws and morality * Look 
to all men of learning and virtue ; the greater tneir sin- 
cerity, the stronger is their attachment to the evangeli- 
cal truth, and the less are they scandalized at Luther's 
writings. There is no one but confesses that these 
books have made him a better man,f although perhaps 
they may contain passages that he does not approve of. 
Let men of pure doctrine and acknowledged probity be 
chosen ; let those princes above all suspicion, the Empe- 
ror Charles, the king of England, and the king of Hun- 
gary, themselves appoint the arbitrators ; let these men 
read Luther's writings, hear him personally, and let their 
decision be ratified. Nacjyadrw rj tov Xpiarov ncuSeia kcU aXjj^eta.*** 
This proposition emanating from the country of the 
Swiss led to no results. The great divorce must be ac- 
complished; Christendom must be rent in twain; and 
even in its wounds will the remedy for all its ills be 
found. 

* Multum degenerasse ab ilia sincera Christi evangelica doctrin^, 
ftdeo ut nemo non fateatur opus esse publica aliqua et insigni legum 
ac morum instauratione. Zw. 0pp. 3. 3. f Nemo non fatetor 

88 ex illius libris factum esse meliorem. Ibid. 4 J May the 

ti^bing and the truth of Christ prevalL 



LUTHER'S EESiaKATIOH 



CHAPTER IX. 

Lnther'B appeal to God — His opinion of the Dull — A neutral family- 
Luther on the bull — Against the bull of antichrist — The pope for- 
bids faith— Effects of the bull — The burning pile of Louvain. 

In truth, what signified all this resistance of students, 
rectors, and priests ? If the mighty hand of Charles unites 
with the pope^s, will they not crush these scholars and 
grammarians ? Who shall withstand the power of the 
pontiff of Christendom, and of the emperor of the West? 
The bolt is discharged ; Luther is cut off from the church ; 
the gospel seems lost. At this solemn moment, the 
reformer does not conceal from himself the perils that 
surround him. He casts his looks to heaven. He pre- 
pares to receive, as from the hand of the Lord, the blow 
that seems destined to destroy him. His soul reposes at 
the foot of the throne of God. What will happen 
said he. " I know not, and I care not to know, feeling 
sure that He who sitteth in heaven hath foreseen from 
all eternity the beginning, continuation, and end of all 
this affair. Wherever the blow may reach me, I fear 
not. The leaf of a tree does not fall to the ground with- 
out the will of our Father ; how much less we our- 
selves It is a little matter to die for the word, 

since this Word, which was made flesh for us, died 
itself at first. We shall arise with it, if we die with 
it, and passing where it has gone before, we shall ar- 
rive where it has arrived, and abide with it through all 
eternity."* 

Sometimes, however, Luther cannot restrain the con- 
tempt inspired by the manoeuvres of his enemies ; we 
then find in him that mixture of sublimity and irony 
which characterizes him. " I know nothing of Eck," 
said he, "except that he has arrived with a long 

• Parum est nos pro Verbo mori, cum ipsum incarnatum pro no 
bis prliis mo-tuum sit. L. Epp. 1. 490. 



152 



KISTOET OF THE P EPOEMATIOIT. 



beard, a long bull, and a long purse ; but I laugh at hie 
bull."* 

On the 3d of October he was inforraed of the papal 
brief. " It is come at last, this Roman bull," said he 
" I despise and attack it as impious, false, and in every 
respect worthy of Eck. It is Christ himself who is con- 
demned therein. No reasons are given in it : I am cited 
to Rome, not to be heard, but that I may eat my words. 
I shall treat it as a forgery, although I believe it true. 

0 that Charles V. would act like a man ; and that for 
the love of Christ he would attack these wicked spirits.f 

1 rejoice in having to bear such ills for the best of causes. 
Already I feel greater liberty in my heart ; for at last I 
know that the pope is antichrist, and that his throne is 
that of Satan himself" 

It was not in Saxony alone that the thunders of 
Rome had caused alarm. A tranquil family of Swabia, 
one that had remained neuter, found its peace suddenly 
disturbed. Bilibald Pirckheimer of Nuremberg, one of 
the most distinguished men of his day, early bereft of 
his beloved wife Crescentia, was attached by the closest 
ties of affection to his two young sisters, Charity, abbess 
of Saint Claire, and Clara, a nun in the same convent. 
These two pious young women served God in this seclu- 
sion, and divided their time between study, the care ot' 
the poor, and meditation on eternal life. Bilibald, a 
statesman, found some relaxation from his public cares 
in the correspondence he kept up with them. They were 
learned, read Latin, and studied the fathers ; but there 
was nothing they loved so much as the holy Scriptures. 
They had never had any other instructor than their 
brother. Charity's letters bear the impress of a delicate 
and loving mind. Full of the tenderest affection for 
Bilibald, she feared the least danger on his account 
Pirckheimer, to encourage this timid creature, composed 
a dialogue between Charitas and Veritas — charity and 
truth — in which Veritas strives to give confidence to 

• Venisse eum barbatum, bullatum, nummatum. Ridebo et ego 
ballam sive ampullam. L. Epp. 1. 488. t Utinum Carolue vii 
eeset, et pro (Jhristo hos Satanas aggrederetur. Ibid. 49i. 



A NEUTEAL i'AMILY. 



153 



Charitas Nothing could have been more touching, or 
better adapted to console a tender and anxious heart. 

What must have been Charity's alarm when she heard 
it rumored that Bilibald's name was posted up under the 
p'^pe's bull on the gates of the cathedral beside that of 
Luther. In fact, Eck, impelled by blind fury, had asso- 
ciated with Luther six of the most distinguished men in 
Germany, Carlstadt, Feldkirchen, Egranus who cared 
little about it, Adelmann, Pirckheimer, and his friend 
Spengler, whom the public functions with which they 
were invested rendisred particularly sensible to this in- 
dignity. Great was the agitation in the convent of St. 
Claire. How could they endure Bilibald's shame ? Noth- 
ing is so painful to relatives as trials of this nature. 
The danger was truly urgent. In vain did the city of 
Nuremberg, the Bishop of Bamberg, and even the Dukes 
of Bavaria intercede in favor of Spengler and Pirck- 
heimer; these noble-minded men were compelled to 
humble themselves before Dr. Eck, who made them feel 
all the importance of a Roman protonotary, and com- 
pelled them to write a letter to the pope, in which they 
declared that they did not adhere to the doctrines of 
Luther, except so far as they were conformable with 
the Christian faith. At the same time Adelmann, with 
whom Eck had once disputed, as he rose from table, 
after a discussion on the great question then filling 
every mind, was forced to appear before the bishop of 
Augsburg, and clear himself upon oath from all partici- 
pation in the Lutheran heresy. Yet vengeance and 
anger proved bad counsellors to Eck. The names of 
Bilibald and of his friends brought discredit on the bull. 
The character of these eminent men, and their numerous 
connections, served to increase the general irritation. 

Luther at first pretended to doubt the authenticity of 
the bull. " I hear," says he in the first of his writings 
ou the subject, " that Eck has brought a new bull from 
Rome, which resembles him so much that it might be 
called Doctor Eck, so full is it of falsehood and error. 
He would have us believe that it is the pope's doingi 
* Pirckheimeri 0pp. FranoWbrt. 



154 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION 



while it is only a forgery." After having set forth the 
reasons for his doubts, Luther concludes by saying, I 
must see witli my own eyes the lead, the seal, the 
strings, the clause, the signature of the bull, in fact the 
whole of it, before I value all these clamors even at a 
straw." * 

Bat no one doubted, not even Luther himself, that it 
really enaanated from the pope. Germany waited to see 
what the reformer would do. "Would he stand firm? 
All eyes were fixed on Wittemberg. Lutber did not keep 
his contemporaries long in suspense. He replied with 
a terrible discharge of artillery, publishing on the 4th of 
November, 1520, his treatise Against the Bull of Anti- 
christ. 

"What errors, what deceptions," says he, ''have 
crept among the poor people under the mantle of the 
church and of the pretended infallibility of the pope! 
How many souls have thus been lost ; how much blood 
spilt ; how many murders committed ; how many king- 
doms devastated ! 

" I can pretty clearly distinguish,'* says he ironically, 
a little further on, " between skill and malice, and I set 
no high value on a malice so unskilful. To burn books 
is so easy a matter that even children can do it ; much 
more, then, the holy father and his doctors. f It would 
be well for them to show^ greater ability than that which 
is required to burn books. Besides, let them destroy 
my works. I desire nothing better ; for all my wish has 
been to lead souls to the Bible, so that they might after- 
wards neglect my writings. % Great God, if we had a 
knowledge of Scripture, what need would there be of 
any books of mine?. . I am free, by the grace of God, 
and bulls neither console nor alarm me. My strength 
and my consolation are in a place where neither men 
nor devils can reach them." 

* Oder nicht ein Haarbreit geben. L. 0pp. L. 17, 323. 

t So ist Bticher verbrennen so leic.ht, dass es auch Kinder konn en, 
geschweigf denn der heilige Vater Pabst. Ibid. 324. % In Bib- 
lien zu fiihren, dass man derselben Verstand erlangte, und denn 
meine Buchlein verschwinden liess. Ibid. 324. 



EFFECTS OP THE BULL. 



155 



Lnther^s tenth proposition, condemned ly the pope, 
was thus drawn up : " No man's sins are forgiven, un* 
less he believes they are forgiven when the priest ab- 
solves him." By condemning this, the pope denied that 
faith was necessary in the sacrament. " They pretend," 
exclaims Luther, " that we must not believe our sins are 
forgiven when we receive absolution from the priest. 
And what then ought we to do ? . . Listen, Christians, 
to this news from Rome Condemnation is pronounced 
against that article of faith which we profess when we 
say, *I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy Catholic 
church, the forgiveness of sins.' If I were certain that 
the pope had really issued this bull at Rome" — and he 
had no doubt about it — and that it was not invented by 
Eck, that prince of liars, I should like to proclaim to all 
Christians, that they ought to consider the pope as the 
real antichrist spoken of in Scripture. And if he would 
not discontinue publicly to proscribe the faith of the 
church, then ... let even the temporal sword resist him, 
rather than the Turk .... For the Turk permits us to 
believe, but the pope forbids it." 

While Luther was speaking thus forcibly, his dan- 
gers were increasing. His enemies' plan was to expel 
him from Wittemberg. If Luther and Wittemberg can 
be separated, Luther and Wittemberg will be ruined. 
One blow would thus free Rome both from the heretical 
doctor and the heretical university. Duke George, the 
bishop of Merseburg, and the Leipsic theologians secret- 
ly applied themselves to the task.* When Luther heard 
of it, he said, " I place tiie whole matter in God's hand8."f 
These intrigues were not entirely ineffectual : Adrian, He* 
brew professr. at Wittemberg, suddenly turned against 
the doctor. ' i reat strength of faith was required to beat 
up against or- blow inflicted by the court of Rome 
There are some characters that will go along with the 
truth only to a certain point. Such was Adrian, iiiarmed 
by this condenmation, he qTiitted Wittemberg, and re- 
j;aired to Dr. Eck at Leipsic. 

* Ut Wittemberga pellerer. L. Epp. i. 519. \ Id quod in 

Qianum Dei refero. Ibid. 520. 



166 HISTOBY OF THE REPORMATIOIT. 



The bull was beginning to be carried into execution. 
The voice of the pontiff of Christendom was not power- 
less. For ages, fire and sword had taught submission 
to his decrees. The burning piles were erected at his 
voice. Every thing seemed to announce that a terrible 
catastrophe would shortly put an end to the daring 
revolt of this Augustine monk. In October, 1520, Li> 
ther's books were taken away from all the booksellers' 
Bhops in Ingolstadt, and put under seal. The elector 
archbishop of Mentz, moderate as he was, felt obliged to 
banish Ulrich of Hutten from his court, and to imprison 
his printer. The papal nuncios had besieged the youth- 
ful emperor : Charles declared that he would protect 
the old religion ;* and in some of his hereditary posses- 
sions scaffolds were erected, on which the writings of the 
heretic were to be reduced to ashes. Princes of the 
church and councillors of state were present at these 
autos-da-fd. 

Eck behaved with insolence, in every quarter threat- 
ening the great and the learned, and filling every thing 
with his smoke," as Erasmus says.f " The pope," said 
Eck, " who has overthrown so many counts and dukes, 
will know how to bring these wretched grammarians to 
their senses. | We must tell the Emperor Charles him- 
self, You are but a cobbler And his colleague AleaD' 
der, frowning like a schoolmaster who threatens his pu- 
pils with the rod, II said to Erasmus, "We shall know 
how to get at this Duke Frederick, and teach him rea- 
son." Aleander was quite elated with his success. To 
hear the haughty nuncio talk, one would have thought 
that the fire which consumed Luther's books at Menta 
was "the beginning of the end." These flames, said 
they one to another at Rome, will spread terror far and 
wide. It was so with many timid and superstitious 

• A ministris pontificiis matur^ praeoccupatus, declaravit se velle 
veterem fidem tutari. Pallavicini, 1. 80. f Omnia suis famia 

complens. Hardt. Hist. Lit. Ref. 1. 169. { Tres pediculosoa 

grammatistas. Ibid. § Pontifex potest dicere Caesari Carolo; 

Ta es oerdo. Ibid. || £0 vultu quo solent tetrici literatorea 

poenB minari virgas. Ibid. > 



LUTHER'S TRANQUILLITY. 167 



minds ; but even in the hereditary states of Charles, the 
only places in which they dared carry out the bull, the 
people, and sometimes the nobles, often replied to these 
pontifical demonstrations by ridicule, or by expressions 
of indignation. " Luther," said the doctors of Lou vain, 
when they appeared before Margaret, governor of tho 
Netherlands, "Luther is overturning the Christian faith.* 
** Who is Luther ?" asked the princess. ** An ignorant 
monk/' " Well, then," replied she, " do you who are so 
wise and so numerous write against him. The world 
will rather believe many wise men than an isolated and 
unlearned man." The Louvain doctors preferred an 
easier method. They erected a vast pile at their own 
expense. A great multitude thronged the place of exe- 
cution. Students and citizens might be seen hastily 
traversing the crowd, bearing large volumes under theii 
arms, which they threw into the flames. Their zeal 
edified both monks and doctors ; but the trick was after- 
wards discovered — it was the Sermones Discipuli, Tar* 
taretus, and other scholastic and papistical works, they 
had been throwing into the fire, instead of Luther's 
writings.* 

The Count of Nassau, viceroy of Holland, replied to 
the Dominicans who solicited permission to burn the 
doctor's books, " Go and preach the gospel with as 
much purity as Luther does, and you will have to com- 
plain of nobody." As the conversation turned upon the 
reformer at a banquet when the leading princes of the 
empire were present, the Lord of Ravenstein said aloud, 
" In the space of four centuries, a single Christian has 
ventured to raise his head, and him the pope wishes to 
put to death."f 

Luther, sensible of the strength of his cause, remained 
tranquil in the midst of the tumult the bull had created.^ 
If you did not press me so earnestly," said he to Spala- 
tin, I should keep silence, well knowing that the work 
must be accomplished by the counsel and power ol 
• Seckend. p. 289. f Es ist in vierhundert Jahren ein ciurisi* 
licher Maan aufgestanden, den wiU der Pabst todt haben. Ibid, pu 
X In bullosls ilUs tumultibus. L. Epp. I. 619. 



168 HISTOET OF THE EEPOEMATIOIT. 



God/'* The timid man was for speaking out, the strong 
desired to remain silent. Luther discerned a power that 
escaped the eyes of his friend. " Be of good cheer/' con- 
tinues the reformer. It is Christ who has begun these 
things, and it is He that will accomplish them, whether 
I be banished or put to death. Jesus Christ is hero 
present, and He who is within us is greater than he m ao 
is in the world."f 

* Rem totam Deo committerem. L. Epp. 1. 521. f ChrlBtofl 
Ista cospit, ipse perficiet, etiam me slve extincto, alve fagato. Ibid. 
526. 



APPEALS TO A ^ENEEAL COUNCIL. 



150 



CHAPTER X. 

Decisive step of the reformer — Luther's appeal to a general council 
— Close combat — The bull burnt by Luther — Meaning of thii 
daring act — Lutber in the academy — Luther against the pope — 
New work by Melancthcn — How Luther encourages his fiiends — 
Progress of the struggle — Melancthon's opinions on the weak- 
hearted — Luther's treatise on the Bible — Doctrine of grace — Lu^ 
ther's recantation. 

Duty obliged Luther to speak, that the truth might 
be manifested to the world. Rome has struck the blow ; 
he will show how he has received it. The pope has put 
him under the ban of the church ; he will put the pope 
under the ban of Christendom. Hitherto the pontiff's 
commands have been all-powerful ; he will oppose sen- 
tence to sentence, and the world shall know which has 
the greater strengl'h. " I desire," said he, " to set my 
conscience at rest, by disclosing to all men the danger 
that threatens them and at the same time he pre- 
pared to make a fresh appeal to a general council. An 
appeal from the pope to a council was a crime. It is 
therefore by a new attack on the pontifical power that 
Luther presumes to justify those by which it had been 
preceded. 

On the 17th of November, a notary and five witness- 
es, among whom was Cruciger, met at ten o'clock in the 
morning in one of the halls of the Augustine convent 
where Luther resided. There the public officer, Sarctor 
of Eisleben, immediately proceeding to draw up the min- 
ute of his protest, the reformer in presence of these 
witnesses said with a solemn tone of voice : 

" Considering that a general council of the Christian 
church is above the pope, especially in matters of faith : 
Considering that the power of the pope is not above, 
but inferior to Scripture ; and that he has no right to 
slaughter the sheep of Christ's flockj and throw them 
into the jaws of the wolf : 

* Ut meam conscientiam redimam. L. Epp. L 52^ 



I(K) HISTOEY OF THE UEFORilATIOH. 



" I, Martin Luther, an Augustine friar, doctor of the 
holy Scriptures at Wittemberg, appeal by these prcjsents, 
in behalf of myself and of those who are or who shall be 
with me, from the most holy pope Leo to a future gen- 
eral and Christian council. 

" I appeal from the said pope, first as an unjust, rash^ 
and tyrannical judge, who condemns me without a hear- 
ing, and without giving any reasons for his judgment ; 
Becondly as a heretic and an apostate, misled, hardened, 
and condemned by the holy Scriptures, who commands 
me to deny that Christian faith is necessary in the use 
of the sacraments ;* thirdly as an enemy, an antichrist, 
an adversary, an oppressor of holy Scripture,f who dares 
set his own words in opposition to the word of God ; 
fourthly as a despiser, a calumniator, a blasphemer of 
the holy Christian church, and of a free council, who 
maintains that a council is nothing of itself. 

"For this reason, with all humility, I entreat the 
most serene, most illustrious, excellent, generous, noble, 
strong, wise, and prudent lords, namely, Charles empe- 
ror of Rome, the electors, princes, counts, barons, knights, 
gentlemen, councillors, cities, and communities of the 
whole German nation, to adhere to my protest, and to 
resist with me the antichristian conduct of the pope, for 
the glory of God, the defence of the church and of the 
Christian doctrine, and for the maintenance of the free 
councils of Christendom ; and Christ our Lord will re- 
ward them bountifully by his everlasting grace. But if 
there be any who scorn my prayer, and continue to obey 
that impious man the pope, rather than God, J I reject by 
these presents all responsibility, having faithfully warned 
their consciences, and I abandon them to the supreme 
judgment of God, with the pope and his adherents." 

Such is Luther^s bill of divorce — such is his reply to 
the pontifif's bull. A great seriousness pervades the 

• Ab erroneo, indurato, per Scripturas sanctas damnato, haere- 
tico et apostata. L. 0pp. Lat. 2. 60. See also L. 0pp. L. 17. 332. 
There are some paragraphs in the German, that are not in the Latin 
text. t Oppressors totius Sacrae Scripturas. Ibid. X El 

p^psa, Impio homini, plus quam Deo obediant. lUd. 



BURNINa OF THE BULL. 



161 



whole of this declaration. The charges he brings against 
the pope are of the gravest description, and it is not 
heedlessly that he makes them. This protest was cir- 
culated through Germany, and sent to most of the courts 
of Christendom. 

liUther had, however, a still more daring step in re 
serve, although this which he had j^st taken appeared 
the extreme of audacity. He would in no respect be 
behindhand with Rome. The monk of Wittemberg will 
do all that the sovereign pontiff dares do. He gives 
judgment for judgment ; he raises pile for pile. The 
son of the Medici and the son of the miner of Mansfeldt 
have gone down into the lists ; and in this desperate 
struggle, which shakes the world, one does not strike a 
blow which the other does not return. On the 10th of 
December, a placard was posted on the walls of the 
university of Wittemberg, inviting the professors and 
students to be present at nine o^clock in the morning, at 
the eastern gate, near the holy cross. A great numbei 
of doctors and students assembled, and Luther, walking 
at their head, conducted the procession to the appointed 
place. How many burning piles has Rome erected dur- 
ing the course of ages ! Luther resolves to make a 
better application of the great Roman principle. It ig 
only a few old papers that are about to be destroyed ; 
and fire, thinks he, is intended for that purpose A 
scaffold had been prepared. One of the oldest masters 
of arts set fire to it. As the flames rose high into the 
air, the formidable Augustine, wearing his frock, ap- 
proached the pile, carrying the Canon Law, the Decre- 
tals, the Clementines, the papal Extravagants, some 
writings by Eck and Emser, and the pope's bull. The 
Decretals having been first consumed, Luther held up 
the bull, and said, Since thou hast vexed the holy One 
of the Lord, may everlasting fire vex and consume ihee ^ 
He then flung it into the flames. Never had war been 
declared with greater energy and resolution. Alter this 
Luther calmly returned to the city, and the crowd oi 
doctors, professors, and students, testifying their ap- 
proval by loud cheero, reentered Wittemberg with him. 



162 



mSTORr OF THE REFORMATION. 



" The Decretals," said Luther, " resemble a body whoso 
face is meek as a young maiden^s, whose limbs are full 
of violence like those of a lion, and whose tail is filled 
with wiles like a serpent. Among all the laws of the 
popes, there is not one word that teaches us whD is 
Jesus Christ."* "My enemies," said he on another oc- 
casion, have been able, by burning my books, to injure 
the cause of truth in the minds of the common people, 
and destroy their souls ; for this reason, I consumed 
their books in return. A serious struggle has just be- 
gun. Hitherto I have been only playing with the pope. 
I began this work in God^s name ; it will be ended with- 
out me, and by His might. If they dare burn my books, 
in which more of the gospel is to be found — I speak 
without boasting — than in all the books of the pope, I 
can with much greater reason burn theirs, in which no 
good can be discovered." 

K Luther had commenced the Reformation in this 
manner, such a step would undoubtedly have entailed 
the most deplorable results. Fanaticism might have 
been aroused by it, and the church thrown into a course 
of violence and disorder. But the reformer had preluded 
his work by seriously explaining the lessons of Scripture 
The foundations had been wisely laid. Now, a powerful 
blow, such as he had just given, might not only be with- 
out inconvenience, but even accelerate the moment in 
which Christendom would throw off its bonds. 

Luther thus solemnly declared that he separated from 
the pope and his church. This might appear necessary 
to him after his letter to Leo X. He accepted the ex- 
communication that Rome had pronounced. He showed 
the Christian world that there was now war unto death 
between him and the pope. He burnt his ships upon the 
beach, thus imposing on himself the necessity of adv8*no 
ing and of combating. 

Luther had reentered Wittemberg. On the morrow, 
the lecture-room was more crowded than usual. All 
minds were in a state of excitement; a solemn feeling 
pervaded the assembly ; they waited, expecting an ad 
L, 0pp. W. 22. 1493-1496. 



IKLBAMNG Olf THIS BOLD AOT. 



163 



dress from the doctor. He lectured on the Psalms— a 
course that he had commenced in the month of March in 
the preceding year. Having finished his explanations, 
he remained silent a few minutes, and then continued 
energetically, " Be on your guard against the laws and 
Btatutes of the pope. I have burnt his Decretals, but 
this is merely child's play. It is time, and more than 
time, that the pope were burnt ; that is," explaining him- 
self immediately, ^'the see of Rome, with all its doctrines 
and abominations." Then assuming a more solemn tone, 
he added, " If you do not contend with your whole heart 
against the impious government of the pope, you cannot 
be saved. Whoever takes delight in the religion and 
worship of popery, will be eternally lost in the world to 
come."* 

" If you reject it," continued he, " you must expect 
to incur every kind of danger, and even to lose your 
lives. But it is far better to be exposed to such perils 
in this world than to keep silence. So long as I live, 
I will denounce to my brethren the sore and the plague 
of Babylon, for fear that many who are with us should 
fall back like the rest into the bottomless pit." 

We can scarcely imagine the effect produced on the 
assembly by this discourse, the energy of which sur- 
prises us. " Not one among us," adds the candid stu- 
dent who has handed it down, unless he be a senseless 
log of wood," as all the papists are, he says parentheti- 
cally, doubts that this is truth pure and undefiled. It 
is evident to all believers that Dr. Luther is an angel of 
the living God, called to feed Christ^s wandering sheep 
with the word of God."f 

This discourse and the act by which it was crowned 
mark an important epoch in the Reformation. The dis- 
pute at Leipsic had inwardly detached Luther from tho 
pope. But the moment in which he burnt the bull, was 
that in which he declared in the most formal manner his 
entire separation from the bishop of Rome and his church, 

• Muss ewig in jenem Leben verlohren seyn. L. 0pp. L. 17. 333. 

t Lutherum esse Dei viventis angelum, qui palabundas ChrisU 
0^66 pasoat. L. 0pp. Lat 2. 123. 



164 HISTORY OP THB REFORMATIOK. 



and his attachment to the universal church, such aa it 
had be^n founded by the apostles of Jesus Christ. At 
the eastern gate the city he lit up a fire that has be^u 
burning for three centuries. 

" The pope," said he, " has three crowns ; and foi thie 
reason : the first is against God, for he condemns lelig- 
ion; the second against the emperor, for he condemns 
the secuJir power ; the third is against society, for he 
condemns marriage."* When he was reproached with 
inveighing too sever-ely against popery, "Alas,'' re- 
plied he, ** would that I could speak against it with a 
voic^ of thunder, and that each of my words was a thun- 
derbolt."t 

Thib firmness spread to Luther's friends and fellow- 
countrymen. A whole nation rallied around him. The 
university of Wittemberg in particular grew daily more 
attached to this hero, to whom it was indebted for itb 
importance and glory. Carlstadt then raised his voice 
against that "furious lion of Florence," which tore all 
human and divine laws, and trampled under foot the 
principles of eternal truth. Melancthon, also, about this 
time addressed the states of the empire in a writing 
characterized by the elegance and wisdom peculiar to 
this amiable man. It was in reply to a work attributed 
to Emser, but published under the name of Rhadinus, a 
Roman divine. Never had Luther himself spoken with 
greater energy ; and yet there was a grace in Melanc- 
thon's language that won its way to every heart. 

After showing by various passages of Scripture that 
the pope is not superior to the other bishops, " What is 
it," says he to the states of the empire, " that prevents 
our depri»viug the pope of the rights that we have given 
him ?J It matters little to Luther whether cmr riches, 
that is to say, the treasures of Europe, are sent to Rome ; 
but the great cause of his grief and ours is, that the 
laws of the pontiffs and the reign of the pope not only 
endanger the souls of men, but ruin them entirely. Each 
• L. 0pp. W. 22. 1313. t Und ein jeglich Wort e'ne Don- 

neraxt ware. Ibid. 1350. | Qaid obstat quomiuus papsB quo^ 
dedimas jus adimamns? Corp. Ref. i. S37. 



XiITTHKR ENC0UEAOE8 HIS TMtVVS. I6d 



one may judge for himself whether it is becoming or not 
to contribute his money for the maintenance of Roman 
luxury ; but to judge of religion and its sacred myste- 
ries, is not within the scope of the commonalty. It ia 
on this ground, then, that Luther appeals to your faith 
and zeal, and that all pious men unite with him — some 
aloud, others with sighs and groans. Call to remem- 
brance that you are Christians, ye princes of a Christian 
people, and wrest these sad relics of Christendom from 
the tyranny of antichrist. They are deceivers who pre- 
tend that you have no authority over priests. That 
same spirit which animated Jehu against the priests of 
Baal, urges you, by this precedent, to abolish the Roman 
superstition, which is much more horrible than the idola- 
try of Baal."* Thus spoke the gentle Melancthon to the 
princes of Germany. 

A few cries of alarm were heard among the friends 
of the Reformation. Timid minds inclined to extreme 
measures of conciliation, and Staupitz, in particular, 
expressed the deepest anxiety. "AH this matter has 
been hitherto mere play," wrote Luther to him. " You 
have said yourself, that if God does not do these things, 
it is impossible they can be done. The tumult becomes 
more and more tumultuous, and I do not think it will ever 
be appeased, except at the last day."f Thus did Luther 
encourage these affrighted minds. Three centuries have 
passed away, and the tumult has not yet subsided. 

"The papacy," continued he, "is no longer what it 
was yesterday and the day before. Let it excommuni- 
cate and burn my writings ; . . . let it slay me ; . . . it 
shall not check that which is advancing. Some great 
portent is at our doors.J I burnt the bull at first with 
great trembling, but now I experience more joy from it 
than from any action I have ever done in my life."§ 

• Ut extinguaris illam, multo tetriorem Baalis idololatria, R(h 
mnam superstitionem. Corp. Ref. 1. 337. f Tumultus egregii^ 
vumultuatur, ut nisi extreme die sedari mihi posse noa videatur. 
L.Epp. 1. 641. X Omnino aliquid portenti prae foribus est. Ibid 
542. What a presentiment of the future I § Primiim trepidus 

9t orans, Bcd nunc iaetior qi"Mn ullo totius vitee me» facto. Ibid. 



\66 HISrORl OF THE RE FORMATION. 



We involuntarily stop, and are delighted at reading 
in Luther's great soul the mighty future that was pre- 
paring. " 0 my father," said he to Staupitz in conciu- 
Bion, pray for the word of God and for me. I am car- 
ried away and tossed about by these waves."* 

Thus war was declared on both sides. The comba 
tents threw away their scabbards. The word of God 
reasserted its rights, and deposed him who had taken 
the place of God himself. Society was shaken. In every 
age selfish men are not wanting who would let human 
society sleep on in error and corruption ; but wise men, 
although they may be timid, think differently. " We are 
well aware," said the gentle and moderate Melancthon, 
that statesmen have a dread of innovation ; and it 
must be acknowledged that, in this sad confusion which 
is denominated human life, controversies, and even those 
which proceed from the justest causes, are always tainted 
with some evil. It is requisite, however, that in the 
church, the word and commandments of God tshould be 
preferred to every mortal thing.f God threatens with 
liis eternal anger those who endeavor to suppress the 
truth. For this reason it was a duty, a Christian duty, 
incumbent on Luther, and from which he could not draw 
back, especially as he was a doctor of the church of 
God, to reprove the pernicious errors which unprinci- 
pled men were disseminating with inconceivable effront- 
ery. If controversy engenders many evils, as I see to 
my great sorrow," adds the wise Philip, it is the fault 
of those who at first propagated error, and of those 
who, filled with diabolical hatred, are now seeking to 
uphold it." 

But all men did not think thus. Luther was over- 
whelmed with reproaches : the storm burst upon him 
from every quarter of heaven. "He is quite alone," 
said some ; " he is a teacher of novelties," said others. 

"Who knows," replied Luther, sensible of the call 
that was addressed to him from on high, "if God has 

• Ego fluctibus his rapior et volvor. L. Epp. 1. 642. f Sed 
taroon in Ecclesia necesse est anteferri maadatum Dei omnibus rebus 
bomanis. Melaucth. Vita Lutheri, 



DEFifiKBS HIS POSITION. 



167 



not chosen and called me,* and if they ought not to 
fear that, by despising me, they despise God himself? 
Moses was alone at the departure from Egypt ; Elijah 
was alone in the reign of King Ahab ; Isaiah alone in 
Jerusalem ; Ezekiel alone in Babylon. . . . God never 
selected as a prophet either the high-priest or any other 
great personage ; but ordinarily he chose low and de- 
Bpised men, once even the shepherd Amos. In every age, 
the saints have had to reprove the great, kings, princes, 
priests, and wise men, at the peril of their lives. . . . 
And was it not the same under the New Testament? 
Ambrose was alone in his tim^ ; after him, Jerome was 
alone ; later still, Augustine was alone. ... I do not 
Bay that I am a prophet,f but I say that they ought to 
fear, precisely because I am alone and that they are 
many. I am sure of this, that the word of God is with 
me, and that it is not with them. 

It is said also," continues he, " that I put forward 
novelties, and that it is impossible to believe that all the 
other doctors were so long in error. 

No, I do not preach novelties. But I say that all 
Christian doctrines have been lost sight of by those who 
should have preserved them, namely, the learned and 
the bishops. Still, I doubt not that the truth remained 
in a few hearts, even were it with infants in the cradle.J 
Poor peasants and simple children now understand Jesus 
Christ better than the pope, the bishops, and the doctors* 
" I am accused of rejecting the holy doctors of the 
church. I do not reject them ; but, since all these doo 
tors endeavor to prove their writings by holy Scripture, 
Scripture must be clearer and surer than they are. Who 
would think of proving an obscure passage by one that 
was obscurer still ? Thus, then, necessity obliges me 
to have recourse to the Bible, as all the doctors have 
done, and to call upon it to pronounce upon their writ- 
ings ; for the Bible alone is lord and master. ' 

* Wer weiss, ob mich Gott dazu berufen und erwaehlt hat. Foun- 
dation of the articles condemned by the bull of Rome. L. 0pp. L 
17. 338. t Ich sage nicht, dass ich ein Prophet sey. Ibid. 

\ Uod sollten'i eitel Kinder in der Wiege seyn. Ibid. 33d. 



168 HISTORY OP THE REFORMATIOIT 



"But, say they, men of power persecute him, la 
it not clear, according to Scripture, that the per8ecuti>rb 
are generally wrong, and the persecuted right ; that the 
majority has ever been on the side of falsehood, and the 
minority with truth ? Truth has in every age caused an 
oiitcry."* 

Luther next examines the propositions condemned in 
the hull as heretical, and demonstrates their truth by 
proofs drawn from the holy Scriptures. With what vigor 
especially does he not maintain the doctrine of grace I 

What ! before and without grace, nature can hate 
sin, avoid it, and repent of it ; while even after grace is 
come, this nature loves sin, seeks it, longs for it, and 
never ceases contending against grace, and being angry 
with it — a state which all the saints mourn over con- 
tinually ? . . . It is as if men said that a strong tree, 
which I cannot bend by the exertion of all my strength, 
would bend of itself, as soon as I left it ; or that a tor- 
rent which no dikes or barriers can check, would cease 
running as soon as it was left alone. . . . No, it is not 
by reflecting on sin and its consequences that we arrive 
at repentance ; but it is by contemplating Jesus Christ, 
his wounds, and his infimte love.f The knowledge of 
sin must proceed from repentance, and not repentance 
from the knowledge of sin. Knowledge is the fruit, 
repentance is the tree. In my country, the fruit grows 
on the tree ; but it would appear that in the states of 
the holy father the tree grows on the fruit." 

The courageous doctor, although he protests, still 
retracts some of his propositions. Our astonishment 
will cease when we see the manner in which he does it. 
After quoting the four propositions on indulgences con- 
demned by the bull,| he simply adds : 

" In submission to the holy and learned bull, I retract 
all that I have ever taught concerning indulgences. If 
my books have been justly burnt, it is certJiinly because 

• Wahrheit hat allezeit rumort. L. 0pp. L. 17. 340. 

t Man soli zuvor Christum in seine Wunden sehen» und aus den- 
selb3n seine Liebe gegen uns. Ibid. 351. { PropB. 19 to 22 

Ibid ^ 



LUTHER'S EETEACTIOK. 



169 



1 made concessions to the pope on the doctrine of indul- 
gences ; for this reason I condemn them myself to the 
flames." 

He retracts also with respect to John Hnss : " I now 
say, that not a few articles, but all the articles of John 
Uuss are wholly Christian. By condemning John Husa, 
the pope has condemned the gospel. I have done five 
ti^nes more than he, and yet I much fear I have not done 
enough. Huss only said that a wicked pope is not a 
member of Christendom ; but if Peter himself were now 
flitting at Rome, I should deny that he was pope by 
divine appointment/' 



170 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIONS. 



CHAPTER XI. 

CoTimatioii of Charles the Fifth — The nuncio Aleandar — Shall Lq 
ther's books be burnt? — Aleander and the emperor — The nun 
cios and the elector — Duke John's son in behalf of Luther — Lu 
ther's calmness — The elector protects Luther — Reply of the nun- 
cios—Erasmus at Cologne — Erasmus at the elector's — Declara- 
tion of Erasmus — Advice of Erasmus — System of Charles V. 

The mighty words of the reformer sunk deep into 
men's hearts, and contributed to their emancipation. 
The sparks that flew from every one of them were com- 
municated to the whole nation. But still a greater ques- 
tion remained to be solved. Would the prince in whose 
states Luther was residing, favor or oppose the execu- 
tion of the bull ? The reply appeared doubtful. The 
elector, as well as all the princes of the empire, was at 
Aix-la-Chapelle. Here the crown of Charlemagne was 
placed on the head of the j-oungest but most powerful 
monarch of Christendom. An unusual pomp and mag- 
nificence were displayed in this ceremony. Charles V., 
Frederick, princes, ministers, and ambassadors, repaired 
immediately to Cologne. Aix-la-Chapelle, where the 
plague was raging, seemed to pour its whole population 
into this ancient city on the banks of the Rhine. 

Among the crowd of strangers who thronged this 
city, were the two papal nuncios, Marino Caraccioli and 
Jerome Aleander. Caraccioli, who had already been am- 
bassador at the court of Maximilian, was commissioned 
to congratulate the new emperor, and to treat with him 
on political matters. But Rome had discovered that, to 
succeed in extinguishing the Reformation, it was neces- 
sary to send into Germany a nuncio specially accredited 
for this work, and of a character, skill, and activity fitted 
for its accomplishment. Aleander had been selected.* 
This man, afterwards invested with the purple of the 
cardinals, would appear to have been descended from a 

* Studium flagrantissimum religionis, ardor indolis .... incr^ 
dlbils quanta solertia. . . Pallavioim 1. 84, 



THE NUKCIO ALEAKDEB. 



171 



family of respectable antiquity, and not from Jewish 
parents, as it has been said. The guilty Borgia invited 
him to Rome to be the secretary of his son, of that 
Caesar before whose murderous sword all Rome trem- 
bled.* " Like master, like man," says an historian, who 
thus compares Aleander to Alexander YI. This judg- 
aient is in our opinion too severe. After Borgia's death, 
Aleander applied to his studies with fresh ardor. His 
knowledge of Greek, Hebrew, Chaldee, and Arabic gained 
him the reputation of being the most learned man of his 
age. He devoted himself with his whole heart to every 
thing he undertook. The zeal with which he studied 
languages was by no means inferior to that which he 
exerted afterwards in persecuting the Reformation. Leo 
X. attached him to his own service. Some historians 
speak of his epicurean manners ; Romanists of the integ- 
rity of his life.f It would appear that he was fond of 
luxury, parade, and amusement. " Aleander is living at 
Venice like a grovelling epicurean, and in high dignity,^' 
wrote his old friend Erasmus concerning him. All are 
agreed in confessing that he was violent, prompt in his 
actions, full of acdor, indefatigable, imperious, and de- 
voted to the pope. Eck was the fiery and intrepid cham- 
pion of the schools ; Aleander the haughty ambassador 
of the proud court of the pontiffs. He seemed born to 
oe a nuncio. 

Rome had made every preparation to destroy the 
monk of Wittemberg. The duty of attending the coro- 
nation of the emperor as the pope's representative, was 
a mere secondary mission in Aleander's eyes, yet cal- 
culated to facilitate his task by the respect it secured 
for him. But he was specially charged to prevail upon 
Charles to crush the rising Reformation.^ 

• See Vol. I. p. 66. Capello, Venetian ambassador at Rome in 
1500, says of Caesar, Tutta Roma trema di esso ducha non li faza 
amazzar . . . Extracted by Ranke, from a MS. Relatione in the 
archives of Vienna. f Er wird iibel als ein gebohrner Jude und 
achaendlicher Epicurer beschrieben. Seckend. 288. Integritas vita 
qua praenoscebatur. Pallavicini, 1. 84. X Cui tota sollicitudQ 
'juiiteretur na80«ntia haereais evellend®. Ibid. 1. 83. 



172 HISTORY OP THE REFOIcMATIOir. 



As soon as Aleander arrived at Cologne, he and 
Caraccioli set every wheel in motion to have Luther's 
heretical works burnt throughout the empire, but partic- 
ularly under the eyes of the German princes assembled 
in that city. Charles V. had already given his consent 
«vith regard to his hereditary states. The agitation of 
men's minds was excessive. **Such measures," said 
they to Charles' ministers and the nuncios themselves, 
'* far from he^iling the wound, will only increase it. Do 
you imagine that Luther's doctrines are found only in 
those books that you are throwing into the fire ? They 
are written, where you cannot reach them, in the hearts 
of the nation.* .... If you desire to employ force, it 
must be that of countless swords unsheathed to massacre 
a whole nation.f A few logs of wood piled up to burn a 
few sheets of paper will efiect nothing ; and such arms 
are unbecoming the dignity of an emperor and of a 
pontiff." The nuncio defended his burning piles. " These 
flames," said he, are a sentence of condemnation writ- 
ten in colossal characters, equally intelligible to those 
who are near and those who are afar off, to the learned 
and ignorant, and even to those who cannot read." 

But it was not in reality papers and books that the 
nuncio wanted ; it was Luther himself. " These flames," 
resumed he, " are not sufficient to purify the infected air 
of Germany.^ If they terrify the simple, they do not 
punish the wicked. We require an imperial edict against 
Luther's person."§ 

Aleander did not find the emperor so compliant when 
the reformer's life was in question, as when his books 
only were concerned. 

" As I have but recently ascended the throne," said 
he to Aleander, " I cannot without the advice of my 
councillors and the consent of the princes strike such a 
blow as this against a numerous faction surrounded by 

• Altiusque insculptam in meniibus universae fere Germani®. 
Pallavicini, 1 88. f vi innumerabilium gladiorum qui infini- 
tum populum trucidarent. Ibid. i Non satis ad expurgandum 
fterem Germauiae jam tabificum. Ibid. p. 89. § GseBaris edictmo 
In oaput .... Lutheri. Ibid. 



THE NUNCIOS AND THE ELECTOE. 173 



BO many powerful defenders. Let us first learn what 
our farther the Elector of Saxony thinks of this matter ;* 
we shall afterwards see what reply we can make to the 
pope/' The nuncios therefore proceeded to make trial 
of their artifices and eloquence on the elector. 

The first Sunday in November, Frederick having 
attended mass in the Greyfriars' convent, Caraccioli and 
Aleander begged an audience. He received them in the 
presence of the bishop of Trent and several of his coun- 
cillors. Caraccioli first presented the papal brief. Of a 
milder disposition than Aleander, he thought it his duty 
to win over the prince by his flatteries, and began by 
eulogizing him and his ancestors. " It is to you," said 
he, " that we look for the salvation of the Roman church 
and of the Roman empire." 

But the impetuous Aleander, wishing to come to the 
point, hastily stepped forward and interrupted his col- 
league, who modestly gave way :f " It is to me and 
Eck," said he, " that this business of Martin's has been 
intrusted. Look at the imminent dangers into which 
this man is plunging the Christian republic. If we do 
not make haste to apply some remedy, the empire is 
ruined. Why were the Greeks destroyed, but because 
they abandoned the pope ? You cannot remain united 
to Luther without separating from Jesus Christ.J I 
require two things of you, in the name of his holiness • 
first, that you will burn Luther's writings ; secondly, 
that you will inflict on him the punishment he deserves, 
or at least that you will deliver him up to the pope.§ 
The emperor and all the princes of the empire have de- 
clared their willingness to accede to our request ; you 
alone hesitate still." 

Frederick replied, through the medium of the bishop 
of Trent, " This matter is too serious to be settled now. 
We will let you know our determination." 

• Audiamus antea hac in re patrem nostrum Fredericum. L 
0pp. I<at. 2. 117. f Cui ita loquenti de improviso sese addit 

Aleander. Ibid. J Non posse cum Latherc conjungi, quin 

sejunsereiur a Chrislo. Pallav. 1. 86. § Ut de eo supplicium 
flwimeret, vel ociptum pontifici transmitteret. L. Opp Lat. 2. 117. 



174 HISTORY OF THE REFOEMATIOII . 

The situation in which Frederick was pl'aced was a 
diflBcult one. What part ought he to take ? On the one 
sid^e were the emperor, the princes of the empire, and 
the supreme pontiff of Christendom, whose authority the 
elector had as yet no idea of throwing off; on the other, 
a monk, a feeble monk ; for it was he only that they 
demanded. Charles' reign had just commenced. Ought 
Frederick, the oldest and wisest of all the princes of 
Germany, to sow disunion in the empire ? Besides, how 
could he renounce that ancient piety which led him even 
to the sepulchre of Christ ? 

Other voices were then heard. A young prince, who 
afterwards wore the electoral crown, and whose reign 
was signalized by the greatest misfortunes, John Fred- 
erick, son of Duke John, the elector's nephew, and Spala» 
tin's pupil, a youth seventeen years of age, had received 
in his heart a sincere love for the truth, and was firmly 
attached to Luther.* When he saw the reformer struck 
by the Roman anathemas, he embraced his cause with 
the warmth of a young Christian and of a youthful 
prince. He wrote to the doctor and to his uncle, nobly 
entreating the latter to protect Luther against his ene- 
mies. On the other hand, Spalatin, frequently it is true 
very dejected, Pontanus, and the other councillors who 
were with the elector at Cologne, represented to the 
prince that he ought not to abandon the reformer.f 

In the midst of this general agitation, one man alone 
remained tranquil : it was Luther. While it was sought 
to preserve him by the influence of the great, the monk 
in his cloister at Wrttemberg thought that it was rather 
for him to save the great ones of this world. ^*If the 
gospel,":}: wrote he to Spalatin, '*was of a nature to be 
propagated or maintained by the powers of this world^ 

* Sonderliche Gunst und Gnade zu mir unwiirdiglich und den 
grossen Willen und Lust zu der heiligen gottlichen Wahrheit L, 
Epp. 1. 548. Letter to John Frederick, October 30, 1520. 

t Assiduo flabello ministrorum, ill! jugiter suadentium ne Luthe- 
nim de&ereret. Pallav. 1. 86. X Evangelium si tale esset, quod 
potentatibus mundi aut propagaretur aut servaretur, non illud pi& 
oatoribufl Deus demandasset. L. Epp. 1. 521. 



THE ELECTOR PROTECTS LUTHEE. 175 



(rod wonl-d not have intrusted it to f shermen. It be* 
longs not to the princes and pontiffs of this age to defend 
th^ word of God. They have enough to do to shelter 
themselves from the judgments of the Lord and of his 
Anointed. If I speak, it is in order that they may attain 
a knowledge of the divine word, and that by it they may 
be saved." 

liUther^s expectation was not to be deceived. That 
faith which a convent at Wittemberg concealed, exerted 
its power in the palaces of Cologne. Frederick's heart, 
shaken perhaps for a moment, grew stronger by degrees. 
He was indignant that the pope, in defiance of his ear- 
nest entreaties to examine into the matter in Germany, 
had decided upon it at Rome at the request of a personal 
enemy of the reformer, and that in his absence this op- 
ponent should have dared publish in Saxony a bull that 
threatened the existence of the university and the peace 
of his subjects. Besides, the elector was convinced that 
Luther was wronged. He shuddered at the thought of 
delivering an innocent man into the hands of his cruel 
enemies. Justice was the principle on which he acted, 
and not the wishes of the pope. He came to the deter- 
miuatiOii of not giving way to Rome. On the 4th of 
November, his councillors replied on his behalf to the 
Roman nuncios who came to the elector's, in the pres- 
ence of the bishop of Trent, that he had seen with much 
pain tne advantage that Dr. Eck had taken of his ab- 
sence to involve in the condemnation several persons 
who were not named in the bull ; that since his depart- 
ure from Saxony, it was possible that an immense num- 
ber of learned and ignorant men, of the clergy and laity, 
might have united and auhered to the cause and appeal of 
Luther that neither his imperial majesty nor any other 
person had shown that Luther's writings had been refuted, 
and that they only deserved to be thrown into the fire ; 
and finally, he requested that Doctor Luther should be 
furnished with a safe-conduct, so that he might appear be- 
fore a tribunal of learned, pious, and impartial judges. 

• Ut ingeas vis populi, doctorum et rudium, sacrorum et prc^fe 
I^oram^ se^ coujunxerint. L. 0pp. Lai 2. 116. 



175 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



After this declaration, Aleander, Caraccioli, and their 
followers, retired to deliberate.* This was the filst time 
that the elector had publicly made known his intentions 
with regard to the reformer. The nuncios had expected 
quite a different course from him. Now, they had thought, 
that the elector, by maintaining his character for impar- 
tiality, would draw dangers upon himself the whole ex* 
Umi of which he could not foresee, he will not hesitate 
to sacrifice the monk. Thus Rome had reasoned. But 
her machinations were doomed to fail before a force that 
did not enter into her calculations — the love of justice 
and of truth. 

Being readmitted into the presence of the elector's 
councillors, the imperious Aleander said, " I should like 
to know what the el-ector would think, if one of his sub- 
jects should choose the king of France, or any other 
foreign prince, for judge." Seeing that nothing could 
shake the Saxon councillors, he said, " We will execute 
the bull ; we will hunt out and burn Luther's writings. 
As for his person," added he, affecting a contemptuous 
indifference, "the pope is not desirous of staining his 
hatids with the blood of the wretched man." 

The news of the reply the elector had made to the 
nuncios having reached Wittemberg, Luther's friends 
were filled with joy. Melancthon and Amsdorff, espe- 
cially, indulged in the most flattering anticipations. 
" The German nobility," said Melancthon, " will direct 
their course by the example of this prince, whom they 
follow in all things, as their Nestor. If Hdner styled 
his hero the bulwark of the Greeks^ why should we not 
call Frederick the bulwark of the Germans 

The oracle of courts, the torch of the schools, the 
light of the world, Erasmus, was then at Cologne. Many 
princes had invited him, to be guided by his advice. At 
the epoch of the Reformation, Erasmus was the leader 
of the moderates ; at least he imagined himself to be so, 
but without just cause ; for when truth and error meet 

* Quo audito, Marinus et Aleaader seorsim cum suis locuti sunt 
L. Opp. Lat. 2. 117. t Homerica appellatiooe murum Gcrmsk 
nisj, Corp. Ref. 1. 272. 



KEASMtrS AND THE ELEOTOE. 177 



face to face, justice lies not between thera. He was the 
chief of that philosophical and academical party wliich, 
for ages, had attempted to correct Rome, but had never 
succeeded ; he was the representative of human wisdom, 
but that wisdom was too weak to batter down the high 
places of Popery. It needed that wisdom from God 
which men often call foolishness, but at whose voice 
mountains crumble into dust. Erasmus would neither 
throw himself into the arms of Luther, nor sit at the 
pope's feet. He hesitated, and often wavered between 
these two powers, attracted at one time towards Lu- 
ther, then suddenly repelled in the direction of the pope. 
" The last spark of Christian piety seems nearly extin- 
guished," said he in hi-s letter to Albert ; " and 't is this 
which has moved Luther's heart. He cares neither for 
money nor honors."* But this letter, which the impru- 
dent Ulrich of Hutten had published, caused Erasmus so 
much annoyance, that he determined to be more cautious 
in future. Besides, he was accused of being Luther's 
accomplice, and the latter offended him by his imprudent 
language. " Almost all good men are for Luther,"f said 
he ; " but I see that we are tending towards a revolt. . . 
I would not have my name joined with his. That would 
injure me without serving him."| So be it," replied 
Luther ; " since that annoys you, I promise never to 
make mention either of you or of your friends." Such 
was the man to whom both the partisans and enemies of 
the Reformation applied. 

The elector, knowing that the opinion of a man so 
much respected as Erasmus would have great influence, 
invited the illustrious Dutchman to visit him. Erasmus 
obeyed the order. This was on the 5th of December. 
Luther's friends could not see this step without secret 
uneasiness. The elector was standing before the fire, 

* Et futurum erat . . . ut tandem prorsu^ extingueretur ilia scin- 
tilla Christianae pietatis ; haec moverunt animum Luthori . . qui 
aec honores ambit, nec pecuniam cupit. Erasm. Epp. Lood. 1642, 
p. 686. t Favent vero ferme boni omnes. Corp. Ref. I. 205 

t Er will von mir ungenennet seyn. L. Epp. 1. 625. Nam ea 
res me gravat, et Lutherum non eublevat. Corp. Rof. 1. 206« 

IZ 



178 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOJBT. 



with Spalatin at his side, when Erasmus was introduced. 
" What is your opinion of Luther immediately de* 
manded Frederick. The prudent Erasmus, surprised at 
so direct a question, sought at first to elude replying. 
He screwed up his mouth, bit his lips, and said not a 
word. Upon this the elector, raising his eyebrows, as 
was his custom when he spoke to people from whom he 
desired to have a precise answer, says Spalatin, fixed 
his piercing glance on Erasmus.* The latter, not know- 
ing how to escape from his confusion, said at last, in a 
half jocular tone, Luther has committed two great 
faults : he has attacked the crown of the pope, and the 
bellies of the monks."f The elector smiled, but gave 
his visitor to understand that he was in earnest. Eras- 
mus then laying aside his reserve, said, " The cause of 
all this dispute is the hatred of the monks towards learn- 
ing, and the fear they have of seeing their tyranny de- 
stroyed. What weapons are they using against Luther ? 
clamor, cabals, hatred, and libels. The more virtuous a 
man is, and the greater his attachment to the gospel, 
the less is he opposed to Luther.J The severity of the 
bull has aroused the indignation of all good men, and 
no one can recognize in it the gentleness of a vicar of 
Christ. § Two only out of all the universities have con- 
demned Luther ; and they have only condemned him, not 
proved him in the wrong. Do not be deceived ; the dan- 
ger is greater than some men imagine. Arduous and 
difiicult things are pressing on.|| To begin Charles' 
reign by so odious an act as Luther's imprisonment, 
would be a mournful omen. The world is thirsting for 
evangelical truth let us beware of setting up a tlam- 

• Da sperret auch wahrlich mein gnadister Herr seine Augen nur 
woM auf. .... Spalatin, Hist. MS. in Seckend p 291. 

t Lutherus peccavit in duobus, nempe quod tetigit coronam pon- 
tificis et ventres monachorum. % Cum optimus quisque ek 

evangelicae proximus dicatur, minime offensus Luthero. Axiomata 
Erasmi in L. 0pp. Lat. 2. 115. § Bullae saevitia probos omneg 

offendit, ut indigna mitissimo Christi vicario. Ibid. || Urgent 

ardua negotia. Ibid. IF Mundus sitit veritatem evan^eii#;axni 
Axiomata Eraeml in L. 0pp. Lat. 2. 115. 



suaaESTioNs op Erasmus. 179 



able opposition. Let this affair be inquired into by 
serious men, men of sound judgment ; this will be the 
course most consistent with the dignity of the pope 
himself.'' 

Thus spoke Erasmus to the elector. Such frankness 
may perhaps astonish the reader, but Erasmus knew 
whom he was addressing. Spalatin was delighted. He 
went out with Erasmus, and accompanied him as far as 
the house of the Count of Nuenar, provost of Cologne, 
where Erasmus was residing. The latter, in an impulse 
of frankness, on retiring to his study, took a pen, sat 
down, wrote a summary of what he had said to the elec- 
tor, and forwarded the paper to Spalatin ; but ere long 
the fear of Aleander came over the timid Erasmus ; the 
courage that the presence of the elector and his chap- 
lain had communicated to him had evaporated ; and he 
begged Spalatin to return the too daring paper, for fear 
it should fall into the hands of the terrible nuncio. But 
it was too late. 

The elector, feeling reassured by the opinion of Eras- 
mus, spoke to the emperor in a more decided tone. 
Erasmus himself endeavored, in nocturnal conferences,* 
like those of Nicodemus of old, to persuade Charles' 
councillors that the whole business should be referred 
to impartial judges. Perhaps he hoped to be named 
arbitrator in a cause which threatened to divide the 
Christian world. His vanity would have been flattered 
by such an office. But at the same time, and not to lose 
his credit at Rome, he wrote the most submissive letters 
to Leo, who replied with a kindness that seriously mor- 
tified Aleander.f From love to the pope, the nuncio 
would willingly have reprimanded the pope ; for Eras- 
mas communicated these letters from the pontiff, and 
tliey added still more to his credit. The nuncio com- 
plained of it to Rome. " Pretend not to notice this man's 
wickedness," was the reply ; prudence enjoins this : we 
must leave a door open to repentance."^ 

* SoUicitatis per nocturnes congressus. . . . Pallav. 1. 87. 
t Quae male torquebant Aleandrum. Ibid. X Prudentia 

erat ooosilii, hominis pravitatem difisimulore. Ibi4. SB. 



180 HISTORY OP THE REFORMATIOH. 



Charles at the same time adopted a " see-saw** sys- 
tem, which consisted in flattering the pope and the eleo 
tor, and appearing to incline by turns towards <iach, 
according to the necessities of the moment. One of his 
ministers, whom he had sent to Rome on Spanish busi- 
ness, arrived at the very moment that Doctor Eck was 
clamorously urging on Luther's condemnation. The 
wily ambassador immediately saw what advantage his 
master might derive from the Saxon monk. "Your 
Majesty,'' he wrote on the 12th of May, 1620, to the em- 
peror, who was still in Spain, "ought to go into Ger- 
many, and show some favor to a certain Martin Luther, 
who is at. the Saxon court, and who by the sermons ho 
preaches gives much anxiety to the court of Rome."* 
Such from the commencement was the view Charles took 
of the Reformation. It was of no importance for him to 
know on which side truth or error might be found, or to 
discern what the great interests of the German nation 
required. His only question was, what policy demand- 
ed, and what should be done to induce the pope to sup- 
port the emperor. And this was well known at Rome. 
Charles' ministers intimated to Aleander the course their 
master intended following. " The emperor," said they, 
*' will behave towards the pope as he behaves towards 
the emperor ;f for he has no desire to increase the power 
of his rivals, and particularly of the king of France." At 
these words the imperious nuncio gave way to his in- 
dignation. " What I" replied he, " supposing the pope 
should abandon the emperor, must the latter renounce 
his religion ? If Charles wishes to avenge himself thus 
... let him tremble ; this baseness will turn against 
himself." Bat the nuncio's threats did not shake the 
imperial diplomatists. 

• Despatches of Manuel Llorente, 1. 398. f Cssarem ita 9d 
gesturum erga Fontificem, uU Be Pontifez erga Cesarem gereret 
Pallav. 1. 9L 



ABUSE OF THiS CONFE88IOVAL. 181 



CHAPTER XII. 

Lather on confession — Real absolution — Antichrist — Luther « popT> 
larity — Satires — Ulrich of Hiitten — Lucas Cranach — The cam!* 
Tal at Wittemberg — Staupitz intimidated — Luther's labors— HU 
humility — Progress of the Reformation. 

If the legates of Rome failed with the mighty ones 
of this world, the inferior agents of the papacy succeeded 
in spreading trouble among the lower ranks. The army 
of Rome had heard the commands of its chief. Fanati 
cal priests made use of the bull to alarm timid con 
sciences, and well-meaning but unenlightened ecclesias 
tics considered it a sacred duty to act in conformity with 
the instructions of the pope. It was in the confessional 
that Luther had commenced his struggle against Rome ;* 
it was in the confessional that Rome contended against 
the reformer's adherents. Scouted in the face of the 
world, the bull became powerful in these solitary tribu- 
nals. " Have you read Luther's works asked the con- 
fessors ; " do you possess any of them ? do you regard 
them as true, or heretical And if the penitent hesitated 
to pronounce the anathema, the priest refused absolution. 
Many consciences were troubled. Great agitation pre- 
vailed among the people. This skilful manoeuvre bid 
fair to restore to the papal yoke the people already won 
over to the gospel. Rome congratulated herself on hav- 
ing in the thirteenth century erected this tribunal, bo 
skilfully adapted to render the free consciences of Chris- 
tians the slaves of the priests.f So long as this remains 
standing, her reign is not over. 

Luther was informed of these proceedings. What 
can he do, unaided, to baflSe this manoeuvre ? The word, 
the word proclaimed loudly and courageously, shall be 
his weapon. The word will find access to those alarmed 
consciences, those terrified souls, and give them strength. 

• See vol. L, p. 273. f In 1216, by the Fourth LAteraa 

Ooancil, under Innocent III 



182 HIBTOUY OF THE REFORMATION. 



A powerful impulse was necessary, and Luther^s voice 
made itself heard. He addressed the penitents with fear- 
less dignity, with a noble disdain of all secondary con- 
siderations. When you are asked whether you approve 
of my books or not," said he, reply, * You are a con- 
fessor, and not an inquisitor or a jailer. My duty is to 
confess what my conscience leads me to say ; yours is 
not to sound and extort the secrets of my heart. Give 
me absolution, and then dispute with Luther, with the 
pope, with whomsoever you please ; but do^not convert 
the sacrament of penance into a quarrel and a combat.' 
And if the confessor will not give way, then," continues 
Luther, " I would rather go without absolution. Do not 
be uneasy : if man does not absolve you, God will. Re- 
joice that you are absolved by God himself, and appear 
at the altar without fear. At the last judgment the 
priest will have to give an account of the absolution he 
has refused you. They may deprive us .of the sacra- 
ment, but they cannot deprive us of the strength and 
grace that God has connected with it. It is not in their 
will or in their power, but in our own faith, that God 
has placed salvation. Dispense with the sacrament, 
altar, priest, and church ; the word of God, condemned 
by the bull, is more than all these things. The soul can 
do without the Sacrament, but it cannot live without the 
word. Christ, the true bishop, will undertake to give 
you spiritual food.""^ 

Thus did Luther's voice sink into every alarmed con- 
science, and make its way into every troubled family, 
imparting courage and faith. But he was not content 
simply with defending himself ; he felt that he ought to 
become the assailant, and return How for blow. A 
Romish theologian, Ambrose Catharinus, had written 
against him. I will stir up the bile of this ItaliaD 
beast," said Luther.f He kept his word. In his reply, 
he proved, by the revelations of Daniel and St. John, by 
the epistles of St. Paul, St. Peter, and St. Jude, that the 

* Und wird dich der rechte Bischofif Christus selber speisen. . . . 
Ia Opp L. 17. 665, t Italicae bestiae bilem movebo. L. Epp 

1. 670. 



LUTHER'S POPULAEITT. 



183 



reign of antichrist, predicted and described in the Bible, 
was the Papacy. " I know for certain," said he in con- 
clusion, that our Lord Jesus Christ lives and reig:ns 
Strong in this assurance, I should not fear many thou- 
sands of popes. May God visit us at last according to 
his infinite power, and show forth the day of the glorious 
advent of his Son, in which he will destroy the wicked 
one.* And let all the people say, Amen.'' 

And all the people did say. Amen. A holy terror 
seized upon their souls. It was antichrist whom they 
beheld seated on the pontifical throne. This new idea, 
which derived greater strength from the prophetic de- 
scriptions launched forth by Luther into the midst of 
his contemporaries, inflicted the most terrible blow on 
Rome. Faith in the word of God took the place of that 
faith which the church alone had hitherto enjoyed ; and 
the power of the pope, long the object of adoration 
among nations, had now become a source of terror and 
detestation. 

Germany replied to the papal bull by overwhelming 
Luther with its acclamations. Although the plague was 
raging at Wittemberg, new students arrived every day, 
and from four to six hundred disciples habitually sat at 
the feet of Luther and Melancthon in the halls of the 
academy. The two churches belonging to the convent 
and the city were not large enough for the crowd that 
hung listening to^the reformer's words. The prior of the 
Augustines was fearful that these temples would fall 
under the weight of the hearers. f But this spiritual 
movement was not confined within the walls of Wittem- 
berg ; it spread through Germany. Princes, nobles, and 
learned men from every quarter, addressed Luther iii 
letters breathing consolation and faith. The doctor 
showed the chaplain more than thirty such.J 

The Margrave of Brandenburg came one day to Wit- 

♦ Otitendat ilium diem adventus gloriae Filii 8ui, quo destruatiii 
iniquus iste. L. 0pp. Lat. 2. 1S2. f Es mocbte noch g,ar die 

Kirche und Capelle um der Menge willen eiufallen. Spalatin m 
Seckend. p. 296. i Mohr als dreyssig Briefe von Furstoo- , . , 
Ibid. 



Ift4 HISTOHY OF THE REFORMATIOM. 



temberg", with several other princes, to visit Luther. 
"They desired to see the man/' said the latter.* In 
truth, all were desirous of seeing the man whose words 
had moved the people, and made the pontiff of the West 
totter upon his throne. 

The enthusiasm of Luther's friends increased every 
day. " What unheard-of foolishness in Emser," exclaim- 
ed Melancthon, ** who has ventured to measure himself 
with our Hercules, not perceiving the finger of God in 
every one of Luther's actions, f as Pharaoh would not 
see it in those of Moses." The gentle Melancthon found 
words of power to arouse those who seemed to be retro- 
grading or even remaining stationary. " Luther has 
stood up for the truth," wrote he to John Hess, "and 
yet you keep silence. . . . He is alive and prospering 
still, although the lion," Leo, "is chafing and roaring. 
Bear in mind that it is impossible for Roman impiety to 
approve of the gospel. J How can this age be wanting 
in men like Judas, Caiaphas, Pilate, or Herod ? Arm 
yourself, therefore, with the weapons of God's word 
against such adversaries." 

All Luther's writings, his Lord's Prayer, and partic- 
ularly his new edition of the German Theology, § were 
perused with avidity. Reading clubs were formed for 
the circulation of his works among their members. His 
friends reprinted them, and got them diatributed by 
hawkers. They were recommended from the pulpit. 
There was a general wish for a German church ; and 
the people demanded that no one should henceforth be 
invested with any ecclesiastical dignity, unless he could 
preach to the people in the vulgar tongue, and that in 
every quarter the bishops of Germany should resist the 
pai>al power. 

Nor was this all : biting satires against the princi- 
pal ultra-montanists were circulated throughout the 
pro\ inces of thQ empire. The opposition rallied all its 

* Videre enim nominem voluerent. L. Epp. 1. 544, dated Jan- 
nary 16, 1521. t I^ci digitum esse quae a Martino fiant Corp, 
Ref. 1. 282. t Non posse Evangelium Romaaae impietati pro- 

ban. Ibid. 280. § See vol. L, p. 228 



ULEICH HUTTEK. 



185 



forces around this new doctrine, which gave it precisely 
what it stood in need of .... a justification in the eyes 
of religion. Most of the lawyers, wearied by the en- 
croachments of the ecclesiastical tribunals, attached 
themselves to the reform ; but the humanists, in particu- 
lar, eagerly embraced this party. Ulrich HUtten wae 
indefatigable. He addressed letters to Luther, to the 
legates, and to the most considerable men in Germany. 

I tell you, and repeat it, Marino," said he to the legate 
Caraccioli, in one of his works, "the darkness with 
which you had covered our eyes is dispersed ; the gos- 
pel is preached ; the truth is proclaimed ; the absurdi- 
ties of Rome are overwhelmed with contempt ; youi 
decrees languish and die ; liberty is beginning to dawn 
upon us."* 

Not content with employing prose, Hiitten had re- 
course to verse also. He published his Outcry on the 
Lutheran Conftagration^f in which, appealing to Jesus 
Christ, he beseeches him to consume with the brightness 
of his countenance all who dared deny his authority. 
Above all, he set about writing in German. " Hitherto," 
said he, " I have written in Latin, a tongue not intelli- 
gible to every one ; but now I address all my fellow- 
countrymen." His German rhymes unveiled to the peo- 
ple the long and disgraceful catalogue of the sins of the 
Roman court. But Hutten did not wish to confine him- 
self to mere words ; he was eager to interfere in the 
struggle with the sword ; and he thought that the veu- 

• Ablata ilia est a vobia indue ta olim nostris oculis caligo, pr»- 

dicatur Evangelium .... spes est libertatis. Ulrlch ab Hiitten 

Eques, Mar. Carrac. L. 0pp. Lat. 2. 176. 

f . . . . Quo tu oculos, pie Christe, tuos, frontisque Bevene 
Tende supercilium, teque esse ostende neganti. 
Qui te contemaunt igitur, mediumque tonanti 
Ostenduut digltum, tandem iis te ostende potentem. 
Te videat ferus ille Leo, te tota malorum 
Sentiat illuvies, scelerataque Roma tremiscat, 
Ultorem scelerum discant te vivere saltern, 
Qui regnare negant. 

«ji Incendium Lutheranum Elxclamatlo Ulrichi Hutteni Equit2% Mar^ 

Oerac. L. 0pp. Lat 2. 176 



I8(f HisTORX" OF th:b eeformatioit 



geance of God should be wrought by the swords and hal« 
herds of those valiant warriors of whom Germany was so 
proud. Luther opposed this mad project ; " I desire not,'' 
said he, " to fight for the gospel with violence and blood- 
shed. I have written to Hiitten to this effect."* 

The celebrated painter Lucas Cranach published, un- 
der the title of the Passion of Christ and Antichrist^ a set 
of engravings which represented on one side the glory 
and magnificence of the pope, and on the other the humili- 
ation and sufferings of the Redeemer. The inscriptions 
were written by Luther. These engravings, designed 
with considerable skill, produced an effect beyond all 
previous example. The people withdrew from a church 
that appeared in every respect so opposed to the spirit 
of its Founder. "This is a very good work for the 
laity," said Luther.f 

Many persons wielded weapons against the papacy, 
that had but little connection with the holiness of a 
Christian life. Emser had replied to Luther^s book. To 
the Goat of Leipsic, by another whose title was. To the 
Bull of Wittemberg. The name was not badly selected. 
But at Magdeburg Emser's work was suspended to the 
common gibbet, with this inscription, "The book is 
worthy of the place," and a scourge v/as hung at its 
side, to indicate the punishment the author merited.^ 
At Doeblin some persons wrote under the papal bull, in 
ridicule of its ineffectual thunders, " The nest is here, 
but the birds have flown."§ 

The students at Wittemberg, taking advantage of 
the license of the carnival, dressed up one of their num- 
ber in a costume similar to the pope^s, and paraded him 
with great pomp through the streets of the city, but in 
a manner somewhat too ludicrous, as Luther observes. |j 

* NoUem vi et caede pro Evangelio certari ; ita at scrips! ad 
hominem. L. Epp. 1. 543. f Bonus est pro laicis liber. Ibid. 
671. This book, which deserves reprinting, I found in the library 
cf Zurich. { In publico infamise loco afifixus. Ibid. 560. 

§ Das Nest is hie, die Vogel sind ausgeflogen. Ibid 570. 

II Nimis ludicre Papam personatum circumveaerunt dublimem et 
pompaticum. Ibid. 561. 



STADPITZ INTIMIDATED. 



187 



When they reached the great square, they approached 
the river, and some, pretending a sudden attack, appeared 
desirous of throwing the pope into the water. But the 
pontiff, having little inclination for such a bath, took to 
bis heels ; his cardinals, bishops, and familiars imitated 
his example, dispersing into every quarter of the ?itj. 
The students pursued them through the streets ; and 
there was hardly a corner in Wittemberg where some 
Eoman dignitary had not taken refuge from the shouts 
and laughter of the excited populace.* The enemy of 
Christ," says Luther, who makes a mockery of kings, 
and even of Christ, richly deserves to be thus mocked 
himself.'' In our opinion he is wrong ; truth is too 
beautiful to be thus polluted. She should combat with- 
out the aid of ballads, caricatures, and the masquerades 
of a carnival. Perhaps without these popular demon- 
strations, her success would be less apparent ; but it 
would be purer, and consequently more lasting. How- 
ever that may be, the imprudent and prejudiced conduct 
of the Roman court had excited universal antipathy ; 
and this very bull, by which the papacy thought to 
crush the whole Reformation, was precisely that which 
made the revolt burst out in every quarter. 

Yet the reformer did not find intoxication and triumph 
in every thing. Behind that chariot in which he was 
dragged by a people excited and transported with admi- 
ration, there was not wanting the slave to remind him 
of his miserable state. Some of his friends seemed in- 
clined to retrace their steps. Staupitz, whom he desig- 
nated his father, appeared shaken. The pope had accused 
him, and Staupitz had declared his willingness to submit 
to the decision of his holiness. I fear," wrote Luther 
to him, that by accepting the pope for judge, you seem 
to reject me and the doctrines I have maintained. If 
Christ loves you, he will constrain you to recall ^our 
letter Christ is condemned, stripped, and blasphemed ; 
this is a time not to fear, but to raise the voice, f For 

* . . . . Fugitivum cum cardinalibus, episcopis, familiisque suis, 
in diversas partes oppidi disperserunt et insecuti sunt. L. Epp. 1. FeK 
17, 1521. t Nou enim hoc tcmpus timeudi sed clamandi. lb. 567 



188 HISTORY OP THE RllPORMATION 



this reason, while you exhort me to be humble, I exhort 
you to be proud ; for you have too much humility, as I 
have too much pride. The world may call me proud, 
covetous, an adulterer, a murderer, antipope, one who is 
guilty of every crime. . . . What matters it ; provided 
I am not reproached with having wickedly kept silence 
at the moment our Lord said with sorrow, * I looked on 
my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that 
would know me.' Psa. 142. The word of Jesus Christ 
is a word not of peace, but of the sword. If you will 
not follow Jesus Christ, I will walk alone, will advance 
alone, and alone will I carry the fortress.''* 

Thus L^ither, Tike a general at the head of an army, * 
surveyed the whole field of battle ; and while his voice 
inspirited new soldiers to the conflict, he discovered 
those of his troops who appeared weak, and recalled 
them to the line of duty. His exhortations were heard 
everywhere. His letters rapidly followed each other. 
Three presses were constantly occupied in multiplying 
his writings.f His words ran through the people, 
strengthening the alarmed consciences in the confession- 
als, upholding in the convents timid souls that were 
ready to faint, and maintaining the rights of truth in 
th<3 palaces of princes. 

" In the midst of the storms that assail me/' wrote 
Luther to the elector, "I hoped to find peace at last. 
But now I see that this was the vain thought of a man. 
Prom day to day the waters rise, and already I am en- 
tirely surrounded by the waves. The tempest is burst- 
ing upon me with frightful tumult. J In one hand I grasp 
the sword, with the other I build up the walls of Zion."§ 
His ancient ties are broken ; the hand that had hurled 
against him the thunders of excommunication had snap- 
ped them asunder. " Excommunicated by the bull," said 
he, " I am absolved from the authority of the pope and 
of the monastic laws. Joyfully do I welcome this deliv- 

* Quod si tu non vis sequi, sine me ire et rapi. L. Epp. 1. 558. 

t Cum tria prela solus ego occupare cogar. Ibid. { Videmi 
rem tumultuosissimo tumultu tumultuaatem. Ibid. 546. § Una 
maau gladium appreheudcna et altera murum aniificaturus. lb. 66& 



PROaRESS OF THE REFORM 



189 



erance. But I shall neither quit the habit of my ordei 
nor the convent."* And yet, amid this agitation, be 
does not lose sight of the dangers to which his soul is 
exposed in the struggle. He perceives the necessity of 
keeping a strict watch over himself. " You do well to 
pray for me/' wrote he to Pellican, who resided at Basle. 
" I cannot devote sufi5cient time to holy exercises ; life 
is a cross to me. You do well to exhort me to modesty : 
I feci its necessity ; but I am not master of myself ; I 
am carried away by mysterious impulses. I wish no 
one ill ;f but my enemies press on me with such fury, 
that I do not sufficiently guard against the temptations 
of Satan. Pray then for me." 

Thus the reformer and the Reformation were hasten- 
ing towards the goal whither God called them. The 
agitation was gaining ground. The men who seemed 
likely to be most faithful to the hierarchy began to be 
moved. "Those very persons," says Eck ingenuously 
enough, " who hold the best livings and the richest pre- 
bends from the pope, remain as mute as fishes. Many 
of them even extol Luther as a man filled with the divine 
spirit, and style the defenders of the pope mere sophists 
and flatterers."! The church, apparently full of vigor, 
supported by treasures, governments, and armies, but in 
reality exhausted and feeble, having no love for God, no 
Christian life, no enthusiasm for the truth, found itself 
face to face with men who were simple but courageous, 
and who, knowing that God is with those who contend 
in behalf of his word, had no doubt of victory. In every 
age it has been seen how great is the strength of an 
idea to penetrate the masses, to stir up nations, and to 
hurry them, if required, by thousands to the battle-field 
and to death. But if so great be the strength of a 
human idea, what power must not a heaven-descended 
idea possess, when God opens to it the gates of the 
heart. The world has not often seen so much power at 

• Ab ordinis et Papae legibus solutus .... quod gaudeo et am- 
plector. L. Epp. 1. 558. f Compos mei non sum, rapior ncsolo 
qao epiritu, cum nemini me male veUe conscius sim. Ibid 565. 

t Rcynald Epist, J. Eckii ad Cardinalem Contarenum. 



190 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION 



work ; it was seen, however, in the early days of Chrifr 
tianity, and in the time of the Reformation ; and it will 
be seen in future ages. Men who despised the riches 
and grandeur of the world, who were contented with a 
life of sorrow and poverty, began to be moved in ^avor 
of all that was holiest upon earth, the doctrine of faith 
and of grace. All the religious elements were ferment- 
ing beneath the agitated surface of society ; and the fire 
of enthusiasm urged souls to spring forward with cour- 
age into this new life, this epoch of renovation, which 
was so grandly opening befoie them, and whither Provi- 
dence was hurrying the nations. 



VICTORIES OF THE WOED OP OOD. 



191 



BOOK yiL 

THE DIET OF WORMS. 

1621, JANUARY TO MAY 

CHAPTER I. 

Tictorlefl of the word of God — The Diet of Worms— Policy of Rome— 
Difficulties — Charles demands Luther — The elector to Charles V. 
— State of feeling — Alarm of Aleander — The elector departs with- 
out Luther — Aleander arouses Rome — Excommunication by the 
pope, and communion with Christ — Fulminaiions of the bull — 
Luther's motives in the Reformation. 

The Reformation, commenced by the struggles of an 
humble spirit in the cell of a cloister at Erfurth, had con- 
tinually increased. An obscure individual, bearing in 
his hand the word of life, had stood firm before the 
mighty ones of the world, and they had shaken before 
him. He had wielded this arm of the word of God, first 
against Tetzel and his numerous army ; and those greedy 
merchants, after a brief struggle, had fled away : he next 
employed it against the Roman legate at Augsburg ; 
and the legate in amazement had allowed the prey to 
escape him : somewhat later with its aid he contended 
against the champions of learning in the halls of Leip- 
sic ; and the astonished theologians had beheld their 
syllogistic weapons shivered in their hands ; and lastly, 
with this single arm, he had opposed the pope, when the 
latter, disturbed in his slumbers, had risen on his throne 
to blast the unfortunate monk with his thunders ; and 
this same word had paralyzed all the power of this head 
of Christendom. A final struggle remained to be under- 
gone. The word was destined to triumph over the em- 
peror of the West, over the kings and princes of the 
earth ; and then, victorious over all the powers of tbe 



X92 HISTORY OF THE EEFORMATIOIJ 



world, to uprise in the church, and reign as the very 
word of God. 

The entire nation was agitated. Princes and nobles, 
knights and citizens, clergy and laity, town and country, 
all participated in the struggle. A mighty religious rev- 
olution, of which God himself was the prime mover, but 
which was also deeply rooted in the lives of the people, 
threatened to overthrow the long- venerated chief of the 
Eoman hierarchy. A new generation, of a serious, deep, 
active, and energetic spirit, filled the universities, cities, 
courts, castles, rural districts, and frequently even the 
cloisters. A presentiment that a great transformation 
of society was at hand, inspired all minds with holy en- 
thusiasm. What would be the position of the emperor 
with regard to this movement of the age ; and what 
would be the end of this formidable impulse by which 
all men were carried along ? 

A solemn diet was about to be opened : this was the 
first assembly of the empire over which Charles was to 
preside. As Nuremberg, where it should have been held, 
in accordance with the Golden Bull, was suflfering from 
the plague, it was convoked to meet at Worms on the 
6th of January, 1521.* Never before had so many 
princes met together in diet ; each one was desirous of 
participating in this first act of the young emperor's 
government, and was pleased at the opportunity of dis- 
playing his power. The youthful landgrave Philip of 
Hesse, among others, who was afterwards to play so 
important a part in the Reformation, arrived at Worms 
about the middle of January, with six hundred horsemen, 
among whom were warriors celebrated for their valor. 

But a much stronger motive inclined the electors, 
dukes, archbishops, landgraves, margraves, counts, bish- 
ops, barons, and lords of the empire, as well as the dep- 
uties of the towns, and the ambassadors of the kings of 
Christendom, to throng with their brilliant trains the 
roads that led to Worms. It had been announced that, 
among other important matters to be laid before the 
diet, would be the nomination of a council of regency to 
* SleiOaa. vol. 1. 8a 



POLICY OF ROME. 



193 



govern the empire during Charles' absence, and the juris- 
diction of the imperial chamber ; but public attention 
was more particularly directed to another question, 
which the emperor had also mentioned in his letters of 
convocation — that of the Reformation. The great inter- 
ests of worldly policy grew pale before the cause of the 
monk of Wittemberg. It was this which formed the 
principal topic of conversation between the noble per- 
sonages who arrived at Worms. 

Every thing announced that the diet would be stormy, 
and diflScult to manage. Charles, who was hardly twenty 
years of age, was pale, of weak health, and yet a grace- 
ful horseman, able to break a lance like others of his 
time ; his character was as yet undeveloped ; his air 
was grave and melancholy, although of a kindly expres- 
sion, and he had not hitherto shown any remarkable tal- 
ent, and did not appear to have adopted any decided line 
»f conduct. The skilful and active William de Croi, Lord 
of Chi^vres, his high chamberlain, tutor, and prime min- 
ister, who enjoyed an absolute authority at court, died 
at Worms : numerous ambitions here met ; many pas- 
sions came into collision ; the Spaniards and the Bel- 
gians vied with each other in their exertions to creep 
into the counsels of the young prince ; the nuncios mul- 
tiplied their intrigues ; the German princes spoke out 
boldly. It might easily be foreseen that the under- 
handed practices of parties would have a principal share 
in the struggle.* 

But over all these scenes of agitation hovered a ter- 
rible will — the Roman papacy, which, inflexible as the 
destiny of the ancients, had unceasingly crushed for 
ages past every doctor, king, or people that had opposed 
its tyrannous progress. A letter written at Rome in the 
month of January, 1521, and by a Roman citizen, revealg 
its intentions. "If I am not mistaken, the only businesB 
in your diet will be this affair of Luther, which gives ua 
much more trouble than the Turk himself. We shall 
endeavor to gain over the young emperor by threats, 

* Es gelng aber auf diesem Reichstag gar schlupferig au . . . 
Beckend. p. 326. 



194 HIBTOBY OF THE REFOE34ATIOW. 



by prayers, and feigned caresses. We shall strive to 
win the Germans by extolling the piety of their ances- 
tors, and by making them rich presents, and by lavish 
promises. If these methods do not succeed, we shall 
depose the emperor ; absolve the people from their obe- 
dience ; elect another — and he will be one that suits 
us — in his place ; stir up civil war among the Germans, 
as we have just done in Spain ;* and summon to our aid 
the armies of the kings of France, England, and all the 
nations of the earth.f Probity, honor, religion, Christ — 
we shall make light of all, provided our tyranny be 
saved/'l A very slight familiarity with the history of 
the Papacy is sufficient to show that these words are a 
faithful description of its policy. It is identically what 
Rome has always done when she has had the power ; 
only the times were now a little changed. We shall soon 
behold her busy at her task. 

Charles opened the diet on the 28th of January, 1521, 
the festival of Charlemagne. His mind was filled with 
the high importance of the imperial dignity. He said, in 
his opening discourse, that no monarchy could be com- 
pared with the Roman empire, to which nearly the whole 
world had submitted in former times ; that unfortunately 
this empire was a mere shadow of what it once had 
been ; but that, by means of his kingdoms and powerful 
alliances, he hoped to restore it to its ancient glory. 

But numerous difficulties immediately presented them- 
selves to the young emperor. What must he do, placed 
between the papal nuncio and the elector to whom he 
was indebted for his crown ? How can he avoid dis- 
pleasing either Aleander or Frederick ? The first en- 
treated the emperor to execute the pope's bull, and the 

• Robertson's History of Charlee V., book 3. f CiesareiB 

deponemus, populos subjectione debita liberabimus, seditiooem in- 
ter Germauos, quemadmodiim nunc inter Hispanos, concitabimus. 
Galium, Auglum, et omnes terras reges ad arma convocabimus. 
Riederer, Nachrichten, 1. 179. J Tantum ut voti compotes 

evadere valearaus, nihil pensi apud nos erit, non Christus, neque 
fides, pietas, houcstas, probitas, dummodo tynumis nostra sit salva 
Ibid. 



LtTTHEE TO THE ELECTOE, 



195 



second besonght him to take no steps against the monk 
until lie had been heard. Desirous of pleasing both par- 
ties, the young prince, during his stay at Oppenheim, 
had written to the elector to bring Luther with him to 
the diet, assuring him that no injustice should be shown 
to the reformer, that no violence should be used towards 
him, and that learned men should confer with him. 

This letter, accompanied by others from Chi^vrcs and 
the Count of Nassau, threw the elector into great per- 
plexity. At every moment the alliance of the pope 
might become necessary to the young and ambitious 
emperor, and then Luther's fate was sealed. If Frede- 
rick should take the reformer to Worms, he might be 
leading him to the scaffold. And yet Charles' orders 
were precise. The elector commanded Spalatin to com- 
municate to Luther the letters he had received. "The 
adversaries," said the chaplain to him, "are making 
every exertion to hasten on this affair."* 

Luther's friends were alarmed, but he himself did not 
tremble. His health was at that time very weak ; but 
that was a trifling matter for him. " If I cannot go to 
Worms in good health," replied he to the elector, "I 
will be carried there, sick as I am. For if the emperor 
calls me, I cannot doubt that it is the call of God him- 
self. If they desire to use violence against me, and that 
is very probable — for it is not for their instruction that 
they order me to appear — I place the matter in the Lord's 
hands. He still lives and reigns who preserved the three 
young men in the burning fiery furnace. If he will not 
save me, my life is of little consequence. Let us only 
prevent the gospel from being exposed to the scorn of 
the wicked, and let us shed our blood for it, for fear 
tliey should triumph. It is not for me to decide whether 
my life or my death will contribute most to the salva- 
tion of all. Let us pray God that our young emperor 
may not begin his reign by dipping his hands in my 
blood. I would rather perish hy the sword of the Ro- 
mans. You know what chastisement was inflicted oc 
* AdTeraarios omnia moliri ad matuiaDdam id oegotli. L. £ppi 
1.634. 



196 HISTORY OF THB REFORMATIOIT. 



the Emperor Sigismund after the murder of John Hus0 

You may expect every thing from me except flight and 

recantation.* Fly I cannot, and still less retract." 

Before receiving Luther's reply, the elector had form- 
ed his resolution. This prince, who was advancing in 
the knowledge of the gospel, now became more decided 
in his conduct. He felt that the conference at Worms 
would not have a favorable result. " It appears a diflS- 
cult matter,'' he wrote in reply to Charles, " to bring 
Luther with me to Worms ; I beseech you to relieve me 
from this anxiety. Furthermore, I have never been will- 
ing to defend his doctrine, but only to prevent his being 
condemned without a hearing. The legates, without 
waiting for your orders, have permitted themselves to 
take a step at once dishonoring Luther and myself ; and 
I much fear that they thus dragged Luther to commit a 
very imprudent act, which might expose him to great 
danger, if he were to appear before the diet." The elec- 
tor alluded to the burning of the papal bull. 

But the rumor of Luther's coming was already cur- 
rent through the city. Men eager for novelty were de- 
lighted ; Ae emperor's courtiers were alarmed ; but none 
showed greater indignation than the papal legate. On 
his joui ney, Aleander had been able to discover how far 
the gospel announced by Luther had found an echo in all 
classes of society. Men of letters, lawyers, nobles, the 
inferior clergy, the regular orders, and the people, were 
gained over to the Reform ation.f These friends of the 
new doctrine walked boldly with heads erect ; their lan- 
guage was fearless and daring ; an invincible terror 
froze the hearts of the partisans of Eome. The Papacy 
was still standing, but its buttresses were tottering ; 
for their ears already distinguished a presage of destruo 
tion, like that indistinct murmur heard ere the mountain 
falls and crumbles into dust.J Aleander on the road to 

• Omnia de me praesumas praeter fugam et palinodiam. L. Epp. 
1 536. t Multitude .... turba pauperum, nobilium .... gram- 
matici .... causidici .... inferiores ecclesiastici .... factio mul- 

torum regularium Pallav. 1. 93. J Hae omnes conditiones 

petulanter grassaatium .... metum cullibet mcutiebaut. Ibid. 



ALARM OF ALEANDEE. 



197 



Worms was frequently unable to contain himself. If he 
desired to dine or ^leep in any place, neither the learned, 
the nobles, nor the priests, even among the supposed 
partisans of Rome, dared receive him ; and the haughty 
nuncio was obliged to seek a lodging at inns of the low- 
est class.* Aleander was frightened, and began to think 
his life in danger. Thus he arrived at Worms, and to 
his Roman fanaticism was then superadded the feeling 
of the personal indignities he had suffered. He immedi- 
ately used every exertion to prevent the appearance of 
the bold and formidable Luther. "Would it not be scan- 
dalous," said he, " to behold laymen examining anew a 
cause already condemned by the pope?" Nothing is 
so alarming to a Roman courtier as inquiry ; and yet, 
should this take place in Germany, and not at Rome, 
how great would be the humiliation, even were Luther's 
condemnation to be agreed upon unanimously ; but such 
a result appeared by no means certain. Will not Lu- 
ther's powerful eloquence, which has already committed 
such ravages, drag many princes and lords into inevi- 
table destruction ? Aleander pressed Charles closely : 
he entreated, threatened, and spoke as the nuncio of the 
head of the church.f Charles submitted, and wrote to 
the elector that the time accorded to Luther having 
already elapsed, this monk lay under the papal excom- 
munication; so that, if he would not retract what he 
had written, Frederick must leave him behind at Wit- 
temberg. But this prince had already quitted Saxony 
without Luther. " I pray the Lord to be favorable to 
our elector," said Melancthon, as he saw him depart. 
" It is on him all our hopes for the restoration of Chris- 
tendom repose. His enemies will dare any thing, ca) 
ifavra XiiJov Kivijao/jLevovg ;t but God will confound the Coun- 
sels of Ahithophel. As for us, let us maintain our share 
of the combat by our teaching and by our prayers.'' 

* Neminem nactus qui auderet ipsum excipere, ad vilia sordi- 
daque hospitia segre diverlit. Pallav. 1. 93. f LegaM Romanj 
nolunt ut audiatur homo haereticus. Minantur multa. Zw. Epp. p. 
167. t And they will not leave a stone unturned. Corp. EUf 
I. 279 Jan. 24. 



198 HISTOET OF THE EKPORHAXIOlt. 



Luther was deeply grieved at being forbidden to come 
to Worms.* 

It was not sufficient for Aleander that Luther did 
not appear at Worms ; he desired his condemnation. 
He was continually soliciting the princes, prelates, and 
different members of the diet ; he accused the Augustine 
monk not only of disobedience and heresy, but even of 
sedition, rebellion, impiety, and blasphemy. But the 
very tone of his voice betrayed the passions by which 
he was animated. **He is moved by hatred and ven- 
geance, much more than by zeal and piety," was the 
general remark ;f and frequent and violent as were his 
speeches, he made no converts to his sentiments. J Some 
persons observed to him that the papal bull had only 
condemned Luther conditionally ; others could not alto- 
gether conceal the joy they felt at this humiliation of 
the haughtiness of Rome. The emperor's ministei's on 
the one hand, the ecclesiastical electors on the other, 
showed a marked coldness : the former, that the pope 
might feel the necessity of leaguing with their master ; 
the latfer, that the pontiff might purchase their support 
at a dearer price. A feeling of Luther's innocence pre- 
dominated in the assembly ; and Aleander could not 
contain his indignation. 

But the coldness of the diet made the legate less im- 
patient than the coldness of Rome. Rome, which had 
had so much difficulty in taking a serious view of this 
quarrel of a drunken German," did not imagine that 
the bull of the sovereign pontiff would be ineffectual to 
humiliate and reduce him. She had resumed all her 
carelessness,! and sent neither additional bulls nor 
money. But how could they bring this matter to an 
issue without money ?|1 Rome must be awakened. Ale- 

* Cum dolore legi novissimas Caroli litteras. L. Epp. 1. 642. 

t Magis invidia et vindictai libidiae quam zelo pletatis. HiBtori& 
Johunnis Cochloei, de actis et scriptis Martini Lutheri, Paris, 1565; 
p. 27, ver80. Cochlceus was all his life one of the most inveterate 
of Luther's enemies. He will soon appear upon the stage. 

} Vehementibus suis orationibus parum promovit. CochlcBOS. 

§ Negligens quaedam securitas Romam pervaserat. PalL 1. 94 

!| Neo pecunia ad varios pro eadem sumptus. Ibid. 



THE CHRISTIAN TABERNACLE. 199 



ander ottered a cry of alarm. ** Germany is separating 
from Rome," wrote he to the Cardinal de Medicis ; ** the 
princes are separating from the pope. Yet a little more 
delay, yet a little more negotiation, and hope will be 
gone. Money, money, or Germany is lost."* 

Rome awoke at this cry ; the vassals of the Papacy, 
emerging from their torpor, hastily forged their redoubt- 
able thunderbolts in the Vatican. The pope issued a 
new bull ;f and the excommunication, with which the 
heretical doctor had as yet been only threatened, was 
decidedly pronounced against him and all his adherents. 
Rome, by breaking the last tie which still bound him 
to the church, augmented Luther's liberty, and with in- 
creased liberty came an increase of strength. Cursed 
by the pope, he took refuge with fresh love at the feet 
of Christ. Ejected from the outward courts of the tem- 
ple, he felt more strongly that he was himself a temple 
in which dwelt the living God. 

" It is a great glory," said he, " that we sinners, by 
believing in Christ, and eating his flesh, possess within 
us, in all their vigor, his power, wisdom, and righteous- 
ness, as it is written, * Whoso believeth in me, in him 
do I dwell.' Wonderful abiding-place 1 marvellous tab- 
ernacle I far superior to that of Moses, and magnificently 
adorned within with beautiful hangings, curtains of pur- 
ple, and ornaments of gold ; while without, as on the 
tabernacle that God commanded to be built in the desert 
of Sinai, we perceive naught but a rude covering of 
goats' hair and rams' skins. Exod. 26 ; 1, 14. Often do 
Christians stumble, and, to look at them outwardly, they 
seem all weakness and reproach. But this matters not, 
for beneath this weakness and this foolishness dwells in 
secret a power that the world cannot know, and which 
yet overcometh the world ; for Christ dwelleth in us. I 
have sometimes beheld Christians walking lamely, and 
with great feebleness ; but when came the hour of con- 
flict, or of appearing before the bar of the world, Christ 

• Periculum deaique amittendsc Germanise ex parcimoaia mone- 
tn oiyusdam. Pallav. 1. 94. f Decet liomanum Fontiticein, <3ta 
Bullarium Romaaum. 



200 



HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION, 



snddenly stirred within them, and they became so strong 
and so resolute, that Satan fled away frightened from 
before their face."* 

Such an hour would soon strike for Luther ; and 
Christ, in whose communion he dwelt, could not fail him. 
Meantime Rome rejected him with violence. The re* 
former and all his partisans were accursed, whatever 
their rank and power, and dispossessed, with their in- 
heritors, of all their honors and goods. Every faitliful 
Christian who valued the salvation of his soul, was to 
flee at the sight of this accursed band. Wherever the 
heresy had been introduced, the priests were enjoined, 
on Sundays and festivals, at the hour when the churches 
were thronged with worshippers, to publish the excom- 
munication with due solemnity. The altars were to be 
stripped of their ornaments and sacred vessels ; the 
cross to be laid on the ground ; twelve priests holding 
tapers in their hands were first to light them, and imme- 
diately dashing them violently to the earth, to extin- 
guish them under their feet ; the bishop was then to 
proclaim the condemnation of these unbelievers ; all the 
bells were to be rung ; the bishops and priests were to 
utter their anathemas and maledictions, and preach 
boldly against Luther and his adherents. 

The excommunication had been published in Rome 
twenty-two days, but probably had not yet reached Ger- 
many, when Luther, being informed that there was an- 
other talk of summoning him to Worms, wrote a letter 
to the elector, drawn up in such a manner that Frede- 
rick might show it to the diet. Luther was desirous of 
correcting the erroneous ideas of the princes, and of 
frankly laying before this august tribunal the true na- 
ture of a cause so misunderstood. "I rejoice with all 
my heart, most serene lord," says he, " that his imperial 
majesty desires to summon me before him touching this 
afiair. I call Jesus Christ to witness, that it is the 
cause of the whole German nation, of the universal 
church, of the Christian world, nay, of God himself . . 

* So regete sich der Christas, dass sie so fest wurden, dass def 
Teufel fliohen musste. L 0pp. 9. 613, on John 6 :56. 



LUTHER'S DECLARATION. 



201 



and not of an individual, especially such a one as my 
self.* I am ready to go to Worms, provided I have a 
safe-conduct, and learned, pious, and impartial judges. 
I am ready to answer .... for it is not from a presump- 
tuous spirit, or to derive any advantage, that I have 
taught the doctrine with which I am reproached : it is 
in obedience to my conscience and to my oath as doctor 
of the holy Scriptures ; it is for the glory of God, for 
the salvation of the Christian church, for the good of 
the German nation, and for the extirpation of so much 
superstition, abuse, evil, scandal, tyranny, blasphemy, 
and impiety." 

This declaration, drawn up at a moment so solemn 
for Luther, merits particular attention. Such were the 
motives of his actions, and the inward springs that led 
to the revival of Christian society. This is very different 
from the jealousy of a monk, or the desire of marriage. 

• Causam, quae, Chrlsto teste, Dei, christian! orbis, ecclesiae ca- 
thoIicsD, et totius Grermaaicas nationis, et nou imiiis ei privati est 
bomioifl. L. £pp. 1. 651. 



209 HISTORY OF IHB EEPOEMAtlOJST 



CHAPTER II. 

A ibreigm prince — Council of politicians — Conference between the 
confessor and the chancellor — Inutility of these manoeuvres— 
Aleander B activity — Luther's words— Charles yields to the pope^ 

But all this was of little consequence to politicians. 
However noble might have been the idea Charles had 
formed of the imperial dignity, Germany was not the 
centre of his interests and of his policy. He under- 
stood neither the spirit nor the language of Germany. 
He was always a duke of Burgundy, who to many other 
sceptres had united the first crown of Christendom. It 
was a remarkable circumstance that, at the moment of 
its most intimate transformation, Germany should elect 
a foreign prince, to whom the necessities and tendencies 
of the nation were but of secondary importance. Un- 
doubtedly the emperor was not indifferent to the relig- 
ious movement, but it had no meaning in his eyes except 
so far as it threatened the pope. War between Charles 
and Francis I. was inevitable ; the principal scene of 
that war would be Italy. The alliance of the pope be- 
came therefore daily more necessary to Charles' projects. 
He would have preferred detaching Frederick from Lu- 
ther, or satisfying the pope without offending Frederick. 
Many of his courtiers manifested in the affair of the Au- 
gustine monk that disdainful coldness which politicians 
generally affect when there is any question of religion. 
" Let us avoid all extreme measures/' said they. " Let 
OS entangle Luther by negotiations, and reduce him to 
silence by some trifling concessions. The proper course 
is to stifle, and not to fan the flame. If the monk falls 
into the net, we are victorious. By accepting a compro- 
mise, he will silence himself and ruin his cause. For 
form's sake, we will decree certain exterior reforms ; the 
elector will be satisfied, the pope will be gained, and 
matters will resume their ordinary course." 

Such was the proiect formed by the emperor's conii' 



203 



dants. The Wittemberg doctors seem to have divined 
this new policy. ** They are trying to win men over 
secretly/' said Melancthon, ^*and are working in the 
dark."* Charles' confessor, John Glapio, a man of great 
weight, a skilful courtier, and a wily monk, took upon 
himself the execution of the scheme. Glapio possessed 
the full confidence of Charles ; and this prince, imitating 
the Spanish customs in this particular, intrusted him 
almost entirely with the care of matters pertaining to 
religion. As soon as Charles had been named emperor, 
Leo hastened to win over Glapio by favors which the 
confessor very gratefully acknowledged.f He could 
make no better return to the pontiff's generosity than by 
crushing this heresy, and he applied himself to the task. J 
Among the elector's councillors was Gregory Bruck, 
or Pontanus, the chancellor, a man of intelligence, decis- 
ion, and courage, who was a better theological scholar 
than many doctors, and whose wisdom was capable of 
resisting the wiles of the monks in Charles' court. Gla- 
pio, knowing the chancellor's influence, requested an 
interview with him, and introducing himself as if he 
had been a friend of the reformer, said with an air of 
kindness, " I was filled with joy, in reading Luther's 
first writings ; I thought him a vigorous tree, which had 
put forth goodly branches, and gave promise to the 
church of the most precious fruit. Many people, it is 
true, have entertained the same views before his time ; 
yet no one but himself has had the noble courage to pub- 
lish the truth without fear. But when I read his book 
on the Captivity of Babylon^ I felt like one overwhelmed 
with blows from head to foot. I do not think," added 
the monk, "that brother Martin will acknowledge him- 
self to be the author of it ; I do not find in it either his 
usual style or learning." After some discussion, the 
confessor continued, ** Introduce me to the elector, and 
fn your presence 1 will show him Luther's errors." 

• Claoculum teatent et experiantur. Corp. Ref. 1. 281. Feb. 8. 
t Benigais ofliciis recens a Pontifice delinitus. Pallav. I. 90. 
I £t saae in eo toto aegotio slnguiare probitatis ardorisqae 9^ 
oimen dedit. Ibid. 



204 HISTORY OP THB REFOEMATION 



The chancellor replied that the business of the diet 
left his highness no leisure, and besides, he did not mix 
himself up with this matter. The monk was vexed at 
seeing his demand rejected. " Nevertheless," continued 
the chancellor, " since you say there is no evil without 
a remedy, explain yourself." 

Assuming a confidential air, the confessor replied, 
" The emperor earnestly desires to see a man like Luther 
reconciled with the church ; for his books, previous to 
the publication of the treatise on the Captivity of Babylon, 

were rather agreeable to his majesty.* The irri 

tation caused by the bull no doubt excited Luther to 
write the latter work. Let him then declare that he had 
no intention of troubling the repose of the church, and 
the learned of every nation will side with him. Procure 
me an audience with his highness." 

The chancellor went to Frederick. The elector well 
knew that any retractation whatsoever was impossi- 
ble : " Tell the confessor," answered he, " that I can- 
not comply with his request ; but continue your con- 
ference." 

Glapio received this message with every demonstra- 
tion of respect ; and changing his line of attack, he said, 
" Let the elector name some confidential persons to de- 
liberate on this affair." 

The Chancellor. The elector does not profess to de- 
fend Luther's cause. 

The Confessor. Well, then, you at least can discuss 
it with me. . . . Jesus Christ is my witness that I make 
this proposition from love to the church and Luther, who 
has opened so many hearts to the truth.f 

The chancellor having refused to undertake a task 
which belonged to the reformer, prepared to withdraw. 

" Stay," said the monk. 

The Chancellor. What remains to be done ? 

The Confessor. Let Luther deny that he wrote the 
Captivity of Babylon, 

* Es haben dessen Biicfaer Ihre Majestat . . . um etwas gefallen. 
Weimar State Papers. Seckend. p. 315. f Der anderD des Uertl 
za vielem Guten erofTnet .... Ibid. 



THE CONFESSOR AND THE CHANCELLOR. 205 



The Chancellor. But the pope's bull condemns all 
his other writings. 

The Confessor. That is because of his obstinacy. Il 
he disclaims this book, the pope in his omnipotence can 
easily pardon him. What hopes may we not entertain, 
now that we have so excellent an emperor 

Perceiving that these words had produced some effect 
on the chancellor, the monk hastily added, " Luther al- 
ways desires to argue from the Bible. The Bible .... it 
is like wax, you may stretch it and bend it as you please. 
I would undertake to find in the Bible opinions more 
extravagant even than Luther's. He is mistaken when 
he changes every word of Christ into a commandment." 
And then wishing to act upon the fears of hib hearer, he 
added, " What would be the result, if to-day or to-mor- 
row the emperor should have recourse to arms ? Reflect 
upon this." He then permitted Pontanas to retire. 

The confessor laid fresh snares. *• A man might live 
ten years with him, and not know him at last," said 
Erasmus. 

What an excellent book is that of Luther's on Chris- 
tian liberty," said he to the chancellor, whom he saw 
again a few days after ; " what wisdom, what talent, 
what wit ; it is thus that a real scholar ought to write. 

Let both sides choose men of irreproachable 

character, and let the pope and Luther refer the whole 
matter to their decision. There is no doubt that Luther 
would come off victorious on many points.* I will 
speak about it to the emperor. Believe me, I do not 
mention these things solely on my own authority. 1 
have told the emperor that God would chastise him and 
all the princes, if the church, which is the spouse of 
Christ, be not cleansed from all the stains that defile her. 
I added, that God himself had sent Luther, and commis- 
sioned him to reprove men for their offences, employing 
him as a scourge to punish the sins of the world."f 

♦ Es sey nicht zu zweifeln, dass Luthenis in vielen Artickeln 

werde den «5ieg davon Iragen Seckend. p. 319. t 

Gott diespn Mann gesandt .... dass er eine Geissel seye um der 
Biinden willen. Weunar State Papers, ibid. 320. 



206 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



The chancellor, on hearing these words, whictt re* 
fleeted the feelings of the age, and showed the opinion 
entertained of Luther even by his adversaries, could not 
forbear expressing his astonishment that his master was 
not treated with more respect. " There are daily con- 
sultations with the emperor on this affair,-' said he, "and 
yet the elector is not invited to them. He thinks it 
etrange that the emperor, who is not a little indebted 
to him, should exclude him from his councils.'' 

The Confessor. I have been present only once at 
tJiese deliberations, and then heard the emperor resist 
file solicitations of the nuncios. Five years hence it will 
be seen what Charles has done for the reformation of the 
church. 

" The elector," answered Pontanus, "is unacquainted 
with Luther's intentions. Let him be summoned and 
have a hearing." 

The confessor replied with a deep sigh,* " I call God 
to witness how ardently I desire to see the reformation 
of Christendom accomplished." 

To protract the affair and to keep the reformer silent 
was all that Glapio proposed. In any case, Luther must 
not come to Worms. A dead man returning from the 
other world and appearing in the midst of the diet, would 
have been less alarming to the nuncios, the monks, and 
all the papal host, than the presence of the Wittemberg 
doctor. 

" How many days does it take to travel from Wittem- 
berg to Worms ?" asked the confessor with an assumed 
air of indifference ; and then begging Pontanus to presea^ 
his most humble salutations to the elector, he retired. 

Such were the manoeuvres resorted to by the cour- 
tiers. They were disconcerted by the firmness of Pon- 
tanus. That just man was immovable as a rock during 
all these negotiations. The Roman monks themselves 
fell into the snares they had laid for their enemies. 
" The Christian," said Luther in his figurative language, 
"is like a bird tied near a trap. The wolves and fcxes 

• Glapio that hierauf einen tiefen Seufzer, und rufte Gott zum 
Zeogea. . • • Weimar State Papers, Seckeud. p. 821. 



ACTIVITY OF ALEANDER. 



207 



prowl round it, and spring on it to devour it ; but they 
fall into the pit and perish, while the tiraid bird remains 
unhurt. It is thus the holy angels keep watch around 
us, and those devouring wolves, the hypocrites and per- 
secutors, cannot harm us/'* Not only were the artifices 
of the confessor ineffectual, but his admissions still more 
confirmed Frederick in his opinion that Luther was right, 
and that it was his duty to protect him. 

Men's hearts daily inclined more and more towards 
the gospel. A Dominican prior suggested that the em- 
pf^ror, the kings of France, Spain, England, Portugal, 
Hungary, and Poland, with the pope and the electors, 
should name representatives to whom the arrangement of 
this affair should be confided. " Never," said he, " has 
implicit reliance been placed on the pope alone."f The 
public feeling became such that it seemed impossible to 
condemn Luther without having heard and confuted him. J 

Aleander grew uneasy, and displayed unusual ener- 
gy. It was no longer against the elector and Luther 
alone that he had to contend. He beheld with horror the 
secret negotiations of the confessor, the proposition of 
the prior, the consent of Charles' ministers, the extreme 
coldness of Roman piety, even among the most devoted 
friends of the pontiff, " so that one might have thought,'* 
says Pallavicini, " that a torrent of iced water had gush- 
ed over them."§ He had at length received from Rome 
the money he had demanded ; he held in his hand the 
energetic briefs addressed to the most powerful men in 
the empire. II Fearing to see his prey escape, he felt that 
now was the time to strike a decisive blow. He for- 
warded the briefs, scattered the money profusely, and 
made the most alluring promises ; "and armed with this 
threefold weapon," says the historian Cardinal Pallavi- 
cini, " he made a fresh attempt to bias the wavering as- 

• L. 0pp. W. 22. 1655. f Und niemals dem Papst allein 

geglaubt. Seek. p. 323. i Spalatinus scribit tantum favoris 

EvaDgelio esse istic ut me iQaudltum et iacoa vie turn damuari non 
eperet L. Epp. 1. 656. Feb. 9. § Hiac aqua mauabat, quae 

b-ucceasae pietatis a^tum restiuguebat Fallav. 1. 96. jj Mandata^ 
pocuQi£B 00 diplomata. Ibid. 96. 



208 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



Bembly of electors in the pope's favor.'' But around the 
emperor in particular he laid his snares. He took ad- 
vantage of the dissensions existing between the Bel- 
gian and Spanish ministers. He besieged the monarch 
unceasingly. All the partisans of Rome, awakened by 
his voice, solicited Charles. Daily deliberations," 
wrote the elector to his brother John, are held against 
Luther ; they demand that he shall be placed under the 
ban of the pope and of the emperor ; they endeavor to 
injure him in every way. Those who parade in their 
red hats, the Romans, with all their followers, display 
indefatigable zeal in this task."f 

Aleander was in reality pressing for the condemna- 
tion of the reformer with a violence that Luther charac- 
terizes as marvellous fury. J The apostate nuncio, § as 
Luther styles him, transported by anger beyond the 
bounds of prudence, one day exclaimed, If you Ger- 
mans pretend to shake off the yoke of obedience to 
Rome, we will act in such a manner that, exterminated 
by mutual slaughter, you shall perish in your own 
blood."|| *'This is how the pope feeds Christ's sheep," 
adds the reformer. 

But such was not his own language. He asked noth- 
ing for himself. '* Luther is ready," said Melancthon, 
" to purchase at the cost of his own life the glory and 
advancement of the gospel."^ But he trembled when he 
thought of the calamities that might be the consequence 
of his death. He pictured to himself a misled people 
revenging perhaps his martyrdom in the blood of his 
adversaries, and especially of the priests. He rejected 
so dreadful a responsibility. " God," said he, " checks 
the fury of his enemies ; but if it breaks forth .... then 

* Triplici hac industria nunc Aleander .... Pallav. 1. 95. 

f Das thun die in rothen Hiiten prangen. Seckend. p. 364. 

X Miro furore Papistae moliuntur mihi mala. L. Epp. 1. 556. 

? Nuntius apostaticus— a play upon the words apostolicus and 
afostaticus, apostolic and apostate — agit summis viribus. lb. 569, 

II Ut mutnis caedibus absumpti, vestro cruore pereatis. L. Epp 
1. 566. ^ Libent^r etiam morte sua Evangelii gloriam et pr6- 
fectum emerit. Corp. Bef. 1. 285. 



THE IMPERIAL EDICT DISCUSSED. 209 



shall we see a storm burst upon the priests like that 
which has devastated Bohemia. . . . My hands are clear 
of this, for 1 have earnestly entreated the German nobility 
to oppose the Romans by wisdom, and not by the sword.* 
To make war upon the priests, a class without courage or 
strength, would be to fight against women and children.'' 

Charles V. could not resist the solicitations of the 
nuncio. His Belgian and Spanish devotion had been 
developed by his preceptor Adrian, who afterwards oc- 
cupied the pontifical throne. The pope had addressed 
him in a brief, entreating him to give the power of law 
to the bull by an imperial edict. " To no purpose will 
God have invested you with the sword of the supreme 
power," said he, " if you do not employ it, not only 
against the infidels, but against the heretics also, who 
are far worse than they." Accordingly one day at the 
beginning of February, at the moment when every one 
in Worms was making preparations for a splendid tour- 
nament, and the emperor's tent was already erected, the 
princes, who were arming themselves to take part in the 
brilliant show, were summoned to the imperial palace. 
After listening to the reading of the papal bull, a strin- 
gent edict was laid before them, enjoining its immediate 
execution. " If you can recommend any better course," 
added the emperor, following the usual custom, " I am 
ready to hear you." 

An animated debate immediately took place in the 
assembly. " This monk," wrote a deputy from one of 
the free cities of Germany, " gives us plenty of occupa- 
tion. Some would like to crucify him, and I think that 
he will not escape ; only it is to be feared that he will 
rise again the third day." The emperor had imagined 
that he would be able to publish his edict without oppo- 
sition from the states ; but such was not the case. Their 
minds were not prepared. It was necessary to gain over 
the diet. " Convince this assembly," said the youthful 
monarch to the nuncio. This "7as all that Aleander 
desired ; and he was promised to be introduced to the 
diet on the 13th of February. 

• Non ferro, consiliia et ediotis. L. Epp. 1. 663. 
14 



gXQ, HISTORY OF THE EEFOEKATION^ 



CHAPTER III 

Aleandcr introduced to the diet — Aleander's speech — ^Lnther Is oo 
cased — Rome is justified — Appeal to Charles against Lather — 
Effect of the nuncio's speech. 

The nuncio prepared for this solemn audience. This 
was an important duty, but Aleander was not unworthy 
of it. Ambassador from the sovereign pontiff, and sur- 
rounded with all the splendor of his high oflSce, he waa 
also one of the most eloquent men of his age. The 
friends of the Reformation looked forward to this sitting 
with apprehension. The elector, pretending indisposi- 
tion, was not present ; but he gave some of his coun- 
cillors orders to attend, and take notes of the nuncio's 
speech. 

When the day arrived, Aleander proceeded towards 
the assembly of the princes. The feelings of all were 
excited ; many were reminded of Annas and Caiapnas 
going to Pilate's judgment-seat, and calling for the death 
of " this fellow who perverted the nation." Luke 23 : 2. 
" Just as the nuncio was about to cross the threshold, 
the usher of the diet," says Pallavicini, "approaching 
him rudely, thrust him back by a blow on the breast."* 
" He was a Lutheran in heart," adds the Romanist histo* 
rian. If this story be true, it shows no doubt an excess 
of passion ; but at the same time it furnishes us with a 
standard by which to measure the influence that Luther's 
words had excited even in those who guarded the doors 
of the imperial council. The proud Aleander, recovering 
himself with dignity, walked forward, and entered the 
hall. Never had Rome been called to make its defence 
before so august an assembly. The nuncio placed be- 
fore him the documents that he had judged necessary, 
namely, Luther's works and the papal bulls ; and as soon 
as the diet was silent, he began : 

" Most august emperor, most mighty princes, most 
exoellent deputies — 1 appear before you in defence of a 
* PagnlB (^os pec tori admotie ropulerit. Pallav, 1. lU^ 



▲LEAND£E*8 SFBECH. 



211 



canse for which my heart glows with the most ardent 
affection. It is to retain on my master's head that ti iple 
crown which you all adore ; to maintain that papal throne 
for which I should be willing to deliver my body to the 
flames, if the monster that has engendered this growing 
heresy that I am now to combat could be consumed at 
the same stake, and mingle his ashes with mine.* 

"No, the whole difference between Luther and the 
pope does not turn on the papal interests. I have Lu 
therms books before me, and a man only needs have eyes 
in his head to see that he attacks the holy doctrines of 
the church. He teaches that those alone communicate 
worthily whose consciences are overwhelmed with sor- 
row and confusion because of their sins ; and that no one 
is justified by baptism,f if he has not faith in the prom- 
ise of which baptism is the pledge.^ He denies the ne- 
cessity of works to obtain heavenly glory. He denies 
that we have the liberty and power of obeying the nat- 
ural and divine law. He asserts that we sin of neces- 
sity in every one of our actions. Has the arsenal of hell 
ever sent forth weapons better calculated to break the 

bonds of decency ? He preaches in favor of the 

abolition of monastic vows. Can we imagine any greater 
sacrilegious impiety ? . . . . What desolation should we 
not witness in the world, were those who are the salt of 
the earth to throw aside their sacred garments, desert 
the temples that refe'cho with their holy songs, and 
plunge into adultery, incest, and every vice ? . . . . 

* Dummodo mecam una monstrum nascentis haeresis arderet. 
Pallav. 1. 97. Seckendorff, and many Protestant historians after 
him, have asserted that Pallavicini himself composed the speech he 
puts into Aleander's mouth. It is true that the cardinal states he 
had arranged it in the shape under which he lays it before his read- 
ers ; but he points out the sources whence he had taken it, and in 
particular, Aleander's letters deposited in the archives of the Vati- 
can — Acta Wormatiae, fol. 66 and 99 ; in my opinion, therefore, I 
should betray partiality by rejecting it wholly. I quote some of tha 
features of this speech from Protestant and Romanist sources. 

f Vol. I., p. 151, bot. X Baptismum neminem justificare, Bed 
fldem in verbum promiBuonia, cui additur Baptismus. Cochlocu^ 
A0t. Lath. 2a 



812 HISTORY OF THE REFOEMATION. 



" Shall I enumerate all the crimes of this AugustiiM^ 
monk ? He sins against the dead, for he denies purga- 
tory ; he siivs against heaven, for he says that he would 
not believe even an angel from heaven ; he sins against 
tlie church, for he maintains that all Christians are 
priests ; he sins against the saints, for he despises their 
venerable writings ; he sins against councils, for he des- 
ignates that of Constance an assembly of devils ; he sins 
against the world, for he forbids the punishment of death 
to be inflicted on any who have not committed a deadly 
sin.* Some of you may say that he is a pious man. . 
I have no desire to attack his life, but only to remind 
this assembly that the devil often deceives people in the 
garb of truth." 

Aleander, having spoken of the doctrine of purgatory 
condemned by the council of Florence, laid at the em 
peror^s feet the papal bull on this council. The arch- 
bishop of Mentz took it up, and gave it to the archbish- 
ops of Treves and Cologne, who received it reverently, 
and passed it to the other princes. The nuncio, after 
naving thus accused Luther, proceeded to the second 
point, which was to justify Rome : 

"At Rome, says Luther, the mouth promises one 
thing, the hand does another. If this were true, must 
we not come to the very opposite conclusion ? If the 
ministers of a religion live conformably to its precepts, 
it is a sign that the religion is false. Such was the 

religion of the ancient Romans. Such is that of 

Mohammed and ^f Luther himself ; but such is not the 
religion which the Roman pontiffs teach us. Yes, the 
doctrine they profess condemns them all, as having com- 
mitted faults ; many, as guilty ; and some — I will speak 
frankly — as criminal.f . . , . This doctrine exposes theil 
actions to the censure of men during their lives, to the 
brand of history after their death.J Now I would ask 

• Weil er verbiete jemand mit Todes Strafe zu belegcn, der nicht 
eine Todtsiinde begaagen. Seckend. p. 333. f Multos ut qua- 
dantenus reos; nonnullos, dicam ingenue, ut scelestos. Pallav. 
1. 101. t Linguarum vituperationi dum vivunt, liisWrianun 
lufamiae poet mortem. Ibid. 



APPEAL TO CHARLES. 



213 



what pleasure or profit could the popes have found m 
inventing such a religion ? 

" The church, it may be said, was not governed by 
the Roman pontifis in the primitive ages. What con- 
clusion shall we draw from this ? With such arguments 
we might persuade men to feed on acorns, and princesses 
to wash their own linen."* 

But his adversary, the reformer, was the special ob- 
ject of the nuncio's hatred. Boiling with indignation 
against those who said that he ought to be heard, he 
exclaimed, "Luther will not allow himself to be in- 
structed by any one. The pope had already summoned 
him to Rome, and he did not comply. Next, the pope 
cited him before the legate at Augsburg, and he did not 
appear until he had procured a safe-conduct, that is to 
say, after the legate's hands were tied, and his tongue 

alone was left unfettered.f Ah," said Aleander, 

turning towards Charles V., "I entreat your imperial 
majesty to do nothing that may lead to your reproach. 
Do not interfere in a matter which does not concern the 
laity. Perform your own duties. Let Luther's doo 
trines be interdicted by you throughout the length and 
breadth of the empire ; let his writings be burnt every- 
where. Fear not. In Luther's errors there is enough 
to burn a hundred thousand heretics.^ .... And what 
have we to fear ? The multitude ? . . . . Its insolence 
makes it appear terrible before the conflict, but in the 
battle its cowardice renders it contemptible. Foreign 
princes ? . . . . But the king of France has forbidden the 
introduction of Luther's doctrines into his kingdom ; and 
the king of England is preparing an assault with his own 
royal hand. You know what are the sentiments of Hun- 

* In the Odyssey, Homer represents the princess Nausicaa going 
with her maidens to the river side to wash her garments. The clas- 
sical reader will be familiar with the allusion to acorns, which the 
heathen writers supposed to be the earliest food of the human race, 
** when first in woods the naked savage ran." f Quod idem erat, 
ac revinctis legati brachiis. et lingua solum soluta. Ibid. 109. 

t Dasa 100,000 Ketzer ihrethalbeu verbranui werdea, SeckendL 



^014 HIBTOia:Y OF THB EEFOaMATION. 



gary Italy, and Spain, and there is not one df yonr neigh- 
bors, however much he may hate yon^ who wishes you 
BO much evil as this heresy would cause you. For if our 
adversary's house adjoins our own, we may desire it to 
be visited with fever, but not with the plague. . . . What 
we all these Lutherans ? A crew of insolent pedagogues, 
corrupt priests, dissolute monks, ignorant lawyers, and 
degrad<*d nobles, with the common people, whom they 
^have misled and perverted. How far superior to them 
is the catholic party in number, ability, and power. A 
unanimous decree from this illustrious assembly will 
enlighten the simple, warn the imprudent, decide the 

waverers, and give strength to the weak But if 

the axe is not put to the roots of this poisonous tree, tf 
the death-blow is not struck, then ... I see it overshad- 
owing the heritage of Jesus Christ with its branches, 
^changing our Lord's vineyard into a gloomy forest, trans- 
forming the kingdom of God into a den of wild beasts, 
and reducing Germany into that frightful state of bar- 
barism and desolation which has been brought upon Asia 
Oy the superstition of Mohammed." 

The nuncio was silent. He had spoken for threo 
Hours. The enthusiasm of his language had produced a 
deep impression on the assembly. The princes looked 
at each other, excited and alarmed, says Cochloeus, and 
murmurs soon arose from every side against Luther and 
hi« partisans.* If the eloquent Luther had been pres- 
ent ; if he had been able to reply to this speech ; if, prof- 
ding by the avowals extorted from the Roman nuncio by 
Xhe recollection of his former master, the infamous Bor- 
gia, he had shown that these very arguments, intended 
to defend Rome, were of themselves its condemnation ; 
if he had shown that the doctrine which proved its ini- 
quity was not invented by him, as the orator said, but 
was that religion which Christ had given to the world, 
and which the Reformation was reestablishing in its 
primitive splendor ; if he had presented a faithful and 

• Vehementer ezterriti atque commoti, alter altenim intaebau- 
tor, atque in Latherum ejueque fou tores murmurare coeperuot 
CoohlGeus, p. 28, 



EFFECT OF ALEANDER'8 SPEECH. 216 



animated picture of the errors and abuses of the Papacy, 
and had shown how the religion of Christ had been made 
an instrument of self-interest and rapacity, the effect of 
the nuncio's harangue would have been instantly iiulii- 
fied. But no one rose to speak. The assembly remained 
under the impression produced by this speech ; and agi- 
taited and transpm'ted, showed itself ready to extirpate 
Luther's heresy by force from the soil of the empire * 

Nevertheless, it was a victory only in appearance, 
It was among the purp()S(»s of God that Rome should 
have an opportunity of displaying her reasons and her 
power. The greatest of her orators had spoken in the 
assembly of the princes ; he had given utterance to all 
that Rome had to say. But it was precisely this last 
effort of the Papacy that became a signal defeat in the 
eyes of many who had listened to it. If a bold confession 
is necessary for the triumph of truth, the surest means of 
destroying error is to make it known without reserve. 
^Jeither the one nor the other, to run its course, should 
be concealed. The light tests all things. 

* LutJieranam hsereslm esse fimditus ^vellendaziu Paliar. 1 
101 ; Rosooe'e Leo i. chap. 19. 



216 HISTOHY OF THE RKFOEMATION. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Bentfments of the princes— Speech of Duke George — Character of the 
Reformation — One hundred and one grievances — ^Charles gives 
way — Aleander's stratagems — The grandees of Spain — Peace of 
Luther — Death and no retraction. 

A FEW days were sufficient to dissipate the first 
Impression, as is ever the case when an orator con- 
ceals the emptiness of his arguments by high-sounding 
words. 

The majority of the princes were ready to sacrifice 
Luther ; but no one desired to immolate the rights of 
the empire and the grievances of the Germanic nation. 
They were very ready to give up the insolent monk who 
had dared to speak so boldly ; but they were the more 
resolved to make the pope feel the justice of a reform 
demanded by the chiefs of the nation. It was accord- 
ingly Luther's most determined personal enemy, Duke 
George of Saxony, who spoke with the greatest energy 
against the encroachments of Rome. The grandson of 
Podiebrad, king of Bohemia, although offended by the 
doctrine of grace preached by the reformer, had not yet 
lost the hope of a moral and ecclesiastical reform. The 
principal cause of his irritation against the monk of Wit- 
temberg was, that by his despised doctrines he was spoil- 
ing the whole affkir. But now, seeing the nuncio affect- 
ing to involve Luther and the reform of the church in 
one and the same condemnation, George suddenly rose 
in the assembly of the princes, to the great astonish- 
ment of those who knew his hatred of the reformer. " The 
diet," said he, "must not forget its grievances against 
the court of Rome. How many abuses have crept into 
our states. The annats, which the emperor granted 
voluntarily for the good of Christianity, now exacted as 
a due ; the Roman courtiers daily inventing new regu- 
lations to monopolize, sell^ and lease the ecclesiastical 



SPEECH OF DUKE OEOEaE. 



217 



benefices ; a multitude of transgressions connived at ; 
rich transgressors undeservedly tolerated, while tliose 
who have no money to purchase impunity are punished 
without mercy ; the popes continually bestowing on 
their courtiers reversions and reserves, to the detriment 
of those to whom the benefices belong ; the commendamM 
of the abbeys and convents of Rome conferred on cardi* 
nals, bishops, and prelates, who appropriate their reve- 
nues, so that not a single monk is to be found in a con- 
vent where there should be twenty or thirty ; stations 
multiplied to infinity, and stalls for the sale of indul- 
gences set up in every street and public place of our 
cities — stalls of St. Anthony, of the Holy Ghost, of St. 
Hubert, of St. Cornelius, of St. Vincent, and so forth ; 
companies purchasing at Rome the right to hold such 
markets, then buying permission of their bishop to dis- 
play their wares, and squeezing and draining the pock- 
ets of the poor to obtain money ; the indulgence, that 
ought only to be granted for the salvation of souls, and 
that should be earned by prayer, fasting, and works of 
charity, sold according to a tariff* ; the bishops' officials 
oppressing the lowly with penances for blasphemy, adul- 
tery, debauchery, and the violation of any festival, but 
not even reprimanding the clergy who commit similar 
crimes ; penalties imposed on those who repent, and 
devised in such a manner that they soon fall again into 
the same error and give more money these are 

some of the abuses that cry out against Rome. All 
shame has been put aside, and their only object is ... . 
money, money, money, .... so that the preachers who 
should teach the truth, utter nothing but falsehoods, and 
are not only tolerated, but rewarded, because the greater 
their lies, the greater their gain. It is from this foul 
spring that such tainted waters flow. Debaucher 
st I etches out the hand to avarice. The officials invite 
women to their dwellings under various pretexts, and 
endeavor to seduce them, at one time by threats, at an- 
other by presents ; or if they cannot succeed, they ruin 

* Soudern dass er es bald wieder begehe und mehr Geld erlegen 
cnuEse. Weimar State Papers, Seckend. p, 828, 

Bin. ofRo£, II. 



tiB OF f HE REFORUAtlOir 



iheir good fame.* Alas, it is the scandal ca'ised by the 
t5lergy that hurls so many poor souls into eternal con 
demnation. A general reform must be effected. Aa 
cecumenical council must be called to bring about this 
reform. For these reasons, most excellent princes and 
Kwrds, I humbly entreat you to take this matter into yoiit 
imnjediate consideration.'^ Duke George then handed m 
a list of the grievances he had enumerated. This wai 
Some days after Aleander's speech. The important cata- 
logue has been preserved in the archives of Weimar. 

Even Luther had not spoken with greater force 
against the abuses of Rome ; but he had done some- 
thing more. The duke pointed out the evil ; Luther had 
pointed out both the cause and the remedy. He had 
demonstrated that the sinner receives the true indul- 
gence, that which cometh from God, solely by faith in 
the grace and merits of Jesus Christ ; and this simple 
but powerful doctrine had overthrown all the markets 
established the priests. " How can a man become 
pious ?" asked he one day. " A gray friar will reply, 
By putting on a gray hood and girding yourself with a 
cord. A Roman will answer, By hearing mass and by 
fasting. But a Christian will say. Faith in Christ alone 
justifies and saves. Before works, we must have eternal 
life. But when we are born again, and made children 
of God by the word of grace, then we perform good 
works."f 

The duke's speech was that of a secular prince ; La- 
ther's, that of a reformer. The great evil in the church 
had been its excessive devotion to outward forms, its 
having made of all its works and graces mere external 
and material things. The indulgences were the extrenae 
point of this course ; and that which was most spiritual 
in Christianity, namely, pardon, might be purchased in 
shops like any other commodity. Luther's great work 
consisted in employing this extreme degeneration of 

• Da88 aie Weibesbilder unter mancherley Schein beschickea, sel- 
blge sodann mit Drohimgen and Greschenkea zu fallen suchea, odei 
in einea bosen Verdacht bringen. Weimar State l^aperiy Seoken4 
(k 830 t L. 0pp. W. 22. 748, 762. 



EFFECTS OF IHE DUKE'S SPEECH. 219 



religion to lead men and the church back to the primitive 
sources of life, and to restore the kingdom of the Holy 
Ghost in the sanctuary of the heart. Here, as often hap- 
pens in other cases, the remedy was found in the disease 
itsolf, and the two extremes met. From that time for- 
ward; the church, that for so many centuries had been 
developed externally in human ceremonies, observances, 
and practices, began to be developed internally in faith, 
tope, and charity. 

The duke's speech produced a proportionally greater 
impression, as his hostility to Luther was notorious. 
Other members of the diet brought forward their respec- 
tive grievances, which received the support of the eccle- 
siastical princes themselves.* " We have a pontiff who 
loves only the chase and his pleasures," said they ; " the 
benefices of the German nation are given away at Rome 
to gunners, falconers, footmen, ass-drivers, grooms, 
guardsmen, and other people of this class, ignorant, 
inexperienced, and strangers to Germany ."f 

The diet appointed a committee to draw up all these 
grievances ; they were found to amount to a hundred 
and one. A deputation composed of secular and eccle- 
siastical princes presented the report to the empeior, 
conjuring him to see them rectified, as he had engaged 
to do in his capitulation. " What a loss of Christian 
souls," said they to Charles V.; "what depredations, 
what extortions, on account of the scandals by which 
the spiritual head of Christendom is surrounded. It is 
our duty to prevent the ruin and dishonor of our people. 
For this reason we most humbly but most urgently en- 
treat you to order a general reformation, and to under- 
take its accomplishment."! There was at that time in 
Christian society an unknown power operating on pnnces 
and people alike, a wisdom from on high, influencing 
neven the adversaries of the Reformation, and preparing 
for that emancipation whose hour was come at last. 

• Seck^nd. Vorrede von Frick. f Biichsenmeistem, Falk 
ncTD, Pfisiern, Eseltreibern, Stallknechten, Trabanten. . . . Kapp'4 
Nachlese niitzl. Ref. Urkunden, 3. 262. X Dass eiae BeaBcnui^ 
and gomciiic Rofcnnation gesohchf. Ibid. 262. 



220 HISIORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



Char les could not be insensible to the remonstrances 
of the empire. Neither he nor the nuncio had expected 
them. Even his confessor had threatened him with the 
vengeance of heaven, unless he reformed the church. 
The emperor immediately recalled the edict commanding 
Luther's writings to be burnt throughout the empire, 
and substituted a provisional order to deliver these books 
Into the keeping of the magistrates. 

This did not satisfy the assembly, which desired the 
appearance of the reformer. It is unjust, said his friends, 
to condemn Luther without a hearing, and without learn- 
ing from his own mouth whether he is the author of the 
books that are ordered to be burnt. His doctrines, said 
his adversaries, have so taken hold of men's minds, that 
it is impossible to check their progress, unless we hear 
them from himself. There shall be no discussion with 
him ; and if he avows his writings, and refuses to retract 
them, then we will all with one accord, electors, princes, 
estates of the holy empire, true to the faith of our ances- 
tors, assist your majesty to the utmost of our power in 
the execution of your decrees.* 

Aleander in alarm, and fearing every thing from Lu- 
ther's intrepidity and the ignorance of the princes, in- 
stantly strained every nerve to prevent the reformer's 
appearance. He went from Charles' ministers to the 
princes most favorably inclined to the pope, and from 
them to the emperor himself f " It is not lawful," said 
he, ** to question what the sovereign pontiff has decreed. 
There shall be no discussion with Luther, you say ; but,'^ 
continued he, "will not the energy of this audacious 
man, the fire of his eyes, the eloquence of his language, 
and the mysterious spirit by which he is animated, be 
sufficient to excite a tumult ?J Already many adore 
him as a saint, and in every place you may see his por- 
trait surrounded with a glory like that which encircles 

the heads of the blessed If you are resolved to 

summon him before you, at least do not put him under 

• L. 0pp. L. 22. 667. f Quam ob rem sedulo contestatus eat 
apud Caesaris administros. Pallav. 1. 113. X Lingua promptuaj 
araore yultus, el ofia spiritu ad concitandam seditioaem. Ibid. 



PEACE OF LUTHEE. 



221 



the protection of the public faith.''* These latter words 
were meant either to intimidate Luther, or to prepare 
the way for his destruction. 

The nuncio found an easy access to the grandees of 
Spain. In Spain, as in Germany, the opposition to the 
Dominican inquisitors was national. The yoke of the 
inquisition, that had been thrown off for a time, had just 
been replaced on their necks by Charles. A numerous 
party in that peninsula sympathized with Luther ; but it 
was not thus with the grandees, who had discovered on 
the banks of the Rhine what they had hated beyond the 
Pyrenees. Inflamed with the most ardent fanaticism, 
they were impatient to destroy the new heresy. Fred- 
erick, duke of Alva, in particular, was transported with 
rage whenever he heard the Reformation mentioned.f 
He would gladly have waded in the blood of all these 
sectarians. Luther was not yet summoned to appear^ 
but already had his mere name powerfully stirred the 
lords of Christendom assembled at Worms. 

The man who thus moved all the powers of the earth 
seemed alone undisturbed. The news from Worms was 
alarming. Luther's friends were terrified. "There re- 
mains nothing for us but your good wishes and prayers," 
wrote Melancthon to Spalatin. " Oh that God would 
deign to purchase at the price of our blood the salvation 
of the Christian world."J But Luther was a stranger to 
fear ; shutting himself up in his quiet cell, he there med- 
itated on and applied to himself those words in which 
Mary the mother of Jesus exclaims, "My soul doth 
magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my 
Saviour. For he that is mighty hath done to me great 
things ; and holy is his name. He hath showed strength 
with his arm ; he hath put down the mighty from their 
seats, and exalted them of low degree." Luke 1 : 46-55 
These are some of the reflections that filled Luther's 
heart : " He that is mighty . . . says Mary. What great 

• nand certe fidem publicam ill! praebendam. . . . Pallav. 1. 
113. ] Albae dvx videbatur aliquando furentibus modiB agitari. . . 
[bid. 362. I Utinam Deus redimat nostro Hanguiue salutem Chris 
populi. Corp. Ref. 1. 362. 



\ 



223 HISTORY OF THE EEFORIIATIOH 



boldness on the part of a young girl. With a Ringle 
word she brands all the strong with weakness, all the 
mighty with feebleness, all the wise with folly, all those 
whose name is glorious upon earth with disgrace, and 
casts all strength, all might, all wisdom, and all glory 
at the feet of God.* -His arm, continues she, meaning 
by this the power by which he acts of himself, without 
the aid of any of his creatures ; mysterious power, .... 
which is exerted in secrecy and in silence until his de- 
signs are accomplished. Destruction is at hand, when 
no one has seen it coming ; relief is there, and no one 
had suspected it. He leaves his children in oppression 
and weakness, so that every man says, They are lost. . . . 
But it is then he is strongest : for where the strength 
of men ends, there begins that of God. Only let faith 
wait upon him. . . . And on the other hand, God per^- 
mits his adversaries to increase in grandeur and power. 
He withdraws his support, and suflfers them to be puiBTed 
up with their own.f He empties them of his eternal 
wisdom, and lets them be filled with their own, which is 
but for a day. And while they are rising in the brightr 
ness of their power, the arm of the Lord is taken away^ 
and their work vanishes as a bubble bursting in the 
air." 

It was on the 10th of March, at the verf moment 
when the imperial city of Worms was filled with dread 
at his name, that Luther concluded this explanation of 
the Magnificat. 

He was not left quiet in his retreat. Spalatin, in 
conformity with the elector's orders, sent him a note of 
the articles which he would be required to retract. A 
retraction, after his refusal at Augsburg. . . . "Fear 
not," wrote he to Spalatin, " that I shall retract a single 
syllable, since their only argument is, that my works^ 
are opposed to the rites of what they call the church. 
If the Emperor Gharles summons me only that I may 
retract, I shall reply, that I will remain here, and it will 

^ MafptificaU L. 0pp. Wittemb. Dentsch. Aasg. 3. 11, «tc 
t Er sieht seine Krafft heraus and laasi fA» VOQ eigener 
8|ch aafblaseii. Ibi^ 



DEATH KATHBE THAU £ET&ACTIOB. 223 

be the same as if I had gone to Worms and returned. 
But on the contrary, if the emperor summons me that I 
may be put to death as an enemy of the empire, I am 
ready to comply with his call ;* for with the help of 
Christ, I will never desert the word on the battle-field. 
I am well aware that these bloodthirsty men will never 
rest until they have taken away my life. Would that 
it was the papists alone that would be guilty of my 
blood.'^ 

* Si ad me occidendum deinceps vocare velit .... oferam mo 
ventDflim. L. Epp. 1. 574. 



HI8T0ET OF THE EEFOEMATION. 



CHAPTER V. 

fih&ll Lother have a safe-conduct — The safe-conduct — Will Lather 
come — Holy Thursday at Rome — The pope and Lather. 

At last the emperor made up his mind. Luthert 
appearance before the diet seemed the only means cal* 
culated to terminate an affair which engaged the atten- 
tion of all the empire. Charles V. resolved to summon 
him, but without granting him a safe-conduot. Here 
Frederick was again compelled to assume the character 
of a protector. The dangers by which the reformer was 
threatened were apparent to all. Luther^s friends, says 
Cochloeus, feared that he would be delivered into the 
pope's hands, or that the emperor himself would put him 
to death, as undeserving, on account of his heresy, that 
any faith should be kept with him.* On this question 
there was a long and violent debate between the princes.f 
Struck at last by the extensive agitation then stirring 
up the people in every part of Germany, and fearing that 
during Luther's journey some unexpected tumult or 
dangerous commotion might burst forth in favor of the 
reformer,! the princes thought the wisest course would 
be to tranquillize the public feelings on this subject ; 
and not only the emperor, but also the elector of Saxony, 
Duke George, and the landgrave of Hesse, through whose 
territories he would have to pass, gave him each a safe^ 
conduct. 

On the 6th of March, 1521, Charles V. signed the fol- 
lowing summons addressed to Luther : 

" Charles, by the grace of God Emperor elect of the 
Romans, always august, etc. etc. 

"Honorable, well-beloved, and pious — ^We and tlie 
states of the holy empire here assembled, having resolved 
to institute an inquiry touching the doctrine and the 

* Tanquam perfido haeretico nulla sit servanda fides. Gochioeos, 
p. 28. t Longa consultatio difficUisque disceptatio. Ibid. 

X 0am autem grandis ubique per Germaniam fer^ totam exoitata 
QBt . . . . aaimorum commotio. Ibid. 



THE SAFE-CONDUOT. 



225 



books that thou hast lately published, have issued, for 
thy coming hither, and thy return to a place of security, 
our safe-conduct and that of the empire, which we send 
thee herewith. Our sincere desire is, that thou shouldst 
prepare immediately for this journey, in order that within 
the space of the twenty-one days fixed by our safe-con- 
duct, thou mayest without fail be present before us. Fear 
neither injustice nor violence. We will firmly abide by 
our aforesaid safe-conduct, and expect that thou wilt 
comply with our summons. In so doing, thou wilt obey 
our earnest wishes. 

" Given in our imperial city of Worms, the sixth day 
of March, in the year of our Lord 1521, and the second 
of our reign. 

" CHARLES." 

" By order of my Lord the Emperor, witness my hand, 
Albert, Cardinal of Mentz, High-chancellor. 

NICHOLAS ZWIL." 

The safe-conduct contained in the letter was directed, 

^TO TIIB BONORABLB OXTR WELL-BELOVED AND PIOUS DOCTOR MAETDf LVTHKB, 
OF THE ORDER OF AUGUSTINKS." 

It began thus : 

" We Charles, the Fifth of that name, by the grace 
of God Emperor elect of the Romans, always august. 
King of Spain, of the Two Sicilies, of Jerusalem, of Hun- 
gary, of Dalmatia, of Croatia, etc.. Archduke of Austria, 
Duke of Burgundy, Count of Hapsburg, of Flanders, of 
the Tyrol," etc. etc. 

Then the king of so many states, intimating that he 
had cited before him an Augustine monk named Luther, 
enjoined all princes, lords, magistrates, and others, to re- 
spect the safe-conduct which had been given him, undei 
pain of the displeasure of the emperor and the empire.* 

Thus did the emperor confer the titles of " well- 
beloved, honorable, and pious," on a man whom -she head 
of the church had excommunicated. This document had 
been thus drawn up, purposely to remove all distrust 

* Lucas Craaach's Stammbucli, etc., herausgegeben von dir. v. 
MaQbcla. p. 1!^. 

15 



226 



HISTORY OF THE REFOBMATION. 



from Ihe mind of Luther and his friends. Gaspard Stnrra 
was commissioned to bear this message to the reformer, 
and accompany him to Worms. The elector, apprehend- 
ing an outburst of public indignation, wrote, Maich I2th, 
to the magistrates of Wittemberg to provide f( r the secu- 
rity of the emperor^s officer, and to give him a guard, if 
it was judged necessary. The herald departed. 

Thus were God's designs fulfilled. It was his will 
that this light, which he had kindled in the world, should 
be set upon a hill ; and emperor, kings, and princes, 
immediately began to carry out his purpose without 
knowing it. It costs him little to elevate what is lowliest. 
A single act of his power suffices to raise the humble 
native of Mansfeldt from an obscure cottage to the 
palaces in which kings were assembled. In his sight 
there is neither small nor great, and in his good time 
Charles and Luther meet. 

But will Luther comply with this citation ? His best 
friends were doubtful about it. "Doctor Martin has 
been summoned here," wrote the elector to his brother on 
the 25th of March, " but I do not know whether he will 
come. I cannot augur any good from it." Three weeks 
later, on the 16th of April, this excellent prince, seeing 
the danger increase, wrote again to Duke John, " Orders 
against Luther are placarded on the walls. The cardi- 
nals and bishops are attacking him very harshly ;* God 
grant that all may turn out well. Would to God that 
I could procure him a favorable hearing." 

While these events were taking place at Worms and 
Wittemberg, the papacy redoubled its attacks. On the 
28th of March, which was the. Thursday before Easter, 
Rome refe'choed with a solemn excommunication. It was 
the custom to publish at that season the terrible bull Fn 
Ccena Domini, which is a long series of maledictions. 
On that day the approaches to the temple in which the 
sovereign pontiff was to officiate were early occupied 
by the papal guards, and by a crowd of people that 
had flocked together from all parts of Italy to re^jeive 

* Die Car<]lnale und Bischofe sind ihm hart auwidox. . . ♦ fieok' 
end. p. 366 



HOLY THXTESDAT AT ROME. 237 



the benediction of the holy father. Branches of laurel 
and myrtle decorated the open space in front of the 
catliedral ; tapers were lighted on the balcony of the 
temple, and there the remonstrance was elevated. On 
a sudden the air reechoes with the loud pealing of bells ; 
the pope, wearing his pontificial robes, and borne in an 
arm-chair, appears on the balcony ; the people kneel 
do^^Ti, all heads are uncovered, the colors are lowered, 
the soldiers ground their arms, and a solemn silence pre- 
vails. A few moments after, the pope slowly stretches 
out his hands, raises them towards heaven, and then aa 
slowly bends them towards the earth, making the sign 
of the cross. Thrice he repeats this movement. Again 
the noise of bells reverberates through the air, proclaim- 
ing far and wide the benediction of the pontiff. Some 
priests now hastily step forward, each holding a lighted 
taper in his hand ; these they reverse, and after tossing 
them violently, dash them away, as if they were the 
flames of hell ; the people are moved and agitated ; and 
the words of malediction are hurled down from the roof 
of the temple.* 

As soon as Luther was informed of this excommuni- 
cation, he published its tenor, with a few remarks writ- 
ten in that cutting style of which he was so great a 
master. Although this publication did not appear till 
later, we will insert in this place a few of its most strik- 
ing features. We shall hear the high-priest of Christen- 
dom on the balcony of the cathedral, and the Wittem- 
berg monk answering him from the farthest part of Ger- 
many.f 

There is something characteristic in the contrast of 
those two voices. 

The Pope. Leo, bishop — . . . 

Luther. Bishop, .... yes, as the wolf is a shepherd ; 
for the bishop should exhort according to the doctrine 

• This ceremony is described in various works ; among others in 
the ** Tagebuch einer Reise durch Dtutschland und Italien.^^ Bei> 
lin, 1817, 4. 94. The principal features are of earlier date than the 
16th century. f For the bull and Luther's commentary, see DU 
Bulla votn AbendfresMon, L. 0pp. L. 18. 1. 



228 HISTOUY OF THE EEFORMATIOIT. 



of salvation, and not vomit forth imprecations and male* 
dictions. . . . 

The Pope. Servant of all the servants of God — . . 

Luther. At night, when we are drunk ; but in the 
morning, our name is Leo, lord of all lords. 

The Pope. The Roman bishops, our predecessors, 
have been accustomed on this festival to employ the 
arms of righteousness — . . . 

Luther. Which, according to your account, are ex- 
communication and anathema ; but according to St. Paul, 
long-suffering, kindness, and love. 2 Cor. 6 : 6, 7. 

The Pope. According to the duties of the apostolic 
office, and to maintain the purity of the Christian 
faith — .... 

Luther. That is to say, the temporal possessions of 
the pope. 

The Pope. And its unity, which consists in the union 
of the members with Christ their head, . . . and with his 
vicar — .... 

Luther. For Christ is not sufficient : we must have 
another besides. 

The Pope. To preserve the holy communion of be- 
lievers, we follow the ancient custom, and excommuni- 
cate and curse, in the name of Almighty God the 
Father — .... 

Luther. Of whom it is said, " God sent not his Son 
into the world to condemn the world." John 3:11. 

The Pope. The Son, and the Holy Ghost, and accord- 
ing to the power of the apostles Peter and Paul . . , and 
our own — .... 

Luther.^ Our ovm, says the ravenous wolf, as if the 
power of God was too weak without him. 

The Pope. We curse all heretics, Garasi,* Patarins, 
Poor Men of Lyons, Arnoldists, Speronists, Passageni, 
Wickliffites, Hussites, Fratricelli — .... 

Luther. For they desired to possess the holy Scrip- 
tures, and required the pope to be sober and preach the 
vvord of God. 

The Pope. And Martin Luther, recently condemned 
* This name has been altered: read, GoMari or Cathari, 



LUTHER'S COMMBNTAET. 



239 



by ns for a similar heresy, as well as all his adherents, 
and all those, whosoever they may be, who shoTr him 
any countenance 

Luther. I thank thee, most gracious pontiff, for con- 
demning me along with all these Christians. It is very 
honorable for me to have my name proclaimed at Rc me 
on a day of festival in so glorious a manner, that it may 
run through the world in conjunction with the names of 
these humble confessors of Jesus Christ. 

The Pope. In like manner we excommunicate and 
curse all pirates and corsairs — .... 

Luther. Who can be a greater corsair and pirate 
than he that robs souls, imprisons them, and puts them 
to death ? 

The Pope. Particularly those who navigate our 
seas^ — .... 

Luther. Our seas ! . . . . St. Peter, our predecessor, 
said, " Silver and gold have I none," Acts 3:6; and 
Jesus Christ said, The kings of the Gentiles exercise 
lordship over them ; but ye shall not be so.'' Luke 
22 : 25. But if a wagon filled with hay must give place 
on the road to a drunken man, how much more must St 
Peter and Christ himself give way to the pope. 

The Pope. In like manner we excommunicate and 
curse all those who falsify our bulls and our apostolical 
letters — .... 

Luther. But God^s letters, the holy Scriptures, all the 
world may condemn and burn. 

The Pope. In like manner we excommunicate and 
curse all those who intercept the provisions that are 
coming to the court of Rome — .... 

Luther. He snarls and snaps, like a dog that fears 
hie bone will be taken from him.* 

The Pope. In like manner we condemn and curse all 
those who withhold any judiciary dues, fruits, tithes, or 
revenues, belonging to the clergy — .... 

Luther. For Christ has said, If any man will sue 
thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have 
thy cloak also," Matt. 5 : 40, and this is our commentary. 

* Gleksh wei ein Hund urns Beines willen. L. 0pp. L. 18. 12 



230 HISTOB.T OP THE REFORMATION. 



The Pope. Whatever be their station, dignity, order, 
power, or rank ; were they even bishops or kings — . . . 

Ltjther. "For there shall be false teachers among 
you, who despise dominion and speak evil of dignities,'* 
says Scripture. Jude 8. 

The Pope. In like manner we condemn and curse all 
those who, in any manner whatsoever, do prejudice to 
the city of Rome, the kingdom of Sicily, the islands of 
Sardinia and Corsica, the patrimony of St. Peter in Tus- 
cany, the duchy of Spoleto, the marquisate of Ancona, the 
Campagna, the cities of Ferrara and Benevento, and all 
other cities or countries belonging to the church of Rome. 

Luther. 0 Peter, thou poor fisherman, whence didst 
thou get Rome and all these kingdoms ? All hail, Peter, 
king of S:cily .... and fisherman at Bethsaida ! 

The Pope. We excommunicate and curse all chan- 
cellors, councillors, parliaments, procurators, governors, 
officials, bishops, and others, who oppose our letters of 
exhortation, invitation, prohibition, mediation, execu- 
tion — 

Luther. For the holy see desires only to live in idle- 
ness, in magnificence, and debauchery ; to command, to 
intimidate, to deceive, to lie, to dishonor, to seduce, and 
commit every kind of wickedness in peace and secu- 
rity .... 

" 0 Lord, arise : it is not as the papists pretend : 
thou hast not forsaken us ; thou hast not turned away 
thine eyes from us." 

Thus spoke Leo at Rome, and Luther at Wittemberg, 
The pontiff having ended these maledictions, the 
parchment on which they were written was torn in 
pieces, and the fragments scattered among the people. 
Immediately the crowd began to be violently agitated, 
each one rushing forward and endeavoring to seize a 
scrap of this terrible bull. These were the holy relics 
that the Papacy offered to its faithful adherents on the 
eve of the great day of grace and expiation. The mul- 
titude soon dispersed, and the neighborhood of the ca- 
thedral became deserted and silent as before. Let ua 
now return to Wittemberg. 



LUTHER'S COTTUAaB. 



231 



CHAPTER VI. 

Luther's conrage — Bugenhagen at Wittemberg — Persecutions in 
P3merania — Melanctbon desires to accompany Luther- -Amtt- 
dorff, Schurff, and Suaven — Hiitten to Charles V, 

It was now the 24th of March. At last the imperial 
herald had passed the gate of the city in which Luther 
resided. Gaspard Sturm waited upon the doctor, and 
delivered the citation from Charles V. What a serious 
and solemn moment for the reformer I All his friends 
were in consternation. No prince, without excepting 
Frederick the Wise, had declared for him. The knights, 
it is true, had given utterance to their threats ; but 
them the powerful Charles despised. Luther, however, 
was not discomposed. **The papists," said he, on see- 
ing the anguish of his friends, " do not desire my com- 
ing to Worms, but my condemnation and my death.* 
It matters not. Pray not for me, but for the word of 
God. Before my blood has grown cold, thousands of 
men in the whole world will have become responsible 
for having shed it. The most holy adversary of Christ, 
the father, the master, the generalissimo of murderers, 
insists on its being shed. So be it. Let God's will be 
done. Christ will give me his Spirit to overcome these 
ministers of error. I despise them during my life ; I 
shall triumph over them by my death.f They are busy 
at Worms about compelling me to retract ; and this 
shall be my retraction : I said formerly that the pope 
was Christ's vicar ; now I assert that he is our Lord'a 
adversary, and the deviPs apostle." And when he wa« 
apprized that all the pulpits of the Franciscans and Do* 
minicans resounded with imprecations and maledictions 
against him, Oh, what deep joy do I feel 1" exclaimed 
he. J He knew that he had done God's will, and that 

* Damnatum et perditum. L. Epp. 1. 556. f Ut hos Satana 
ministras et contemnam vivens et vincam moriens. Ibid. 67d, 
X Quod mixe quam gaudeam. Ibid. 567* 



232 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



God was with him ; why then should he not set out with 
courage ? Such purity of intention, such liberty of con- 
science, is a hidden but incalculable support, that never 
fails the servant of God, and renders him more invulner- 
able than if protected by coats of mail and armed hosts. 

At this time there arrived at Wittemberg a man who, 
like Melancthon, was destined to be Luther's friend all 
ais life, and to comfort him at the moment of his depar 
ture.* This was a priest named Bugenhagen, thirty-six 
years of age, who had fled from the severities which the 
bishop of Camin and Prince Bogislas of Pomerania exer- 
cised on the friends of the gospel, whether ecclesiastics, 
citizens, or men of letters.f Sprung from a senatorial 
family, and born at WoUin in Pomerania — whence he 
is commonly called Pomeranus — Bugenhagen had been 
teaching at Treptow from the age of twenty years. The 
young eagerly crowded around him ; the nobles and the 
learned emulated each other in courting his society. He 
diligently studied the holy Scriptures, praying God to 
enlighten him.^ One day towards the end of December, 
1620, Luther's book on the Captivity of Babylon was put 
into his hands as he sat at supper with several of his 
friends. " Since the death of Christ," said he, after run- 
ning his eye over the pages, many heretics have in- 
fested the church ; but never yet has there existed such 
a pest as the author of this work." Having taken the 
book home, and perused it two or three times, all his 
opinions were changed ; truths quite new to him pre- 
sented themselves to his mind ; and on returning some 
days after to his colleagues, he said, " The whole world 
has fallen into the thickest darkness. This man alone 
sees the light."§ Several priests, a deacon, and the ab^ 
bot himself, received the pure doctrine of salvation ; and 
in a short time, by the power of their preaching, they 

* Venit Wittembergam paulo ante iter Lutheri ad comitia Wor* 
matiae indicta. Melch. Adami Vita Bugenhagii, p. 314. 

t Sacerdotes, cives et scholasticos in vincula conjecit. lb. 813. 

f Precesque adjunxit, quibus divinitus se regi ac doceri petivit 
Ibid. 31 2. § In Cimmeriis tenebris versatur : hio vir unos e( 

6olu8 verum videt. Ibid. 313. 



ALARM OF LUTHEE»S FRlElfDS. 



M3 



led their hearers, says a historian, back from human 
superstitions to the sole and effectual merits of Jesus 
Christ.* Upon this a persecution broke out. Already 
the prisons reechoed with the groans of many individu- 
als. Bugenhagen fled from his enemies, and arrived at 
Wittemberg. He is suffering for love to the gospel,'* 
wrote Melancthon to the elector's chaplain. Whithej 
could he fly, but to our aovXov, (asylum,) and to the pro- 
tection of our prince ?"f 

But no one welcomed Bugenhagen with greater joy 
than Luther. It was agreed between them, that imme- 
diately after the departure of the reformer, Bugenhagen 
should begin to lecture on the Psalms. It was thus 
divine Providence led this able man to supply in some 
measure the place of him whom Wittemberg was about 
to lose. A year later, Bugenhagen was placed at the 
head of the church in this city, over which he presided 
thirty-six years. Luther styled him in an especial man- 
ner, The Pastor, 

Luther was about to depart. His friends, in alarm, 
thought that if God did not interpose in a miraculous 
manner, he was going to certain death. Melancthon, 
far removed from his native town, was attached to Lu- 
ther with all the affection of a susceptible heart. " Lu- 
ther,'' said he, " supplies the place of all my friends ; he 
is greater and more admirable for me than I can dare 
express. You know how Alcibiades admired Socrates ; J 
but I admire Luther after another and a Christian fash- 
ion." He then added these beautiful and sublime words : 
" As often as I contemplate Luther, I find him constantly 
greater than himself."§ Melancthon desired to accom- 
pany Luther in his dangers ; but their common friends, 
and no doubt the doctor himself, opposed his wishes. 
Ought not Philip to fill his friend's place? and if the lat* 
ter never returned, who then would there be to direct 

• A Buperstitionibus ad unicum Christ! meritum tradiicere. 

t Corp. Ref. 1. 361. t Alcibiades was convinced that the 

Bociety of Socrates was a support the gods had given him for hli 
infltraction and security. Plutarch — Alcibiades. § Quern quo 
ties contemplor, se ipso subinde m^jorem judica Corp. Ref. 1 264. 



234 HISTORY OP THE RbfORMATIOIT 

the work of the Reformation ? " Would to God,'' said 
Melancthon, resigned, yet disappointed, ** that he had 
allowed me to go with him."* 

The impetuous Amsdorff immediately declared that 
he would accompany the doctor. His strong mind fovud 
pleasure in confronting danger. His boldness permitted 
Lim to appear fearlessly before an assembly of kings. 
The elector had invited to Wittemberg, as professor of 
jurisprudence, Jerome Schurff, son of a physician at St. 
Gall, a celebrated man, of gentle manners, and who was 
very intimate with Luther. " He has not yet been able 
to make up his mind," said Luther, " to pronounce sen- 
tence of death on a single malefactor."f This timid 
man, however, desired to assist the doctor by his advice 
in this perilous journey. A young Danish student, Peter 
Suaven, who resided with Melancthon, and who after- 
wards became celebrated by his evangelical labors in 
Pomerania and - Denmark, likewise declared that he 
would accompany his master. The youth of the schools 
were also to have their representative at the side of the 
champion of truth. 

Germany was moved at the sight of the perils that 
menaced the representative of her people. She found a 
suitable voice to give utterance to her fears. Ulrich of 
Hiitten shuddered at the thought of the blow about to 
be inflicted on his country. On the 1st of April, he^rote 
to Charles V. himself : Most excellent emperor," said 
he, "you are on the point of destroying us, and yourself 
with us. What is proposed to be done in this affair of 
Luther's, except to ruin our liberty, and to crush your 
power? In the whole extent of the empire there is not 
a single upright man that does not feel the deepest in- 
terest in this matter. I The priests alone set themselves 
against Luther, because he has opposed their enormous 
power, their scandalous luxury, and their depraved lives j 
and because he has pleaded, in behalf of Christ's doctrine, 
for the liberty of our country, and for purity of morals. 

♦ Utinani licuisset mihi ana proficisci. Corp. Ref. 1. 366. 
t L. 0pp. W. 22. 2067. 1819. J Neque enim quam lata est 
GermaQia, alii boni sunt, etc L. 0pp. Lat. 2. 182, versa 



tTLUIca to CflARLES V. 



" 0 emperor, discard from your presence these Ro- 
man ambassadors, bishops, and cardinals, who desire to 
prevent all reformation. Did you not observe the sor- 
row of the people as they saw you arrive on the banks 
of the Rhine, surrounded by these red-hatted gentry, . . . 
and by a band of priests, instead of a troop of valiant 
warriors ? . . . . 

" Do not surrender your sovereign majesty to those 
who desire to trample it under foot. Have pity on us 
Do not drag yourself and the whole nation into one com- 
mon destruction. Lead us into the midst of the greatest 
dangers, under the weapons of your soldiers, to the can- 
non's mouth ;* let all nations conspire against us ; let 
every army assail us, so that we can show our valor in 
the light of day, rather than that we should be thus van- 
quished and enslaved obscurely and stealthily, like wom- 
en, without arms, and unresisting Alas, we had 

hoped that you would deliver us from the Roman yoke, 
and overthrow the tyranny of the pontiff. God grant 
that the future may be better than these beginnings. 

" All Germany falls prostrate at your feet ;f with 
tears we entreat and implore your help, your compas- 
sion, your faithfulness ; and by the holy memory of those 
Germans who, when all the world owned the Roman 
sway, did not bow their heads before that haughty city, 
we conjure you to save us, to restore us to ourselves, to 
deliver us from bondage, and take revenge upon our 
tyrants.'' 

Thus, by the mouth of this knight, spoke the German 
nation to Charles V. The emperor paid no attention to 
this epistle, and probably cast it disdainfully to one of 
his secretaries. He was a Fleming, and not a German. 
His personal aggrandizement, and not the liberty and 
glory of the empire, was the object of all his desires. 

* Due nos in manifestum potius periculum due in ferrum. duo 
in Ignes. L. 0pp. Lat. 2. 183, verso. f Onmem nunc Grermaniam 
qnafii ad genua provoiutam tibL Ibid. 184. 



236 HISTOET OF THE REFORUATIOH 



CHAPTER VII. 

Departure for the diet of Worms — Luther's farewell — His condemn 
nation is posted up — Cavalcade near Erfurth — Meeting betweet 
Jonas and Luther — Luther in his former convent — Luther 
preaches at Erfurth — Incident — Faith and works — Concourse o£ 
people, and Luther's courage — Luther's letter to Spalatin — Stay 
at l^Yankfort — Fears at Worms — Plan of the imperialists — ^Lu- 
ther's firmness. 

It was now the 2d of April, and Luther had to take 
leave of his friends. After apprizing Lange, by a note, 
that he would spend the Thursday or Friday following 
at Erfurth,* he bade farewell to his colleagues. Turn- 
ing to Melancthon, he said with an agitated voice, " My 
dear brother, if I do not return, and my enemies put me 
to death, continue to teach, and stand fast in the truth. 
Labor in my stead, since I shall no longer be able to 
labor for myself. If you survive, my death will be of 
little consequence." Then committing his soul to the 
hands of Him who is faithful, Luther got into the car, 
and quitted Wittemberg. The town-council had pro- 
vided him with a modest conveyance, covered with an 
awning, which the travellers could set up or remove at 
pleasure. The imperial herald, wearing his robe of 
oflSce, and carrying the imperial eagle, rode on horse- 
back in front, attended by his servant. Next came Lu- 
ther, Schurflf, Amsdorflf, and Suaven, in the car. The 
friends of the gospel and the citizens of Wittemberg 
were deeply agitated, and invoking God's aid, burst into 
tears. Thus Luther began his journey. 

He soon discovered that gloomy presentiments filled 
the hearts of all he met. At Leipsic no respect was 
shown him, and the magistrates merely presented him 
with the customary cup of wine. At Naumburg he met 
a priest, probably J. Langer, a man of stern zeal, who 
08j:efully preserved in his study a portrait of the famoufi 
• L. Epp. 1. 68a 



LUTHER AT WEIMAE. 



237 



Jerome Savonarola, who was burnt at Florence in 1498 
by order of Pope Alexander VI., as a martyr to freedom 
and morality, as well as a confessor of the evangelical 
truth. Having taken down the portrait of the Italian 
martyr, the priest approached Luther, and held it out to 
him in silence. The latter understood what this mute 
representation was intended to announce, but his in- 
trepid soul remained firm. "It is Satan," said he, "that 
would prevent, by these terrors, the confession of the 
truth in the assembly of princes, for he foresees the 
blow it would inflict upon his kingdom."* " Stand firm 
in the truth thou hast proclaimed," said the priest sol- 
emnly, " and God will as firmly stand by thee."f 

After passing the night at Naumburg, where he had 
been hospitably entertained by the burgomaster, Luther 
arrived the next evening at Weimar. He had hardly 
been a minute in the town, when he heard loud cries in 
every direction : it was the publication of his condem- 
nation. " Look there," said the herald. He turned his 
eyes, and with astonishment saw the imperial messen- 
gers going from street to street, everywhere posting up 
the emperor's edict commanding his writings to be de- 
posited with the magistrates. Luther doubted not that 
this unseasonable display of severity was intended to 
frighten him from undertaking the journey, so that he 
might be condemned as having refused to appear. 
"Well, doctor, will you proceed?" asked the imperial 
herald in alarm. " Yes," replied Luther ; " although 
interdicted in every city, I shall go on. I rely upon the 
emperor's safe-conduct." 

At Weimar, Luther had an audience with Duke John, 
brother to the elector of Saxony, who resided there. The 
prince invited him to preach, and the reformer consented. 
Words of life flowed from the doctor's agitated heart. A 
Pranciscan monk, who heard him, by name John Voit, 
the friend of Frederick Myconius, was then converted to 

* Terrorem hunc a Sathana sibi dixit aflferri M. Adami, 

p. 117. t Er wolle bey der erkandten Wahrheyt mit breytem 

Fobs aushalten Mathesius Historien, p. 23. We qucte thd 

fiist edition of 1566. / 



238 HISTORY OF THE EEFOUAATIOlf. 



the evangelical doctrine. He left his convent two years 
after, and somewhat later became professor of theology 
at Wittemberg. The duke furnished Luther with the 
money necessary for his journey. 

From Weimar the reformer proceeded to Erfurth. 
This was the city of his youth. Here he hoped to meet 
his friend Lange, if, as he had written to him, he might 
enter the city without danger.* When about three or 
four leagues from the city, near the village of Nora, he 
perceived a troop of horsemen approaching in the dis- 
tance. Were they friends, or enemies ? In a short time, 
Crotus rector of the university, Eobanus Hesse the 
"friend of Melancthon, and whom Luther styled the prince 
of poets, Euricius Cordus, John Draco, and others, to the 
number of forty, all members of the senate, the univer- 
sity, or of the burghers, greeted him with acclamations. 
A multitude of the inhabitants of Erfurth thronged the 
road, and gave utterance to their joy. All were eager 
to see the man who had dared to declare war against 
the pope. 

A man about twenty-eight years old, named Justus 
Jonas, had outstripped the cavalcade.f Jonas, after 
studying the law at Erfurth, had been appointed rector 
of that university in 1519. Receiving the light of the 
gospel, which was shining forth in every direction, he 
had entertained the desire of becoming a theologian. 
*I think," wrote Erasmus to him, "that God has elected 
you as an instrument to make known the glory of his 
Son Jesus." J All his thoughts were turned towards 
Wittemberg and Luther. Some years before, when he 
was as yet a law-student, Jonas, who was a man of ac- 
tive and enterprising spirit, had set out on foot in com- 
pany with a few friends, and had crossed forests infested 
with robbers, and cities devastated by the plague, in 

* Nisi periculum sit Erfordiam ingredi. L. Epp. 1. 680. 
* Hos inter, qui nos praevenerat, ibat Jonas, 
Ille decus nostri, primaque fama Chori. 

Eob. Hessi Elegia Secunda. 
t Velut organum quoddam electum ad illustrandam filii sui Josu 
gloriam. Erasm. Epp. 5. 27. 



ARRIVAL AT ERFURTH. 



239 



ordei to visit Erasmus, who was then at Brussels. Shall 
he now hesitate to confront other dangers by accompa- 
nying the reformer to Worms ? He earnestly beg-ged 
the favor to be granted him, and Luther consented 
Thus met these two doctors, who were to labor together 
all their lives in the task of renovating the church. Di- 
vine Providence gathered round Luther men who were 
destined to be the light of Germany — Melancthon, Ams- 
dorfl', Bugenhagen, and Jonas. On his return from 
Worms, Jonas was elected provost of the church of Wit- 
temberg, and doctor of divinity. "Jonas," said Luther, 
"is a man whose life is worth purchasing at a large 
price, in order to retain him on earth."* No preacher 
ever surpassed him in his power of captivating his hear- 
ers. " Pomeranus is a critic," said Melancthon ; " I am 
a dialectician, Jonas is an orator. Words flow from his 
lips with admirable beauty, and his eloquence is full of 
energy. But Luther surpasses us all."f It appears that 
about this time a friend of Luther's childhood, and also 
one of his brothers, increased the number of his escort. 

The deputation from Erfurth had turned their horses' 
heads. Luther's carriage entered within the walls of the 
city surrounded by horsemen and pedestrians. At the 
gate, in the public places, in the streets where the poor 
monk had so often begged his bread, the crowd of spec- 
tators was immense. Luther alighted at the convent of 
the Augustines, where the gospel had first given conso- 
lation to his heart. Lange joyfully received him ; Usin- 
gen, and some of the elder fathers, showed him much 
coldness. There was a great desire to hear him preach ; 
the pulpit had been forbidden him, but the herald, sharing 
the enthusiasm of those about him, gave his consent. 

On the Sun \ay after Easter, the church of the Augus- 
tines of Erfurth was filled to overflo v^^'ing. This friar, 
who had been accustomed in former times to unci ^se tho 
doors and sweep out the church, went up to the ^ulpit, 

• Vir est quern oportuit multo pretio emptum et seriatum in 
terra. Wclsmaim, 1. 1436. f Pomeranus est grammaticus, ego 

sum dialecticus, Jonas est orator Lutherus vero nobis omni 

\>^a antecellit. Knapp Narrat. de J. Jona, p. 



240 



HISTORY OF THE REFOEMATIOH 



and opening the Bible, read tiiese words: "Peace be 
unto %ou. And when he had so said, he showed unto 
them his hands and his side." John 20 : 19, 20. " Phi- 
losophers, doctors, and writers," said he, " have endeav- 
ored to teach men the way to obtain everlasting life, and 
they have not succeeded. I will now tell it to you." 

This has been the great question in every age ; ao 
^ordingly Luther's hearers redoubled their attention. 

There are two kinds of works," continued the re- 
former : "works not of ourselves, and these are good; 
our own works, and they are of little worth. One man 
builds a church ; another goes on a pilgrimage to St 
Jago of Compostella or St. Peter's ; a third fasts, prays, 
takes the cowl, and goes barefoot ; another does some- 
thing else. All these works are nothingness, and will 
come to naught ; for our own works have no virtue in 
them. But I am now going to tell you what is the true 
work. God has raised one man from the dead, the Lord 
Jesus Christ, that he might destroy death, extirpate sin, 
and shut the gates of hell. This is the work of salva- 
tion. The devil thought he had the Lord in his power, 
when he saw him hanging between two thieves, suffer- 
ing the most disgraceful martyrdom, accursed of God 
and of men. . . . But the Godhead displayed its power, 
and destroyed death, sin, and hell 

" Christ has vanquished 1 this is the joyful news ; and 
we are saved by his work, and not by our own. The pope 
says differently ; but I affirm that the holy mother of God 
herself was saved, neither by her virginity, nor by her 
maternity, nor by her purity, nor by her works, but solely 
by the instrumentality of faith and the works of God." 

While Luther was speaking, a sudden noise wag 
heard ; one of the galleries cracked, and it was feared 
that it would break down under the pressure of the 
crowd. This incident occasioned a great disturbance in 
the congregation. Some ran out from their places ; oth- 
ers stood motionless through fright. The preacher stop- 
ped a moment, and then stretching out his hand, ex- 
claimed with a loud voice, " Fear nothing ; there is no 
danger : it is thus the devil seeks to hinder me fiom pro- 



LUTHER'S SERMON AT ERPUETH. 341 



claiming the gospel, but he will not succeed."* At these 
words, those who were flying halted in astonishment and 
burprise ; the assembly again became calm, and Luther, 
undisturbed by these efforts of the devil, continued thus : 
" You say a great deal about faith, you may perhaps re- 
ply to me : show us how we may obtain it. Well, I 
wil teach you. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, * Peace be 
ante you ; behold my hands that is to say. Behold, 0 
man, it is I, I alone, who have taken away thy sin, and 
ransomed thee ; and now thou hast peace, saith the Lord. 

" I have not eaten of the fruit of the forbidden tree," 
resumed Luther, " nor have you ; but we have all par- 
taken of the sin that Adam has transmitted to us, a ad 
have gone astray. In like manner, I have not suffered 
on the cross, neither have you ; but Christ has suffered 
for us ; we are justified by God^s work, and not by our 

own I am, saith the Lord, thy righteousness and 

thy redemption. 

" Let us believe in the gospel and in the epistles of 
St. Paul, and not in the letters and decretals of the 
popes." .... 

After proclaiming faith as the cause of the sinner's 
justification, Luther proclaims works as the consequence 
and manifestation of salvation. 

" Since God has saved us," continues he, " let us so 
<)rder our works that they may be acceptable to him. 
Art thou rich ? let thy goods administer to the necessi- 
ties of the poor. Art thou poor? let thy services be 
acceptable to the rich. If thy labor is useful to thyself 
alone, the service that thou pretendest to render unto 
God is a lie."t 

In the whole of this sermon there is not a word about 
himself; not a single allusion to the circumstances in 
which he is placed : nothing about Worms, or Charles, 
Di the nuncios ; he preaches Christ, and Christ only. At 
this moment, when the eyes of all the world are upon 
him, he has no thought of himself : 'this stamps him as a 
true servant of God. 

• Agnosco insidias, hostis acerbe, tuaa. Heasi Eleg. S. 
t L. 0pp. L. 12. 485. 



243 HI8T0ET OF THE REFOEMATIOH. 

Lnther departed from Erfurth, and passed throngh 
Gotha, where he preached another sermon Myconius 
adds, that as the people were leaving the church, the 
devil threw down from the pediment some stones that 
had not moved for two hundred years. The doctor slept 
at tlie convent of the Benedictines at ReinhardsbrunD, 
and from thence proceeded to Eisenach, where he felt 
indisposed. AmsdoriGf, Jonas, Schurfif, and all his friends 
were alarmed. He was bled ; they tended him with the 
most affectionate anxiety, and John Oswald, the schulr 
theiss of the town, brought him a cordial. Luther hav- 
ing drunk a portion, fell asleep, and reinvigorated by 
this repose, he was enabled to continue his journey on 
the following morning. 

His progress resembled that of a victorious general. 
The people gazed with emotion on this daring man, who 
was going to lay his head at the feet of the emperor and 
the empire.* An immense crowd flocked eagerly around 
him.f "Ah," said some, there are so many bishops and 
cardinals at Worms. . . . They will burn you, and reduce 
your body to ashes, as they did with John Huss." But 
nothing frightened the monk. "Though they should 
kindle a fire," said he, "all the way from Worms to Wit- 
temberg, the flames of which reached to heaven, I would 
walk through it in the name of the Lord ; I would ap- 
pear before them ; I would enter the jaws of this behe- 
moth, and break his teeth, confessing the Lord Jesus 
Christ."! 

One day, just as he had entered an inn, and the crowd 
was pressing around him as usual, an officer advanced, 
and said, "Are you the man that has undertaken to 
reform the Papacy ? How can you hope to succeed 
" Yes," replied Luther, " I am the man. I trust in God 
Almighty, whose word and commandment I have before 
me." The officer was touched, and looking at him vp ith 
a milder air, said, " My dear friend, what you say is a 

* Quocunque iter faciebant, frequens erat concursus hominum, 
videndi Lutheri studio. Cochloeus, p. 29. f Iter facienti occur 
rebant populi. Pallav. Hist. C. Tr. 1. 114. J Ein Feuer dm 

bis an den Himmel reichte Keil, 1. 98 



LUTHEE AT FEANKPOET. 



243 



great matter. I am the servant of Charles, but your 
Master is greater than mine. He will aid and preserve 
you/'* Such was the impression produced by Luther 
Even his enemies were struck at the sight of the multi- 
tudes that thronged around him ; but they depicted hia 
journey in far dijBTerent colors.f The doctor arrived at 
Frankfort on Sunday, the 14th of April. 

Already the news of Luther's journey had reached 
Worms. The friends of the pope had thought that he 
would not obey the emperor's summons. Albert, cardi- 
nal-archbishop of Mentz, would have given any thing to 
stop him on the road. New intrigues were put in mo- 
tion to attain this result. 

As soon as Luther arrived in Frankfort, he took some 
repose, and afterwards gave intelligence of his approach 
to Spalatin, who was then at Worms with the elector. 
This was the only letter he wrote during his journey. 

I am coming," said he, although Satan endeavored 
to stop me on the road by sickness. Since I left Eise- 
nach I have been in a feeble state, and am still as I 
never was before. I learn that Charles has published 
an edict to frighten me. But Christ lives, and I shall 
enter Worms in despite of all the gates of hell, and of 
the powers of the air.J Have the goodness, therefore, 
to prepare a lodging for me." 

The next day Luther went to visit the school of the 
learned William Nesse, a celebrated geographer of that 
period. "Apply to the study of the Bible, and to the 
investigation of truth," said he to the pupils. And then 
putting his right hand on one of the children, and his 

• Nun habt Ihr einen grossern Herm, denn ich. Keil, 1. 99. 

t In diversoriis multa propinatio, laeta compotatio, musices quo- 
qne gaudia : adeo ut Lutherus ipse allcubi sonora testudine ludenfi 
omnium in se oculos converteret, velut Orpheus quidam, sed rasui 
adhuc et cucuUatus, eoque mirabilior. Cochloeus, p. 29. In the 
taverns there was good cheer, joyous potations, and even the charms 
of music ; so that Luther, playing upon the harp, drew all ey^es upon 
himself, like a very Orpheus, and the more wonderful as he was 
shorn, and wore a cowl. { Intrabimus Wormatiam, invitis cm 
nibofl portlB inferni et potentatibufi aeris. L. 0pp. 1. 987* 



844 HI8T0ET OF TH£ EEFOEHATlUA 



left upon another, he pronounced a benediction on the 
whole school. 

If Luther blessed the young, he was also the hope of 
the aged. Catherine of Holzhausen, a widow far ad- 
vanced in years, and who served God, approached him, 
and said, "My parents told me that God would raise up 
a man who should oppose the papal vanities and pre- 
serve his word. I hope thou art that man, and I pray 
for the grace and Holy Spirit of God upon thy work."* 

These were far from being the general sentiments in 
Frankfort. John Cochloeus, dean of the church of Our 
Lady, was one of the most devoted partisans of the 
Papacy. He could not repress his apprehensions when 
he saw Luther pass through Frankfort on his road to 
Worms. He thought that the church had need of de- 
voted champions. It is true no one had summoned him ; 
but that mattered not. Luther had scarcely quitted the 
city, when CochlcBus followed him, ready, he said, to sac- 
rifice his life in defence of the honor of the church.f 

The alarm was universal in the camp of the pope's 
friends. The heresiarch was arriving ; every day and 
every hour brought him nearer to Worms. If he en- 
tered, all might perhaps be lost. Archbishop Albert, 
the confessor Glapio, and the politicians who surrounded 
the emperor, were confounded. How could they hinder 
this monk from coming ? To carry him off by force was 
impossible, for he had Charles' safe-conduct. Stratagem 
alone could stop him. These artful men immediately 
conceived the following plan. The emperor's confessor 
and his head chamberlain, Paul of Armsdorff, hastily quit- 
ted Worms.J They directed their course towards the 
castle of Ebernburg, about ten leagues from the city, the 
residence of Francis of Sickingen, that knight who had 
offered an asylum to Luther. Bucer, a youthful Domin- 

• Ich hoffe dass du der Verheissene. . . . Cypr. Hilar. Ev p. 608w 
t Lutherum iliac transeuntem subsequatus, ut pro honoro Eccle- 

Edro vitam suam exponeret. Cochl. p. 36. This is the writer 

whom we quote so frequently. J Dass der Keyser seinen Beicht- 
vater und Ihrer M^jest. Ober-Kammerling zu Siokii^geii schickt. L 
0pp. 17. 687, 



A PLOT OP THE ENEMY. 



245 



lean, chaplain to the elector-palatine, and converted to 
the evangelical doctrine by the disputation at Heidel- 
berg,* had taken refuge in this "resting place of the 
righteous." The knight, who did not understand much 
about religious matters, was easily deceived, and the 
character of the palatine chaplain facilitated the confes- 
sor's designs. In fact, Bucer was a man of pacific chai»» 
acter. Making a distinction between fundamental and 
secondary points, he thought that the latter might be 
given up, for the sake of unity and peace.f 

The chamberlain and Charles' confessor began their 
attack. They gave Sickingen and Bucer to understand 
that Luther was lost if he entered Worms. They de- 
clared that the emperor was ready to send a few learned 
men to Ebernburg to confer with the doctor. "Both 
parties,'' said they to the knight, "will place themselves 
under your protection." " We agree with Luther on all 
essential points," said they to Bucer ; "it is now a ques- 
tion of merely secondary matters, and you shall mediate 
between us." The knight and the doctor were stag- 
gered. The confessor and the chamberlain continued : 
" Luther's invitation must proceed from you," said they 
to Sickingen, " and Bucer shall carry it to him."J Ev- 
ery thing was arranged according to their wishes. Only 
let the too credulous Luther go to Ebernburg, his safe- 
conduct will soon have expired, and then who shall de- 
fend him ? 

Luther had arrived at Oppenheim. His safe-conduct 
was available for only three days more. He saw a troop 
of horsemen approaching him, and at their head soon 
recognized Bucer, with whom he had held such intimate 
conversations at Heidelberg. § " These cavaliers belong 
to Francis of Sickingen," said Bucer, after the first inter- 
change of friendship ; " he has sent me to conduct you 
to his castle. II The emperor's confessor desires to have 

* See vol. I., p. 345. f Condocefaciebat tcL dvayKoZa a proba- 

bilibus distinguere, ut scirent quae retinenda M. Adami Vita 

Buceri, p. 223. i Dass er sollte den Luther zu sich fodern. L. 
0pp. 17. 587. § Da kam Bucer zu, mit etlichen Reuteru. lb. 

II Und woUte mir iiberreden zu Sickingeu gen Ebernburg zii 
Iboxxunen. Ibid. 



Z4& HISTORY OP THE REFOEMATxOK. 

an interview with yon. His influence over Charles id' 
nnlimited ; every thing may yet be arranged. But be- 
ware of Aleander/' Jonas, Schurff, and Amsdorfif knew 
not what to think. Bucer was pressing ; but Luther 
felt no hesitation. "I shall continue my journey," re- 
plied he to Bucer ; " and if the emperor's confessor ban 
any thing to say to me, he will find me at Worms. I 
go whither I am summoned." 

In the mean while, Spalatin himself began to be anx* 
ions and to fear. Surrounded at Worms by the enemies 
of the Reformation, he heard it said that the safe-conduct 
of a heretic ought not to be respected. He grew alarmed 
for his friend. At the moment when the latter was ap- 
proaching the city, a messenger appeared before him, 
with this advice from the chaplain: "Do not enter 
Worms." And this from his best friend — the elector's 
confidant — ^from Spalatin himself. .... But Luther, un- 
dismayed, turned his eyes on the messenger, and replied, 
" Go and tell your master, that even should there be as 
many devils in Worms as tiles on the house-tops, still I 
would enter it."* Never, perhaps, has Luther been so 
sublime. The messenger returned to Worms with this 
astounding answer. " I was then undaunted," said Lu- 
ther, a few days before his death ; " I feared nothing. 
God can indeed render a man intrepid at any time ; but 
I know not whether I should now have so much liberty 
and joy." " When our cause is good," adds his disciple 
Mathesius, " the heart expands, and gives courage and 
energy to evangelists as well as to soldiers."f 

* Wenn so viel Teufel zu Worms waren, als Ziegel auf den Da« 
ehem noch, wollt Ich binein. L. 0pp. 17. 587. f So waobsft daf^ 
Hers im Leibe Math. p. 24. 



LUTHER ENTERS WORMS. 



24? 



CHAPTER VIII 

Entry into Worms — Death-song — Charles' council — Capito and the 
Temporizers — Luther's numerous visitors — Citation — Hiittcn it 
Luther — Luther proceeds to the Diet — Saying of FreunJsberg— 
Imposing assembly — The chancellor's speech — Luther's reply — > 
His discretion — Saying of Charles V. — Alarm — Tr umph — Lu- 
ther's firmneas — Violence of the Span ards — Advice — Luther-fl 
struggles and prayer — Strength of the Reformation — His vow to 
the Scriptures — The court of the Diet — Luther's speech — Three 
classes of writings — He requires proof of his errors — Serious 
warnings — He repeats his speech in Latin— Here I stand ; I can 
Bay no more — -The weakness of God stronger than man — A new 
attempt — Victory. 

At length, on the morning of the 16th of April, Lu- 
ther discovered the walls of the ancient city. All were 
expecting him. One absorbing thought prevailed in 
Worms. Some young nobles, Bernard of Hirschfeldt, 
Albert of Lindenau, with six knights and other gentle- 
men in the train of the princes, to the number of a hun- 
dred — if we may believe Pallavicini — unable to restrain 
their impatience, rode out on horseback to meet him, 
and surrounded him, to form an escort at the moment of 
his entrance. He drew near. Before him pranced the 
imperial herald, in full costume. Luther came next in 
his modest car. Jonas followed him on horseback, and 
the cavaliers were on both sides of him. A great crowd 
was waiting for him at the gates. It was near midday 
when he passed those walls, from which so many per- 
sons had predicted he would never come forth alive. 
Every one was at table ; but as soon as the watchman 
Dn the tower of the cathedral sounded his trumpet, all 
ran into the streets to see the monk. Luther was n-^w 
in Worms. 

Two thousand persons accompanied him through the 
streets of the city. The citizens eagerly pressed for- 
ward t > see him ; every moment the crowd was increas- 
ing. It was much greater than at the public entry of 



248 HISTORY OF THE RiSFORMATIOir. 



the emperor. On a sudden, says a historian, a man 
dressed in a singular costume, and bearing a large cross, 
such as is employed in funeral processions, made way 
through the crowd, advanced towards Luther, and then 
with a loud voice, and in that plaintive, measured tone 
in which mass is said for the repose of the soul, he sang 
these words as if he were uttering them from the abode 
of the dead : 

Advenisti, 0 desiderabilisl 
Quern expectabamus in tenebrisl* 

Thus a requiem was Luther's welcome to Worms. It 
was the court-fool of one of the dukes of Bavaria, who, 
if the story be true, gave Luther one of those warnings, 
replete at once with sagacity and irony, of which so 
many examples have been recorded of these personages. 
But the shouts of the multitude soon drowned the De 
Profundis of the cross-bearer. The procession made its 
way with diflSculty through the crowd. At last, the 
herald of the empire stopped before the hotel of the 
knights of Rhodes. There resided the two councillors 
of the elector, Frederick of Thun and Philip of Feilitsch, 
as well as the marshal of the empire, Ulrich of Pappen- 
heim. Luther alighted from his car, and said as he 
touched the ground, " God will be my defence."f " I 
entered Worms in a covered wagon, and in my monk's 
gown," said he at a later period. " All the people came 
out into the streets to get a sight of Friar Martin."| 

The news of his arrival filled both the elector ol 
Saxony and Aleander with alarm. The young and grace- 
ful Archbishop Albert, who kept a middle position be- 
tween the two parties, was confounded at such boldness. 
"If I had possessed no more courage than he," said 
Lutlier, " it is true they would never have seen me at 
Worms." 

('harles V. immediately summoned his council. The 
smperor's privy-councillors hastily repaired to the palace, 

* At last thou art come, long looked-for one, whom we have wait* 
ed for in the darkness of the grave. M. Adami Vita Luthen, p. 118i 
t Deufl stabit pro me. PaUav. 1. 114. % L. 0pp. 17. 687. 



OAPITO AND THE TEMPORIZERS. 



249 



for the alarm had reached them also. " Luther is come,'' 
said Charles ; " what must we do 

Modo, bishop of Palermo, and chancellor of Flanders, 
replied, if we may credit the testimony of Luther him- 
self, " We have long consulted on this matter. Let 
your imperial majesty get rid of this man at once. Did 
not Sigismund cause J ohn Huss to be burnt ? We are 
not bound either to give or to observe the safe-conduct 
of a heretic."* No," said Charles, " we must keep our 
promise." They submitted, therefore, to the reformer's 
appearance before the diet. 

While the councils of the great were thus agitated on 
account of Luther, there were many persons in Worms 
who were delighted at the opportunity of at length be- 
holding this illustrious servant of God. Capito, chaplain 
and councillor to the archbishop of Mentz, was the foremost 
among them. This remarkable man, who shortly before 
had preached the gospel in Switzerland with great free- 
dom,f thought it becoming to the station he filled to act 
in a manner which led to his being accused of cowardice 
by the Evangelicals, and of dissimulation by the Roman- 
ists.J Yet at Mentz he had proclaimed the doctrine of 
grace with much clearness. At the moment of his de- 
parture, he had succeeded in supplying his place by a 
young and zealous preacher named Hedio. The word of 
God was not bound in that city, the ancient seat of the 
primacy of the German church. The gospel was listened 
to with eagerness ; in vain did the monks endeavor to 
preach from the holy Scriptures after their manner, and 
employ all the means in their power to check the im- 
pulse given to men^s minds ; they could not succeed.§ 
But while proclaiming the new doctrine, Capito attempted 
to keep friends with those who persecuted it. He flat- 
tered himself, as others did who shared in his opinions, 

* Dass Thre Majest'at den Luther aufs erste beyseit whate und uni' 
hringei liess. ... L. 0pp. 17. 687. f See below, Book VIII. 

t Astutiaplusquam vulpina vehementer callidum .. Lutheria* 
mum versutissime dissimulabat. Cochlceus, p. 36. § Evangelium 
Budiunt avidissime. Yerbum Dei alllgf\tum non est. . . . Caspar 
Hodio, Zw. Epp. p. 157. 



250 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOH 



that he might in this way be of great service to the 
church. To judge by their talk, if Luther was not burnt, 
if all the Lutherans were not excommunicated, it was 
owing to Capito's influence with the Archbishop Albert.* 
Cochloeus, dean of Frankfort, who reached Worms about 
the same time as Luther, immediately waited on Capito. 
The latter, who was outwardly at least, on very friendly 
terms with Aleander, presented Cochloeus to him, thus 
serving as a -link between the two greatest enemies of 
the reformer.f Capito no doubt thought he was advanc- 
ing Christ's cause by all these temporizing expedients, 
but we cannot find that they led to any good result. The 
event almost always baffles these calculations of human 
wisdom, and proves that a decided course, while it is 
the most frank, is also the wisest. 

Meantime the crowd still continued round the hotel 
of Rhodes, where Luther had alighted. To some he was 
a prodigy of wisdom, to others a monster of iniquity. 
All the city longed to see him.J They left him, how- 
ever, the first hours after his arrival to recruit his 
strength, and to converse with his most intimate friends. 
But as soon as the evening came, counts, barons, knights, 
gentlemen, ecclesiastics, and citizens, flocked about him. 
AH, even his greatest enemies, were struck with the 
boldness of his manner, the joy that seemed to animate 
him, the power of his language, and that imposing ele- 
vation and enthusiasm which gave this simple monk an 
irresistible authority. But while some ascribed this gran- 
deur to something divine, the friends of the pope loudly 
exclaimed that he was possessed by a devil. § Visitors 
rapidly succeeded each other, and this crowd of curious 
individuals kept Luther from his bed until a late hour of 
the night. 

• Lutherus in hoc districtu dudum esset combustas, Luthemo! 
irotjwayuyoi, nisi Capito aliter persuasisset principi. Caspar Eledio, 
Zw. Epp. p. 148. t Hie (Capito) ilium (Cochloeum) insinuavit 

Hieronymo Aleaadro, nuacio Leonis X. Cochloeus p. 36. 

X Eadem die tota civitas solicite confluxit. Pallav. 1. 114. 

§ Nescio quid divinum suspicabantur ; ex adverso alii malo 
itonone obsessum existimabant. Ibid. 



HUTTEN'S LETTER TO LUTHEE. 251 



On the next morning, Wednesday the 1 7th of April, 
the hereditary marshal of the empire, Ulrich of Pappen- 
heim, cited him to appear at four in the afternoon before 
his imperial majesty and the states of the empire. Lu- 
ther received this message with profound respect. 

Thus every thing was arranged ; he was about to 
stand for Jesus Christ before the most august assembly 
in the world. Encouragements were not wanting to 
him. The impetuous knight Ulrich Hutten was then in 
the castle of Ebernburg. Unable to visit Worms — ^for 
Leo X. had called upon Charles V. to send him bound 
hand and foot to Rome — he resolved at least to stretch 
out the hand of friendship to Luther ; and on this very 
day, the 17th of April, he wrote to him, adopting the lan- 
guage of a king of Israel * The Lord hear thee in the 
day of trouble ; the name of the God of Jacob defend 
thee. Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen 
thee out of Zion. Grant thee according to thine own 
heart, and fulfil all thy counsel/ Dearly beloved Lu- 
ther, my venerable father, .... fear not, and stand firm. 
The counsel of the wicked has beset you, and they have 
opened their mouths against you like roaring lions. But 
the Lord will arise against the unrighteous, and put 
them to confusion. Fight therefore valiantly in Christ's 
cause. As for me, I too will combat boldly. Would to 
God that I were permitted to see how they frown. But 
the Lord will purge his vineyard, which the wild boar of 
the forest has laid waste. . . . May Christ preserve you."f 
Bucer did what Hutten was unable to do ; he came from 
Ebernburg to Worms, and did not leave his friend dur- 
ing the time of his sojourn in that city. J 

Four o'clock arrived. The marshal of the empire 
appeared ; Luther prepared to set out with him. He 
was agitated at the thought of the solemn congress bo- 
fore which he was about to appear The herald walked 
first ; after him the marshal of the empire ; and the 
reformer came last. The crowd that filled the streets 
was still greater than on the preceding day. It was 

• David in the 20th Psalm. f Servet te Christus. L. Oppk 
%, 175. t Bucerus eodem venit. M. Adami Vita Buceri, p. 212. 



262 HISTORT OF THE REFOEMATIOK. 



impossible to advance ; in vain were orders given to 
make way ; the crowd still kept increasing. At length 
the herald, seeing the difficulty of reaching the town- 
hall, ordered some private houses to be opened, and led 
Luther through the gardens and private passages to the 
place where the diet was sitting.* The people who wit- 
nessed this, rushed into the houses after tlie monk of 
Wittemberg, ran to the windows that overlooked the 
gardens, and a great number climbed on the roofs. The 
tops of the houses and the pavements of the streets, 
above and below, all were covered with spectators.f 

Having reached the town-hall at last, Luther and 
those who accompanied him were again prevented by 
the crowd from crossing the threshold. They cried, 
" Make way, make way,'' but no one moved. Upon this 
the imperial soldiers by main force cleared a road, 
through which Luther passed. As the people rushed 
forward to enter with him, the soldiers kept them back 
with their halberds. Luther entered the interior of the 
hall ; but even there, every corner was crowded. In 
the antechambers and embrasures of the windows there 
were more than five thousand spectators, Germans, Ital- 
ians, Spaniards, and others. Luther advanced with dif- 
ficulty. At last, as he drew near the door which was 
about to admit him into the presence of his judges, he 
met a valiant knight, the celebrated George of Freunds- 
berg, who, four years later, at the head of his German 
lansquenets, bent the knee with his soldiers on the field 
of Favia, and then charging the left of the French army, 
drove it into the Ticino, and in a great measure decided 
the captivity of the king of France. The old general^ 
seeing Luther pass, tapped him on the shoulder, and 
shaking his head, blanched in many battles, said kindly, 
" Poor monk, poor monk, thou art now going to make a 
nobler stand than I or any other captains have ever made 
in the bloodiest of our battles. But if thy cause is just, 
and thou art sure of it, go forward in God^s name, and 

* Und ward also durch heimliche Gange gefubrt. L. Qpp. L, 
17. 574. t Doch lief das Yolk haufig zu, uud stieg sogar auf 

Dachar. Seok. p. S48. 



AN IMPOSINa ASSEMBL-X. 



253 



fear nothing. God will not forsake thee."* A noble 
tribute of respect paid by the courage of the sword to 
the courage of the mind. " He that ruleth his spirit is 
greater than he that taketh a city," Pro v. 16 : 32, were 
the words of a kiug. 

At length the doors of the hall were opened. Luthei 
went in, and with him entered many persons who formed 
no portion of the diet. Never had man appeared before 
so imposing an assembly. The Emperor Charles V., 
whose sovereignty extended over great part of the old 
and new world ; his brother the Archduke Ferdinand ; 
six electors of the empire, most of whose descendants 
now wear the kingly crown ; twenty-four dukes, the 
majority of whom were independent sovereigns over 
countries more or less extensive, and among whom 
were some whose names afterwards became formidable 
to the Reformation, the Duke of Alva and his two sons ; 
eight margraves ; thirty archbishops, bishops, and ab- 
bots ; seven ambassadors, including those from the kings 
of France and England ; the deputies of ten free cities ; 
a great number of princes, counts, and sovereign barons ; 
the papal nuncios — in all, two hundred and four persons : 
such was the imposing court before which appeared 
Martin Luther. 

This appearance was of itself a signal victory over 
the papacy. The pope had condemned the man, and he 
was now standing before a tribunal which, by this very 
act, set itself above the pope. The pope had laid him 
under an interdict, and cut him off from all human so- 
ciety ; and yet he was summoned in respectful lan- 
guage, and received before the most august assembly 
in the world. The pope had condemned him to perpetual 
silence, and he was now about to speak before thousands 
of attentive hearers drawn together from the farthest 
parts of Christendom. An immense revolution had thus 
been effected by Luther's instrumentality. Rome was 

• Monchlein I Monchlein ! du gehest jetzt einen Gang, einen sol- 
chen Stand zu thun, dergleichen ich und mancher Obrister, auch in 
onser allerernstesten Schlacht-Oydnung nicht gethan hab^u. . • 
Oeck. p. 34^ 



254 HISTOET OP THE EEFOEMATION. 



already descending from her throne, and it was the voioe 
of a monk that caused this humiliation. 

Some of the princes, when they saw the emotion of 
this son of the lowly miner of Mansfeldt in the presence 
of this assembly of kings, approached him kindly, and 
one of them said to him, " Fear not them which kill the 
body, but are not able to kill the soul.'' And another 
added, "When ye shall be brought before governors 
and kings for my sake, the Spirit of your Father shall 
speak in you."* Thus was the reformer comforted with 
his Master's words by the princes of this world. 

Meanwhile the guards made way for Luther. He 
advanced, and stood before the throne of Charles V. 
The sight of so august an assembly appeared for an 
instant to dazzle and intimidate him. AH eyes were 
fixed on him. The confusion gradually subsided, and a 
deep silence followed. " Say nothing," said the marshal 
of the empire to him, " before you are questioned." Lu 
ther was left alone. 

After a moment of solemn silence, the chancellor of 
the archbishop of Treves, John ab Eck, the friend of 
Aleander, and who must not be confounded with the 
theologian of the same name, rose and said with a loud 
and clear voice, first in Latin and then in German, 
" Martin Luther, his sacred and invincible imperial maj- 
esty has cited you before his throne, in accordance with 
the advice and counsel of the states of the holy Roman 
empire, to require you to answer two questions : first, 
Do you acknowledge these books to have been written 
by you ?" At the same time the imperial speaker pointed 
with his finger to about twenty volumes placed on a 
table in the middle of the hall, directly in front of Luther. 

I dc not know how they could have procured them,'' 
said Luther, relating this circumstance. It was Alean- 
der who had taken this trouble. " Secondly," continued 
the chancellor, " Are you prepared to retract these books, 
and their contents ; or do you persist in the opinions you 
have advanced in them ?" 

* Einige aus denen Reichs-Gliedera sprachen ihm einen Mathi 
mit Christi V^orten, ein. Matt. 10 : ^U, 28. S^K^keadorf, p. 348. 



LUTHER'S DISCRETION. 



255 



Lnther, having no mistrust, was about to answer the 
first of these questions in the affirmative, when his coun- 
sel, Jerome Schurff, hastily interrupting him, exclaimed 
ftloud, " Let the titles of the books be read."* 

The chancellor approached the table and read the 
titles. There were among their number many devotional 
works quite foreign to the controversy. 

Their enumeration being finished, Luther said first in 
Latin, and then in German : 

"Most gracious emperor — Gracious princes and 
lords : 

" His imperial majesty has asked me two questions. 

"As to the first, I acknowledge as mine the books 
that have just been named : I cannot deny them. 

" As to the second, seeing that it is a question which 
concerns faith and the salvation of souls, and in which 
the word of God, the greatest and most precious treas- 
ure either in heaven or earth,f is interested, I should act 
imprudently were I to reply without reflection. I might 
affirm less than the circumstance demands, or more than 
truth requires, and so sin against this saying of Christ : 
' Whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also 
deny before my Father which is in heaven.' For this 
reason I entreat your imperial majesty, with all humility, 
to allow me time, that I may answer without offending 
against the word of God." 

This reply, far from giving grounds to suppose Lu- 
ther felt any hesitation, was worthy of the reformer and 
of the assembly. It was right that he should appear 
calm and circumspect in so important a matter, and lay 
aside every thing in this solemn moment that might 
cause a suspicion of passion or rashness. Besides, by 
taking reasonable time, he would give a stronger proof 
of the unalterable firmness of his resolution. In history 
we read of many men who by a hasty expression have 
brought great misfortunes upon themselves and upon 
the world. Luther restrained his own naturally impetu- 

* Legantur tituli librorum. L. 0pp. L. 17. 588. f Wei] 

dies eine Frage vom Glaubea und der Seelen Seligkeit ist, und Gq^ 
tes Wort belanget L. 0pp. L. 17. 573. 



256 HISTOET OF THE EEFOEMATIOIT. 



ons disposition ; he controlled his tongue, ever too ready 
to speak ; he checked himself at a time when all the 
feelings by which he was animated were eager for utter- 
ance. This restraint, this calmness, so surprising in 
such a man, multiplied his strength a hundred-fold, and 
put him in a position to reply, at a later period, with 
Buch wasdom, power, and dignity, as to deceive the ex* 
pectations of his adversaries, and confound their malice 
and their pride. 

And yet, because he had spoken in a respectful man- 
ner, and in a low tone of voice, many thought that he 
hesitated, and even that he was dismayed. A ray of 
hope beamed on the minds of the partisans of Rome. 
Charles, impatient to know the man whose words had 
stirred the empire, had not taken his eyes off him. He 
turned to one of his courtiers, and said disdainfully, 
" Certainly this man will never make a heretic of me."* 
Then rising from his seat, the youthful emperor withdrew 
with his ministers into a council-room ; the electors with 
the princes retired into another ; and the deputies of the 
free cities into a third. When the diet assembled again, 
it was agreed to comply with Luther's request. This 
was a great miscalculation in men actuated by passion. 

" Martin Luther," said the Chancellor of Treves, " hia 
imperial majesty, of his natural goodness, is very will- 
ing to grant you another day, but under condition that 
you make your reply viva voce, and not in writing." 

The imperial herald now stepped forward and con- 
ducted Luther back to his hotel. Menaces and shouts 
of joy were heard by turns on his passage. The most 
sinister rumors circulated among Luther's friends. " The 
diet is dissatisfied," said they; "the papal envoys have 
triumphed ; the reformer will be sacrificed." Men's pa»^ 
fiions were inflamed. Many gentlemen hastened to La 
tiler's lodgings : " Doctor," said they, with emotion^ 
wliat is this ? It is said they are determined to burn 
you l"f . , . . "If they do so," continued these knights, 

* Hie eerie nunquam efficeret ut haeretieus evaderem. Pallav. 
1. 115. f Wie geht's? man sagt, eie wolleu eueh verbreonen. . . 
L. 0pp. L. 17 588. 



VIOLENCE OF THE SPANISH SOLDIERS. 257 



" it will cost them their lives." " And that certainly 
would have happened," said Luther, as, twenty years 
after, he quoted these words at Eisleben. 

On the other hand, Luther^s enemies exulted. "He 
has asked for time," said they ; he will retract. At a 
distance his speech was arrogant ; now his courage fail 
him. ... He is conquered." 

Perhaps Luther was the only man that felt tranquil 
at Worms. Shortly after his return from the diet, he 
wrote to Cuspianus, the imperial councillor : " I write 
to you from the midst of the tumult" — alluding probably 
to the noise made by the crowd in front of the hotel. " I 
have just made my appearance before the emperor and 
his brother.* ... I confessed myself the author of my 
books, and declared that I would reply to-morrow toucti- 
ing my retraction. With Christ's help, I shall never 
retract one tittle of my works."f 

The emotion of the people and of the foreign soldiers 
increased every hour. While the opposing parties were 
proceeding calmly in the diet, they were breaking out 
into acts of violence in the streets. The insolence of the 
haughty and merciless Spanish soldiers offended the citi- 
zens. One of these myrmidons of Charles, finding in a 
bookseller's shop the pope's bull with a commentary 
written by Hutten, took the book and tore it in pieces, 
and then throwing the fragments on the ground, tram- 
pled them under foot. Others having discovered several 
copies of Luther's writing on the Captivity of Babylon^ 
took them away and destroyed them. The indignant 
people fell upon the soldiers, and compelled them to take 
to flight. At another time, a Spaniard on horseback 
pursued, sword in hand, through one of the principal 
streets of Worms, a German who fled before him, and the 
affrighted people dared not stop the furious man. J 

Some politicians thought they had found means of 
saving Luther. " Retract your doctrinal errors," said 
they ; " but persist in all that you have said against the 

• Hao hora coram Caesare et fratre Romano constiti. L. Epp. L 
587. t Verum ego ne apicem quidem revocabo. L. Epp 1. f^87 
I Kappens Ref. Urkuaden., 2. 448. 

17 



258 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOK 



pope and his court, and you are safe." Aleander shud- 
dered with alarm at this counsel. But Luther, immova* 
ble in his resolution, declared that he had no great opin- 
ion of a political reform that was not based upon faith. 

Glapio, the chancellor ab Eck, and Aleander, by 
Charles' order, met early on the morning of the 18tb to 
concert the measures to be taken with regard to Luther, 

For a moment Luther had felt dismay, when he waa 
about to appear the preceding day before so august an 
assembly. His heart had been troubled in the presence 
of so many great princes, before whom nations humbly 
bent the knee. The reflection that he was about to re- 
fuse to submit to these men, whom God had invested 
with sovereign power, disturbed his soul ; and he felt 
the necessity of looking for strength from on high. 
The man who, when he is attacked by the enemy, pro- 
tects himself with the shield of faith," said he one day, 
"is like Perseus with the Gorgon's head. Whoever 
looked at it, fell dead. In like manner should we pre- 
sent the Son of God to the snares of the devil."* On 
the morning of the 18th of April, he was not without his 
moments of trial, in which the face of God seemed hid- 
den from him. His faith grew weak ; his enemies mul- 
tiplied before him ; his imagination was overwhelmed at 
the sight His soul was as a ship tossed by a vio- 

lent tempest, which reels and sinks to the bottom of the 
abyss, and then mounts up again to heaven. In this 
hour of bitter sorrow, in which he drinks the cup of 
Christ, and which was to him a little garden of Gethsem- 
ane, he falls to the earth, and utters these broken cries, 
which we cannot understand, unless we can figure to 
ourselves the depth of the anguish whence they ascend 
to God :t 

0 almighty and everlasting God, how terrible is 
this world I Behold, it opb^eth its mouth to swallow 
me up, and I have so little trust in thee. . . . How 
weak is the flesh, and Satan how strong 1 If it is only 
in the strength of this world that I must put my trust, 
* Also soUeii wir den Sohn Gottes ala Gorgoais ijaupt. ... L, 
0pp. W. 22. 1659. * Ree L. 0pp. L. 17. 689. 



LUTHER'S PKArEK. 



259 



all is over My last hour is come,* my condemna- 
tion has been pronounced 0 God, 0 God ! . . . . 

0 God, do thou help me against all the wisdom of the 
woild. Do this : thou shouldest do this, . . . thou alone ; 
.... for this is not my work, but thine. I have noth- 
ing to do here, nothing to contend for with these great 
ones of the world. I should desire to see my days flow 
on peaceful and happy. But the cause is thine, . . . and 
it is a righteous and eternal cause. 0 Lord, help me I 
Faithful and unchangeable God, in no man do I place 
my trust. It would be vain. All that is of man is un- 
certain ; all that cometh of man fails. ... 0 God, my 
God, hearest thou me not ? . . . My God, art thou dead ? 

No, thou canst not die. Thou only hidest thyself. 

Thou hast chosen me for this work. I know it well. . . 
Act, then, 0 God ; . . . stand at my side, for the sake of 
thy well-beloved Jesus Christ, who is my defence, my 
shield, and my strong tower." 

After a moment of silent struggle, he thus continues : 
" Lord, where stayest thou ? . . . . 0 my God, where 
art thou ? . . . . Come, come ; I am ready : . . . I am 
ready to lay down my life for thy truth, .... patient as 
a lamb. For it is the cause of justice — it is thine. . . . 

1 will never separate myself from thee, neither now nor 
through eternity. . . . And though the world should be 
filled with devils — though my body, which is still the 
work of thy hands, should be slain, be stretched upon 

the pavement, be cut in pieces, reduced to ashes, 

my soul is thine.f . . . Yes ; thy word is my assurance 
of it. My soul belongs to thee. It shall abide for 
ever with thee. . . . Amen. ... 0 God, help me 1 , . . 
Amen." 

This prayer explains Luther and the Reformation. 
History here raises the veil of the sanctuary, and dis- 
closes to our view the secret place whence strength and 
courage were imparted to this humble and despised 
man, who was the instrument of God to emancipate the 
soul and the thoughts of men, and to begin the new 

• Die Glocke ist schon gegossen : lit. the bell is already founded 
L. 0pp. L. 17. 689. t Die Seele ist dein. Ibid. 



260 HISTOEY OF THIS REFOEMATIOll . 



times. Luther and the Reformation are here broaght 
before us. We discover their most secret springs. We 
see whence their power was derived. This outpouring 
of a soul that offers itself up in the cause of truth, is to 
be found in a collection of documents relative to Luther's 
appearance at Worms, under number sixteen, in the midst 
of safe-conducts and other papers of a similar nature. 
One of his friends had no doubt overheard it, and has 
transmitted it to posterity. In our opinion, it is one of 
the most precious documents in all history. 

After he had thus prayed, Luther found that peace 
of mind without which man can effect nothing great. 
He then read the word of God, looked over his writings, 
and sought to draw up his reply in a suitable form. 
The thought that he was about to bear testimony to 
Jesus Christ and his word, in the presence of the emperor 
and of the empire, filled his heart with joy. As the hour 
for his appearance was not far off, he drew near the holy 
Scriptures that lay open on the table, and with emotion 
placed his left hand on the sacred volume, and raising 
his right towards heaven, swore to remain faithful to the 
gospel, and freely to confess his faith, even should he 
seal his testimony with his blood. After this, he felt still 
more at peace. 

At four o'clock the herald appeared and conducted 
him to the place where the diet was sitting. The curi- 
osity of tbii3 people had increased, for the answer was to 
be decisive. As the diet was occupied, Luther was com- 
pelled to wait in the court in the midst of an immense 
crowd, which swayed to and fro like the sea m a storm, 
and pressed the reformer with its waves. Two long 
hours elapsed, while the doctor stood in this multitude 
fiO eager to catch a glimpse of him. " I was not accus- 
tomed," said he, "to those manners and to all this noise."* 
It would have been a sad preparation, indeed, for an 
ordinary man. But God was with Luther. His counte* 
nance was serene ; his features tranquil ; the everlast- 
ing One had raised him on a rock. The night began to 

* Des Getiimmels uad Weseus war Ich gar nicht gewoluit. L. 
0pp. 17 636, 688. 



LUTHER'S SPEECH- 



261 



fall Torches were lighted in the hall of the assembly. 
Their glimmering rays shone through the ancient win* 
dows into the court. Every thing assumed a solemn 
aspect. At last the doctor was introduced. Many per- 
sons entered with him, for every one desired to hear his 
answer. Men's minds were on the stretch ; all impa- 
tieotly awaited the decisive moment that was approach 
tng. This time Luther was calm, free, and confident 
without the least perceptible mark of embarrassment 
His prayer had borne fruit. The princes having taken 
their seats, though not without some difficulty, for many 
of their places had been occupied, and the monk of Wit>- 
temberg finding himself again standing before Charles 
v., the chancellor of the elector of Treves began by say- 
ing: 

" Martin Luther, yesterday you begged for a delay 
that has now expired. Assuredly it ought not to have 
been conceded, as every man, and especially you, who 
are so great and learned a doctor in the holy Scriptures, 
should always be ready to answer any questions touch- 
ing his faith. . . . Now, therefore, reply to the question 
put by his majesty, who has behaved to you with so 
much mildness. Will you defend your books as a whole, 
or are you ready to disavow some of them ?" 

After having said these words in Latin, the chancel- 
lor repeated them in German. 

"Upon this. Dr. Martin Luther," say the Acts of 
WormS) "replied in the most submissive and humble 
manner. He did not bawl, or speak with violence ; but 
with decency, mildness, suitability, and moderation, and 
yet with much joy and Christian firmness."* 

"Most serene emperor, illustrious princes, gracious 
lords," said Luther, turning his eyes on Charles and oi> 
the assembly, " I appear before you this day, in con 
formity with the order given me yesterday, and by God^s 
mercies I conjure your majesty and your august high- 
nesses to listen graciously to the defence of a cause 
which I am assured is just and true. If, through igno- 

• Schreyt nicht sehr noch heftig, sondern redet fein, sittich, zuch- 
tig and bcecheideu. L. Opi^. L. 17. 576 



262 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



ranee, I should transgress the usages and proprieties 
of courts, I entreat you to pardon me ; for I was not 
brought up in the palaces of kings, but in the seclusion 
of a convent. 

" Yesterday, two questions were put to me on behalf 
of his imperial majesty : the first, if I was the author of 
the books whose titles were enumerated ; the second, il 
I would retract or defend the doctrine I had taught in 
them. To the first question I then made answer, and 1 
persevere in that reply. 

" As for the second, I have written works on many 
different subjects. There are some in which I have 
treated of faith and good works, in a manner at once so 
pure, so simple, and so scriptural, that even my adver- 
saries, far from finding any thing to censure in them, 
allow that these works are useful, and worthy of being 
read by all pious men. The papal bull, however vio- 
lent it may be, acknowledges this. If therefore I were 
to retract these, what should I do ? . . . . Wretched 
man I among all men, I alone should abandon truths 
that friends and enemies approve, and I should oppose 
what the whole world glories in confessing. . . . 

"Secondly, I have written books against the papacy, 
in which I have attacked those who, by their false doc- 
trine, their evil lives, or their scandalous example, afflict 
the Christian world, and destroy both body and soul. 
The complaints of all who fear God are confirmatory of 
this. Is it not evident that the human doctrines and 
laws of the popes entangle, torment, and vex the con- 
sciences of believers ; while the crying and perpetual 
extortions of Rome swallow up the wealth and the riches 
of Christendom, and especially of this illustrious na- 
tion ? 

" Were I to retract what I have said on this subject, 
what should I do but lend additional strength to this 
tyranny, and open the floodgates to a torient of impi- 
ety ?* Overflowing with still greater fury than before, 
we should see these insolent men increase in number, 

* Nicht allein die Fenster, sondern auch Thiir und Thor i 
that©. L. 0pp. L. 17. 673. 



DEMANDS PROOF OP ERROR. 



behave mjre tyrannically, and domineer more and more. 
And not only the yoke that now weighs upon the Chris- 
tian people would be rendered heavier by my retraction, 
but it would become, so to speak, more legitimate, for by 
this very retraction it would have received the confirma- 
tion of your most serene majesty, and of all the states of 
ihe holy empire. Gracious God, I should thus become a 
vile cloak to cover and conceal every kind of malice and 
tyranny. . . . 

Lastly, I have written books against individuals 
who desired to defend the Romish tyranny and to destroy 
the faith. I frankly confess that I may have attacked 
them with more acrimony than is becoming my ecclesi- 
astical profession. I do not consider myself a saint ; 
but I cannot disavow these writings, for by so doing I 
should sanction the impiety of my adversaries, and they 
would seize the opportunity of oppressing the people of 
God with still greater cruelty. 

Yet I am but a mere man, and not God ; I shall 
therefore defend myself as Christ did. * If I have spoken 
evil, bear witness of the evil,' John 18 : 23, said he. 
How much more should I, who am but dust and ashes, 
and who may so easily go astray, desire every man to 
state his objections to my doctrine ? 

**For this reason, by the mercy of God, I conjure 
you, most serene emperor, and you, most illustrious 
princes, and all men of every degree, to prove from the 
writings of the prophets and apostles that I have errei 
As soon as I am convinced of this, I will retract every 
error, and be the first to lay hold of my books and throw 
them into the fire. 

" What I have just said plainly shows, I hope, that I 
have carefully weighed and considered the dangers to 
which I expose myself; but, far from being dismayed, 
I rejoice to see that the gospel is now, as in former 
times, a cause of trouble and dissension. This is the 
character, this is the destiny of the word of God. *I 
came not to send peace on earth, but a sword,' said 
Jesus Christ, Matt. 10 : 34. God is wonderful and terri- 
ble in his counsels ; beware lest, by presuming to quench 



264 HISTOUY OP THE EEFORl^AtlOW . 



dissensions, you should persecute the holy word of God^ 
and draw down upon yourselves a frightful deluge of 
insurmountable dangers, of present disasters, and eternal 
desolation. . . . You should fear lest the reign of this 
young and noble prince, on whom, under God, we build 
such lofty expectations, should not only begin, but con- 
linue and close under the most gloomy auspices. I 
might quote many examples from the oracles of God,'' 
continued Luther, speaking with a noble courage in the 
presence of the greatest monarch of the world. " I might 
speak of the Pharaohs, the kings of Babylon, and those 
of Israel, whose labors never more efifectuall}' contributed 
to their own destruction than when they sought by coun- 
sels, to all appearance most wise, to strengthen their 
dominion. ' God remove th mountains, and they know it 
not ; which overturneth them in his anger.' Job 9 : 6. 

If I say these things, it is not because I think that 
such great princes need my poor advice, but because I 
desire to render unto Germany what she has a right to 
expect from her children. Thus, commending myself to 
your august majesty, and to your most serene highnesses, 
I humbly entreat you not to suffer the hatred of my ene- 
mies to pour out upon me an indignation that I have not 
merited.''* 

Luther had pronounced these words in German with 
modesty, but with great warmth and firmness ;*}* he was 
ordered to repeat them in Latin. The emperor did not 
like the German tongue. The imposing assembly that 
surrounded the reformer, the noise, and his own emotion, 
had fatigued him. " I was in a great perspiration," said 
he, heated by the tumult, standing in the midst of the 
princes." Frederick of Thun, privy councillor to the 
elector of Saxony, who was stationed by his master's 
orders at the side of the reformer, to watch over him 
that no violence might be employed against him, seeing 
the condition of the poor monk, said, " If you cannot 

* This speech, as well as all the other expressions we quote, if? 
taken literally from authentic documents. See L. 0pp. L. 17. 776- 
780. t Non clamose at modeste, non tamen sine Christiana anJ 
mositate et constantia. L. 0pp. Lat. 2. 165. 



LtTTHER»S DECISION. 



265 



repeat what you have said, that will do, doctor." But 
Luther, after a brief pause to take breath, began again, 
and repeated his speech in Latin with the same energy 
as at first.* 

"This gave great pleasure to the Elector Frederick,'' 
ga^'s the reformer. 

When he had ceased speaking, the Chancellor of 
Preves, the orator of the diet, said indignantly, "You 
have not answered the question put to you. You were 
not summoned hither to call in question the decisions of 
councils. You are required to give a clear and precise 
answer. Will you, or will you not, retract ?" Upon this 
Luther replied without hesitation, " Since your most 
serene majesty and your high mightinesses require from 
me a clear, simple, and precise answer, I will give you 
one,f and it is this : I cannot submit my faith either to 
the pope or to the councils, because it is clear as the 
day that they have frequently erred and contradicted 
each other. IJnless therefore I am convinced by the tes- 
timony of Scripture, or by the clearest reasoning — unless 
I am persuaded by means of the passages I have quoted, 
and unless they thus render my conscience bound by the 
word of God, / cannot and I will not retract, for it is 
unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience." 
And then, looking round on this assembly before which 
he stood, and which held his life in its hands, he said, 
" Here I stand, I can do no other ; may God help me. 
Amen."{ 

Luther, constrained to obey his faith, led by his con- 
science to death, impelled by the noblest necessity, the 
slave of his belief, and under this slavery still supremely 
frce^ like the ship tossed by a violent tempest, and which, 
to save that which is more precious than itself, runs and 
is dashed upon the rocks, thus uttered these sublime 
w^ords, which still thrill our hearts at an interval of three 
oenturies : thus spoke a monk before the emperor and 

• L. 0pp. Lat. 2. 165-167. f Dabo illud neque dentatum, 
neque cornutum. Ibid. 166. I will give you one that shall have 
neither horns nor teeth. % Hier stehe ich : Ich kann nicht andere 
Gott helfe mir. Amen. L. 0pp. L. 17. 680. 



266 HISTORY OP THE REFOEMATION. 

the mighty ones of the nation ; and this feeble and de- 
spised man, alone, but relying on the grace of the Most 
High, appeared greater and mightier than them all. His 
words contain a power against which all these mighty 
rulers can do nothing. This is the weakness of God, 
which is stronger than man. The empire and the church 
on the one hand, this obscure man on the other, had met. 
God had brought together these kings and these prelates 
publicly to confound their wisdom. The battle is lost, 
and the consequences of this defeat of the great ones of 
the earth will be felt among every nation and in every 
age to the end of time. 

The assembly was thunderstruck. Many of the 
princes found it difiScult to conceal their admiration. 
The emperor, recovering from his first impression, ex- 
claimed. This monk speaks with an intrepid heart and 
unshaken courage."* The Spaniards and Italians alone 
felt confounded, and soon began to ridicule a greatness 
of soul which they could not comprehend. 

" If you do not retract," said the chancellor, as soon 
as the diet had recovered from the impression produced 
by Luther's speech, " the emperor and the states of the 
empire will consult what course to adopt against an 
incorrigible heretic." At these words Luther's friends 
began to tremble ; but the monk repeated, " May Ood 
be my helper ; for I can retract nothing."^ 

After this Luther withdrew, and the princes delib- 
erated. Each one felt that this was a critical moment 
for Christendom. The yes or the no of this monk would 
decide, perhaps for ages, the repose of the church and of 
the world. His adversaries had endeavored to alarm 
him, and they had only exalted him before the nation ; 
they had thought to give greater publicity to his defeat, 
and they had but increased the glory of his victory. 
The partisans of Rome could not make up their mind to 
submit to this humiliation. Luther was again called in, 
and the orator of the diet said to him, " Martin, you have 
not spoken with the modesty becoming your position. 

* Der Monch redet unerschrocken, mit getrostexn Muth I Seek 
860 * L. Opp W. 16. 2236. 



LtTTHEll»S VICTORY 



Hie distinction you have made between your books was 
futile ; for if you retracted those that contained your 
errors, the emperor would not allow the others to be 
burnt. It is extravagant in you to demand to be re- 
futed by Scripture, when you are reviving heresies con- 
demned by the general council of Constance. The em- 
peror, therefore, c/vlls upon you to declare simply, yea 
or no, whether you presume to maintain what you have 
advanced, or whether you will retract a portion ?" " I 
have no other reply to make than that which I have 
already made,'' answered Luther, calmly. His meaning 
, was understood. Firm as a rock, all the waves of human 
power dashed ineffectually against him. The strength 
of his words, his bold bearing, his piercing eyes, the 
unshaken firmness legible on the rough outlines of his 
truly German features, had produced the deepest impres- 
sion on this illustrious assembly. There was no longer 
any hope. The Spaniards, the Belgians, and even the 
Eomans were dumb. The monk had vanquisher! these 
great ones of the earth. He had said no to the church 
and to the empire. Charles Y. arose, and all the assem- 
bly with him : The diet will meet again to-morrow to 
hear the emperor's opinion," said the chancellor with a 
loud voice. 



S6d HISTOE^ OP THE REFOEMATIOK. 



CHAPTER IX 

Tcmult and calmness — The flagon of Duke Eric — The elector anci 
Spalatin —The emperor's message — Propose 1 to violate the safe- 
conduct — Violent opposition — Enthusiasm in favor of Luther — 
Language of conciliation — Fears of the elector — Luther's numer- 
ous visitors — Philip of Hesse. 

Night had closed in. Each man retired to his home 
in darkness. Two imperial officers formed Luther's es- 
cort. Some persons imagined that his fate was decided, 
that they were leading him to prison, whence he would 
never come forth but to mount the scaffold : an immense 
tumult broke out. Several gentlemen exclaimed, "Are 
they taking him to prison?" "No," replied Luther, 
"they are accompanying me to my hotel." At these 
words the agitation subsided. Some Spanish soldiers of 
the emperor's household followed this bold man through 
the streets by which he had to pass, with shouts and 
mockery, while others howled and roared like wild 
beasts robbed of their prey.* But Luther remained 
calm and firm. 

Such was the scene at Worms. The intrepid monk, 
who had hitherto boldly braved all his enemies, spoke on 
this occasion, when he found himself in the presence of 
those who thirsted for his blood, with calmness, dignity, 
and humility. There was no exaggeration, no mere hu- 
man enthusiasm, no anger ; overflowing with the liveli- 
est emotion, he was still at peace ; modest, though with- 
standing the powers of the earth ; great in presence of 
all the grandeur of the world. This is an indisputable 
mark that Luther obeyed God, and not the suggestions 
of his own pride. In the hall of the diet there was one 
greater than Charles and than Luther. " When ye shall 
be brought before governors and kings for my sake, take 
no thought how or what ye shall speak," saith Jesus 

* Subsannatione hominem Dei et longo rugitu prosecuti uat 
L. 0pp. Lat. 2. 166. 



DUKE ERIC'S PRESENT. 



269 



Christ, "for it is not ye that speak/' Matt. 10 : 18, 20 
Never perhaps had this promise been more clearly ful- 
filled. 

A profound impression had been produced on the 
chiefs of the empire. This Luther had noticed, and it 
had increased his courage. The pope's ministers were 
provoked because John ab Eck had not sooner inter- 
rupted the guilty monk. Many lords and princes were 
won over to a cause supported with such conviction. 
With soLie, it is true, the impression was transient ; 
but others, on the contrary, who concealed their senti- 
ments at that time, at an after-period declared them- 
selves with great courage. 

Luther had returned to his hotel, seeking to recruit 
his body fatigued by so severe a trial. Spalatin and 
other friends surrounded him, and all together gave 
thanks to God. As they were conversing, a servant 
entered, bearing a silver flagon filled with Eimbeck beer. 
"My master," said he, as he offered it to Luther, "in- 
vites you to refresh yourself with this draught." " Who 
is the prince," said the Wittemberg doctor, " who so 
graciously remembers me ?" It was the aged Duke Eric 
of Brunswick. The reformer was affected by this pres- 
ent from so powerful a lord belonging to the pope's 
party. " His highness," continued the servant, "has con- 
descended to taste it before sending it to you." Upon 
this Luther, who was thirsty, poured out some of the 
duke's beer, and after drinking it, he said, " As this day 
Duke Eric has remembered me, so may our Lord Jesus 
Christ remember him in the hour of his last struggle."* 
It was a pr^^sent of trifling value ; but Luther, desirous 
of showing his gratitude to a prince who remembered 
him at S':.ch a moment, gave him such as he had — a 
prayer. The servant returned with this message to his 
master. At the moment of his death the aged duke 
called these words to mind, and addressing a young 
page, Francis of Kramm, who was standing at his bed- 
side, " Take the Bible," said he, " and read it to me.'' 
* Also gedencke seiner unser Herr Christus in seinem letztec 
Kampff. Seek p. 354 



270 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOfT. 



Th(3 child read these words of Christ, and the soul of the 
dying man was comforted : Whosoever shall give you 
a cup of water to drink in ray name, because ye belong 
to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his 
reward." 

Hardly had the duke of Brunswick's servant gone 
av^ay, before a messenger from the elector of Saxony 
came with orders for Spalatin to come to him immedi- 
ately. Frederick had gone to the diet filled with great 
uneasiness. He bad imagined that in the presence of 
the emperor Luther's courage would fail him ; and hence 
he had been deeply moved by the resolute bearing of 
the reformer. He was proud of being the protector of 
such a man. When the chaplain arrived, the table was 
spread ; the elector was just sitting down to supper 
with his court, and already the servants had brought in 
the water for their hands. As he saw Spalatin enter, 
he motioned him to follow ; and as soon as he was alone 
with the chaplain in his bedchamber, he said, " Oh, how 
father Luther spoke before the emperor, and before all 
the states of the empire 1 I only trembled lest he should 
be too bold."*^ Frederick then formed the resolution of 
protecting the doctor more courageously in future. 

Aleander saw the impression Luther had produced ; 
there was no time to lose ; he must induce the emperor 
to act with vigor. The opportunity was favorable : war 
with France was imminent. Leo X., desirous of enlarg- 
ing his states, and caring little for the peace of Christen- 
dom, was secretly negotiating two treaties at the same 
time — one with Charles against Francis, the other with 
Francis against Charles.f In the former, he claimed of 
the emperor, for himself, the territories of Parma, Plar 
centia, and Ferrara ; in the second, he stipulated with 
the king for a portion of the kingdom of Naples, which 

* O wie schon hat Pater Martinus geredet ! Seek. p. 355. 

t Giiicciardini, lib. 14. 175 ; Dumont, Corp. Dipl. vol. 4. 06. Di- 
cjesi del papa Leone, che quando Faveva fatto lega con alcuno, prima 
Boleva dir che pero non si dovea restar de tratar con lo altro principe 
opposto. Suriano, Yejnetian Ambassador at Rome, MS in the ar 
obives of Venice 



THE EMPEROR'S MESSAOB. 



271 



would thus be taken from Charles. The latter felt the 
importance of gaining Leo to his side, in order to have 
his alliance in the war against his rival of France. It 
was a mere trifle to purchase the mighty pontiff's friend- 
ship at the cost of Luther's life. 

On the day following Luther's appearance, Friday, 
April 19, the emperor ordered a message to be read to 
the diet, which he had written in French with his own 
hand.* "Descended from the Christian emperors of 
Germany," said he, "from the catholic kings of Spain, 
from the archdukes of Austria, and from the dukes of 
Burgundy, who have all been renowned as defenders of 
the Roman faith, I am firmly resolved to imitate the 
example of my ancestors. A single monk, misled by his 
own folly, has risen against the faith of Christendom. 
To stay such impiety, I will sacrifice my kingdoms, my 
treasures, my friends, my body, my blood, my soul, and 
my life.f I am about to dismiss the Augustine Luther, 
forbidding him to cause the least disorder among the 
people ; I shall then proceed against him and his adher- 
ents as contumacious heretics, by excommunication, by 
interdict, and by every means calculated to destroy 
them. J I call on the members of the states to behave 
like faithful Christians." 

This address did not please every one. Charles, 
young and hasty, had not complied with the usual forms ; 
he should first have consulted with the diet. Two ex- 
treme opinions immediately declared themselves. The 
creatures of the pope, the elector of Brandenburg, and 
several ecclesiastical princes, demanded that the safe- 
conduct given to Luther should not be respected. § " The 
Rhine," said they, " should receive his ashes, as it had 
received those of John Huss" a century ago." Charles, 
if we may credit a historian, bitterly repented in after- 

* Autographum in lingua Burgundica, ab ipsomet enaratum. 
Cochloeus, p. 32. f Regna, thesauros, amicos, corp^, sangui 

nem, vitam, spiritumque profundere. Pallavicini, 1. 118. 
t Und andern Wegen sie zu vertilgen. L. 0pp. L. 17. 58L 
§ Dass Luthero das sichere Geleit nicht mochte gehalten werdea 
^ieud. p. 357. 



272 HISTORY OF THE UEFORMATIOK. 



years that he did not adopt this infamous suggestion. 
" I confess," said he, towards the close of his life, that 
I committed a great fault by permitting Luther to live* 
I was not obliged to keep my promise with him ; that 
heretic had offended a Master greater than I — God him- 
self. I might and I ought to have broken my word, and 
lo have avenged the insult he had committed against 
God : it is because I did not put him to death that heresy 
has not ceased to advance. His death would have stifled 
it in the cradle."* 

So horrible a proposition filled the elector and all 
Luther's friends with dismay. " The punishment of John 
Huss," said the elector-palatine, " has brought too many 
misfortunes on the German nation for us ever to raise 
such a scaffold a second time." "The princes of Ger- 
many," exclaimed even George of Saxony, Luther's in- 
veterate enemy, **will not permit a safe-conduct to be 
violated. This diet, the first held by our new emperor, 
will not be guilty of so base an action. Such perfidy 
does not accord with the ancient German integrity." 
The princes of Bavaria, though attached to the church 
of Rome, supported this protest. The prospect of death 
that Luther's friends had already before their eyes ap- 
peared to recede. 

The rumor of these discussions, which lasted two 
days, circulated through the city. Party spirit ran high. 
Some gentlemen, partisans of the reform, began to speak 
firmly against the treachery solicited by Aleander. " The 
emperor," said they, " is a young man whom the papists 
and bishops by their flatteries manage at their will."f 
Pallavicini speaks of four hundred nobles ready to en- 

* Sandoval, Hist, de Carlos V., quoted in Liorente's History of 
the Inquisition, 2. 57. According to Llorente, the supposition that, 
feowards the end of his life, Charles inclined to evangelical opinions, 
Is a mere invention of the Protestants and of the enemies of Philip 
n. This question is a historical problem which Llorente's numer- 
ous quotations seem unhappily to solve entirely in accordance with 
his statements. f Earn esse puerum, qui nutu et blanditiia 

Papistarum et Episcoporum trahatur quocunque vel'nt, CochlcBU^ 
p. 33. 



ENTHUSIASM FOR LUTHEE. 



273 



force Luther's safe-condunt with the sword. On Satur- 
day morning placards were seen posted at the gates oJ 
houses and in the public places — some against Luther, 
and others in his favor. On one of them might be read 
merely these expressive words of the preacher : " Woe 
to thee, 0 land, when thy king is a child.'' Eccl. 10:16. 
Sickingen, it was reported, had assembled at a few 
leagues from Worms, behind the impregnable ramparts 
of his strong-hold, many knights and soldiers, and was 
only waiting to know the result of the affair before pro- 
ceeding to action. The enthusiasm of the people, not 
only in Worms, but also in the most distant cities of the 
empire the intrepidity of the knights ; the attachment 
felt by many princes to the cause of the reformer, were 
all of a nature to show Charles and the diet that the 
course suggested by the Romanists might compromise 
the supreme authority, excite revolts, and even shake 
the empire.f It was only the burning of a simple monk 
that was in question ; but the princes and the partisans 
of Rome had not, all together, sufficient strength ot 
courage to do this. There can be no doubt, also, that 
Charles V., who was then young, feared to commit per- 
jury. This would seem to be indicated by a saying, if it 
is true, which, according to some historians, he uttered 
on this occasion : " Though honor and faith should be 
banished from all the world, they ought to find a refuge 
in the hearts of princes." It is mournful to reflect that 
he may have forgotten these words when on the brink 
of the grave. But other motives besides may have influ- 
enced the emperor. The Florentine Vettori, the friend 
of Leo X. and of Machiavelli, asserts that Charles spared 
Luther only that he might thus keep the pope in check. J 

* Verum ^^tiain in longinquis Germaniae civitatibus, motus ei 
murmura plebium. Cochloeus, p. 33. f Es ware eia Aufruhi 

daraus worden, says Luther. Thereupon an insurrection would have 
broken out. X Carlo si excuso di non poter procedere piu oltre, 
rispetto al ealvocondotto ; ma la verita fu che conoscendo che il Pa* 
pa temeva molto di questa doctrina di Luthero, lo voile tenere con 
questo freno. Vettori, Istoria dltalia, MS. in the Corsini Library 
G^t Rome, extracted by Ranke. 

l8 



274 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



In the sitting of Saturday, the violent propositions 
of Aleander were rejected. Luther was beloved ; there 
was a general desire to preserve this simple-minded 
man, whose confidence in God was so affecting ; but 
there was also a desire to save the church. Men shud- 
dered at the thought of the consequences that might 
ensue, as well from the triumph as from the punishment 
of the reformer. Plans of conciliation were put forward j 
it was proposed to make a new effort with the doctor of 
Wittemberg. The archbishop-elector of Mentz himself, 
the young and extravagant Albert, more devout than 
bold, says Pallavicini,* had become alarmed at the in- 
terest shown by the people and nobility towards the 
Saxon monk. Oapito, his chaplain, who during his so- 
journ at Basle had formed an intimacy with the evangel- 
ical priest of Zurich named Zwingle, a bold man in the 
defence of truth, and of whom we have already had 
occasion to speak, had also, there can be no doubt, rep- 
resented to Albert the justice of the reformer's cause. 
The worldly archbishop had one of those returns to Chris- 
tian sentiments which we sometimes notice in his life, 
and consented to wait on the emperor, to ask permis- 
sion to make a last attempt. But Charles refused every 
thing. On Monday, the 22d of April, the princes went 
in a body to repeat Albert's request. " I will not depart 
from what I have determined," replied the emperor. " I 
will authorize no one to communicate officially with Lu- 
ther. But," added he, to Aleander's great vexation, " I 
will grant that man three days for reflection ; during 
which time, you may exhort him privately."f This was 
all that they required. The reformer, thought they, 
elevated by the solemnity of his appearance before tho 
diet, will give way in a more friendly conference, and 
perhaps will be saved from the abyss into which he is 
about to fall. 

The elector of Saxony knew the contrary, and hence 
was filled with apprehension. " If it were in my power,'' 
wrote he the next day to his brother Duke John, "I 

* Qui pio magis animo erat quam forti. Pallas, p. 118. 

+ Quibus privatim oxbortari. hominem pc^jsent Ibid. 119. 



PHILIP OF HESSK. 



275 



should be ready to defend Luther. You caunot imagine 
how fai the partisans of Rome carry their attacks against 
me. Were I to tell you all, you would hear some most 
astonishing matters.* They are resolved upon his de- 
struction ; and whoever manifests any interest for his 
safety, is immediately set down as a heretic. May God, 
who never abandons the cause of justice, bring all things 
to a happy end." Frederick, without showing his kindly 
feelings towards the reformer, confined himself to ob- 
serving every one of his movements. 

It was not the same with men of every rank in 
society who were then at Worms. They fearlessly dis- 
played their sympathy. On Friday, a number of princes, 
counts, barons, knights, gentlemen, ecclesiastics, lay- 
men, and of the common people, collected before the 
hotel where the reformer was staying ; they went in and 
out, one after another, and could hardly satiate them- 
selves with gazing on him.f He had become the man 
of Germany. Even those who thought him in error 
were affected by the nobleness of soul that led him to 
sacrifice his life to the voice of his conscience. With 
many persons then present at Worms, the chosen men 
of the nation, Luther held conversations abounding in 
that salt with which all his words were seasoned. None 
quitted him without feeling animated by a generous 
enthusiasm for the truth. "How many things I shall 
have to tell you," wrote George Vogler, private secre- 
tary to Casimir, margrave of Brandenburg, to one of his 
friends. "What conversations, how full of piety and 
kindness, has Luther had with me and others. What a 
charming person he is." J 

One day a young prince, seventeen years of age, 
came prancing into the court of the hotel ; it was Philip, 
who for two years had ruled in Hesse. This youthful 
sovereign was of prompt and enterprising character, 
wise beyond his years, warlike, impetuous, and unwill- 
ing to be guided by any ideas but his own. Struck by 

♦ Wunder horen werden. Seckend. p. 365. f Und konntec 
mdit satt werden ihn zu sehen. L. 0pp. 17. 581. | Wie ein^ 
boldfielige Porson er ist Meuzel, Magaz. 1. 207* 



276 HISTOEY OF THE EEFORMATIOK. 



Luther's speeches, he wished to have a nearer view of 
him. "He, however, was not yet on my side," said 
Liitlier, as he related this circumstance * He leaped 
from his horse, unceremoniously ascended to the i eform- 
er's chamber, and addressing him, said, Wel'i, dear 
doctor, how goes it?" Gracious lord," answered Lu- 
ther, " I hope all will go well." " From what I hear ol 
you, doctor," resumed the landgrave, smiling, "you 
teach that a woman may leave her husband and take 
another, when the former is become too old." It was 
some members of the imperial court who had told this 
story to the landgrave. The enemies of truth never fail 
to invent and propagate fables on the pretended doc- 
trines of Christian teachers. "No, my lord," replied 
Luther seriously ; " I entreat your highness not to talk 
thus." Upon this the young prince hastily held out his 
hand to the doctor, shook it heartily, and said, "Dear 
doctor, if you are in the right, may God kelp you." He 
then left the room, sprung on his horse, and rode off 
This was the first interview between these two men, 
who were afterwards destined to be at the head of the 
Reformation, and to defend it — the one with the sword 
of the word, the other with the sword of princes. 

* War noch nicht auf meiner Seite, L. 0pp. 17, 589. 



THE AECHBISHOP OF TREVES, 277 



CHAPTER X. 

Ccisfierence with the archbishop of Treves — ^Wehe's exhortation to 
Luther— Luther's replies — Private conversation — Visit of Coch- 
loeus — Supper at the archbishop's — Conference at the hotel of the 
knights of Rhodes — A council proposed — Luther's last interview 
with the archbishop — ^Visit to a sick friend — Luther receivei 
ordeis to leave Worms — Luther's departure. 

Richard of Greiffenklau, archbishop of Treves, had 
with the permission of Charles V. undertaken the office 
of mediator. Richard, who was on very intimate terms 
with the elector of Saxony, and a good Roman-catholic, 
desired by settling this affair to render a service to his 
friend as well as to his church. On Monday evening, 
April 22d, just as Luther was sitting down to table, a 
messenger came from the archbishop, informing him that 
this prelate desired to see him on the next morning but 
one, Wednesday, at six o'clock. 

The chaplain, and Sturm the imperial herald waited 
on Luther before six o'clock on that day. But as early 
as four in the morning, Aleander had sent for Cochlceus. 
The nuncio had soon discovered in the man whom Capito 
had introduced to him, a devoted instrument of the court 
of Rome, on whom he might count as upon himself. As 
he could not be present at this interview, Aleander de- 
sired to find a substitute. " Go to the residence of the 
archbishop of Treves," said he to the dean of Frankfort ; 
"do not enter into discussion with Luther, but listen 
attentively to all that is said, so as to give me a faithful 
report."* The reformer with some of his friends arrived 
at the archbishop's, where he found the prelate sur- 
rounded by Joachim, margrave of Brandenburg, Duke 
George of Saxony, the bishops of Brandenburg and Augs- 
burg, with several nobles, deputies of the free cities, 
lawyers, and theologians, among whom were Cochloeua 

• Aleander, mane hora quarta vocaverit ad se CochloBum, jubeiui 
Ut . . audiret Bclum. . . . Cochlosus, p. 36. 



278 HISTORY OP THE REFORMATION 



and Jerome Wehe, chancellor of Baden. This skilful 
lawyer was anxious for a reformation in morals and dis- 
cipline ; he even went further : " The word of God," said 
he, " that has been so long hidden under a bushel, must 
reappear in all its brightness."* It was this concilia- 
tory person who was charged with the conference. Turn- 
ing kindly to Luther, he said, " We have not sent for 
you to dispute with you, but to exhort you in a fraternal 
tone. You know how carefully the Scriptures call upon 
us to beware of * the arrow that flieth by day, and the 
destruction that wasteth at noonday.' That enemy of 
mankind has excited you to publish many things con- 
trary to true religion. Reflect on your own safety and 
that of the empire. Beware lest those whom Christ by 
his blood has redeemed from eternal death should be mis- 
led by you, and perish everlastingly. ... Do not oppose 
the holy councils. If we did not uphold the decrees of 
our fathers, there would be nothing but confusion in the 
church. The eminent princes who hear me feel a special 
interest in your welfare ; but if you persist, then the 
emperor will expel you from the empire,*}* and no place 
in the world will offer you an asylum. . . . Reflect on 
the fate that awaits you." 

" Most serene princes," replied Luther, " I thank you 
for your solicitude on my account ; for I am but a poor 
man, and too mean to be exhorted by such great lords." J 
He then continued, " I have not blamed all the councils, 
but only that of Constance, because by condemning this 
doctrine of John Huss, * That the Christian church is the 
assembly of all those who are predestined to salvation/§ 
it has condemned this article of our faith, * I believe in 
the holy catholic church,' and the word of God itself. It 
is said my teaching is a cause of offence," added he ; '*I 
reply, that the gospel of Christ cannot be preached with- 

* Dass das Wort Gottes, welches so lange unter dem Scheffel ver» 
borgen gesteckt, heller scheine. . . . Seckend. p. 36 i. f Und aus 
dem Reich verstossen. L. 0pp. L. 17. 682 ; Sleidau, 1. 97. 

X Agnosco enlm me homuncionem longe viliorem esse quam at a 
tantls principibus. ... L. 0pp. Lat. p. 167. § Ecclesia CkrisU 
6Bt uniyersitas pnedestinatorimv Ibid. 



FIRMNESS OF LUTHER 



279 



out offence. Why then should the fear or apprehension 
of danger separate nie from the Lord, and from that divine 
woi'd which alone is truth ? No ; I would rather give up 
wy body, my blood, and my life." 

The princes and doctors having deliberated, Luther 
was again called in, and Wehe mildly resumed : ** We 
must honor the powers that be, even when they are in 
arror, and make great sacrifices for the sake of charity. 
A ad then with greater earnestness of manner, he said, 
" Leave it to the emperor^s decision, and fear not." 

Luther. I consent with all my heart that the emperor, 
the princes, and even the meanest Christian, should exam- 
ine and judge my works ; but on one condition, that they 
take the word of God for their standard. Men have noth- 
ing to do but to obey it. Do not offer violence to my 
conscience, which is bound and chained up with the holy 
Scriptures.* 

The Elector of Brandenburg. If I rightly understand 
you, doctor, you will acknowledge no other judge than 
the holy Scriptures ? 

Luther. Precisely so, my lord, and on them I take 
my stand.f 

Upon this the princes and doctors withdrew ; but the 
excellent archbishop of Treves could not make up his 
mind to abandon his undertaking. " Follow me," said 
he to Luther, as he passed into his private room ; and 
at the same time ordered John ab Eck and Cochloeus on 
the one side, and Schurff and Amsdorff on the other, to 
come after. " Why do you always appeal to Scripture 
asked Eck with warmth ; "it is the source of all here- 
sies." But Luther, says his friend Mathesius, remained 
firm as a rock which is based on the true rock — the word 
of the Lord. "The pope," replied he, "is no judge ic 
the things belonging to the word of God. Every Chris 
tiau should see and decide for himself how he ought to 
live and die."J They separated. The partisans of the 

• Sie wollten sein Gewissen, das mit Gottes Wort und heiligei 
Bchrifft gebunden and gefangen ware, nicht dringen. Matt. p. 27. 

t Ja darauf stehe ich. L. 0pp. L. 17. 588. J Ein Chrifltoja 
mez^h muKS zusehen uud richten. ... L. £pp. 1. 604. 



280 HISTORY OF THE EEFOEMATION. 



papacy felt Luther's superiority, and attributed it to 
there being no one present capable of answering him 
"If the emperor had acted wisely/' says Cochloeus, 
"when summoning Luther to Worms, he would also 
have invited theologians to refute his errors/' 

The archbishop of Treves repaired to the diet, and 
announced the failure of his mediation. The astonish- 
ment of the young emperor was equal to his indignation, 
" It is time to put an end to this business," said he. 
The archbishop pressed for two days more ; all the diet 
joined in the petition ; Charles V. gave way. Aleander, 
no longer able to r«istrain himself, burst out into violent 
reproaches.* 

While these scenes were passing in the diet, Coch- 
loeus burned to gain a victory in which kings and pre- 
lates had been unsuccessful. Although he had from 
time to time dropped a few words at the archbishop's, 
he was restrained by Aleander's injunction to keep 
silence. He resolved to find compensation, and as soon 
as he had rendered a faithful account of his mission to 
the papal nuncio, he called on Luther. He went up to 
him in the most friendly manner, and expressed the vexar 
tion he felt at the emperor's resolution. After dinner, 
the conversation became animated.f Cochloeus urged 
Luther to retract. The latter shook his head. Several 
nobles who were at table with him could hardly contain 
themselves. They were indignant that the partisans of 
Rome should insist, not upon convincing Luther by Scrip- 
ture, but on constraining him by force. " Well then," 
said Cochloeus to Luther, impatient under these re- 
proaches, "I offer to dispute publicly with you, if you 
will renounce your safe-conduct."J All that Luther 
demanded was a public disputation. What ought he to 
do ? To renounce the safe-conduct would be to endanger 
his life ; to refuse this challenge would appear to throw 
doubts on the justice of his cause. His guests perceived 

• De lis Aleander acerrime conquestus est. Pallav. 1. 120. 

t Peracto prandio. Cochloeus, p. 36. t Uiid wollte ml! 

Diir disputiren, ich sollte alleiu das Geleit aufsagen. L. 0pp. I* 
17. 68». 



VISIT FROM COCHLCEITS. 



281 



in this proposal a plot framed with Aleander, whom the 
dean of Frankfort had just quitted. One of them, VoU- 
rat of Watzdorf by name, extricated Luther from the 
embarrassment occasioned by so difficult a choice. This 
fiery lord, indignant at a snare, the sole object of which 
was to deliver Luther into the hands of the executioner,* 
rose hastily, seized the frightened priest, and pushed him 
out of the room, and blood no doubt would have been 
spilt if the other guests had not left the table at the 
same moment, and mediated between the furious knight 
and Cochloeus, who trembled with alarm.f The latter 
retired in confusion from the hotel of the knights of 
Rhodes. Most probably it was in the heat of discussion 
that these words had fallen from the dean, and there had 
been no preconcerted plan formed between him and 
Aleander to entice Luther into so treacherous a snare. 
This Cochloeus denies, and we are inclined to credit his 
testimony. And yet, just before going to Luther's lodg- 
ing, he had been in conference with Aleander. 

In the evening, the archbishop of Treves assembled 
at supper the persons who had attended that morning's 
conference ; he thought that this would be a means of 
unbending their minds, and bringing them closer to- 
gether. Luther, so firm and intrepid before arbitrators 
and judges, in private life was so good-humored and 
jovial, that they might reasonably hope any thing from 
him. The archbishop's chancellor, who had been so 
formal in his official capacity, lent himself to this new 
essay, and towards the end of the repast proposed Lu- 
ther's health. The latter prepared to return the compli- 
ment ; the wine was poured out, and according to his 
usual custom, he had made the sign of the cross on his 
glass when suddenly it burst in his hands, and the wine 
was spilt upon the table. The guests were astonished. 
"It must have contained poison," J exclaimed some of 

• Atque ita traderet eum carnificiaae. Cochloeus, p. 36. 

t Dass ihm das Blut iiber den Kopflf gelaufen ware, wo man nicht 
gewehret hatte. L. 0pp. L. 17. 589. t Es miisse Gift darinnen 
gewesen seyn. Luther does not speak of this circumstance ; but 
Easeberg, a friend of Luther's, and physiciaa to the elector John 



282 



HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOH 



Luther's friends aloud. But the doctor, withe at betray 
ing any agitation, replied with a smile, " My dear sirs, 
either this wine was not intended for me, or else it 
\*ould have disagreed with me." And then he added 
calmly, "There is no doubt the glass broke because, 
after washing it, it was dipped too soon into cold water. 
These words, although so simple, under such circum- 
itances are not devoid of grandeur, and show an unal* 
terable peace of mind. We cannot imagine that the 
Roman-catholics would have desired to poison Luther, 
especially under the roof of the archbishop of Treves. 
This repast neither estranged nor approximated the two 
parties. Neither the favor nor the hatred of men had 
any influence over the reformer's resolution ; it pro- 
ceeded from a higher source. 

On the morning of Thursday, the 25th of April, the 
Chancellor Wehe, and Doctor Peutinger of Augsburg, 
the emperor's councillor, who had shown great affection 
for Luther at the period of his interview with De Vio, 
repaired to the hotel of the knights of Rhodes. The 
elector of Saxony sent Frederick of Thun and another of 
his councillors to be present at the conference. " Place 
yourself in our hands," said with emotion both Wehe 
and Peutinger, who would willingly have made every 
sacrifice to prevent the division that was about to rend 
the church. " We pledge you our word, that this affair 
shall be concluded in a christianlike manner." " Here 
is my answer in two words," replied Luther. "I con- 
sent to renounce my safe-conduct.* I place my person 
and my life in the emperor's hands, but the word of 
God .... never." Frederick of Thun rose in emotion, 
and said to the envoys, " Is not this enough? Is not the 
sacrifice large enough ?" And after declaring he would 
not Lear a single word more, he left the room. Upon 
this, Wehe and Peutinger, hoping to succeed more easily 
with the doctor, came and sat down by his side. Place 
yourself in the hands of the diet," said they. •'No," 
Frederick, mentions it in a manuscript in the library at Gotha, ami 
Bayit that he had it from an eye-witness. * £r wollte ehe dae Qo 
Uit aufaagen. ... L. 0pp. L. 17. 689. 



CONFERENCE AT THE HOTEL. 283 



replied he, "for * cursed be the man that trusteth in 
man.'" Jer. 17 : 5. Wehe and Peutinger became more 
earnest in their exhortations and attacks ; they urged 
the reformer more pressingly. Luther, wearied out, rose 
and dismissed them, saying, "I will never permit any 
man to set himself above the word of God."* " Reflect 
apon our proposal," said they, as they withdrew ; ** we 
will return in the evening." 

They came ; but feeling convinced that Luther would 
not give way, they brought a new proposition. Luther 
had refused to acknowledge, first the pope, then the 
emperor, and lastly the diet ; there still remained one 
judge whom he himself had once demanded — a general 
council. Doubtless such a proposal would have offended 
Rome ; but it was their last hope of safety. The dele- 
gates offered a council to Luther. The latter might 
have accepted it without specifying any thing. Years 
would have passed away before the difficulties could 
have been set aside which the convocation of a council 
would have met with on the part of the pope. To gain 
time was for the reformer and the Reformation to gain 
every thing. God and the lapse of years would have 
brought about great changes. But Luther set plain 
dealing above all things ; he would not save himself at 
the expense of truth, even were silence alone necessary 
to dissemble it. " I consent," replied he, but" — and to 
make such a request was to refuse a council — " on con- 
dition that the council shall decide only according to 
Scripture."! 

Peutinger and Wehe, not imagining that a council 
could decide otherwise, ran quite overjoyed to the arch- 
bishop. Doctor Martin," said they, " submits his books 
to a council." The archbishop was on the point of car- 
rying these glad tidings to the emperor, when he felt 
Bome doubt, and ordered Luther to be brought to him. 

Richard of Greiffenklau was alone when the doctor 
arrived. " Dear doctor," said the archbishop, with great 

• Er woUte kurtzum Measchen iiber Gottes Wort nicht erkennen. 
L. 0pp. L. 17. 583. ^ Dassdariiber aus der heiligen Schrilft g» 
sproohen. Ibid. 584. 



284 HISTORY 0^ THE REPOJlMATlOlff. 



kindness and feeling,* " my doctors inform me that yon 
consent to submit unreservedly your cause to a coun- 
cil." " My lord," replied Luther, I can endure every 
thing, but I cannot abandon the holy Scriptures." The 
bishop perceived that Wehe and Peutinger had stated 
the matter incorrectly. Rome could never consent to a 
council that decided only according to Scripture. "It 
was like telling a short-sighted man," says Pallavicini, 
" to read very small print, and at the same time refusing 
him a pair of spectacles."f The worthy archbishop 
sighed : " It was a fortunate thing that I sent for you," 
said he. " What would have become of me, if I had im- 
mediately carried this news to the emperor ?" 

Luther's immovable firmness and inflexibility are 
doubtless surprising ; but they will be understood and 
respected by all those who know the law of God. Sel* 
dom has a nobler homage been paid to the unchangeable 
word from heaven ; and that, too, at the peril of the 
liberty and life of the man who bore this testimony. 

"Well, then," said the venerable prelate to Luther, 
" point out a remedy yourself." 

Luther, after a moment's silence. My lord, I know no 
better than this of Gamaliel : * If this work be of men, it 
will come to naught ; but if it be of God, ye cannot over- 
throw it ; lest haply ye be found even to fight against 
God.' Let the emperor, the electors, the princes, and 
Bitates of the empire, write this answer to the pojje. 

The Archbishop. Retract at least some articles. 

Luther. Provided they are none of those which the 
council of Constance has already condemned. 

The Archbishop. I am afraid it is precisely those that 
you would be called upon to retract. 

Luther. In that case I would rather lose my life — 
rather have my arms and legs cut off, than forsake the 
clear and true word of God.J 

The archbishop understood Luther at last. "You 
may retire," said he, still with the same kind manner. 

* Gunz gut und mehr denn gnadig. L. Epp. 1. 604. f Simul- 
que conspiciliorum omnium usum negare. lb. 110. X Eh® Stumpf 
and Stiel fahren lassen. ... L. 0pp. L. 17. 584. 



OEDER TO LEAVE WORMS. 



285 



" My lord,'* resumed Luther, " may I beg you to bavf 

the goodness to see that his majesty provides me with 
the safe-conduct necessary for my return." I will see 
tz it," replied the good archbishop, and so they parted. 

Thus ended these negotiations. The whole empire 
had turned towards this man* with the most ardent 
prayers and with the most terrible threats, and he had 
not faltered. His refusal to bend beneath the iron yoke 
of the pope emancipated the church and began the new 
times. The interposition of Providence was manifest. 
This is one of those grand scenes in history over which 
hovers and rises the majestic presence of the Divinity. 

Luther withdrew in company with Spalatin, who had 
arrived at the archbishop^s during the interview. John 
Minkwitz, councillor to the elector of Saxony, had fallen 
ill at Worms. The two friends went to visit him. Lu- 
ther gave the sick man the most affectionate consoler 
tions. "Farewell," said he, as he retired; "to-morrow 
I shall leave Worms." 

Luther was not deceived. Hardly had he returned 
three hours to the hotel of the knights of Khodes, when 
the Chancellor ab Eck, accompanied by the imperial 
chancellor and a notary, appeared before him. 

The chancellor said to him, "Martin Luther, his im- 
perial majesty, the electors, princes, and states of the 
empire, having at sundry times and in various forms 
exhorted you to submission, but always in vain, the 
emperor, in his capacity of advocate and defender of the 
Catholic faith, finds himself compelled to resort to other 
measures. He therefore commands you to return home 
in the space of twenty-one days, and forbids you to dis- 
turb the public peace on your road, either by preaching 
or by writing." 

Luther felt clearly that this message was the begin^ 
ning of his condemnation : "As the Lord pleases," an- 
swered he meekly, " blessed be the name of the Lord." 
He then added, "Before all things, humbly and from the 
bottom of my heart do I thank his majesty, the electors, 
princes, and other states of the empire, for having Us* 

* Totam imperium se conyersam spectabat. Pallay. I 120 



286 HISTOHY OF THE EEFORMATIOK. 

tened to me so kindly. I desire, and have ever desired 
but one thing — a reformation of the church according to 
holy Scripture. I am ready to do and to suffer every 
thing in humble obedience to the emperor's will. Life 
or death, evil or good report, it is all the same to me, 
with one reservation — the preaching of the gospel ; for, 
Bays St. Paul, the word of God must not be bound* 
The deputies retired. 

On the morning of Friday, the 26th of April, the 
friends of the reformer with several lords met at Lti* 
ther's hotel.* They were delighted at seeing the Chris- 
tian firmness with which he had opposed Charles and 
the empire, and recognized in him the features of that 
celebrated portrait of antiquity : 

Justum ac tenacem propositi vlrum, 
Non civium ardor prava jubentiuin, 
Non vultus instantis tyranni 
Mente quatit solida.f .... 

They desired once more, perhaps for the last time, 
to say farewell to this intrepid monk. Luther partook 
of a humble repast. But now he had to take leave of 
his friends, and fly far from them, beneath a sky lower- 
ing with tempests. This solemn moment he desired to 
pass in the presence of God. He lifted up his soul in 
prayer, blessing those who stood around h^m.J As it 
struck ten, Luther issued from the hotel with the friends 
who had accompanied him to Worms. Twenty gentle- 
men on horseback surrounded his car. A great crowd 
of people accompanied him beyond the walls of the city. 
Some time after, he was overtaken by Sturm the impe- 
rial herald at Oppenheim, and on the next day they 
arrived at Frankfort. 

* Salutatis patronis et amicis qui earn frequentis^mi coaron^ 
rant. L. 0pp. Lat. 2. 168. 

t The man that 's resolute and just. 
Firm to his principles and trust, 
Nor hopes nor fears can bind : 
Nor parties, for revenge engaged, 
Nor threatenings of a court enraged, 
Can shake his steady mind. Horat Od. 3. d» 
} gkinQ Freonde gesegnet Mathesius, p. 27« 



LETTER TO CRANACH.. 



28T 



CHAPTER XI. 

rhe oonflict at Worms — Luther^s letter to Cranach— Luther * letter 
to Charles V. — Luther with the abbot of Hirschfeldt — The pariab 
priest of Eisenach — Several princes leave the diet — Charles signs 
Luther^s condemnation — The edict of Worms — Luther with hia 
parents — Luther attacked and carried away — The ways of Grod 
— The Wartburg — Luther a prisoner. 

Thus had Luther escaped from these walls of Worms, 
that seemed destined to be his sepulchre. With all his 
heart he gave God the glory. " The devil himself," said 
he, " guarded the pope's citadel ; but Christ has made a 
wide breach in it, and Satan was constrained to confess 
that the Lord is mightier than he."* 

"The day of the diet of Worms," says the pious 
Mathesius, Luther's disciple and friend, is one of the 
greatest and most glorious days given to the earth be- 
fore the end of the world."f The battle that had been 
fought at Worms resounded far and wide, and at its 
noise which spread through all Christendom, from the 
regions of the north to the mountains of Switzerland, 
and the towns of England, France, and Italy, many 
eagerly grasped the powerful weapons of the word of 
God. 

Luther, who reached Frankfort on the evening of 
Saturday, the 27th of April, took advantage the next 
day of a leisure moment, the first that he had enjoyed 
for a long time, to write a familiar and expressive note 
to his friend at Wittemberg, the celebrated painter Lu- 
cas Cranach. " Your servant, dear gossip Lucas," said 
he. "I thought his majesty would have assembled some 
fifty doctors at Worms to convict the monk outright 
But not at all. Are these your books ? Yes. Will you 
retract them ? No. Well, then, begone. There 's the 

• Aber Christum macht ein Loch darein. L. 0pp. L. 17. 689. 
t Dies ist der herrlichen grossen Tag einer vorm Ende der Wel(. 
Mathes. p. 28. 



288 HISTORY OF THE EEFORMATIOH 



whole history. 0 blind Germans, . . . . ^ how childishly 
we act, to allow ourselves to be the dupes and sport oi 

Rome The Jews must sing their Yo, yo, yo. But 

a day of redemption is coming for us also, and then will 
we sing hallelujah.* .... For a season we must suffer 
in silence. * A little while, and ye shall not see me ; 
and again, a little while, and ye shall see me,' said Jesus 
Christ. John 16:16. I hope that it will be the same 
with me. Farewell. I commend you all to the Lord. 
May he preserve in Christ your understanding and your 
faith against the attacks of the wolves and the dragons 
of Rome. Amen." 

After having written this somewhat en:'gmatical let- 
ter, Luther, as the time pressed, immediately set out for 
Friedberg, which is six leagues distant from Frankfort. 
On the next day Luther again collected nis thoughts. 
He desired to write once more to Charles, as he had no 
wish to be confounded with guilty rebels. In his letter 
to the emperor he set forth clearly what is the obedience 
due to kings, and that which is due to God, and what is 
the limit at which the former should cease and give place 
to the latter. As we read this epistle, we are involun- 
tarily reminded of the words of the greatest autocrat of 
modern times : " My dominion ends where that of con- 
science begins.^f 

" God, who is the searcher of hearts, is my witness," 
says Luther, " that I am ready most earnestly to obey 
your majesty, in honor or in dishonor, in life or in death, 
and with no exception save the word of God, by which 
man lives. In all the affairs of this present life, my 
fidelity shall be unshaken, for here to lose or to gain is 
of no consequence to salvation. But when eternal inter- 
ests are concerned, God wills not that man should sub- 
mit unto man. For such submission in spiritual matters 

* Es miissen die Juden einmal sin gen: To, lo, lol . . . . L. Epp. 
1, 689. The shouts of joy uttered by the Jews at the time of the 
crucifixion represent the triumphal songs of the papal partisans at 
the catastrophe that awaited Luther ; but the reformer hears in the 
distance the hallelujahs of deliverance. f Napoleon to the Proi 
sstant deputation after his accession to the empire. 



THE ABBOT CF HIRSCHFELDT. 289 



18 a real worship, and ought to be rendered solely to the 
Creator/'* 

Luther wrote also, but in German, a letter addressed 
to the states of the empire. Its contents were nearly 
similar to that which he had just written to the emperor. 
In it he related all that had passed at Worms. This let- 
ter was copied several times and circulated throughout 
Germany; "Everywhere," says Cochloeus, "it excited 
the indignation of the people against the emperor and 
the superior clergy."f 

Early the next day Luther wrote a note to Spalatin, 
enclosing the two letters he had written the evening 
before : he sent back to Worms the herald Sturm, won 
over to the cause of the gospel ; and after embracing 
him, departed hastily for Grunberg. 

On Tuesday, at about two leagues from Hirschfeldt, 
he met the chancellor of the prince-abbot of that town, 
who came to welcome him. Soon after there appeared 
a troop of horsemen with the abbot at their head. The 
latter dismounted, and Luther got out of his wagon. The 
prince and the reformer embraced, and afterwards en- 
tered Hirschfeldt together. The senate received them 
at the gates of the city.J The princes of the church 
came out to meet a monk anathematized by the pope, 
and the chief men of the people bent their heads before 
a man under the ban of the emperor. 

" At five in the morning we shall be at church," said 
the prince at night as he rose from the table to which he 
had invited the reformer. The abbot insisted on his sleep- 
ing in his own bed. The next day Luther preached, and 
this dignitary of the church with all his train escorted 
him on his way. 

In the evening Luther reached Eisenach, the scene 
of his childhood. All his friends in this city surrouaded 
him, entreating him to preach, and the next day accom- 

* Nam ea fides et submissio proprie est vera ilia latria et a/lora- 
do Dei ... L. Epp. 1. 592. f Per chalcographos multiplicata 
et in populos dispersa est ea epistola. . . . Caesari autem et clericis 
odium populare, etc. Cochloeus, p. 38. J Senatus intra portas 
noB excepit. L. Epp. 2. 6. 

yiistcTRcf. IL 19 



290 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



paiiied him to the church. Upon this the priest of the 
parish appeared, attended by a notary and witnesses ; 
he came forward trembling, divided between the fear ol 
losing his place, and of opposing the powerful man that 
stood before him. protest against the liberty that 
you are taking," said the priest at last, in an embai> 
rassed tone. Luther went up into the pulpit, and that 
voice which, twenty-three years before, had sung in the 
streets of this town to procure a morsel of bread, sound- 
ed beneath the arched roof of the ancient church those 
notes that were beginning to agitate the world. After 
the sermon, the priest with confusion went up to Luther. 
The notary had drawn up the protest, the witnesses had 
signed it, all was properly arranged to secure the incum- 
bent^s place. Pardon me," said he to the doctor hum- 
bly ; " I am acting thus to protect me from the resent- 
ment of the tyrants who oppress the church."* 

And there were in truth strong grounds for appre- 
hension. The aspect of affairs at Worms was changed : 
Aleander alone seemed to rule there. " Banishment is 
Luther's only prospect," wrote Frederick to his brother 
Duke John ; " nothing can save him. If God permits 
me to return to you, I shall have matters to relate that 
are almost beyond belief. It is not only Annas and 
Gaiaphas, but Pilate and Herod also, that have com- 
bined against him." Frederick had little desire to re- 
main longer at Worms ; he departed, and the elector- 
palatine did the same. The elector-archbishop of Co- 
logne also quitted the diet. Their example was followed 
by many princes of inferior rank. As they deemed it 
impossible to avert the blow, they preferred — and in this 
perhaps they were wrong — abandoning the place. The 
Spaniards, the Italians, and the most vMra-montane Ger- 
man princes alone remained. 

The field was now free — Aleander triumphed. He 
laid before Charles the outline of an edict intended by 
Lim as a model of that which the diet ought to issue 
against the monk. The nuncio's project pleased the 
* Humiliter tamea excosaiite . . . . ob metum tyramiOTam aao 
ram. L. Epp. 2. 6. 



LUTHER»S CONDEMNATIOlff 



291 



exasperated emperor. He assembled the remaining 
members of the diet in his chamber, and there had 
Aleander's edict read over to them ; it was accepted, 
Pallavicini informs us, by all who were present. 

The next day, which was a great festival, the emperor 
went to the cathedral, attended by all the lords of his 
court. When the religious ceremonies were over, and a 
crowd of people still thronged the sanctuary, Aleander, 
robed in all the insignia of his dignity, approached 
Charles Y.* He held in his hand two copies of the edict 
against Luther, one in Latin, the other in German, and 
kneeling before his imperial majesty, entreated him to 
affix to them his signature and the seal of the empire. 
It was at the moment when the sacrifice had been offer- 
ed, when the incense still filled the temple, while the 
sacred chants were still reechoing through its long- 
drawn aisles, and as it were in the presence of the Deity, 
that the destruction of the enemy of Eome was to be 
sealed. The emperor, assuming a very gracious air,f 
took the pen and wrote his name. Aleander withdrew 
in triumph, immediately sent the decree to the printers, 
and forwarded it to every part of Christendom. J This 
crowning act of the toils of Rome had cost the papacy 
no little trouble. Pallavicini himself informs us, that 
this edict, although bearing date the 8th of May, was 
not signed till later ; but it was antedated, to make it 
appear that the signature was affixed at a period when 
all the members of the diet were assembled. 

" We, Charles the Fifth," said the emperor, and then 
came his titles, "to all electors, princes, prelates, and 
others whom it may concern : 

The Almighty having confided to us, for the defence 
of the holy faith, more kingdoms and greater authority 
than he has ever given to any of our predecessors, we 
purpose employing every means in our power to prevent 
our holy empire from being polluted by any heresy. 
" The Augustine monk, Martin Luther, notwithstand- 

* Cum Caesar in templo adesset . . . processit ill! obviam Aleao 
der. Pallav. 1, 122. f Festivissimo vultu. Ibid. 
I Et undique pervulgata. Ibid. 



292 HISTORY OF THE EEFOEMATION. 



ing our exhortation, has rushed like a madman on our 
holy church, and attempted to destroy it by books over- 
flowing with blasphemy. He has shamefully polluted 
the indestructible law of holy matrimony ; he has en- 
deavored to excite the laity to dye their hands in the 
blo(jd of the clergy ;* and setting at naught all author- 
ity, has incessantly urged the people to revolt, schism, 
war^ murder, robbery, incendiarism, and to the utter 
ruin of the Christian faith. ... In a word, not to men- 
tion his many other evil practices, this man, who is in 
truth not a man, but Satan himself under the form of a 
man and dressed in a monk's frock,f has collected into 
ne stinking slough all the vilest heresies of past times, 
3,nd has added to them new ones of his own .... 

" We have therefore dismissed from our presence this 
Luther, whom all pious and sensible men deem a mad' 
man, or one possessed by the devil ; and we enjoin that, 
on the expiration of his safe-conduct, immediate recourse 
be had to effectual measures to check his furious rage. 

" For this reason, under pain of incurring the penal- 
ties due to the crime of high-treason, we forbid you to 
harbor the said Luther after the appointed term shall be 
expired, to conceal him, to give him food or drink, or to 
furnish him, by word or by deed, publicly or secretly, 
with any kind of succor whatsoever. We enjoin you, 
raoreover, to seize him, or cause him to be seized, wher- 
ever you may find him, to bring him before us without 
any delay, or to keep him in safe custody, until you have 
learned from us in what manner you are to act towards 
him, and have received the reward due to your labors in 
so holy a work. 

" As for his adherents, you will apprehend them, con- 
fiiiC them, and confiscate their property. 

As for his writings, if the best nutriment becomes 
the detestation of all men as soon as one drop of poison 
is mingled with it, how much more ought such books, 
which contain a deadly poison for the soul, to be not only 

• Ihre Hande in der Priester Blut zu waschen. L. 0pp. L. 17. 
698. t Nicht ein Mensch, sondern als der bose Feind in Geetalt 
eines Menschen mit angenommener Monchskutten. . . . Ibid. 



IiUTHEE IN PRISON. 



293 



fojected, but destroyed ? You will therefore bum them, 
or utterly destroy them in any other manner. 

"As for the authors, poets, printers, painters, buy- 
ers or sellers of placards, papers, or pictures, aguinsi 
the pope or the church, you will seize them, body and 
goods, and will deal with them according to your good 
pleasure. 

* And if any person, whatever be his dignity, should 
dare to act in contradiction to the decree of our imperial 
majesty, we order him to be placed under the ban of the 
empire. 

" Let every man behave according to this decree." 

Such was the edict signed in the cathedral of Worms. 
It WFs more than a bull of Rome, which, although pub- 
lished in Italy, could not be executed in Germany. The 
emperor himself had spoken, and the diet had ratified his 
decree. All the partisans of Rome burst into a shout of 
triumph. "It is the end of the tragedy," exclaimed 
they. " In my opinion," said Alphonso Valdez, a Span- 
iard at Charles' court, " it is not the end, but only the 
beginning."* Valdez perceived that the movement was 
in the church, in the people, and in the age, and that, 
even should Luther perish, his cause would not perish 
with him. But no one was blind to the imminent and 
inevitable danger in which the reformer himself was 
placed ; and the great majority of superstitious persons 
were filled with horror at the thought of that incarnate 
devil, covered with a monk rJ hood, whom the emperor 
pointed out to the nation. 

The man against whom the mighty ones of the earth 
were thus forging their thunderbolts had quitted the 
church of Eisenach, and was preparing to bid farewell 
to some of his dearest friends. He did not take the road 
to Gotha and Erfurth, but proceeded to the village cf 
Mora, his father's native place, once more to see his aged 
grandmother, who died four months after, and to visit 
his uncle, Henry Luther, and some other relations. 
Schurff, Jonas, and Suaven set out for Wittemberg ; 
Lather got into the wagon with Amsdorflf, who still 
* NoQ finem, sed initium. P. Martyris £pp. p. 412 



294 HI8T0EY OP THE REFOEMATIOK. 



remained with him, and entered the forests of Ttn- 
ringia.* 

The same evening he arrived at the village of his 
sires. The poor old peasant clasped in her arms that 
grandson who had withstood Charles the emperor and 
Leo the pope. Luther spent the next day with his relar 
tions ; happy, after the tumult at Worms, in this sweet 
tranquillity. On the next morning he resumed his jovir- 
ney, accompanied by Amsdorff and his brother James 
In this lonely spot the reformer's fate was to be decided. 
They skirted the woods of Thuringia, following the road 
to Waltershausen. As the wagon was moving through 
a hollow way, near the deserted church of Glisbach, at 
a short distance from the castle of Altenstein, a sudden 
noise was heard, and immediately five horsemen, masked 
and armed from head to foot, sprung upon the travellers. 
His brother James, as soon as he caught sight of the 
assailants, leaped from the wagon and ran away as fast 
as his legs would carry him, without uttering a single 
word. The driver would have resisted. " Stop I'' cried 
one of the strangers with a terrible voice, falling upon 
him and throwing him to the ground.f A second mask 
laid hold of Amsdorff and kept him at a distance. Mean- 
while the three remaining horsemen seized upon Luther, 
maintaining a profound silence. They pulled him vio 
lently from the wagon, threw a military cloak over hi& 
shoulders, and placed him on a led horse. The two other 
masks now quitted Amsdorff and the wagoner ; all five 
leaped to their saddles — one dropped his hat, but they 
did not even stop to pick it up — and in the twinkling of 
an eye vanished with their prisoner into the gloomy 
forest. At first they took the road to Broderode, but 
soon retraced their steps by another path ; and without 
quitting the wood, made so many windings in every 
direction as utterly to baffle any attempt to track tJiem. 
Luther, little accustomed to be on horseback, was soon 
overcome with fatigue.J They permitted him to alight 

• Ad carnem meam trans sylvam profectus. L. Epp. 2. 7. 
t Dejectoque in solum auriga et verberato. Pallav. 1. 122. 
t Longo iiinere, novus eqacs, feasus. L. Epp. 2. S. 



THii WAYS OP aOB* 



for a few minutes : he lay down near a beech-tree, where 
he drank some water from a spring which is still called 
after his name. His brother James, continuing his flight, 
arrived at Waltershausen in the evening. The affrighted 
wagoner jumped into the car, which Amsdorff had again 
mounted, and whipping his horses, drove rapidly away 
from the spot, and conducted Luther's friend to VVittem- 
berg. At Waltershausen, at Wittemberg, in the coun- 
try, villages, and towns along their road, they spread 
the news of the violent abduction of the doctor. This 
intelligence, which delighted some, struck the greater 
number with astonishment and indignation. A cry of 
grief soon resounded through all Germany: "Luther 
has fallen into the hands of his enemies." 

After the violent combat that Luther had just sus* 
tained, God had been pleased to conduct him to a place 
of repose and peace. After having exhibited him on the 
brilliant theatre of Worms, where all the powers of the 
reformer's soul had been strung to so high a pitch. He 
gave him the secluded and humiliating retreat of a 
prison. God draws from the deepest seclusion the weak 
instruments by which he purposes to accomplish great 
things ; and then, when he has permitted them to glitter 
for a season with dazzling brilliancy on an illustrious 
stage, he dismisses them again to the deepest obscurity. 
The Reformation was to be accomplished by other means 
than violent struggles or pompous appearances before 
diets. It is not thus that the leaven penetrates the 
mass of the people ; the Spirit of God seeks more tran- 
quil paths. The man whom the Roman champions were 
persecuting without mercy, was to disappear for a time 
from the world. It was requisite that this great indi- 
viduality should fade away, in order that the revolution 
then accomplishing might not bear the stamp of an indi- 
vidual. It was necessary for the man to retire, that 
God might remain alone to move by hi« Spirit upon the 
deep waters in which the darkness of the middle ages 
was already engulfed, and to saj^Let there be lights so 
that there might be light. 

As soon as it grew dark, and i>a one could track theil 



296 HISTORY OF THE EEFOKMATION. 



footsteps, Luther's guards took a new road. About 
one hour before midnight they reached the foot of a 
mountain.* The horses ascended slowly. On the 
summit was an old castle, surrounded on all sides, 
save that by which it was approached, by the black 
forests that cover the mountains of Thuringia. 

It was to this lofty and isolated fortress, named the 
"Wartburg, where in former times the ancient landgraves 
had sheltered themselves, that Luther was conducted. 
The bolts were drawn back, the iron bars fell, the gates 
opened ; the reformer crossed the threshold, the doors 
were closed behind him. He dismounted in the court. 
One of the horsemen, Burkhardt ofHund, lord of Alten- 
stein, withdrew ; another, J ohn of Berlepsch, provost of 
the Wartburg, led the doctor into the chamber that was 
to be his prison, and where he found a knight's uniform 
and a sword. The three other cavaliers, the provost^s 
attendants, took away his ecclesiastical robes, and dress- 
ed him in the military garments that had been prepared 
for him, enjoining him to let his beard and hair grow,f 
in order that no one in the castle might discover who he 
was. The people in the Wartburg were to know the 
prisoner only by the name of Knight George. Luther 
scarcely recognized himself in his new dress. | At last 
he was left alone, and his mind could reflect by turns 
on the astonishing events that had just taken place at 
Worms, on the uncertain future that awaited him, and 
on his new and strange residence. From the narrow 
loopholes of his turret, his eye roamed over the gloomy, 
solitary, and extensive forests that surrounded him. 

It was there," says Mathesius, his friend and biog- 
rapher, **that the doctor abode, like St. Paul in his 
prison at Rome." 

Frederick of Thun, Philip Feilitsch and Spalatin, in 
a private conversation they had had with Luther at 
Worms by the elector's orders, had also concealed from 

^ Hor^ ferme imdecima ad mansionem noctis perveni in tene- 
bris. L. Epp. 2, 3. f Exutus vestibns meis et equestribus 

indutus, comam et barbam mitriens. . . . Ibid 7. J Cum 

ipse me jam dudum non noverim. Ibid. 



LUTHER A CAPTIVB. 



291 



him that his liberty must be sacrificed to the anger of 
Charles and of the pope.* And yet this abduction had 
been so mysteriously contrived, that even Frederick was 
for a long time ignorant of the place where Luther was 
shut up. The grief of the friends of the Reformation 
was prolonged. The spring passed away ; summer, 
autumn, and winter succeeded ; the sun had accom 
plished its annual course, and still the walls of tte? 
Wartburg enclosed their prisoner. Truth had been in- 
terdicted by the diet ; its defender, confined within the 
ramparts of a castle, had disappeared from the stage oi 
the world, and no one knew what had become of him ; 
Aleander triumphed ; the Reformation appeared lost. . . . 
But God reigns, and the blow that seemed as if it would 
destroy the cause of the gospel, did but contribute to 
save its courageous minister, and to extend the light of 
faith to distant countries. 

Let us quit Luther, a captive in Germany, on the 
rocky heights of the Wartburg, to see what God was 
doing in other countries of Christendom. 

* Seokend. p. 365. 



399 



BOOK vm. 

* THE SWISS. 

1484 — 1522. 

CHAPTER I. 

Movement in Switzerland — Source of the Reformation— Its demo 
cratic character — Foreign service — Morality — The Tockenbnrg 
— A chalet on the Alps — A family of shepherds. — ^Young Ul- 
rich. 

At the moment when the decree of the diet of Worms 
appeared, a continually increasing movement began to 
disturb the quiet valleys of Switzerland. The voices 
that resounded over the plains of Upper and Lower 
Saxony were refe'choed from the bosom of the Helvetic 
mountains by the energetic voices of its priests, of its 
shepherds, and of the inhabitants of its warlike cities. 
The partisans of Rome were filled with apprehension, 
and exclaimed that a wide and terrible conspiracy was 
forming everywhere in the church against the church. 
The exulting friends of the gospel said, that as in 
spring the breath of life is felt from the shores of the 
sea to the mountain top, so the Spirit of God was now 
melting throughout Christendom the ices of a length- 
ened winter, and covering it with fresh flowers and ver- 
dure, from its lowest plains to its most barren and its 
steepest rocks. 

It was not Germany that communicated the light ol 
truth to Switzerland, Switzerland to France, and France 
to England : all these countries received it from God ; 
just as one part of the world does not communicate the 
light of day to the other, but the same brilliant orb im 
parts it direct to all the earth. Infinitely exalted above 
men, Christ, " the day-spring from on high," was at the 



306 HISTOHY OP THE EEPOHMATIOItf. 



epoch of the Reformation, as he had been at the estab- 
lishment of Christianity, the divine fire whence ema/» 
nated the life of the world. One sole and same doctrine 
was suddenly established in the sixteenth century, at 
the hearths and altars of the most distant and dissimilar 
nations ; it was everywhere the same Spiiit, everywhere 
producing the same faith. 

The reformation of Germany and that of Switzer- 
land demonstrate this truth. Zwingle had no communi- 
cation with Luther. There was no doubt a connecting 
link between these two men ; but we must not look for 
it upon earth : it was above. He who from heaven 
gave the truth to Luther, gave it to Zwingle also. 
Their bond of union was God. " I began to preach the 
gospel,'^ says Zwingle, "in the year of grace 1616, that 
is to say, at a time when Luther's name had never been 
heard in this country. It is not from Luther that I 
learned the doctrine of Christ, but from the word of 
God. If Luther preaches Christ, he does what I am 
doing ; and that is all."* 

But if the diflferent reformations derived a striking 
unity from the same Spirit whence they all proceeded, 
they also received certain particular marks from the 
dilFerent nations among whom they were effected. 

We have already given an outline of the condition 
of Switzerland at the epoch of the Reformation.f We 
shall add but little to what has been already said. In 
Germany the monarchical principle predominated , in 
Switzerland the democratic. In Germany the Reforma- 
tion had to struggle with the will of princes ; in Swit- 
zerland against the wishes of the people. An assembly 
of men, more easily carried away than a single indi- 
vidual, is also more rapid in its decisions. The victory 
over the Papacy, which cost years of struggle beyond 
the Rhine, required on this side but a few mcmths, and 
Bometimes only a few days. 

• 1516, eo scilicet tempore, quum Lutheri nomen in nostris regio 
aibus inauditum adhuc erat .... doctriuam Christ! non a Lutbero^ 
Bed ex verbo Dei didici. Zwinglii Opera cur. Schulero et Schiilthe» 
no, Turici, 1829, vol. 1, 273, 276. f Vol. I., p. 83. 



A HOST OP KBF0EMER8. 



801 



In Germany, the person of Luther towers imposingly 
above the Saxon people ; he seems to be alone in his 
attacks upon the Roman colossus ; and wherever the 
conflict is raging, we discern from afar his lofty* stature 
rising high above the battle. Luther is the monarch, 
so to speak, of the revolution that is accomplishing. In 
Switzerland, the struggle begins in different cantons at 
the same time ; there is a confederation of reformers ; 
their number surprises us ; doubtless one head overtops 
the others, but no one commands ; it is a republican 
senate, in which all appear with their original features 
and distinct influences. They were a host : Wittem- 
bach, Zwingle, Capito, Haller, (Ecolampadius, Oswald 
Myconius, Leo Juda, Farel, Calvin ; their stage was 
Glaris, Basle, Zurich, Berne, Neufchatel, Geneva, Lu- 
cerne, Schafhausen, Appenzel, St. Gall, and the Grisons. 
In the German reformation there is but one stage, flat 
and uniform as the country itself ; in Switzerland, the 
Reformation is divided, like the region itself by its thou- 
sand mountains. Each valley, so to speak, has its own 
awakening, and each peak of the Alps its own light from 
heaven. 

A lamentable epoch for the Swiss had begun after 
their exploits against the dukes of Burgundy. Europe, 
which had discovered the strength of their arms, had 
enticed them from their mountains, and had robbed them 
of their independence by rendering them the arbitrators 
of the fate of nations on the battle-field. The hand of 
a Swiss pointed the sword at the breast of his fellow- 
countryman on the plains of Italy and of France, and 
the intrigues of foreigners had filled with jealousy and 
dissension those lofty valleys of the Alps so long the 
abode of simplicity and peace. Attracted by the charms 
of gold, sons, laborers, and serving-men stealthily quit- 
ted their Alpine pastures for the banks of the Rhone or 
the Po. Helvetian unity was broken under the slow 
steps of mules laden with gold. The Reformation, for 
in Switzerland also it had its political bearings, prO' 
posed to restore the unity and the ancient virtues of the 
cantons. Its first cry was for the Swiss to rend the per 



HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOK 



fidious toils of the stranger, and to embrace one another 
in close union at the foot of the cross. But its generous 
accents were unheeded. Rome, accustomed to purchase 
in these valleys the blood she shed to increase her pow- 
er, uprose in anger ; excited Swiss against Swiss ; and 
new passions arose to tear the body of the nation. 

Switzerland needed a reform. There was, it is true, 
among the Helvetians, a simplicity and good nature that 
seemed ridiculous to the refined Italians ; but at the 
same time they had the reputation of being the people 
that most habitually transgressed the laws of chastity. - 
This astrologers attributed to the constellations ;* phi- 
losophers, to the strength of temperament among those 
indomitable people ; moralists, to the Swiss principles, 
which looked upon deceit, dishonesty, and calumny, as 
sins of a much deeper die than impurity.f Marriage 
was forbidden the priests ; but it would have been diffi- 
cult to find one who lived in a real state of celibacy. 
They were required to behave, not chastely, but pru- 
dently. This was one of the earliest disorders against 
which the Reformation was directed. 

It is now time to investigate the dawnings of the 
new day in these valleys of the Alps. 

About the middle of the eleventh century, two her- 
mits made their way from St. Gall towards the moun- 
tains that lie to the south of this ancient monastery, and 
arrived at a desert valley about ten leagues long.J On 
the north, the lofty mountains of the Sentis, Sommerig- 
kopf, and the Old Man, separate this valley from the 
canton of Appenzel ; on the south, the Kuhfirsten with 
its seven peaks rises between it and the Wallensee, Sar- 
gans, and the Orisons ; on the east, the valley slopes 
away to the rays of the rising sun, and displays the 
magnificent prospect of the Tyrolese Alps. These two 
hermits, having reached the springs of the little river 
Thur, erected there two cells. By degrees the valley 
was peopled ; on its most elevated portion, 2,010 feet 

• Wirz, Helvetische Kirchen Geschichte, 3. 201. f Sodomitia 
melius erit in die judicii, quam reram vel honoris ablatoribos. Hem;' 
merlin, de anno jubilaso. | The Tockeuburg. 



THE HERDSMAN'S FAMILY. 



303 



above the level of lake Zurich, there arose around a 
church a village named WUdhaus, or the Wild-house, 
upon which now depend two hamlets, Lisighaiis, or Eliz- 
abeth's house, and Schonenboden. The fruits of the 
earth grow not upon these heights. A green turf of 
Alpine freshness covers the whole valley, ascending the 
fsides of the mountains, above which enormous masses 
of rock rise in savage grandeur to the skies. 

About a quarter of a league from the church, near 
Lisighaus, by the side of a path that leads to the pas- 
ture-grounds beyond the river, may still be seen a peas- 
ant's cottage. Tradition narrates that the wood neces- 
sary for its construction was felled on the very spot.* 
Every thing seems to indicate that it was built in the 
most remote times. The walls are thin ; the windows 
are composed of small round panes of glass ; the roof 
is formed of shingles, loaded with stones to prevent 
their being carried away by the wind. Before the house 
bubbles forth a limpid stream. 

About the end of the fifteenth century, this house was 
inhabited by a man named Zwingle, amman or bailiff of 
the parish. The family of the Zwingles or Zwingli was 
ancient, and in great esteem among the inhabitants of 
these mountains.f Bartholomew, the bailiff's brother, 
at first incumbent of the parish, and from the year 1487 
dean of Wesen, enjoyed a certain celebrity in the coun- 
try.| The wife of the amman of Wildhaus, Margaret 
Meili, whose brother John was somewhat later abbot of 
the convent of Fischingen in Thurgovia, had already 
borne him two sons, Henry and Klaus, when on New- 
year's day, 1484, seven weeks after the birth of Luther, 
a third son, who was christened Ulrich, was born in this 

• Schuler's Zwingli's Bildungs Gesch. p. 290. f Diss Gesch- 
facht der Zwinglinen, wass in guter Achtung diesser Landen, als 
3in gut alt ehrlich Geschlacht. H. BuUinger's Hist. Beschreibung 
ier Eidg. G^schichten. I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. J. G. 
Hess for the communication of this valuable work, which in 1837 
existed only in manuscript. It has since been published bj somQ 
ficlends of history at Zurich. In my quotations I have preserved th€ 
;rthography of the original. X £in verrumbter Mann. P)i<L 



304 HISTORY OF THE REFORHATIOK. 



lonely chalet.* Five other sons, John, Wolfgang, Bar 
tholomew, James, Andrew, and an only daughter, Auna^ 
increased the number of this Alpine family. No one in 
the whole district was more respected than the amman 
Zwingle.f His character, his ofBce, and his nnmeroua 
children, made him the patriarch of the mountains. Ho 
was a shepherd, as were his sons. No sooner had th© 
first days of May clothed the mountains with verdure, 
than the father and his children would set off for the 
pasture-grounds with their flocks, rising gradually from 
station to station, and reaching in this way, by the end 
of July, the highest summits of the Alps. They then 
began to return gradually towards the valleys, and in 
autumn the whole population of the Wildhaus reentered 
their humble cottages. Sometimes, during the summer, 
the young people who should have stayed at home, long- 
ing to enjoy the fresh breezes of the mountains, set out 
in companies for the chalets, accompanying their voices 
with the melodious notes of their rustic instruments ; foi 
all were musicians. When they reached the Alps, the 
shepherds welcomed them from afar with their horns and 
songs, and spread before them a repast of milk ; and 
then the joyous troop, after many devious windings, re- 
turned to their valleys to the sound of the bagpipe. In 
his early youth, Ulrich doubtless sometimes shared in 
these amusements. He grew up at the foot of these 
rocks that seemed everlasting, and whose summits 
pointed to the skies. " I have often thought," said one 
of his friends, " that being brought near to heaven on 
these sublime heights, he there contracted something 
heavenly and divine."J 

Long were the winter evenings in the cottages of 
the Wildhaus. At such a season the youthful Ulrich 
listened, at the paternal hearth, to the conversations 
between the bailiff and the elders of the parish. He 

* Quadragesimum octavum agimus — I am in my forty-eighth 
year — wrote Zwingle to Vadianus, on the 17th of September, 1531 

t Clams fait pater ob spectatam vitse sanctimoniam. Oswald 
Myconius, Vita ZwingliL t Divinitatis nonnihil coelo propioreii 
oontraxisse. Ibid. 



CHILDHOOD OF ZWINOLE. 



305 



hoard them relate how the inhabitants of the valley had 
in former times groaned beneath a heavy yoke. He 
thrilled with joy at the thought of the independence the 
Tockenburg had won for itself, and which its alliance 
with the Swiss had secured. The love of country kin- 
dled in his heart ; Switzerland became dear to him ; and 
if any one chanced to drop a word unfavorable to the 
confederates, the child would immediately rise up and 
warmly defend their cause.* Often, too, might he be 
seen, during these long evenings, quietly seated at the 
feet of his pious grandmother, listening, with his eyeh' 
fixed on her, to her Scripture stories and her pious le 
gends, and eagerly receiving them into his heart. 

* Sohaler's Zw. Bildong. p. 291. 



506 HISTORY OF THE AEFOEMAIIOV. 



CHAPTER II. 

Ulrich at Wesen and Basle — ^Ulrich at Berne — The Dominican omy 
vent — Jetzer — The apparitions — Passion of the lay-brother- -Id* 
posture — Discovery and punishment — Zwingle at Vienna and 
Basle— Music at Basle — Wittembach proclaims the gospel — Leo 
Juda — The priest of Glaris. 

The good amman was charmed at the promising dis- 
position of his son. He perceived that Ulrich might one 
day do something better than tend herds on mount Sen- 
tis, to the sound of the shepherd^s song, ranz des vaches. 
One day he took him by the hand and led him to Wesen. 
He crossed the grassy flanks of the Ammon, and descend- 
ed the bold and savage rocks that border the lake of 
Wallenstadt ; on reaching the town, he entered the 
house of his brother the dean, and intrusted the young 
mountaineer to his care, that he might examine his 
capacity.* Ulrich was particularly distinguished by a 
natural horror of falsehood, and a great love for truth. 
He tells us himself, that one day, when he began to 
reflect, the thought occurred to him that "lying ought 
to be punished more severely than theft ; for," adds he, 
"truth is the mother of all virtues." The dean soon 
loved his nephew like a son ; and charmed with his 
vivacity, he confided his education to a schoolmaster, 
who in a short time taught him all he knew himself. 
At ten years of age, the marks of a superior mind were 
already noticed in the young Ulrich.f His father and 
his uncle resolved to send him to Basle. 

When the child of thc^ Tockenburg arrived in this 
celebrated city, with that s-ugle-mindedness and simplic- 
ity of heart which he seems to have inhaled with the 
pure air of his native mountains, but which really came 

• Tenerrimum adhuc ad fratrem sacrificum adduxit, ut ingenii 
ejus periculum taceret. Melch. Adami Vita Zw. p. 25. f Und in 
Ihm erschienen merkliche Zeiohen mmeB edien Gemuths. Bullin^i^o 
Mfvnascript^. 



rLRIGH AT BEENE. 



307 



from a higher source, a new world opened before him. 
The celebrity of the famous council of Basle, the univer- 
sity which Pius 11. had founded in this city in 1460, the 
printing-presses which then resuscitated the masterpiecee 
of antiquity, and circulated through the world the first 
fruits of the revival of letters ; the residence of distin- 
guished men, Wessel, Wittembach, and especially of 
that princo of scholars, that sun of the schools, Erasmus, 
all rendered Basle, at the epoch of the Reformation, one 
of the great centres of light in the West. 

Ulrich was placed at St. Theodore's school. Gregory 
Binzli was then at its head — a man of feeling heart and 
gentleness rarely found at that period among teachers. 
Young Zwingle made rapid progress. The learned dis- 
putations, then in fashion among the doctors, had de- 
scended even to the children in the schools. Ulrich 
took part in them ; he disciplined his growing powers 
against the pupils of other establishments, and was 
always conqueror in these struggles, which were a pre- 
lude to those by which he was to overthrow the papacy 
in Switzerland.* This success filled his elder rivals 
with jealousy. He soon outgrew the school of Basle, as 
he had that of Wesen. 

Lupulus, a distinguished scholar, had just opened at 
Berne the first learned institution in Switzerland. The 
bailiff of Wildhaus and the priest of Wesen resolved to 
send the boy to it ; Zwingle, in 149 1, left the smiling 
plains of Basle, and again approached those Upper Alps 
where his infancy had been spent, and whose snowy 
tops, gilded by the sun, might be seen from Berne Lu- 
pulus, himself a distinguished poet, introduced his pupil 
into the sanctuary of classic learning — a treasure then 
unknown, and whose threshold had been passed only by 
a few.f The young neophyte ardently inhaled these 
perfumes of antiquity. His mind expanded, his style 
was formed. He became a poet. 

Among the convents of Berne, that of the Dominicans 

• In disputationibua, quae pro more turn erant inter pueros usita* 
tcB, victoriam semper reportavit. Osw. Myc. Vita Zw. f Ab ^ 
In adyta cLassicomm scriptorum introductos. Ibi4. 



808 



HISTOHr OP THE REFORMATION. 



was the most celebrated. These monks were engaged 
in a serious quarre] with the Franciscans. The lattei 
maintained the immaculate conception of the Virgin, 
which the former denied. Wherever they went, before 
the dazzling altars that adorned their church, and be- 
tween the twelve columns that supported its fretted 
roof, the Dominicans had but one thought — how they 
might humble their rivals. They had remarked Zwin- 
gle's beautiful voice ; they had heard of his precocious 
understanding, and thinking that he might give lustre 
to their order, endeavored to attract him among them,* 
and invited him to remain in their convent until he was 
old enough to pass his noviciate. All Zwingle's future 
career was at stake. The amman of Wildhaus being 
informed of the lures to which the Dominicans had re- 
sorted, trembled for the inexperience of his son, and 
ordered him to quit Berne immediately. Zwingle thus 
escaped from these monastic walls within which Luther 
had entered of his own free will. What transpired 
somewhat later may serve to show the imminent danger 
Zwingle then incurred. 

In 1507, a great agitation reigned in the city of 
Berne. A young man of Zurzach named John Jetzer, 
having one day presented himself at this same Domin- 
ican convent, had been repulsed. The poor dejected 
youth made another attempt, and said, holding out fifty- 
three florins and some pieces of silk, "It is all I pos- 
sess ; take it, and receive me into your order." He was 
admitted on the 6th of January among the lay-brethren. 
But on the first night, a strange noise in his cell filled 
him with terror. He fled to the convent of the Carthu- 
sians, whence he was sent back to the Dominicans. 

On the following night, the eve of the festival of 
St Matthias, he was awoke by deep groans ; he opened 
his eyes, and saw a tall white spectral form standing 
beside his bed. " I am," said a sepulchral voice, " a 
soul escaped from the fires of purgatory." The lay- 
brother tremblingly replied, " God help thee, I can do 
* Und alss er wol singen koendt, lockten iha die prediger mceu' 
0}ien in daas Kloster. Bullinger's Manuscripts. 



THE APPARITIONS. 



309 



nothing.'* The phantom then advanced towards the poor 
brother, and seizing him by the throat, indignantly 
reproached him for his refusal. Jetzer, full of alarm, 
exclaimed, **What can I do to save thee?" "Scourge 
thyself eight days in succession until the blood comes, 
and lie prostrate on the earth in the chapel of St. John.'' 
The spectre answered thus and vanished. The lay- 
brother confided the particulars of this apparition to his 
confessor, the convent-preacher, and by his advice sub- 
mitted to the discipline required. It was soon reported 
through the whole city that a soul had applied to the 
Dominicans in order to be delivered from purgatory. 
The Franciscans were deserted, and the people ran in 
crowds to the church, where the holy man was to be 
seen prostrate on the pavement. The soul from purga* 
tory had announced its reappearance in eight days. On 
the appointed night, it came again, attended by two 
spirits that tormented it, extorting from it the most 
frightful groans. " Scotus," said the disturbed spirit, 
" Scotus, the inventor of the Franciscan doctrine of the 
immaculate conception of the Virgin, is among those 
who suffer like horrible torments with me.'' At this 
news, which soon spread through Borne, the partisans 
of the Franciscans wer-e still more dismayed. But the 
soul, at the moment of disappearing, had announced a 
visit from the Virgin herself. In effect, on the day fixed, 
the astonished brother saw Mary appear in his cell. He 
could not believe his eyes. She approached him kindly, 
gave him three of our Saviour's tears, and as many 
drops of his blood, with a crucifix and a letter addressed 
to Pope Julius IL, " who," said she, is the man selected 
by God to abolish the festival of the pretended immacu- 
late conception." And then, drawing still nearer the 
bed on which the brother lay, she informed him in a 
solemn voice that he was about to experience a signal 
favor, and at the same time pierced his hand with a nail. 
The brother uttered a horrible shriek ; but Mary wrapt 
his hand in a cloth that her Son, as she said, had worn 
at the time of the flight into Egypt. This one wound 
Was not enough ; in order that the glory of tJie Domini* 



310 HISTORY OP THE REFORMATION 



cans might at least equal that of the Francisoaus, Jet 
zer must have the five wounds of Christ and of St. Fran- 
cis on his hands, his feet, and his side. The four others 
were inflicted, and then, after giving him some drink, he 
was placed in a hall hung with pictures representing our 
Lord's passion ; here he spent many long days without 
food, and his imagination soon became greatly excited. 
The monks from time to time opened the doors of this 
chamber to the people, who came in crowds to contem- 
plate with devout astonishment the brother with his five 
wounds, stretching out his arms, bending his head, and 
imitating by his postures and movements the crucifixion 
of our Lord. At times, he was quite out of his senses ; 
he foamed at the mouth, and appeared ready to give up 
the ghost. " He is sufiering the cross of Christ,^' mur- 
mured the spectators. The multitude, eager in pursuit 
of miracles, thronged the convent incessantly. Men 
who deserve our highest esteem, even Lupulus himself, 
Zwingle's teacher, were overcome with fear ; and the 
Dominicans, from their pulpits, boasted of the glory God 
had conferred upon their order. 

For many years this order had felt the necessity of 
humbling the Franciscans, and of increasing by means 
of miracles the respect and liberality of the people. The 
theatre selected for these operations was Berne, " a sim- 
ple, rude, and ignorant city,^' as it had been styled by 
the sub-prior of Berne in a chapter held at Wimpfen on 
the Neckar. To the prior, sub-prior, chaplain, and pur- 
veyor of the convent were assigned the principal parts, 
but they were not able to play them out. A new appari- 
tion of Mary having taken place, Jetzer fancied he recog- 
nized his confessor's voice ; and on saying so aloud, 
Mary disappeared. She came again to censure the in- 
credulous brother. " This timr it is the prior,'' exclaim- 
ed Jetzer, rushing on him with a knife in his hand. The 
saint flung a pewter platter at the head of the pool 
brother, and vanished. 

Alarmed at the discovery Jetzer had made, the Domin 
icans endeavored to get rid of him by poison. He de 
tected their treachery, and having escaped from the oon 



ZWINGLE AT VIENNA AND BASLE. 311 



rent, revealed their imposture. They put a good face 
on the matter, and sent deputies to Rome. The pope 
empowered his legate in Switzerland, and the bishops ol 
Lausanne and Sion, to inquire into the affair. The four 
Dominicans were convicted, and condemned to be burnt 
alive ; and on the 1st of May, 1509, they perished at the 
Blake in the presence of more than thirty thousand specv 
tators. The rumor of this imposture circulated through 
Europe, and by laying bare one of the greatest sores ol 
the church, prepared the way for the Reformation.* 

Such were the men from whose hands the youthful 
Ulrich Zwingle escaped. He had studied polite letters 
at Berne ; he had now to study philosophy, and for this 
purpose went to Vienna in Austria. The companions of 
Ulrich's studies and amusements in the capital of Aus- 
tria were a young man of St. Gall, Joachim Vadian, 
whose genius promised to adorn Switzerland with a 
learned scholar and a distinguished statesman ; Henry 
Loreti, of the canton of Glaris, better known as Glarean, 
and who appeared destined to shine as a poet ; and a 
young Swabian, John Heigerlin, the son of a blacksmith, 
and hence called Faber, a man of pliant character, proud 
of honors and renown, and who gave promise of all the 
qualities requisite to form a courtier. 

Zwingle returned to Wildhaus in 1 502 ; but on revis- 
iting his native mountains, he felt that he had quaffed 
of the cup of learning, and that he could not live amid 
the songs of his brothers, and the lowing of their herds 
Being now eighteen years of age, he again repaired to 
Baslef to continue his literary pursuits ; and there, at 
once master and scholar, he taught in St. Martin's 
school, and studied at the university : from that time he 
was able to do without the assistance of his parents. 
Not long after he took the degree of master of arts. An 
Alsatian, Capito by name, who was his elder by nine 
jrears, was one of his greatest friends. 

• Wirz, Helvetische Kirchea-Gesch. 3. 387 ; Anshelm^s Chronik, 
5 and 4. No Iransactiou of that day ever gave rise to so mauj pub- 
iications. See Mailer's Bibl oth. der Schw. Gesch. 3. f Ne dl\y 
iiiiB ab exercitio literarum cessaret. Obw. Myc. Vita Zw. 



312 HISTOEr OF THE REFORMATIOIT 

Zwingle now applied to the study of scholastic divin- 
ity ; for as he would one day be called to expose itfi 
sophistry, it was necessary that he should first explore 
its gloomy labyrinths. But the joyous student of the 
Seiitis mountains might be seen suddenly shaking iff the 
iust of the schools, and changing his philosophic toils 
for innocent amusements ; he would take up one of his 
numerous musical instruments — the lute, harp, violin, 
flute, dulcimer, or hunting-horn — draw from them some 
che(irful air, as in the pasture-grounds of Lisighaus ; 
make his own chamber or that of his friends refe'cho with 
the tunes of his native place, or accompany them with 
his songs. In his love for music he was a real child of 
the Tockenburg, a master among many.* He played on 
other instruments besides those we have already named. 
Enthusiastic in the art, he spread a taste for it through 
the university : not that he was fond of dissipation, but 
because he liked by this means to relax his mind, fatigued 
by serious study, and to put himself in a condition to 
return with greater zeal to such arduous pursuits.^ 
None possessed a livelier disposition, or more amiable 
character, or more attractive conversational powers.J 
He was like a vigorous Alpine tree, expanding in all its 
strength and beauty, and which, as yet unpruned^ throws 
out its healthy branches in every direction. The time 
will come for these branches to shoot with fresh vigor 
towards heaven. 

After having plunged into the scholastic divinity, he 
quitted its barren wastes with weariness and disgust, 
having only found therein a medley of confused ideas, 
empty babbling, vainglory, and barbarism, but not one 
atom of sound doctrine. " It is a mere loss of time,** 
said he, and he waited his hour. 

In November, 1505, Thomas Wittembach, son of e 

* Ich babe auch nie von Keiaem gehoert, der in der Kunst Ma» 
oit» .... so erfahren gewesen. B. Weysen, Fiisslin Beytrige zui 
Bef. Gesh. 4. 36. t ingenium seriis defatigatum recrearetur 
et paratius ad eolita studia rediretur. . . . Melch. Adarai Vita Zw. 

I Ingenio amoeuus, et ore jacundus, supra quam dici poasit, erat 
Osw. Mjc. Vita Zw. 



WITTEMBACH-LEO JTTDA 



313 



imrgom aster of Bienne, arrived at Basle. Hitherto he 
iad been teaching at Tubingen, at the side of Reuchlin. 
He was in the flower of life, sincere, pious, skilled in 
She liberal arts, the mathematics, and in the knowledge 
of Scripture. Zwingle and all the youths of the acad- 
emy immediately flocked around him. A life till then 
nnknown animated his lectures, and prophetic words fell 
from his lips. " The hour is not far distant," said he, 
" in which the scholastic theology will be set asid^, and 
the old doctrines of the church revived."* "Christ's 
death," added he, " is the only ransom for our souls."f 
Zwingle's heart eagerly received these seeds of life.j 
This was at the period when classical studies were 
beginning everywhere to replace the scholasticism of 
the middle ages. Zwingle, like his master and his 
friends, rushed into this new path. 

Among the students who were most attentive to the 
lessons of the new doctor, was a young man twenty- 
three years old, of small stature, of weak and sickly 
frame, but whose looks announced both gentleness and 
intrepidity. This was Leo Juda, the son of an Alsatian 
parish priest, and whose uncle had died at Rhodes fight- 
ing under the banners of the Teutonic knights in the 
defence of Christendom. Leo and Ulrich became intimate 
friends. Leo played on thf; dulcimer, and had a very 
fine voice. Often did his chamber reecho with the cheer- 
ful songs of these young friends of the arts. Leo Juda 
afterwards became Zwingle's colleague, and even death 
could not destroy so holy a friendship. 

The oflfice of pastor of Glaris became vacant at thia 
time. One of the pope's youthful courtiers, Henri Goldli, 
his holiness' equerry, and who was already the possessor 
of several benefices, hastened to Glaris with the pontiffs 
letter of nomination. But the shepherds of Glaris, proud 
of the antiquity of their race and of their struggles in 

* Et doctrinam Ecclesiae veterem .... instaurari oporteat. Gual- 
teruB Miec. Tig. 3. 102. f Der Tod Christy sey die einige Be- 

zahlung fiir unsere Siinde. . . . Fiisslin Beytr. 2. 268. t Quan 
a tanto viro semina quaedam .... Zwingliano pectori iujecta essep*- 
Jud. in Preef. ad Ann. Zw in N. T. 

MtaftoTRof. n. 



814 HISTORY OP THE BEFORMATION. 



the cause of liberty, did not feel inclined to bend theii 
heads before a slip of parchment from Rome. Wildhaug 
is not far from Glaris, and Wesen, of which Zwingle's 
uncle was the incumbent, is the place where these peo- 
ple hold their markets. The reputation of the young 
master of arts of Basle had extended even to these 
monntains, and him the people of Glaris desired to have 
for their priest. They invited him in 1506. Zwingle 
was ordained at Constance by the bishop, preached his 
first sermon at Rapperswyl, read his first mass at Wild- 
haus on St. MichaePs day, in the presence of all his rela^ 
tions and the friends of his family, and about the end (A 
the year arrived at Glaris. 



MATTHEW SCHINNEE: 



3Io 



CHAPTER III. 

Fondne88 for war — Schinner — Pension from the pope — The laljy* 
rinth — Zwingle in Italy — Principle of reform — ^Zwingle and Lu« 
ther — Zwingle and Erasmus — Zwingle and the ancient clasaics— 
Paris and Glaris. 

Zwingle immediately applied himself with zeal to the 
duties of his large parish. Yet he was but twenty-two 
years old, and often permitted himself to be led away by 
dissipation, and by the relaxed ideas of the age. As a 
Romish priest, he did not differ from all the surrounding 
clergy. But even at this time, when the evangelical 
doctrine had not changed his heart, he never gave rise 
to those scandals which often afflicted the church,* and 
always felt the necessity of subjecting his passions to 
the holy standard of the gospel. 

A fondness for waj- at that time inflamed the tranquil 
valleys of Glaris. There dwelt the families of heroes, 
the Tchudis, the Walas, the (Eblis, whose blood had 
flowed on the field of battle. The aged warriors would 
relate to the youths, delighted at these recitals, their 
exploits in the wars of Burgundy and Swabia, and the 
combats of St. Jacques and of Ragaz. But alas, it was 
no longer against the enemies of their independence that 
these warlike shepherds took up arms. They might be 
seen, at the voice of the king of France, of the emperor, 
of the duke of Milan, or even of the holy father himself, 
descending like an avalanche from the Alps, and dash- 
ing with a noise of thunder against the troops drawn up 
in the plains. 

As a pool boy named Matthew Schinner, who attend- 
ed the school of Sion, in the Valais, about the middle of 
the second half of the fifteenth century, was singing one 
daj in the streets, as the young Martin Luther did a lit- 
tle later, he heard his name called by an old man. The 
latter, struck by the freedom with which the child an- 

• Sic reverentia pudoris, imprimis autem officii divini, perpetad 
oavii Osw. Myo Vit Zw. 



316 HISTORY OF THE REFOEMATIOIT 

Bwered his questions, said to him with that prophetic 
tone which a man is thought sometimes to possess on 
the brink of the grave, " Thou shalt be a bishop, and a 
prince."* These words struck the youthful mendicant, 
and from that moment a boundless ambition entered his 
soul. At Zurich and at Como he made such progress as 
to surprise his masters. He became priest of a small 
parish in the Valais, rose rapidly, and being sent to 
Eome somewhat later to demand of the pope the confir- 
mation of a bishop of Sion, who had just been elected, 
he obtained this bishopric for himself, and encircled his 
brows with the episcopal mitre. This ambitious and 
crafty, though often noble-minded and generous man, 
never considered any dignity but as a step to mount 
still higher. Having offered his services to Louis XII., 
and at the same time naming his price, " It is too much 
for one man," said the king. "I will show him," replied 
the exasperated bishop of Sion, **that I alone am worth 
many men." In effect, he turned towards Pope Julius 
II., who gladly welcomed him ; and in 1510, Schinner 
succeeded in attaching the whole Swiss confederation 
to the policy of this warlike pontiff. The bishop was 
rewarded by a cardinaPs hat, and he smiled as he now 
saw but one step between him and the papal throne. 

Schinner's eyes wandered continually over the can- 
tons of Switzerland, and as soon as he discovered an 
influential man in any place, he hastened to attach him 
to himself. The pastor of Glaris fixed his attention, and 
Zwingle learned ere long that the pope had granted him 
a yearly pension of fifty florins, to encourage him in his 
literary pursuits. His poverty did not permit him to buy 
books ; this money, during the short time Ulrich received 
it, was entirely devoted to the purchase of classical or 
theological works, which he procured from Basle.f Zwin- 
gle from that time attached himself to the cardinal, and 
thus entered the Roman party. Schinner and Julius II. 
at last betrayed the object of their intrigues : eight thou- 
sand Swiss, whom the eloquence of the cardinal -bishop 

♦ Helvet. Kirch. Gesch. von Wirz, 3. 314. f Welches er an 
die Biicher yerwandet. Bullinger's Manuscripts. 



THE LABYEINTH. 



317 



had enlisted, crossed the Alps ; but want of provisions, 
with the arms and money of the French, made them re- 
turn ingloriously to their mountains. They can ied bac'k 
with them the usual concomitants of these foreign wars, 
distrust, licentiousness, party spirit, violence, and disor- 
ders of every kind. Citizens refused to obey their magis- 
trates, children their parents ; agriculture and the carea 
of their flocks and herds were neglected ; luxury and 
beggary increased side by side ; the holiest ties were 
broken, and the confederation seemed on the brink of 
dissolution. 

Then were the eyes of the young priest of Claris 
opened, and his indignation burst forth. His powerful 
voice was raised to warn the people of the gulf into 
which they were about to fall. It was in the year 1510 
that he published his poem entitled, The Labyrinth. 
Within the mazes of this mysterious garden, Minos has 
concealed the Minotaur, that monster, half man, half 
bull, whom he feeds with the bodies of the young Athe- 
nians. " This Minotaur," says Zwingle, " represents the 
sins, the vices, the irreligion, the foreign service of the 
Swiss, which devour the sons of the nation." 

A bold man, Theseus, determines to rescue his coun- 
try ; but numerous obstacles arrest him : first, a one- 
eyed lion ; this is Spain and Aragon : then a crowned 
eagle, whose beak opens to swallow him up ; this is the 
empire : then a cock, raising its crest, and seeming to 
challenge to the fight ; this is Prance. The hero sur- 
mounts all these obstacles, reaches the monster, slays 
him, and saves his country. 

" In like manner," exclaims the poet, " are men now 
wandering in a labyrinth, but as they have no clew, they 
cannot regain the light. Nowhere do we find an imita- 
tion of Jesus Christ. A little glory leads us to risk our 
lives, torment our neighbor, and rush into disputes, war, 

and battle One might imagine that the furies had 

broken loose from the abyss of hell."* 

* Dass wir die hcellschen wiiteriiin'ii 
Moegend denken abbrochen syn. 
SSw 0pp. (Edit Schiller et Schulthess,) 2. second part, 3^0, 



318 



HISTORY OF THE EEFORMAI.OIT. 



A Theseus, a reformer was needed ; this Zwingle per* 
ceived clearly, and henceforth he felt a presentiment oi 
his mission. Shortly after, he composed an allegory, the 
meaning of which was less enigmatical.* 

In April, 1512, the confederates again arose at the 
voice of the cardinal for the defence of the church. (J W 
ris was in the foremost rank. The whole parish took 
the field under their banner, with the landamman and 
their pastor. Zwingle was compelled to march with 
them. The army passed the Alps, and the cardinal ap- 
peared in the midst of the confederates decorated with 
the pontiff's presents — a ducal cap ornamented with 
pearls and gold, and surmounted by the Holy Ghost 
represented under the form of a dove. The Swiss scaled 
the ramparts of fortresses and the walls of cities ; and 
in the presence of their enemies swam naked across riv- 
ers, halberd in hand. The French were defeated at every 
point ; bells and trumpets pealed their notes of triumph ; 
the people crowded around them from all quarters ; the 
nobles furnished the army with wine and fruits in abun- 
dance ; monks and priests mounted the pulpits, and pro- 
claimed that the confederates were the people of God, who 
avenged the bride of the Lord on her enemies ; and the 
pope, a prophet like Caiaphas of old, conferred on them 
the title of " defenders of the liberty of the church."f 

This sojourn in Italy was not without its influence 
on Zwingle as regards his call to the Reformation. On 
his return from this campaign, he began to stnidy Greek, 
" in order,'' as he said, "to be able to draw from the 
fountain-head of truth the doctrines of Jesus Ghrist.| I 
am determined to apply myself to Greek," wrote he to 
Vadian, February 23, 1513, that no one shall be able 
to turn me aside from it, except God : I do it, not for 
glory, but for the love of sacred learning." Somewhat 

• Fabelgedicht vom Ochsen und etlichen Thieren, iez loufender 
dingo begriffenl ch. Zw. 0pp. 2. second part, 267. f De Gestia 
inter Gallos et Helvetios, relatio H. Zwinglii. t Ante decern an- 
no8, operam dedi graecis Uteris, ut ex fontibus doctrinam Christi hau- 
rire possem. Zw. 0pp. 1, 274, in his Explan. Artie, which bears 11)0 
4Ate of 1533. 



PROGRESS OF ZWINGhLB. 



ai9 



fater, a worthy priest who had been his school-follow, 
con.iiig to see him, " Master Ulrich," said he, " I am in- 
formed that you are falling into this new error ; that you 
are a Lutheran." " I am not a Lutheran," said Zwingle, 
" f?r I learned Greek before I had ever heard the name 
of Luther."* To know Greek, to study the gospel in 
the original language, was, in Zwingle's opinion, the 
basis of the Reformation. 

Zwingle went farther than merely acknowledging at 
this early period the grand principle of evangelical Chris- 
tianity — the infallible authority of holy Scripture. He 
perceived, moreover, how we should determine the sense 
of the divine word : " They have a very mean idea of the 
gospel," said he, " who consider as frivolous, vain, and 
unjust, all that they imagine does not accord with their 
own reason.f Men are not permitted to wrest the gos- 
pel at pleasure, that it may square with their own sen- 
timents and interpretation."^ " Zwingle turned his eyes 
to heaven," says his best friend, *'for he would have no 
other interpreter than the Holy Ghost himself."§ 

Such, at the commencement of his career, was th< 
man whom certain persons have not hesitated to repre 
sent as having desired to subject the Bible to human 
reason. " Philosophy and divinity," said he, were al- 
ways raising objections. At last I said to myself, I musi 
neglect all these matters, and look for God's will in his 
word alone. I began," continues he, " earnestly to en- 
treat the Lord to grant me his light ; and although I read 
the Scriptures only, they became clearer to me than if I 
had read all the commentators." He compared Scripture 
with itself ; explaining obscure passages by those that 
are clear. || He soon knew the Bible thoroughly, and par- 

♦ Tch hab grsecae Konnen, eh a ich ni nut von Luther gehort haU 
Salat Chronik. MS. f Nihil sublimius de evangelic sentiunt,quani 
quod) quidquid eorum rationi non est consentaneum, hoc iniquuai, 
vanum et irivolum existimant. Zw. 0pp. 1. 202. i Nec posse 
evangelium ad sensum et interpretationem hominum redigi. Ibid. 
216 § In ccelum suspexit, doctorem quaerens Spiritum. Osw. 
Myc. Vita Zw. j| Scrip ta contulit et obscura clarie eluoldayit. 
Ibid. 



/ 



320 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOlf 

ticTilarly the New Testament.* When Zwingle thug 
turned towards holy Scripture, Switzerland took its first 
step towards the Reformation. Accordingly, when he 
explained the Scriptures, every one felt that his teaching 
came from God, and not from man.f "All divine work,'' 
exclaimed Oswald Myconius ; " it is thus we recovered 
the knowledge of the truth from heaven.'' 

Zwingle did not, however, contemn the explanatione 
of the most celebrated doctors : in after-years he studied 
O'igen, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Chrysostom, 
but not as authori/ties. " I study the doctors," said he, 
" with the same end as when we ask a friend. How do 
you understand this passage ?" Holy Scripture, in his 
opinion, was the touchstone by which to test the holiest 
doctors themselves.J 

Zwingle's course was slow, but progressive. He did 
not arrive at the truths like Luther, by those storms 
which impel the soul to run hastily to its harbor of ref- 
uge ; he reached it by the peaceful influence of Scrip- 
ture, whose power expands gradually in the heart. Lu- 
ther attained the wished-for shore through the storms 
of the wide ocean ; Zwingle, by gliding softly down the 
stream. These are the two principal ways by which the 
Almighty leads men. Zwingle was not fully converted 
to God and to his gospel until the earlier years of his 
residence at Zurich ; yet the moment when, in 1514 or 
1515, this strong man bent the knee before God, in 
prayer for the understanding of his word, was that in 
which appeared the first glimmering rays of the bright 
day that afterwards beamed upon him. 

About this period one of Erasmus' poems, in which 
Jesus Christ is introduced addressing mankind perishing 
through their own fault, made a deep impression on 
Zwingle. Alone in his closet, he repeated to himself 
that passage in which Jesus complains that men do not 
seek every grace from him, although he is the source of 

* In summa, er ma<5ht im, die H. Schriflt, insonders daes N. T. 
gantz gemein. Bullinger MS. f Ut nemo noD vlderet Spiritum 
doctorem, non hominem. Osw. Myc. Vita Zw. t Scriptura r-a* 
tLonioa, sea Ljdio lapide probandos. Ibid. 



Zl?^iNaLE AND THE CLASSICS. 



32i 



all that is good. " All," said Zwingle, " all." And this 
word was ever present to his mind. " Are there, then, 
any creatures, any saints of whom we should beg assist- 
ance ? No ; Christ is our only treasure."* 

Zwingle di^^ not restrict himself to the study of Chris- 
tian letters. One of the characteristic features of the 
reformers of the sixteenth century is their profound study 
of the Greek and Roman writers. The poems of Hesiod, 
Homer, and Pindar possessed great charms for Zwingle, 
and he has left some commentaries or characteristics of 
the two last poets. It seemed to him that Pindar spoke 
of the gods in so sublime a strain that he must have felt a 
presentiment of the true God. He studied Demosthenes 
and Cicero thoroughly, and in their writings learned the 
art of oratory and the duties of a citizen. He called 
Seneca a holy man. The child of the Swiss mountains 
delighted also to investigate the mysteries of nature in 
the works of Pliny. Thucydides, Sallust, Livy, Caesar, 
Suetonius, Plutarch, and Tacitus taught him the know- 
ledge of mankind. He has been reproached with his 
enthusiasm for the great men of antiquity, and it is true 
that some of his expressions on this subject admit of no 
justification. But if he honored them so highly, it was 
because he fancied he discerned in them not mere hu- 
man virtues, but the influence of the Holy Ghost. In 
his opinion, God's influence, far from being limited in 
ancient times by the boundaries of Palestine, extended 
over the whole world.f "Plato," said he, **has also 
drunk at this heavenly spring. And if the two Catos, 
Scipio, and Camillus, had not been truly religious, could 
they have been so high-minded ?" J 

Zwingle communicated a taste for letters to all 
around him Many intelligent young men were edu« 
oated at his school. " You have offered me not only 

• Dass Christus unser armen seelen ein einziger schatz sey. Zw. 
0pp. 1. 298. Zwingle said in 1523 that he had read this poem of 
Erasmus' some eight or nine years before. f Spiritus ille coeles- 
tis non solam Palestinam vel creaverat vel fovebat, sed mundum 
universum. CEcol. and Zw. Epp. p. 9. t Nisi religiosi, nunquom 
fiiisf>eQt magnanimi. Ibid. 

21 



322 



HISTOBY OF THE REFORMATIOIT. 



books, but yourself also," wrote Valentine Tschudi, son 
of one of the heroes in the Burgundian wars ; and this 
young man, who had ahready studied at Vienna and 
Basle under the most celebrated doctors, added, I have 
found no one who could explain the classic authors ^vith 
such acumen and profundity as yourself. "* Tschudi 
went to Paris, and thus was able to compare the spirit 
that prevailed in this university with that which he had 
found in a narrow valley of the Alps, over which soared 
the gigantic summits and eternal snows of the Dodi, the 
Glarnisch, the Viggis, and the Freyberg. " In what fri- 
volities do they educate the French youth," said he. " No 
poison can equal the sophistical art that they are taught. 
It dulls the senses, weakens the judgment, and brutal- 
izes the man, who then becomes, as it were, a mere echo, 
an empty sound. Ten women could not make head 
against one of these rhetoricians.f Even in their pray- 
ers, I am certain they bring their sophisms before God, 
and by their syllogisms presume to constrain the Holy 
Spirit to answer them." Such were at that time Paris, 
the intellectual metropolis of Christendom, and Glaris, a 
village of herdmen among the Alps. One ray of light 
from God's word enlightens more than all the wisdom of 
man. 

* Nam qui sit acrioris in enodandis auctoribus judicii, vidi nomi- 
nem. Zw. Epp. p. 13. f Ut neo decern mulierculsB .... uni 

sophistae adasquari queant Ibid. 45, 



OSWALD MYCONIUS. 



823 



CHAPTER IV. 

Zwlngle to Erasmus — Oswald Myconius — The robbers — (Ecolampa- 
dius — Zwingle at Marignan — Zwingle and Italy — Zwingle's meth- 
od- -Commencement of the reform — Discovery — Passage from one 
world to the other. 

A GREAT man of that age, Erasmus, exercised much 
influence over Zwingle. No sooner did one of his writ- 
ings appear than Zwingle hastened to purchase it. In 
1514, Erasmus arrived in Basle, where the bishop re- 
ceived him with every mark of esteem. All the friends 
of learning immediately assembled around him. But 
the prince of the schools had easily discovered him who 
was to be the glory of Switzerland. I congratulate 
the Helvetians," wrote he to Zwingle, "that you are 
laboring to polish and civilize them by your studies and 
your morals, which are alike of the highest order."* 
Zwingle earnestly longed to see him. Spaniards and 
Gauls went to Rome to see Livy," said he, and set out. 
On arriving at Basle, he found there a man about forty 
years of age, of small stature, weak frame, and delicate 
appearance, but exceedingly amiable and polite.f It 
was Erasmus. His agreeable manners soon banished 
Zwingle's timidity ; the power of his genius subdued 
him. " Poor as JEschines," said he, when each of So- 
crates' disciples offered their master a present, I give 
you what ^schines gave. ... I give you myself." 

Among the men of learning who then formed the 
court of Erasmus — such as Amerbach, Rhenanus, Frobe- 
nius, Nessenus, and Glarean — Zwingle noticed one Os- 
wald Geisshiissler, a young man of Lucerne, twenty- 
seven years old. Erasmus hellenized his name, and 
called him Myconius. We shall generally speak of him 

• Tu, tuique similes optimis etiam studiis ac moribus et expolie- 
tifi et nobiliiabitis. Zw. Epp. p. 10. f Et corpusculo hoc too 

minuto, verum minimi inconciano, urbanissime gestieiitem videre 
viuear. Ibid. 



324 HISTOKl OF THE EEFORMATIOU. 



by his Christian name, in order to distinguish the friend 
of Zwingle from Frederick Myconius, the disciple of Lu- 
ther. Oswald, after studying at Rothwyl with a youth 
of his own age named Berthold Hall-er, and next at Berne 
and at Basle, had become rector of St. Theodore's school, 
and afterwards of St. Peter's, in the latter city. The 
humble schoolmaster, though possessed of a scanty in- 
come, had married a young woman whose simplicity and 
purity of mind won all hearts. We have already seen 
that this was a time of trouble in Switzerland, in which 
foreign wars gave rise to violeat disorders, and the sol- 
diers, returning to their country, brought back with 
them their campaigning habits of licentiousness and 
brutality. One dark and cloudy day in winter, some of 
these ruffians attacked Oswald's quiet dwelling in his 
absence. They knocked at the door, threw stones, and 
called for his modest wife in the most indecent language ; 
at last they dashed in the windows, and entering the 
schoolroom, broke every thing they could find, and then 
retired. Oswald returned shortly after. His son, little 
Felix, ran to meet him with loud cries, and his wife, 
unable to speak, made signs of the utmost affright. He 
perceived what had happened to him. At the same mo- 
ment, a noise was heard in the street. Unable to con- 
trol his feelings, the schoolmaster seized a weapon, and 
pursued the rioters to the cemetery. They took refuge 
within it, prepared to defend themselves : three of their 
number fell upon Myconius, and wounded him ; and 
while his wound was dressing, those wretches again 
broke into his house with furious cries. Oswald says 
no more.* Such were the scenes that took place in the 
cities of Switzerland at the beginning of the sixteenth 
century, and before the Reformation had softened and 
disciplined the manners. 

The integrity of Oswald Myconius, his thirst for 
knowledge and virtue, brought him into contact with 
Zwingle. The rector of the school of Basle recognized 
the superiority of the priest of Claris. In his humility 
he shrunk from the praises lavished on him b(?th by 
^ Erafimi Laos Stultitlsd, cum annot. MycooiL 



CBC0LAMPADITT8. 



Zwingle and Erasmus. The latter would often say, '* I 
look upon you schoolmasters as the peers of kings." 
But the modest Myconius was of a different opinion 
" I do but crawl upon the earth ; from my childhood, 
there has been something humble and mean about me.''* 
A preacher who had arrived in Basle at nearly the 
game time as Zwingle, was then attracting general at- 
tention. Of a mild and peaceful disposition, he loved a 
tranquil life ; slow and circumspect in action, his chief 
delight was to labor in his study and to promote concord 
among all Christians.f His name was John Hausschein, 
in Greek (Ecolampadius, or " the light of the house he 
was born in Franconia, of rich parents, a year before 
Zwingle. His pious mother desired to consecrate to 
learning and to God the only child that Providence had 
left her. His father at first destined him to business, 
and then to jurisprudence. But after QScolampadius had 
returned from Bologna, where he had been studying the 
law, the Lord, who was pleased to make him a light in 
the church, J called him to the study of theology. He 
was preachin*g in his native town, when Capito, who had 
known him at Heidelberg, got him appointed preacher 
at Basle. He there proclaimed Christ with an eloquence 
which filled his hearers with admiration. § Erasmus 
admitted him into his intimacy. (Ecolampadius was 
charmed with the hours he passed in the society of this 
great genius. " There is but one thing," said the mon- 
arch of learning to him, **that we should look for in 
holy Scripture, and that is Jesus Christ." || He gave the 
youthful preacher, as a memorial of his friendship, the 
commencement of the gospel of St. John. (Ecolampa- 
dius would often kiss this pledge of so valued an affeo 

* Equidem hum! repere didici hactenus, et est natura nescio quid 
humile vel a cunabulis in me. Osw. Myc. Vita Zw. f Ingenio 
miti et tranquillc. pacis et concordiae studiosissimus. Melch. Ad. 
Vit. (Ecol. p. 68. t Flectente et vocante Deo, qui eo in domo 

sua pro lampade usurus erat. Ibid. p. 46. § Omnium ver^ 

^piritualium et eruditorum admiratione Christum praedicavit. Ibid* 

II Nihil in sacm li^ris prseter Christum qos&rendum. Kraaixu 
iOpp. p. 403. 



326 HISTORY OP THE REFORM A.TION. 



tion, and kept it suspended to his crucifix, " in order,^ 
said he, " that I may always remember Erasmus in my 
prayers/' 

Zwingle returned to his native mountains, his heart 
and mind full of all he had seen and heard at Basle. I 
should be unable to sleep," wrote he to Erasmus shortly 
after his return, "if I had not held some conversation 
with you. There is nothing I am prouder of than of 
having seen Erasmus." Zwingle had received a new 
impulse. Such journeys often exercise a great influence 
over the career of a Christian. Zwingle's pupils, Val- 
entine, Jost, with Louis Peter and Egidius Tschudi ; his 
friends, the landamman -^bli, the priest Binzli of We- 
Ben, Fridolin Brimner, and the celebrated professor Gla- 
rean, were delighted to see him increase in knowledge 
and in wisdom. The old respected him as a courageous 
patriot — the faithful pastors, as a zealous minister of the 
Lord. Nothing was done in the country without his 
being first consulted. All good people hoped that the 
ancient virtues of Switzerland would be one day revived 
by him.* 

Francis I. having ascended the throne, and desiring 
to avenge in Italy the honor of the French name, the 
pope in consternation endeavored to gain over the can- 
tons. Thus, in 1515, Ulrich again visited the plains of 
Italy in the midst of the phakinxes of his countrymen. 
But the dissensions that the intrigues of the French 
sowed in the confederate army wrung his heart. Often 
might he be seen in the midst of the camp haranguing 
with energy, and at the same time with great wisdom, 
an audience armed from head to foot, and ready for the 
fight.f On the 8th of September, five days before the 
battle of Marignan,. he preached in the square of Monza, 
where the Swiss soldiers who had remained faithful to 
their colors were assembled. "If we had then, and even 
later, followed Zwingle's advice," said Werner SteinfT of 
Zug, " what evils would our country have been spared I'* 

• Justitiam avitam per hunc olim restitutam iri. Osw. Myo 
Vita Zw. t In dem Heerlager hat era flyasig geprediget Bill' 
linger m 



ZWINOLE AlVD ITALY. 



327 



But all ears were shut against the voice of concord, 
prudence, and submission. The impetuous eloquence of 
Cardinal Schinner electrified the confederates, and im- 
pelled them to rush like a torrent to the fatal field of 
Marignan. The flower of the Helvetian youth perished 
there. Zwingle, who had been unable to prevent such 
disasters, threw himself, in the cause of Rome, into the 
midst of danger. His hand wielded the sword.* A 
melancholy error I A minister of Christ, he forgot more 
than once that he should fight only with the weapons of 
the Spirit, and he was destined to see fulfilled, in his 
own person, this prophecy of our Lord : They that take 
the sword shall perish with the ^ord." 

Zwingle and the Swiss had been unable to save Rome 
The ambassador of Venice was the first in the pontifical 
city to hear of the defeat at Marignan. Quite elated, he 
repaired early in the morning to the Vatican. The pope 
left his chamber half dressed to give him an audience 
When Leo X. heard the news, he did not conceal his 
terror. In this moment of alarm he saw only Francis L, 
and had no hope but in him : My lord ambassador," 
said he tremblingly to Zorsi, we must throw ourselves 
into the arms of the king, and cry for mercy.^f Luther 
and Zwingle, in their dangers, knew another arm, and 
invoked another mercy. 

This second visit to Italy was not unprofitable to 
Zwingle. He remarked the difference between the Am- 
brosian ritual in use at Milan and that of Rome. He 
collected and compared with each other the most ancient 
canons of the mass. Thus a spirit of inquiry was de- 
veloped in him, even amid the tumult of camps. At the 
same time the sight of the children of his fatherland led 
beyond the Alps and delivered up to slaughter like theii 
herds, filled him with indignation. It was a common 
Baying, that " the flesh of the confederates was cheaper 
than that of their kine." The faithlessness and ambition 

• In den Schlachten sich redlich und dapfer gestellt mit Rathen, 
Worten nnd Thaten. Bullinger MS. f Domine orator, v©« 

deremo quel fara il re Christianissimo se metteremo in le so man 
dimandando misericordia. Zorsi Relatione MS, 



328 HISTORY OF THE REPOR jIATION 



of the pope,* the avarice aad ignorance of the prieetfi, 
the licentiousness and dissipation of the monks, the pride 
and luxury of the prelates, the corruption and venality 
that infected the Swiss on every side — all these evils 
forced themselves upon his attention, and made him feel 
more keenly than ever the necessity of a reform in the 
dmrch. 

From this time Zwingle preached the word of God 
more clearly. He explained the portions of the gospels 
and epistles selected for the public services, always 
comparing scripture with sciipture.f He spoke with 
animation and with power,| and pursued with his hear- 
ers the same course that God had adopted with him. 
He did not, like Luther, expose the sores of the church ; 
but in proportion as the study of the Bible manifested 
to him any useful lesson, he communicated it to his flock. 
He endeavored to instil the truth into their hearts, and 
then relied on it for the result that it was destined to 
produce.§ "If the people understand what is true," 
thought he, " they will soon discern what is false.'' This 
maxim is good for the commencement of a reformation, 
but there comes a time when error should be boldly 
pointed out. This Zwingle knew full well. " The spring 
is the season for sowing," said he ; and it was then 
spring-tide with him. 

Zwingle has indicated this period, 1616, as the be- 
ginning of the Swiss reformation. In effect, if four 
years before he had bent his head over the book of God, 
he now raised it, and turned towards his people to im- 
part to them the light that he had found therein. This 
is a new and important epoch in the history of the de- 
velopment of the religious revolution in these countries ; 
but it has been erroneously concluded from these dales 
that Zwingle's reform preceded that of Luther. Perhaps 

* Bellissimo parktdor (Leo X.) prometea assa ma non atendea. 
Relatione MS. di Gradenigo, venuto orator di Roma. f Nod 

hominum commentis, sed sola scripturarum biblicarum collatione. 
Zw. 0pp. 1. 273. t SDndern auch mit predigen, darrinen er 

heftig was. Bullinger MS. § Volebat veritatem cognitam in 
oordibus auditorum agere Buum officium. Osw. Myo. Yit. Zw. 



A G^REAT DISCOVERY. 



829 



Zwingle preached the gospel a year previous to the pub- 
lication of Luther's theses, but Luther himself preached 
four years before those celebrated propositions* If 
Luther and Zwingle had strictly confined themselves to 
preaching", the Reformation would not so rapidly have 
overrun the church. Luther and Zwingle were neither 
the first monk nor the first priest that had taught a 
purer doctrine than the schoolmen. But Luther was 
the first to uplift publicly and with indomitable courage 
the standard of truth against the dominion of error ; to 
direct general attention to the fundamental doctrine of 
the gospel, salvation through grace ; to lead his gen- 
eration into that new way of knowledge, faith, and life, 
from which a new world has issued : in a word, to begin 
a salutary and real revolution. The great struggle oi 
which the theses of 1517 were the signal, really gave 
birth to the Reformation, and imparted to it both a soul 
and a body. Luther was the first reformer. 

A spirit of inquiry was beginning to breathe on the 
mountains of Switzerland. One day the priest of Glaris, 
chancing to be in the delightful country of Mollis, at the 
house of Adam the priest of the place, together with 
Bunzli, priest of Wesen, and Varschon, priest of Keren- 
sen, these friends discovered an old liturgy, in which 
they read these words ; " After the child is baptized, let 
him partake of the sacrament of the Eucharist, and like- 
wise of the cup.^f " So then," said Zwingle, " the sacra- 
ment was at that time given in our churches under both 
kinds." This liturgy, which was about two hundred years 
old, was a great discovery for these Alpine priests. 

The defeat at Marignan produced its natural results 
In the cantons. The victorious Francis I. was prodigal 
of gold and flatteries to win over the confederates, and 
die emperor conjured them by their honor, by the tears 
of widows and orphans, and by the blood of their breth- 
ren, not to sell themselves to their murderers. The 
French party had the upperhand in Glaris, and from that 
time this residence became burdensome to Ulrich. 

• Vol. I. p. 213, etc. t Detur Eucharistiae sacramentum 

siinllit^r poculum sanguinis. Zw. 0pp. 1. 266. 



830 HISTORY OP THE REFORMATIOIT. 



Had Zwingle remained at Glaris, be might possibly 
have been a mere man of the age. Party intrigue, po- 
litical prejudices, the empire, France, and the duke of 
Milan, might 'Eave almost absorbed his life. God never 
leaves in the midst of the tumult of the world those 
whom he is training for his people. He leads them 
aside ; he places them in some retirement, where they 
Jind themselves face to face with God and themselves, 
and whence they derive inexhaustible instruction. The 
Son of God himself, a type in this respect of the course 
he pursues with his servants, passed forty days in the 
wilderness. It was now time to withdraw Zwingle from 
this political movement, which, by constant repetition in 
his soul, would have quenched the Spirit of God. The 
hour had come to prepare him for another stage than 
that on which courtiers, cabinets, and factions contended, 
and where he would have uselessly wasted a strength 
worthy of a higher occupation. His fellow-countrymen 
had need of something better. It was necessary that a 
new life should now descend from heaven, and that the 
instrument of its transmission should unlearn the things 
of earth, to learn those of heaven. These two spheres 
are entirely distinct : a wide gulf separates the two 
worlds ; and before passing wholly from one to the other, 
Zwingle was to sojourn for a time on a neutral territo- 
ry, an intermediate and preparatory state, there to be 
taught of God. God at this time removed him from 
among the factions of Glaris, and conducted him, for hig 
noviciate, to the solitude of a hermitage. He confined 
within the narrow walls of an abbey this generous seed 
of the Eeformation, which, soon transplanted to a better 
Boil, was to cover the mountains with its shadow. 



SIirSIDLEK. 



3St 



CHAPTER V 

Our Lady of Einsidlen — Zwingle's call — The abbot — Geroldstk^ A 
learned society — The Bible copied — Zwingle and superstition- 
First opposition to error — Sensation — Hedio — Zwingle and the 
legates — The honors of Rome — The bishop of Constance — Sam* 
•on and the indulgences — Stapfer — Zwingle's charity — Hii 
friends. 

About the middle of the ninth century, a German 
monk, Meinrad of Hohenzollern, had passed between the 
lakes of Zurich and Wallenstadt, and halted on a little 
hill in front of an amphitheatre of pines, where he built 
a cell. Ruffians imbrued their hands in the blood of the 
saint. The polluted cell long remained deserted. About 
the end of the tenth century, a convent and church in 
honor of the Virgin w^ere built on this sacred spot. 
About midnight on the eve of the day of consecration, 
the bishop of Constance and his priests were at prayers 
in the church ; a heavenly strain, proceeding from in- 
visible beings, suddenly resounded through the chapel. 
They listened prostrate and with admiration. On the 
morrow, as the bishop was about to consecrate the 
building, a voice repeated thrice, " Stop, stop ; God him- 
self has consecrated it."* Christ in person, it was said, 
had blessed it during the night ; the strains they had 
heard were those of the angels, apostles, and saints ; and 
the Virgin standing above the altar shone with the 
brightness of lightning. A bull of Leo VIIL had forbid* 
den the faithful to doubt the truth of this legend. From 
that time an immense crowd of pilgrims had annually 
visited Our Lady of the Hermits for the festival of the 
consecration of the angels." Delphi and Ephesus in 
ancient times, and Loretto in more recent days, have 
alone equalled the renown of Einsidlen. It was in this 

• Cessa, cessa, frater, divinitus capella consecrata est. Hartm 
ijinaL EinsidL p. 51. 



832 



H.STORY OP THE REFOUMATION. 



extraordinary place that, in 1516, TJlrich Zwingle waa 
invitod to be priest and preacher. 

Zwingle did not hesitate. "It is neither ambition 
uor covetousness," said he, "that takes me there, but 
the intrigues of the French."* Reasons of a higher kind 
determined him. On the one hand, having more solitude^ 
more tranquillity, and a less extensive parish, he would 
be able to devote more time to study and meditation ; on 
the other, this resort of pilgrims offered him an easy 
means of spreading a knowledge of Jesus Christ into 
the most distant countries.f 

The friends of evangelical preaching at Claris loudly 
expressed their grief. "What more distressing can 
happen to Glaris," said Peter Tschudi, one of the most 
distinguished citizens of the canton, " than to be deprived 
of so great a man ?"J His parishioners, seeing that he 
was inflexible, resolved to leave him the title of pastor 
of Glaris, with a portion of the stipend, and the power 
of returning whenever he chose. § 

Conrad of Rechberg, a gentleman descended from an 
ancient family, serious, frank, intrepid, and sometimes 
perhaps a little rough, was one of the most celebrated 
huntsmen of the country to which Zwingle was going 
In one of his farms, the Silthal, he had established a 
stud, where he raised a breed of horses that became 
famous in Italy. Such was the abbot of Our Lady of the 
Hermits. Rechberg held in equal detestation the pre- 
tensions of Rome and theological discussions. One day 
when, during a visitation of the order, some observa- 
tions were made to him, "I am master here, and not 
you," said he, somewhat rudely ; " go your ways." At 
another time, as Leo Juda was discussing some intr icate 
question at table with the administrator of the convent, 

* Locum mutavimus non cupidinis aut cupiditatis moti stimulis, 
varum Gallorum technis. Zw. Epp. p. 24. f Christum et veri- 
iatem ejus in regiones et varias et remotas divulgari tam felici opor- 
tanitate. Of?w Myc. Vita Zw. t Quid enim Glareanae urstra 
trietius accideie poterat, tanto videlicet privari viro! Zw. Epp. 
p. 16. § For two years after this, Zwingle still signed his name^ 
Paster Glaronse, Minister Eremi. Zw. Epp. p. 80. 



aEEOLDSEK-CAPITO. 



333 



the hunting abbot exclaimed, * Leave off your disputes. 
I cry with David, * Have mercy upon me, 0 God, accord- 
ing to thy loving kindness, and enter not into judgment 
with thy servant.' I desire to know nothing more."* 

The manager of the monastery was Baron Theobald 
of Geroldsek, a man of mild character, sincere piety, 
and great love for letters. His favorite plan was to 
assemble in his convent a body of learned men ; and 
with this view, he had invited Zwingle. Eager for in- 
struction and reading, he begged his new friend to direct 
him. Study the holy Scriptures," replied Zwingle, " and 
that you may better understand them, read St. Jerome. 
However," added he, " a time will come — and that soon, 
with God's help — when Christians will not set great store 
either by St. Jerome or any other doctor, but solely by 
the word of God."f Geroldsek's conduct gave indica- 
tion of his progress in faith. He permitted the nuns in 
a convent depending on Einsidlen to read the Bible in 
the vulgar tongue ; and some years later, Geroldsek went 
and lived at Zurich beside Zwingle, and died with him 
on the field of Cappel. The same charm erelong ten- 
derly attached to Zwingle not only Geroldsek, but also 
Zink the chaplain, the worthy (Exlin, Lucas, and other 
inmates of the abbey. These studious men, far removed 
from the tumult of parties, used to unite in reading the 
Scriptures, the fathers of the church, the masterpieces of 
antiquity, and the wri-tings of the restorers of learning. 
This interesting circle was often increased by friends 
from distant parts. Among others, Capito one day 
arrived at Einsidlen. The two old friends of Basle 
walked over the convent together, and strolled about 
its wild environs, absorbed in conversation, examining 
the Scriptures, and seeking to learn God's will. There 
was one point upon which they were agreed, and it was 
this, " The pope of Rome must fall." Capito was at this 
time a bolder man than he was afterwards. 

• Wirz, K. Gesch. 3. 363; Zwinglis Bildung von Schiiler, p. 174; 
Miscell. Tigur. 3. 28 t Fore, idque brevi, Deo sic juvante, ut 

neque Hieronymus neque cseteri, eed sola Scrip tura divina apud 
Christianos in pretio sit futura. Zw. 0pp. 1. 273. 



834 



HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



In this calm retreat Zwingle enjoyed rest, leisure, 
books, and friends, and grew in understanding and in 
faith. It was then — May, 1511 — that he commenced a 
work that proved very useful to him. As iL ancient 
days the kings of Israel transcribed God^s law w th their 
own Lands, so Zwingle with his copied out the epistlei 
of St. Paul. At that time there existed none but volumi- 
aous editions of the New Testament, and Zwingle wished 
to be able to carry it with him always.* He learned 
thpse epistles by heart, and somewhat later the other 
books of the New Testament and part of the Old. His 
soul thus grew daily more attached to the supreme 
authority of the word of God. He was not content sim- 
ply to acknowledge this authority, he resolved sincerely 
to subject his life to it. He entered gradually into a 
more Christian path. The purpose for which he had been 
brought into this desert was accomplishing. Doubtless 
it was not until his residence at Zurich, that the power 
of a Christian life penetrated all his being ; but already 
at Einsidlen he had made evident progress in sanctifica- 
tion. At Glaris, he had been seen to take part in worldly 
amusements ; at Einsidlen, he sought more and more 
after a life pure from every stain and from all worldli- 
ness ; he began to have a better understanding of the 
great spiritual interests of the people, and learned by 
degrees what God designed to teach him. 

Providence, in bringing him to Einsidlen, had also 
other aims. He was to have a nearer view of the super- 
Btitions and abuses which had invaded the church. The 
image of the Virgin, carefully preserved in the monas- 
tery, had, it was said, the power of working miracles. 
Over the gate of the abbey might be read this presump- 
tuous inscription : **Here a plenary remission of sins may 
be obtained." A crowd of pilgrims flocked to Einsidlen 
from every part of Christendom to merit this grace by 
their pilgrimage at the festival of the Virgin. The 
church, the abbey, and all the valley were filled with 
her devout worshippers. But it was particularly at the 
^eat feast of " the consecration of the angels," that the 
* This manuscript is still extant in the publio library Qf Znrioh. 



ZYTING-LE AND SUPEilSTITIOW. 335 



crowd thronged the hermitag'e. Many thousand indi- 
viduals of both sexes climbed in long files the slopes of 
the mountain leading to the oraxoiy, singing hymns or 
counting their beads. These devout pilgrims crowded 
eagerly into the church, imagining themselves nearer to 
QckI tLMe than elsewhere. 

Zwingle's residence at Einsidlen, as regards a know- 
!edge of the abuses of the papacy, produced an analo 
gous effect to that resulting from Luther^s visit to Rome. 
In this monastery he completed his education as a 
reformer. God alone is the source of salvation, and 
he is everywhere : this was what he learned at Einsid- 
len, and these two truths, became the fundamental arti- 
cles of Zwingle's theology. The seriousness he had 
acquired in his soul soon manifested itself in his actions. 
Struck by the knowledge of so many evils, he resolved 
to oppose them boldly. He did not hesitate between 
his conscience and his interests : he stood forth with 
courage, and his energetic eloquence uncompromisingly 
attacked the superstitions of the crowd that surrounded 
him. " Do not imagine," said he from the pulpit, that 
God is in this temple more than in any other part of 
creation. Whatever be the country in which you dwell, 
God is around you, and hears you as well as at Our 
Lady's of Einsidlen. Can unprofitable works, long pil- 
grimages, offerings, images, the invocation of the Virgin 
or of the saints, secure for you the grace of God ? . . . . 
What avails the multitude of words with which we em- 
body our prayers ? What efficacy has a glossy cowl, a 
smooth-shorn head, a long and flowing robe, or gold-em- 
broidered slippers ? . . . God looks at the heart, and our 
hearts are far from him.-'* 

But Zwingle desired to do more than merely inveigh 
against superstition ; he wished to satisfy the ardent 
jearnings for reconciliation with God, experienced by 
many pilgrims who flocked to the chapel of Our Lady 
of Einsidlen. " Christ, exclaimed he, like John the Bap- 
tist in this new desert of the mountains of Judea, Christ, 

* Vestis obloaga et plicis plena, muli auro ornati. . . . Cor vera 
{ntorim procul a Deo est. Zw. 0pp. 1. 236. 



336 HISTORY OF THE itEFOEMATIOW 



who was once offered upon the cross, is the sacrifice,'^ 
ho^ij "and victim, that had made satisfaction for the sins 
of believers to all eternity."* Thus Zwingle advanced. 
On the day when such bold language was first heard in 
the most venerated sanctuary of Switzerland, the stand- 
ard uplifted against Rome began to rise more distinctly 
above its mountains, and there was, so to speak, an. 
earthquake of reformation that shook her very founda- 
tions. 

In effect, universal astonishment filled the crowd as 
they listened to the words of the eloquent priest. Some 
withdrew in horror ; others hesitated between the faith 
of their sires and this doctrine which was to insure 
peace ; many went to Jesus, who was preached to them 
as meek and gentle, and carried back the tapers they 
had brought to present to the Virgin. A crowd of pil- 
grims returned to their homes, everywhere a'nnouncing 
what they had heard at Einsidlen : " Christ alone saves, 
and he saves everywhere." Often did whole bands, 
amazed at these reports, turn back without completing 
their pilgrimage. Mary's worshippers diminished in 
number daily. It was their offerings that made up in 
great measure the stipends of Zwingle and Geroldsek, 
But this bold witness to the truth felt happy in impov- 
erishing himself, if he could spiritually enrich souls. 

Among Zwingle's numerous hearers at the feast of 
Whitsuntide in 1518, was Gaspard Hedio, doctor of di- 
vinity at Basle, a learned man of mild character and 
active charity. Zwingle was preaching on the narra- 
tive of the paralytic, Luke 6, in which occurs this decla- 
ration of our Lord, " The Son of man hath power upon 
earth to forgive sins," words well adapted to strike the 
crowd assembled in the temple of the Virgin. The 
preacher's sermon stirred, charmed, and inspired hia 
congregation, and particularly the Basle doctor.f Foi 
a long while after, Hedio was accustomed to speak oi 
it with admiration. How beautiful is this discourse,'' 

* Christus qui sese semel in cruce obtulit, hostia est et victima 
Batisfaciens in aeternum, pro peccatis omnium fidelium. Zw. Opp^ 
1. 263. t 1b sermo ita me inflammavit. .... Zw. Epp. p. 90. 



ZWINaLE AND THE LEaATES. 337 



said he ; " how profound, solemn, copious, penetrating, 
and evangelical. How it reminds us of the kvepyeia^^ 
the force, "of the ancient doctors."* From this mo- 
ment Hedio admired and loved Zwingle.f He would 
have liked to speak with him, to unbosom himself to 
him ; he wandered round the abbey, yet dared not ad- 
vance, being held back, he says, by superstitious timid- 
ity. He remounted his horse, and retired slowly, often 
turning his head towards the walls that enclosed so 
great a treasure, and bearing away in his heart the 
keenest regret.J 

Thus preached Zwingle — certainly with less force, 
but with more moderation and not less success than 
Luther : he precipitated nothing ; he shocked men's 
minds far less than the Saxon reformer ; he expected 
every thing from the power of truth. He behaved with 
the same discretion in his intercourse with the heads 
of the church. Far from showing himself immediately 
as their adversary, like Luther, he long remained their 
friend. The latter humored him exceedingly, not only on 
account of his learning and talents — Luther had the same 
claims to the respect of the bishops of Mentz and Bran- 
denburg — ^but especially because of his attachment to 
the political party of the pope, and the influence such a 
man as Zwingle possessed in a republican state. 

Several cantons, indeed, disgusted with the papal 
service, were on the point of breaking with it. But the 
legates flattered themselves they would retain many by 
gaining Zwingle, as they had already gained Erasmus, 
by pensions and honors. The legates Ennius and Pucci 
paid frequent visits to Einsidlen, whence, considering 
its vicinity to the democratic cantons, their negotiations 
with these states were easier. But Zwingle, far from 
sar.rificing the truth to the demands and ofters of Rome, 
let no opportunity escape of defending ihe gospel. The 
famous Schinner, whose diocese was then in a distui bed 

Elegans ille, doetus, gravis copiosus, penetrans et evangeli* 

Cus Zw. Epp. p. 89. t Ut inciperem Zwingiium arcti* 

Bim^ complecti, su;scipere et admirari. lb. { Sicque abequitavi 
DOQ Bine moles tia, quain lamen ipse mib* pepereram. Ibid. 90 



838 HISTOEY OF THE REFORMATIOK. 



Btate, spent some time at Einsidlen. " The popedooi,'' 
said Zwingle one day, " reposes on a bad foundation :* 
apply yourselves to the work; reject all errors and 
abuses, or else you will see the whole edifice fall with 
a tremendous crash."f 

He spoke with the same freedom to Cardinal Pucci. 
Four times he returned to the charge. "With God's 
aid," said he, "I will continue to preach the gospel, and 
this preaching will make Rome totter." He then ex- 
plained to the prelate what ought to be done in order to 
save the church. Pucci promised every thing, but did 
nothing. Zwingle declared that he would resign the 
pope^s pension. The legate entreated him to keep it ; 
and Zwingle, who had no intention at that time of set- 
ting himself in open hostility against the head of the 
church, consented to receive it for three years longer. 
"But do not imagine," added he, "that for love of 
money I retract a single syllable of the truth."J Pucci 
in alarm procured for the reformer the nomination of 
acolyte to the pope. This was a step to further hon- 
ors. Rome aimed at frightening Luther by her judg- 
ments, and gaining Zwingle by her favors. Against 
the one she hurled her excommunications ; to the other 
she cast her gold and splendors. These were two differ- 
ent ways of attaining the same end, and of silencing 
the bold tongues that dared, in the pope's despite, 
proclaim the word of God in Germany and in Switzer- 
land. The latter was the more skilful policy, but nei- 
ther was successful. The emancipated souls of the 
preachers of the truth were equally beyond the reach of 
vengeance or of favor. 

Another Swiss prelate, Hugo of Landenberg, bishop 
of Constance, about this time excited hopes in Zwingle's 
breast. He ordered a general visitation of the churchea 
But Landenberg, a man of no decision of character, per- 
mitted himself to be guided at one time by Fabei his 

* Dass das ganz Papstum einen Bchlechten Grund habe. Zw. Oppb 
2. part 1. p. 7. f Oder aber sy werdind mit grosser unriiw selba 
amfallen. Ibid. i Frustra sperari me vel verbulum de reritat© 
dlminuturum eese, pecuniae gratia. Zw. 0pp. 1. 3^. 



IKDULaENCES IN SWITZERLAKD- 339 



vicar, and at another by a vicious woman whose influ- 
ence he could not shake oflf. Sometimes he appeared to 
honor the gospel, and yet he looked upon any man as a 
disturber of the people who ventured to preach it boldly. 
He was one of those men, too common in the church, 
who, although they prefer truth to error, show more 
regard to error than to truth, and often end by turning 
against those by whose side they should have fought. 
Zwingle applied to him, but in vain. He was destined 
to make the same experiment as Luther, and to acknow- 
ledge that it was useless to invoke the assistance of the 
heads of the church, and that the only way of reviving 
Christianity was to act as a faithful teacher of the word 
of God. The opportunity soon came. 

Along the heights of St. Gothard, over those elevated 
roads that have been cut with incredible toil through the 
steep rocks that separate Switzerland from Italy, jour- 
neyed a Franciscan monk, in the month of August, 1518. 
Emerging from an Italian convent, he was the bearer of 
the papal indulgences which he had been empowered to 
sell to the good Christians of the Helvetic confederation. 
The brilliant successes gained under the two preceding 
popes had conferred honor on this scandalous traffic. 
Accompanied by men appointed to puff off the wares he 
had for sale, he crossed these snows and icy glaciers as 
old as the world. This greedy train, whose appearance 
was wretched enough, not ill resembling a band of ad- 
venturers in search of plunder, advanced silently to the 
noise of the impetuous torrents that form the Rhine, the 
Rhone, the Ticino, and other rivers, meditating the spo- 
liation of the simple inhabitants of Switzerland. Sam- 
Bon, for such was the Franciscan's name, and his troop, 
arrived first in Uri, and there opened their trade. They 
had soon finished with these poor mountaineers, and then 
passed on to Schwytz. Zwingle resided in this canton ; 
and here the combat was to take place between the two 
servants of two very different masters. " I can pardon 
all sins," said the Italian monk, the Tetzel of Switzer- 
land, addressing the inhabitants of the capital. " Heaven 
aad hell are subject to my power ; and I sell the merits 



340 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOIT. 



of Christ to any who will purchase them by buying an 
indulgence for ready money.'' 

Zwingle's zeal took fire as he heard of these dis- 
courses. He preached with energy, saying, "Jesus 
Christ, the Son of God, has said, * Come unto me, all ye 
that are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you 
rest.' Is it not, then, most presumptuous folly and 
senseless temerity to declare, on the contrary, *Buy 
letters of indulgence ; hasten to Rome ; give to the 
monks ; sacrifice to the priests ; and if thou doest these 
things, I absolve thee from thy sins?'* Jesus Christ is 
the only oblation, the only sacrifice, the only way."f 

Throughout Schwytz, Samson erelong was called a 
cheat and seducer. He took the road to Zug, and for a 
time the two champions did not meet. 

Scarcely had Samson left Schwytz, when Stapfer, a 
citizen of this canton, a man of distinguished character, 
and afterwards secretary of state, was suddenly reduced 
with his family to great distress. " Alas," said he, ad- 
dressing Zwingle in his anguish, I know not how to 
satisfy my hunger, and that of my poor children."J 
Zwingle could give when Rome could take, and he was 
as ready to practise good works, as he was to combat 
those who taught that salvation was to be gained by 
them. Every day he carried Stapfer abundant supplies. § 
It is God," said he, desirous of taking no praise to him- 
self — "it is God who begets charity in the faithful, and 
gives at once the thought, the resolve, and the work it- 
self. Whatever good work the just man doeth, it is God 
who doeth it by his own power."|| Stapfer remained 
attached to Zwingle all his life ; and when, four years 
later, he had become secretary of state at Schwytz, and 
felt impelled by more elevated desires, he turned tow- 

* Romam curre ! redlme literas indulgentiarum I da tantumdem 
monachis! offer sacerdotibus, etc. Zw. 0pp. 1. 222. f Christus 
una est oblatio, unum sacrificiuin, una via. lb. 201. t Ut meae, 
meorumque liberorum inedise corporali subveniretis. Zw. Epp. 234. 

§ Largas mihi quotidie suppetias tulistis. Ibid. || Caritatem 
ingenerat Deus, consilium, propositum et opus. Quidquid boui prad' 
Bl^t Justus, hoc Deus sua virtute ^raestat. Zw. 0pp. 1. 226. 



ZWINaLE'S FRIENDS. 



341 



ard8 Zwingle, saying with nobleness and candor, " Since 
it was you who provided for my temporal wants, how 
much more may I now expect from you the food that 
shall satisfy ray soul ?" 

Zwingle^s friends increased in number. It was mt 
only at Glaris, Basle, and Schwytz that souls were found 
in harmony with his : in Uri, there was Schmidt the seo 
petary of state ; at Zug, Collin, Miiller, and Werner Stei- 
ner, an old fellow-soldier at Marignan ; at Lucerne, Xy- 
loctect and Kilchmeyer; at Bienne, Wittembach, and 
many others in other places besides. But the priest of 
Einsidlen had no friend more devoted than Oswald My- 
conius. Oswald had quitted Basle in 1516, to superin- 
tend the cathedral school at Zurich. At that time this 
city possessed neither learned men nor learned schools. 
Oswald labored, in conjunction with several other well- 
disposed men, among whom was U'tinger, the pope's no- 
tary, to rescue the Zurich people from their ignorance, 
and to initiate them in the literature of the ancients. At 
the same time he upheld the immutable truth of the holy 
Scriptures, and declared that if the pope and the empe- 
ror commanded any thing in opposition to the gospel, 
man is bound to obey God alone, who is above the em- 
peror and the pope. 



843 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOH. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Ttae canon's college — Election to the cathedral — Fable — Aocosou 
tlons — Zwingle's confossion — Development of God's purposes — 
Farewell to Einsidlen — Arrival at Zurich — Zwingle's bold dec- 
laration — First sermons — ^Their effect — Opposition — Zwingle's 
character — Taste for music — Arrangement of the day — The book- 
hawke?. 

Seven centuries before, Charlemagne had attached a 
college of canons to the cathedral of Zurich, the school 
belonging to which was under the direction of Myconius. 
These canons having declined from their primitive insti- 
tution, and desiring to enjoy their benefices in the sweets 
of an indolent life, used to elect a priest to whom they 
confided the preaching and the cure of souls. This post 
became vacant shortly after the arrival of Myconius, who 
immediately thought of his friend. What a gain it would 
be to Zurich I Zwingle^s exterior was in his favor. He 
was a handsome man,* of graceful manners, and pleas- 
ing conversation ; he had already become celebrated for 
his eloquence, and excelled throughout the confederation 
by the spJendor of his genius. Myconius spoke of him 
to Felix Frey, the provost of the chapter, who was pre- 
possessed by Zwingle's talents and appearance ;f to 
Utinger, an old man, highly respected, and to the canon 
Hoffmann, a person of upright and open character, who, 
from having long preached against the foreign service, 
was already well disposed in Ulrich's favor. Other Zu- 
richers had, on different occasions, heard Zwingle at 
Einsidlen, and had returned full of admiration. The 
election of a preacher for the cathedral soon put every 
body in Zurich in motion. The different parties began 
to bestir themselves. Many labored day and night to 
procure the election of the eloquent preacher of Our 

* Dan Zwingli vom lyb ein hubscher man wass. Bullinger's Man* 
OBcripts. t Und als imme seine gestalt und geschiklichkeit 

wol gefiel, gab er ^ syn stimm. Ibid. 



ACCUSATIONS AaAINST ZWINaLE 343 



Lady of the Hermits * Myconius informed his friend of 
this. ... Wednesday next, I shall go and dine at 
Zurich," replied Zwingle, " and then we will talk this 
matter over." He came accordingly. While paying a 
visit to one of the canons, the latter said, *' Can yon not 
come and preach the word of God among us ?" " 1 can,'' 
replied he ; " but I will not come, unless I am called.'* 
He then returned to his abbey. 

This visit spread alarm in the camp of his enemies. 
They pressed several priests to become candidates for 
the vacant post. A Swabian, LawTence Fable, even de- 
livered a probationary sermon, and a report was circu- 
lated that he had been elected. It is very true, then," 
said Zwingle, on being apprized of this, that no man 
is a prophet in his own country, since a Swabian is pre- 
ferred to a Swiss. I know what the applause of the 
people is worth.""|" Immediately after, Zwingle received 
a letter from Cardinal Schinner^s secretary, informing 
him that the election had not yet taken place. But the 
false intelligence that had reached him first, piqued the 
chaplain of Einsidlen. Knowing that a man so unwor- 
thy as this Fable aspired to the station, he became the 
more eager for it himself, and wrote about it to Myco- 
nius. Oswald replied on the following day : " Fable 
will always remain a fable ; our gentlemen have learned 
that he is the father of six boys, and already holds I 
know not how many livings."! 

Zwingle's enemies, however, did not consider them- 
selves beaten. All agreed in extolling to the clouds 
the extent of his acquirements ;§ but some said, He is 
too fond of music ;" others, He loves company and 
pleasure ;" and others again, He was once too intimate 
with persons of light conduct." One man even accused 
him of seduction. Zwingle was not blameless, and al- 
though less erring than the ecclesiastics of his day, he 

• Qui dies et noctes laborarent ut vir ille subrogaretur. Osw. 
Myc. Vit. Zw. t Scio vulgi acclamationes et illud blandum 

Euge! Euge! Zw. Epp. p. 53. J Fabula manebit tabula j quenj 
domini mei acceperuat sex pueris esse patrem. . . . Ibid. ^ Ne 
minen tamem, qui tuam doctriuam nou ad coBlum ferat. , • . Ibid. 



344 HISTOEY OF THE EEFORMATIOM. 



had more than once, in the first years of his ministry, 
allowed liiraself to be led astray by the passions of 
youth. We cannot easily form an idea of the influence 
upon the soul of the corrupt atmosphere in which it 
lives. There existed in the papacy, and among the 
priests, disorders that were established, allowed, and 
authorized, as conformable to the laws of nature. A 
saying of -^neas Sylvius, afterwards pope under the 
title of Pius II., gives some notion of the degraded state 
of public manners at this epoch.* Disorder had come 
to be the generally admitted order of things. 

Oswald exerted an unwearying activity in his friend's 
behalf ; he employed all his powers to justify him, and 
luckily succeeded.f He visited the Burgomaster Roust, 
Hoffman, Frey, and Utinger ; he lauded the probity, de- 
corum, and purity of Zwingle's conduct, and confirmed 
the Zurichers in the favorable impression they enter- 
tained towards the priest of Einsidlen. Little credit 
was paid to the stories of his adversaries. The most 
influential men said that Zwingle would be preacher at 
Zurich. The canons said the same, but in an undertone. 
" Hope on," wrote Oswald with a rising heart ; " hope 
on, for I hope.'' He nevertheless informed him of the 
accusations of his enemies. Although Zwingle had not 
yet become altogether a new man, he was one of those 
whose conscience is awakened, who may fall into sin, 
but never without a struggle and without remorse. 
Often had he resolved to lead a holy life, alone among 
his kind, in the midst of the world. But when he found 
himself accused, he would not boast of being without 
sin. " Having no one to walk with me in the resolutions 

1 had formed," wrote he to the canon Utinger, " many 
even of those about me being offended at them, alas, I 
fell, and like the dog of which St. Peter speaks, 2 Peter 

2 : 22, I turned again to my vomit.J The Lord knows 

* Non e&**e qui vigesimum annum excessit, nec virginem tetigerit 
Zw. Epp. p. 67, t Reprimo haec pro viribus, imo et repressL 

Ibid. p. 54. t Quippe neminem habens comitem hujuB instituti^ 
Bcandalisantes, vero non paucos, keu I cecidi et factus sum canii ad 
vomitum. Ibid. 



ZWINGLE CALLED TO ZURICH. 345 



with what shame and anguish I have dragged these 
faults from the bottom of my heart, and laid them before 
that great Being to whom, however, I confess my wretch- 
edness far more willingly than to man."* But if Zwin* 
gle acknowledged himself a sinner, he vindicated him- 
self from the odious accusations that had been made 
against him. He declared that he had always banished 
far from him the thought of adultery or seducing the 
innocentf — grievous excesses which were then too com- 
mon. "I call to witness," says he, "all those with 
whom I have ever lived."| 

The election took place on the 11th of December. 
Zwingle was appointed by a majority of seventeen votes 
out of twenty-four. It was time that the Reformation 
began in Switzerland. The chosen instrument that 
Providence had been preparing for three years in the 
hermitage of Einsidlen was ready ; the hour was come 
for him to be stationed elsewhere. God, who had chosen 
the new university of Wittemberg, situated in the heart 
of Germany, under the protection of one of the wisest of 
princes, there to call Luther, selected in Helvetia the 
city of Zurich, regarded as the head of the confederation, 
there to station Zwingle. In that place he would be in 
communication not only with one of the most intelligent 
and simple-hearted, the strongest and the most energetic 
people in Switzerland, but still more with all the cantons 
that collected around this ancient and powerful state. 
The hand that had led a young herdsman from the Sentis 
to the school of Wesen, was now setting him, mighty in 
word and in deed, in the face of all, that he might regen- 
erate his nation. Zurich was about to become the cen- 
tre of light to the whole of Switzerland. 

It was a day of mingled joy and sorrow at Einsidlen* 
when its inmates were informed of Zwingle^s nominj^ 

* En, cum verecundia (Deus novit !) magna base ex pectoris spe- 
embus depiomsi, apud eum scilicet, cum quo etiam coram minus 
qnam cum ullo ferme raortalium confiteri vererer. Zw. Epp. p. 56. 

t Ea ratio nobis perpetuo fuit, nec alienum thorum conscendera 
aec virginem vitiare. Ibid. } Testes invoco cunctoe, qaibii» 

omn vixL Ibid. 



a46 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



tion. The society which had been formed there was 
about to be broken up by the removal of its most vahia* 
ble member ; and who could say that superstition might 
not again prevail in this ancient resort of pilgrims ? . . . 
The state council of Schwytz transmitted to Ulrich the 
expression of their sentiments, styling him, "reverend, 
most learned, very gracious lord, and good friend."* 
^ Give us at least a successor worthv of yourself," said 
the heart-broken Geroldsek to Zwingle. " I have a little 
lion for you," replied he, " one who is simple-minded and 
prudent, and deep in the mysteries of Scripture." "I 
will have him," said the administrator. It was Leo 
Juda, that mild and intrepid man with whom Zwingle 
had been so intimate at Basle. Leo accepted this invi- 
tation, which brought him nearer his dear Ulrich. The 
latter embraced his friends, quitted the solitude of Ein- 
sidlen, and arrived at that delightful spot where rises 
the cheerful and animated city of Zurich, with its amphi- 
theatre of hills, covered with vineyards, or adorned with 
pastures and orchards, and crowned with forests above 
which appear the highest summits of the Albis. 

Zurich, the centre of the political interests of Switzer- 
land, and in which were often collected the most influ- 
ential men in the nation, was the spot best adapted for 
acting upon Helvetia, and scattering the seeds of truth 
through all the cantons. Accordingly, the friends of 
learning and of the Bible joyfully hailed Zwingle^s nom- 
ination. At Paris, in particular, the Swiss students, who 
were very numerous, thrilled with joy at this intelli- 
gence.f But if at Zurich a great victory lay before 
Zwingle, he had also to expect a hard struggle. Gla^ 
rean wrote to him from Paris : " I foresee that your 
learning will excite great hatred ; J but be of good cheer, 
and like Hercules you will subdue the monsters." 

On the 27th of December, 1518, Zwingle arrived at 
Zurich and alighted at the hotel of Einsidlen. He r^ 

t Reverende, perdocte, admodum gratiose domine ac bone amice. 
Zw. Epp. p. 60. t Omnes adeo quotquot vo Helvetiis adsuat 
juvenes fremere et gaudere. Ibid. p. 63. J Quantum inTidiflS 

tibi inter istos eruditio tua conflabit Ibid. p. 64» 



ZMTINaLE'S BOLD DECLARATION. 



347 



oeived a hearty and an honorable welcome.* The canons 
immediately assembled, and invited him to take his place 
among them. Felix Frey presided ; the canons, friends 
or enemies to Zwingle, sat indiscriminately around their 
provost. Unusual excitement prevailed in the assem* 
bly ; for every one felt, unconsciously perhaps, how 
serious was the beginning of this ministry. As they 
feared the innovating spirit of the young priest, it was 
agreed to explain to him the most important duties of 
his charge. " You will make every exertion," they said 
to him gravely, " to collect the revenues of the chapter, 
without overlooking the least. You will exhort the 
faithful, both from the pulpit and in the confessional, to 
pay all tithes and dues, and to show by their offerings 
their affection to the church. You will be diligent in 
increasing the income arising from the sick, from mass- 
es, and in general from every ecclesiastical ordinance.'' 
The chapter added, *'As for the administration of the 
sacraments, the preaching, and the care of the flock, 
these are also the duties of the chaplain. But for these 
you may employ a substitute, and particularly in 
preaching. You should administer the sacraments to 
none but persons of note, and only when called upon ; 
you are forbidden to do so without distinction of per- 
sons."* 

What a regulation for Zwingle I money, money, noth- 
ing but money Did Christ establish his ministry 

for this ? Prudence, however, moderated his zeal ; he 
knew that he could not at once deposit the seed in the 
earth, behold the tree grow up, and gather its fruits. 
Without any remark on the duties imposed upon him, 
Zwingle, after humbly expressing his gratitude for their 
flattering selection, announced what he intended doing ; 
" The life of Christ," said he, " has been too long hidden 
from the people. I shall preach upon the whole of the 
gospel of St. Matthew, chapter after chapter, according 
to the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, without human 
commentaries, drawing solely from the fountains of 

• Da er ehrlich und wol empfangen ward. Bullinger MS. 
I Schulers, Zwiugli's Bildimg. p. 227. 



S48 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOJr. 



Scripture,* sounding its depths, comparing one passage 
with another, and seeking for understanding by constant 
and earnest prayer.f It is to God's glory, to tlie praise 
of his only Son, to the real salvation of souls, and to 
their edification in the true faith, that I shall consecrate 
my ministry:"! Language so novel made a deep im- 
pression on the chapter. Some testified their joy ; but 
the majority evinced sorrow. § " This wsij of preacliing 
is an innovation," exclaimed they; **one innovation will 
lead to another, and w'here shall we stop ?" The canon 
Hoffman, especially, thought it his duty to prevent the 
melancholy consequences of an election for which he 
himself had been so earnest. **This explanation of Scrip- 
ture," said he, " will be more injurious than useful to the 
people." " It is not a new manner," replied Zwingle, ''it 
is the old custom. Call to mind the homilies of Chrysos- 
tom on St. Matthew, and of Augustine on St. John. Be- 
sides, I will speak with moderation, and give no persoD 
just cause to complain of it." 

Thus did Zwingle abandon the exclusive use of the 
fragments of the gospels read since the time of Charle- 
magne : by restoring the holy Scriptures to their ancient 
rights, he bound the Reformation from the very com- 
mencement of his ministry to the primitive times of 
Christianity, and laid a foundation by which future ages 
might study the word of God. But we may go further : 
the firm and independent position he took as regards 
the gospel, announced a new work ; the figure of the 
reformer stood in bold outline before the eyes of his 
people, and the reform advanced. 

Hoffman, having failed in the chapter, addressed a 
written request to the provost, praying him to forbid 
Zwingle to disturb the faith of the people. The provost 

♦ Absque humanis commentationibus, ex solio fontibus Scripturw 
iacrse. Zw. 0pp. 1. 273. f Sed mente Spiritus, quam diligenti 
Scriptararum collectione, precibusque ex corde fusis^ se nacturum. 
Osw. Myc. Vita Zw. J Alles Gott und seinen einigen Sohn zu 
Lob und Ehren und zu rechten Heil der Seelen, zur Undorrichtung 
im rechten Glauben. BuUinger MS § Quibus audit^^, nusroi 
aimal et Isetitia .... Osw. Myc. 



FIRST SEEMON IN THE CATHEDRAL. 349 



called the new preacher before him, and spoke to him 
very affectionately. But no human power could close 
Zwingle's lips. On the 31st of December, he wrote to 
the council of Glaris, resigning entirely the cure they 
had reserved for him up to this time : he was all for Zu- 
rich, and for the work that God was preparing for him 
in this city. 

On Saturday, the first day of the year 1519, and it 
was also his thirty-fifth birthday, Zwingle went into the 
cathedral pulpit. A great crowd, eager to see this cel- 
ebrated man, and to hear this new gospel, which was a 
general topic of conversation, crowded the temple. "It 
is to Christ," said Zwingle, " that I desire to lead you — 
to Christ the true source of salvation. His divine word 
is the only food that I wish to set before your hearts and 
souls." He then gave out that on the following day, the 
first Sunday in the year, he would begin to explain the 
gospel according to St. Matthew. The next morning, 
the preacher and a still more numerous congregation 
were at their posts. Zwingle opened the gospel, so long 
a sealed book, and read the first page. Discoursing on 
the history of the patriarchs and prophets — 1st chapter 
of St. Matthew — he explained it in such a manner that 
his wondering and enraptured hearers exclaimed, " We 
never heard the like of this before."* 

He continued thus to explain St. Matthew according 
to the Greek text. He showed how all the Bible found 
at once its explanation and its application in the very 
nature of man. Setting forth the highest truths of the 
gospel in simple language, his preaching reached all 
classes, the wise and learned, as well as the ignorant 
and foolish.f He extolled the infinite mercies of God 
the Father, and conjured all his hearers to place their 
sole trust in Jesus Christ, as their only Saviour.J At 

* Dessgleichen wie jederman redt, nie gehort worden war. B. 
Weise, (Zwiagle's contemporary,) Fiisslin Beytriige, 4. 36. 

t Nam ita simplices aequaliter cum prudentissimis et acutissimii 
quibusque, proficiebant. Osw. Myc. Vita Zw. t la welchem ei 
Grott den Vater prysset und alle Menschen allein uff Jesum Chris 
ttm, 9^ den einigen Heiland verthrauwen lehrte. BuUinger MS. 



360 HISTOET OF THE EEFORilATIOir. 



the same time, he called them most earnestly to repent* 
ance ; he forcibly attacked the prevailing errors among 
his people, and inveighed courageously against lux- 
ury, intemperance, costly garments, the oppression of 
the poor, idleness, foreign service, and pensions from 
the princes. In the pulpit," said one of his contempo- 
raries, " he spared no one, neither pope, emperor, kinga, 
dukes, princes, lords, nor even the confederates them- 
selves All his strength and all the delight of his heart 
was in God ; and accordingly he exhorted all the city of 
Zurich to trust solely in him."* " Never had they heard 
a man speak with such authority," said Oswald Myconius, 
who followed his friend's labors with great joy and hope. 

It was impossible that the gospel could be preached 
in Zurich to no purpose. An ever increasing multitude 
of all classes, and particularly of the lower orders, flock- 
ed to hear him.f Many Zurichers had ceased to frequent 
the public worship. I derive no instruction from the 
sermons of these priests," said Fiisslin, the poet, histo- 
rian, and councillor of state ; they do not preach the 
things belonging to salvation, because they understand 
them not. I can see in these men nothing but avarice 
and licentiousness." Henry R^uschlin, treasurer of state^ 
a constant reader of Scripture, thought the same : "The 
priests," said he, "met in thousands at the council of 
Constance .... to burn the best of them all." These 
distinguished men, attracted by curiosity, came to hear 
Zwingle's first sermon. On their features might be read 
the emotion with which they listened to the preacher. 
"Glory be to God," said they, as they retired ; "this 
man is a preacher of the truth. He will be our Mr>ee8 
to lead us forth from this Egyptian darkness."^ From 
this moment they became the intimate friends of the 
reformer. " Ye mighty ones of the world," said Fiisslin, 
"cease to proscribe the doctrine of Christ. When Christ, 
Ihe Son of God, had been put to death, fishermen rose up 

* All sein Trost stuhnd allein mit frolichem Gemiith za Gott. . . • 
B. Weise, Fiisslin Beytr. 4. 36. f Do ward bald ein gross Gelaoif 
von allerley menschen, innsonders von dem gemeinen Mann. . . . 
Bull. MS t Und unser Moses seyn, der uns aus Egypten fuhrt, XU 



ZWINOLE'S OHARACTEE. 



351 



to fill his place. And now, if you destroy the preachers 

of the truth, you will see glaziers, millers, potters, foun« 
ders, shoemakers, and tailors teaching in their stead."* 

For a time there was but one cry of admiration in 
Zurich ; but as soon as the first moments of enthusiasm 
were passed, the adversaries resumed their courage. 
Many well-meaning men, alarmed by the fear of a ref* 
ormation, gradually became estranged from Zwingle. 
The violence of the monks, suppressed for a while, burst 
forth again, and the college of the canons resounded with 
complaints. Zwingle was immovable. His friends, as 
they contemplated his courage, imagined they saw a man 
of the apostolic age reappearing before them.f Among 
his enemies, some laughed and joked, others gave utter- 
ance to violent threats ; but he endured all with Chris- 
tian patience.J If we desire to gain over the wicked 
to Jesus Christ," he was accustomed to say, " we must 
shut our eyes against many things."§ An admirable 
saying, which should not be lost. 

His character and his deportment towards all men 
contributed, as much as his discourses, to win their 
hearts. He was at once a true Christian and a true re- 
publican. The equality of mankind was not with him a 
mere conventional term ; it was written in his heart, 
and shown by his life. He had neither that pharisaical 
pride nor that monastic coarseness which offend equally 
the simple and the wise of this world ; they felt attracted 
towards him, and were at ease in his society. Bold and 
energetic in the pulpit, he was affable to all whom he 
met in the streets or public places ; he was often seen 
in the halls where the companies and trades used to 
meet, explaining to the citizens the chief features of the 
Christian doctrine, or conversing familiarly with them. 
He addressed peasants and patricians with the same 

* Werden die Glaser, Miiller, Haffner, Giesser, Schuhmacher und 
Schneider lehren. Miiller's Reliq. 3. 185. f Nobis, apostolici 
illius saeculi virum repraesentas. Zw. Epp. p. 74. { Obgaaniunt 

quidam, rldent, minantur, petulanter incessunt at tu ver^, 

Christiana patientia suffers omnia. Ibid. May 7, 1519. § Conni- 
7ea4am c^d multa, ei qui 7elit malos Christo lucri facere. Ibid* 



852 HISTORY OF THE REKOEMATIOIT. 



cordiality. " He invited the country people to dine with 
him," said one of his most violent enemies, "walked 
with them, talked to them of God, put the devil in their 
hearts, and his books into their pockets. He succeeded 
BO well that the notables of Zurich used to visit the peas- 
ants, drink with them, show them about the city, and 
pay them every mark of attention."* 

He continued to cultivate music " with moderation,** 
says Bullinger ; nevertheless the opponents of the gos- 
pel took advantage of this, and called him " the evan- 
gelical lute-player and fifer."f Faber having one day 
censured him for this taste, he replied with noble frank- 
ness, " My dear Faber, you do not know what music is. 
True, I have learned to play on the lute, the violin, and 
other instruments, and they serve me to quiet little chil- 
dren ;J but you are too holy for music. ... Do you not 
know that David was a skilful player on the harp, and 
how by this means he drove the evil spirit out of Saul ? 
. . . Ah, if you did but know the sounds of the heavenly 
lyre, the wicked spirit of ambition and love of riches 
which possesses you would soon depart from you like- 
wise." Perhaps this may have been a weakness in 
Zwingle ; still it was with a spirit of cheerfulness and 
evangelical liberty that he cultivated this art, which 
religion has always associated with her sublimest devo- 
tion. He set to music some of his Christian poems, and 
was not ashamed from time to time to amuse the little 
ones of his flock with his lute. He conducted himself in 
the same kindly manner towards the poor. " He would 
eat and drink with all who invited him," says one of his 
contemporaries ; " he despised no one ; he was compas- 
sionate to the poor, always steadfast and cheerful in 
good and evil fortune. No misfortune alarmed him ; his 
conversation was at all times full of consolation, and his 
heart firm."§ Thus Zwingle's popularity was ever on 

* Dass der Rath gemeldete Bauern Lesucht. . . . Salat's Chronik. 
p. 155. t Der Lauthenscblager und evaugelischer Pfyffer. Bui* 
linger MS. t Dass kombt mir ja wol die Kind zu geschweigen. 
Ibid. § War allwegen trostlichen Gemiiths ^d tapferer Red. 
B. Weiee. Fiissl. Beytr. 4. 36. 



BOOK-KAWKINOr. 



353 



the increase ; sitting by times at the tables of the poor 
and at the banquets of the rich, as his Master had done 
in former days, and everywhere doing the work to which 
God had called him. 

He was indefatigable in study. From daybreak until 
ten o'clock, he used to read, write, and translate ; at that 
time Hebrew was the special object of his studies. After 
dinner he listened to those who had any news to give 
him, or who required his advice ; he then would walk 
out with some of his f riends and visit his flocTk. At two 
o'clock he resumed his studies. He took a short walk 
after supper, and then wrote his letters, which often oc- 
cupied him till midnight. He always worked standing, 
and never permitted himself to be disturbed except for 
some very important cause.* 

But the exertions of more than one man were re- 
quired. A man named Lucian called on him one day 
with the works of the German reformer. Rhenanus, a 
scholar then residing at Basle, and indefatigable in cir- 
culating Luther's writings in Switzerland, had sent him 
to Zwingle. Rhenanus had perceived that the hawking 
of books was a powerful means of spreading the evan- 
gelical doctrines. Lucian had travelled over almost the 
whole of Switzerland, and knew nearly everybody. " As- 
certain," said Rhenanus to Zwingle, " whether this man 
possesses sufficient prudence and skill ; if so, let him 
carry from city to city, from town to town, from village to 
village, and even from house to house, among the Swiss, 
the works of Luther, and especially his exposition of the 
Lord's prayer written for the laity.f The more they are 
known, the more purchasers they will find. But you must 
take care not to let him hawk any other books ; for if he 
has only Luther's, he will sell tnem so much the faster." 
By this means a ray of light penetrated the humble dwell- 
ing of many a Swiss family. There was, however, one 
book that Zwingle should have caused to be distributed 
along with Luther's — the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

• Certas studiis vindicans horas, quas etiam non omisit, nisi Be> 
lUB coactus. Osw. Myc. Vita Zw. f Oppidatim, municipatim, 
Tloatlm, imo domesticatim per Helvetios circumferat. Zw. Epp. 81 

23 



5M HISTORY OF THE BEFORMATIOH. 



CHAPTER VII, 

Tlie indulgences — Samson at Berne and at Baden — The dean o£ 
Bremgarten — Young Henry Bullinger — Samson and the dean — 
Zwingle's internal struggles — Zwingle opposes the indulgences 
'—Samson is sent back. 

An opportunity of displaying Zwingle's zeal in a . 
new vocation presented itself. Samson, the famous 
indulgence merchant, was slowly approaching Zurich. 
This wretched trafficker had left Schwytz, and arrived at 
Zug on the 20th of September, 1518, and had remained 
there three days. An immense crowd had gathered 
round him. The poorest were the most eager, and thus 
prevented the rich from getting near him. This did not 
suit the monk's views ; and accordingly one of his attend- 
ants began to cry out to the populace, Good folks, do not 
crowd so much ; make way for those who have money. 
We will afterwards endeavor to satisfy those who have 
none." From Zug, Samson and his band proceeded to 
Lucerne, from Lucerne to Unterwalden, and then, after 
crossing fertile mountains and rich valleys, skirting the 
everlasting snows of the Oberland, and displaying their 
Romi-sh merchandise in these most beautiful portions of 
Switzerland, they arrived in the neighborhood of Berne. 
The monk was at first forbidden to enter the city ; but 
eventually, by means of certain friends he had there, he 
succeeded in gaining admission, and set up his stall in 
St. Vincent's church. Here he began to bawl out more 
lustily than before. " Here," said he to the rich, *' are 
indulgences on parchment for a crown." There,** said 
he to the poor, " are absolutions on common paper for 
two batz."* One day a celebrated knight, Jacques do 
Stein, appeared before him, prancing on a dapple-gray 
horse, f which the monk admired very much. " Give me," 

* A batz is worth about three cents. f Um einen Entt- 

growen Hengst. Anaheim, 5. 335 j J. J. Hotting Helv. SL Gasoh 
& 29. 



SAMSON AT BERNE. 



355 



said the knight, " an indulgence for myself, for my troop, 
five hundred strong, for all my vassals at Belp, and for 
all my ancestors, and you shall have my dapph-gray 
charger in exchange." This was asking a high price for 
a horse ; but as it pleased the Franciscan, they soon 
came to terms : the charger was led to the monk's sta- 
ble, and all those souls were declared for ever exempt 
from hell. Another day, a citizen purchai!ied of him for 
thirteen florins an indulgence empowering his confessor 
to absolve him, among other matters, from every kind 
of perjury.* So much respect was felt for Samson, that 
the councillor De May, an aged and enlightened man, 
who had spoken irreverently of him, was compelled to 
beg pardon of the haughty monk on his knees. 

On the last day of his stay, the noisy sound of bells 
proclaimed the departure of the monk from Berne. Sam- 
son was in the church, standing on the steps of the high- 
altar. The canon Henry Lupulus, formerly Zwingle's 
teacher, was his interpreter. " When the wolf and the 
fox prowl about together," said the canon Anselm, turn- 
ing to the schultheiss De Watte ville, " your safest plan, 
my gracious lord, is to shut up your sheep and your 
geese." But the monk cared little for such remarks, 
which, moreover, did not reach his ears. " Kneel down," 
feaid he to the superstitious crowd, " recite three paters^ 
three aves, and your souls will immediately be as pure 
as at the moment of your baptism."f Upon this all the 
people fell on their knees. Samson, desirous of surpass- 
ing himself, exclaimed, I deliver from the torments of 
purgatory and of hell all the souls of the Bernese whe 
are dead, whatever may have been the manner and the 
place of their death." These mountebanks, like their 
brothers of the fairs, kept their best trick till the last. 

Samson, laden with money, proceeded through Argo- 
via and Baden towards Zurich. At every step this 
monk, whose appearance had been so wretched when 
first he crossed the Alps, displayed greater haughtiness 
and splendor. The bishop of Constance, who was irri- 

• A quovifi perjurio. MuUer's Reliq. 4. 403. f VoL I. pi 

161, bot 



356 HISTOEY OF THE REFORMATION 



tated because Sarason would not have his bulls legalized 
by him, had forbidden all the priests of his diocese to 
open their churches to him. At Baden, however, the 
priest of the parish dared not make any strenuous oppo- 
sition to his traffic. The effrontery of the monk was 
redoubled. Heading a procession round the cemetery, 
he seemed to fix his eyes upon some object in the air, 
while his acolytes were chanting the hymn for the dead ; 
and pretending to see the souls escaping from the ceme- 
tery to heaven, he exclaimed, Ecce volant! See how 
they fly 1" One day a man went into the belfry, and 
ascended to the top ; erelong a cloud of white feathers, 
floating in the air, covered the astonished procession. 
" See how they fly," exclaimed this wag, shaking a cush- 
ion on the summit of the tower. Many persons burst 
out laughing.* Samson flew into a passion, and was 
not to be appeased until he was told that the man's 
wits were sometimes disordered. He left Baden quito 
abashed. 

He continued his journey, and about the end of Feb 
ruary, 1519, arrived at Bremgarten, which the schul 
theiss and junior priest of the town, who had seen him 
at Baden, had invited him to visit. In all that district 
no one enjoyed a better reputation than Dean Bullinger. 
This man, although ill-informed in the word of God and 
in the errors of the church, was frank, zealous, eloquent, 
charitable to the poor, ever ready to do a kindness to the 
little ones of his flock, and was generally beloved. In 
his youth he had formed a conscientious union with the 
daughter of a councillor in the town. This was a prac- 
tice not unusual among priests who were unwilling to 
lead a scandalous life. Anna had borne him five sons, 
and this numerous family had by no means diminished 
the respect felt towards him. In all Switzerland there 
was not a more hospitable house than his. He was fond 
of hunting, and might often be seen with a pack of ten 
or twelve hounds, and accompanied by the lords of Hall- 
wyll, the abbot of Mury, and the patricians of Zurich, 
scouring the neighboring fields and forests. His table 
* Dessea viei liith geuug lachten. Bullinger MS. 



/ 



HENRY BULLINaEH. 



35? 



was free to all comers, and none of his guests were 
gayer than himself. When the deputies to the diet 
were going to Baden by way of Bremgarten, they were 
always entertained by the dean. *' Bullinger," said 
they, " holds a court like the most powerful lord." 

Strangers had remarked in this house a child with 
intelligent features. Henry, one of the dean's sons, had 
incurred many dangers from his earliest infancy. At one 
time he was attacked by the plague, and he was about 
to be buried when some feeble signs of life restored joy 
to his parents' hearts. On another occasion, a vagabond, 
having attracted him by his caresses, was carrying him 
away, when some passers-by recognized and rescued 
him. At three years old, he knew the Lord's prayer and 
the Apostles' creed ; and creeping into the church, he 
would go into his father's pulpit, gravely take his sta- 
tion, and repeat at the full strength of his voice, " I be- 
lieve in God the Father," etc. At twelve years of age 
his parents sent him to the grammar school of Emmeric ; 
their hearts were filled with apprehension, for the times 
were dangerous for an inexperienced boy. When the 
regulations of a university appeared to them too severe, 
the students might often be seen quitting the school in 
troops, taking little children with them, and encamping 
in the woods, whence they would send the youngest of 
their number to beg bread, or else, with arms in their 
hands, would fall upon travellers, whom they robbed, 
and then consumed the fruits of their plunder in debauch- 
ery. Fortunately Henry was preserved from evil in this 
distant place. Like Luther, he gained his bread by sing- 
ing from door to door, for his father wished him to learn 
to live on his own resources. He was sixteen years old 
when he opened a New Testament. "I there found," 
said he, all that is necessary for man's salvation, and 
from that time I adhered to this principle, that we must 
follow the sacred Scriptures alone, and reject all human 
additions. I believe neither the fathers nor myself, but 
explain scripture by scripture, without adding or taking 
away any thing."* Thus did God prepare this young 
* Bulling. Epp. Franzes Merkw. Ziige, p. 19. 



358 flISTOEY OF THE EEFORMATION. 



man, who was one day to be Zwingle's successor. He 
is the author of the manuscript so often quoted by us. 

About this time Samson arrived at Bremgarten with 
all his train. The bold dean, whom this little Italian 
army did not dismay, forbade the monk to sell his mer- 
chandise in his deanery. The schultheiss, the town-coun- 
cil, and the junior pastor — all friends to Samson — were 
met together in a chamber of the inn where the latter had 
alighted, and greatly disconcerted, had gathered round 
the impatient monk when the dean arrived. " Here are 
the papal bulls," said the monk ; "open your church.'' 

The Dean. I will not permit the parses of my parish- 
ioners to be drained by un authenticated letters ; for the 
bishop has not legalized them. 

The Monk, solemnly. The pope is above the bishop. 
I forbid you to deprive your flock of so signal a favor. 

The Dean. Should it cost me my life, I will not open 
my church. 

The Monk, indignantly. Rebellious priest, in the 
name of our most holy lord the pope, I pronounce against 
you the greater excommunication, and will not absolve 
you until you have redeemed such unprecedented rash- 
ness by paying three hundred ducats 

The Dean, turning his back and quitting the room. I 
shall know how to reply to my lawful judges : as for 
you and your excommunication, I care not for either. 

The Monk, in a passion. Impudent brute ; I am go- 
ing to Zurich, and I will there lay my complaint before 
the deputies of the confederation.* 

The Dean. I can appear there as well as you, and 
will go thither immediately. 

While these events were taking place at Bremgar- 
ten, Zwingle, who saw the enemy gradually approaching, 
preached energetically against the indulgences.f The 
vicar, Faber of Constance, encouraged him, promising 
him the bishop's support. J "I am aware," said Samson, 

* Du frecbe Bestie, .... etc. BuUin. MS. f Ich prengete 
streng wider des Pabsts Ablass. . . . Zw. 0pp. 2. part. 1. p. 7. 

t Und hat mich darin gestarkt : er welle mir mit aller triiw 
Ston. Ibid. 



CHRIST ALONE CAN RElllT SINS, 359 



as he was moving towards Zurich, "that Zwingle will 
speak against me ; but I will stop his mouth." In effect, 
Zwingle felt too deeply all the sweetness of Christ's for 
givenesB, not to attack the paper indulgences of these 
foolish men. Like Luther, he often trembled because oi 
his sinfulness, but he found in the Lord a deliverance 
from every fear. This modest but resolute man increased 
in the knowledge of God. " When Satan frightens me,'' 
said he, "by crying out, * You have not done this or thai 
which God commands,' forthwith the gentle voice of the 
gospel consoles me by saying, *Wiiat thou canst not 
do — and certainly thou canst do nothing — Christ hat 
done and perfected.' Yes," continued the pious evange- 
list, "when my heart is troubled because of my helpless- 
ness and the weakness of my flesh, my spirit is revived 
at the sound of these glad tidings : Christ is thy inno- 
cence ; Christ is thy righteousness ; Christ is thy salva- 
tion. Thou art nothing, thou canst do nothing. Christ 
is the Alpha and Omega j Christ is the first and the last ; 
Christ is all things ; he can do all things.* All created 
things will forsake and deceive thee ; but Christ, the 
innocent and righteous one, will receive and justify thee. 
.... Yes, it is he," exclaimed Zwingle, " who is our 
righteousness, and the righteousness of all those who 
shall ever appear justified before the throne of God." . . 

In the presence of such truths, the indulgences fell 
of themse-lves ; Zwingle accordingly feared not to attack 
them. " No man," said he, " can remit sins ; Christ, who 
is very God and very man, alone has this power.* Go, 
buy indulgences ; . . . but be assured, that you are not 
absolved. Those who sell remission of sins for money, 
are the companions of Simon the magician, the friends 
of Balaam, and the ambassadors of Satan." 

Dean Bullinger, still heated by his conversation with 
the monk, arrived at Zurich before him. He came to lay 

• Christus est innoceutia tua; Christus est Justicia et puritas 
tua ; Christus est salus tua ; tu nihil es, tu nihil petes ; Christus est 
A et Q ] Christus est prora et puppis — the prow and the stern 5 
Chiistus est omnia. . . . Zw. 0pp. 2. part 1. 207. * Nisi ChxiB- 
tua Jesus, verus Deus et yerus homo. . . . Ibid. 1. 412. 



m HlSTORt OF THE EEPORMATION. 



his complaints before the diet against this shameless 
merchant and his traffic. He found some envoys from 
the bishop who were there with the same motives, and 
made common cause with them. All promised to sup- 
port him. The spirit that animated Zwingle pervaded 
the city. The council of state resolved to oppose the 
monk's entry into Zurich. 

Samson had reached the suburbs and alighted at an 
inn. He was preparing to mount his horse to make his 
solemn entry, and had already one foot in the stirrup, 
when deputies from the council appeared before him, 
offering him the honorary cup of wine as envoy from the 
pope, and informing him that he might dispense with 
entering Zurich. "I have something to communicate to 
the diet in the name of his holiness," replied the monk. 
This was a mere trick. It was agreed, however, to re- 
ceive him ; but as he spoke of nothing but papal bulls, 
he was dismissed after being compelled to withdraw the 
excommunication pronounced against the dean of Brem- 
garten. He quitted the hall fuming with anger; and 
soon after, the pope recalled him to Italy. A wagon, 
drawn by three horses and laden with the money that 
his falsehoods had wrung from the poor, preceded him 
on those steep paths of the St. Gothard that he had 
crossed eight months before, without money or parade, 
and burdened with only a few papers.* 

The Helvetic diet showed more resolution than the 
German. It was because neither bishops nor cardinals 
had a seat in it. And hence the pope, deprived of these 
supporters, acted more mildly towards Switzerland than 
towards Germany. But the affair of the indulgences, 
which played so important a part in the German ^efo^ 
nation, was merely an episode in the Swiss. 

* Und fuhrt mit ihm. ein threspendiger Schatz au Grelt, dett ea 
surmen liitaeu abgelogea hat. Bullinger MS. 



2WIHaLB AT PPEPFfiRS. 



961 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Zwlngle's toils and fatigue — The baths of Pfeffers — The moment of 
God — The great death — Zwingle attacked by the plague — His 
adversaries — His friends — Convalescence — General joy — Effects 
of the pestilence — Myconius at Lucerne — Oswald encourages 
Zwingle — Zwingle at Basle — Capito invited to Mentz — Hedio at 
Basle — The unnatural son — Preparations for the struggle. 

Zwingle did not spare himself. Such great and con- 
tinued toil called for relaxation, and he was ordered to 
repair to the baths of Pfeffers. "Oh, had I a hundred 
tongues, a hundred mouths, and a voice of iron, as 
Virgil says ; or rather, had I the eloquence of Cicero, 
how could I express all that I owe to you, and the pain 
this separation causes me ?"* Such were the parting 
words of Herus, one of the pupils resident in his house, 
and who thus gave utterance to the feelings of all who 
knew Zwingle. He departed, and reached Pfeffers 
through the frightful gorge formed by the impetuous 
torrent of the Jamina. He descended into that infernal 
gulf, as Daniel the hermit terms it, and arrived at those 
baths, perpetually shaken by the fall of the torrent, and 
moistened by the spray of its broken waters. Torches 
weie required to be burned at noonday in the house 
where Zwingle lodged. It was even asserted by the 
inhabitants, that frightful spectres appeared sometimes 
amid the gloom. 

And yet even here he found an opportunity of serv- 
ing his Master. His affability won the hearts of many 
:)f the invalids. Among their number was the celebrated 
poet Philip Ingentinus, professor at Friburg, in Bris- 
gau,f who from that time became a zealous supporter 
of the Reformation. 

* Etiamsi mihi sint linguae centum, sint oraque centum, ferrea 
vex, ut Virgilius ait, aut potiils Ciceronia eloquentia. Zw. Epp. 
p. 84. t Illic turn comitatem tuam e sinu uberrimo profluentem, 
lOQ injiicunde sum expertns. Ibid. 119. 

Hini or Refill. 



303 HISTOEY OF THE 



God was watching over his work, and designed to 
accelerate it. Strong in frame, in character, and in tal* 
ents, Zwingle, whose defect consisted in this strength, 
was destined to see it prostrated, that he might become 
such an instrument as God loves. He needed the bap- 
tism of adversity and infirmity, of weakness and pain. 
Luther had received it in that hour of anguish when his 
cell and the long galleries of the convent at Erfurth re- 
echoed with his piercing cries. Zwingle was appointed 
to receive it by being brought into contact with sickness 
and death. There is a moment in the history of the he- 
roes of this world, of such as Charles XII. or Napoleon, 
which decides their career and their renown ; it is that 
in which their strength is suddenly revealed to them. 
An analogous moment exists in the life of God's heroes, 
but it is in a contrary direction : it is that in which they 
first recognize their helplessness and nothingness ; from 
that hour they receive the strength of God from on high. 
A work like that of which Zwingle was to be the instru- 
ment, is never accomplished by the natural strength of 
man ; it would wither immediately, like a tree trans- 
planted in all its maturity and vigor. A plant must be 
feeble, or it will not take root, and a grain must die in 
the earth before it can become fruitful. God conducted 
Zwingle, and with him the work that depended on him, 
to the gates of the sepulchre. It is from among the dry 
bones, the darkness, and the dust of death that God is 
pleased to select the instruments by means of which he 
designs to scatter over the earth his light, regeneration, 
and life. 

Zwingle was hidden among those colossal rocks that 
encircle the furious torrent of the Jamina, when he was 
suddenly informed that the plague, or the great death^^ 
as it was called, had broken out at Zurich. It appeared 
in all its terror in the month of August, on St. Lawrence's 
day, and lasted till Candlemas, sweeping off two thou- 
sand five hundred inhabitants The young men who 
resided in Zwingle's house had quitted it immediately, 
in accordance with the dirctions he had left behind him. 
* Der grofise Tod. Bullinger MS. 



ZWINaLE ATTACKED BY THE PLAGUE. 363 



His house was deserted ; but it was his time to return 
to it. He hastily quitted Pfeffers, and reappeared in the 
midst of his flock, which the malady had decimated ; his 
younger brother Andrew, who had waited for him, he 
immediately sent back to Wildhaus, and from that hour 
devoted himself entirely to the victims of this frightful 
scourge Every day he proclaimed Christ and his con- 
solations to the sick.* His friends, delighted to see him 
unharmed amid so many deadly arrows, f experienced, 
however, a secret alarm. Do your duty," said a letter 
from Basle, written by Conrad Brunner, who himself 
died of the plague a few months afterwards, "but at the 
same time remember to take care of your own life.'' 
This caution came too late ; Zwingle was attacked by 
the plague. The great preacher of Switzerland lay 
stretched on a bed from which he seemed likely never 
to rise. His thoughts were turned inwards ; his eyes 
were directed to heaven. He knew that God had given 
him a sure inheritance ; and venting the feelings of his 
heart in a hymn overflowing with unction and simplicity, 
of which, though we cannot transfer the antique and nat- 
ural language, we will endeavor at least to exhibit its 
rhythm and literal meaning, he exclaimed, 

Lo, at the door 

T hear death's knock ;t 
Shield me, 0 Lord, 

My strength and rock. 

♦ Ut in majori periculo sis, quod in die te novo exponas, dum 
invisis segrotos. Bullinger MS. p. 87. Chateaubriand had forgot- 
ten this and a thousand similar facts, when he wrote that the Prot- 
estant pastor abandons the necessitous on the bed of death, and 
never risks his life in the midst of the pestilence." Essai sur la lit- 
t^rature Anglaise. 

t Plurimum gaudeo, te inter tot jactus telorum versantem, 
BOIP bactenus evasisse. Ibid. 

X Ich mein der Tod, 
Sjg an der Thiir, etc. Zw. 0pp. 2, part 2. 270. 
In rendering this and the other specimens of poetry contained iu 
this history, the translator has aimed solely at giving a taithfvi 
transcript of the originaL 



1 



984 HISTORT OP THS REFOaMATIOW. 

The hand once nailed 

Upon the tree, 
Jesus, uplift — 

And shelter me. 

Wiliest thou, then, 

Death conquer me* 
In my noonday ? . . . 

So let it be! 

Oh, may I die, 

Since I am thine ; 
Thy home is made 

For faith like mine. 

Meantime his disease increased in virulence ; his de* 
spairing friends beheld this man, the hope of Switzerland 
and of the church, about to fall a prey to the tomb. His 
senses and his strength forsook him. His heart waa 
dismayed, but he still found strength sufficient to turn 
towards God, and to cry, 

My pains increase : 

Lord, stand thou near. 
Body and soul 

Dissolve with fear. 

Now death is near, 

My tongue is dumb ; 
Fight for me, Lord, 

Mine hour is come If 

See Satan's net 

Is o'er me tost — 
I feel his hand ; . . . 

Must I be lost? 

* Willt du dann glych 

Tod haben mich 

In mitts der Tagen min I 

So soil's wiilig sin. Zw. Opp 2. part 2. 27U 
t Nun ist es um 

Min Zung ist stumm. 

« « « • 

Darum ist Zyt 

Da£8 du min itryt. Ibid. 271. 



flIS ENEMIES AND FRIEITDS. 



365 



His shafts, his voice 

Alarm no more ; 
For here I lie 

Thy cross before. 

Canon Hoffman, sincerely attached to his creed, could 
not boar the idea of seeing Zwingle die in the errors 
which he had preached. He called on the provost of the 
chapter, and said to him, " Think of the danger to which 
his soul is exposed. Has he not designated as innova- 
tors and fantastical all the doctors who have taught 
these three hundred and eighty years past and more — 
Alexander Hales, Bonaventure, Albertus Magnus, Thom- 
as Aquinas, and all the canonists ? Does not he main- 
tain that their doctrines are mere visions, which they 
dreamed in their cowls within the walls of their clois- 
ters ? . . . Alas, it would have been better for the city 
of Zurich had Zwingle ruined our vintage and our har- 
vest for many years. Now he is at death's door ; . . . . 
I entreat you to save his poor soul." It would appear 
that the provost, who was more enlightened than the 
canon, did not think it necessary to convert Zwingle to 
Bonaventure and Albertus Magnus. He was left in 
peace. 

The city was filled with distress. The believers cried 
to God night and day, praying him to restore their faith- 
ful pastor.* The alarm had spread from Zurich to the 
mountains of the Tockenburg. The pestilence had made 
its appearance even on those lofty hills. Seven or eight 
persons had died in the village, among whom was a 
servant of Zwingle's brother Nicholas.f No letter was 
received from the reformer. "Tell me," wrote young 
Andrew Zwingle, "in what state you are, my dear 
brother. The abbot and all our brothers salute thee." 
It would appear that Zwingle's parents were dead, from 
there being no mention of them here. 

The news of Zwingle's malady, and even the report of 

* AUe Glaubige ruflten Gott treuwillich an, dass er ihren ge- 
treuwen Hirten wieder ufrichte. BuUinger MS. f Nicolao vero 
germane nostro etiam obiit servus suns, attameu non in sodibos Bai» 
Zw. Epp. p. 88. 



366 HISTORY OF THE KEFORMATION. 



his death, was circulated through Switzerland and Gter- 
many. Alas," exclaimed Hedio in tears, the preserver 
of our country, the trumpet of the gospel, the magnani- 
mous herald of truth, is cut down in the flower and 
spring-tide of his life 1""^ When the news of Zwingle's 
decease reached Basle, the whole city resounded with 
.amentations and mourning.f 

Yet the spark of life that still remained began to 
burn more brightly. Although his frame was weak, his 
soul felt the unalterable conviction that God had called 
him to replace the candle of his word on the empty can- 
dlestick of the church. The plague had forsaken its vic- 
tim, and Zwingle exclaims with emotion, 

My God, my Sire, 
Healed by thy hand, 

Upon the earth 
Once more I stand. 

From guilt and sin 

May I be free : 
My mouth shall sing 

Alone of thee. 

The uncertain hour 

For me will come, ... 
Overwhelmed perchance 

With deeper gloom. J 

It matters not : 

With joy I '11 bear 
My yoke, until 

I reach heaven's sphere.§ 

* Quis enim non doleat, publicam patriae salutem, tubam Evan 
gelii, magnanimum veritatis buccinatorem languere, intercidere. 
Zw. Epp. p 90. t Heu qu&ntum luctus, fatis Zwinglium con 

cessisse, importunus ille rumor, suo vehementi impetu divulgavit. 
Ibid. p. 91. i These words were strikingly fulfilled, twelve years 
later^ on thr9 blood-stained field of Cappel. 

§ So will ich doch 

Den Trutz und Poch 

In diser Welt 

Tragen frolich 

Um widergelt. 

Although these three fragments of poetry bear date " at the be^ 
ginning, the middle, and the end of his malady," and express the 



ZWINGLE'S RECOVEET. 



867 



At the beginning of November, as soon as he could 
hold his pen, Zwingle wrote to his family. This gave 
unutterable joy to his friends,* particularly to his young 
brother Andrew, who himself died of the plague in the 
following year, and at whose death Ulrich wept and 
groaned, as he himself observes, with more than wom- 
an^s sorrow.")" At Basle, Conrad Brunner, Zwingle's 
friend, and Bruno Amerbach, the celebrated printer, 
both young men, had died after three days^ illness. It 
was believed in that city that Zwingle also had fallen. 
The university felt the deepest dejection. Whom the 
gods love, die young," said they.^ But who can de- 
scribe their delight when Collins, a student from Lu- 
cerne, and after him a merchant from Zurich, brought 
intelligence that Zwingle had escaped from the jaws of 
death. § The vicar of the bishop of Constance, John Fa- 
bcr, that old friend of Zwingle's, who was subsequently 
his most violent antagonist, wrote to him: " Oh, my be- 
loved Ulrich, what joy I feel at learning that you have 
been saved from the grasp of cruel death. When you are 
in danger the Christian commonwealth is threatened. 
The Lord has pleased to urge you by these trials to seek 
more earnestly for eternal life." 

This was indeed the aim of the trials by which God 
had proved Zwingle, and this end was obtained, but in 
a different manner from that imagined by Faber. This 
pestilence of 1519, which committed such frightful rav- 
ages in the north of Switzerland, was, in the hands of 
God, a powerful means for the conversion of many souls. || 
But on no one did it exercise so powerful an influence 

sentiments Zwingle really felt at these three periods, it is most 
probable that they were not put into the shape in which they have 
tome down to us until after his recovery. See Bullinger MS. 

* luspectis tuis Uteris, incredibilis quidam sestus iaetitiae pectus 
meum subiit. Zw. Epp. p. 88. f Ejulatum et luctum plush 

quam femineum. Ibid. p. 155. X "Ov tb -^eol (pcMovoL, veavtcxof 
n\€VTgL Ibid. 90. § E diris te mortis faucibus feliciter ereptum 
Regotiator qu dam Tigurinus. . . . Ibid. p. 91. || Als die Pesti- 
lentz im Jahre 1619 in diesser Gegend grassirte, viele neigten sich 
Ku einem bessern Leben. George Vogelin, Ref. Hist Fiissl. Beytr. 
4. 174. 



368 BISTOEY OF THE UEFOEMATIOH 



as on Zwingle. The gospel, which had hitherto boon too 
much regarded by him as a mere doctrine, now became 
a great reality. He arose from the darkness of the sep- 
ulchre with a new heart. His zeal became more active, 
biB life more holy, his preaching more free, more Chri&» 
tian, and more powerful. This was the epoch of Zwiit- 
gle's complete emancipation ; henceforward he ccnse^ 
crated himself entirely to God. But the reformation of 
Switzerland received a new life at the same time as the 
reformer, The scourge of God, the great deaths as it 
swept over these mountains and descended into its val- 
leys, gave a holier character to the movement that was 
there taking place. The Reformation, as well as Zwin- 
gle, was baptized in the waters of affliction and of grace, 
and came forth purer and more vigorous. It was a mem- 
orable day in the counsels of God for the regeneration 
of this people. 

Zwingle derived fresh strength, of which he stood so 
much in need, from communion with his friends. To 
Myconius especially, he was united by the strong;est 
affection. They walked in reliance on each other, like 
Luther and Melancthon. Oswald was happy at Zurich. 
True, his position there was embarrassed, but tempered 
by the virtues of his modest wife. It was of her that 
Glarean said, "If I could meet with a young woman 
like her, I should prefer her to a king's daughter.'' Yet 
a faithful monitor often broke in upon the sweet affec- 
tion of Zwingle and Myconius. It was the canon Xyloc- 
tect inviting Oswald to return to Lucerne, his native 
place. "Zurich is not your country," said he; "it is 
Lucerne. You tell me that the Zurichers are your 
friends ; I do not deny it. But do you know what will 
be the end of it ? Serve your country : this I would 
advise and entreat you, and if I may, I would command 
you."* Xyloctect, joining actions with words, procured 
his nomination as head-master of the collegiate school 
at Lucerne. Oswald hesitated no longer ; he saw the 
finger of God in this appointment, and however great 

* Patriam cole, suadeo et obeecro, et, si hoc possum, jubeo. Xy 
loetectus Myconio. 



OSWALD EKCOURAOBS ZWINOLl. 369 



the sacrifice, he resolved to make it. Who could tell 
that he might not be an instrument in the hand of the 
Lord to introduce the doctrine of peace in the warlike 
city of Lucerne ? But what a sad farewell was that of 
Zwingle and Myconius. They parted in tears. " Your 
departure," wrote Ulrich to his friend shortly after, " has 
inflicted a blow on the cause I am defending, like that 
suffered by an array in battle array when one of its 
wings is destroyed.* Alas, now I feel all the value of 
my Myconius, and how often, without my knowing it, 
he has upheld the cause of Christ." 

Zwingle felt the loss of his friend the more deeply, as 
the plague had left him in a state of extreme weakness. 
" It has enfeebled my memory," wrote he on the 30th of 
November, 1519, "and depressed my spirits." He wm 
hardly convalescent before he resumed all his duties 
"But," said he, "when I am preaching, I often lose tiie 
thread of my discourse. All my limbs are oppressed with 
languor, and I am almost like a corpse." B^sidey this, 
Zwingle's opposition to indulgences had aroused the hos- 
tility of their partisans. Oswald encouraged his friend 
by the letters he wrote from Lucerne. Was not the Lord, 
at this very moment, giving a pledge of his support by 
the protection he afforded in Saxony to the powerful 
champion who had gained such signal victories over 
Eome ? . . . . "What is your opinion," said Myconius to 
Zwingle, "of Luther's cause? As for me, I have no fear 
either for the gospel or for him. If God does not protect 
his truth, who shall protect it? All that I ask of the 
Lord is, that he will not withdraw his hand from those 
who hold nothing dearer than his gospel. Continue as 
you have begun, and an abundant reward shall be con- 
ferred upon you in heaven." 

The arrival of an old friend consoled Zwingle for the 
departure of Myconius. Bunzli, who had been Ulrich's 
instructor at Basle, and who had succeeded the dean oi 
Wesen, the reformer's uncle, visited Zurich in the first 
week of the year 1520, and Zwingle and he formed a 
* Nam res mese, te abeunte, noa sunt minus accisae, quam si ex- 
eroitai ir procinctu stanti altera alarum abstergutur. Zw. Epp. 98. 
24 



370 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



project of going to Basle to see their common friends.* 
Zwingle's sojourn in that city was not fruitless. " Oh, 
my dear Zwingle," wrote John Glother not long after, 
never can I forget you. I am bound to you for that 
kindness with which, during your stay in Basle, you 
came to see me — me, a poor schoolmaster, an obscure 
man, without learning, merit, and of low estate. Yon 
have won my affections by that gracefuhiess of manner, 
that inexpressible suavity with which you subdue all 
hearts — nay, even the stones, if I may so speak."*}* But 
Zwingle's old friends profited still more by his visit. 
Capito, Hedio, and many others, were electrified by his 
powerful language ; and the former, commencing in 
Basle a work similar to that which Zwingle was carry- 
ing on in Zurich, began to explain the gospel according 
to St. Matthew, before an ever-increasing auditory. The 
doctrine of Christ penetrated and warmed their hearts 
The people received it gladly, and hailed with acclama 
tions the revival of Christianity.! This was the dawn 
of the Reformation ; and accordingly a conspiracy of 
priests and monks was soon formed against Capito. It 
was at this period that Albert, the youthful cardinal- 
archbishop of Mentz, desirous of attaching so great a 
scholar to his person, invited him to his court.§ Capito, 
seeing the difficulties that were opposed to him, accepted 
the invitation. The people were excited ; their indigna- 
tion was roused against the priests, and a violent com- 
motion broke out in the city.|| Hedio was thought of aR 
his successor ; but some objected to his youth, and oth- 
ers said, "He is Capito's disciple." "The truth stings," 
said Hedio ; " it is not safe to wound tender ears by 
preaching it.^f But it matters not. Nothing shall make 
me swerve from the straight road." The monks redoubled 

* Zw. Epp. pp. 103, 111. t Morum tuorum elegantia, suavi- 
tas jue incredibilis, qua omnes tibi devincis, etiam lapides, ut sio 
dixerim. Ibid. 133. t Renascenti Christianismo mirum quam 
fa^eant. Ibid. 120. § Cardinalis illic invitavit amplissimls con- 
ditionibus. Ibid. 1| Tumultus exoritur et maxima indignatio 

mlgi erga Upelc. Ibid. H Auriculas teneras mordaci raUero 

voro, non usque adeo tutum est Ibid. 



HEDIO IH BASL£. 



371 



ibeir efforts : " Do not believe those,'' exdaimed they 
from the pulpit, " who tell you that the sum of ChristiaD 
doctrine is found in the gospel and in St. Paul. Scotus 
has been more serviceable to Christianity than St. Paul 
himself. All the learned things that have been ever said 
or printed were stolen from Scotus. All that these hunt- 
ers after glory have been able to do, is merely to add 
a few Greek or Hebrew words to obscure the whole 
n:atter.''* 

The disturbance increased, and there was cause to 
ear that, after Capito's departure, the opposition would 
become still more powerful. " I shall be almost alone,'' 
thought Hedio ; a weak and wretched man, to strug- 
gle unaided with these pestilent monsters."f In these 
circumstances he called to God for succor, and wrote to 
Zwingle, "Animate my courage by frequent letters. 
Learning and Christianity are now between the hammer 
and the anvil. Luther has just been condemned by the 
universities of Louvain and Cologne. If ever the church 
was in imminent danger, it is now."J 

Capito left Basle for Mentz on the 28th of April, and 
was succeeded by Hedio. Not content with the public 
assemblies in the church, where he continued the expla- 
nation of St. Matthew, Hedio proposed in the month of 
June, as he writes to Luther, to have private meetings in 
his house, for the more familiar communication of evan- 
gelical instruction to those who felt its necessity. This 
powerful means of edification in the truth, and of excit- 
ing the interest and zeal of believers for divine things, 
could not fail, then as in all times, to arouse opposition 
among worldly-minded people and domineering piiests ; 
both which classes, though from different motives, are 
unwilling that God should be worshipped anywhere ex- 
cept within the boundary of certain walls. But Hedio 
was immovable. 

At the period when he was forming this good reso 

* Scotum plus profuisse rei Christianse quam ipsum Paulum . , . 
quicquid eruditum, furatum ex Scoto. . . . Zw. Epp. p. 120. 

t Cum pestilentissimis monstris. Xbid. 121. | Si unqoam 
Immiudbat periculum, jam imminet. Ibid. Mwrch 17, 1620. 



372 HISTORY OF THE UEFOEMATIOK. 



lutioii at Basle, there arrived at Zurich one of those cLai- 
acters who, in all revolutions, are thrown up like a foul 
scum on the surface of society. 

The senator Grebel, a man highly respected in Zu- 
rich, had a son named Conrad, a youth of remarkable 
talents, a violent enemy of ignorance and superstition, 
which he attacked with the most cutting satire : he was 
blustering and passionate, caustic and ill-natured in hia 
speech ; void of natural affection, dissipated, speaking 
loudly and frequently of his own innocence, and seeing 
nothing but evil in his neighbors. We mention him 
here, because he was afterwards destined to play a mel- 
ancholy part. Just at this time, Vadian married one of 
Conrad's sisters. The latter, who was studying at Paris, 
where his misconduct had rendered him incapable of 
walking, feeling a desire to be present at the marriage, 
suddenly, about the middle of June, appeared in the 
midst of his family. The poor father received his prod- 
igal son with a kind smile, his tender mother with a 
flood of tears. The affection of his parents could not 
change his unnatural heart. His good but unhappy 
mother having some time afterwards been brought to 
the verge of the grave, Conrad wrote to his brother-in- 
law Vadian, My mother has recovered ; she is again 
ruler of the house ; she sleeps, rises, scolds, breakfasts, 
quarrels, dines, disputes, sups, and is always a trouble 
to us. She trots about, roasts and bakes, heaps and 
hoards, toils and wearies herself to death, and will soon 
bring on a relapse."* Such was the man who somewhat 
later presumed to domineer over Zwingle, and became 
notorious as one of the chiefs of the fanatical enthusi- 
asts of the day. It may be that divine Providence al- 
lowed such characters to appear at the epoch of the Ref- 
ormation, to form a contrast by their very excesses with 
the wise. Christian, and regulated spirit of the reformers, 

Every thing seemed to indicate that the battle be- 
tween the gospel and Popery was about to begin. " Let 
us stir up the temporizers,'' wrote Hedio to Zwingle ; 

* Sie regiert das Haus, schlaft, steht auf, zankt, friihstuck^ 
fceift Simml. S&mml. 4 ; Wira, 1. 76. 



»0 PEACE WITH BRROR. 



373 



" the truce is broken. Let us put on our breastplates ; 
for we shall have to fig'ht against the most formidable 
enemies.''* Myconius wrote to Ulrich in the same 
strain ; but the latter replied to these warlike appeals 
with admirable mildness. " I would allure these obsti- 
nate men," said he, " by kindness and friendly proceed- 
ings, rather than overthrow them by violent controver- 
ey.f For if they call our doctrine — which is in truth 
not ours — a devilish doctrine, it is all very natural, and 
by this I know that we are really ambassadors from God 
The devils cannot be silent in Christ's presence." 

* Armemus pectora nostra! pugnandum erit contra teterrimoa 
hostes. Zw. Epp. p. 101. f Benevolentia honestoque obseqalo 
potius allici, qaam animoea oppugnatione trahl. Tbid. 103. 



374 filSTORT OF THE EEFOElCATIOli 



CHAPTER IX. 

The two reformers — The fall of man — Expiation of the Afan-God-^ 
No merit in works — Objections refuted — Power of love for Chrigt 
— Election — Christ the sole master — Effects of this preaching — 
Dejection and courage — First act of the magistrate — Church and 
state — Attacks — Galster. 

Although Zv/ingle desired to follow a mild course, he 
did not remain inactive. After his illness, his preaching 
had become more profound and more vivifying. Up- 
wards of two thousand persons in Zurich had received 
the word of God in their hearts, confessed the evangeli- 
cal doctrine, and were already qualified to announce it 
themselves.* 

Zwingle held the same faith as Luther, but a faith 
depending on deeper reasoning. In Luther it was all 
impulse ; in Zwingle, perspicuity of argument prevailed. 
We find in Luther's writings an internal and private 
conviction of the value of the cross of Jesus Christ to 
himself individually ; and this conviction, so full of en- 
ergy and life, animates all that he says. The same sen- 
timent, undoubtedly, is found in Zwingle, but in a less 
degree. He was rather attracted by the harmony of 
the Christian doctrine : he admired it for its exquisite 
beauty, for the light it sheds upon the soul of man, and 
for the everlasting life it brings into the world. The 
one is moved by the heart, the other by the understand- 
ing ; and this is why those who have not felt by their 
own experienC''^ the faith that animated these two great 
disciples of tne same Lord, have fallen into the gross 
error of representing one as a mystic and the other as a 
rationalist. Possibly the one is more pathetic in the 
exposition of his faith, the other more philosophical , 
but both believe in the same truths. It may be true 

* Non enim soli sumus : Tiguri plus duobus millibus permulto- 
rum est rationalium, qui lao jam spirituale sugentes. . . . Zw. Epp. 
p. 104. • 



ZWINGhLE'S DOCTRINE. 



375 



that they do not regard secondary questions in the same 
light ; but that faith which is one — that faith which re- 
news and justifies its possessor — that faith which no 
confession, no articles can express, exists in them alike, 
Zwingle's doctrines have been so often misrepresented, 
that it will not be irrelevant to gl mce at what he wag 
Uion preaching to the people whc daily thronged the 
cathedral of Zurich. 

In the fall of the first man, Zwingle found a key to 
the history of the human race. Before the fall," said 
he one day, " man had been created with a free will, so 
that, had he been willing, he might have kept the law : 
his nature was pure ; the disease of sin had not yet 
reached him ; his life was in his own hands. But hav- 
ing desired to be as God, he died ; . . . and not he alone, 
but all his posterity. Since then in Adam all men are 
dead, no one can recall them to life, until the Spirit, 
which is G*)d himself, raises them from the dead."* 

The inhabitants of Zurich, who listened eagerly to 
this powerful orator, were overwhelmed with sorrow as 
he unfolded before their eyes that state of sin in which 
mankind ar<3 involved; but soon they heard the words 
of consolation, and the remedy was pointed out to them 
which alone- can restore man to life. " Christ, very man 
and very God,"f said the eloquent voice of this son of 
the Tocken<)urg herdsman, " has purchased for us a 
never-ending redemption. For since it was the eternal 
God who died for us, his passion is therefore an eternal 
sacrifice, and everlastingly effectual to heal ;J it satis- 
fies the divine justice for ever in behalf of all those who 

♦ Quum ergo omnes homines in Adamo mortui sunt .... dooeo 
per Spiritum et gratiam Dei ad vitam quae Deus est excitentur. Zw. 
0pp. 1. 203. This passage, and others we have quoted, or which 
ve may have occasion to quote, are taken from a work Zwingle 
published in 1523, and in which he reduced to order the doctrine* 
he had been preaching for several years past. Hie recensere coepi, 
he says, quae ex veibo Dei praedicavi. Ibid. p. 228. f Christus 
?eru8 homo et verus Deus. . . Ibid. p. 206. J Deus enira a^ter- 
Qua, quum sit qui pro nobis moritur, pafisionem ejus leternam et per* 
petao saiutarom esse oportet. Ibid. 



376 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOK. 



rely upon it with firm and unshaken faith. Wlierevef 
Bin is," exclaimed the reformer, " death of necessity fol- 
lows. Christ was without sin, and guile was not found 
in his mouth ; and yet he died 1 . . . This death he suf- 
fered in our stead. He was willing to die, that he might 
restore us to life ; and as he had no sins of his own, the 
all-merciful Father laid ours upon him.* .... Seeing 
that the will of man," said the Christian orator again, 
had rebelled against the Most High, it was necessary 
for the refe'stablishment of eternal order, and for the sal- 
vation of man, that the human will should submit in 
Christ^s person to the divine will."f He would often 
remark, that the expiatory death of Jesus Christ had 
taken place in behalf of believers, of the people of 
God4 

The souls that thirsted after salvation in the city of 
Zurich found repose at the sound of these glad tidings ; 
but there still existed in their minds some long-estab- 
lished errors which it was necessary to eradicate. Start- 
ing fram the great truth that salvation is the gift of 
God, Zwingle inveighed powerfully against the pretend- 
ed merit of human works. Since eternal salvation," 
said he, "proceeds solely from the merits and death of 
Jesus Christ, it follows that the merit of our own works 
is mere vanity and folly, not to say impiety and senseless 
impudence. § If we could have been saved by our own 
works, it would not have been necessary for Christ to 
die. All who have ever come to God, have come to him 
through the death of Jesus Christ." j| 

Zwingle foresaw the objections this doctrine would 
excite among some of his hearers. They waited on him 

* Mori voluit ut nos vitaB restitueret. . . . Zw. 0pp. 1. 204. 

f Necesse fuit ut voluntas humaaa in Christo se divinae submit- 
teret Ibid. t Hostia est et victima, satisfaciens in aeternum 

pro peccatis omnium fidelium. Ibid. 253. Expurgata peccata mul- 
titudinis, hoc est, Udells populi. Ibid. 264. § Sequitur meri' 

turn nostrorum operum nihil esse quam vanitatem et stultitiam, ne 
dicam impietatem et ignorantem impudentiam. Ibid. 260. 

II Quotquot ad Deum venerunt unquam, per mortem Christi ad 
Deum veaisse. Ibid. 



POWEE OF LOVE TO CHRIST. 



377 



and laid them before him. He replied to them from the 
pulpit : " Some people, perhaps more dainty than pious, 
object that this doctrine renders men careless and dis- 
solute. But of what importance are the fears and objec- 
tions that the daintiness of men may suggest? Who- 
soever believes in Jesus Christ is assured that all that 
Cometh from God is necessarily good. If, therefore, the 
gospel is of God, it is good.* And what other power 
besides could implant righteousness, truth, and love 
among men ? . . . . 0 God, most gracious, most right- 
eous Father of all mercies," exclaimed he in a transport 
of piety, " with what charity thou hast embraced uSj 
thine enemies If . . . With what lofty and unfailing 
hopes hast thou filled us, who deserved to feel nothing 
but despair ; and to what glory hast thou called, in thy 
Son, our meanness and our nothingness I . . . Thou 
wiliest, by this unspeakable love, to constrain us to 
return thee love for love." 

Following out this idea, he proceedied to show that 
love to the Redeemer is a law more powerful than the 
commandments. **The Christian," said he, "delivered 
from the law, depends entirely on Jesus Christ. Christ is 
his reason, his counsel, his righteousness, and his whole 
salvation. Christ lives and acts in him. J Christ alone 
is his leader, and he needs no other guide." And then 
making use of a comparison within the range of his 
hearers' intelligence, he added, " If a government for- 
bids its citizens under pain of death to receive any pen- 
sion or largess from the hands of foreigners, how mild 
and easy is this law to those who, from love to their 
country and their liberty, voluntarily abstain from so 
culpable an action. But, on the contrary, how vexatious 
and oppressive it is to thos«^ who consult their own in- 
terest a.one. Thus ^he righteous man lives free and 
joyful in the love of righteousness, and the unrighteous 

♦ Certus est quod quidquid ex Deo est, bonum sit. Si ergo Evan- 
gelium ex Deo, bonum est. Zw. 0pp. 1. 208. f Quanta cari- 

tate nos fures et perduelles. . . . Ibid. 207. J Turn enim totui 
a Christo pendet. Christ us est ei ratio, consilium, justitia, innocen 
tia et tota salus, Christus in ©o vivit, in eo agit Ibid. 233L 



878 HISTORY OF THE EEFORMATIOJT. 



man walks murmuring under the heavy burden of the 
law that oppresses him."* 

In the cathedral of Zurich there wore many old sol- 
diers who felt the truth of these words. Is not love the 
most powerful of lawgivers ? Are not its commands 
immediately fulfilled ? Does not He whom we love dwell 
in our hearts, and there perform all that he has ordained ? 
Aiccordingly Zwingle, growing bolder, proclaimed to the 
people of Zurich that love to the Redeemer was alone 
capable of impelling a man to perform works acceptable 
to God. "Works done out of Jesus Christ are worth- 
less," said the Christian orator. Since every thing is 
done of him, in him, and by him, what can we lay claim 
to for ourselves ? Wherever there is faith in God, there 
God is ; and wherever God abideth, there a zeal exists 
urging and impelling men to good works.f Take care 
only that Christ is in thee, and that thou art in Christ, 
and doubt not that then he is at work in thee. The life 
of a Christian is one perpetual good work, which God 
begins, continues, and completes."^ 

Deeply affected by the greatness of that love of God 
which is from everlasting, the herald of grace raised his 
voice in louder accents of invitation to irresolute and 
timid souls. "Are you afraid," said he, "to approach 
this tender Father who has elected you ? Why has he 
chosen us of his grace ? Why has he called us ? Why 
has he drawn us to him ? Is it that we should fear to 
approach him ?"§ 

Such was Zwingle's doctrine : the doctrine of Christ 
himself. "If Luther preaches Christ, he does what I 
am doing," said the preacher of Zurich ; " those whom 
he has brought to Christ are more numerous than those 
whom I have led. But this matters not : I will bear no 

* Bonus vir in amore justitiae liber et laetus vivit. Zw. 0pp. 1. 
284. t Ubi Deus, illic cura est et studium, ad opera bona ur- 
gens et impellens. . . . Ibid. 213. { Vita ergo pii hominis nihil 
aliud est, nisi perpetua quaedam et indefessa boni operatic, quam 
Deus incipit, ducit, et absolvit. . . . Ibid. 295. § Quum ergo 

Deus pater nos elegit ex gratia sua. traxitque et vocayit, cur Ad euxn 
eooodere non auderemns? Ibid. 287. 



EFFECTS OF ZWIKaLE'S PREACHINa. 379 



^hei name than that of Christ, whose soldier I am, and 
who alone is my chief. Never has one single word been 
written by me to Luther, nor by Luther to me. And 
why ? . . . that it might be shown how much the Sp irit 
of God is in unison with itself, since both of us, without 
any collusion, teach the doctrine of Christ with such 
aniformity."* 

Thus did Zwingle preach with courage and enthti- 
siasm.f The vast cathedral could not contain the mul- 
titude of his hearers. All praised God for the new life 
that was beginning to reanimate the lifeless body of the 
church. Many of the Swiss from every canton who 
came to Zurich either to attend the diet or for other 
motives, impressed by this new preaching, carried its 
precious seeds into all the valleys of their native coun- 
try. A shout of rejoicing rose from every city and 
mountain. Switzerland," wrote Nicholas Hageus from 
Lucerne to Zurich — Switzerland has hitherto given birth 
to such as Brutus, Scipio, and Csesar ; but she has hardly 
produced a man who really knew Jesus Christ, and who 
nourished our souls, not with vain disputes, but with 
the word of God. Now that divine Providence has given 
Switzerland a Zwingle for preacher and an Oswald My- 
conius for teacher, virtue and sacred learning are reviv- 
ing among us. 0 fortunate Helvetia, if at last thou 
wouldest rest from war, and already illustrious by thy 
arms, become more illustrious still by righteousness and 
peace."! "There was a report," wrote Myconius to 
Zwingle, "that your voice could not be heard three 
paces off. But I see now that it was a falsehood, for 
all Switzerland hears you."§ " Thou hast armed thy* 
self with an intrepid courage," wrote Hedio from Basle ; 
" I will follow thee as far as I am able."|| " I have 

* Quam concors sit Spiritus Dei, dum nos tam procul dissiti, nihil 
oollndentes, tam concorditer Christi doctrinam docemus. Zw. Opp, 
1. 276. . t Quam fortis sis in Christo praedicando. Zw. Epp. 
p. 160. JO Helvetiam longe feliciorem, si tandem liceat te a 

bellis conquioscere I Ibid. p. 128. § At video mendacium esse, 
cum audiaris per totam Helvetiam. Ibid. p. 135. || Sequar te 
quoad potero. . . . Ibid p. 184. 



380 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



heard thee," wrote Sebastian Hofmeister of SchaflFhausen 
from Constance. " Would to God that Zurich, which is 
at the head of our happy confederation, were healed of 
its disease, so that the whole body might be at length 
restored to health."* 

But Zwingle met with adversaries as well as admip* 
ets. "Why," said some, "does he busy himself with 
the affairs of Switzerland ?" . . . " Why," said others, 
" does he repeat the same things in every sermon ?" In 
the midst of all this opposition, dejection often came 
over Z wingless soul. Every thing seemed, in his eyes, 
falling into confusion, and society to be on the eve oi! 
a general convulsion.f He thought it impossible for 
any new truth to appear, without its antagonistic error 
springing up immediately.^ If any hope arose in his 
heart, fear grew up by its side. He soon, however, 
threw off his dejection. " The life of man here below is 
a continual war," said he ; " whoever desires to obtain 
glory must face the world, and like David force this 
haughty Goliath, so proud of his stature, to bite the 
dust. The church," said he, as Luther had done, " was 
purchased by blood, and by blood must be restored. § 
The more numerous are its impurities, the more men 
like Hercules must we call up to cleanse these Augean 
stables. II I am under no apprehensions for Luther," 
added he, " even should he be struck by the thunderbolts 
of this Romish Jupiter."^ 

Zwingle had need of repose, and repaired to the wat- 
ers of Baden. The priest of this town, formerly one of 
the pope's guards, a man of kindly disposition, but of the 
greatest ignorance, had obtained his benefice by carry- 
ing the halberd. Faithful to his military habits, he used 

* U4 capite felicis patriae nostrae a morbo erepto, sanitas tandem 
In reliqua membra reciperetur. Zw. Epp. p. 147. f Omnia 

sursum deorsumque moventur. Ibid. p. 142. t Ut nibil pro 

ferre caput queat, cujus non contrarium e regione emergat. Ibid. 

§ Ecclesiam puto, ut sanguine parta est, ita sanguine instaurarL 
Ibid. p. 143. II E6 plures armabis Hercules qui fimum tot hao- 

tenus boum offerant. Ibid. p. 144. IF Etiamsi fuimine Jovu 

isUos fulminetur. Ibid. 



INTERVENTION OP THE STATE 381 



to pass the day and part of the night in jovial company, 
while his curate StSiheli was indefatigable in performing 
all the duties of his charge.* Zwingle sent for him and 
said, " I have need of Swiss helpers and from that 
moment St^heli was his fellow-laborer. Zwingle, Staheli, 
and Luti, subsequently pastor at Winterthour, lived un- 
der the same roof. 

Z wingless devotion was not unrewarded. The word 
of Christ, preached with so much energy, was destined 
to bear fruit. Many magistrates were gained over ; 
they had found in God^s word tneir consolation and their 
strength. Afflicted at seeing the priests, and above all, 
the monks, uttering shamelessly from the pulpit what- 
ever came into their heads, the council published a de- 
cree ordering them to preach nothing in their sermons 
" that they had not drawn from the sacred fountains of 
the Old and New Testaraents.^f It was in 1520 that 
the civil authority thus interfered for the first time in 
the work of the Reformation, acting as a Christian mag- 
istrate, in the opinion of some, since it is the primary 
duty of the magistrate to defend the word of God, and to 
protect the dearest interests of the citizens ; depriving 
the church of its liberty, in the opinion of others, sub- 
jecting it to the secular power, and giving the signal of 
that long train of evils which the union of church and 
state has since engendered. We will not here decide 
on this great controversy, which in our own days is 
maintained with so much warmth in many countries. It 
is sufficient for us to mark its origin at the epoch of the 
Reformation. But there is still another thing to be 
pointed out : the act of these magistrates was of itself 
an effect of the preaching of the word of Crod. The ref- 
ormation in Switzerland then emerged from simple indi- 
vidualities, and became a national work. Born in the 
hearts of a few priests and learned men, it extended, 
rose up, and took its station on higher ground. Like 

♦ Misc. Tig. 2. 679-696 ; Wirz. 1. 78, 79. f Vetuit eos Sena- 
tnfi quicquam praedicare quod non ex sacrarum literarum utiiusque 
Twtamenti fojitibiis hausissent. Zw. 0pp. 3. 28. 



383 HISTOEY OF THE REFOEMA T105. 

the waters of the sea, it rose gradually, nntil it had 
covered a vast expanse. 

The monks were confounded ; they had been ordered 
to preach the word of God only, and most of them had 
never read it. One opposition provokes another. This 
decree became the signal of the most violent attacks 
against the Reformation. Plots began to be formed 
against the priest of Zurich ; his life was in danger. 
One day, as Zwingle and his curates were quietly con- 
versing in their house, some citizens entered hastily, 
saying, " Have you strong bolts to your doors ? Be on 
your guard to-night." " We often had such alarms as 
these," adds Staheli ; " but we were well armed,* and a 
patrol was stationed in the street to protect us." 

In other places recourse was had to still more violent 
measures. An aged man of Schaffhausen named Gal- 
ster, possessing a just spirit and a fervor rare at his 
age, and rejoicing in the light he had found in the gos- 
pel, endeavored to communicate it to his wife and chil- 
dren ; in his zeal, which may have been indiscreet, he 
openly attacked the relics, priests, and superstition, with 
which his canton abounded. He soon became an object 
of hatred and terror even to his own family. The old 
man, anticipating evil designs, left bis house broken- 
hearted, and fled to the neighboring forests. Here he 
remained some days, sustaining life upon what he could 
find, when suddenly, on the last night of the year 1520, 
torches flashed through the forest in every direction, and 
the shouts of men and the cry of savage dogs reechoed 
through its gloomy shades. The council had ordered a 
grand chase in the forest to discover the wretched man. 
The hounds caught their prey. The unhappy Galster was 
dragged before the magistrate, and summoned to abjure 
his faith ; as he continued steadfast, he was beheaded.f 

* Wir waren aber gut geriistet. Misc. Tig. 2. 681 ; Wirz. 1. 884 
t Wir25. 1 610 } Sebast Wagner, von Kircbhofer, p. 18. 



THB EEFORICEE OF BEEKB 



383 



CHAPTER X 

A new combatant — The reformer of Berne — Zwingle encoor&geQ 
Haller — The gospel at Lucerne — Oswald persecuted — Z wingless 
preaching — Henry Bullinger and Gerold of Knonau — Rubli at 
Basle — The chaplain of the hospital— War in Italy — Zwingle 
protests against the capitulations. 

The year thus inaugurated by this bloody execution 
had hardly begun, when Zwingle received a visit at 
Zurich from a young man about twenty-eight years of 
age, of tall stature, and whose exterior denoted candor, 
simplicity, and diffidence.* He introduced himself as 
Berthold Haller, and on hearing his name, Zwingle em- 
braced the celebrated preacher of Berne with that affa- 
bility which imparted such a charm to his manners. 
Haller was born at Aldingen in Wurtemberg,*}* and had 
studied first at Rotwyl under Rubellnis, and next at 
Pforzheim, where Simmler was his preceptor and Me- 
lancthon his fellow-pupil. The Bernese had about that 
time resolved on attracting literary men to their repub- 
lic, which had already become so famous by its feata 
of arms. Rubellus and Berthold, who was then only 
twenty-one years old, repaired thither. Subsequently 
Haller was named canon, and shortly after preacher of the 
cathedral. The gospel taught by Zwingle had reached 
Berne ; Haller believed, and from that hour desired to 
see the mighty man whom he already respected as a 
father. He went to Zurich, where Myconius had an- 
nounced him. Thus did Haller and Zwingle meet. Hal- 
ler, a man of meek disposition, confided to Zwingle all 
his trials ; and Zwingle, the strong man, inspired him 
with courage. '*My soul,'' said Berthold to Zwingle 
one day, " is overwhelmed ; . . . I cannot support such 
unjust treatment. I am determined to resign my pulpit 

* Animi tui candorem simplicem et simplicitatem candidiaai* 
mam, hao tua pusilla quidem epistola. . . . Zw. Epp. p. 186. 
f Ita ipse in UteriB MS. J. J. Hott 3. 5i. 



884 HISTOET OF THE EEFORMATIOIT. 



and retire to Basle, to employ myself wholly, in Wii> 
tembach's society, with the study of sacred learning.'' 
" Alas," replied Zwingle, " and I too feel discouragement 
creep over me when I see myself unjustly assailed ; but 
Christ awakens my conscience by the powerful stimulus 
his terrors and promises. He alarms me by saying, 
'Whosoever shall be ashamed of me before met; ol him 
shall I be ashamed before my Father;' and he fe«'^:ores 
me to tranquillity by adding, * Whosoever shall confess 
me before men, him also will I confess before my Fa- 
ther.' 0 my dear Berthold, take courage. Our names 
are written in imperishable characters in the annals of 
the citizens on high.* I am ready to die for Christ.f . . . 
0 that your fierce bear-cubs," added he, "would hear 
the doctrine of Jesus Christ, then would they grow 
tame.J But you must undertake this duty with great 
gentleness, lest they should turn round furiously, and 
rend you in pieces." Haller's courage revived. "My 
soul," wrote he to Zwingle, "has awakened from its 
slumber. I must preach the gospel. Jesus Christ must 
be restored to this city, whence he has been so long 
exiled."§ Thus did the flame that glowed so brightly 
in Zwingle's bosom rekindle that of Berthold, and the 
timid Haller rushed into the midst of the savage bears, 
who, grinding their teeth, says Zwingle, sought to de- 
vour him. 

It was in another quarter, however, that the perse- 
cution was to break out in Switzerland. The warlike 
Lucerne stood forward as an adversary armed cap-a-pie 
and lance in rest. The military spirit prevailed in this 
canton : the advocate of foreign service, and the leading 
men of the capital knit their brows whenever th*^y heard 
one word of peace calculated to restrain their warlike 

* Scripta tamen habeatur in fastis supernorum civium. Zw. 
£pp. p. 186. t Ut mori pro Christo non usque adeo detrectem 
apud me. Ibid. p. 187. J Ut ursi tui ferociusculi, audita 

Christi doctrina, mansuescere incipiant. Ibid. The leader will 
remember that a bear figures in the shield of Berne. § Donee 

Christum, cucullatis nugis long^ a nobis exulem . . . pro virili reiSJtl- 
tuerixn. Ibi(i. 



OSWALD PERSECUTED. 



385 



dispositioa. When Luthert works reached this city, 
some of the inhabitants began to read them, and were 
struck with horror. They appeared to have been penned 
by the hand of a demon ; their imagination took fright, 
their eyes wandered, and they fancied their chambers 
were filled with devils, surrounding and gazing upon 
tliem with a sarcastic leer * . . . They hastily closed 
the volume, and flung it aside in terror. Oswald, who 
had heard of these singular visions, never spoke of Lu- 
ther, except to his most intimate friends, and was con- 
tent simply to announce the gospel of Christ. Yet not- 
withstanding this moderation, loud cries were heard in 
the city : " We must burn Luther and the schoolmaster,'' 
Myconius.f ... "I am assailed by my adversary, like 
a ship in a hurricane at sea," said Oswald to one of his 
friends. J One day at the beginning of the year 1520, 
he was suddenly called before the council. ^*You are 
enjoined," said they, never to read Luther's works to 
your pupils, never to mention him before them, and 
never even to think of him."§ The lords of Lucerne 
presumed, it will be seen, to extend their jurisdiction 
very widely. Shortly after this, a preacher declaimed 
from the pulpit against heresy. All the assembly was 
moved ; every eye was turned on Oswald, for who could 
the preacher have had in view but him? Oswald re- 
mained quietly in his place, as if the matter did not con- 
cern him. But on leaving the church, as he was walking 
with his friend the Canon Xyloctect, one of the coun- 
<3illors, who had not yet recovered from his agitation, 
passed near them. **Well, you disciples of Luther," 
said he angrily, " why do you not defend your master 
They made no reply. live," said Myconius, **in the 
midst of savage wolves; but I have this consolation, 
that most of them have lost their teeth. They would 

* Dum Luthenim semel legerint, ut putarent stubellam suam 
pA^nam esse daemonibus. Zw. Epp. p. 137. f Clamatur hie per 
totam civitatem : Lutherum comburendum et ludi magistrum. Ibid. 
153. t Non aliter me impellunt quam procellaa mvinse navem 
aliquam. Ibid. 159. § Imo ne iu mentem earn admitterenu 

Ibid. 169. 



25 



386 



HISTORY OF THE EEFOUMATIOH . 



bifce if they could; but as they cannot, they raercly 
howl.'' 

The senate was called together, for the tumult among 
the people kept increasing. "He is a Lutheran," said 
one of the councillors. He is a teacher of novelties,'^ 
said another. "He is a seducer of youth," said a third 
.... " Let him appear — let him appear," cried all 
The poor schoolmaster came before them, and hoard 
fresh menaces and prohibitions. His simple spirit was 
wounded and depressed. His gentle wife could only 
console him by her tears. " Every one is against me," 
exclaimed he in his anguish. "Assailed by so many 
tempests, whither shall I turn, or how shall I escape 
them ? . . . If Christ were not with me, I should long 
ago have fallen beneath their blows."* .... " What 
matters it whether Lucerne will keep you or not ?" 
wrote Dr. Sebastian Hofmeister, in a letter dated from 
Constance. " The earth is the Lord's. Every country 
is the home of the brave. Even were we the vilest 
of men, our cause is just, for we teach the gospel of 
Christ." 

While the truth thus met with so many obstacles at 
Lucerne, it was triumphant at Zurich. Zwingle labored 
unceasingly. Desirous of meditating on the whole oi 
Scripture in the original languages, he applied himself 
diligently to the study of Hebrew under the direction of 
John Boschenstein, Reuchlin's pupil. But his object in 
studying the Scriptures was to preach them. On Fri- 
days the peasants, who came in crowds bringing their 
pro»luce to the market of the city, showed great eagei- 
ness for the word of God. To satisfy their wants, 
Zwingle had begun, in the month of December, 1520, to 
expound the Psalms every market-day, preparing his 
sermon by previous meditation on each particular text. 
The reformers always combined learned pursuits with 
Oieir practical labors : these labors were their end, their 
studies were but the means. They were not less zeal- 
ous in the closet than before the people. The union of 
learning and love is a characteristic feature of this epoch. 
* ai Chrisfcufi non esset, jam olim defecissem. Zw. Epp. p. 360,, 



aEROLD VOS KNONAU 



389 



With reference to his Sunday preachings, Zwingle, after 
having expounded the life of our Lord according to St. 
Matthew, proceeded to show, by explaining the Acts of 
the Apostles, how the doctrine of Christ had been prop- 
agated. He next set forth the rule of a Christian life, as 
'nculcated in the epistles to Timothy ; he made use ol 
the epistle to the Galatians to combat doctrinal errors, 
and combined with it the two epistles of Peter, to demon- 
strate to the contemners of St. Paul how the same spirit 
animated both these apostles ; he concluded with the 
epistle to the Hebrews, that he might explain to their 
fullest extent all the blessings which flow from the gift 
of Jesus Christ, the great High-priest of the Christian. 

But Zwingle did not confine himself to adult men 
alone ; he endeavored to kindle in the young also a sa- 
cred fire by which they should be animated. One day 
in the year 1521, as he was engaged in his closet study- 
ing the fathers of the church, extracting the most re- 
markable passages, and carefully classifying them in a 
thick volume, he saw a young man enter whose features 
strongly interested him.* It was Henry BuUinger, who, 
having returned from Germany, had come to see him, 
impatient to know that teacher of his native land whose 
name was already celebrated in Christendom. The hand- 
some youth fixed his eyes successively on the reformer 
and his books, and felt a call to follow Zwingle^s exam- 
ple. The latter welcomed him with that cordiality which 
won every heart. This first visit had a powerful influ- 
ence over the whole life of the student, after he had re- 
turned to his father's hearth. Another young man had 
also gained Zwingle's aflection ; this was Gerold Meyer 
von Knonau. His mother, Anna Reinhardt, who subse- 
quently occupied an important place in the life of the 
reformer, had been a great beauty, and was still distin- 
guished by her virtues. A young man of noble family, 
John Meyer von Knonau, who had been brought up at 

* Ich hab by im ein gross Buch gesehen, Locorum commumum} 
als ich by ihm wass, aaiio 1521, dorinnen er Sententias und Dog- 
mata Patrunif flyssig jedes an eeinem ort verzeichaet. BuUin' 
gei MS. 



388 HISTORY OF THE HEFORMATION, 



the court of the bishop of Constance, to whom he was 
related, had conceived an ardent aflection for Anna ; but 
she belonged to a plebeian family. The elder Meyer von 
Knonau had refused his consent to their union, and dis- 
inherited his son after the marriage. In 1513, Anna was 
left a widow with one son and two daughters, and she 
now lived solely for the education of the poor orphans. 
Their grandfather was inexorable. One day, however, 
the widow's servant took young Gerold out with her, a 
lively and graceful boy, then only three years old, and 
as she stopped with him in the fish-market, the elder 
Meyer, who chanced to be at the window,* noticed him, 
watched every movement, and asked to whom this beau- 
tiful child, so buoyant with life and freshness, belonged. 
** It is your son's," was the reply. The old man's heart 
was touched — the ice was melted — every thing was for- 
gotten, and he clasped in his arms the wife and the chil- 
dren of his son. Zwingle had become attached as if he 
were his own child, to the young, noble, and courageous 
Gerold, who was destined to expire in the flower of his 
age at the reformer's side, his hand upon the sword, and 
surrounded, alas, by the dead bodies of his enemies. 
Thinking that Gerold could not find in Zurich suflB- 
cient resources for study, Zwingle in 1521 sent him 
to Bavsle. 

The young Von Knonau did not find Hedio, Zwin- 
gle's friend, in that city. As Capito was obliged to 
accompany the Archbishop Albert to the coronation of 
Charles V., he had engaged Hedio to supply his place 
at Mentz. Basle thus successively lost her most faith- 
ful preachers ; the church seemed abandoned, but other 
men appeared. Four thousand hearers crowded the 
church of William Rubli, priest of St. Alban's. He 
attacked the doctrine of the mass, purgatory, and the 

* Liiget des Kindts Grossyater zum fanster uss, und ersach daa 
Kind in der Fischer-branten, (Kufe,) so frach, (frisch,) and frollch 

sifczen Archives des Meyer de Knonau, quoted in a notice of 

Anna Reinhardt, Erlangen, 1836, by M. Gerold Meyer von Knonttu. 
I am indebted to the kindness of this friend for the elucidation of 
BQveral obscure passages in the life of Zwingle. 



RUBLI AKB WISSEMBURaEB.. 389 



(iiTOCation of saints. But this man, who was turbulent 
and greedy of public applause, inveighed against error, 
rather than contended for the truth. On the festival of 
Corpus Christi he joined the great procession, but in- 
stead of the relics, which it was customary to parade 
through the streets, there was carried before him a copy 
of the holy Scriptures, handsomely bound, and with this 
inscription in large letters, *'The Bible ; this is the true 
relic ; all others are but dead men's bones." Courage 
adorns the servant of God ; ostentation disfigures him. 
The work of an evangelist is to preach the Bible, and 
not to make a pompous display of it. The enraged 
priests accused Rubli before the council. A crowd im- 
mediately filled the square of the Cordeliers. Protect 
our preacher," said the citizens to the council. Fifty 
ladies of distinction interposed in his favor, but Rubli 
was compelled to leave Basle. Somewhat later he was 
implicated, like Grebel, in the fanatical disorders of the 
time. As the Reformation was evolved, it everywhere 
rejected the chaff that was mixed up with the good 
grain. 

At this time, from the lowliest of chapels was heard 
a humble voice distinctly proclaiming the gospel doc- 
trines. It was that of the youthful Wolfgang Wissem- 
burger, the son of a councillor of state, and chaplain to 
the hospital. All the inhabitants of Basle who felt new 
desires, experienced a deeper affection for the meek chap- 
lain than they had for the haughty Rubli himself Wolf- 
gang began to read mass in German. The monks re- 
newed their clamors ; but this time they failed, and 
Wissemburger was enabled to continue preaching the 
gospel ; '*for," says an old chronicler, **he was a citizen^ 
and his father a councillor."* This first success of the 
Reformation at Basle was an omen of still greater. At 
the same time, it was of much importance to the prog- 
ress of the work throughout the confederation. Zurich 
was not alone. The learned Basle began to be charmed 
at the sound of the new doctrine. The foundations of 

* Dieweil er ein Biirger war und sein Vo.ter des Raths. Frido 
lla Ryflf's Chronik. 



390 HISTOUT OF THE HEFOB.MATION 



the new temple were extending. The Reformation in 
Switzerland was attaining a higher stage of develop- 
ment. 

Zurich was, however, the centre of the movement 
But in the year 1521, important political events, that 
grieved Zwingle's heart, in some measure diverted men's 
minds from the preaching of the gospel. Leo X., who 
had offered his alliance simultaneously to Charles V. and 
Francis I., had at length decided for the emperor. The 
war between these two rivals was about to burst forth 
in Italy. **The pope shall have nothing left but his 
eart*,'^ said the French general Lautrec* This ill-timed 
lept increased the pontiff's anger. The king of France 
GJi-lmed the support of the Swiss cantons, which, with 
tne exception of Zurich, were in alliance with him : his 
call was obeyed. The pope flattered himself with the 
hope of engaging Zurich in his cause ; and the cardinal 
of Sion, who was always intriguing, in full confidence 
in his dexterity and eloquence, hastened to this city to 
procure soldiers for his master. But he met with a res- 
olute opposition from his old friend Zwingle. The latter 
was indignant at the thought of seeing the Swiss sell 
their blood to the foreigner : his imagination already 
conjured up the sight of the Zurichers under the stand- 
ards of the pope and the emperor crossing their swords 
in the plains of Italy with the confederates assembled 
under the banner of France ; and at this fratricidal pic- 
ture his patriotic and Christian soul thrilled with horror. 
He thundered from the pulpit. "Will you," exclaimed he, 
" tear in pieces and destroy the confederation ?f. . . We 
hunt down the wolves that ravage our flocks, but we 
make no resistance to those who prowl around us to 
devour men. ... It is not without reason that the man- 
tles and the hats they wear are red : shake these gar- 
ments, and down will fall ducats and crowns ; but if 

* Disse che M. di Lutrech et M. de PEscu havia ditto che 1 
voleva che le recchia del papa fusse la major parte retasse di la so 
persona. Gradenigo, the Venetian ambassador at Rome, MS. 1623 

1 Sagt wie es ein fromme Eidtgnosschafft zertrennen und uml> 
kehron wiirde. BuUinger MS. 



ZURICHERS IK FOEEIGK WARS. 



391 



you wring them, you will see tbem dripping with the 
blood of your brothers, your fathers, your sons, and your 
dearest friends."* .... In vain did Zwinrfe raise his 
manly voice. The cardinal with his red hat succeeded, 
and two thousand seven hundred Zurichers departed 
under the command of George Berguer. Zwingle's heart 
was wrung. His influence was not, however, lost. For 
many years after, the banners of Zurich were not unfold- 
ed and carried through the gates of the city in behalf ot 
foreign princes. 

* Sie tragen billig rotbe hiit und mantel, dan schiite man rfe, 
BO fallen Cronen und Duggaten heraus, winde man Bie, so rii^t del' 
nes Brudera, Vaters, Sohns und guten Frenads Blut heraus. Bui- 
liiiSerMS. 



392 HISTOaY OF THE RfiFORHATlON. 



CHAPTER XI 

Zwingle Opposes human traditions — Commotion during Lent—Trath 
triumplis amid opposition — The bishop's deputies — AccusatioD 
cefore the clergy and the council — Appeal to the great couucil 
— The coadjut r and Zwingle — Zwingle's reply — Decree of the 
great council — Posture of affairs — Hoffman's attack. 

Wounded in his feelings as a citizen, Zwingle devot- 
ed himself with fresh zeal to the preaching of the gospel. 
His sermons increased in energy. " I will never cease 
laboring to restore the primitive unity of the church of 
Christ," said he.* He began the year 1522 by showing 
the difference between the precepts of the gospel and 
those of men. When the season of Lent came round, he 
preached with still greater vigor. After having laid the 
foundations of the new building, he was desirous of 
sweeping away the rubbish of the old. For four years," 
said he to the crowd assembled in the cathedral, " you 
have eagerly received the holy doctrine of the gospel. 
Glowing with the fire of charity, fed with the sweets of 
the heavenly manna, it is impossible you can now find 
any savor in the wretched nutriment of human tradi- 
tions."f And then attacking the compulsory abstinence 
from meat at certain seasons, he exclaimed with his art- 
less eloquence, " There are some who maintain that to 
eat meat is a fault, and even a great sin, although God 
has never forbidden it, and yet they think it not a crime 
to sell human flesh to the foreigner, and drag it to slaugh- 
ter."! ... At this daring language, the partisans of the 
military capitulations who were present in the assem- 
bly shuddered with indignation and anger, and vowed 
never to forget it. 

♦ Ego veterem Christi Ecclesiae unitatem instaurare non desi* 
aam. Zw. Qpp. 3. 47. f Gustum non aliquis humanarum trar 
ditionum cibus vobis arridere potuerit. Ibid. 1. 2. t Aber 

menschenfleisch verkoufen und ze Tod sohlahen. . . Ibid. I part 
2 p. 301. 



fitJMAK TRADITIONS OPPOSED 899 



While Zwingle was preaching thus energetically, he 
dtill continued to say mass ; he observed the established 
usages of the church, and even abstained from meat on 
the appointed days. He was of opinion that the people 
should be enlightened previously. But there were some 
turbulent persons who did not act so prudently. Rubli^ 
who had taken refuge at Zurich, permitted himself to be 
led astray by an extravagant zeal. The former curate 
of St. Alban's a Bernese captain, and Conrad Huber, a 
member of the great council, were accustomed to meet 
at the house of the latter to eat meat on Friday and Sat- 
urday. On this they greatly prided themselves. The 
question of fasting engrossed every mind. An inhabit- 
ant of Lucerne having come to Zurich, said to one of his 
friends in this city, " You worthy confederates of Zurich 
are wrong in eating meat during Lent." The Zuricher 
replied, " You gentlemen of Lucerne, however, take the 
liberty to eat meat on the prohibited days." "We have 
purchased it from the pope." " And we, from the butch- 
er If it be an aJBTair of mtmey, one is certainly as 

good as the other."* The council having received a 
complaint against the transgressors of the ecclesiastical 
ordinances, requested the opinion of the parish priest. 
Zwingle replied, that the practice of eating meat every 
day was not blamable of itself ; but that the people 
ought to abstain from doing so until a competent au- 
thority should have come to some decision on the mat- 
ter. The other members of the clergy concurred in his 
sentiments. 

The enemies of the truth took advantage of this for- 
tunate circumstance. Their influence was declining ; the 
victory would remain with Zwingle, unless they made 
haste to strike some vigorous blow. They importuned 
the bishop of Constance. "Zwingle," exclaimed they, "la 
the destroyer, and not the keeper of the Lord^s fold."f 

The ambitious Faber, Zwingle's old friend, had just 
returned from Rome full of fresh zeal for the Papacy. 

• So haben wir^s von dem Metzger erkaufft. . . . Bulliuger MS, 
t Ovilis dominici populator esse, non custos aat pastor. Zw« 
Op{L 3. 2& 



394 



HISXORr OF THE REFORMATIOK. 



From the inspirations of this haughty city were destfned 
to proceed the first religious troubles in Switzerland. A 
decisive struggle between the evangelical truth and the 
representatives of the Roman pontiff was now to take 
placo. Truth acquires its chief strength in the attacks 
that are made upon it. It was under the shade of oppo- 
sition and persecution that Christianity at its rise ao 
quired the power that eventually overthrew all its ene- 
mies. At the epoch of its revival, which forms the sub- 
ject of our history, it was the will of God to conduct his 
truth in like manner through these rugged paths. The 
priests then stood up, as in the days of the apostles, 
against the new doctrine. Without these attacks, it 
would probably have remained hidden and obscure in a 
few faithful souls. But God was watching the hour to 
manifest it to the world. Opposition opened new roads 
for it, launched it on a new career, and fixed the eyes of 
the nation upon it. This opposition was like a gust of 
wind scattering the seeds to a distance, which would 
otherwise have remained lifeless on the spot where they 
had fallen. The tree that was destined to shelter th€ 
people of Switzerland had been deeply planted in bei 
valleys, but storms were necessary to strengthen its 
roots and extend its branches. The partisans of the 
Papacy, seeing the fire already smouldering in Zurich, 
rushed forward to extinguish it, but they only made the 
conflagration fiercer and more extensive. 

In the afternoon of the 7th of April, 1522, three eccle- 
siastical deputies from the bishop of Constance entered 
Zurich ; two of them had an austere and angry look ; the 
third appeared of milder disposition : they were Melchior 
Battli, the bishop's coadjutor, Doctor Brendi, and John 
Vanner, preacher of the cathedral, an evangelical man, 
and who preserved silence during the whole of the busi- 
ness.* It was already dark when Luti ran to Zwingle, 

♦ Zw. 0pp. 3. 8 ; J. J. Hottinger, 3. 77 ; Ruchat 1. 134, 2d edi- 
tion, and others, say that Faber headed this deputation. Zwingle 
names the three deputies, but does not mention Faber. These writ- 
ers have probably confounded two different offices of the Bomac 
hierarchy,, those of coadjutor and of vicar-general. 



APPEAL TO THE GRAET CODJrUIL 



395 



and said, " The oishop's commissioners have arrived ; 
some great blow is preparing ; all the partisans of the 
old customs are stirring. A notary is summoning all 
the priests for an early meeting to-morrow in the hall of 
the chapter." 

The assembly of the clergy accordingly took place 
on the following day when the coadjutor rose and deliv- 
ered a speech which his opponents described as haughty 
and violent ;* he studiously refrained, however, from ut- 
tering Zwingle's name. A few priests, recently gained 
over to the gospel, were thunderstruck ; their pallid fea- 
tures, their silence, and their sighs betrayed their total 
loss of courage.f Zwingle now stood up and answered 
in a manner that effectually silenced his adversaries. 
At Zurich, as in the other cantons, the most violent ene- 
mies of the new doctrine were to be found in the smaller 
council. The deputation, worsted before the clergy, laid 
their complaints before the magistrates ; Zwingle was 
absent, and accordingly they had no reply to fear. The 
result appeared decisive. They were about to condemn 
the gospel without its defender being heard. Never had 
the reformation of Switzerland been in greater danger. 
It was on the point of being stifled in its cradle. The 
councillors who were friendly to Zwingle then appealed 
to the jurisdiction of the great council ; this was the 
only remaining chance of safety, and God made use of 
it to save the cause of the gospel. The Two Hundred 
were convened. The partisans of the Papacy made ev- 
ery exertion to prevent Zwingle^s admission ; he strug- 
gled hard to obtain a hearing, knocking at every door, 
and leaving not a stone unturned, J to use his own ex* 
pression ; but in vain. . . It is impossible," said the 
burgomasters ; the council has decided to the con- 
trary." Upon this," says Zwingle, " T remained tran- 
quil, and with deep sighs laid the matter before Him 
who heareth the groans of the captive, beseeching him 

* Erat tota oratio vehemens et stomachi superciliique plena. 
Zw. 0pp. 3. 8. t Infirmos quosdam nuper Christo lucrifactoc 

s&cerdotes offensos ea seutirem, ex tacitis palloribus ac suspirii& 
Ibid. 9. t Frustra diu movi omuem lapidem. Ibid. 9. 



896 tUSTOHY OF THE EEFOHMATION. 



to defend his gospel/'* The patient and submissive 
expectation of the servants of God has never deceived 
them. 

On the 9th of April, the Two Hundred met. " We 
desire to have our pastors here," immediately said the 
friends of the Reformation who belonged to it. The 
smaller council resisted ; but the great council decided 
that the pastors should be present at the accusation, and 
even reply if they thought fit. The deputies of Constance 
were first introduced, and next the three priests of Zu- 
rich — Zwingle, Engelhard, and the aged Roeschli. 

After these antagonists, thus brought face to face, 
had scrutinized each other's appearance, the coadjutor 
stood up. " If his heart and head had only been equal 
to his voice," says Zwingle, "he would have excelled 
Apollo and Orpheus in sweetness, and the Gracchi and 
Demosthenes in power." 

"The civil constitution," said this champion of the 
Papacy, " and the Christian faith itself are endangered. 
Men have recently appeared who teach novel, revolting, 
and seditious doctrines." At the end of a long speech, 
he fixed his eyes on the assembled senators, and said, 
" Remain in the church, remain in the church. Out of 
it no one can be saved. Its ceremonies alone are capa- 
ble of bringing the simple to a knowledge of salvation ;f 
and the shepherds of the flock have nothing more to do 
than to explain their meaning to the people." 

As soon as the coadjutor had finished his speech, he 
prepared to leave the council-room with his colleagues, 
when Zwingle said earnestly, " Most worthy coadjutor, 
and you, his companions, stay, I entreat you, until I 
have vindicated myself." 

Tre Coadjutor. We have no commission to dispute 
with any one. 

Zwingle. I have no wish to dispute, but to state 
fearlessly what I have been teaching up to this hour. 

The Burgomaster Roust, addressing the deputation 

* Ibi ego quiescere ac suspiriis rem agere ccepi apud eum qui 
audit gemitum compeditorum. Zw. 0pp. 3. 9. f Unicas esse pel 
qaaB almplioes Chrlstiani ad agnltionem salutis inducerentur. lb 1(X 



ZWINaLE^S DEFENCE. 



307 



fron Constance. I beseech you to listen to the reply 
the pastor desires to make. 

The Coadjutor. I know too well the man I have to 
deal with. Ulrich Zwingle is too violent for any discus- 
sion to be neld with him. 

Zwingle. How long since has it been customary to 
accuse an innocent man with such violence, and then 
refuse to hear his defence? In the name of our common 
faith, of the baptism* we have both received, of Christ 
the author of salvation and of life, listen to me.f If you 
cannot as deputies, at least do so as Christians. 

After firing her guns in the air, Rome was hastily 
retreating from the field of battle. The reformer wanted 
only to be heard, and the agents of the Papacy thought 
of nothing but running away. A cause thus pleaded was 
already gained by one side and lost by the other. The 
Two Hundred could no longer contain their indignation ; 
a murmur was heard in the assembly J ; again the bur- 
gomaster entreated the deputies to remain. Abashed 
and speechless, they returned to their places, when 
Zwingle said, 

*'The reverend coadjutor speaks of doctrines that are 
seditious and subversive of the civil laws. Let him learn 
that Zurich is more tranquil and more obedient to the 
laws than any other city of the Helvetians — a circum 
stance which all good citizens ascribe to the gospel. Is 
not Christianity the strongest bulwark of justice among 
a nation ?§ What is the result of all ceremonies, but 
shamefully to disguise the features of Christ and of his 
disciples ?|| Yes, there is another way, besides these 
vain observances, to bring the unlearned people to the 
knowledge of the truth. It is that which Christ and his 
jipostles followed .... the gospel itself. Let us not fear 
that the people cannot understand it. He who believes, 

• See vol. I., p. 161, bot. f Ob communem fidem, ob com- 
munem baptismum, ob Christum vitae salutlsque auctorem. Zw. 
0pp. 3. 11. t Coepit murmur audiri civium indignantium. lb. 

§ Imo Christianismum ad communem justitiam servandam eeee 
potentissimum. Ibid. 13. || Ceremonias baud qulcquam aliucl 
a^re, quam et Christo et ejus fidelibus os oblinere. Ibid. 



398 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATlOil. 



understands. The people can believe, they can therefore 
understand. This is a work of the Holy Ghost, and not 
of mere human reason.* As for that matter, let him who 
is not satisfied with forty days, fast all the year if he 
pleases ; it is a matter of indifference to me. All that 
I require is, that no one should be compelled to fast, and 
that for so trivial an observance the Zurichers should 
act be accused of withdrawing from the communion of 
Christians." 

" I did not say that," exclaimed the coadjutor. "No,'' 
said his colleague Dr. Brendi, he did not say so." But 
all the senate confirmed Zwingle's assertion. 

" Excellent citizens," continued the latter, " let not 
this charge alarm you. The foundation of the church is 
that rock, that Christ, who gave Peter his name because 
he confessed him faithfully. In every nation, whoever 
sincerely believes in the Lord Jesus is saved. It is out 
of this church that no one can have everlasting life.f 
To explain the gospel and to follow it is our whole duty 
as ministers of Christ. Let those who live upon ceremo- 
nies undertake to explain them." This was probing the 
wound to the quick. 

The coadjutor blushed and remained silent. The 
council of the Two Hundred then broke up. On the 
same day they came to the resolution that the pope and 
the cardinals should be requested to explain the contro- 
verted point, and that in the meanwhile the people should 
abstain from eating meat during Lent. This was leav- 
ing the matter in statu quo, and replying to the bishop 
by seeking to gain time. 

This discussion had forwarded the work of the Ref- 
ormation. The champions of Eome and those of the now 
doctrine had met face to face, as it were, in the presence 
of the whole people ; and the advantage had not remain- 
ed en the side of the pope. This was the first skirmish 
in a campaign that promised to be long and severe, and 
alternated with many vicissitudes of mourning and joy. 
But the first success at the beginning of a contest gives 
* Quicquid hie agitur divino Jit afllatu, non humano ratiocinla 
Zw. 0pp. 3. 13 t ^tra illam ueminem Balvari. Ibid. 15. 



POSITION OF THE TWO PARTIES. 



399 



courag-e to the whole array, and intimidates the enemy 
The Reformation had seized upon a ground from which 
it was never to be dislodged. If the council thought 
themselves still obliged to act with caution, the people 
loudly proclaimed the defeat of Rome. " Never," said 
they in the exultation of the moment, ^'will she be able 
to rally her scattered and defeated troops."* "With the 
energy of St. Paul," said they to Zwingle, " you have 
attacki^d these false apostles and their Auaniahs — those 
whited walls. . . . The satellites of antichrist can never 
do more than gnash their teeth at you." From the far- 
thest parts of Germany came voices proclaiming him 
with joy, " the glory of reviving theology. "f 

But at the same time the enemies of the gospel were 
rallying their forces. There was no time to lose, if they 
desired to suppress it ; for it would soon be beyond the 
reach of their blows. Hoffman laid before the chapter 
a voluminous accusation against the reformer. " Sup- 
pose," he said, "the priest could prove by witnesses 
what sins or what disorders had been committed by 
ecclesiastics in certain convents, streets, or tavernS; he 
ought to name no one. Why would he have us under- 
stand — it is true, I have scarcely ever heard him myself — 
that he alone derives his doctrine from the fountain-head, 
and that others seek it only in kennels and puddles ?J 
Is it not impossible, considering the diversit}^ of men's 
minds, that every preacher should preach alike ?" 

Zwingle answered this accusation in a full meeting 
of the chapter, scattering his adversaries' charges, "as 
a bull with his horns tosses straw in the air "§ The 
matter which had appeared so serious, ended in loud 
bursts of laughter at the canon's expense. But Zwingle 
did not stop there ; on the 16th of April he published a 
treatise on the free use of meats. || 

• (Jt vulgo jactatum sit, nunquam ultra copias sarturos Zw 
Bpp. 1 203. t Vale renasceatis Theologlae ducus. Letter of 

Urban Regius. Ibid. 225. i Die aiidern aber aus Rianen und 
Pfiitzen. Simml. Samml. Wirz. 1. 244. § Ut cornu vehemena 
taurus aristas. Zw. Epp. 203, || De delectu et libero ciborum 
9sa. Zw. 0pp. 1. 1. 



400 HISTORY OF THE REFOEMATION. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Monraing and joy in Germany — Plots against Zwingle — Tte bteh- 
op's mandate — Archeteles — The bishop^s appeal to the diet- 
Injunction against attacking the monks — Zwingle's declaratLOD 
—The nuns of (Etenbach — Zwingle 's address to Schwytz. 

Zwingle's indomitable firmness delighted the friends 
of truth, and particularly the evangelical Christians of 
Germany, so long deprived, by his captivity in the Wart- 
bui'g, of the mighty apostle who had first arisen in the 
bosom of the church. Already many pastors and believ- 
ers, exiled in consequence of the merciless decree which 
the Papacy had extorted from Charles V. at Worms, had 
found an asylum at Zurich. Nesse, the professor of Frank- 
fort, whom Luther had visited on his road to Worms, 
wrote to Zwingle, 0 the joy that I feel at hearing with 
what authority you proclaim Jesus Christ. Strengthen 
by your exhortations those whom the cruelty of wicked 
bishops has compelled to flee far from our desolate 
churches."* 

But it was not in Germany alone that the adversa- 
ries were plotting against the friends of the Reformation. 
Not an hour passed in which the means of getting rid of 
Zwingle were not discussed.f One day he received an 
anonymous letter, which he communicated immediately 
to his two curates. " Snares surround you on every 
Bide," wrote his secret friend ; a deadly poison has 
been prepared to take away your life. J Never eat food 
but in your own house, and only what has been pre- 
pared by your own cook. The walls of Zurich contain 
men who are plotting your destruction. The oracle that 
has revealed this to me is more worthy of credit than 
tiiat of Delphi. I am your friend ; you shall know me 
her()after."§ 

* Et ut iis, qui ob malorum episcoporum saevitiam a nobis sub- 
moventur, prodesse velis. Zw. Epp. p. 208. f Nulla prajteriit 
hora, in qua non fierent .... consultationes insidiosissimas. Osw 
Myc. Vita Zw. t 'Ero^^a (pupfiara Tivypcu Zw. Epp. p 199. 

§ 2 Of elfu ; agnosces me postea. Ibid. 



PLOTS AOAINST ZWINaLB'8 LIFE. 401 



On the next day after that in which Zwingle had re« 
ceired this mysterious epistle, just as Staheli was enter- 
ing the Water-church, a chaplain stopped him, and said, 

Leave Zwingle^s house forthwith ; a catastrophe is at 
hand/' Certain fanatics, who despaired of seeing the 
Reformation checked by words, were arming themselves 
with pcmiards. Whenever mighty revolutions are tak- 
ing place in society, assassins ordinarily spring from 
the foul dregs of the agitated people. God watched 
over Zwingle. 

While the murderers were beholding the failure of 
their plots, the legitimate organs of the Papacy were 
again in commotion. The bishop and his councillors 
resolved to renew the war. Intelligence of this reached 
Zwingle from every quarter. The reformer, in full reli- 
ance on the word of God, said with noble intrepidity, "I 
fear them .... as a lofty rock fears the roaring waves 

. . . <n)v e^v, with the aid of God," added he.* On the 
2d of May, the bishop of Constance published a mandate, 
in which, without naming either Zwingle or Zurich, he 
complained that speculative persons were reviving doc- 
trines already condemned, and that both learned and ig- 
norant were in the habit of discussing in every place the 
deepest mysteries. John Vanner, preacher of the cathe- 
dral at Constance, was the first attacked : " I prefer," 
said he, " being a Christian with the hatred of many, to 
abandoning Christ for the friendship of the world."f 

But it was at Zurich that the rising heresy required 
to be crushed. Faber and the bishop knew that Zwingle 
had many enemies among the canons. They resolved to 
take advantage of this enmity. Towards the end of May 
a letter from the bishop arrived at Zurich ; it was ad- 
dressed to the provost and chapter. " Sons of the church," 
wrote the prelate, let those perish who will perish ; but 
let no one seduce you from the church."^ At the same 

* Quos ita metuo, ut littus altum fluctuum undas miQacium. 
Zw. Epp. 203. t Malo esse Christianus cum multorum invidia, 
quam relinquere Christum propter mundanorum araicitiam. Ibid. 
200, dated May 22 J Nemo vos filios ecclesiae de ecclesia tollat! 
Zw. 0pp. 3. 36. 

26 



402 HIBTOEr OF THE REFORM ATIOIT. 



time the bishop entreated the canons to prevent those 
culpable doctrines, which engendered pernicit us sects, 
from being preached or discussed among them, either in 
private or in public. When this letter was read to the 
chapter, all eyes were fixed on Zwingle. The latter, un- 
derstanding the meaning of this look, said to them, " I 
see that you think this letter refers to me ; please to give 
it me, and, God willing, I will answer it." 

Zwingle replied in his Archeteles, a word which sig- 
nifies " the beginning and the end " for," said he, 

"4^ hope this first answer will also be the last." In this 
work he spoke of the bishop in a very respectful man- 
ner, and ascribed all the attacks of his enemies to a few 
intriguing men. " What have I done ?" said he ; "I 
have called all men to a knowledge of their own infirmi" 
ties ; I have endeavored to conduct them to the only 
true God and to Jesus Christ his Son. To this end, I 
have not made use of captious arguments, but plain and 
sincere language, such as the children of Switzerland 
can understand." And then, passing from a defensive 
to an olfensive attitude, he added with great beauty, 
" When J ulius Caesar felt the mortal wound, he folded 
his garments around him, that he might fall with dig- 
nity. The downfall of your ceremonies is at hand ; see 
at least that they fall decently, and that light be every- 
where promptly substituted for darkness."* 

This was the sole result of the bishop's letter to the 
chapter of Zurich. Since every friendly remonstrance 
had proved vain, it was necessary to strike a more vig- 
orous blow. Upon this, Faber and Landenberg cast 
their eyes around them, fixing them at last on the diet, 
the supreme council of the Helvetic nation.f Deputies 
from the bishop appeared before this body, stating that 
their master had issued a mandate forbidding the priests 
in his diocese to make any innovation in matters of doc- 
trine ; that his authority had been despised, and that 
he now invoked the support of the chiefs of the confed- 

* In umbrarum locum, lux quam ocissime inducatux. Zw. Opp. 
69. t Nam er eiu anderen we^ an die Hand ] scbike seii^o 

Boten, etc. BuUinger MS. 



DOINaS OF THE tlET. 



403 



eration to aid him in reducing the rebels tc obedience, 
and in defending the true and ancient faith.* The ene- 
mies of the Reformation had the majority in this first 
assembly of the nation. Not long before, it had pub- 
lished a decree interdicting all those priests from preach- 
ing, whose sermons, in its opinion, were a cause of dis- 
sension among the people. This injunction of the diet, 
which then for the first time interfered with the Refor- 
mation, fell to the ground ; but now, being resolved to 
act ^vith severity, this assembly summoned before them 
Urban Weiss, pastor of Fislispach, near Baden, whom the 
general report accused of preaching the new faith and 
rejecting the old. Weiss was set at liberty for a season 
at the intercession of several individuals, and under bail 
of a hundred florins offered by his parishioners. 

But the diet had taken its position : of this we have 
just been witnesses ; everywhere the monks and priests 
began to recover their courage. At Zurich they had 
shown themselves more imperious immediately after the 
first decree of this assembly. Several members of the 
council were in the habit of visiting the three convents 
night and morning, and even of taking their meals there 
The monks tampered with these well-meaning guests, 
and solicited them to procure an injunction from the 
government in their favor. " If Zwingle will not hold 
his tongue," said they, " we will bawl louder than he." 
The diet had sided with the oppressors. The council of 
Zurich knew not what to do. On the 7th of June they 
voted an ordinance forbidding any one to preach against 
the monks ; but this decree had scarcely passed " when 
a sudden noise was heard in the council-chamber," says 
Bullinger's manuscript, "which made them all look at 
one another."f Tranquillity was not restored ; the bat 
tie that was fought from the pulpit every day grew hot 
ter. The council nominated a deputation before wliich 
the pastors of Zurich and the readers and preachers ol 
the convents were summoned to appear in the prove si's 
house ; after a lively debate, the burgomaster enjoined 

* Und den wahren alten giauben erhalten. Bullinger MS. ' 

f die Rathstuben eiuen grossen KualL Ibid. 



404 HISTORY OP THE EEFOEMATIOH 



both parties to preach nothing that might endanger the 
public peace. " I cannot comply with thiu injunction," 
said Zwingle ; "I am resolved to preach the gospel 
freely and unconditionally, in conformity with the pre- 
vious ordinance. I am bishop and pastor of Zurich ; to 
me has been confided the cure of souls. It is 1 who have 
taken oath, and not the monks They ought to yields 
and not I. If they preach lies, I will contradict them, 
even in the pulpits of their own convents. If I myself 
teach a doctrine contrary to the holy gospel, then I de- 
sire to be rebuked, not only by the chapter, but by any 
citizen whatsoever and moreover to be punished by 
the council." We demand permission," said the monks, 
" to preach the doctrines of St. Thomas." The commit- 
tee of the council determined, after proper deliberation^ 
that Thomas, (Aquinas,) Scotus, and the other doctors 
should be laid aside, and that nothing should be preach- 
ed but the gospel." Thus did the truth once more pre- 
vail. But the anger of the papal partisans was aug- 
mented. The ultramontane canons could not conceal 
their rage. They stared insolently at Zwingle in the 
chapter, and seemed to be thirsting for his blood.f 

These menaces did not check Zwingle. There was 
still one place in Zurich where, thanks to the Domini- 
cans, the light had not yet penetrated : this was the 
nunnery of (Etenbach. Here the daughters of the first 
families of Zurich were accustomed to take the veil. It 
seemed unjust that these poor women, shut up within 
the walls of their convent, should be the only persons 
that did not hear the word of God. The great council 
ordered Zwingle to visit them. The reformer went into 
that pulpit which had hitherto been confined to the Do- 
minicans, and preached on the clearness and certainty 
of the word of God."J He subsequently published this 
remarkable discourse, which did not fall on barren 
ground, and which still further exasperated the monks. 

* Sondern von einem jedem Burger wyssen. Bullinger MS. 

t Oculos in me procacius torquent, ut cujus caput peti gaude 
pent. Zw. 0pp. 3. 29. | De claritate et certitudine verbi Dei 
Ibid. X. 66. 



SERVICE IN FOREiaiS WAES. 405 



A circumstance now occurred that extended this hos- 
tility, and communicated it to many other hearts. The 
Swiss, under the command of Stein and Winkelried, had 
just suffered a bloody defeat at the Bicocca. They had 
made a desperate charge upon the enemy, but Pescara'a 
artillery and the lansquenets of that Freundsberg whom 
Luther had met at the door of the hall of assembly at 
Worms, had overthrown both commanders and stand- 
ards, while whole companies had been mown down and 
suddenly exterminated. Winkelried and Stein, with 
members of the noble families of Mulinen, Diesbach, 
Bonstetten, Tschudi, and Pfyffer, had been left on the 
field of battle. Schwytz especially had been decimated. 
The bloody relics of this frightful combat had returned 
t\) Switzerland, carrying mourning in their train. A cry 
of woe resounded from the Alps to the Jura, and from 
the Rhone to the Rhine. 

But no one felt so keen a pang as Zwingle. He im- 
mediately wrote an address to Schwytz dissuading the 
citizens of this canton from foreign service. "Your an- 
cestors," said he with all the warmth of a patriot's heart, 
** fought with their enemies in defence of liberty ; but 
they never put Christians to death for mere gain. These 
foreign wars bring innumerable calamities on our coun- 
try. The scourge of God chastises our confederate na- 
tions, and Helvetian liberty is on the verge of expiring 
between the interested caresses and the deadly hatred 
of foreign princes."* Zwingle gave the hand to Nicho- 
las de Flue,f and followed up the exhortations of this 
man of peace. This address having been presented to 
the assembly of the people of Schw^^tz, produced such 
an effect, that they resolved to abstain provisionally 
from every foreign alliance for the next twenty-five 
years But erelong the French party procured the re- 
peal of this generous resolution, and Schwytz from that 

• Ein gottlich Vermanung an die cersamen, etc., eidgnossen zu 
Schywz. Zw. 0pp. part 2. 206. f In 1481, the confederates 

were on the brink of civil war, when a hermit of Untorwalden, Nich- 
olas de Flue, repaired to Stanz, where the diet were assembled, 
salmed their angry passions, and restored tranquillity and peaoe. 



408 HISTORY OF THE REFORMAlIOlf . 



hour became the canton most opposed to Zwingle and 
his work. Even the disgrace that the partisans of these 
foreign treaties brought upon their native land only 
served to increase the hatred of these men against the 
intrepid minister who was endeavoring to avert from his 
country so many misfortunes and such deep shame An 
opposition, growing more violent every day, was foinaed 
in the confederation against Zwingle and Zurich. The 
nsages of the church and the practices of the recruiting 
officers, as they were attacked conjointly, mutually sup- 
ported each other in withstanding the impetuous blast 
of that reform which threatened to overthrow them both. 
At the same time enemies from without were multiply- 
ing. It was not only the pope, but other foreign princes 
also, who vowed a pitiless hostility to the Reformation. 
Did it not pretend to withdraw from their ranks those 
Helvetian halberds to which their ambition and pride 
had been indebted for so many triumphs ? But on the 

side of the gospel there remained God and the most 

excellent of the people : this was enough. Besides, from 
different countries, divine Providence was bringing to ite 
aid men who had been persecuted for their faith. 



A FEENCH MONK 



4C7 



CHAPTER XIII. 

A French monk — He teaches in Switzerland — Dispute between 
Zwingle and the monk — Discourse of the commander of the Jo 
hannites — The carnival at Berne — The Eaters of the Dead -The 
BkuU of St. Anne — Appenzel — The Grisons — Murder and adul- 
tery — Zwingle marriage. 

On Saturday the 12th of July there appeared in the 
streets of Zurich a monk of tall, thin, and rigid frame, 
wearing the gray frock of the Cordeliers, of foreign air, 
and mounted on an ass which hardly lifted his bare feet 
off the ground.* In this manner he had journeyed from 
Avignon, without knowing a word of German. By 
means of his Latin, however, he was able to make him- 
self understood. Francis Lambert, for such was his 
name, asked for Zwingle, and handed him a letter from 
Berthold Haller. " This Franciscan father," said the 
Bernese parish priest, who is no other than the apos- 
tolical preacher of the convent-general of Avignon, has 
been teaching the Christian truth these last five years ; 
he has preached in Latin before our priests at Geneva, 
at Lausanne before the bishop, at Friburg, and lastly at 
Berne, touching the church, the priesthood, the sacrifice 
of the mass, the traditions of the Roman bishops, and 
the superstitions of the religious orders. It seems most 
astonishing to me to hear such things from a gray friar 
and a Frenchman . . . characters that presuppose, as you 
are aware, a whole sea of superstitions.^f The French- 
man related to Zwingle how Luther's writings having 
been discovered in his cell, he had been compelled to quit 
Avignon without delay ; how, at first, he had preached 
the gospel in the city of Geneva, and afterwards at Lau- 
sanne, on the shores of the same lake. Zwingle, highly 

* . . . . Kam ein langer, gerader, barfiisser Monch .... ritte auf 
einer Eselin. Fiisslin Beytrage, 4. 39. f A tali Franciscano, 

Gallo, qu83 omnia mare superstition urn coufluere faciunt, inaudita. 
Zw. Epp. p. 207. 



408 HISTORY OF THE EEFOEMATIOH. 

delighted, opened the church of Our Lady to the monk, 
and made him sit in the choir on a seat in front of the 
high altar. In this church Lambert delivered four ser- 
mnns, in which he inveighed forcibly against the errors 
of Rome,; but in the fourth, he defended the invocation 
cf Mary and the saints. 

Brother, thou art mistaken,"* immediately exclaim- 
ed an animated voice. It was Zwingle's. Canons and 
chaplains thrilled with joy at the prospect of a dispute 
between the Frenchman and the heretical priest. "He 
has attacked you," said they all to Lambert ; " demand 
a public discussion with him." The monk of Avignon 
did so, and at ten o'clock on the 22d of J uly the two 
champions met in the conference hall of the canons. 
Zwingle opened the Old and New Testament in Greek 
and Latin ; he continued discussing and explaining until 
two o'clock, when the French monk, clasping his hands 
and raising them to heaven,f exclaimed, I thank thee, 
0 God, that by means of such an illustrious instrument 
thou hast brought me to so clear a knowledge of the 
truth. Henceforth," added he, turning to the assembly, 
" in all my tribulations I will call on God alone, and 
will throw aside my beads. To-morrow I shall resume 
my journey ; I am going to Basle to see Erasmus of 
Rotterdam, and from thence to Wittemberg to visit 
Martin Luther, the Augustine monk." And accordingly 
he departed on his ass. We shall meet with him again. 
He w^as the first man who, for the cause of the gospel, 
went forth from France into Switzerland and Germany, 
the humble forerunner of many thousands of refugees 
and confessors. 

Myconius had no such consolations : on the con- 
trary, he was destined to see Sebastian Hofmeister, who 
had come from Constance to Lucerne, and there boldly 
preached the gospel, forced to leave the city. Upon this 
Oswald's sorrow increased. The humid climate of Lu- 
cerne was against him ; a fever preyed upon him ; the 
physicians declared that unless he removed to some 

• Bruder, da irrest du. Fiisslin Bejtr. 4. 40. t ^ 

boyde Hande Kuaammea hob. Ibid. 



SERMON OF OONRAD SCHMIDT 



409 



other place, lie would die. " Nowhere have I a greater 
desire to be than near you," wrote he to Zwingle, " and 
nowhere less than at Lucerne. Men torment me, and 
the climate is wasting me away. My malady, they say, 
is the penalty of my iniquity : alas, whatever I say, 
whatever I do, turns to poison with them. . . . There Ib 
"VE in heaven on whom all my hopes repose."* 

This hope was not delusive. It was about the end 
of March, and the feast of the Annunciation was ap- 
proaching. The day before the eve of this anniversary 
a great festival was observed in commemoration of a 
fire which in 1340 had reduced the greater part of the 
city to ashes. The streets of Lucerne were already 
crowded with a vast concourse of people from the sur- 
rounding districts, and several hundreds of priests were 
assembled. The sermon at this solemn feast was usu- 
ally delivered by some celebrated preacher The com- 
mander of the Johannites, Conrad Schmidt of Kiissnacht, 
arrived to p(;rform this duty. An immense congrega- 
tion filled the church. Who shall describe the general 
astonishment, when the commander, laying aside the 
custom of preaching in Latin, spoke in German, so that 
all might understand him,*}" explaining with authority 
and holy fervor the love of God in sending his Son, and 
proving eloquently that mere external works have no 
power to save, and that the promises of God are truly 
the essence of the gospel. God forbid," exclaimed 
Conrad before the astonished people, " that we should 
acknowledge for our head a chief so full of sin as the 
bishop of Rome, and reject Christ.J If the bishop of 
Rome distributes the nourishment of the gospel, let us 
acknowledge him as our pastor, but not as chief ; and 
if he distribute it not, let us in nowise acknowledge 
bira." Oswald could not contain himself for joy. What 
a man," cried he; *'what a sermon; what majesty 5 

• Quicquid facio venenum est illis. Sed est in quern omnis spea 
asea reclinat. Zw. Epp. p. 192. f Wolt er keine pracht tryben 
mit latein schwatzen, sondern gut teutsch reden. Bulliuger MS. 

X Absit a grege Christiauo, ut caput tarn lutuleutum et pecoatia 
plenum acceptans, Christum abjiciat. Zw. Epp. p. 196. 

HlstofRef. II. 



410 HISTORY OF THE REFOEMATION 



what authority ; how full of the spirit of Christ I'' The 
efiect was general. A solemn silence succeeded the 
agitation that filled the city ; but this was merely tran- 
sient. If the people stop their ears to the voice of God, 
bis calls become less frequent every day, and even cease 
entirely. This was the case with Lucerne. 

While the truth was thus proclaimed from the pulpit 
at Berne, the Papacy was attacked in the festive meet 
ings of the people. Nicholas Manuel, a distinguished 
layman, celebrated for his poetical talents, and who had 
reached the highest ofifices of state, indignant at seeing 
his fellow-countrymen so unmercifully plundered by Sam- 
son, composed some carnival dramas, in which he assail- 
ed the covetousness, pomp, and haughtiness of the pope 
and clergy with the stinging weapons of satire. Oji the 
Shrove Tuesday ''of the lords" — the lords were then the 
clergy, and began their Lent eight days before the peo- 
ple — ^nothing was talked of in Berne but a drama or mys- 
tery, entitled. The Eaters of the Dead, which some young 
persons were to act in the Rue de la Croix. The citi- 
zens crowded to the show. As a matter of art, these 
dramatic sketches at the commencement of the sixteenth 
century possess some interest ; but it is with a very dif- 
ferent view that we quote them in this place. We should 
prefer, doubtless, not to be obliged to quote, on the part 
of the Reformation, attacks of this nature ; it is by other 
arms that truth prevails. But history dees not create, 
she can only adduce what she finds. 

At last the show begins, to the great delight of the 
impatient crowd assembled in the Rue de la Croix. 
First appears the pope, covered with glittering robes, 
and sitting on a throne. Around him stand his cour- 
tiers, his guards, and a motley crowd of priests of every 
degree ; behind them are nobles, laymen, and mendicants. 
Soon a funeral procession appears ; it is a wealthy far- 
mer they are carrying to his last home. Two of his rel- 
atives walk slowly in front of the coffin, with handker- 
chiefs in their hands. When the procession came before 
the pope, the bier was placed at his feet, and the acting 
began. 



IHE EATKRS OF THE DEAD. 



411 



First Relation, in a sorrowful tone. 
Noble army of the saints, 
Hear, 0 hear our sad complaints : 
Our cousin 's dead .... the yawning tomb 
Has swallowed him in life's first bloom. 

Second Relation. 
No cost to monk or priest we '11 spare ; 
We Ve a hundred crowns for mass and prayer, 
If thus from purgatorial fire 
We can but save our 'parted sire.* 

The Sexton, coming out of the crowd around the popCy and run 
ning hastily to the parish priest^ Robert More-and-Morb. 
A trifle to drink, sir priest, I crave ; 
A farmer stout now goes to his grave. 

The Priest. 
But one! .... I only thirst the more. 
One dead ! . . . . would it were half a score. 
The more the merrier then live we jf 
Death is the best of games for me. 

The Sexton. 
Would it were so ; 't would then be welL 
I 'd rather toll a dead man's knell 
Than from morn to night a field be tilling : 
He never complains, and to pay is willing. 

The Priest. 
If the death-knell opes the gate of heaven 
I know not. But what 's that to me ? 
With salmon and pike, with barbel and treaty 
It fills my house right merrily. 

The Priest's Niece, t 
'T is well. But, look ye, I claim my share ; 
To-day this soul must for me prepare 
A gown of white, black, green, or red, 
And a pretty kerchief to deck my head. 

• Kein kosten soil uns dauern dran. 
Wo wir Monch und Priester mogen ha'n 
Und sollt'es kosten hundert kronen. . . . 

Bern. Mausol. 4. Wirz. K. Gesch. 1. 883. 
t Je mehr, je besser ! Kamen doch noch zehn ! Ibid. 
J The German word, Pfaffenmctze^ is more expressive, but less 
decent. 



il2 HISTORT OF THE REFORMATION. 



Oabdinal High-Peide, wearing a red hat, and standing near th€ 
pope. 

Did we not love the heritage of death, 

Could we sweep off in life's young prime 

Cu corpse-encumbered field such countless bands. 

Lured by intrigue, or else by envy urged ?* 

On Christian blood Rome fattens. Hence my hat 

And robe derive their sanguinary hue, 

My honors and my wealth are gained from death. 

Bishop Wolp's-Bellt. 
In the pope^s laws firm will I live and die. 
My robes are silken and my purse is full ; 
The tournament and chase are my delight. 
In former times, when yet the church was young, 
Clothed as simple villagers we went.t 
We priests were shepherds ; now, the peers of kinga^ 
And yet at times a shepherd's life I love. 

A VoiCB. 

A shepherd's life 1 

Bishop Wolp's-Bellt. 
Aye, at shearing-time. Shepherds and wolves are ue] 
They, the poor sheep ; and if they feed us not, 
They fall unpitied by our ruthless fangs. 
Connubial sweets we are forbid to taste. 
'T is well ; beneath this heavy yoke 
The purest falter : this is better still. 
Scandals ! I heed them not ; they fill my purse, 
And serve but to augment my princely train. 
The smallest profit never comes amiss. 
A priest with money only has to choose 
Among the fair — pays florins four — I 'm blind. 
Has he a child ? again his purse must bleed. 
'T is thus a good round sum I net each year — 
Two thousand florins ; but not e'en two pencej 
Would fall to me, were they discreet and wise. 

• Wenn mir nicht war' mit Todten wohl, 
So lag nicht mancher Acker voll, etc. 

Bern. Mausol. 4. Wirz. K. Gesoh. I 388 
f Wenn es stiind, wie im Anfang der Kilchen, 
Ich triige vielleicht grobes Tuch und Zwilchen. Ibidt 
I The Grerman is very expressive : 

So bin ich auf gut D«utioh ein Hurenwirth, eto. Ibid. 



EXCITEMENT OF THE PEOPLE 413 



All honor to the pope. With bended knee 
I bow before him. In his faith I '11 live, 
Defend his church, and own him as my god. 

The Pope. 

Now doth the faithless world at last believe 

That an ambitious priest can ope or shut 

At will the gates of heaven. Preach faithfully 

The ordinances of the conclave's choice. 

Now are we kings ; the layman, a dull thrall. 

Wave but the gospel standard in the air, 

And we are lost. To offer sacrifice, 

Or fee the priest, the gospel teacheth not. 

Did we obey its precepts, we should live, 

Alas, in poverty, and meanly die. 

Ah, then farewell to richly harnessed steeda, 

To sumptuous chariots ; then a sullen ass 

Would bear the portly majesty of Rome.f .... 

No ; firmly St. Peter's rights I '11 guard. 

And rash intruders with my thunders blast. 

Let us but will, the universe is ours. 

And prostrate nations worship us as God. 

I walk upon their bodies to my throne. 

Avaunt, ye unclean laymen ; from our treasure . . . 

Three drops of holy water fill your measure. 

We will not continue our translation of Manuel's 
drama. The anguish of the clergy on discovering the 
efforts of the reformers, and their anger against those 
who threatened to put a stop to their disorders, are 
painted in the liveliest colors. The dissolute manners, 
of which this mystery presents so vivid an image, were 
too common for each one not to be struck with the truth 
of the representation. The people were excited. Many 
were their jests as they departed from the show in the 
Rue de la Croix ; but some individuals were more seri- 
ously affected : they spoke of Christian liberty and of 
the Papal despotism ; they contrasted the simplicity of 
the gospel with the pomp of Rome. The contempt of 
the people soon went beyond all bounds. On Ash-Wed* 
nesday the indulgences were paraded through the streets, 
accompanied with satirical songs. A heavy blow had 
* Wir mochten fast kaum ein Eselein ha'n. 

Bern. Mausol 4. Wirs. K. Gesch. \. 83a 



414 HISTORY OF THE REFORMATIOlf 



been struck in Berne and in all Switzerland at the an- 
cient edifice of Popery. 

Not long after this representation, another comedy 
was acted at Berne ; but in this there was nothing in- 
vented. The clergy, council, and citizens were ass( m- 
bled in front of the Upper gate, awaiting the skull of 
Saint Anne, which the famous knight Albert of Stein 
had gone to fetch from Lyons. At length Stein appear- 
ed, carrying the holy relic enveloped in a silken cloth, 
before which the bishop of Lausanne had humbly bent 
the knee as it passed through his city. The precious 
skull was borne in procession to the Dominican church ; 
the bells rang out ; the train filed into the temple ; and 
with great solemnity the skull of Mary's mother was 
placed on an altar specially consecrated to it, and behind 
a sumptuous trellis work. But in the midst of these 
rejoicings, a letter was received from the abbot of the 
convent of Lyons, in which reposed the relics of the 
saint, announcing that the monks had sold the knight a 
profane skull taken from the cemetery, from among the 
scattered fragments of the dead. This mystification 
deeply incensed the inhabitants of the illustrious city of 
Berne. 

The Eeformation was advancing in other parts of 
Switzerland. In 1521, a young man of Appenzel, Wal- 
ter Klarer by name, returned from the university of 
Paris to his native canton. Luther's works fell into his 
hands, and in 1522 he preached the evangelical doctrine 
with all the energy of a youthful Christian. An inn- 
keeper named Rausberg, member of the council of 
Appenzel, a rich and pious man, opened his house to all 
the friends of truth. A famous captain, Bartholomew 
Berweger, who had fought for Julius II. and Leo X., 
having returned from Rome about this time, persecuted 
the evangelical ministers. One day, however, remember- 
ing what wickedness he had seen at Rome, he began to 
read his Bible, and to attend the sermons of the new 
preachers : his eyes were opened, and he embraced the 
gospel. On witnessing the crowds that could not find 
room ill the churches, he said, " Let the ministers preach 



APPENZEL AND THE aRISONS. 



415 



in the fields and public places f and despite a violent 
opposition, the meadows, hills, and mountains of Appen- 
zel often afterwards reechoed with the tidings of salva- 
tion. 

This doctrine, proceeding upwards along the banks 
of the Rhine, spread even as far as the ancient Rhfetia. 
One day a stranger coming from Zurich crossed the 
stream, and entered the house of a saddler in Flasch, 
the first village of the Orisons. The saddler, Christian 
Anhorn, listened with astonishment to the language of 
his guest. The whole village invited the stranger, 
whose name was Jacques Burkli, to preach to them. 
He took his station in front of the altar ; a troop of 
armed men, with Anhorn at their head, stood round to 
protect him from any sudden attack while he was pro- 
claiming the gospel. The rumor of this preaching 
spread far and wide, and on the following Sunday an 
immense crowd flocked to the church. In a brief space 
a large proportion of the inhabitants of these districts 
demanded the Eucharist according to our Lord's institu- 
tion. But on a sudden the tocsin rang in Mayenfeldt ; 
the affrighted people ran together to know the cause ; 
the priests described the danger that threatened the 
church, and then at the head of this fanatic crowd ran 
hastily to Flasch. Anhorn, who was working in the 
fields, surprised at hearing the sound of bells at so 
unusual a time, returned home immediately, and hid 
Burkli in a deep hole in his cellar. The house was sur- 
rounded, the doors burst in ; they sought for the hereti- 
cal preacher, but in vain ; at last, the persecutors left 
the place.*^ 

The word of God spread through the whole league 
of the ten jurisdictions. The priest of Mayenfeldt, hav- 
ing returned from Rome, whither he had gone in his im- 
tation at the progress of the gospel, exclaimed, Rome 
has made me evangelical," and he became a fervent 
reformer. Erelong the Reformation extended over the 
league of " the house of God " Oh, that you could see 

* Anhorn Wiedergeburt der Ev Kirchen in den drei Blind tan. 
ghur. 1680 ; Wirz. 1. 6&7. 



416 HISTORY OF THE REFOEMATIOK 



how the dwellers in the Rhaetian mountains are throw 
ing off the yoke of the Babylonian captivity/' wrote 
Salandronius to Vadian. 

Disorders of a revolting character hastened the time 
when Zurich and the neighboring cantons snapped 
asunder the Roman yoke. A married schoolmaster, 
desiring to enter holy orders, obtained his wife's con- 
sent with this view, and they separated. The new 
priest, finding it impossible to observe his vow of celib- 
acy, and unwilling to wound his wife's feelings, quitted 
the place where she lived, and went into the see of Con- 
stancte, where he formed a criminal connection. His 
wife heard of this, and followed him. The poor priest 
had compassion on her, and dismissing the woman who 
had usurped her rights, took his lawful spouse into his 
house. The procurator-fiscal immediately drew up a 
complaint ; the vicar-general was in a ferment ; the 
councillors of the consistory deliberated .... and order- 
ed the curate either to forsake his wife or his benefice. 
The poor wife left her husband's house in tears, and her 
rival reentered it in triumph. The church declared itself 
satisfied, and from that time the adulterous priest was 
left undisturbed.* 

Not long after, a parish priest of Lucerne seduced a 
married woman and lived with her. The husband, hav- 
ing returned to Lucerne, availed himself of the priest's 
absence to recover his wife. As he was taking her 
home, the seducer met them, fell upon the injured hus- 
band, and inflicted a wound of which the latter died.^ 
All pious men felt the necessity of re^'stablishing the 
law of God which declares marriage honorable in all." 
Heb. 13 : 4. The evangelical ministers had discovered 
th^t the law of celibacy was of human origin, imposed 
by the pontiffs, and contrary to the word of God, which 
describing a faithful bishop, represents him as a hus- 
band and father. 1 Tim. 3 : 2, 4. At the same time they 
observed, that of all abuses that had crept into the 

♦ Simml. Samml. 6; Wirz. K. Gesch. 1. 275. f Hinc cum scorto 
redeuntem in itinere deprehendit, aggreditur, lethiferoque vulaerc 
oeDdit et tandem moritur. Zw. Epp. p. 206« 



ZWIN^LE'S MARKlAaE. 



417 



ohurch, none had been a cause of more vice and scan- 
dal. They thought, therefore, that it was not only law- 
ful, but even more, a duty to God to reject it. Many of 
them now returned to this ancient usage of apostolical 
times. Xyloctect was married. Zwingle also took a 
wife about this period. 

No woman had been more respected in Zurich than 
Anna Reinhardt, the widow of Meyer von Knonau, Ger- 
old's mother. From Zwingle^s arrival, she had been one 
of his most attentive hearers ; she lived near him, and 
he had noticed her piety, her modesty, and affection for 
her children. The young Geroid, who had become, as it 
were, his adopted son, drew him still closer to the 
mother. The sufferings undergone by this Christian 
woman, who was one day to be more cruelly tried than 
any woman recorded in history, had communicated a 
seriousness that contributed to show forth her evangeli- 
cal virtues more brightly.* At this time she was about 
thirty-five years old, and her fortune only amounted to 
four hundred florins. It was on her that Zwingle fixed 
his eyes as a companion for life He comprehended all 
the sacredness and sympathy of the conjugal state. He 
entitled it " a most holy alliance."| In like manner," 
said he, ** as Christ died for his followers, and gave him- 
self entirely for them, so should married persons do all 
and suffer all for one another.'^ But Zwingle, when he 
took Anna Reinhardt to wife, did not make his marriage 
known. This was undoubtedly a blamable weakness in a 
man at other times so resolute. The light that he and 
his friends had acquired on the question of celibacy was 
not general. Weak minds might have been scandalized. 
He feared that his usefulness in the church would be 
paralyzed, if his marriage were made public. J He sacri- 
ficed a portion of his happiness to these fears, excusable 
perhaps, but which he ought to have shaken off.§ 

* Anna Reinhard, von Geroid Meyer von Knonau, p. 25. f Ein 
hochheiliges Biindniss. Ibid. X Q^i veritus sis, te marito non 
tarn feliciter usurum Christum in negotio verbi sui. Zw. Epp. 
p. 3H5. § Biographers, respectable historians, and all the writero 
who havo copied them, place Zwingle's marriage two years later, in 

27 



418 History of the ilEFORMATIOlf. 



April, 1524. Without any intention of stating here all the reasoofl 
that have convinced me of their error, I shall put down simply the 
most decisive authorities. A letter from Myconius, Zwingle's inti 
mate friend, dated July 22, 1522, has these words : VaJe cum uxore 
quam felicissime. In another letter from the same, written about 
the end of the year, we read, Vale cum uxore. The very contentt 
cf these letters prove the accuracy of their respective dates. Bat 
what is stronger still, is a letter written from Strasburg by Bucer 
at the very time Zwingle^s marriage was made public, tie 14th of 
April, 1524 — the date of the year is wanting, but internal evidence 
proves it to have been written in 1524 — containing several passages 
which show that Zwingle must have been married some time : here 
are several, besides that quoted in the preceding note : *^Professum 
palam te maritum legi. Unum hoc desiderabam in te. Qusp multo 
facilius quam connuhii tui confessionem Antichristus posset ferre 
*'K.yaim>y ab eo, quod cum fratribus .... episcopo Constantiensi con- 
gressus es, nuUus credidi. Qua ratione id tarn diu celares .... 
non dubitarim, rationibus hue adductum, quae apud virum evange- 
Ileum non queant omnino repudlari, etc.^' Zw. Epp. p. 335. Zwingle, 
therefore, did not marry in 1524; but he then made his marriage 
known, it having been contracted two years before. The learned 
editors of Zwingle's letters say, ^* Num forte jam Zwinglius Annam 
Eeinhardam clandestino in matrimonio habebat?" p. 210. This 
do6€ not appear to be a doubtful point, bat a fact which oomblneij 
all the truth reqoired in history. 



THE TEIUMPH OF TRUTH 



419 



CHAPTER XIV 

Flow the truth triumphs — Meeting at Einsidlen — Petition to the 
bishop and confederates — The men of Einsidlen separate — Scene 
in a convent — Dinner with Myconius — The strength of the reform 
ers — Effect of the petitions at Lucerne — The council of the Diet 
— Haller at the Town-hall — Friburg — Oswald's destitution — 
Zwingle consoles him —Oswald quits Lucerne — The Diet's first 
act of severity — Consternation of Zwingle's brothers — Zwingle'B 
resolution — The future — Zwingle's prayer. 

But far higher ioterests than these occupied the 
minds of the friends of truth. The diet, as we have 
seen, pressed by the enemies of the Reformation, had 
enjoined the evangelical preachers to preach no doc- 
trines likely to disturb the people. Zwingle felt that 
the moment for action had arrived ; and with his char- 
acteristic energy convened a meeting at Einsidlen of 
the ministers of the Lord who were friendly to the gos- 
pel. The Christian's strength consists neither in the 
power of arms, nor in the flames of the burning pile, 
nor in factious intrigues, nor in the support of the 
mighty ones of the earth ; it is a simple, but bold and 
unanimous confession of those great truths to which the 
world must one day be subjected. God especially calls 
those who serve him to uphold these doctrines firmly 
before the people, without permitting themselves to be 
alarmed by the cries of their adversaries. These truths 
have in themselves an assurance of their triumph ; and 
idols fall before them, as in former times before the ark 
of God. The hour was come in which God willed the 
great truth of salvation to be thus confessed in Switzer- 
land ; it was requisite that the gospel standard should 
be planted on some high place. Providence was about 
to draw from their secluded retreats many humble but 
intrepid men, and cause them to give a noble testimony 
in the presence of the nation. 

Towards the end of J une and the beginning of July, 
1522, pious ministers were seen from every side journey- 



420 HISTORY OF THE EEFORMATION. 



ing towards the celebrated chapel of Einsidlen on a nev? 
pilgrimage.* From Art, in the canton of Schwytz, came 
its priest Balthasar Trachsel ; from Weiningen, near 
Baden, the priest Stahci ; from Zug, Werner Steiner ; 
from Lucerne, the canon Kilchmeyer ; from Uster, the 
incumbent Pfister ; from Hongg, near Zurich, the priest 
Stumpff ; and from Zurich itself, the canon Fabricius, 
the chaplain Schmidt, Grossman, the preacher of the 
hospital, and Zwingle. Leo Juda, the priest of Ein- 
sidlen, joyfully received all these ministers of Jesus 
Christ into the old abbey. Subsequently to Zwingle's 
residence, this place had become the strong-hold of truth, 
and a dwelling-place for the righteous.f Thus, two 
hundred and fifteen years before, thirty-three brave 
patriots had met in the solitary plain of the Grutli, re- 
solved to break the yoke of Austria. At Einsidlen they 
met to burst in sunder the yoke of human authority in 
divine things. Zwingle proposed that his friends should 
address an urgent petition to the cantons and the bishop, 
with a view of obtaining the free preaching of the gos- 
pel, and at the same time the abolition of compulsory 
celibacy, the source of such criminal disorders. All 
concurred in his opinion. J Ulrich had himself prepared 
the address. The petition to the bishop was read first : 
this was on the second of July, and it was signed by all 
the evangelists named above. A cordial affection knit 
together the preachers of the gospel truth in Switzer- 
land. There were many others who sympathized with 
the men who had met at Einsidlen ; such were Haller, 
Myconius, Hedio, Capito, (Ecolampadius, Sebastian Mey- 
er, Hoffmeister, and Vanner. This harmony is one of 
the most beautiful features of the Swiss reformation. 
These excellent persons ever acted as one man, and 
remained friends until death. 

The men of Einsidlen felt that it was only by tho 

* Thaten sich zusammen etliche priester. Bullinger MS. 

t Zu Einsidlen hatten sie alle Sicherheit dahin zu gehen und 
lort zu wohnen. J.. J. Hottinger Helv. K. Gesch. 3. 86. X Und 
warden eins an den Bischoff zu Constantz und £;inein Eidtgnosseo 
ein SupplioatioG zu stellen. Bullinger MS. 



PETITION TO THE BISHOP. 



42) 



power of faith that the members of the confederation, 
divided by the foreign capitulations, could become a 
single body. But their eyes were directed to heaven. 

The heavenly teaching," said they to their ecclesiasti- 
cal superior in the address of the 2d of July, " that truth 
which God the Creator has manifested by his Son to the 
human race immersed in sin, has been long veiled from 
our eyes by the ignorance, not to say the wickedness oi 
a few men. But this same Almighty God has resolved 
to reestablish it in its primitive estate. Unite then 
with those who desire the whole body of Christians 
should return to their Head, which is Christ.* .... On 
our part, we are determined to proclaim his gospel with 
indefatigable perseverance, and at the same time with 
such discretion that no one shall complain of it.f Favor 
this, astonishing it may be, but not rash undertaking. 
Be like Moses in the way, at the head of the people 
when they went out of Egypt, and with your own hands 
overthrow every obstacle that opposes the triumphant 
progress of the truth." 

After this spirited appeal, the evangelists assembled 
at Einsidlen came to the question of celibacy. Zwingle 
had nothing to ask in this respect ; he had such a wiff; 
as, according to St. Paul's description, the wife of a 
minister of Christ should be, "grave, sober, faitht^ul ih 
all things." 1 Tim. 3 : 11. But he thought of his Vieth- 
ren, whose consciences were not as yet, like bis own^ 
emancipated from human ordinances. He longed, more? 
over, for that time when all the servants of God migni 
live openly and fearlessly in the bosom of their families. 

having their children in subjection with all gravity." 
1 Tim. 3:4. You cannot be ignorant," said the meo 
of Einsidlen, " how deplorably the laws of chastity have 
hitherto been violated by the priests. When, in tne C(.»u- 
secration of the ministers of the Lord, they ask of him 
who speaks for all the rest. Are those whoiii you pre- 

• Ut uni versa Christian orum m'lltitudo ad caput suum, quod 
Christus est, redeat. Supplicatio quoruadam apud Hclvetios Evan« 
gelistarum. Zw. 0pp. 3. 18. f Evangelium in omisso tenore 

promulgaro statuimus. . . . Ibid. 



422 HISTOUY OF tItE REFORMATION. 



sent to us righteous men ? he answers, They are right 
eous. Are they learned ? They are learned. But when 
he is asked, Are they chaste ? he replies, As far as hu- 
man weakness permits.* The New Testament every 
where condemns licentious intercourse ; everywhere it 
sanctions marriage." Here follows a great number of 
quotations. " It is for this reason," continued they, " we 
entreat you, by the love of Christ, by the liberty he has 
purchased for us, by the wretchedness of so many feeble 
and wavering souls, by the wounds of so many ulcerated 
consciences, by all divine and human motives .... to 
permit what has been rashly enacted to be wisely repeal- 
ed ; for fear the majestic edifice of the church should fall 
with a frightful crash, and spread destruction far and 
wide.f Behold with what storms the world is threat- 
ened. If wisdom does not interfere, the ruin of the 
priestly order is certain." 

The petition to the confederation was longer still.J 
"Excellent sirs," thus spoke the allies of Einsidlen to 
the confederates at the end of their appeal, " we are all 
Swiss, and you are our fathers. There are some among 
us who have been faithful in the field of battle, in the 
chambers of pestilence, and in the midst of other calami- 
ties. It is in the name of sincere chastity that we ad- 
dress you. Who is unaware that we should better sat- 
isfy the lust of the flesh by not submitting to the regula- 
tions of lawful wedlock ? But we must put an end to 
the scandals that afflict the church of Christ. If the 
tyranny of the Roman pontiff is resolved to oppress us, 
fear nothing, brave heroes. The authority of the word 
_ of God, the rights of Christian liberty, and the sovereign 
power of grace, will surround and protect us.§ We 

* Suntne casti ? reddidit : Quatenus humana imbecillitas permit- 
tii Supplicatio, etc., Zw. 0pp. 3. 18. f Ne quando moles iata 
Jion ex patris coelestis sententia construe ta, cum fragore longe per- 
niciosiore corruat. Ibid. 24. J Arnica et pia paraenesis ad com- 
munem Helvetiorum civitatem scripta, ne evangelicae doctrinae cur 
sum impediant, etc. Ibid. 1. 39. § Divini enim verbi auctonta 
tem, liberatis christianae et divinse gratiae praesidium nobis adase€ 
oonsplcietis. Ibid. 63. 



THE CHALLENaE GUVEN. 



423 



have all the same country, the same faith ; we are 
Swiss, and the virtue of our illustrious ancestors has 
always displayed its power by an invincible defence of 
those who are unjustly oppressed." 

Thus in Einsidlen itself, in that ancient strong-hold 
of superstition, and which in our days is one of the most 
famous sanctuaries of Roman observances, did Zwingle 
and his friends boldly uplift the banner of truth and 
liberty. They appealed to the heads of the state and of 
the church. They placarded their theses like Luther, 
but at the gates of the episcopal palace and of the 
national council. The band of friends at Einsidlen sepa- 
rated calm, rejoicing, and full of hope in that God in 
whose hands they had placed their cause ; and retiring, 
some by the battle-field of Morgarten, others over the 
chain of the Albis, and the rest by different valleys and 
mountains, returned each man to his post. " It was 
something really sublime for those times,"* says Henry 
Bullinger, " that these men should have thus dared stand 
forth, and rallying round the gospel, expose themselves 
to every danger. But God preserved them all, so that 
no harm befell them ; for God always preserves his 
own." It was indeed sublime ; it was a bold step in 
the progress of the Reformation, one of the brightest 
days of the religious regeneration of Switzerland. A 
holy confederation was formed at Einsidlen. Humble 
but intrepid men had grasped the sword of the Spirit, 
which is the word of God, and the shield of faith. The 
gauntlet was thrown down — the challenge was given — 
not only by one man, but by men of different cantons, 
prepared to sacrifice their lives ; they must await the 
struggle. 

Every thing seemed to forebode that the contest 
would be severe. Already five days after, on the 7th of 
July, the magistrates of Zurich, desirous of offering 
8ome satisfaction to the Roman party, had summoned 
before them Conrad Grebel and Claus Hottinger, two of 
those violent men who appeared desirous of overstepping 
bounds of a prudent reformation. "We forbid 
was zwahren gros zu denen Zyten. . . . Bullinger MS. 



424 HISTOEY 01? THE UEFORMATIOK. 



you," said the burgomaster Roust, "to speak againat 
the noonks, and on the controverted questions." At theeo 
words a loud noise was heard in the chamber, says an 
old chronicle. God so manifested himself throughout 
all this work, that the people saw signs of his interven- 
tion in every thing. Each man looked around him in 
astonishment, without being able to discover the cause 
of this mysterious circumstance.* 

But it was in the convents especially that the indig- 
nation was greatest. Every meeting that was held in 
them, either for discussion or amusement, saw some new 
attack burst forth. One day there was a great banquet 
at the convent of Fraubrun ; and as the wine had got 
into the heads of the guests, they began to launch the 
most envenomed darts against the gospel.f What most 
incensed the priests and monks was the evangelical doc- 
trine, that in the Christian church there ought not to be 
any sacerdotal caste raised above the believers. One 
single friend of the Reformation was present, Macrinus, 
a layman, and master of the school at Soleure. At first 
he avoided the discussion, passing from one table to the 
other. But at length, unable to endure the violent lan- 
guage of the guests, he rose boldly and said aloud, "Yes, 
all true Christians are priests and sacrificers, as St. Peter 
says, * Ye are priests and kings.' " At these words one 
of the loudest bawlers, the dean of Burgdorff, a tall 
strong man with a voice of thunder, burst out laughing : 
" So then, you Greeklings and pedagogues are the royal 
priesthood ? .... a pretty priesthood, forsooth ; . . . . beg- 
garly kings, .... priests without prebends or livings."^ 
And at the very instant priests and monks with one 
accord fell on the imprudent layman. 

It was in Lucerne, however, that the bold step of the 
men of Einsidlen was destined to produce the greatest 
commotion. The diet had met in this city, and com- 
plaints arrived from every quarter against these daring 

* Da liess die Stube einen grossen Knall. Fiisslin Beytr. 4. 39. 

•j Cum invales^ente Baccho, disputationes, imo verius jurgia 

Zw. Epp. p. 230 t Estote ergo Grseruli ac Donatist* regal? 

sacerdotium. . . Ibid. 



OSWALD MYCOiJntTS 



423 



preachers, who would prevent Helvetia from quietly 
selling the blood of her children to the stranger. On 
the 22d of July, 1522, as Oswald Myconius was at din- 
ner in his own house with the canon Kilchmeyer and 
others favorably disposed to the gospel, a youth sent by 
Zwingle stood at his door.* He brought the two famous 
petitions of Einsidlen, and a letter from Zwingle, calling 
upon Oswald to circulate them in Lucerne. " It is my 
advice/' added the reformer, '*that this should be done 
quietly, gradually, rather than all at once ; for we must 
learn tc give up every thing, even one's wife, for Christ's 
sake." 

The critical moment was approaching in Lucerne ; 
the shell had fallen in the midst of the city, and was 
about to explode. Oswald's guests read the petitions. 
" May God prosper this beginning,"f exclaimed Oswald, 
looking up to heaven, and adding immediately, From 
this very hour this prayer should be the constant occu- 
pation of our hearts." The petitions were circulated 
immediately, perhaps with more ardor than Zw-ingle had 
required. But the moment was extraordinary. Eleven 
men, the flower of the clergy, had plaeed themselves in 
the breach ; it was desirable to enlighten men's minds, 
to decide the wavering, and to win over the most influ- 
ential members of the diet. 

Oswald, in the midst of his exertions, did not forget 
his friends. The youthful messenger had told him of 
the attacks Zwingle had to put up with on the part of 
the monks of Zurich. The truth of the Holy Ghost is 
invincible," wrote Myconius to him on the same day. 
" Shielded with the buckler of Scripture, you have con- 
quered not only in one contest, nor in two, but in three, 
and the fourth is now beginning. . . . Grasp those 
powerful arms which are harder than adamant. Christ, 
to protect his followers, requires nothhig but his word. 
Your struggles impart unflinching courage to all who 
have devoted themselves to Jesus Christ."J 

• Venit puer, quern misisti, inter prandendum. Zw. Epp. p. 209. 
t coepta fortunet. Ibid t Is permaneas, qui es, in 

Christo Jesu. ... Ihid. 210. 



426 



HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 



The two petitions did not produce the desired effect 
in Lucerne. Some pious men approved of them, but 
their numbers were few. Many fearing to compromise 
themselves, would neither praise nor blame them.* 
" These folks," said others, " will never succeed in this 
basiness." All the priests murmured, and whispered 
against them ; and the people became violent against 
the gospel. The passion for a military life had been 
revived in Lucerne after the bloody defeat of the Bicocca, 
and war alone filled every mind.f Oswald, who watched 
attentively these different impressions, felt his courage 
sinking. The gospel future that he had pictured in Lu- 
cerne and Switzerland, seemed to vanish. "Our coun- 
trymen are blind as regards heavenly things," said he 
with a deep sigh ; "we can hope nothing from the Swiss 
which concerns the glory of Christ."J 

In the council and the diet the irritation was great- 
est. The pope, France, England, the empire — all were 
in commotion around Switzerland after the defeat of the 
Bicocca and the evacuation of Lombardy by the French, 
under the orders of Lautrec. Were not political affairs 
complicated enough, that these eleven men should come 
with their petitions and superadd mere religious ques- 
tions ? The deputies of Zurich alone inclined in favor of 
the gospel. The canon Xyloctect, fearing for the safety 
of himself and his wife — for he had married a daughter 
of one of the first families in the country — ^had shed tears 
of regret, as he refused to go to Einsidlen and sign the 
addresses. The canon Kilchmeyer was bolder, and he 
had every thing to fear. On the 13th of August he 
wrote to Zwingle, " Sentence threatens me, but I await 
it with courage." ... As his pen was tracing these 
words, the usher of the council entered his room, and 
summoned him to appear on the morrow. § " If they 

• Boni, qui pauci sunt, commendant libellos vestros; alii neo 
laudant nec vituperant. Zw. Epp. p. 210. f Belli ''uror occupat 
omnia. Ibid. J Nihil ob id apud Helvetios agendum de iis 
Dus qua; Christi gloriam possunt augere. Ibid. § Tu vero audi 
Hax; dum scriberem, irruit prsBCO, a Senatoribus missus. . . Ibid 
p. 213. 



ItALLER AND THE DIET. 



427 



IhroW me into prison," said he, continuing his letter, T 
shall claim your help ; but it will be easier to transport 
a rock from our alps than to remove me a finger^s breadth 
from the word of Jesus Christ." The respect due to hia 
family, and the determination of the council to make the 
storm burst on Oswald, saved the canon. 

Berthold Haller had not signed the petitions, perhaps 
because he was not a Swiss. But with unyielding cour« 
age he explained the gospel of St. Matthew, after Zwin« 
gle's example. A great crowd filled the cathedral of 
Berne. The word of God operated more powerfully on 
the people than ManuePs dramas. Haller was summon- 
ed to the town-hall ; the people escorted this meek man 
thither, and remained assembled in the square in front. 
The council were divided in their sentiments. " It is a 
matter that concerns the bishop," said the most influen- 
tial members. We must give him up to monseigneur 
of Lausanne." Haller^s friends trembled at these words, 
and besought him to withdraw as soon as possible. The 
people surrounded him, and accompanied him home, and 
a great body of armed citizens remained before his house, 
determined to form a rampart for their humble pastor 
with their bodies. The bishop and council shrunk back 
at this spirited demonstration, and Haller was saved. 
He did not, however, combat alone in Berne. Sebastian 
Meyer refuted the pastoral letter of the bishop of Con- 
stance, and especially the hackneyed charge, that " the 
disciples of the gospel teach a new doctrine ; and that 
the old is the true one." "To have been a thousand 
years wrong," said he, " will not make us right for one 
single hour ; or else the pagans should have kept to 
their creed. If the most ancient doctrines ought to be 
preferred, fifteen hundred years are more than five hun- 
dred, and the gospel is older than the decrees of the 
pope."* 

About this time, the magistrates of Friburg inter- 
cepted some letters addressed to Haller and Meyer by 
a canon of that town named John Hollard, a native of 
Orbe. They imprisoned him, deprived him of his office, 
* Slmml. Samml. 6. 



438 HISTORY 0^- THE EEFORMATIOH. 



and finally banished him. John Vannius, a choriBter of 

the cathedral, soon declared in favor of the evangelical 
doctrice ; for in this war no soldier fell whose place was 
not immediately filled by another. How can the mud" 
dy water of the Tiber," said Yannius, "subsist beside 
the pure stream that Luther has drawn from the springe 
of St. Paul But the mouth of the chorister also wa8 
shut. " In all Switzerland you will hardly find men 
more unfavorably disposed towards sound doctrine than 
the Friburgers," wrote Myconius to Zwingle.* 

An exception must however be made as regards Lu- 
cerne ; and this Myconius knew well. He had not signed 
the famous petitions ; but if he did not, his friends did, 
and a victim was wanted. The ancient literature of 
Greece and Rome was beginning, through his exertions, 
to shed its light upon Lucerne ; students resorted thither 
from various quarters to hear the learned professor ; 
and the friends of peace listened with delight to milder 
sounds than the clash of halberds, swords, and breast- 
plates, that as yet had reechoed alone in this warlike 
city. Oswald had sacrificed every thing for his coun- 
try ; he had quitted Zurich and Zwingle ; he had lost 
his health ; his wife was ailing ;f his child was young ; 
should Lucerne once cast him forth, he could nowhere 
look for an asylum. But this they heeded not : factions 
are pitiless, and what should excite their compassion 
does but inflame their anger. Hertenstein, burgomaster 
of Lucerne, an old and valiant warrior, who had become 
celebrated in the Swabian and Burgundian wars, pro- 
posed the schoolmaster's dismissal, and wished to drive 
him from the canton with his Greek, his Latin, and his 
gospel. He succeeded. As he left the meeting of the 
council in which Myconius had been deprived of his post, 
Hertenstein met Berguer the Zurich deputy : We send 
you back your schoolmaster," said he ironically ; " pre- 
pare a comfortable lodging for him." " We will not let 
him sleep in the open air,''| immediately replied the cou- 

* Hoc audio vix alios esse per Helvetiam, qui pejus velint bslum 
ioctrina). Zw. Epp p. 226. f Conjux infirma. Ibid. 192. 
t Veniat! efficiemus euim ne dormiendum Bit ei sub iia lb. 216L 



OSWALD CONSOLED. 



429 



rageous deputy. But Berguer promised more than he 
could perform. 

The burgomaster's tidings were but too true, and 
they were soon made known to the unhappy Myconius. 
He is stripped of his appointment, .... banished ; and 
the only crime with which he is reproached is being 
Luther's disciple.* He turns his eyes around him, and 
nowheie finds a shelter. He beholds his wife, his son, 
and himself — weak and sickly creatures — driven from 
their country ; . . . . and around him Switzerland agitated 
by a violent tempest, breaking and shattering all that 
resists it. "Here," said he then to Zwingle, **here is 
your poor Myconius banished by the council of Lu- 
cerne. f .... Whither shall I go ? .... I know not. . . . 
Assailed yourself by such furious storms, how can you 
shelter me ? In my tribulation I cry to that God who is 
my chief hope. Ever rich, ever kind, he does not permit 
any who call upon him to turn away unheard. May he 
provide for my wants." 

Thus wrote Oswald. He had not long to wait for 
the word of consolation. There was one man in Swit- 
zerland inured to the battles of faith. Zwingle drew nigh 
to his friend and raised him up. So rude are the blows 
by which men strive to overthrow the house of God," 
said Zwingle, and so frequent are their attacks, that 
it is not only the wind and rain that burst upon it, as 
our Lord predicts. Matt. 7 : 27, but also the hail and 
the thunder. J If I did not see that the Lord kept watch 
over the ship, I should long since have abandoned the 
helm ; but I see him, through the storm, strengthening 
the tackling, handing the yards, spreading the sails; 
nay, more, commanding the very winds. . . . Should I 
not be a coward and unworthy the name of a man if I 
abandoned my post and sought a disgraceful death in 
flight? I confide entirely in his sovereign goodness. 
Lot him govern, let him carry us forward, let him hasten 
or delay, let him plunge us even to the bottom of the 

♦ Nil exprobariint nisi quod sim Lutheranus. Zw. Epp. p. 216b 
t Expellitur ecce miser Myconius a Senatu Lucernano. lb. 215. 
t Nee ventoB esse nec imbres, sed grandines et fulmiua. lb. 2 IT 



430 HISTOEY OF THE EEFORMATIOll. 

deep, .... we will fear nothing.* We are vessels that 
belong to him. He can make use of us as he pleases, 
for honor or dishonor.^' After these words, so full of the 
sincerest faith, Zwingle continues, " As for yourself, this 
is my advice. Appear before the council, and deliver an 
address worthy of you and of Christ ; that is to say, 
calculated to melt, and not irritate their feelings. Deny 
that you are Luther's disciple ; confess that you are 
Christ's. Let your pupils surround you and speak too ; 
and if this does not succeed, then come to your friend, 
come to Zwingle, and look upon our city as your home." 

Encouraged by this language, Oswald followed the 
noble advice of the reformer ; but all his efforts were 
unavailing. This witness to the truth was compelled 
to leave his country ; and the people of Lucerne decried 
him so much that in every quarter the magistrates pre- 
vented his finding an asylum. ** Nothing remains for 
me but to beg my bread from door to door,"f exclaimed 
this confessor of Christ, whose heart was crushed at the 
sight of so much hostility. But erelong the friend of 
Zwingle and his most powerful auxiliary, the first man 
in Switzerland who had combined learning with a love 
to the gospel, the reformer of Lucerne, and subsequently 
one of the heads of the Helvetian church, was with hin 
sick wife and infant child compelled to leave that un- 
grateful city, where, of all his family, one only of his sis- 
ters had received the gospel. He crossed its ancient 
bridge ; he bade farewell to those mountains which 
appear to rise from the bosom of the Walstatter lake 
into the clouds. The canons Xyloctect and Kilchmeyer, 
the only friends whom the Reformation yet counted 
among his fellow-countrymen, followed him not long 
after. And at the moment when this poor man, accom- 
panied by two feeble creatures, whose existence depend* 
ed upon him, with eyes turned towards the lake, and 
shedding tears over his blinded country, bade adieu to 
those sublime scenes of nature, the majesty of which 
had surrounded his cradle, the gospel itself departed 

• Regat, vehat, festinet, maneat, acceleret, moretur, mergat I. .. 
Zw. Epp. p. 217. t Ostiatim quaorere quod edam. Ibid. 24.^. 



ARREST OF URBAN ^WEISS. 



431 



from Lucerne, and Rome reigns there even to this 
day. 

Shortly after, the diet then sitting at Baden, excited 
by the severity shown to Myconius, incensed by the 
petitions from Einsidlen, which were now printed and 
everywhere producing a great sensation, and solicited 
by the bishop of Constance, who called upon them to 
crush the reformer, had recourse to persecution, oi'dered 
Uie authorities of the common bailiwicks to denounce 
all the priests and laymen who should dare speak 
against the faith, caused the preacher who happened to 
be nearest to be immediately arrested, namely Urban 
Weiss, pastor of Fislispach, who had been previously 
liberated on bail, and had him taken to Constance, where 
he was delivered up to the bishop, who detained him a 
long while in prison " It was thus," says Bullinger's 
manuscript, ''that the persecutions of the confederates 
against the gospel began : and this took place at the 
instigation of the clergy, who in every age have drag- 
ged Jesus Christ before the judgment-seat of Herod and 
of Pilate."* 

Nor did Zwingle himself escape trial. About this 
time he was wounded in his tenderest point. The rumor 
of his doctrines and of his struggles had passed the Sen- 
tis, penetrated the Tockenburg, and reached the heights 
of Wildhaus. The family of herdsmen from which the 
reformer had sprung, was deeply moved. Of Zwingle's 
five brothers, some had continued their peaceful moun- 
tain labors ; others, to their brother^s great regret, had 
taken up arms, quitted their herds^ and served a foreign 
prince. Both were alike astonished at the reports that 
reached their chalets. Already they pictured to them* 
selves their brother dragged to Constance before the 
bishop, and a pile erected for his destruction on the same 
spot wnere John Huss had perished in the flames. These 
proud herdsmen could not endure the idea of being call- 
ed the brothers of a heretic. They wrote to Zwingle, 
describing their pain and their fears. Zwingle replied 

* Uss anstifften der gelstlichen, die zu alien Zjien Christum, VI 
l^io nnd Herodi viirstelleii. MS. 



432 HlSTOm OF THE REFORMATION. 



to them as follows : ''So long as God shall permit me, 1 
will execute the task which he has confided to me, with- 
out fearing the world and its haughty tyrants. I know 
every thing that can befall me. There is no danger, no 
misfortune that I have not carefully weighed long ago. 
My own strength is nothingness itself, and I know the 
■jower of my enemies ; but I know also that I can do 
3very thing in Christ, who strengthens me. Though I 
should be silent, another would be constrained to do 
what God is now doing through me, and I should be 
punished by the Almighty. Banish all anxiety, my dear 
brothers. If I have any fear, it is lest I have been mild- 
er and gentler than suits our times.* What reproach, 
say you, will be cast upon our family, if you are burnt, 
or put to death in any other way.f Oh, my beloved 
brothers, the gospel derives from the blood of Christ this 
remarkable property, that the most violent persecutions, 
far from checking its progress, serve but to accelerate it. 
Those alone are the true soldiers of Christ, who do not 
fear to bear in their body the wounds of their Master. 
All my labors have no other aim than to proclaim to 
men the treasures of happiness that Christ hath pur- 
chased for us, that all might take refuge in the Father, 
through the death of his Son. If this doctrine scandal- 
izes you, your anger cannot stop me. You are my 
brothers, yes, my own brothers, sons of the same father, 
fruit of the same womb ; . . . . but if you were not my 
brothers in Christ and in the work of faith, then my grief 
would be so violent, that nothing could equal it. Fare- 
well. I shall never cease to be your affectionate brother, 
if only you will not cease yourselves to be the brethren 
of Jesus Christ."! 

The- confederates appeared to rise, like one man, 
against the gospel. The addresses of Einsidlen had 
given the signal. Zwingle. agitated at the fate cf My- 

• Plus enlm metuo ne forte lenioi mltiorque faerim. De semr 
per casta virgine Maria. Zw. 0pp. 1. 104. f Si vel igni vel 

alio quodam supplicii gen ere toUaris e medio. Ibid. j Frater 
tester germanus nunquam desinam, si modo vos fratres Chrisii esse 
porrexeritis. Ibid. 107. 



ZWINaLE'S PRAYER. 



433 



oonius, saw in his misfortunes the beginning* of calami- 
ties. Enemies in Zurich, enemies without ; a man^s own 
relatiyes becoming his opponents ; a furious opposition 
on the part of the monks and priests ; violent measures 
in the diet and councils ; coarse and perhaps bloody 
attacks from the partisans of foreign service ; the highesi 
valleys of Switzerland, that cradle of the confederation, 
pouring forth their invincible phalanxes to save Rome, 
and annihilate at the cost of their lives the rising failij 
of the sons of the Reformation : such was the picture the 
penetrating eye of the reformer discovered in the dis- 
tance, and he shuddered at the prospect. What a future ! 
Was the work, hardly begun, about to be destroyed 7 
Zwingle, thoughtful and agitated, laid all his anguish 
before the throne of God : "0 Jesus," said he, thou 
seest how the wicked and the blasphemers stun thy peo- 
ple's ears with their clamors.* Thou knowest how from 
my childhood I have hated all dispute, and yet, in despite 
of myself, thou hast not ceased to impel me to the con- 
diet. . . . Therefore do I call upon thee with confidence 
to complete what thou hast begun. If I have built up 
sny thing wrongly, do thou throw it down with thy 
nighty hand. If I have laid any other foundation than 
thee, let thy powerful arm destroy it.f 0 vine abound- 
ing in sweetness, whose husbandman is the Father, and 
whose branches we are, do not abandon thy 8hoots.| 
For thou hast promised to be with us until the end of 
the world." 

It was on 'he 22d of August, 1522, that Ulrich Zwin 
gle, the reformer of Switzerland, seeing the storms de- 
scending from the mountains on the frail k>ark of the 
faith, thus poured forth before God the troubles and 
desires of his soul. 

• Vides enim, piissime Jesu, aures eorum septas esse nequiaaimif 
susiUTonibus, sycophantis, lucrionibus. . . . Zw. 0pp. 3. 74. 

t Si fundamentum aliud praeter te jecero, demoliaris. Ibid. 

X 0 suavissima vitis, cujus vinitor Pater, palmites ver^ noe si> 
tBUfi, sationem tuam ne deseras ! Ibid. 



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