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THE LIBRARY 

OF 

THE UNIVERSITY 
OF CALIFORNIA 

LOS ANGELES 



FROM THE LIBRARY OF 
ERNEST CARROLL MOORE 



HISTORY 



or 



THE RE FOB! AT ION 



THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY 



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

PRESIDENT OF THE THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL OF GENEVA, AND VICE- 
PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETE EVANGELIQUE. 



TRANSLATED BY H. WHITE, B.A. 

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



THE TRANSLATION CAREFULLY REVISED BY DR. D'AUBIGNE, WHO HAI 
ALSO MADE VARIOUS ADDITIONS NOT HITHERTO PUBLISHED. 



VOL. II. 



PUBLISHED BY THE 
AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 

150 NASSAU-STREET, NEW YORK. 



College 
Libraiy 



305" 



CONTENTS. 

-- V. 7. 

BOOK V. 

TUB LEIPSIC DISPUTATION. 1519. 

CHAPTER I. 

Lulher's Danger God preserves Luther The Pope sends a Chamber- 
lain The Legate's Journey Roman Briefe Circumstances favourable 
to the Reform Miltitz with Spalatin Tetzel's Alarm Miltitz's Flat- 
tery 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 various Countries Luther's 
Writings begin the Reformation .......................................... Page 11 

CHAPTER II. 

Pause in Germany Eck revives the Contest Disputation between Eck 
and Carlstadt Question of the Pope Luther replies Fears of 
Luther's Friends Luther's Courage The Truth triumphs unaided 

Refusal of Duke George Gaiety of Mosellanus Fears of Eras- 
mus ........................................................................................ 26 

CHAPTER III. 

Arrival of Eck and of the Wittembergers Amsdorff The Students 
Carlstadt's Accident Placard Eck and Luther The Pleissenburg 
Judges proposed Luther objects He consents at last ................... 3 

CHAPTER IV. 

Opening of the Disputation Speech of Mosellanus Vent, Sancte Spiri- 
tus Portraits of Luther and Carlstadt Doctor Eck Carlstadt'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 Clamour of the Spectators 
Melancthon during the Disputation His Opinion Eck's Manoauvres 
Luther Preaches Citizens of Leipsic Quarrels between the Stu- 
dents and Doctors. .......................... , ......................................... 40 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER V. 

The Hierarchy and Rationalism The Two Peasants' Sons-Eck and 
Luther begin The Head of the Church Primacy of Rome Equality 
of Bishops Peter the Foundation-stone Christ the Corner-stone 
Eck insinuates that Luther is a Hussite Luther on the Doctrine of 
Huss Agitation among the Hearers The Word alone The Court- 
foolLuther at Mass Saying of the Duke Purgatory Close of tho 
Discussion Page 51 

CHAPTER VI. 

Interest felt by the Laity Luther's Opinion Confession and Boasts ot 
Doctor Eck Effects of the Disputation Poliander Cellarius The 
Young Prince of Anhalt The Students of Leipsic Cruciger Me- 
lancthon's Call Luther's Emancipation... 63 

CHAPTER VII. 

Eck attacks Molancthon Melancthon's Defence Interpretation of 
Holy Scripture Luther's Firmness The Bohemian Brothers 
Emser Staupitz 70 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The Epistle to the Galatians Christ for us Blindness of Luther's Op- 
ponents Earliest Ideas on the Lord's Supper Is the Sacrament 
without Faith sufficient? Luther a Bohemian Eck attacked Eck 
goes to Rome 74 



BOOK VI. 

THE PAPAL BULL. 1520. 

CHAPTER I. 

Character of Maximilian Candidates for theEmpire Charles Francisl. 
Disposition of the Germans The Crown offered to Frederick- 
Charles elected Emperor 80 

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 favour the Reformation Schaumburg Sickingen 
Ulrich of Hutten Luther's Confidence Erasmus defends Luther 
Abstemius Hedio Luther becomes more free Faith the Source of 
Works What gives Faith 1 Luther judging his own Writings 85 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER III. 

The Papacy attacked Appeal to the Nobility The three Walls A1J 
Christians are Priests The Magistrate should chastise the Clergy 
Roman Corruptions Ruin of Italy Dangers of Germany The Pope 
The Legates The Monks Marriage of Priests Celibacy Fes- 
tivalsThe Bohemians Charity The Universities The Empire 
The Emperor should retake Rome Unpublished Book Luther's 
Moderation Success of the Address Page 94 

CHAPTER IV. 

Preparations at Rome Motives for Papal Resistance Eck at Rome 
The King of Crowns Eck prevails The Pope is the World God brings 
about the Separation A Swiss Priest pleads for Luther The Roman 
Consistory Exordium of the Bull Luther condemned 10G 

CHAPTER V. 

Wittemberg Melancthon His Marriage Catherine Domestic Life 
Benevolence Good Humour Christ and Antiquity Labour Love 
of Letters His Mother Revolt of the Students 115 

CHAPTER VI. 

The Gospel in Italy Sermon on the Mass Babylonish Captivity of the 
Church Baptism Abolition of other Vows Progress of Reform.. 120 

CHAPTER VII. 

Fresh Negotiations The Augustines at Eisleben Miltitz Deputa- 
tion to Luther Miltitz and the Elector Conference at Lichtemberg 
Luther's Letter to the Pope Book presented to the Pope Union 
of Christ with the Believer Liberty and Bondage 125 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The Bull in Germany Eck's Reception The Bull at Wittemberg 
Zwingle's Intervention - 134 

k 

CHAPTER IX. 

Luther's Appeal to God Hia 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 LouvaSn 140 



CONTENTS. 



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 Luther's Recantation. 

Page 147 

CHAPTER XL 

Coronation of Charles the Fifth The Nuncio Aleander Shall Luther's 
Books be burnt 1 Aleander and the Emperor The Nuncios and 
the Elector Duke John's Son in behalf of Luther Luther's Calm- 
ness The Elector protects Luther Reply of the Nuncios Erasmus 
at Cologne Erasmus at the Elector's Declaration of Erasmus- 
Advice of Erasmus System of Charles V 158 

CHAPTER XII. 

Luther on Confession Real Absolution Antichrist Luther's Popula 
rity Satires Ulrich of Hiitten 'Lucas Cranach The Carnival at 
Wittemberg Staupitz intimidated Luther's Labours His Humility 
Progress of the Reformation 169 



BOOK VII. 

THE DIET OF WORMS. 1521, JANUARY TO MAY. 

CHAPTER I. 

Victories of the Word of God The Diet of Worms Policy of Rome Dif- 
ficulties Charles demands Luther The Elector to Charles V. State 
of Feeling Alarm of Aleander The Elector departs without Luther 
Aleander arouses Rome Excommunication of Pope and Communion 
with Christ Fulminations of the Bull Luther's Motives in the Re- 
formation 178 

t 

CHAPTER II. 

A. Foreign Prince Council of Politicians Conference between the 
Confessor and the Chancellor Inutility of these Manoeuvres Aleau- 
der's Activity Luther's Words Charles yields to the Pop* 188 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER III, 

Alcander introduced to the Diet Aleander*s Speech Luther is accused 
Home is justified Appeal to Charles agai&at Luther Effect of the 
Nuncio's Speech Page 196 



CHAPTER IV, 

Sentiments 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 Retractation 201 

CHAPTER V. 

Shall Luther have a Safe-conduct The Safe-conduct Will Luther 
come Holy Thursday at Rome The Pope and Luther 2WJ 

CHAPTER VI. 

Luther's Courage OBugenhagen at Wittemberg Persecutions in Pome- 
rania Melaucthon desires to accompany Luther Amsdorff, Schurff, 
and Suaven Hiitten to Charles V 215 

CHAPTER VII. 

Departure for the Diet of Worms Luther's Farewell His Condemna- 
tion is posted up Cavalcade near Erfurth Meeting between Jonas 
and Luther Luther in his former Convent Luther preaches at Er- 
furth 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 Luther's Firmness 220 

CHAPTER VIII 

Entry into Worms Death-Song Charles's Council Capito and the 
Temporizers Luther's numerous Visiters Citation Hiitten to Luthe e 
Luther proceeds to the Diet Saying of Freundsberg Imposing 
Assembly The Chancellor's Speech Luther's Reply His Discretion 
Saying of Charles V. Alarm Triumph Luther's Firmness Vio- 
lence of the Spaniards Advice Luther's 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 say no more The Weakness of God 
stronger than Man A new Attempt Victory 23J 



CONTENTS. 



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 Favour of Luther 
Language of Conciliation Fears of the Elector Luther's numerous 
Visitors Philip of Hesse Page 251 

CHAPTER X. 

Conference with the Archbishop of Troves Wehe's Exhortation to 
Luther Luther's Replies Private Conversation Visit of CochloBus 
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 receives Orders to leave 
Worms Luther's Departure 259 

CHAPTER XL 

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 Wart- 
berg Luther a Prisoner 269 



BOOK VIII. 

THE swiss. 1484 1522. 

CHAPTER I. 

Movement in Switzerland Source of the Reformation Its democratic 
Character Foreign Service Morality The Tockenburg A Chalet 
on the Alps A Family of Shepherds Young Ulrich 280 

CHAPTER II. 

Ulrich at Wesen and Basle Ulrich at Berne The Dominican Convent 
Jetzer The Apparitions Passion of the Lay-brother Imposture- 
Discovery and Punishment Zwingle at Vienna and Basle Music 
at Basle Wittembach proclaims the Gospel Leo Juda The Priest 
ofGlaris ...286 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER III. 

Fondness for War Schinner Pension from the Pope The Labyrinth 
Zwingle in Italy Principle of Reform Zwingle and Luther 
Zwingle and Erasmus Zwingle and the ancient Classics Paris aud 
Claris Page 29 J 

CHAPTER IV. 

Zwingle to Erasmus Oswald Myconius The Robbers CEcolampadius 
Zwingle at Marignau - Zwingle and Italy Zwingle's Method Com- 
mencement of the Reform Discovery Passage from one World to 
the other ....301 



CHAPTER V. 

Our Lady of Einsidlen Zwingle's Call The Abbot Geroldsek A 
learned Society The Bible copied Zwingle and Superstition First 
Opposition to Error Sensation Hedio Zwingle and the Legates 
The Honours of Rome The Bishop of Constance Samson and the In- 
dulgences Stapfer Zwingle 'a Charity His Friends 309 

CHAPTER VI. 

The Canons' College Election to the Cathedral Fable Accusations- 
Zwingle's Confession Development of God's Purposes Farewell to 
Einsidlen Arrival at Zurich Zwingle's bold Declaration First 
Sermons Their Effect Opposition Zwingle's Character Taste for 
Music Arrangement of the Day The Book-hawker 319 



CHAPTER VII. 

The Indulgences Samson at Berne and at Baden The Dean of Brem 
garteu Young Henry Bullinger Samson and the Dean Zwingle's 
internal Struggles Zwingle opposes the Indulgences Samson is sent 
back... ....331 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Zwingle's Toils and Fatigue The Baths of Pfeffers The Moment of 
God The Great Death Zwingle attacked by the Plague His Adver- 
saries His Friends Convalescence General Joy Effects of the Pes- 
tilence Myconins at Lucerne Oswald encourages Zwingle Zwingle 
at Basle Capito invited to Mentz Hedio at Basle The Unnatural 

Son Preparations for the Struggle 338 

1* 



10 CONTENTS. 



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 Pae 3oO 

CHAPTER X. 

A. new Combatant The Reformer of Berne Zwingle encourages 
Ilaller The Gospel at Lucerne Oswald persecuted Zwingle's 
Preaching Henry Bullinger and Gerold of Knonau Rubli at Baslo 
The Chaplain of the Hospital War in Italy Zwingle protests 
against the Capitulations 358 

CHAPTER XI. 

Zwingle opposes Human Traditions Commotion during Lent Truth 
triumphs amidst Opposition The Bishop's Deputies Accusation be- 
fore 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 366 

CHAPTER XII. 

Mourning and Joy in Germany Plots against Zwingle The Bishop's 
Mandate Archeteles The Bishop's Appeal to the Diet Injunction 
against attacking the Monks Zwingle's Declaration The Nuns of 
CElenbach Zwingle's Address to Schwytz 374 

CHAPTER XIII. 

A French Monk He teaches in Switzerland Dispute between Zwinglo 
and the Monk Discourse of the Commander of the Johannites The 
Carnival at Berne The Eaters of the Dead The Skull of St. Anne 
Appcnzel The Grisons Murder and Adultery Zwingle's Mar- 
riage 380 

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 Reformers Effect of 
tho Petitions to 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 Consterna- 
tion of Zwingle's Brothers Zwingle's Resolution Tho Future 
Zwinglo's Prayer 381 



HISTOEY OF THE KEFOKMATION. 



BOOK V. 

THE LEIPSIC DISPUTATION. 1519. 

CHAPTER I. 

Luther's Danger God preserves Luther The Pope sends a Chamber- 
lainThe Legate's Journey Roman Briefs Circumstances favourable 
to the Reform Miltitz with Spalatin Tetzel's Alarm Miltitz's Flat- 
tery Demands a Retractation Luther refuses, but offers to keep 
Silence Agreement between Luther and the Nuncio The Legate'a 
Kiss Tetzel reproached by the Legate Luther to the Pope Nature 
of the Reformation Luther opposes Separation De Vio and Miltitz 
at Troves Luther's Cause extends over various Countries Luther's 
Writings begin the Reformation. 

DANGERS had gathered round Luther and the Reformation. 
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 excommunication 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 banish Luther from his 
states.* A new message from Leo X. would therefore have 
driven the reformer among strangers, 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 Germany, would soon have been 
crushed in their perilous enterprise. 
* Letter from the Elector to his envoy at Rome. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 298. 



12 CHARLES OF MILTITZ. 

But at the very moment that the courtiers of Leo X. 
were urging him to measures of severity, and when anothe* 
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 favourable to Luther 
than they really were ; we may admit that the public voice 
and the spirit of the age powers then quite new ap- 
peared 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 Home at such a moment, is so 
strange, that it is impossible not to recognise 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 awkward imitator of 
the elegance and manners of the Italians. He was fond 
of wine,:}: and his residence at the court of Rome had in- 
creased this vice. The Roman courtiers, however, enter- 
tained 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 shake the world. 

It was of importance to conceal the real object of the 
mission of the Roman chamberlain. This was effected 
without difficulty. Four years previously, the pious elector 
hud petitioned the pope for the Golden Rose. This rose, 

" Rationem agendi prorsus oppositam inire statuit. Cardinal Palla 
vicini, Hist. Concil. Trident, i. 51. 

t Roscoe, Life of Leo X., chap. xix. 

J Nee ab usu immoderate vini abstinuit. Pallavicmi, Hist. Concil. 
Trid. i. CO. 



TUB LEGATE'S JOUKNEY. 13 

the most beautiful of flowers, represented the body of 
Jesus Christ; it was consecrated yearly by the sovereign 
pontiff, and sent to one of the chief princes in Europe. It 
was resolved to give it this year to the elector. Miltitz de- 
parted 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 December 
1518, 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 
Eeformation.* They spoke of Luther with enthusiasm. For 
one person favourable to the pope, there were three favourable 
to the reformer.-J- 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 
maidservants 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 rumour 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 Melancthon 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 Miltitz. " He 
is coming," said they, " to seize you 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.|| 

* Sciscitatus per viam Miltitzius quanam esset in sestimatione Lutherus 

sensit de eo cum admiratione homines loqui. Pallavicini, Hist. 

Concil. Trid. i. 51. 

t 1 Ecce ubi unum pro papa stare inveni, tres pro to contra papam 
stabant. L. Opp. Lat. in Prscf. 

J Quid nos scire possumus qualea vos Romae habeatis sellas, ligneasne 
an lapideas ! Ibid. 

Martinus noster, Deo gratias adhuc spirat. Corpus Reformatorum 
cdidit Bretschneider, i. 61. || Expecto consilium D<v L. Epp. i. 191. 



14 LUTHEK'S DANGER. 

Miltilz indeed came bearing letters for the elector, for his 
councillors, and for the bishops and the burgomaster of 
Wittemberg. He brought with him seventy apostolical 
briefs. If the flattery and the favours 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.* 

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 difficult position. The aspect of the 
world suddenly changed. 

On the 12th of January 1519, Maximilian, emperor of 
Germany, expired. Frederick of Saxony, in conformity 
with the Germanic constitution, became administrator of 
the empire. Henceforth the elector no longer feared the 
projects of nuncios. New interests began to agitate the 
court of Rome, which forced it to be cautious in its nego- 
tiations 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 neighbouring 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 affair, he resolved to let 
the monk rest, that he might the better oppose the king ; but 
both advanced in despite of him. Thus changed Leo X. 

Another circumstance also contributed to turn aside 
the storm that threatened the Reformation. Political troubles 

* For singula oppida affigeret unnm, et ita tutus me perducorol 
Romam L. Opp. Lat. in Trsef. 



FAVOURABLE CIRCUMSTANCES. 15 

broke out immediately after Maximilian's death. In the 
south of the empire, the Swabian confederation desired 
to punish TJlric of Wurtemberg, who had been unfaithful to 
it; in the north, the Bishop of Hildesheim threw himseli 
with an armed force upon the bishopric of Minden and on 
the territories of the Duke of Brunswick. In the midst ol 
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^he protection he granted to the new teachers. " The 
tempest suspended its rage," says Luther, " the papal excom- 
munication began to fall into contempt. Under the shadow 
of the elector's viceroyalty, the Gospel circulated far and wide, 
and popery suffered great damage in consequence." * 

Besides, during an interregnum the severest prohibitions 
naturally lost their force. Ah 1 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 favourable 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 Luther, 
than Spalatin broke out against Tetzel. He made the 
nuncio acquainted with the falsehoods and blasphemies 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, he 
found himself the accused. All his anger was immediately 
directed against Tetzel. He summoned him to appear at 
Altenburg and justify his conduct. 

The Dominican, as cowardly as he was boastful, fearing 
the people Avhom his impositions had exasperated, had dis- 
continued passing from town to town, and had hidden him- 
self in the college of St. Paul at Leipsic. He turned pale 
on receiving Miltitz's letter. Even Rome abandons him 

Tune dcsiit paululum saevire tempestas, &c. L. Opp. Lat. in Praef 



1G TETZEL'S FEARS. 

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 summons. " 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, thai I am nowhere safe. A great 
number of Luther's partisans have sworn my death; I 
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 measures 
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 favours of Rome to induce the elector to 
restrain Luther. He therefore intimated his desire to have 
an interview with the reformer. Their common friend, Spa- 
latin, offered 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 demon- 
strations of friendship. " Oh!" thought Luther, " how his 
violence is changed into gentleness ! 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."f 

" 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 labouring under some 
theological crotchet ; but I see you are still a young 

Loscher, ii. 567. 

f Scd per viam a Domino prostratus mutayit yiolentiam in beue- 

tolentiam falladssime simnlatam. L. Epp. i. 206. 



CARESSES OF MILTITZ. 1 7 

man aad in the prime of life.* Do you know," continued 
he, assuming a graver tone, " that you have drawn away 
everybody from the pope and attached them to yourself ?"f 
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 adversary'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, dropping a few tears, 
" beware of raising a tempest that would cause the destruc- 
tion of Christendom." || He then gradually proceeded to 
hint that a retractation alone could repair the mischief; 
but he immediately softened down whatever was objection- 
able in this word, by giving Luther to understand that he 
felt the highest esteem 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 Arch- 
bishop of Mentz had spoken to me in this manner," said 
the reformer afterwards, " 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 Church ; he 
did not conceal his great indignation against the Archbishop 
of Mentz, and complained in a noble manner of the un- 

* Martine, ego credebam te esse senem aliquem theologum,qui post 
fornacem sedens (sitting behind the stove), &c. L. Opp. Lat. in Prsef. 

f- Quod orbem totum mihi conjunxerim et papae abstraxerim. L. 
Epp. i. 231. 

J Si haberem XXY. millia armatorum, non confiderem te posse a me 
Romam perduci. L. Opp. Lat. in Prsef. 

L. Opp. (W.) xxii. 

lj Profusis lacrymis ipsum oravit, ne tarn perniciosam Christiano gonerl 
tompestatem cieret. Pallavicini, i. 52. 

V Non evasisset res in tantum turaultum. L. Opp. Lat. in Prscf. 



18 LUTHER AND fflLTITZ. 

worthy treatment he had received from Rome, notwith- 
standing 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 future 
on this matter, and to let it die away of itself,* provided 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 prepared." " 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 insults 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 everything; but as for a retracta- 
tion, never expect one from me." 

Miltitz saw by Luther's firm tone that the wisest course 
would be to appear satisfied with what the reformer 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 accept any judge; in 
that case I will not abide by the pope's decision, and then 
the struggle will begin again. The pope will give the text, 
and I shall make my own comments 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 have terminated this matter by 
deciding upon the following articles : 

1. Both parties are forbidden to preach, write, 01 do 
anything further in the discussion that has been raised. 
* Und die Sache sich zu Todo bluten. L. Epp. i. 207. 



ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT. 19 

2. Miltitz will immediately inform the holy Father of 
the state of affairs. His holiness will empower an enlight- 
ened bishop to investigate the matter, and to point out the 
erroneous articles I should retract. If they prove me to 
be in error I shall willingly recant, and will do nothing 
derogatory to the honour or authority of the holy Roman 
Church."* 

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

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 sensibility 
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 the 
latter accepted. His host laid aside all the severity con- 
nected with his mission, and Luther indulged in all the 
cheerfulness of his disposition. The repast was joyous, 
and when the moment of departure was come, the legate 
opened his arms to the heretical doctor, and kissed him.j| 
" A Judas kiss," thought Luther ; " I pretended not to un- 
derstand these Italian artifices," wrote he to Staupitz.^f 

Was that kiss destined to reconcile Rome and the dawn- 
ing Reformation ? Miltitz hoped so, and was delighted at 
the thought; for he had a nearer view than the Roman 
courtiers of the terrible consequences the papacy might suiFer 
from the Reformation. If Luther and his adversaries are 
silenced, thought he, the dispute will be ended ; and Rome, 

* L. Epp. i. 209. 

T Ab integro jam sseculo nullum negotium Ecclesise contigisse quod 
majorem illi solicitudinem incussisset. Pallavicini, i. 52. 

J Ego dissimulabam has crocodili lacrymas a me intelligi. L. Epp. L 
216. The crocodile is said to weep when he cannot seize his prey. 

Atque yesperi, me accepto, convivio laetati sumus. Ibid. 231. 

H Sic amice discessimus etiam cum osculo (Judse s<ilicet). Ibid. 216. 

T Has italitates. Ibid. 231. 



20 TETZEL REBUKED. 

by calling up favourable circumstances, will regain all her 
former influence. It appeared, then, that the termination 
of the contest was at hand. Eome had opened her arms, and 
the reformer 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 chamber- 
lain could not check the renewal of Christendom. 

Miltitz being of opinion that he would by this means re- 
claim the erring Lutherans, behaved most graciously to all 
of them, accepted their invitations, and sat down to table with 
the heretics ; but soon becoming inebriated (it is a pope who 
relates this),* the pontifical nuncio 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 
veritasfi gave an account in the openness of his heart of all 
the practices and disorders of the papacy.^ His companions 
smiled, urging and pressing him to continue ; everything was 
exposed ; they took notes of what he said ; and these scandals 
were afterwards made matter of public reproach against the 
Romans, at the Diet of Worms, in the presence of all Ger- 
many. Pope Paul III. complained, alleging they had put 
things in his envoy's mouth that were utterly destitute of 
foundation, and in consequence ordered his nuncios, when- 
ever they were invited out, to make a pretence of accepting 
the invitations, to behave graciously, and to be guarded jn 
their conversation. 

Miltitz, faithful to the arrangement he had just concluded, 
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 

* Ssepe perturbatos vino. Instructio data episcopo Mutinaa Pauli 
III. nuntio, 24th October 1536. The MS. was discovered by Ranke in 
a library at Rome. 

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

J Ea effutire do pontifice et Romana curia a Saxonibus inducebat ur 
Instructio, &c. 

8 Hilari quidom vultu accipere aifingant invitationee. Ibid. 



LUTHEK'S LETTER TO TUB POPE. 21 

wretched Tetzel before him, overwhelmed him with re- 
proaches, accused him of being the author of all his trouble, 
and threatened him with the pope's displeasure.* 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 nothing could alarm, bent 
under the weight of these just accusations : he fell into de- 
spair, 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.f He did not confine him- 
self 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 
consolation. But all was unavailing. Tetzel, a prey to 
remorse, terrified by the reproaches of his best friends, and 
dreading the pope's anger, died very miserably not long 
after. It was believed that grief accelerated his death.J 

Luther, in accordance with the promise he had given Mil- 
titz, wrote the following letter to the pope on the 3d March : 

" Blessed Father! May your holiness condescend to in- 
cline your paternal ear, which is that of Christ himself, 
towards your poor sheep, and listen kindly to his bleating. 
What shall I do, most holy Father? I cannot bear the 
lightnings of your anger, and I know not how to escape 
them. I am called upon to retract. I would most readily 
do so, could that lead to the desired result. But the perse- 
cutions 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 crazed. A recantation 
would only still more dishonour the Church of Rome, and 
draw from the lips of all a cry of accusation against her. 

" Verbis minisque pontificiis ita fregit hominem hactenus, terribilem 
cunctis et imperterritum stentorem. L. Opp. in Prsef. 
f Doleo Tetzelium. L. Epp. i. 223. 
Sed conscientia indignitate Papse forte occubuit. L. Opp. in Praef. 



O-> NATURE OP THE REFORMATION. 

Most holy Father ! I declare in the presence of God, and of 
all His creatures, that I have never desired, and that I shall 
never desire, to infringe, either by force or 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." * 

These words might appear strange and even reprehen- 
sible in Luther's mouth, did we not remember that he 
reached the light not suddenly, but by a slow and progres- 
sive course. They are a very important evidence, that the 
Reformation was not simply an opposition to the papacy ; it 
was not a war waged against certain forms ; nor was it the 
result of a merely negative tendency. Opposition to the pope 
was in the second 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 
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 letter in which the monk of 
"Wittemberg plainly refused to retract. But Maximilian was 
dead: men's minds were occupied with the choice of his 
successor, and in the midst of the intrigues which then agi- 
tated the pontifical city, Luther's letter was disregarded. 

The reformer made a better use of his time than his 
powerful adversary. 'Whilst Leo X. was occupied with his 
interests as a temporal prince, and was making every exer- 
tion to exclude a formidable neighbour 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 ot 
the pontiffs," wrote he to Spalatin, " and (I whisper this in 
your ear) I do not know whether the pope is Antichrist him- 
self, or his apostle,f 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 

Prater unum Jesum Christum Dominum omnium. L. Epp. i. 234. 

t Nescio an Papa sit \ntichristus ipse vol apostolus ejus. Ibid. 239. 



LUTHER AGAINST SEPARATION. 23 

Roman Church," said he in the explanation which he had 
promised Miltitz to publish, " is honoured by God above all 
others, is what we cannot doubt. Saint Peter, Saint 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 
favour. Although everything is now in a very wretched 
state there, this is not a sufficient reason 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 ac- 
count 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 
destroy charity or break the bond of union. For charity can 
do all things, and to unity nothing is difficult." * 

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 throne 
which he had usurped: the doctrines he proclaimed, the 
word of the apostles which God manifested anew in the Uni- 
versal 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 seen their prey 
escape from then- 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 
protection, and entice him into their hands. Once at Troves, 
in the states of an ecclesiastical prince, the reformer will 
L. Opp. L. xvii. 224. 



24 DE VIO AND MILTITZ AT TKEVES. 

be very skilful if he escapes without having fully satisfied 
the demands of the sovereign pontiff. They immediately 
applied themselves to the task. " Luther," said Miltitz to 
the Elector-archbishop of Treves, "has accepted 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 Vio, 
and afterwards Miltitz himself, wrote also to Frederick, in- 
forming 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 elector com- 
prehended his new position. He no longer feared the pope, 
much less his agents. The reformer, seeing Miltitz and De 
Vio united, foresaw the fate that awaited him if he com- 
plied with their invitation. " Everywhere," 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 
expense, 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 in- 
terfere in this matter, unless he was positively called upon. 
He therefore arranged with the Elector of Saxony to put 
off the inquiry until the next diet, which did not take place 
until two years after, when it assembled at Worms. 

Whilst 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 sus- 
pect. 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 

Video ubique, undique, quocumque modo, animam mcam quseri. 
L. Epp. i. 274. May 16. 



SPREAD OF LUTHER'S OPINIONS. 25 

another occasion : " The number of students increases con- 
siderably, like an overflowing 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. Fro- 
benius, a celebrated printer at Basle, had published a col- 
lection of Luther's works. It was rapidly circulated. 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 : " Luther ! thou 
art a real Luther !"f 

Erasmus was at Louvain when Luther's writings reached 
the Low Countries. The prior of the Augustines of Ant- 
werp, 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 sensation which your writings have occasioned.''^ 

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 mother-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 num- 
ber of copies to Italy, and circulated them in all the trans- 
alpine cities. It was not the love of gain that inspired this 

* Sicut aqua inundans. L. Epp. i. 278, 279. 
^ Lauterer, purifier, refiner. 

J Nullo sermone consequi queam, quas tragcedias hie excitarini tui 
libelli. Erasm. Epp. vi. 4. 
Maurorum stirpe prognatis. Pallav. i. 91. 
VOL. n. 2 



2G ILUTHER'S WTUTIKGS BEGIN THE REFORMATION. 

man of letters, but a desire of contributing to the revival of 
piety. The energy with which Luther maintained the cause 
of Christ iilled 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 
Luther, related all these joyful tidings, and added : " I have 
sold every copy, except ten; and I have never made so 
good a speculation." Other letters informed Luther of the 
joy caused by his works. " I am delighted," 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 Switzerland, 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 Roman pontiff thought to stifle the 
work in Germany, it began in France, the Low Countries, 
Italy, Spain, England, and Switzerland. What matters it, 

even should Rome cut down the parent stem! the seeds 

are already scattered over every land. 



CHAPTER II. 

Pause in Germany Eck revives the Contest Disputation between Eck 
and Carlstadt Question of the Pope Luther replies Fears of 
Luther's Friends Luther's Courage The Truth triumphs unaided 
Refusal of Duke George Gaiety of Mosellanus Fears of Erasmus. 

WHILE the combat was beginning beyond the confines of the 
empire, it appeared dying away within. The most impet- 
uous of the Roman champions, the Franciscans of Juter- 

* In his id gaudeo, quod veritas tarn barbare et indocte loquens, adoo 
placet. L. Epp. i. 255. 



ECK RENEWS THE CONTEST. 27 

bock, 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 com- 
liance. The theses were passing into oblivion. 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 re volutions." f 

Eck the scholastic, Luther's 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 lies hid under 
the priest's cassock no less than under the warrior's coat of 
mail. Eck had studied the art of 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 tournament, the schoolmen struggled 
for it in syllogistic disputations, a spectacle of frequent 
occurrence in the universities. 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 universities of Hungary, Lombardy, and Germany, 
ardently desired to have an opportunity of trying his 
strength and skill against the reformer. He had spared no 
exertion to acquire the reputation of being one of the most 

* Dominns evigilavit et stat ad judicandos populos. L. Opp. Lat- 
in Prsef. 

t Deus rapuit, pellit, ncdum ducifc me : non sum compos mei : volo 
ease quietus et rapior in mcdios tumultus. L. Epp. i. 231. 



28 DISCUSSION BETWEEN ECK AND CARLSTADT. 

learned men of the age. He was constantly endeavouring 
to excite some new discussion, to make a sensation, and 
aimed at procuring, by means of his exploits, all the enjoy- 
ments of life. A journey that he h^,d 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 Ingoldstadt 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 in- 
clined to enthusiasm, and possessed little discretion : he was 
not a man to be restrained by the skill and policy of a 
Miltitz. He had published some theses in reply to Dr. 
Eck's Obelisks, in which he defended Luther and their com- 
mon faith. Eck had answered him ; but Carlstadt did not 
let him have the last word.-j- The discussion grew warm. 
Eck, desirous of profiting by so favourable 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 accomplish His purposes. Luther had not in- 
terfered in their disputes, and yet he was destined to be the 
hero of the fight. There are men who by the force of cir- 
cumstances are always brought upon the stage. It was 
agreed that the discussion should take place at Leipsic. 

* Nihil cupiebat ardentius, quam sui specimen prsebere in solemn! dis- 
pntatione cum cemulo. Pallavicini, torn. i. 55. 
t Defensio adyersus Eckii monomachiam. 



PAPAL SUPREMACY ASSERTED. 29 

Such was the origin of that Leipsic disputation which be- 
came so famous. 

Eck cared little for disputing with and even conquering 
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,* which he pointed ex- 
pressly 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 Sylvester; and we ac- 
knowledge in every age, as the successor 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, there- 
fore, that the primacy enjoyed 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 honourably 
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, f 
It is neither Doctor Eck nor myself that will be at stake 
God's purpose will be accomplished. Thanks to Eck, this 
affair, which hitherto has been mere play, will become seri- 
ous, and 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 attention of his 
adversaries. In this he followed the dangerous example 
that Tetzel had already set.J Rome invited the blows of 
the gladiator ; and, if she left some of her members quiver- 
ing on the arena, it was because she had drawn upon her- 
self his formidable arm. 

L, Opp. (L.) xvii. 242. 

t Sed Dens iu medio deorum ; ipse novit quid ex ea tragcedia deducero 
roluerit. L. Epp. i. 230, 222. J Se Vol. I. p. 299-302. 



30 LUTHER REPLIES. 

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 Ca- 
jetan took any steps to prevent this new struggle. Did they 
imagine that the Reformation would be vanquished, or were 
they struck with that blindness which often hurries along 
the mighty to their destruction ? 

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 contemptible decretals 
of Roman pontiffs, composed within the last four centuries, 
that they would prove the primacy of the Church of Rome ; 
but this primacy is opposed 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." * 

" God knows," wrote he at the same time to the elector, 
" 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 com- 
missary, that I have not replied to Sylvester Prierio, not- 
withstanding the insults of my adversaries, and the advice 
of my friends. But now Doctor Eck attacks me, and not 
only me, but the university of "Wittemberg also. I cannot 
suffer the truth to be thus covered with opprobrium." -j- 

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." | Then address- 
ing 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! If I 

L. Opp. L. xvii. 245. + L. Epp. i. 237. 

J Gaudens et ridens posthabeo istorum mea seria ludo. Ibid. 251. 
Esto vir fortis et accingere gladio tuo super femur tuum, potcn- 
Ussime ! Ibid. 



ALARM OF LUTHER'S FRJENUS. 31 

could not please thee as mediator, perhaps I shall please 
thee better as antagonist. Not that I imagine I can van- 
quish thce ; 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 oi 
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 ot 
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 courtiers 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 encouraging his friends : " I entreat you, 
my dear Spalatin," said he, " do not give way to fear. 
You well know that if Christ had not been on my side, all 
that I have hitherto done must have been my ruin. Quite 
recently has not the Duke of Pomerania's chancellor re- 
ceived news from Italy, that I had turned Rome topsy- 
turvy, 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 publish 
against Babylon, if I were elsewhere. my poor Spalatin, 
it is impossible to speak with truth of the Scriptures and of 
the Church without arousing the beast. Never expect to 

* Ac si Toies semper Augustus saluteris in aeternum. L. Epp. i. 261. 
t Vol. I. pp. 73, 226. 



52 TRUTH TRIUMPHS UNAIDED. 

see me free from danger, unless I abandon the teach- 
ing 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 disciples. 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 assured that an effigy of Martin Luther 
was publicly burnt in the Campo di Fiore at Rome, after 
being loaded with execrations. I await their furious rage.-j- 
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 !" J 

Luther wrote letter upon letter to Duke George, begging 
this prince, in whose states Leipsic was situated, to give 
him permission to go and take part in the disputation ; 
but he received no answer. The grandson of the Bohemian 
king, alarmed by Lnther'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 pub- 
lish an explanation of the 13th 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. 

* Ea sola sit veritas, quas salvet se dextora sua, non mca, non tua, non 
ullius hominis. L. Epp. i. 261. 

J- Expecio furorem illorum. Ibid. 280. May 30, 1519. 

J Totus orbis nutat et movetur, tarn corpore quam anima. Ibid. 

Ternis literis, a duco Georgio non potui cerium obtinere responsum. 
Ibid. 282. 

II Ita ut non disputator, sed spectator futurus Lipsiam ingrederer. L, 
Opp. in Prsef. 



DUKE GEORGE'S REFUSAL. 33 

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 t^iink 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 Frederick's language, ordered that 
the disputation should take place.* 

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 expose to 
such hazard the hard-earned fruits of many centuries. 
All the Leipsic theologians felt no less alarm, and en- 
treated their bishop to prevent the discussion. Upon this, 
Adolphus made the most energetic representations 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 doctrines, it would be better to employ 
the money spent on them in maintaining old women and 
children, who at least could spin while they were sing- 
ing."f 

This letter had but little effect on the bishop and hia 
theologians. There is a secret consciousness in error that 
makes it shrink from examination, even when talking 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 "Wittemberg was an object of 
jealousy to the university of Leipsic. The monks and 
priests of the latter city begged and entreated their flocks 
from the pulpit to flee from the new heretics. They vilified 
Luther ; they depicted him and his friends in the blackest 
colours, in order to excite the ignorant classes against the 

* Principis nostfi verbo firmatus. L. Epp. i. 255. 
t Schcinder, Lips. Chr. iv. 168. 
2* 



34 MOSELLANTJS AND ERASMUS. 

doctors of the Reformation.* Tetzel, who was still living, 
awoke to cry out from the depth of his retreat : " It is tho 
devil who urges them to this contest." } 

All the. Leipsic professors did not, however, entertain 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 
Aristophanic 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."J 

The timid Erasmus, on the contrary, was alarmed at the 
very idea of a combat, and his prudence would have pre- 
vented the discussion. " If you would take Erasmus's word," 
wrote he to Melancthon, " you would labour rather in 
cultivating literature than in disputing with its enemies. 
I think that we should make greater progress by this 
means. Above all, let us never forget that we ought 
to conquer not only by our eloquence, but also by mild- 
ness and moderation." Neither the alarm of the priests nor 
the discretion of the pacificators could any longer prevent 
the combat. Each man got his arms ready. 

Theologi interim me proscindunt populum Lipsise inclamant. L. 

Epp. i. 255. 

+ Das wait der Teufel. Ibid. J Seckend. p. 201. 

Malim to plus operaa sumere in asserendis bonis literis, quam in 
soctaudis harum bostibus. Corpus Reformatorum, edit. Bretschneidor 
i. 78, April 22, 1519. 



ARRIVAL OF THE DISPUTANTS. 35 



CHAPTER III. 

Arrival of Eck and of the Wittembergers Amsdorff The Students. 
Carlstadt's Accident Placard Eck and Luther The Pleissenburg 
Judges proposed Luther objects He consents at last. 

WHILE the electors were meeting at Frankfort to choose an 
emperor (June 1519), the theologians assembled at Leipsic 
for an act unnoticed by the world at large, but whose im- 
portance 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 account of the dispu- 
tation. 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, 24th June), 
which was the feast of Saint John, the Wittembergers ar- 
rived. Carlstadt, who was to contend with Doctor Eck, sat 
alone in his carriage, and preceded all the rest. Duke Bar- 
nim of Pomerania, who was then studying at 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 disgraceful conduct of the papal theologians. 
Be firm, and abide with us!" Luther himself had wished 
that his Achates, as he called him, should accompany him. 

* Martiuus. Domini miles, bane camarinam movit. Corp. Rcf. L &L 



36 AMSDOKFF A BAD OMEN. 

John Lange ; vicar of the Augustines, many doctors in law, 
several masters of arts, two licentiates in theology, 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 indulgences 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, 
Amsdorff 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 sometimes 
spoke to them with a freedom bordering on rudeness. " 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 surrounded the car- 
riages of the doctors, ready to defend them, and proud of 
their cause. 

Such was the order in which the cortege of the reformers 
arrived in Leipsic. They had already entered by the Grimrna 
gate, and advanced as far as St. Paul's cemetery, when one 
of the wheels of Carlstadt's carriage gave way. The arch- 
deacon, 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 assembled to witness the entry of the Wittemberg 
champions, looked upon this accident as an evil omen to 
Carlstadt : and erelong the whole city was of opinion that 

* Nee cum carne et sanguine diu contulit, sed statim palam ad olio* 
fidei coufessionem constanter edidit. M. Adami Vita Amsdorff. 
i- Weismann, Hist. Eccl. i. 1444. 



ECE. AND LUTHER. 37 

lie 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 ex- 
communication. Duke George, astonished at this auda- 
city, commanded the town-council to tear down the pla- 
cards, and committed to prison the bold agent who had ven- 
tured 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 Dresden Luther had passed 
a remarkable evening.}: George made the customary presents 
to the respective combatants. " 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 aboul 
meeting Carlstadt. It was on your account I came here." || 
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 endeavoured 
to remove his fears. He represented to him that he was 
certain of victory, and that the papal authority, far from 
suffering in the dispute, would come forth covered with 
glory. The ringleader must be attacked : if Luther remains 

" Seb. Froschel vom Priesterthum. Wittemb. 1585. In the Preface. 
t L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 245. 

t See Vol. I. p. 228. Seckend. p. 190. 

H Si tecum non licet disputare, neque cum Carlstatio volo ; propter 
te enira hue ycni. (L. Opp. in Prsef.) 



38 QUESTION OF JUDGES. 

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

The duke had caused a large hall to be prepared in his 
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 piilpits and 
benches were covered with handsome hangings. Over the 
pulpit of the Wittemberg doctor was suspended the por- 
trait of Saint Martin, whose name he bore; over that 
of Doctor Eck, a representation of Saint George the cham- 
pion. " We shall see," said the presumptuous Eck, as 
he looked at this emblem, " whether I shall not ride over 
my enemies." Every thing announced the importance that 
was attached to this contest. 

On the 25th June, both parties met at the palace to 
hear the regulations that were to be observed during the 
disputation. Eck, who had more confidence 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 
should be reported, published, and submitted to the judg- 
ment of all men." 

ECK. " To take down every thing that is said is di- 
spiriting to the combatants, and prolongs the battle. There 
is an end to that animation which such a discussion re- 
quires. Do not check the flow of eloquence."* 

The friends of Doctor Eck supported his proposition, but 
Carlstadt persisted in his objections. The champion of 
Rome 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 submitted 
to the examination of chosen judges." 

LUTHER. " Does then the truth of Doctor Eck and his 1 
followers dread the light?" 

ECK. " We must have judges." 

LUTHER. " What judges ?" 

Melancth. Opp. i. 139. Koethe's edition. 



LUTHER'S OPPOSITION. 39 

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 im- 
partial arbitrators. 

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

They separated. " See what artifices they employ," said 
Luther and his friends one to another. " They desire 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 commissioned to 

propose that their judge should be the pope ! " The 

pope !" said Luther ; " how can I possibly agree to this ?" 

" Beware," exclaimed all his friends, " of acceding to con- 
ditions 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 discussion !"-}- 

Again the parties separated, and this matter was a gene- 
ral topic of conversation throughout the city. "Luther," 
everywhere exclaimed the Romanists, " Luther will not 

* Aiebat, ad universes mortales pertinere judicium, hoc est ad tribunal 
cujus colligendis calculis nulla urna satis capax. Pallavicini, i. 55. 
L. Ooo. (L.) xvii. 245. 



40 OPENING OF THE DISPUTATION. 

dispute! He will not acknowledge any judge!" His 

words were commented on and misrepresented, and his ad* 
versaries endeavoured to place them in the most unfavour- 
able light. " What ! does he really decline 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. " Your refusal will bring ever- 
lasting disgrace on your university and on your cause." 
This was attacking Luther on his weakest side. " Well, 
then!" replied he, his heart overflowing with indignation, 
" I accept the conditions imposed upon me ; but I reserve 
the right of appeal, and except against the court of Rome.* 



CHAPTER IV. 

Opening of the Disputation Speech of Mosellanus Veni, Sancte Spiri- 
tus Portraits of Luther and Carlstadt Doctor Eck Carlstadt'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 Clamour of the Spectators 
Melancthon during the Disputation His Opinion Eck's Manoeuvres 
Luther Preaches Citizens of Leipsic Quarrels between the Stu- 
dents and Doctors. 

THE 27th of June was the day appointed for the opening oi 
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 Saint 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 composed of 
seventy-six citizens, armed with halberds, accompanied 
the train, with banners flying and to the sound of martial 
music. It halted at the castle-gates. 

L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 245. 



THE OPENING HYMN. 41 

'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 Pomer- 
ania, occupied the scats assigned them. 

Mosellanus ascended the pulpit to remind the theologi- 
ans, by the duke's order, in what manner they were to 
dispute. "If you fall to quarrelling," said the speaker, 
" what difference will there be between a theologian in dis- 
cussion 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 me that 

each of you should desire less to conquer than to be 
conquered!"* 

When this address was terminated, sacred music re- 
sounded through the halls of the Pleissenburg ; all the 
assembly knelt down, and the ancient hymn of invocation 
to the Holy Ghost, Veni, 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 
doctrine and the champions of the new; the churchmen 
of the Middle Ages and those who sought to restore the 
church 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 pronounced by one 
heart. 

These were the last moments of outward of dead unity : 
a new unity of spirit and of life was about to begin. The 
Holy Ghost was invoked upon the Church, and was prepar- 
ing to answer and to renovate Christendom. 

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 
Seckend. p. 209. t Come, Holy Spirit. 



42 LUTHER, CAKLSTADT, AND ECK. 

returned to the castle. The great hall was filled with spec- 
tators. 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 con- 
sequence 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 the Word 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 nothing harsh or austere 
about him ; he can accommodate himself to every one ; 
his manner of speaking is agreeable and unembarrassed. He 
displays firmness, and has always a cheerful air, what- 
ever may be his adversaries' threats ; so that it is difficult 
to believe that he could undertake such great things without 
the Divine protection. He is blamed, however, for being more 
caustic, when reproving others, than becomes a theologian, 
particularly when putting forward novelties in religion. 

" Carlstadt is of shorter stature ; his complexion is dark 
and sun-burnt, his voice unpleasing, his memory less trust- 
worthy 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 

* Seine Gelehrsamkeit aber und Verstand in bciliger Schrift ist un- 
rergleichlich, so dass er fast alles im Griff hat. Mosellanus in Scck~ 
md. p. 206. 



CAELSTADT'S BOOKS. 43 

countenance give you the idea of a soldier or a butcher 
rather than of a divine.* He has an excellent memory, 
and if he had only as much understanding, he would be 
really a perfect man. But he is slow of comprehension, 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 into another; he sometimes even takes up 
his adversary's opinion, clothing it in other words, and with 
extraordinary skill attributes to his opponent the absurdity 
he had been himself defending." 

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

The dispute began between Eck and Carlstadt. 

Eck's eyes were fixed for a moment on certain objects 
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 sud- 
denly, " 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," f said Luther. " Did not Augustine consult his 
books when arguing with the Manicheans?" What did 
that matter? Eck's partisans raised a great clamour. The 
other side did the same. " The man has no memory," said 
Eck. At last it was arranged, according to the wish of the 
Chancellor of Ingolstadt, that each should rely upon his 
memory and his tongue only. " Thus then," said many, 
M the object of this disputation will not be to discover the 

* Das Maul, Augen und ganze Gesicht, presentirt ehe einen Fleischer 
oder Soldaten, als einen Theologtim. Mosellanus in Seckend. 206. 

f- Praetexit tamen et hie Adam ille folium fici pulcherrimum. L. 
Epp. i. 294. 



44 MERIT OF CONGRUITY. 

truth, but what praise is to be conferred on the longue and 
the memory of the disputants." 

As we are unable to give the details of this discussion, 
which lasted seventeen days, we shall, as an historian ex- 
presses it, imitate the painters, who, when Ihoy have to re- 
present a battle, set the most memorable actions in the fore- 
ground, and leave the others in the distance.* 

The subject of discussion between Eck and Carlstadt was 
important. " Man's will, before his conversion," said Carl- 
stadt, " 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 accomplishing." This 
truth had been proclaimed by Scripture, which says : It is 
God which worJceth in you both to will and to do of his good 
pleasure;-^ and by Saint 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 Al- 
mighty of all that can render it good, even should it origi- 
nate in the best of human motives. Now there is hi 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 
effected by the Divine will. 

This is the whole question of free will so simple, and 
yet so decried by the world. Such had been the doctrine 
of the Church. But the schoolmen had so explained it that 
it was not recognisable. Undoubtedly (said they) the natu- 
ral will of man can do nothing really pleasing to God; 
but it can do much towards rendering men meet to re- 
ceive the grace of God, and more worthy to obtain it. 
They called these preparations a merit of congruity : J 
" because it is congruous" said Thomas Aquinas, " that 
God should treat with particular favour 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) 

* Pallavicini, i. 65. f Philippians ii. 13. 

J Meritum congruum. 



NATURAL POWERS SCHOLASTIC DIST1NCT:ON. 45 

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 obstacle is removed (and it was tkis, in their 
opinion, that the grace of God had to effect) the action of 
these powers begins again. The bird, to use one of their 
favourite 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.* 

Such was the question agitated between Eck and Carl- 
stadt. At first Eck had appeared to oppose all Carlstadt's 
propositions on this subject ; but finding his position unten- 
able, he said : " I grant that the will has not the power of 
doing a good work, and that it receives this power from 
God." " Do you acknowledge then," asked Carlstadt, over- 
joyed at obtaining so important a concession, " 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 co-operation of the 
plant." -{- Most certainly it has never yet been maintained 
that an apple is produced solely by the sun. 

"Well then, said the opponents, plunging deeper into this im- 
portant and delicate question of philosophy and religion, let 
us inquire how God acts upon man, and how man conducts 
himself under this action. " I acknowledge," said Eck, 
" that the first impulse in man's conversion proceeds from 
God, and that the will of man in this instance is entirely 
passive.":}: Thus far the two parties were agreed. " I 
acknowledge," said Carlstadt, " that after this first impulse. 

Planck, i. 176. 

f Quanquam totum opus Dei sit, non tamen totaliier a Deo esse, quem- 
admodum totum pomum efficitur a sole, sed non a sole totaliter et sine 
plantse efficentia. Pallavicini, i. 58. 

+ Motionem seu inspirationem prevenientem esse a solo Deo ; et ibj 
libemm arbitrium habet se passive. 



46 POINT OF DIVERGENCE. 

which proceeds from God, something must come on the 
part of man, something that St. Paul denominates will, 
and which the fathers entitle consent" 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 Carls tad t; 
" God must entirely create this will in man." f Upon this 
Eck manifested anger and astonishment at hearing words 
so fitted to make man sensible of his nothingness. " 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 (according to us) 
man possesses, does not sufficiently distinguish him from a 
log or a stone ?" " But," said their antagonist, " by deny- 
ing 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." J 

The great doctrine of free will 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 liberty of a moral agent 
consists in his power of acting conformably to his choice. 
Every action performed without external constraint, and in 
consequence of the determination of the soul itself, is a free 
action. The soul is determined by motives ; but we conti- 
nually observe the same motives acting differently on dif- 
ferent minds. Many men do not act in conformity with the 
motives of which, however, they acknowledge the full force. 
This inefficacy of motives proceeds from the obstacles op- 
posed to them by the corruption of the understanding, and 
of the heart. But God, by giving man a new heart and a 

* Partim a Deo, partim a libero arbitrio. 

t Consontit homo, sed consensus est donum Dei. Consentire non eat 
ftgore. J Ut serra in manu hominis trahentis. 



CARLSTADT'S NOTES MELANCTHON. 47 

new spirit, removes these obstacles ; and by removing them, 
far from depriving him of his liberty, He takes away, on 
the contrary, everything that prevented him from acting 
freely, from listening to the voice of his conscience, and, in the 
words of the Gospel, makes him free indeed. (John viii. 36). 

A trivial circumstance interrupted the discussion. We 
learn from Eck,* that Carlstadt had prepared a number of 
arguments ; and, like many public speakers of our own day, 
he was reading what he had written. Eck saw in this the 
tactics of a mere learner, and objected to it. Carlstadt, em- 
barrassed, and fearing that he should break down if he were 
deprived of his papers, persisted. " Ah !" exclaimed the 
schoolman, proud of the 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 disputants should speak extempore. 

This first part of the disputation was often interrupted by 
the noise of the spectators. They were in commotion, and 
frequently raised their voices. Any proposition that offended 
the ears of the majority immediately excited their clamours, 
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 neighbour. 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 Melancthon," wrote a Swiss theolo- 
gian who studied at Wittemberg,f " you would say he was 
a mere boy ; but in understanding, learning, and talent, he 
is a giant, and I cannot comprehend how such heights of 
wisdom and genius can be found in so small a body." Be 
tween the sittings, Melancthon conversed with Carlstadt and 
Luther. He aided them in preparing for the combat, and 
suggested the arguments with which his extensive learning 

Seckendorf, p. 192. 

t John Kessler, afterwards the reformer of Saint Gall. 



48 MELANCTHON'S SENTIMENTS. 

furnished him ; but during the discussion he remained quietly 
seated among the spectators, and carefully listened to the 
words of the theologians.* 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 Chan- 
cellor of Ingolstadt, the young professor whispered a word, 
or slipped him a piece of paper, on which the answer was 
written. Eck having perceived this on one occasion, and feel- 
ing indignant 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 afterwards 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 penetrates 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." J 

Each party claimed the victory. Eck strained every nerve 
to appear the conqueror. As the points of divergence almost 
touched each other, he frequently exclaimed that he had con- 
vinced his opponent ; or else, like another Proteus (said Lu- 
ther), 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 
occasions did not reply to his adversary's objections until the 

* LipsicaB pugnse otiosus spectator in reliquo vulgo sedi. Corp. Ref. i. 
ill. 

f Tace tu, Philippe, ac tua studia cura, nee me perturba. Ibid. i. 14S 
3 Melancth. Opp. p. 134. 



ECK'S MANOEUVRES LUTHER'S SERMON. 49 

next day. Eck, on the contrary, was a master in his science, 
and found whatever he required at the very instant. He en- 
tered the hall with a disdainful air ; ascended 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 argument, and bewildered his 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 de- 
vices ; " but (said Luther) I seriously believe that their 
laughter 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 four days after the opening of the conference, 
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 cheerfully con- 
sented. 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 Saint Peter. What 
Luther ordinarily maintained before an audience composed of 
men of learning, 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 fjom 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 succession he went into the pulpit to cry 
down Luther and his sermon. Luther's friends were in- 
dignant at this. They demanded that the "Wittemberg 
divine should be heard in his turn. But it was all in vain. 

* Relictis signis desertorem exercitus et transfugam factum. L. Opp. i 
295. 

VOL. " 3 



50 CITIZENS OF LEIPSIC. 

The pulpits were open to the adversaries of the evangelical 
doctrine; they were closed against those who proclaimed 
it. " I was silent," said Luther, " and was forced to suffer 
myself to 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 attempting 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 endeavoured 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, entertaining them 
with a description of the costly banquets to which he had 
been invited in Germany and Italy, sneering at Luther who 
had imprudently rushed upon his invincible sword, slow r ly 
quaffing the beer of Saxony the better to compare it with that 
of Bavaria, and casting amorous glances (he boasts of it him- 
self) on the frail fair ones of Leipsic. His manners, which were 
rather free, did not give a favourable idea of his morals.-|- 
They were satisfied with offering Luther the wine usually 
presented to the disputants. Those who were favourably 
disposed towards him, concealed their feelings from the 
public ; many, like Nicodemus of old, visited him stealthily 
and by night. Two men alone honourably distinguished 
themselves 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 
taverns between the students of Leipsic and those of Wit- 
temberg. It was generally reported, even in the meetings 
of the clergy, that Luther carried a devil about with him 
shut up in a little box. " I don't know whether the devil 

* Mich yerklagen, schelten und schmzchen. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 247. 
+ Eck to Haven and Bourkaro, 1st July 1519. Walch. XT. 1456. 



QUARRELS BETWEEN DOCTORS AND STUDENTS. 51 

is in the box or merely under his frock," said Eck insidi- 
ously ; " but he is certainly in one or the other." 

Several doctors of the two parties had lodgings during 
the disputation in the house of the printer Herbipolis. 
They became so outrageous, that their host was compelled 
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 Baumgartner, an indulgence-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 circumstance.* 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 drawing-room and in the streets. 

Duke George, although strongly biassed in Eck's favour, 
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 complain that they have not been able to repeat 
a single pater-noster for four days together." 



CHAPTER V. 

The Hierarchy and Rationalism Tho Two Peasants' Sons Eck and 
Luther begin The Head of the Church Primacy of Rome Equality 
of Bishops Peter the Foundation-stone Christ the Corner-stone 
Eck insinuates that Luther is a Hussite Luther on the Doctrine of 
Huss Agitation among the Hearers The Word alone The Court- 
*ool Luther at Mass Saying of the Duke Purgatory Close of tho 
Discussion. 

ON the 4th of July the discussion between Eck and Luther 
commenced. Everything seemed to promise that it would 
" Loscher, iii. 278. 



52 THE TWO PEASANTS' SONS. 

be more violent, more decisive, and more interesting 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 
favour of one or the other. The general expectation was 
aroused, for the papal primacy was to he the subject of dis- 
cussion. Christianity has two great adversaries : hierarchism 
and rationalism. Rationalism, in its application to the doc- 
trine of man's ability, had been attacked by the reformers in 
the previous part of the Leipsic disputation. Hierarchism, con- 
sidered in what is at once its summit and its base, the doc- 
trine 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 ad- 
vanced Luther, who seemed destined to reap persecution and 
ignominy from this struggle, but who still presented himseli 
with a good conscience, a firm resolution to sacrifice every- 
thing in the cause of truth, and an assurance grounded in 
faith in God, and in the deliverance He grants to all who 
trust in Him. New convictions had sunk deep into his soul; 
they were 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 com- 
batants, both sons of peasants, and the representatives of the 
two tendencies that still divide Christendom, 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 Avere 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 

* Faoiebat hoc Eccius quia certain sibi gloriam propositam cernebat, 
propter propositionem meam, in qua negabam Papam ease jure divine 
caput Ecclcsia; : hie patuit ei campus magnus. L. Opp. in Praef. 



ECK AND LUTHEK BEGIN. 53 

respect I bear to the sovereign pontiff would have prevented 
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 5rst 
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 cometh 
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 concern of 
mine." 

ECK. " If the Church militant has never been without a 
head, I should like to know who it can be, if not the Roman 
pontiff?" 

LUTHER. " The head of the Church militant is Christ 
himself, and not a man. I believe this on the testimony of 
God's Word. He must reign, says Scripture, till he hath put 
all enemies under his feet.\ Let us not listen to those who 
banish Christ to the Church triumphant in heaven. His 
kingdom is a kingdom cf faith. We cannot see our Head, 
and yet we have one."J 

ECK, who did not consider himself beaten, had recourse to 
other arguments, and resumed : 

" It is from Rome, according to Saint Cyprian, that sacer- 
dotal unity has proceeded." 

" Nam quod monstrum esset, Ecclesiam esse acephalam ! L. Opp. 
u,at. i. 243. f 1 Corinthians xv. 25. 

J Prorsus audiendi non sunt qui Christum extra Ecclesiam militantem 
tendunt in triumphantem, cum sit regnum fidei. Caput nostrum noD 
videmus ; tamen habemus. L. Opp. Lat. i. p. 243. 

Unde sacerdo tails unitas exorta est. Ibid. 



54 PRIMACY OF ROME. 

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."* 

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

LUTHER. " Given : that is to say, if all the rest of 
believers 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 recognising as first and 
supreme pontiff either the Bishop of Rome, or of Paris, or of 
Magdeburg, we should acknowledge him as such from the 
r espect due to this general 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?" 

Luther was at that time prepared to acknowledge the pope 
as chief magistrate of the Church, freely elected by it ; but 
he denied that he was pope of Divine right. It was not till 
much later that he denied that submission was in any w^y 
due to him : and this step he was led to take by the Leipsic 
disputation. But Eck had ventured on ground better known 
to Luther than to himself. 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 ah 1 the by 
standers were struck with his superiority over his rival. 

" That the opinions I set forth are those of Saint Jerome," 

* Haec cst matrix proprie omnium ecclesiarum. L. Opp. Lat. i. 244. 

f- Cui si non. exsors qusedam et ab omnibus eminens detur potestas. 
Ibid. 243. 

t Detur, inquit hoc ost jure humane, posset fieri, consentientibus cseteritf 
omnibus fidelibus. Ibid. 244. 



EQUALITY OF BISHOPS. 55 

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 same priesthood.* 
The power of riches, the humiliation of poverty, are the only 
things that make a difference in 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 called 
prince of the pontiffs, nor sovereign pontiff, nor by any other 
name of that kind ; but only bishop of the first see.' If the 
monarchy of the Bishop of Rome was of Divine right," con- 
tinued Luther, " would not this be an heretical injunction ?" 

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

" The bishop of Rome, if you will have it so, is not uni- 
versal bishop, but bishop of the universal Church." J 

LUTHER. " I shall make no reply to this : let our hearers 
form their own opinion of it." " Certainly," added he direct- 
ly, " this is an explanation very worthy of a theologian, 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 uni- 
versal Church !" . 

ECK. " Well then, I will come to the point. The 
worthy 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 rock (that is to say, on Peter] 

" Ejusdem meriti et ejusdem sacerdotii est. L. Opp. Lat. i. 244. 
f Primus inter pares. 

Noii episcopus universalis, sed universalis Ecclesias episcopus. 
Ibid. 246. 
Ego glorior ire tot expensis non frustra. L, Epp i. 299. 



56 THE FOUNDATION-STOXE. 

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 for- 
mer exposition." 

LUTHER. " If the reverend doctor desires to attack me, 
let him first reconcile these contradictions in Saint Augus- 
tine. 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;* for it is written: Other foundation can no 
man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.-^- Peter 
himself terms Christ the chief corner-stone, and a living 
stont on which we are built up a spiritual house." | 

ECK. " I am surprised at the humility and modesty 
with which the reverend doctor undertakes to oppose, alone, 
so many illustrious Fathers, and pretends to know more 
than the sovereign pontiffs, the councils, the doctors, and 

the universities! 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 Aug- 
ustine and Saint Ambrose, both most excellent doctors, teach 
as I teach. Super isto articulo fidei, fundata est Ecclesia, 
says Saint Ambrose, when explaining what is 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 dig- 
cuss like a true doctor." 

Eck had no idea that his opponent's learning was so ex- 
tensive, and that he would be able to extricate himself from 
the toils that were drawn around him. " The reverend doc- 
tor," said he, " has come well armed into the lists. I beg 

* Resistam eis ego unus, auctoritate apostoli, id est, divino jure. L. 
Opp. Lat. i. 137. 

+ 1 Corinthians iii. 11. J 1 Peter ii. 4, 5, G. 

The Church is founded on that article of faith. L. Opp. Lat. i. 254. 



KCK'S INSINUATION. 57 

your lordships to excuse me, if I do not exhibit such accu- 
racy of research. I came here to discuss, and not to maka 
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 antagon- 
ist, must at least embarrass him greatly. If the accusation 
of being Bohemian, a heretic, a Hussite, can be fixed upon 
Luther, he is vanquished ; for the Bohemians were objects 
of abhorrence in the Church. The scene of combat was not 
far from the frontiers of Bohemia ; Saxony, after the sentence 
pronounced on John Huss by the Council of Constance, 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 terrible blow on the former. It is to this stratagem 
that the Ingolstadt doctor now 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 confess, how- 
ever, that the Bohemians, while they obstinately 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 conclusions are in every way 
favourable to these errors. It is even asserted that tho 
Hussites are loudly boasting of it."* 

Eck had calculated well : his partisans received this per- 
fidious insinuation with the greatest favour. 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 separated 
* Et, ut fama est, de hoc plurimum gratulantur. L. Opp. Lat. i. 250. 
3* 



58 LUTHER IN BEHALF OF HUSS. 

from our unity, they have done wrong, even if the Divine 
right had pronounced in favour of their doctrines ; for the 
supreme Divine right is charity and oneness of mind."* 

It was during the morning sitting of the 5th of July that 
Luther had made use of this language. The meeting 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 con- 
demned John Huss, or shall he deny that sublime idea of a 
universal Christian Church which had taken full possession 
of his mind ? The unshaken Luther did not hesitate. He 
will do his duty, Avhatever may be the consequences. Ac- 
cordingly when the assembly met again at two in the after- 
noon, 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 Christian. 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 su- 
perior to all others.' It is of little consequence to me whether 

these things were said by "Wickliffe 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 assem- 
bly 1 An almost general murmur ran round the hall. Duke 
George himself felt alarmed. He fancied he saw that ban- 
ner of civil war upraised in Saxony which had for so many 
years desolated the states of his maternal ancestors. Un- 
able to suppress his emotion, he placed his hands on his 
hips, shook his head, and exclaimed aloud, so that all the 
assembly heard him, " He is carried away by rage l"f 
The whole meeting was agitated : they rose up, each man 

* Nunquam mihi placuit, nee in seternum placebit quodcunque 

schisma Cum supremnm jus divinunr. sit charitas et unitas spiritua. 

L. Opp. Lat. i. 250. 

+ I>as wait die Suclit 



THE GREEK. CHURCH WOT HERETICAL. 59 

speaking to his neighbour. Those who had given way to 
drowsiness awoke. Luther's friends were in great perplexity ; 
while his enemies exulted. Many who had thus far listened 
to him with pleasure began to entertain doubts of his ortho- 
doxy. 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.* 

Luther did not suffer himself to be intimidated by these 
murmurs. One of his principal arguments was, that the 
Greeks had never recognised the pope, and yet they had 
never been declared heretics; that the Greek Church had 
existed, still existed, and would exist, without the pope, and 
that it as much belonged to Christ as the Church of Eome 
did. Eck, on the contrary, impudently 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!" exclaimed Luther, "are not Gregory 
of Nazianzum, 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 Dimne.\ 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 spe- 
cious air 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 here- 
tics ; so that the odour of sanctity in the one prevents ua 
from smelling the poison of the others." \ 

* Nam adhuc erat Dux Georgius mihi non inimicus, quod sciebam certo. 
L. Opp. in Pracf. 

f- Nee potest fidelis Christianus cogi ultra sacram Scripturam, qu.T est 
proprie jus divinum. L. Opp. Lat. i. 252. 

J At Rev. Pater, artis coquinarice minus instructus, commiscet sanctos 
Grsccos cum schismaticis et hsereticis, ut fuco sanctitatis Patrum haereii- 
corum tueatur pcriidiam. Ibid. 



60 THE WORD ALONE THE COURT-FOOL. 

LUTHER, interrupting EcJc with warmth. " The worthy 
doctor is becoming abusive. Iii 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 indulgence- 
nawkers 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, declaring that no council could 
lay down a new article of faith, and claim to be infallible. 
Thus had all human authorities 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 remained but the everlasting rock of the 
Word of God. " Reverend father," said Eck, " if you believe 
that 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 doctors. 
The assembly listened with earnestness ; but their attention 
sometimes flagged, and the bystanders were delighted when 
any incident occurred to amuse and excite 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 maintains 
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 In- 
golstadt, who was not above indulging 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 tem- 
per, overwhelmed the doctor with abuse. The whole assem- 
bly (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 
L. Opp. (W ) XT. 14402 Loscher, iii. 281. 



LUTHER AT MASS THE DUKE's SAVING. 61 

from the convents attached to the pope's interest that the 
loudest clamours proceeded. One Sunday, the "Wittemberg 
doctor entered the Dominican church before high mass 
There were present only a few monks repeating low mas* 
at the smaller altars. As soon as it was known in thf 
cloister that the heretic Luther was in the church, tlv 
monks ran in hastily, snatched up the remonstrance, anr 
carrying it to the tabernacle,* there shut it up carefully, 
watching over it lest the host should be profaned by tha 
heretical eyes of the "Wittemberg Augustine. 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 an historian, Satan had 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. However 
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 human or by Divine right, nevertheless, he is pope."-J- 
Luther was much pleased at these words. " The prince," 
said he, "would never have made use of them, had he not 
been struck by my arguments." 

The discussion on the papal primacy had lasted five 
days. On the 8th of July, they proceeded to the doctrine 
of Purgatory. This spread over a little more than two 

* The tabernacle is an octagonal shaped case, standing in the centre of 
the altar, and made of polished brass, marble, silver, gold, or at least gilded 
wood. Its size varies from eighteen inches to four feet in height, and 
from one foot to three in diameter. In it are deposited the pix, contain- 
ing the large consecrated wafer intended to be exhibited for the adoration 
of worshippers, and the ciborium, in which are the small ones prepared 
for the communicants. The remonstrance is a highly ornamented stand 
with a circular opening to receive the larger wafer used in the elevation 
of the host. 

+ Ita ut ipse dux Georgius inter prandendum, ad Eccium et me dicat : 
" Sivo sit jure humano, sive sit jure divino, papa ; ipse est papa." L, 
Opp. in Prsef. 



62 PURGATORY END OF THE DISPUTATION. 

days. Luther still admitted this doctrine ; but denied 
that it was taught in Scripture or HI 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 skimmed 
over Scripture almost without touching it as a spider runs 
upon water." 

On the llth of July they came to Indulgences. " It 
was a mere joke," said Luther ; " the dispute was ridicul- 
ous. The indulgences fell outright, and Eck was nearly of 
my opinion."* Eck himself said : " If I had not disputed 
with Doctor Martin on the papal supremacy, I should almost 
have agreed with him."f 

The discussion next turned on Repentance, Absolution ol 
the Priest, and Satisfactions. Eck, according to his usual 
practice, quoted the scholastic doctors, the Dominicans, 
and the pope's canons. Luther closed the disputation 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 recommend to our judges." J 

Here ended the dispute between Eck and Luther. Carl- 
stadt and the Ingolstadt doctor kept up the discussion 
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 music was 
heard, and the solemnity was concluded by singing the Te 
Deum. 

But during the chanting of this solemn thanksgiving, 
men's minds were no longer as they 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. 

" L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 246. 

f So wollt er fast einig mit mir gewest seyn. Ibid. 

J Videtur fugere a facie Scripturarum, sicut diabolus cmcem. Quarc, 
salvis reverentiis Patrum, prsefero ego auctoritatem Scripturae, quod 
commendo judicibus futuiis. L. Opp. Lat. i. 291. 



INTEREST FELT BY THE LAITY. 



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 Cruciger Me- 
lancthon's Call Lather's Emancipation. 

THESE theological disputes, to which the men of the world 
would now be unwilling to consecrate a few brief mo- 
ments, had been followed and listened to for twenty suc- 
cessive 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 eyewitness 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 feelings. " At 
Leipsic," said Luther, " there was great loss of time, but 
no seeking after truth. We have been examining 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 ;{ but he made more noise in one 
hour than we have in two long years." 

In his private letters to his friends, Eck confessed his 

* Ad exitum certaminis, uti solet, nulla prodiit decisio. Pallavicini, 
i. 65. 

f Totam istam conclus'onum cohortem multo acrius et yalidius nostri 

Wittembergenses oppugnaverunt et ita examinaverunt nt ossa eorum 

nnmerare h'cuerit, quas Eccius yix in facie cutis leviter perstrinxit. L. 
Epp. i. 291. 



64 ECK'S BOASTING. 

defeat on certain points ; but he had abundant reasons 
to account 'for it. " The Wittembergers," wrote he to 
Hoehstraten on the 24th July, "conquered me on several 
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 licentiates, Amsdorff, 
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 companion." Eck forgot Emser, and the bishop 
and doctors of Leipsic. 

If such avowals escaped from Eck in his familiar corre- 
spondence, his behaviour in public was very different. The 
doctor of Ingolstadt and the Leipsic divines loudly vaunted 
of what they called their victory. They circulated false re- 
ports in every direction. All the mouthpieces of their party 
repeated their self-congratulations. " Eck is triumphing 
everywhere," wrote Luther.-f- But in the camp of Rome 
each 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 Ingol- 
stadt doctor, " but I expected too much of them. I did 
everything single-handed."-^" You see," said Luther to 
Spalatin, " that they are singing a new Iliad and a new 
^Eneid. J They are so kind as to make a Hector or a 
Turnus of me, while Eck, in their eyes, is Achilles or yEneas. 
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 under- 

* Verum in multis me obruerunt, Corp. Ref. i. 83. 

-f Eccius triumphat ubiquo. L. Epp. i. 290. 

J Novam quandam Iliada ct ^EneiJa illos cantare. Ibid. 305. 



POLJANDKR CELLARIUS THE YOUNG PKESCE. 65 

stand the matter, and who have grown gray under the old 
schoolmen," said the elegant, witty, and wise Mosellanus 
" but Luther and Carlstadt are victorious in the opinion of 
those who possess any learning, understanding, and mo- 
desty." * 

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 se- 
cretary, familiar friend, and disciple, Poliander, was won to 
the Reformation ; and in the year 1522, he publicly preached 
the Gospel at Leipzic. John Cellarius, professor of Hebrew, 
a man violently opposed to the reformed doctrines, was 
touched by the words of the eloquent doctor, and began to 
search the Scriptures more deeply. Erelong he gave up his 
station, and went to "Wittemberg to study humbly at Luther's 
feet. Some time after he was pastor at Frankfort 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 Saracens 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 already distinguished this illustrious 
youth. He was frequently heard repeating these words of 
Solomon : Lying lips become not a prince. The discussion 
at Leipsic awakened 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 

* Lutheri Sieg sey urn so viel wcniger beriihmt, well der Gelehrten, 
Verstaudigen, und dercr die sicb. selbst nicht hoch riihmen, wenig seyeu. 
Scckendorf, p. 207. t L. Opp. (W.) xv. 1440. 



G6 THE STUDENTS OF LEIP6IC. 

towards Luther, he became possessed 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 of his closet, he exclaimed with tears ; 
Deal with thy servant according to thy mercy, and teach me 
thy statutes* His prayers were heard. Convinced and 
carried away, he fearlessly ranged himself on the side 
of the Gospel. In vain did his guardians, and particu- 
larly 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 answer 
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 Marcus Antoninus : " He 
was consistent during the whole of his life ; he was a good 
man, one in whom there was no guile." -j- 

But it was the students in particular who received Luther's 
words with enthusiasm. They felt the difference between the 
spirit and energy of the Wittemberg doctor, and the sophis- 
tical distinctions, the empty speculations of the Chancellor of 
Ingolstadt. They saw that Luther relied upon the Word 
of God, and that Eck's opinions 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, 
Ingolstadt, &c.) to which the students might have gone. The 
power of truth drew them to Wittemberg, where the number 
of students was soon doubled.^ 

Among those who removed from the one university to the 
other, was observed a youth of sixteen years, of melancholy 

* A Deo petivit, fleet! pectus suum ad veritatem, ac lacrymans saepe 
hacc verba repetiyit M. Adami, Vita Georgii Anhalt, p. 248. 

f "Opoiof S/ xtt.vruv iyivtro, a.yot.6o; 5s v, xu] auSev ir^fxtHr 
Melch. Adam. p. 255. 

t Peifcr, Histor. Lipsiensis. p. 356. 



CRUCIGER MfcLANCTHON'S CALL. 67 

disposition, speaking seldom, and who, in the midst of the 
conversations and sports of his fellow-students, often ap- 
peared absorbed in his own reflections.* 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 candour, 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 G-aspard 
Cruciger, a native of Leipsic. The new student of Wittem- 
berg was afterwards the friend of Melancthon, and Luther's 
assistant in the translation of the Bible. 

The Leipsic disputation bore still greater fruits. Here it 
was that the theologian of the Reformation received his call. 
Melancthon sat modest and silent listening to the discussion, 
in which he took very little part. Till that time literature 
had been his sole occupation. The conference gave him a 
new impulse, and launched the eloquent professor into the 
career of divinity. From that hour his extensive learning 
bowed before the Word of God. He received the evan- 
gelical truth with the simplicity of a child ; explained the 
doctrine of salvation with a 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." 7 Henceforward the two friends walked together, 
contending 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 why 
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 am 
the rough woodman who has to prepare the way and smooth 
the road. But Philip advances quietly and softly ; he tills 

* Et cogitabundus et ssepe in medios sodalities quasi peregrinantc 
anitno. Melch. Adami Vita Crucigeri, p. 193. 
f" Cliristus suis noil deerit. Corp. Ref. i. 104. 



68 LUTHER'S EMANCIPATION. 

and plants the ground ; sows and waters it joyfully, accord- 
ing 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 courage reinvigor- 
ated. 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 Doctor 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 dis- 
coveries. 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 credulity on the other. The narrow point of 
view under which he had hitherto looked upon the Church 
was succeeded by a deeper and more extended range. He 
recognised in the Christians of Greece and of the East true 
members of the Catholic 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 Luther's estimation 
the universal Church; he saw the narrow barriers of 
Rome fall down, and exulted in discovering 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 produced a deep impression upon 
him. He there found, to his great surprise, the doctrine of 
St. Paul and of St. Augustine, that doctrine at which he 
himself had arrived after so many struggles. " I believed 
and I taught all the doctrines of John Huss without being 
" L. Opp. (W.) xiv. 200. 



LUTHER'S EMANCIPATION. 69 

aware of it :* and so did Staupitz. In short, although un- 
conscious of it, we are all Hussites. Paul and Augustine 
were so themselves. I am confounded, and know not what 
to think. Oh 1 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 con- 
demned, burnt, and stifled Wo, wo to the world!" 

Luther separated from the papacy, and then felt towards 
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, decided 
his soul. He advanced along the path in which God con- 
ducted 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 con- 
firmed by the example of all the world,-f- and which, through 
long habit, have become a second 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. For what is not of God must needs be of the devil." 
Luther adds further on : "I no longer permit myself to be 

* Ego imprudens hucusque omnia Johannis Huss et docui ct tenui, 
L. Epp. ii. 452. 

t Quam difficile sit eluctari et emergere ex erroribus, totius orbis 
exemplo firmatis L. Opp. Lat. in Prsef. 

J Per septem annos, ita ut memoriter pene omnfa tenerem. Ibid. 

Quod enim ex Deo non est, necesse est ex diabolo esse. Ibid. 



70 ECK ATTACKS MELANCTHON. 

indignant against those who are still attached to the pope, 
since I, who had for so many years studied the Holy Scrip- 
tures BO attentively, still clung with so much obstinacy to 



popery."* 



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. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Eck attacks Melancthon Melancthon'a Defence Interpretation ol 
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 ;-j- wrote to Frede- 
rick ; 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 pro- 
vincial council : " Let us exterminate these vermin," said 
the coarse doctor, " before they multiply beyond all bounds." | 
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 
CEcolampadius, wrote him an account of the disputation, 
speaking of Dr. Eck in terms of comrnendation. Neverthe- 
less, the pride of the Chancellor of Ingolstadt was wounded. 

* Cum ego tot annis sacra legens diligentissime, tamen ita hsesi tena- 
citer. L. Opp. Lat. in Praef. 

f Proscidit, post abitum nostrum, Martinum inhumanissime. Me- 
lancth. Corp. Ref. i. 106. 

J Ehe das Ungeziffer iiberhand nehme. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 271. 

Eccius ob varias et insignes ingenii dotes. L. Opp. Lat. i. 337. 



MELANCTHON'S REPLY. 71 

He immediately took up the pen against " that gram- 
marian 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 writ- 
ing. It is characterized by all that exquisite urbanity which 
distinguished this excellent man. Laying down the funda- 
mental principles of hermeneutics,-J- he showed that we ought 
not to interpret Scripture by the Fathers, but the Fathers by 
Scripture. " How often has not Jerome been mistaken!" 
said he ; " how frequently Augustine 1 how frequently Am- 
brose ! how often their opinions are different ! and how often 
they retract their errors ! There is but one Scripture, in- 
spired by the Holy Ghost, and pure and true in all things.^ 

" Luther does not follow certain ambiguous explanations 
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? I believe in the Fathers, because I 
believe in Scripture. The meaning of Scripture is one and 
simple, like heavenly truth itself. It is obtained by com- 
paring scripture with scripture : it is deduced from the 
thread and connexion of the discourse. || There is a phi- 
losophy that is enjoined us as regards the Divine Scrip- 
tures : and that is, to bring all human opinions and maxims 
to it, as to a touchstone by which to try them."^ 

* Ausus est grammaticus Wittembergensis, Grace et Latine sane non 
indoctus, epistolam edere. L. Opp. Lat. i. 338. 

f The art of interpreting the Holy Scriptures. 

Una est Scriptura, eoelestis spiritus, pura, et per omnia verax. 
Contra Eckium Defensio, Corp. Ref. i. 115. 

Quid igitur ? Ipsi secum pugnant ! quid mirum ? Ibid. 

|| Quern collatis Scripturis e filo ductuque orationis licet assequi. 
Ibid. p. 114. 

H Ut hominum sententias, decretaque, ad ipsas, ceu ad Lydium lapl 
dem, exigamus. Ibid. p. 115. 



72 INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE LUTHER ? S FIRMNESS. 

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 meaning 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, like 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 scholastic gladi- 
ator had bent under the first movement of his arm. 

The weaker Eck was, the louder he clamoured. By his 
boastings and his accusations, he hoped to secure the victory 
that he had lost in his discussions. The monks and all the 
partisans of Rome re-echoed his clamours. From every 
part of Germany, reproaches were poured upon Luther; 
but he remained unaffected by them. " The more I find my 
name covered with opprobrium, the more do I glory in it," 
said he at the conclusion 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 clamours. Men are not 
the authors of my sufferings, and I entertain no hatred to- 
wards them. It is Satan, the prince of wickedness, who de- 
sires to terrify me. But He who is within us is mightier 
than he that is in the world. The judgment of our con- 
temporaries is bad, that of posterity will be better."* 

If the Leipsic disputation augmented Luther's enemies in 
Germany, it also increased the number of his friends in 
foreign countries. "What Huss was in Bohemia in other 
days, you now are 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 
Eraser, then professor at Leipsic. The latter wrote to Dr. 
Zack, a zealous Roman-catholic of Prague, a letter in 

* Praesens male judicat sotas ; judicium melius posteritatis erit. L. 
Opp. Lat. i. 310. 



EMSER STAUPITZ. 73 

which his design appeared to be to deprive the Hussites of 
their notion that Luther belonged to their party. Luther 
could not doubt that by seeming to justify him, the learned 
Leipsicker was endeavouring 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, addressed " To Emser the Goat" (his 
adversary's crest 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 clois- 
ter 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.-^ I dreamt 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 endeavours proved 
unavailing. He was the bearer of the famous Golden Rose 
presented to the elector, but the latter did not condescend 
to receive it in person. J Frederick knew the artifices of 
Rome, and all hope of deceiving him was relinquished. 

" L. Opp. Lat. i. 252. 

f Ego super te, sicut ablactatus super matre sua, tristissimus hac die 
fui. Epp. i. 342. 

J Rosam quam rocant auream nullo honore dignatus est ; imo pro 
ridicula habuit. L. Opp. Lat. in Prsef. 

Intellexit princeps artes Romansa curiae et eos (legates) digne trao- 
taro novit. Ibid. 

VOL. n. 4 



74 CHKIST GAVE HIMSELF FOE US. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

The Epistle to the Galatians Christ for us Blindness of Luther's Op- 
poueuts Earliest Ideas on the Lord's Supper Is the Sacrameut 
without Faith sufficient I Luther a Bohemian Eck attacked 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 ; 
4>ut 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 contempo- 
raries.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 
nothing could take them away except a ransom so immea- 
surable, shall we still claim to obtain righteousness 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 nothing in the world can save." 

But while Luther was thus laying down the doctrine that 
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 

* September 1519. -r L. Opp. (L.\ x. 461. 



BLINDNESS OF LUTIIER's OPPONENTS. 75 

Christ (said the Reformer), and who keeps 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, hut himself, who has 
even received so many wounds for your sake, who for you 
has sweated drops of blood, and who died for you ; in a 
word, who, by paying for all your sins, has swallowed up 
death, and obtained for you in heaven a Father full ot 

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 
Galatians : " 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 Juterbock to attack him 
again. Luther, hi his reply,* not content with 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!"^- 

Luther's new attacks remained unanswered. The blind- 
ness of his enemies was as favourable to him as his own 
courage. They passionately defended secondary matters, 
and when Luther laid his hand on the foundations of the 
Roman doctrine, they saw them shaken without uttering a 
word. They busied themselves in defending the outworks, 
while their intrepid adversary was advancing into the body 
of the place, and there boldly planting the standard of 
truth. Accordingly, they were afterwards astonished when 
they beheld the fortress they were defending undermined and 
on fire, and crumbling into ruins in the midst of the flames, 
while they were flattering themselves that it was impreg- 

* Defensio contra malignum Eccii judicium. L. Opp. Lat. i. 356. 
t" Canoniset quisque quantum volet. Ibid. 367. 



76 FIRST IDEAS ON THE EUCHAEIST. 

nable, and were still braving those who led the assault. 
Thus are all great catastrophes effected. 

The sacrament of the Lord's Supper was now beginning 
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 Reformation 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 signi- 
fied, which is inward, spiritual, and in the mind of man ; 
and faith, which makes use of both."* If definitions had 
been carried no farther, unity would not have been de- 
stroyed. 

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 suf- 
ficient, for faith alone would suffice." This bold language 
pleased his hearers. A few of them were however alarmed 
and irritated. " It is false and scandalous," said they.-j- 

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 sius assail him ; his righteousness 
defends us." 

But Luther was not satisfied with setting forth the 
truth ; he attacked one of the most fundamental errors 
of Rome.f 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 ardour with which the sacrament 
is sought, hence the profits of the Romish clergy. Luther 

* L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 272. f Ibid. 281. 

J Si quis dixerit per ipsa novso legis sacramenta ex opere operate nou 
conferri gratiam, sed solam fidcm dirinsB promissionis, ad gratiam 
consequendam sufficero, anathema sit. Concil. Trident. Session 7 
canon 8. 



LUTHEK A BOHEMIAN. 77 

attacked this doctrine,* and opposed it by the contrary doc- 
trine^ by virtue of which faith and the concurrence 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, m 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 of Prague and arch-heretic !" 
" He was born in Bohemia 1" said some, " of Bohemian 
parents ; he was brought up in Prague, and taught from 
Wickliffe's books !" 

Luther thought it his duty to contradict these rumours 
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 Spanish 
ambassador, and there Luther valiantly contended against 
Charles's minister.]| The elector had begged him, through 

Known as the opus operatum. f That of the opus operantis. 

J L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 281. 

Caeterum ego natus sum in Eisleben. Luth. Epp. i. 389. 

U Cum quo heri ego et Philippus certavimus, spleiidide jnvitati. Ibid. 396 



78 ECK ATTACKED. 

his chaplain, to defend his cause with moderation. " Too 
much folly is displeasing to men," replied Luther to Spala- 
tin ; " but too much discretion is displeasing to God. The 
Gospel cannot be defended without tumult and without 
scandal. The Word of God is a sword, a war, a ruin, 
a stumbling-block, a destruction, a poison;* and, aa 
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 profited nothing." -j- 

Every thing announced that Luther would need faith and 
courage now more than ever. Eck was forming plans of 
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 biting satires 
were published against him. One was the Epistle of Ignor- 
ant Canons, written by CEcolampadius, and which cut Eck 
to the quick. Another was a Complaint against Eck, pro- 
bably from the pen of the excellent Pirckheimer of Nurem- 
berg, overflowing with a sarcasm and dignity of which 
Pascal's Provincial Letters can alone give us any idea. 

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

What a disappointment for the Chancellor of Ingolstadt 1 
His fellow-countrymen abandoned him. He prepared to 
cross the Alps to seek foreign support. Wherever he 
went, he vented his threats against Luther, Melancthon, 
Carlstadt, and the elector himself. " From his lofty Ian-* 
guagc," said the Wittemberg doctor, " one might take him 
to be God Almighty." Inflamed with anger and the desire 
of revenge, Eck published, in February 1520, a work on the 
primacy of St Peter. In this treatise, which was utterly des- 
titute of all sound criticism, he maintained that this apostle 

* Verbum Dei gladius est, bellum est, ruina est, scandalum est, perditio 
est, venenum est. L. Epp. i. 417. ' 

*T Ego nihil qusero : est, qui quserat. Stet ergo, sive cadat : ego 
nihil lucror, aut amitto. Ibid. 418. 

J Mclior est aperta criminatio, quam iste sub sepe morsus. Ibid. 42& 

Deum crederes Omnipotentem loqui. Ibid. 380. 



ECK DEPARTS FOR ROME. 78 

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 shivered 
in his hands. 

Luther foresaw all the perils that his opponent's journey 
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 clamours, I cannot withdraw 
my hands from the contest. I trust everything 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 position 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 flatibus et fluctibus nave. Bell n in 
Domini eat. L. Epp. i. 425. 



BOOK VI 

THE PAPAL BULL 1520. 

CHAPTER I. 

Character of Maximilian Candidates for theEmpire Charles Franoisl. 
Disposition of the Germans The Crown offered to Frederick- 
Charles elected Emperor. 

A NEW actor was about to appear on the stage. God de- 
signed to bring the Wittemberg monk face to face with the 
most powerful monarch that had appeared in Christendom 
since the days of Charlemagne. He selected a prince in the 
vigour of youth, and to whom every thing seemed to an- 
nounce 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 celebrated saying) the sun never went down 
on his vast dominions ; and to him He opposed that lowly 
Reformation, begun in the secluded cell of a convent at Er- 
furth by the anguish and the 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. It 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 emperor opposed to 
the new doctrines, but yet a weak ruler, had worn the dia- 
dem, 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 vail his pride before 
the power of God's Word ; and the whole world beheld 



CHARACTER OP MAXIMILIAN- 81 

the man, who found it an easy task to drag Francis I. a 
prisoner to Madrid, obliged to lower his sword before the son 
of a poor miner. 

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 pre- 
sence 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 (continued 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 dispute 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 con- 
sequently nineteen years old, appeared first. His name was 
Charles, and he was born at Ghent. His paternal grand- 
mother, Mary, daughter of Charles the Bold, had bequeathed 
to him Flanders and the rich domains of Burgundy. His 
mother, Joanna, daughter of Ferdinand of Aragon and 
Isabella of Castile, and wife of Philip the Emperor Maxi- 
milian'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 grand- 

" L. Opp. (W.) xxii. 1869 
4* 



82 CANDIDATES FOE THF- EMPIRE. 

father's death now put him in possession of the hereditary 
states of Austria. This young 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 Burgundy had long distinguished themselves, to 
the subtlety and penetration of the Italians, to the re- 
spect for existing institutions which still characterizes the 
house of Austria, and which promised a firm defender to 
the papacy, 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 taciturnity and re- 
serve ; there was an air of melancholy in his long visage. 
" He was pious and silent," said Luther ; " I will wager 
that he does not talk so much in a year as I do in a 
day."-}- If Charles had grown up under free and Christian 
influences, he would perhaps have been one of the most 
meritorious princes recorded in history; but politics ab- 
sorbed 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 splendour upon the 
house on which it falls," said many ; " but stretch forth the 
hand to seize it, and you find nothing." Charles, on the con- 
trary, looked upon it as the summit of all earthly grandeur, 
and a means of obtaining a magical influence over the minds 
of nations. 

Francis L, king of France, was the second candidate. 
The young paladins of the court of this chivalrous sovereign 
were ever repeating that he ought, like Charlemagne, to be 
emperor of all the West, and, reviving the exploits of tho 
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 
Memoires de Du Bellay. i. 45. f L. Opp. (W.) xxii. 1874. 



DISPOSITION OF THE GERMANS. 83 

affairs, Germany requires, not a youth of nineteen, but a 
prince who with a tried judgment combines talents already 
proved. Francis will unite the arms of France and Lom- 
bardy with those of Germany to make war on the Mussul- 
mans. As sovereign of the duchy of Milan, he is already a 
member of the empire." The French ambassadors strength- 
ened 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 VIII. of England, jealous of the influence 
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 favourably disposed towards 
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 deprived." 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 neighbour, 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 Erfurth, ho 
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 ? "Who could have been 
better suited to preside over the destinies of the empire 
L. Opp. (W.) xxii. 1858. 



84 ELECTION OF CHARLES. 

than this wise prince? Who could have 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 
after-days. But it is a difficult matter to decide whether 
Frederick deserves to be blamed for want of faith, 01 
honoured 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 threatened 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 nomi- 
nated emperor. " God," said Frederick not long after, " hath 
given him to us in His favour and in His anger."-f- The 
Spanish envoys offered 30,000 gold florins to the Elector of 
Saxony, as a testimonial of their master's gratitude ; but this 
prince refused them, and forbade his ministers to accept of 
any present. At the same time, he secured the liberties of 
Germany by a capitulation to which Charles's envoys swore 
in his name. The circumstances under which the latter 
assumed the imperial crown seemed, moreover, to give a 
stronger pledge than these oaths in favour 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 continued 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 plane moderatione animi magnifice repudiavit, 
Pallavioini, i. 79, t L. Opp. (WO xxii. 1880. 



LUTHEK WHITES TO THE EMPEKOR. 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 favour the Reformation Schaumburg Sickingen 
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. 

LUTHER had foreseen that the cause of the Reformation 
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 appearing before the 
throne of the Majesty of heaven, it ought not to be unworthy 
of engaging the attention of a prince of this world. 
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 universities of Co- 
logne and Louvain had condemned these works. That of 
Erfurth, still exasperated at Luther's preference for Wit- 
temberg, was about to follow their example. But having 
been informed of it, the doctor wrote to Lange so spi- 
rited a letter, that the Erfurth divines were dismayed and 
kept silent. The condemnation pronounced at Cologne 
and Louvain sufficed, however, to inflame men's minds. 
Nay, more : the priests of Meissen, who had espoused Eraser's 
quarrel, said publicly (Melancthon is our authority) that he 
* Causam ipsam veritatis. L. Epp. i. 392. 15th January 1520. 



86 LUTHER'S DANGER. 

who should kill Luther would be without sin.* " Now is 
the time," said Luther, " when men will think they do 
Christ a service by putting us to death." These homicidal 
words were destined to produce their fruit in due season. 

One day, says a biographer, as Luthei 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 ? "-f- Upon this the stranger turned pale (adds the 
historian), and fled away trembling. Serra Longa, the am- 
bassador at the Augsburg conference, wrote to the elector 
about this time : " Let not Luther find an asylum in the 
states of your highness ; let him be rejected of all, and stoned 
in the face of heaven ; that will be more pleasing to me than 
if I received ten thousand crowns from you." f 

But it was particularly in the direction of Rome that the 
storm was gathering. Valentine Teutleben, a Thuringian 
nobleman, vicar to the Archbishop of Mentz, and a zealous 
partisan of the papacy, was the Elector of Saxony's represen- 
tative at the papal court. Teutleben, ashamed of the protec- 
tion accorded by his master to an heretical monk, was im- 
patient at seeing his mission paralyzed v y 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 the 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 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 

Ut sine peccato esse eum censebant qui me interfecerit. L. Epp. i. d83, 
f- Was kann mir ein Mensch thun ? Keith, L. Umstande, p. 89. 
t Tenzel, Hist. Bericht vom Anfang und Fortg. der Reform. Lutberi, 
G, 168. 



FREDERICK'S INSTRUCTIONS. 87 

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 : lie desired to enlighten Rome. " Germany," 
continues 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 understanding, and to 
love the Holy Scriptures ; if, therefore, the reasonable con- 
ditions of Dr. Luther are rejected, there is great cause to fear 
that peace will never be re-established. Luther's doctrine 
has struck deep root into many hearts. If, instead of refuting 
it by the testimony of the Bible, you strive to destroy him by 
the thunderbolts of the ecclesiastical authority, great scandals 
will arise, and ruinous and terrible revolts will be excited."-[- 
The elector, having the greatest confidence hi Luther, 
communicated Teutleben's letter to him, with another that 
he had received from Cardinal Saint 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!" exclaimed he, " I am disposed to do so, if they will 
permit me ; 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 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 cardinal's hat; I ask not for gold, or for anything that 
Rome values. There is nothing in the world they cannot 

* Da er viel freyer und sicherer schreiben und handeln mochte was er 
wollte. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 298. 

t Schreckliche, grausame, schadliche und yerderbliche Emporungea 
erregen. Ibid. 

$ Semper quiescere paratus, modo verltatem evangeljsani non jubeaut 
quiescere. L. Epp. i. 462. 



88 LUTHER'S SENTIMENTS. 

obtain from me, provided they will not shut up the way oi 
salvation against Christians.* Their threats do not alarm 
me, their promises cannot seduce me." 

Animated with such sentiments, Luther soon recovered 
his militant disposition, and preferred the Christian warfare 
to the calm of solitude. One night was sufficient 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 favours. 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 pontifical law, that nest of every heresy. 
The moderation I have hitherto shown has been unavailing ; 
I now renounce it !" 

His friends were far from being thus tranquil. Great was 
the consternation at Wittemberg. " "We are in a state of 
extraordinary expectation," said Melancthon; " I would rather 
die than be separated from Luther. J 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 foundation. 
Luther's words had found an echo everywhere in cottages 
and convents, in the homes of the citizens and in the castles 
of the nobles, in the universities and in the palaces of kings. 
" If my life," he had said to Duke John of Saxony, " has 
been instrumental to the conversion of a single man, I shall 
willingly consent to see all my books perish." || It was not 
one man, it was a great multitude, that had found the light 
in the writings of the humble doctor. Everywhere, accord- 

* Si salutis viam Christianis permittant esse liberam, hoc unum peto 
ab illis, ac prseterea nihil. L. Epp. i. 462. 

f Nolo eia reconciliari nee communicare in perpetuum. Ibid. 466. 
10th July 1520. 

t Emori mallem, quam ab hoc viro avelli. Corp. Ref. i. 160, 163. 

Martinus noster spirat, atque utiuam diii. Ibid. 190, 208. 

(I L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 302. 



SCHAUMBUEG SICK1NGEN HUTTEN. 89 

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 murmurs 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 magis- 
trates fail you, I entreat you to beware of going to Bohemia, 
where in former times learned men have had much to under- 
go ; rather come to me. God willing, I shall soon have col- 
lected more than a hundred gentlemen, and with their help 
I shall be able to protect you from every danger."* 

Francis of Sickingen, the hero of his age,f 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 possess," wrote 
he to Luther, " are at your disposal. You desire to main- 
tain the Christian truth : I am ready to aid you in 
the work." 1 1 Harmurth of Cronberg held the same lan- 
guage. Lastly, Ulric of Hiitten, the poet and valiant knight 
of the sixteenth century, never ceased speaking in Luther's 
favour. But what a contrast between these two men! 
Hiitten wrote to the reformer : " It is with swords and with 
bows, with javelins and bombs, that we must crush the 
fury of the devil." Luther on receiving these letters ex- 
claimed : " I will not have recourse to arms 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 

" Denn Ich, und hundert yon Adel, die Ich (ob Gott will) auf bringen 
will, euch rcdlich anhalten. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 381. 

f Equitum Germanise rarum decus (a, peerless ornament of Ger- 
man knighthood), says Melancthon on this occasion. Corp. Ref. i. 
201. J See Vol. I. p. 136. 

Et ob id invisus illis. Corp. Ref. i. 132. 11 Ibid. 



90 ERASMUS DEFENDS LUTHER. 

the Word also it shall be re-established." " I do not despise 
his offer," said he at another time on receiving Schaumburg's 
letter, which we have mentioned above, " but I will rely 
upon nothing but Jesus Christ."* It was not thus the Ro- 
man pontiffs spoke when they waded in the blood of the 
Waldenses and Albigenses. Hiitten felt the difference be- 
tween his cause and Luther's, and he accordingly 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 God."f He then set out to win, if pos- 
sible, Charles and Ferdinand to the side of truth.J 

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, with- 
out 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 Germany, a 'letter in which, after 
describing in vivid colours 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 honours 
and who cares not for money ? Luther has dared doubt 
the virtue of indulgences ; but others before him had most 
unblushingly affirmed it. He feared not to speak, certainly 
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 scruples 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 

* Nolo nisi Christo protectore niti. L. Epp. i. 148. 

f Mea humana sunt : tu perfectior, jam totus ex divinis pendes. L. 
Opp. Lat. ii. 175. 

Viam facturus libertati (cod. Bavar. veritati), per maximos prin- 
cipcs. Corp. Rcf. i. 201. 

Quid cnim aliud suspiccr de eo qui nee bonores ambit, nee pecuniam 
<tupit t Erasm. Opp. iii. 315. 



ABSTEMIUS HEDIO. 91 

was little mention of the evangelical doctrine ; that in the 
assemblies of Christians very little was heard of Christ ;* 
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, flattery, ambition, 
and imposture.f It is to such a state of affairs that we 
should ascribe Luther's violent language." Such was Eras- 
mus's opinion on the state of the Church and on the reformer. 
This letter, which was published by UlricHiitten, 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 mwe 
powerful auxiliaries, rallied round Luther in every direction. 
Doctor Botzhemus Abstemius, canon of Constance, 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 ! J I am so delighted with 
your writings, that nothing gives me greater pleasure than to 
be living at a time when not only profane but also sacred 
literature is resuming its pristine splendour ." 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 
Christ by turning them away from sin and attracting them 
to real piety. || Do not halt therefore, liberator, but exert 
all your power to restore the yoke of Christ, so light and easy 
to bear. Be yourself the general, and we will follow after 
you, like soldiers whom nothing can tear from you."fl 

Thus at one time Luther's enemies oppress him, at 

* Imo in sacris concionibus minimum audiri de Christo. Erasm. Opp. 
iii. 315. 

f- Totam orationem jam palam qusestum, adulationem, ambitionem, ac 
fucum prse se ferre. Ibid. 

Postquam orbi, aut saltern potiori orbia parti, hoc est, bonis et vere 
christianis amicus factua es, meus quoque amicus eris, velis, nolis. Botz- 
beim and his Friends, by Walchner, p. 107. 

Et divince pristinum nitorem recuperant. Ibid. 

|| Lucri faeit Christo, abducit a vitiis, asserit verse pietati. Happens 
Sachlese, ii. 433. 

9 Tu .dux esto, nos indi vulsi militos erimus. Ibid. 



92 LUTHER BECOMES MOKE FREE. 

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 influ- 
ence upon his mind. " The Lord reigns," said he, " I see 
him there, as if I could touch him."f Luther felt that 
he was not alone; his words had borne fruit, and this 
thought filled him with fresh courage. The fear of com- 
promising 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 determined. This 
is an important epoch in the development of Luther's char- 
acter. " Rome ought to understand," wrote he at this 
period to the elector's chaplain, " that, even should she 
succeed by her threats in expelling 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 
for them, they must ascribe it neither to my moderation nor 
to their tyranny, but to the elector's name and to the interests 
of the university of Wittemberg, which I feared to compro- 
mise : now that I have such fears no longer, they will see me 
fall with fresh vigour upon Rome and upon her courtiers." J 
And yet it was not on the great that Luther fixed his 
hopes. He had been often solicited to dedicate a book to 
Duke John, the elector's brother. He had not done so. " I 
am afraid," said he, " that the suggestion comes from him- 
self. Holy Scripture should subserve the glory of God's 
name alone." 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 justification by faith, that 
powerful truth, whose strength he sets far above the sword 
of Hiitten, the army of Sickengen, and the protection of 
dukes and electors. 

* Ita fluctuat navis mea : nunc spes, nunc timer regnat. L. Epp. i. 443. 

f Dominus regnat, ut palpare possimus. Ibid. 451. 

J Saevius in Romanenses grassaturus. Ibid. 46o. 

Scripturam sacram nolim alicujus uomini nisi Dei servire. Ibia. 431. 



FAITH THE SOURCE OF WORKS. 93 

" The first, the noblest, the sublimest of all works," says 
he, " is faith in Jesus Christ.* 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 is 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 perform 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 everything 
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 everything with sorrow and fear. 

" 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 quickened by faith. Thus, 
men build their peace, not on God's good pleasure, but on 
their own merits, that is to say, on sand. (Matthew vii. 27.) 

" To preach faith (it has been said) is to prevent good 
works ; but if a man should possess the strength of all men 
united, or even of all creatures,f this sole obligation of living 
in faith would be a task too great for him ever to accom- 
plish. 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 labour ? It is 
the same when we preach faith : it should go before works 
in order that the works themselves should exist. 

" Where then, you will say, can we find this faith, and 
fiow 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. 

* Das erste und hochste, alleredelste gute Werck ist der Glaube in 

Christum. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 394. 

t Wenn oin Mensch tausend, oder alle Menschen, oder alle Creaturen 
ware. Ibid. 398. 



94 LUTHER ON HIS OWN WRITINGS. 

" man ! figure Jesus Christ to yourself, and contemplate 
how God in him has shown thee his mercy, without any 
merit on thy part going before.* 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. xxxii.) 

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 himself entertained 
of it. " In my own judgment," said he, " it is the best I 
ever published." And he added immediately this deep reflec- 
tion : " But I know that when I please myself with what I 
write, the infection of that bad leaven hinders it from pleas- 
ing others." -f- Melancthon, in forwarding this discourse to a 
friend, accompanied 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."J 



CHAPTER III. 

The Papacy attacked Appeal to the Nobility The three Walls All 
Christians are Priests The Magistrate should chastise the Clergy- 
Roman Corruptions 'Ruin of Italy Dangers of Germany The Pope 
The Legates The Monks Marriage of Priests Celibacy Fes- 
tivalsThe Bohemians Charity The Universities The Empiis- 
The Emperor should retake Rome Unpublished Book Luther's 
Moderation Success of the Address. 

BUT there was another evil in the Church besides the sub- 
stitution of a system of meritorious works for the grand idea 

* Siehe, also must du Christum in dich bilden, und sehen wie in Ihm 
Gott seine Barmherzigkeit dir furhalt und anbeut. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 401. 

T Erit, meo judicio, omnium quse ediderim optimum : quanquam scio 
quae mihi mea placent, hoc ipso fermento infecta, non solere aliis placerc, 
L. Epp. i. 431. 

Quo ad Pauli spiritum nemo propius accessit. Corp. Ref. i. 202. 



APPEAL TO THE GERMAN NOBILITY. 95 

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. Already a vague and 
distant rumour announced the success of Dr. Eck's intrigues 
at Rome. This rumour 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 discoveries had filled him with surprise. He 
no longer hesitated to make them known, and to strike the 
blow which, like Moses' rod in ancient times, was to awaken 
a people 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 Anti- 
christ.". 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 Reformation 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 opening of 
this address, " that I, a man of the people, venture to speak 
to your lordships. The misery and oppression that at this 
hour weigh down all the states of Christendom, and par- 
ticularly 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 everything that lies in our 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 L, Frederick II., and many other emperors 
besides, before whom the world trembled, have been trodden 

* See Vol. I. p. 33 seqq. f L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 457-502. 

The emperor Charles V. Gott hat uns ein junges adles Blut zum 
Haupt gegeben. Ibid. 457. 



96 THE THREE WALLS. 

under foot by the popes, because they trusted more in their 
own strength than in God. Therefore they could not 
but fall. It is against the powers of hell that we have to 
contend in this struggle. Hoping 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 prosperous look at the beginning; but sud- 
denly, 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 pon- 
tiff has authority to convoke one. 

" They have thus despoiled us of the three rods destined 
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 Romans have built around 
them, and upraise the rods which punish the wicked, by 
exposing the wiles of the devil." 

Luther now begins the attack. He shakes to its founda- 
tion that papal monarchy which for ages had combined 
the people of the "West in one body under the sceptre ol 
the Roman bishop. That there is no sacerdotal caste 
n Christianity, is the truth which he powerfully 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 



THE MAGISTRATE SHOULD CHASTISE TUB CLERai'. 97 

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 belong 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 Saint 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 administer' 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 laymen were banished to a desert place, and if, 
not having among them a priest consecrated by a bishop, 
they should agree to choose one of their own number, 
married or not, this man would be as truly a priest as it 
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 per- 
form. 

'' If this be true, why should not the magistrate chastise 
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-f (and consequently the 

* See vol. I. p. 145 bot. t llZra. ^u^n, every soul. Rom. liii. 1, 4. 

vor,. n. 5 



98 KOMAN CORRUPTIONS KUIN OF ITALY. 

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 at- 
tacked 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 vice- 
gerent displaying a magnificence that no emperor can equal. 
Is this being like the poor Jesus, or the 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 icorld. 
Can the dominions of a vicar extend beyond those of his 
superior?" 

Luther now proceeds to describe the effects of the papal 
rule. " Do you know what is the use of cardinals ? 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 prelacies 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 abol- 
ished ! 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 ten- 
derly ; but let us be on our guard, or Germany will erelong 
be like Italy! We have already a few cardinals. Before 
the dull Germans comprehend our design (think they) they 



DANGER OF GERMANY JI1E POPE. 99 

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. Baraberg will be given to one, the bishopric of Wurtz- 
burg 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 1 " 

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 ourselves 
to be thus ridiculed and laughed at ? Oh ! if they only de- 
spoiled us of our goods ! ' But they lay waste the churches, 
fleece the sheep of Christ, abolish religious worship, and 
annihilate the Word of God." 

Luther here exposes " the practices of Rome " to obtain 
the money and the revenues of Germany. Annats, pal- 
liums, commendams, administrations, reversions, incorpora- 
tions, reserves, &c. he passes them all in review ; and then 
he says : " Let us endeavour to check such desolation and 
wretchedness. If we desire to march against the Turks, let 
us march against those who are the worst Turks of all. If 
we hang thieves, and decapitate highway robbers, let us not 
permit Romish avarice to escape, which is the greatest ot 
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 possesses, has he not gained 
by plunder ? For he has neither bought it, nor inherited it- 
from St. Peter, nor gained it by the sweat of his brow. 
Whence then has he all this ? " 

Luther proposes remedies for these evils, and calls ener- 
getically 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 ridiculous," 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 exercise, lordship over them, but it shall 



tOO THE PfcPE THE LEGATES. 

not be so among you ?* (Luke xxii. 25, 26.) How is it pos- 
sible to govern an empire, and at the same time preach, pray, 
study, and take care of the poor ? Jesus Christ forbade his 
ministers to carry with them either gold or two coats, be- 
cause 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 commandments of 
Christ that he possesses Bologna, Imola, Ravenna, the 
Romagna, the March of Ancona, &c. No man that warreth, 
says Saint Paul, entangleth himstff with the affairs of this 
life. (2 Tim. ii. 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 the cares of government to kings, and 
confine himself to preaching and praying." -f- 

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 im- 
positions. 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 instruct us how to sin, and to 
lead us direct to hell. Hearest thou this, 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 having 
called the pope to his bar, he summons before him all the 

* "Tpiit Si tii% e'f]tas (sub. V7)- See Matthew xx. 26. 

f Ihm die Biblien und Betbiicher dafur anzeigen und er predigc 

and bete. L. Opp. xvii. 472. 



THE MONKS MARRIAGE OF THE PRIESTS. 101 

corruptions that form the papal train, and purposes sweep- 
ing 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 how 
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 conscience, and to 
open my mouth freely : after that, let the pope, the bishops ; 

and any one who pleases, take offence at it! I assert, 

then, that according to the appointment of Christ and his 
apostles, each city should have a pastor or bishop, and 
that this pastor may have a wife, as Saint Paul writes to 
Timothy : A bishop must be the husband of one vAfc 
(1 Tim. iii. 2), and as is still practised in the Greek Clnm-h. 
But the devil has persuaded the pope, as the same apostle 
says to Timothy (1 Tim. iv. 1 to 3), to forbid the clergy to 
marry. And hence have 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, except 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 consequence to 
you than tyrannical and arbitrary laws, that do not emanate 
from the Lord." 



102 FESTTPALS CHARITY THE UNIVERSITIES. 

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 nothing 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 religious 
fraternities. He not only desires to put an end to abuses, 
be 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 proposing some 
excellent means of reconciliation, he adds : " We must 
convince heretics by Scripture, as did the ancient Fathers, 
and not subdue them by fire. In this 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 necessary than the papacy of Rome. I 
have now done all that is in my power. If the pope and 
his adherents oppose this, the responsibility will fall on 
them. The pope should be" ready to renounce his papacy, 
all his possessions, and all his honours, 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 !f 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 labour in 
explaining the Holy Scriptures, and engraving them in 

* Yearly festivals in commemoration of the dedication or opening of a 
jhurch : the Belgian kermess. 

+ Nun liess er ehj die Welt untergehen, ehe er ein Haarbreit seiner 
ri^aessenen Gewalt liesse abbrechen. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 483. 



THE EMPEROB SHOUL1> KETAKE BOMB. - 103 

the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place his child 
where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every in- 
stitution in which men are not unceasingly occupied with 
the Word of God must become corrupt." * 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 empire 
and to the emperor : 

" The pope, unable to manage at his will the ancient 
masters of the Roman empire, 'Conceived a plan of taking 
away their title and their empire, and bestowing them on 
us Germans. Thus it happened that we became the vas- 
sals 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 and arms of the 
empire ; the pope its treasures, power, privileges, and liber- 
ties. 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 simplicity. 

" But now may God, who has given us such an empire, 
be our helper ! Let us act in conformity with our 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 extorfeions ! 
Let him restore our liberty, our power, our property, our 
honour, our souls, and our bodies J 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 preten- 
sions of a pope !" 

In these words there are not only energy and enthusiasm, 
but also a lofty strain of reasoning. Did any orator ever speak 
thus to the nobility of the empire, and to the emperor him- 

* Es muss verderben, alles was nicht Gottes Wort ohn Unterlass 
treibt. Ibid. 486. . i' 



104 UNPUBLISHED BOOK LUTHEK S MODESTY. 

self? Far from being surprised that so many German 
states separated from Rome, ought we not rather to feel 
astonished that all German v did not march to the banks of 
the Tiber to resume ,that imperial power whose attributes 
the popes had so imprudent 'y 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 impossible, 
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, 
Rome, what I mean?" 

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 De exccranda 
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 condemned 
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 I These are, in truth, the men 
who ought to persecute the truth, as every age has wit- 
nessed." 

Whence did this monk acquire so clear an understanding 
of public affairs, which even the states of the empire often 
found so difficult to elucidate? Whence did 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 powei 



RESULTS OF THE ADDRESS. 105 

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 thcit 
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 German no- 
bility, soon reached all those for whom it had been written. 
It circulated through Germany with inconceivable rapidity. 
Luther's friends trembled ; Staupitz and those who desired 
to employ mild measures found the blow too severe. " In 
our days," replied Luther, " everything that is handled gently 
falls into oblivion, 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 Philip's (Me- 
lancthon's) forerunner. I am preparing the way for him, 
like Elias, in spirit and in power. It is he who will one day 
trouble Israel and the house of Ahab."f 

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 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 power- 
ful sensation among the people. The vigour, life, perspi- 
cuity, 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 Wit- 
tcmberg any longer doubted that the pope was Antichrist. 
Even the elector's court, so circumspect and timid, did not 
disapprove of the reformer : it waited patiently. But the 
nobility and the people did not wait. The nation was reani- 
mated. Luther's voice had shaken it; it was won over, 
and rallied round the standard that he had uplifted. No- 

* Quae nostro sseculo quiete tractantur, moz cadere in oblivionem 
L. Epp. i. 479. t Ibid. 478. 

'5* 



106 PREPARATIONS AT ROME. 

thing 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 condemnation that was about to fall 
upon this prophet of the people. All Germany was on fire. 
Let the bull arrive ! not by such means will the conflagra- 
tion be extinguished. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Preparations at Rome Motives for Papal Resistance Eok at Rome 
The King of Crowns Eck prevails The Pope is the World God brings 
about the Separation A Swiss Priest pleads for Luther The Roman. 
Consistory Exordium of the Bull Luther condemned. 

EVERY preparation was made at Rome for condemning the 
defender of the liberty of the Church. That Church had 
long been living in a state of haughty security. For several 
years the monks had been accusing Leo X. of caring only 
for luxury and pleasure, of occupying himself solely with the 
chase, the theatre, and music,* while the Church was totter- 
ing to its fall. At length, aroused by the clamours 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 com- 
bat must be to the death. Luther did not attack the abuses 
of the Roman pontificate, but the pontificate itself. At his com- 
mand 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 dignitaries of the Roman hierarchy were 

* E sopra tutto musico eccellentissimo, e quando el canta con qualche 
uno, 11 fa donar cento e piu ducati. Zorsi MS 



MOTIVES FOE PAPAL PJESISTANCE. 107 

to renounce theft wealth and their worldly glory, and become 
elders and deacons of the churches of Italy. All that splen- 
dour and power, which for ages had dazzled the West, was to 
vanish and give place to the humble simplicity of the primi- 
tive 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 disinter- 
ested or bold as to be willing to overthrow the ancient and 
costly edifice of the Roman 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 
maintaining 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 opposed 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 seriously compromise the authority 
of the Church. He was aware, besides, that the violent 
measures hitherto employed 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 ne- 
glected nothing that might prevent such impious concessions. 
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) arc 
idte dreams with which you soothe yourselves at a distance 
from the danger. 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 
I.ieipsic parried objection after objection, and with difficulty 



108 ECK AT ROME. 

persuaded the pope.* He desired to save Rome in spite of 
herself. He made every exertion, passing many hours together 
in deliberation in the pontiffs cabinet.f He excited the court 
and the cloisters, the people and the Church. " Eck is 
stirring up the bottomless pit against me," said Luther; 
he is setting fire to the forests 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 
favourable to Luther. On this point we have the testimony 
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." 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 anathemas." 
Leo X. was again staggered. But immediately all that was 
bad in Rome burst out into violent fury.|| Eck mustered his 
recruits, and from all quarters, but especially from among the 
Dominicans, auxiliaries rallied round him, overflowing with 
anger and apprehension 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 imitate then- 
audacity. It was in this way that the punishment of John 
Huss, and of his disciple Jerome, terrified many ; and if the 

* Sarpi, Council of Trent. 

J-Stetimus nuper, papa, duo cardinales et ego per qninque bora? 

in deliberatione. Eckii Epistola (3d May), in Luth. Opp. Lat. ii. 48. 

Impetraturus abyssos abyssorum succensurus saltum Liban: 

L. Epp. i. 421-429. 

Scias, neminem RomoB ease, si saltern sapiat, qui non certo certiua 
sciat ct cognoscat Martinum in plurimis veritatem dicere. Riederer's 
Nachrichten zur Kirchen Gelehrten und Biichergeschichte, i. 179. 

|| Mali vero, quia veritatem audire coguntur insaniunt. Ibid. 

1] Non decere Rom. Pont, unicuique vilissimo homunculo rationem red 
dare debere. Ibid, 



THE K1KQ OF CROWNS. 109 

same thing had been done to Reuchlin, Luther would never 
have dared what he has done." 

At the same time the theologians of Cologne, Louvain, 
and other universities, and even princes of Germany, either 
by letter or through their envoys, daily urged the pope in 
private by the most pressing entreaties. 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,-)- the Augsburg 
merchan' strained every nerve to exasperate the pope: 
" Employ force against Luther," said he, " and I will pro- 
mise you the alliance and support of several princes." It 
would even appear that it was he who had sent Eck to 

Rome.J 

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 poli- 
ticians were defeated by the fanatics in the papal councils 
Leo gave way, and Luther's condemnation was resolved 
upon. Eck breathed again. His pride was flattered by 
the thought that it was he who had decided the destruc- 
tion 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 acquainted with Luther's 
errors. It will one day be known how much I have done in 
this cause.'' 

Few were more active in supporting Doctor Eck than 
Sylvester Mazzolini de Prierio, master of the sacred palace. 

* Super omnia YCTO mercator ille Fuckerus, qui plurimum ob pecunias 
Rornae potest, utpote quern nummorum regem, vocare solent. Riederer's 
Nachrichten, i. 179. 

f- De quaestu suo ac beneficiorum mercatura sollicitus. Ibid. 

J Ejusce rei causa Eckium ilium suum Remain misit. Ibid. 

8 Bonum fuit me venisse hoc tempore Roruam. Ep. Eckii. 



110 THE POPE IS THE WORLD. 

He had just published a work in which he laid down that 
not only did the infallible decision of all controverted 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 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 mon- 
strous fiction which, combined with the scholastic doctrines, 
pretended to extinguish the dawning truth. If this fable had 
not been unmasked as it has been, and even by learned men 
in the Romish communion, 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 
Us 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 antenna be removed. Truth requires to be 
entire in all its members, in order to display that energy by 

* Caput orbis et conseqiienter orbia totus in virtute. De juridica et 
Irrefragabili veritate Romance Ecclesise. Bibl. Max. xix. cap. iv. 

t Papa est imperatore major dignitate plus quam aurum plombo. 
Tie Papa et ejus potestate, p. 371. 



GOD EFFECTS THE SEPARATION. Ill 

which it is enabled to gain wide and salutary victories, and 
to propagate itself through future ages. To mingle a little 
erroi[ 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 perhaps, but 
surely. Those who defend Christ's doctrine against the at- 
tacks of its adversaries, as jealously keep watch 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 far 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 himself. Divine Provi- 
dence 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 undistinguishable to his eyes, the ap- 
proaches 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 humble 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 for- 
ward 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 impending 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 Ulrich Zwingle. William des Faucons, 
secretary to the pope's legate in Switzerland and who> in 



112 A SWISS PRIEST PLEADS FOE LUTHER. 

the legate's absence, 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 
doing all that can be expected from a true friend." The Helve- 
tian 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 confided his anxiety about 
Luther, " is, that I may endure with the heart of a man the 
evils that await me. I am a vessel 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 Chris- 
tian Church, if so formidable a blow should strike the 
reformer. He endeavoured to persuade the representative of 
Rome to enlighten the pope, and to employ all the means in 
his power to prevent Luther's excommunication.^- " The 
dignity of the holy see itself is interested in this," said 
Zwingle, " for if matters should come to such a point, Ger- 
many, overflowing with enthusiasm for the Gospel and for 
the doctor who preaches it, will despise the pope and his 
anathemas."| 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 dif- 
ficulties were raised in the consistory. The theologians werf 
of opinion that the fulmination should be issued immediately; 

* Hoc unum Christum obtestans, ut masculo omnia pectore fcrre donet, 
et me figulinum suum rumpat aut firmet, ut illi placitum sit. Zwinglii 
Epistolae, curantibus Schulero et Schulthessio, p. 144. 

t Ut pontificem admoneat, ne excommunicationem ferat. Ibid. 

J Nam si feratur, auguror Gerinanos cum excommunicationo ponti 
ficem quoquo contempturos. Ibid. 



THE ROMAN COXSISTORY. 113 

the lawyers, on the contrary, that it should be preceded by a 
summons. " Was not Adam first summoned?" said they 
to their theological colleagues ; " so too was Cain : Where 
is thy brother Abel, 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 defence."* It is pleasing to find 
these principles of justice in a Roman assembly. But these 
scruples were not to the taste of the divines in the as- 
sembly, who, instigated by passion, thought only of going 
immediately to work. One man in particular then came for- 
ward whose opinions must of necessity have had great in- 
fluence : this was De Vio, cardinal Cajetan, still labouring 
under extreme vexation at his defeat in Augsburg, and the 
little honour or profit he had derived from his German mis- 
sion. De Vio, who had returned to Rome in ill health, was 
carried to the assembly on his couch. He would not miss 
this paltry triumph, which afforded him some little consola- 
tion. 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 Ro- 
man Church."-J- 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 con- 
ference, which Eck attended, was held in the pope's pre- 
sence at his villa of Malliano. On the loth of June the 
Sacred College decided on the condemnaticn, and sanctioned 
the famous bull. 
" Arise, Lord!" said the Roman pontiff, speaking at 

* Sarpi, Council of Trent, i. 12. 

t Compertum igitur se habere dicebat nisi igne et gladio Germain 
oompescerentur, omniuo jugum Romanse Ecclesise excussuros. Riederer's 
Nachrichten, i. 179. 



114 THE BULL. 

this solemn moment as God's vicegerent and head of the 
Church, " arise, judge thy cause, and call to mind the op- 
probrium which madmen continually heap on thee ! Arise, 
Peter ; remember thy Holy Roman Church, mother of all 
churches, and queen of the faith ! Arise, Paul, for behold 
a new Porphyry attacks thy doctrines and the holy popes, our 
predecessors. Lastly, arise, ye assembly of saints, the holy 
Church of God, and intercede with the Almighty!"* 

The pope then proceeds to quote from Luther's works 
forty-one pernicious, scandalous, and poisonous propositions, 
in which the latter set forth the holy doctrines 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," &c. &c. 

" 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 obedience. 
Meanwhile, and from this very moment, he must give up 
preaching, teaching, and writing, and commit 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 ad- 
' herents as open and obstinate heretics." The pope then 
pronounces a number of excommunications, maledictions, 
and interdicts, against Luther and his partisans, with orders 

* L. Opp. (To xvii. 305, and Opp. Lat. i. 32. 
t Vol. I. p. 145 bot. 



UNHOLY ALLIANCE. 115 

to seize their persons and send them to Rome.* We may 
easily conceive what 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 Reuchlin, that 
the court of Rome would no longer make common 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 published ; and for centuries Rome 
had not pronounced a sentence of condemnation that her 
arm had not followed up with death. This murderous mes- 
sage was about to leave the Seven Hills, and reach the Saxon 
monk in his cell. The moment was aptly chosen. It might 
be supposed 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 in their victory, and 
fancied they saw their enemy at their feet. 



CHAPTER V. 

Wittemberg Melancthon His Marriage Catherine Domestic Life- 
Benevolence Good Humour Christ and Antiquity Labour Love 
of Letters Hia Mother Revolt of the Students. 

WHILE the inhabitants of the eternal city were thus agitated, 
more tranquil scenes were passing at Wittemberg. Melanc- 
thon was there diffusing a mild but brilliant light. From 
fifteen hundred to two thousand auditors, collecting from 
Germany, England, the Low Countries, France, Italy, Hun- 
gary, and Greece, were often assembled around him. He 
was twenty-four years of age, and had not entered the eccle- 
siastical state. There were none in Wittemberg who were 
* Sub praedictis posnis, prsefatum Lntherum, complices, adherentes, 
receptatores et fauta tores, personaliter capiant et ad nos mittant. Bulls 
Leonin loc. cit. 



116 MELANCTHON'S MARRIAGE. 

not delighted to receive the visits of this young professor, at 
once so learned and so amiable. Foreign universities, Ingol- 
stadt 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 particular, the house of the burgomaster Krapp, 
Avho belonged to an ancient family. Krapp had a daughter 
named Catherine, a woman of mild character and great 
sensibility. 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 anything besides. 
His Greek authors and his Testament were his delight. 
The arguments of his friends he met with other arguments. 
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 said 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, " has just such a character and 
education as I should have asked of God: fig/ij? 6 go; 
rtxpaffuittj. Certainly she deserves a better husband." 
Matters were settled in the month of August ; the betrothal 
took place on the 25th of September, and at the end 01 
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, Catherine grew alarmed at the least prospect 
of any danger that threatened her dear partner. Wheneve? 

* Uxor enim datur mihi non dice quam frigenti. Corp. Ref. i. 211. 
t Ego meis studiis, mea me voluptate fraudo. Ibid. 265. 
J May God, by his right hand, prosper this matter ! Ibid. 212. 
Parentes iiiei cum sororibus nuptias honoraruut Philippi. L. Epp 
i. 528. 



CATHERINES DOMESTIC LIFE. 11? 

Melancthon proposed taking any step of such a nature as to 
compromise himself, she overwhelmed 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 
Catherine'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. " God ! do not abandon me in 
my old age, when my hair begins to turn gray ! " such was 
the daily prayer of this pious and timid woman. Melanc- 
thon was soon conquered by his 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 happier than with Catherine and his 
children. A French traveller one day finding " the master 
of Germany" rocking his child's cradle with one hand, and 
holding a book in the other, started back with surprise. But 
Melancthon, 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 use 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 matters ; 
and the established regulations of his household enjoined him 
to refuse nothing to any one.f The young professor was ex- 
tremely 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 01 
it, since it gave him wherewithal to comfort the distressed. 
" Accordingly it would have been impossible for him to 
provide for the wants of himself and family," says his 

* Videres in sedibus illis perpetuo accedentes et introeuntes et A'3- 
cedente? atque exeuntes aliquos. Camerar. Vita Melancth. p. 40. 
t Ea domus disciplina erat, ut tiihil cuiquam negaretur. Ibid, 



118 MELANCTHON'S GOOD NATURE. 

friend Camerarius, " if a Divine and secret blessing had 
not from time to time furnished him the means." His 
good nature was extreme. 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 Melanc- 
thon. " I should like them all," replied the stranger. 1 
confess (says Philip) that this unreasonable request dis- 
pleased me a little at first; I nevertheless gave them to 
him.* 

There was in Melancthon's writings a perfume of anti- 
quity, which did not however prevent the sweet savour 
of Christ from exhaling from every part, while it com- 
municated to them an inexpressible charm. There is not 
one of his letters addressed to his friends in which we 
are not reminded in the most natural manner of the wisdom 
of Homer, Plato, Cicero, and Pliny, Christ ever 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 xv. 5). Melancthon referred him to 
Luther. " Cur agam gestum, spectante Roscio ? 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 longer 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. | 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 visiter, 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 

* Sed dedisse nihilominus illos. Camerar. Vita Melancth. p. 43. 

r How can I declaim in the presence of Roscius 1 Corp. Ref. Epp, 
13th April, 1520. 

Surgebat mox aut non longo intervallo post mediam noctem. Ca- 
merar. p. 66. 



LOVE OF LETTERS. 118 

In prose or verse. He always took some young men with him 
during his journeys. He conversed with thsm 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 mildness. " 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 ono 
thing,' 7 said he, " the defence of letters. By our example 
we must excite youth to the admiration of learning, and in- 
duce them to love it for its own sake, and not for the advan- 
tage that may be derived from it. The destruction of learning 
brings with it the ruin of everything that is good : religion, 
morals, Divine and human things.* The better a man is, 
the greater his ardour in the preservation of learning ; for he 
knows that of all plagues, ignorance is the most pernicious." 

Some time after his marriage, Melancthon, in company 
with Camerarius and other friends, made a journey to Bret- 
ten in the Palatinate, to visit his beloved mother. As soon 
as he caught sight of his birthplace, he got off his horse, fell 
on his knees, and returned thanks to God for having per- 
mitted him to see it once more. Margaret almost fainted 
with joy as she embraced 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 mother'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 reli- 
gious Revolution of the sixteenth century. 

A disturbance, however, occurred -to trouble these domes- 
tic scenes and the studious activity of Wittemberg. The stu- 

* Religionem, mores, humana divinaque omnia labe/actat literarum 
iiiscitia. Corp. Ref. i. 207. 22d July 1520. 



120 REVOLT OF THE STUDENTS. 

dents 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 disci- 
ples 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 the heart.* He went into the pulpit, and 
preached forcibly against these seditions, calling upon both 
parties to submit to the magistrates. f His sermon occa- 
sioned 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 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 Leipzic in 1519, 
and now in 1520 at Wittemberg. It is neither by wisdom 
nor by arms that the renovation of the Church will be ac- 
complished, but by humble prayer and a bold faith, that 
puts Christ on our side4 My dear friend, unite thy prayers 
with mine, that the evil spirit may not use this small spark 
to kindle a great conflagration." 



CHAPTER VI. 

The Gospel in Italy Sermon on the Mass Babylonish Captivity of the 
Church Baptism Abolition of other Vows Progress of Reform. 

BUT more terrible combats awaited Luther. Rome was 
brandishing the sword with which she was about to strike 
the Gospel. The rumour of the condemnation that was 
about to fall upon mm, 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 

* Urit me ista confusio academise nostrae. L. Epp. i. 467. 
t Commendans potestatem magistratuum. Ibid. 

t Nee prudentia nee armis, sed hamili oratione et forti fide, 

quibus obtineamus Christum pro nobis. Ibid. 469. 



THE GOSPEL IN ITALY. 121 

terrible blows himself thai he will neutralize those of his 
adversaries. While the transalpine assemblies are thunder, 
ing out anathemas against him, he will bear the sword of 
the Word into the midst of the Italian people. Letters from 
Venice spoke oi the favour with which Luther's sentiments 
wsre received there. He burnt with desire to send the Gos- 
pel 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 know- 
ledge of holy things. The prince could not undertake a 
more glorious task. If the people of Italy should receive the 
truth, our cause would then be impregnable." 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 Italy ; but for the present Lather's de- 
signs were not carried 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 everything should be done by 
governments, and the association of simple individuals, 
that power which is now effecting such great things in 
Christendom, was almost unknown. 

If Luther did not succeed in his projects for propagating 
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 Wittemberg.f 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," says he, 
fs 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 ene- 
mies. Each one is attached to his own sect, and despises 
all others. The unity and charity of Christ are at an end." 

Si vivos libros, hoc est concionatores possemus multiplicare. L. 
Epp. i. 491. t L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 490. 

VOL. U. 6 



J22 SERMON ON THE MASS BABYLONISH CAPTIVITY. 

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 with- 
Out money, a type without fulfilment, a letter without spirit, 
a casket without jewels, a scabbard without a sword." 

Luther's voice was not, however, confined to Wittem- 
berg, and if he did not find missionaries to bear his instruc- 
tions to distant lands, God had provided a missionary of a 
new kind. The printing-press was the successor of the 
Evangelists. This was the breaching-battery employed 
against the Roman fortress. Luther had prepared a mine 
the explosion of which shook the edifice of Rome to its low- 
est foundations. This was the publication of his famous 
book on the Babylonish Captivity of the Church, which ap- 
peared on the (ith of October 1520.* Never did man, in so 
critical a position, display greater courage. 

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

" Whether I will it or not," said he," "I become wiser 
every day, urged on as I am by so many illustrious masters. 
Two years ago, I attacked indulgences, but with so much in- 
decision and fear, that I am now ashamed of it. It is not, how. 
ever, to be wondered at, for I was alone when I set this stone 
rolling." He thanks Prierio, Eck, Emser, and his other ad- 
versaries : " I denied," continued he, " that the papacy was 
of Divine origin, but I granted that it was of human right. 
Now, after reading 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 NimrocJ 
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 Roman 
bishop, to catch and destroy w&."f 

* L. Opp. Lat. ii. 63 ; and Leips. xvii. 511. 

t Papatua cst robusta venatio Roman! episoopi. L. Opp. Lat. ii. 64- 



BAPTISM. 123 

Luther next proceeds to attack the prevailing errors on 
die sacraments, monastic vows, &c. He reduces the seven 
sacraments of the Church to three ; Baptism, Penance, and 
the Lord's Supper. After explaining the true nature of this 
Supper, he passes on to baptism ;* and it is here especially 
t hat he lays down the excellence of faith, and vigorously at^ 
tacks Rome. "God," says he, "has preserved this sacra- 
ment alone free from human traditions. God has said : He 
that believeth and is baptized, 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 him. 
With it, he will resist the adversary who assaults his soul, 
and be prepared to meet death, and stand before the judg- 
ment seat of God. It will be his consolation in all his 
trials to say : God's promises never deceive ; of their truth 
I received a pledge at my baptism ;* if God is for me, 
who shall be against me ? Oh, how rich is the baptized 
Christian ! Nothing can destroy 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 heart 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 purifies and renews it."f 

We state Luther's doctrine upon Baptism without pre- 
tending 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 

* See Vol. I. p. 145, hot. 

t Sicut enim Verbum Dei potens est dura sonat, etiam impii cor 
immutare, quod non minus est surdum et incapax quam ullus parvulus ; 
ita per orationem Ecclesiae offerentis et credentis, parvulus, fide infusa, 
mutatur, muudatur et renovatur. L. Opp. Lat. ii. 77. 



124 ABOLITION OP MONASTIC VOWS. 

a faith peculiar to them;"* and when it was objected to 
him that not having reason they could not have faith, he re- 
plied, "What has reason to do with faith and with the Word 
of God ? Does it not on the contrary resist them ? No man 
can attain to faith unless he becomes a fool, without reason, 
without intelligence, and like a little child. "f We must not 
be afraid to point out errors in the leaders of the Reforma- 
tion : we do not pay them honours 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,:}: Lu- 
ther wields it as a weapon against the papacy. In fact, if 
the Christian finds all his salvation in the renewal of his bap- 
tism^: by faith, what need has he of the Romish ordinances ? 

" For this reason, I declare," says Luther, " that neither 
pope, nor bishop, nor any man living, has authority to im- 
pose the least thing on a Christian, without his own consent. 
All that is done without it is an act of tyranny. We are 
free from all men. The vow that we made at our baptism 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. 1T God estimates all things by the 
standard of faith. And it often happens that the simple la- 
bour of a serving man or maiden is more acceptable to God 

* Die Kinder in der Taufe selbst glauben und eigenen Glauben ha- 
ben. L. Op. Leips. xiii. p. 360. 

t So unverniinftig und unverstandig, als kein jung Kind. Ibid. p. 361 . 

t See Vol. I. p. 145, bot. 

Dico itaque, neque papa, neque episcopus, neque ullus hominum 
habet jus unius syllabae constituendae super Christianum hominem, nisi 
id fiat ejusdem consensu ; quidquid aliter fit, tyrannico spiritu fit. L. 
Opp. Lat. ii. 77. 

|| Generali edicto tollere vota....abunde enim vovimus in baptismo, 
et plus quam possimus implere. Ibid. 78. 

T Opera quantum libet sacra et ardua religiosorum et saccrdotum, 
in oculis Dei prorsus nihil distare ab opcribus rustici in agro laborantis,. 
aut mulk'ris in dome sua curantis. Ibid. 



PllOGRESS OF THE REFORM. 125 

lhan the fasts and works of a monk, because the latter arc 
void of faith Christians are God's true people, le<l cap- 
tive to Babylon, and there stripped of what they had acquired 
by their baptism."* 

Such were the weapons by which the religious revolu- 
tion we are relating was effected. First, the necessity of 
faith was re-established, and then the reformers employed it 
as a weapon to dash to atoms every superstition. It is with 
this power of God, which removes mountains, that they at- 
lacked 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. 

Luther terminates this famous writing on the Captivity oj 
Babylon with these words : " I hear that new papal excom- 
munications are about to be fabricated against me. If it be 
true, this present book must be considered as part of my fu- 
ture recantation. The remainder 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.' - 



CHAPTER VII. 

Fresh Negotiations The Augustines at Eisleben Miltitz Deputa- 
tion to Luther Miltitz and the Elector Conference at Lichtemherg 
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 reformer's 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 con- 
ferred on Wenceslas Link, the same who had accompanied 
Luther to Augsburg. f The indefatigable Miltitz suddenly 

* See Vol. I. p. 145, bot. t Sec Vol. I. p. 368. 



126 Mii/rrrz AND THE AUGUSTINES AT EISLEBEN. 

arrived in the midst of the proceedings.* 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 con- 
cluded, 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- He dealt with the Re- 
formation 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 order," 
said he, " is compromised in this affair. Show me the 
means of restraining Luther." -; : " 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 Luther, 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 
dt-mand, and commissioned, 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 

* Nondum tot pressus difficultatibus animum desponderat Miltitius 

Ji^nus profecto non mediocri laude. Pallavicini, i. 68. 

t Der Bischof entriistct, der Official gefluchet, er aber gelachet habe. 
Seckcnd. p. 266. 

Orationem habuit Italica pronuntiatione vestitam. L. Epp. i. 483. 

Petens consilium super me compescendo. Ibid. 

U Nihil me in personam suam fuisso molitam. Ibid. 484. 



DEPUTATION TO LUTHER. 127 

G\e 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 senti- 
ments* expected any success from a letter to the pope. 
But that was an additional reason for not refusing 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 attacking the see of Rome itself too violently. 
Yet I will sprinkle it with its own salt." f 

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 Capti- 
vity of Babylon. Miltitz was not even yet discouraged. 
The desire of humbling Eck made him believe in impossi- 
bilities. 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 ; but his friends, 

* Quibus omnibus causa mea non displicet. L. Epp. i. 486. 
f- Aspergetur tamen sale suo. Ibid. 

J Des Pabsts Nepoten zwei oder drei Churf iirstliche Gold and 
Silberstlicke, zu verehren. Seckend. p. 2G7. 
Sicut princeps ordinavit. L. Epp. i. 455. 



128 CONFERENCE AT L1CHTEMBERG. 

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 Luther 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 llth of October; "pray for me." His friends would 
not abandon him. Towards evening of the same day, he 
entered Lichtemberg on horseback, accompanied by thirty 
cavaliers, among whom was Melancthon. The papal nuncio 
arrived about the same time, with a train of four persons.-}- 
Was not this moderate escort a mere trick to inspire confi- 
dence in Luther and his friends ? 

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

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 for- 
midable bull that was intended to crush the Reformation 
"We shall bring this business to a happy conclusion," 
wrote Miltitz to the elector immediately ; " thank the pope 



Jnvito pracceptore (Melancthon) nescio quanta metuente. L. 
Epp. i. 455. 

t Jener von mehr als dreissig, diser aber kaum mit vier Pferden 
bcgleitet. Seckend. p. 268. 

Totum pondus in Eccium versurus. L. Epp. i. 496. 

5; Ut nihil videar omittcre quod in mo ad pacem quoquo modo facero 
possit. Ibid. 



LUTHEK'S LETTER TO THE POPE. 129 

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 de- 
sirous of proclaiming to her once more some important and 
salutary truths. Many readers, from ignorance of the senti- 
ments 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. The energy of his ex- 
pressions 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, revealing the judgments of the Almighty, and 
calling out " Yet a few days more!" 

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 cannot 
hinder myself from sometimes looking towards you, Leo, 
most holy Father in God! And although the madness 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 pray- 
ing constantly and with deep groaning for your prosperity 
and for that of your pontificate.-}- 

" It is true that I have attacked certain antichristian doc- 
trines, and have inflicted a deep wound upon my adver- 
saries, because of their impiety. I do not repent of this, 
for I have the example of Christ before me. What is the 

" Seckend. p. 268. 

T Ut non totis viribus, sedulis atque quantum in me fuit gemebundia 
precibus apud Deum qua-sierim. L. Epp. i. 498. 

6* 



130 LETTER TO THE POPE. 

use of salt, if it hath lost its pungency ; or of the edge of (lie 
sword, if it cuts not ? * 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 eternity. 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 1 
cannot abandon it.-f- 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 ! I have been 
filled with horror at seeing that under your name the poor 
people of Christ have been made a sport of. This I opposed, 
and I will oppose it again ; not that I imagine I shall be 
able, despite the opposition of flatterers, 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 pas.t has in- 
undated the world with all that could destroy both body and 
soul. The Church of Rome, once the foremost in sanctity, 
is become the most licentious den of robbers, the most shame- 
less of all brothels, the kingdom of sin, of death, and of hell,| 
which Antichrist himself, if he were to appear, could not in- 
crease in wickedness. Ail this is clearer than the sun at 
noonday. 

" And yet, Leo ! you sit like a lamb in the midst of 
wolves, like Daniel in the lions' den ! What can you do alone 
against such monsters? Perhaps there 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 

* Quid prodierit sal, si non mordeat ? Quid os gladii, si non caedat ? 
L. Epp. i. 499. 

f- Verbum deserere et negare nee possum, nee volo. Ibid. 

J Facta est .... spelunca latronum licentiosissima, lupanar omnium 
unDudentissimum, reguuin peccati, mortis, et inform. Ibid. 500. 



LETTER TO THE POPE. 131 

the court of Rome is decreed ; God's wrath is upon it, and 
will consume it.* 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 icould 
have healed Babylon, but she is not healed : forsake lier.-\ 
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 al- 
ivays 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 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 honour my dear Leo, 

of what use are you in this Roman court, except that the 
basest men employ your name and power to ruin fortunes, 
destroy souls, multiply crimes, oppress the faith, the truth, 
and the whole Church of God ? 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 detestable 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,t 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 be saved from the terrible gulf. 

" Behold, Leo, my Father! why I have inveighed 
against this death-dealing see. Far from rising up against 

* Actum est de Romana curia ; pervenit in earn ira Dei usque in finem. 
L. Epp. i. 500. 

T Jeremiah li. 9, 

Olim janua coeli, nunc patens quoddam os inferni, et tale os, quod 
orgente ira Dei, obstrui non potest. L. Epp. i. 501. 



132 LETTER TO THE POPE. 

your person, I thought I was labouring 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 Kome, is performing your duty. To cover it with shame, 
is to do Christ honour ; in a word, to be a Christian is not to 
be a Eoman. 

" Yet finding that by succouring the see of Rome I lost 
both my labour and my pains, I transmitted to it this writing 
of divorcement, and said : Farewell, Rome ! He that is un- 
just, let him be unjust still ; and he which is filthy, let him be 
filthy still !* 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 order to challenge me again to the lists. He was 
desirous 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, Miltitz, 
and Eck ; he then continues : 

" Now then, I come to you, most holy Father, and, pros- 
trate 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 interpretation to be imposed on 
the Scriptures. The Word of God, which i the fountain 
whence all true liberty flows, must not be bouncl.f 

" 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 whatever 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 presuming 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. 

* Revelation xxii. 11. 

f- Leges interpretandi verbi Dei non patior, cum oporteat verbum Da' 
esso non alligatum, quod libertatem docet. L. Epp. i. 504. 



CHRISTIAN LIBERT*. 133 

Charity urges me, and it is my duty to utter a cry of warn- 
ing and of safety. 

" Tht.t I may not appear empty-handed hefore your 
holiness, I present you a small book which I have dedicated 
to you, and which will inform you of the subjects on which 

should be engaged, if your parasites permitted 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 myself to your holiness, whom 
may the Lord Jesus preserve for ever ! Amen !" 

The little book which Luther presented to the pope 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 Chris- 
tian 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 Christian 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 every 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 believer's 
soul, these sins are swallowed up and lost in Him ; for there 
is no sin that can stand before His infinite 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 ! the rich, noble, 
anj holy spouse, Jesus Christ, unites in marriage with 



134 LIBERTY AND BONDAGE. 

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 honour and glory 

with every Christian. The Christian is a king, and con- 
sequently possesses all things ; he is a priest, and conse- 
quently possesses God. And it is faith, and not works, 
that brings him to such honour. The Christian is free of 
all things, above all things, faith giving him abundantly of 
every thing." 

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 towards 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 abundance of his blessings : I wish to become all things 
for my neighbour, as 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 faith 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 all others as much as the heavens are 
above the earth." 

Such is the work with which Luther accompanied his 
letter to Leo. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

The Bull in Germany Eck's Reception The Bull at Wittemberg 
Zwingle's Intervention. 

WHILE the reformer was thus addressing the Roman pontiff 
for the last time, the bull which anathematized him was 

* 1st nun das nicht eine frohliche Wirthschafft, da der reiche, edle, 
fromme Brautigam Christus, das arme, verachtete, bb'be Hiirlein zur 
Ehe nimmt. L. Opp. (L x xvii. 385. 



THE BULL IN GERM ANT. 135 

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 the Archbishop 
of Mentz, desiring him to see it put in execution. But Eck 
himself appeared in Saxony as the herald and agent of the 
great pontifical work. 

The choice had long been doubtful. " Eck," wrote an in- 
habitant of Rome about this time, " was peculiarly adapted 
for this mission by his impudence, his dissimulation, 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 influence, however, of his patron Fug- 
ger, " 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 can be better 
than a drunken legate ?f Their temerity can only be checked 
by an equal degree of temerity." Further, it was whispered 
about that no man of sincerity and good sense would under- 
take such a mission ; and that even could such a man be 
found, the magnitude of the danger would soon make him 
abandon the place. The idea of nominating Aleander as 
Dr. Eck's colleague seemed most excellent. " A worthy pair 
of ambassadors," said some ; " both are admirably suited for 
this work, and perfectly matched in effrontery, impudence, 
and debauchery ."J 

The doctor of Ingolstadt had felt more than any other man 
the force of Luther's attack ; he had seen the danger, and 

* Temeritate, audacia, mendaciis simulatione, adulatione, et cseteris 
vitiis curise aptis egregie pollet. Verum sola obstabat ebrietas, Italis (ut 
nosti) perquam odiosa. Riederer, Nachricbten zur Kirchen-gescbich- 
to. i. 179. 

) Nihil magis Germanos temulentos quam temuleatum decere legatum. 
Ibid. 

J Egrogium profecto oratorum par, et causae perquam conveniens, ino- 
pudentiaque, temeritate, et vitas flagitiis simile. Ibid. 



136 THE BULL IN GERMANY. 

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 Roman world now 
threatening to fall to ruins. Proud of the success of his 
journey to Rome, proud of the commission 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 condemnation 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 renown. 
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 dis- 
pleased 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 
furnished with power to crush her chosen men. Luther 
considered this judgment brought by his implacable oppo- 
nent, as an act of personal revenge ; this condemnation was 
in his idea (says Pallavicini) the treacherous 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 Doctor Eck. Thus the edge was 
blunted and weakened beforehand by the very man who 
had prepared it. 

The Chancellor of Ingolstadt had made all haste to Sax- 
ony. 'Twas there he had fought ; 'twas 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 ;r. the first of these cities it was stuck 

" Non tanquam a securi legitimi liotoris, sed e telo infensissimi hoitia. 
Pallavicini, i. 7' 



RECEPTION. Io7 

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 everything 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 related how he in- 
tended bringing that scoundrel Martin to reason."* But 
erelong the Ingolstadt doctor observed that the wind was 
changing. A great alteration had taken place in Leipsie 
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 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 
formidable champion trembled in every limb. Each day he 
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 
Luther, "but I am desirous that his schemes should fail."J 
Eck quitted his asylum by night, escaped secretly from 

* Nachdem (writes Miltitz) er nun tapfer getrunken hatte, fieng er 
gleich an trefflich von seiner Ordre zu prahlen, &c. Seckend. p. 238. 

f- Longe aliam faciem et mentem Lipsia: eum invenire quarn sperasset. 
L. Epp. i. 492. 

J Nollem eum occidi, quanquam optem cjus consilia irrita fieri. 
Ibid. 



138 ECK'S RECEPTION. 

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 duration ; all the conciliatory plans 
of the chamberlain failed, and he came to a melancholy end. 
Miltitz, being intoxicated, fell into the Rhine at Mentz, and 
was drowned. 

Gradually, however, Eck's courage revived. He repaired 
to Erfurth, whose theologians had given the Wittemberg 
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 frag- 
ments into the river, saying : " Since it is a bull (a 
bubble), let it float !"* " Now," said Luther, 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 university if 
he did not conform to it. At the same time he wrote to 
Duke John, Frederick's brother and co-regent: "Do not 
misconstrue my proceedings," said he ; " for I am fighting 
on behalf of the faith, which costs me much care, toil, and 
money ."f 

The Bishop of Brandenburg could not, even had he so 
wished, act in Wittemberg in his quality of ordinary ; for 
the university was protected by its privileges. Luther and 
Carlstadt, both 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 not publish it. The 
university already enjoyed in the surrounding countries a 
greater authority than the pontiff himself. Its declaration 
served as a model for the elector's government. Thus 
the spirit that was in Luther 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 

* L. Epp. i. 520. A studiosis discerpta et in aquam projecta, dicenti 
DUS : Bulla est, in aquam natet ! playing on the word bulla, which 
means a bubble, the seal appended to the bull, and hence the bull itself. 

f Mat viel Miihe, Arbeit und Kosten. L. Opp. (L.) ivii. 317. 



ZWIKGLE'S INTERVENTION. 139 

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 re- 
lations of friendship with Luther,, published a writing full of 
wisdom and dignity, the first of his numerous works.* A 
brotherly affection seemed to attract him towards the re- 
former 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. Be- 
fore 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 condemn him. The bull that is now published 
against him displeases even those who honour the pope's 
grandeur; for throughout it betrays signs of the impotent 
hatred of a few monks, and not those becoming the mild- 
ness of a pontiff, the vicar of a Saviour full of compassion. 
All men acknowledge that the true doctrine of the Gospel of 
Jesus Christ has greatly degenerated, and that we need a 
striking public revival of laws and morality.f Look to all 
men of learning and virtue ; the greater their sincerity, the 
stronger is their attachment to the evangelical 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,J 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 Emperor Charles, the King of England, 

* Consilium cnjusdam ex animo cupientis esse consnltum et pontificis 
dignitati, et Christiana; religionis tranquillitati. Zw. Opp. cur. Schulero 
et Sehulthessio, iii. 1-5. 

t Mnltum degenerasse ab ilia sincera Christ! evangelica doctrina, 
adeo ut nemo non fateatur opus esse publica aliqua et insigni legum ac 
morum instauratioue. Zw. Opp. iii. 3. 

J Nemo non fatetur se ex illius libris factum esse meliorem. Ibid. 4. 



140 ZWINGLE'S INTERVENTION. 

and the King of Hungary, themselves appoint the arbitra- 
tors; let these men read Luther's writings, hear him per- 
sonally, and let their decision be ratified! f3izr,ad1u i rw 
Xff/rfrou xai&zia xa! aX^s/a!"* 

This proposition emanating from the country of the Swiss 
led to no results. The great divorce must be accomplished ; 
Christendom must be rent in twain ; and even in its wounds 
will the remedy for all its ills be found. 



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 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 Christ- 
endom, and of the Emperor of the West? The bolt is dis- 
charged ; 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 prepares 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 without 

the will of our Father. How much less we ourselves 

It is a little matter to die for the Word, since this Wean, 

* May the teaching and the truth of Christ prevail ! 



LUTHER'S RESIGNATION. 141 

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 arrive where it has arrived, and abide 
with it through all eternity."* 

Sometimes, however, Luther cannot restrain the contempt 
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 Eek," said he, " except that he 
has arrived with a long beard, a long bull, and a long purse ; 
but I laugh at his bull."f 

On the 3d of October he was informed of the papal brief. 
" It is come at last, this Roman bull," said he. " I des- 
pise and attack it as impious, false, and in every respect 
worthy of Eck. It is Christ himself who is condemned 
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. Oh, that Charles 
V. would act like a man ! and that for the love of Christ 
he would attack these wicked spirits !J I rejoice in hav- 
ing 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 Anticnrist, 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 dis- 
tinguished 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 seclusion, and divided 
their time between study, the care of the poor, and medita- 
tion on eternal life. Bilibald, a statesman, found some re- 

* Parum est nos pro Verbo mori, cum ipsum incaruatum pro nobis prius 
mortuum sit. L. Epp. i. 490. 

t Venisse eum barbatum, bullatuin, nummatum. Ridebo et ego bullam 
sive ampullajn. Ibid. 488. 

J Utiitam Carolus Tir esset, et pro Christo hos Satanas aggrederetur. 
Ibid. 494. 



142 A NEUTRAL FAMILY. 

laxation from his public cares in tlie 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 instruc- 
tor 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 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 
rumoured that Bilibald's name was posted up under the 
pope's bull on the gates of the cathedral beside that of Lu- 
ther ! In fact, Eck, impelled by blind fury, had associated 
with Luther six of the most distinguished men in Germany, 
Carlstadt, Feldkirchen, Egranus, who cared little about if, 
Adelmann, Pirckheimer, and his friend Spengler, whom the 
public functions with which they were invested rendered 
particularly sensible to this indignity. Great was the agita- 
tion in the convent of St. Claire. How could they endure 
Bilibald's shame ? Nothing 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 favour of Spengler and 
Pirckheimer; these noble-minded men were compelled to 
humble themselves before Dr. Eck, who made them feel all 
the importance of a Roman protonotary, and compelled 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 \\ere 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 participation 
in the Lutheran heresy. Yet vengeance and anger proved 
bad counsellors to Eck. The names of Bilibald and of his 
* Pirckhejmeri Opp. Franckfbrt. 



LUTHER AGAINST THE BULL OF ANTICHRIST. 143 

friends brought discredit on the bull. The character of these 
eminent men, and their numerous connexions, served to in- 
crease the general irritation. 

Luther at first pretended to doubt the authenticity of the 
bull. " I hear," says he in the first of his writings on the 
subject, " that Eck has brought a new bull from Rome, which 
resembles him so much that it might be called Doctor Eck, 
so mil is it of falsehood and error. He would have 
us believe that it is the pope's doing, while it is only a 
forgery." After having set forth the reasons for his doubts, 
Luther concludes by saying: " I must see with my own 
eyes the lead, the seal, the strings, the clause, the signa- 
ture of the bull, in fact the whole of it, before I value all 
these clamours even at a straw!"* 

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

" 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 kingdoms 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 afterwards neglect my writ- 

* Oder nicht ein Haarbreit geben. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 323. 
+ So ist Biicher verbrennen so leicht. dass es auch Kinder konE.cn 
geschweig denn der heilige Vater Pabst. Ibid, 324. 



144 THE POPE FOUB1DS FAITH. 

ings.* 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." 

Luther's tenth proposition, condemned by the pope, was 
thus drawn up : " No man's sins are forgiven, unless he 
believes they are forgiven when the priest absolves him." 
By condemning this, the pope denied that faith was ne- 
cessary 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 dangers 
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 secretly applied 
themselves to the task.f When Luther heard of it, he 
said: " I place the whole matter in God's hands." J These 

" In Biblien zu fiihren, dass man derselben Verstand erlangte, und 
deun meine Biichlein verschwinden Hess. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 324. 
t Ut Wittemberga pellerer. L. Epp. i. 519. 
J Id quod in manum Dei refero. Ibid. 520. 



EFFECTS OF THE HULL. 145 

intrigues were not entirely ineffectual : Adrian, Hebrew pro- 
fessor at Wittemberg, suddenly turned against the doctor. 
Great strength of faith was required to bear up against the 
blow inflicted by the court of Home. There are some 
characters that will go along with the truth only to a certain 
point. Such was Adrian. Alarmed by this condemna- 
tion, he quitted Wittemberg, and repaired to Dr. Eck at 
Leipsic. 

The bull was beginning to be carried into execution. 
The voice of the pontiff of Christendom was not powerless. 
For ages, fire and sword had taught submission to his decrees. 
The burning piles were erected at his voice. Everything 
seemed to announce that a terrible catastrophe would shortly 
put an end to the daring revolt of this Augustine monk. 
In October 1520 Luther's books were taken away from 
all the booksellers' shops in Ingolstadt and put under seal. 
The Elector-archbishop of Mentz, moderate as he was, felt 
obliged to banish Ulrich of Hiitten from his court, and to 
imprison his printer. The papal nuncios had besieged the 
youthful 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-fe. 

Eck behaved with insolence, in every quarter threaten- 
ing the great and the learned, and " filling every thing with 
his smoke," as Erasmus says.-j- " 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 himself : You 
arebut a cobbler " And his colleague Aleander, frowning 
like a schoolmaster who threatens his pupils with the rod,|j 
said to Erasmus : " We shall know how to get at this 

" A ministris pontificiis mature prjeoccupatus, declaravit so velle 
veterem fidem tutari. Pallavicini, i. 80. 
t Omnia suis fumis complens. Hardt. Hist. Lit. Ref. i. 1P9. 
J Tres pediculoses grammatistas. Ibid. 
Pontifex potest dicere Csesari Carolo : Tu es cerdo. Ibid. 
II Eo vultu quo solent tetrici literatorea pueris minari virgas. Ibid. 
VOL. II. 7 



1-16 THE BURNING TILE OF LOUVAIN. 

Duke Frederick, and teach him reason." 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 Mentz 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 super- 
stitious 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 Louvain, when 
they appeared before Margaret, governor of the Nether- 
lands, " 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 execution. Students and 
citizens might be seen hastily traversing the crowd, 
bearing large volumes under their arms, which (hey threw 
into the flames. Their zeal edified both monks and doctors ; 
but the trick was afterwards discovered it was the Sermones 
Discipuli, Tartaretus, 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 complain 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 !" -j- 

" Seckend. p. 289. 

lis ist in vierhundert Jahren ein christlicher Mann aufgestanden, den 
will der Fabst todt habcn. Seckend. p. 288. 



LUTHER'S TRANQUILLITY. 147 

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 Spalatin, 
" I should keep silence, well knowing that the work must 
be accomplished by the counsel and power of God."f The 
timid man was for speaking out, the strong desired tc 
remain silent. Luther discerned a power that escaped the 
eyes of his friend. " Be of good cheer," continues tho 
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 here present, and He who is 
within us is greater than he who is in the world.":}: 



CHAPTER X. 

Decisive Step of the Reformer Luther's Appeal to a General Conncfl 
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 tho 
Struggle Melancthon's Opinions on the Weak- hearted Luther's 
Treatise on the Bible Doctrine of Grace Luther'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 pontiffs commands 
have been all-powerful ; he will oppose sentence to sentence, 
and the world shall know which has the greater strength. 
" I desire," said he, " to set my conscience at rest, by 

* In bullosis illis tumultibus. L. Epp. i. 519. 
r Rem totam Deo committerem. Ibid. 521 . 

t Christus ista ccepit, ipse perficiet, etiam me sire extincto, sive ragata 
Ibid. 526. 



148 LUTHER APPEALS TO A GENERAL COUNCIL. 

disclosing to all men the danger that threatens them;"* 
and at the same time he prepared 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 witnesses, 
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 minute 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 flock, and throw them into the jaws of the 
wolf ; 

" I, Martin Luther, an Augustine friar, doctor of the Holy 
Scriptures at Wittemberg, appeal by these presents, in behalf 
of myself and of those who are or who shall be with me, 
from the most holy pope Leo to a future general and Chris- 
tian 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; 
secondly, 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 ; -J- thirdly, as an enemy, an antichrist, an adver- 
sary, an oppressor of Holy Scripture,:): who dares set his 
own words in opposition to the Word of God ; fourthly, as 

* Ut mcam conscientiam redimam. L. Epp. i. 522. 

f Ab erroneo, indurate, per Scripturas sanctas damnato, haeretico et 
apostata. L. Opp. Lat. ii. 50. See also L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 332. There 
are some paragraphs in the German that are not in the Latin terfc, 

J Oppressore totius Sacra Scripturse. Ibid, 



LUTHEK'S APPEAL. 149 

a dcspiser, 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 emperor of Rome, the 
electors, princes, counts, barons, knights, gentlemen, council- 
lors, 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 reward 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,* I reject by 
these presents all responsibility, having faithfully warned 
their consciences, and I abandon them to the supreme judg- 
ment of God, with the pope and his adherents." 

Such is Luther's bill of divorce ; such is his reply to the 
pontiff's bull. A great seriousness pervades the 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 circulated through Ger- 
many, and sent to most of the courts of Christendom. 

Luther had, however, a still more daring step in reserve, 
although this which he had just taken appeared the extreme ol 
audacity. He would in no respect be behindhand with Rome. 
The monk of Wittemberg will do all that the sovereign pontifl 
dares do. He gives judgment for judgment ; he raises pile for 
pile. The son of the Medici and the son of the miner of Mans- 
feldt 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 Wit* 
temberg, 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 number of doctors and students 

* Et papas, impio homini, pits quam Deo obediant. L. Opp. Lat. ii l >0. 
L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 332. 



150 THE BURNING OP THE BULL. 

assembled, and Luther, walking at their head, conducted the 
procession to the appointed place. How many burning piles 
has Rome erected during the course of ages ! Luther resolves 
to make a better application of the great Roman principle. 
It is 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, approached the pile, carrying 
the Canon Law, the Decretals, 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 con- 
sume thee !" He then flung it into the flames. Never had war 
been declared with greater energy and resolution. After 
this Luther calmly returned to the city, and the crowd of 
doctors, professors, and students, testifying their approval 
by loud cheers, re-entered Wittemberg with him. " The 
Decretals," said Luther, " resemble a body whose 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 who is Jesus Christ."* " My enemies," said he 
on another occasion, " 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 begun. 
Hitherto I have been only playing with the pope. I began 
this work in God's name ; it will be ended without 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." 

If Luther had commenced the Reformation in this man- 
ner, 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 dis- 
* L. Opp. (W.) xxii. 1493-1496. 



MEANING OF THIS BOLD ACT. 151 

order. 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 without 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 excommunica- 
tion 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 advancing and of combating. 

Luther had re-entered 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 as- 
sembly ; they waited expecting an address 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 statutes 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 himself 
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. Bu 
it is far better to be exposed to such perils in this world tha 
to keep silence 1 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 

Muss ewig in jenem Leben verlohrcn seyn. L. Opp. (L.) rvii. 333. 



LUTHER iGAINST THE POPE. 

by this discourse, the energy of which surprises us. '' Not 
one among us," adds the candid student who has handed 
it down, " unless he be a senseless log of wood (as all the 
papists are, he says parenthetically), 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." * 

This discourse and the act by which it was crowned mark 
an important epoch in the Reformation. The dispute at 
Leipsic had inwardly detached Luther from the 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, and his attach- 
ment to the universal Church, such as it had been founded 
by the apostles of Jesus Christ. At the eastern gate of the 
city he lit up a fire that has been burning for three centuries. 

" The pope," said he, " has three crowns ; and for this 
reason : the first is against God, for he condemns religion ; 
the second against the emperor, for he condemns the secular 
power ; the third is against society, for he condemns mar- 
riage." } When he was reproached v ith inveighing too 
severely against popery : " Alas ! " replied he, " would that 
I could speak against it with a voice of thunder, and that 
each of my words was a thunderbolt ! " J 

This firmness spread to Luther's friends and fellow-coun- 
trymen. A whole nation rallied around him. The univer- 
sity of Wittemberg in particular grew daily more attached 
to this hero, to whom it was indebted for its importance and 
glory. Caiistadt 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 wis- 
dom peculiar to this amiable man. It was in reply to a 
work attributed to Emser, but published under the name of 

* Lutherum esse Dei viventis angelum qui palabundas Christi oves 
pascat. L. Opp. Lat. ii. 123. 
t L. Opp. (W.) xxii. 1313. 
J Und ein jeglicb Wort eine Donneraxt ware. Ibid. 1350. 



A NEW "WORK BY MELANCTHON. 153 

Rhadinus, a Roman divine. Never had Luther himself 
spoken with greater energy ; and yet there was a grace in 
Melancthon'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," 
ays he to the states of the empire, " that prevents oui 
depriving the pope of the rights that we have given him ?* 
It matters little to Luther whether our 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 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 mysteries, is not within the scope 
of the commonalty. It is 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 remembrance that you are Christians, ye princes of 
a Christian people, and wrest these sad relics of Christen- 
dom from the tyranny of Antichrist. They are deceivers 
who pretend 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 idolatry 
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 ininds inclined to extreme measures 
of conciliation, and Staupitz, in particular, expressed the 
deepest anxiety. " All 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 
3an be done. The tumult becomes more and more tumult- 
uous, and I do not think it will ever be appeased, except at 

* Quid obstat quominu 1 papas quod dedimus jus adimamus! Corp 
Eef. i. 337. 

t Ut extinguaris illam, multo tetriorem Baalis idololatria, Romanaa. 
Buperstitionem. Ibid. 

7* 



154 LUTHER ENCOURAGES HIS FRIENDS. 

the last day." * 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 excommunicate and 

burn my writings! let it slay me! it shall not check 

that which is advancing. Some great portent is at our 
doors.f 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.":}: 

We involuntarily stop, and are delighted at reading in 
Luther's great soul the mighty future that was preparing. 
" my father," said he to Staupitz in conclusion, " pray for 
the Word of God and for me. I am carried away and tossed 
about by these waves." 

Thus war was declared on both sides. The combat- 
ants threw away their scabbards. The Word of God re- 
asserted 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 com- 
mandments of God should be preferred to every mortal thing.|| 
God threatens with his eternal anger those who endeavour 
to suppress the truth. For this reason it was a duty, a 

* Tumultus egregie tumultuatur, ut nisi extreme die sedari mihi posse 
non videatur. L. Epp. i. 541. 

f Oranino aliquid portenti prse foribus est. Ibid. 542. What a pre- 
sentiment of the future ! 

J Primum trepidus et orans, sed nunc Isetior quam ullo totius vita 
mcoB facto. Ibid. 

Ego fluctibus his rapior et volvor. Ibid. 

H Sed tamen in Ecclesia necesse est anteferri mandatum Dei omnibus 
rebus humanist Melancth. Vita Lutheri. 



LUTHER DEFENDS HIS SOLITARY STATE. 155 

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 whicb 
unprincipled men were disseminating with inconceivable 
effrontery. 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 overwhelmed 
with reproaches: the storm burst upon h'm 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 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 person- 
age ; but ordinarily he chose low and despised 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 time ; after him, Jerome was alone ; later 

still, Augustine was alone I do not say 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 

* Wer weiss, ob mich Gott dazu berufen und erwaeb.lt hat. Founda- 
tion of the articles condemned by the bull of Rome. L. Opp. (L.) 
xvii. 338. 

t Ich saj?e nicht, dass ich ein Prophet sey. Ibid. 



156 DOCTRINE OP GRACE. 

Christian doctrines have been lost sight of by those whs 
ehould 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.* 
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 doctors 
endeavour to prove their writings by Holy Scripture, Scrip- 
ture 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 writings ; for the 
Bible alone is lord and master. 

" But (say they) men of power persecute him. Is 
it not clear, according to Scripture, that the persecutors 
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 
outcry."-}- 

Luther next examines the propositions condemned in 
the bull as heretical, and demonstrates their truth by proofs 
drawn from the Holy Scriptures. With what vigour espe- 
cially does he not maintain the doctrine of Grace ! 

" 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 Avhich all the saints mourn over continu- 
ally! 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 torrent 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 infinite 

* Und sollten's eitel Kinder in der Wiegc seyn. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 339. 
t Wahrheit hat allezeit rumort. Ibid. 340 



LUTHER'S RETRACTATION. 157 

love.* 1 he 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, condemned by 
the bull,-]- he simply adds : 

" In submission to the holy and learned bull, I retract 
all that I have ever taught concerning indulgences. It 
my books have been justly burnt, it is certainly because 
I made concessions to the pope on the doctrine of in- 
dulgences ; for this reason I condemn them myself to th& 
flames." 

He retracts also with respect to John Huss : " I now 
say that not a few articles, but all the articles of John 
Huss are wholly Christian. By condemning John Huss, 
the pope has condemned the Gospel. I have done five 
times 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 
sitting at Rome, I should deny that he was pope by Divine 
appointment." 

* Man soil zuvor Christum in seine Wunden sehen, und aufl denselben 
seine Liebe gegen uns. L. Opp. (L.) XYU. 351. 
t Props. 19 to 22. Ibid. 363. 



158 CORONATION OF CHARLES V. 



CHAPTER XL 

Coronation of Charles the Fifth The Nuncio Aleander Shall Luther'g 
Books be Burnt ? Aleander and the Emperor The Nuncios and 
the Elector Duke John's Son in Behalf of Luther Luther's Calm- 
ness The Elector protects Luther Reply of the Nuncios Erasmus 
at Cologne Erasmus at the Elector's Declaration 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 communicated to the 
whole nation. But still a greater question remained to be 
solved. Would the prince in whose states Luther was re- 
siding, favour or oppose the execution 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 
youngest but most powerful monarch of Christendom. 
An unusual pomp and magnificence 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 ambassador 
at the court of Maximilian, was commissioned to congratu- 
late the new emperor, and to treat with him on political 
matters. But Rome had discovered that, to succeed in ex- 
tinguishing the Reformation, it was necessary 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 in- 

* Studium flagrantissimum religionis, ardor iudolis incredibilc 

quanta solcrtia Pallavicini, f. 84. 



THE NUNCIO ALEANDER. 159 

vested with the purple of the cardinals, would appear tc 
have been descended from a 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 Csesar before whose murderous sword all Rome 
trembled.* " Like master, like man," says an historian, 
who thus compares Aleander to Alexander VI. This judg- 
ment is in our opinion too severe. After Borgia's death, 
Aleander applied to his studies with fresh ardour. 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 integrity of his 
life.f It would appear that he was fond of luxury, parade, 
and amusement. " Aleander is living at Venice like a gro- 
velling 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 ardour, indefati- 
gable, imperious, and devoted to the pope. Eck was the fiery 
and intrepid champion of the schools : Aleander the haughty 
ambassador of the proud court of the pontiffs. He seemed 
born to be a nuncio. 

Rome had made every preparation to destroy the monk 
of Wittemberg. The duty of attending the coronation of 
the emperor, as the pope's representative, was a mere second- 
ary mission in Aleander's eyes, yet calculated 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. 65. Capello, Venetian ambassador at Rome in 1500, 

says of Csesar : Tutta Roma trema di esso ducha non li faza amazzar 

Extraeted by Ranke, from a MS. Relatione in the archives of Vienna. 

f- Er \vird iibel als ein gebohrner Jude und schaendlicher Epicurcr 
beschrieben. Seckend. 288. Integritas yitae qua prxnoscebatur. Pal- 
lavicini, i. 84. 

J Cuilousollicitudoinnitereturnascentisliaresisevelleiidie. Ibid. i. 83 



160 SHALL LUTHER'S BOOKS BE BURNT ? 

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 particularly under the 
eyes of the German princes assembled in that city. Charles 
V. had already given his consent with regard to his heredi- 
tary states. The agitation of men's minds was excessive. 
" Such measures," said they to Charles's ministers and the 
nuncios themselves, " far from healing 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.-J- A few logs of wood piled up to burn a 
few sheets of paper will effect 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 written 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 Ger- 
many.J 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 councillois 
and the consent of the princes strike such a blow as this 

" Altiusque insculptam in mentibus universae fere Germanise. Palla- 
Ticini, i. 88. 

t In vi iunumerabilium gladiorum qui infinitum populum trucidarent. 
Ibid. 

Non satis ad expurgandum aorern Germanise jam tabificum. Ibid, 
p. 89. 

Caesaris cdictum in caput...Lutheri. Ibid. 



THE NUNCIOS AND THE ELECTOR. 161 

against a numerous faction surrounded by so many power- 
ful defenders. Let us first learn what our father, the Elector 
of Saxony, thinks of this matter;* we shall afterwards see 
what reply we can make to the pope." The nuncios, there- 
fore, 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 councillors. 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, " fhat 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 colleague, who 
modestly gave way :-} " 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 de- 
stroyed, but because they abandoned the pope ? You can- 
not 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 ; se- 
condly, that you will inflict on him the punishment he de- 
serves, or at least that you will deliver him up to the pope. 
The emperor and all the princes of the empire have declared 
their willingness to accede to our request ; you alone hesi- 
tate still." 

Frederick replied, through the medium of the Bishop of 

" Audiamus antea hac in re patrem nostrum Fredericum. L. Opp. 
Lat. ii. 117. 

f Cai ita loquenti de improviso sese addit Aleander. Ibid. 

J Non posse cum Luthero conjungi, quin sejungeretur a Christo. Pai- 
iav. i. 86. 

Ut de eo supplicium sumeret, vel captum pontifici transmitteret 
L. Opp. Lat. ii. 117 



162 JOHN FREDERICK INTERCEDES. 

Trent : " This matter is too serious to be settled now. We 
will let you know our determination." 

The situation in which Frederick was placed was a diffi- 
cult one. What part ought he to take ? On the one side 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's 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 after- 
wards wore the electoral crown, and whose reign was signal- 
ized by the greatest misfortunes, John Frederick, son of 
Duke John, the elector's nephew, and Spalatin' 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 em- 
braced 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 
enemies. 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.-j- 

In the midst of this general agitation, one man alone re- 
mained tranquil : it Was Luther. While it was sought to 
preserve him by the influence of the great, the monk in 
his cloister at Wittemberg 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, God would not have 

* Sonderliche Gunst undGnade zumirunwurdiglich und den grossen 
Willen und Lust zu der heiligen gottlichen Wahrheit. L. Epp. i. 548, 
Letter to John Frederick, 30th October 1520. 

f Assiduo flabello ministrorum, illi jugiter suadontium ne Lutherunj 
desereret. Pallav. i. 86. 



LUTHER'S TRANQunxiTy. 163 



intrusted it to fishermen.* It belongs not to the princes and 
pontiffs of this age to defend the 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." 

Luther'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 earnest 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 opponent should have dared publish 
in Saxony a bull that threatened the existence of the uni- 
versity 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- 
mination 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 presence of the Bishop 01 
Trent, that he had seen with much pain the advantage 
that Dr. Eck had taken of his absence to involve in the con- 
demnation several persons who were not named in the 
bull ; that since his departure from Saxony, it was possible 
that an immense number of learned and ignorant men, 
of the clergy and laity, might have united and adhered 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 

* Evangelium si tale esset, quod potentatibus mundi aut propagaretur 
aut servaretur, non illud piscatoribus Deus demandasset. L. Epp i. 521, 

f Ut ingens vis populi, doctorum et rudium, sacrorum et psofanorum, 
sese coiijanxeriut. L. Opp. Lat. ii. 116. 



164 THE ELECTOK PROTECTS LUTHER. 

might appear before a tribunal of learned, pious, and im- 
partial judges. 

After this declaration, Aleander, Caraccioli, and their fol- 
lowers retired to deliberate.* This was the first 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 impartiality, 
would draw dangers upon himself the whole extent of 
which he could not foresee, he will not hesitate to sacrifice 
the monk. Thus Rome had reasoned. But her machina- 
tions were doomed to fail before a force that did not enter 
into her calculations, the love of justice and of truth. 

Being re-admitted into the presence of the elector's coun- 
cillors, the imperious Aleander said : " I should like to know 
what the elector would think, if one of his subjects should 
choose the king of France, or any other foreign prince, for 
judge." Seeing that nothing could shake the Saxon coun- 
cillors, 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 hands 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, especially, 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 Homer 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 

* Quo audito, Marinus et Aleander seorsim cum suis locuti sunt. L, 
Opp. Lat. ii. 117. 
f Homeriea appellatione murum Germanise. Corp. Bef. i. 27i 



ERASMUS AND THE ELECTOB. 165 

had invited him, to be guided by his advice. At the epoch 
of the Reformation, Era^nus was the leader of the moderates; 
he imagined himself to be so, but without just cause ; for 
when truth and error meet face to face, justice lies not 
between them. He was the chief of that philosophical and 
academical party which, 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 iuto 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 
Luther, then suddenly repelled in the direction of the pope. 
" The last spark of Christian piety seems nearly extinguished," 
said he in his letter to Albert ; " and 'tis this which has 
moved Luther's heart. He cares neither for money nor 
honours."* But this letter, which the imprudent Ulrich of 
Hiitten 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." J " 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 par- 
tisans 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 

' Et futurum erat ut tandem prorsus extingueretur ilia scintilla 

Christianas pietatis ; hsec moverunt animum Lutheri qui nee honores 

ambit, nee pecuniam cupit. Erasm. Epp. Lond. 1642, p. 586. 

f Favent vero ferme boni omnes. Corp. Ref. i. 205. 

J Er will von mir ungennet seyn. L. Epp. i. 525. Nam ea res me 
gravat, et Lutherum non sublevat. Corp. Ref. i. 206. 



166 SENTIMEKTS OF ERASMUS. 

order. This was on the 5th December. Luther s friends 
could not see this step without secret uneasiness. The 
elector was standing before the lire, with Spalatin at his side, 
when Erasmus was introduced. "What is your opinion of 
Luther?" immediately demanded 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 Spa- 
latin, fixed his piercing glance on Erasmus.* The latter, 
not knowing 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."-]- The elector smiled, but gave his visitor to 
understand that he was in earnest. Erasmus then laying 
aside his reserve, said : " The cause of all this dispute is the 
hatred of the monks towards learning, and the fear they have 
of seeing their tyranny destroyed. What weapons are they 
using against Luther? clamour, 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 seve- 
rity of the bull has aroused the indignation of all good men, 
and no one can recognise 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 danger 
is greater than some men imagine. Arduous and difficult 
things are pressing on.|| To begin Charles's reign by so 
odious an act as Luther's imprisonment, would be a mourn- 
ful omen. The world is thirsting for evangelical truth -,*ff let 

* Da sperret auch wahrlich mein gnadister Herr seine Augen nur wohl 
auf Spalatin, Hist. MS. in Seckend. p. 291. 

( Lutherus peccavit in duobus, nempe quod tetigit coronam pontificia 
et venires monachorum. 

J Cum optimus quisque et evangelicaa doctrinao proximus dicatur, mi- 
nime offensus Luthero. Axiomata Erasmi in L. Opp. Lat. ii. 115. 

Bullso ssevitia probos omnes offendit, ut indigna mitissimo Christi 
vicario. Ibid. || Urgent ardua negotia. Ibid. 

ft Mundus sitit veritatem CTangelicam. Axiomata Erasmi iu L. Opp. 
Lat. ii. 115. 



ADVICE OP ERASMUS. 167 

OS beware of setting up a blamable opposition. Let this 
affair be inquired into by serious men, men of sound judg- 
ment ; this will be the course most consistent with the dig- 
nity of the pope himself!" 

Thus spoke Erasmus to the elector. Such frankness may 
perhaps astonish the reader; but Erasmus knew whom ho 
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 elector, and forwarded the paper to Spa- 
latin ; but erelong the fear of Aleander came over the timid 
Erasmus ; the courage that the presence of the elector and 
his chaplain 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 re-assured by the opinion of Erasmus, 
spoke to the emperor in a more decided tone. Erasmus 
himself endeavoured, in nocturnal conferences,* like those of 
Nicodemus of old, to persuade Charles's councillors that the 
whole business should be referred to impartial judges. Per- 
haps 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 sub- 
missive letters to Leo, who replied with a kindness that 
seriously mortified Aleander. -j- From love to the pope, the 
nuncio would willingly have reprimanded the pope ; for 
Erasmus communicated these letters from the pontiff, and 
they added still more to his credit. The nuncio complained 
of it to Rome. " Pretend not to notice this man's wicked- 
ness," was the reply ; " prudence enjoins this : we must leave 
a door open to repentance." J 

Charles at the same time adopted a " see-saw" system, 

* Sollicitatis per nocturnes congressus Pallar. i. 87. 

+ Quae male torquebant Aleandrum. Ibid. 

J Prudcntis erat consilii, hominis pravitatem dissimulate. Ibid. 88. 



1G8 SYSTEM OF CHARLES V. 

which consisted in flattering the pope and the elector, and 
appearing to incline by turns towards each, according to the 
necessities of the moment. One of his ministers, whom he 
had sent to Rome on Spanish business, 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 May 
1520 to the emperor, who was still in Spain, " ought to go 
into Germany, and show some favour to a certain Martin 
Luther, who is at the Saxon court, and who by the sermons 
he 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 demanded, and what should 
be done to induce the pope to support the emperor. And 
this was well known at Rome. Charles's 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 ; -}- for he has no desire to in- 
crease the power of his rivals, and particularly of the King 
of France." At these words the imperious nuncio gave 
way to his indignation. " What !" replied he, " supposing 
the pope should abandon the emperor, must the latter re- 
nounce his religion ? If Charles wishes to avenge himself 

thus let him tremble! this baseness will turn against 

himself." But the nuncio's threats did not shake the im- 
perial diplomatists. 

* Despatches of Manuel Llorente, i. 398. 

f" Cuesarem ita se gesturum erga Pontificem, uti se Pontifex erg 
Cfesarem gereret. Pallav. i. 91. 



ABUSE OF THE CONFESSIONAL. 160 



CHAPTER XII. 

Luther on Confession Real Absolution Antichrist lather's PopuLv 
rity Satires Ulrich of Hiitten Lucas Cranach The Carnival at 
Wittomberg Staupitz intimidated Luther's Labours His 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 spread- 
ing trouble among the lower ranks. The army of Rome had 
heard the commands of its chief. Fanatical priests made use 
of the bull to alarm timid consciences, and well-meaning but 
unenlightened ecclesiastics 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 con- 
tended against the reformer's adherents. Scouted in the face 
of the world, the bull became powerful in these solitary tri- 
bunals. " 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 prevailed 
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 having in the 
thirteenth century erected this tribunal, so skilfully adapted 
to render the free consciences of Christians the slaves of the 
priests.-J- So long as this remains standing, her reign is not 
over. 

Luther was informed of these proceedings. What can ho 
do, unaided, to baffle 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. A powerful 

* See Vol. I. p. 261. 

f In 1215 by the Fourth Lateran Council, under Innooont III. 

VOL. n. S 



170 TliUE ABSOLUTION. 

impulse was necessary, and Luther's voice made itself heard. 
He addressed the penitents with fearless dignity, with a noble 
disdain of all secondary considerations. " "When you are 
asked whether you approve of my books or not," said he, " re- 
ply : ' You are a confessor, and not an inquisitoi or a gaoler. 
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 sacra- 
ment 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 un- 
easy : if man does not absolve you, God will. Rejoice 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 sacrament, 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 with- 
out 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, impart- 
ing courage and faith. But he was not content simply 
with defending himself; he felt that he ought to become 
the assailant, and return blow for blow. A Romish theo- 
logian, Ambrose Catharinus, had written against him. " I 
will stir up the bile of this Italian beast," said Luther, f 
He kept his word. In his reply, he proved, by the re- 
velations of Daniel and St. John, by the epistles of St. 
Paul, St. Peter, and St. Jude, that the reign of Antichrist, 
predicted and described in the Bible, was the Papacy. 
" I know for certain," said he in conclusion, " that our 

* Und wird dich der rechte Bischoff Christus sclber speisen .. .<L. 
Opp. (L.) xrii. 565. f Italics bestix bilem movcbo. L. Epp. i. 570. 



LUTHER'S POPULARITY. 171 

Lord Jesus Christ lives and reigns. Strong in this assur- 
ance, I should not fear many thousands 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 1 A holy terror seized 
upon their souls. It was Antichrist whom they beheld seated 
on the pontifical throne. This new idea, whioii derived 
greater strength from the prophetic descriptions launched 
forth by Luther into the midst of his contemporaries, in- 
flicted 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.-J- But this 
spiritual movement was not confined within the walls of 
Wittemberg; it spread through Germany. Princes, nobles, 
and learned men from every quarter, addressed Luther in 
letters breathing consplation and faith. The doctor showed 
the chaplain more than thirty such.| 

The Margrave of Brandenburg came one day to Wittem- 
berg, with several other princes, to visit Luther. " They 
desired to see the man," said the latter. In truth, all were 

* Ostendat ilium diem adventus glorias Filii sui, quo destruatur 
iniquus iste. L. Opp. Lat. ii. 162. 

t Es mochte noch gar die Kirche und Capelle am der Menge willon 
einfallen. Spalatin in Seckend. p. 295. 

Mehr als dreyssig Briefe von Fiirsten Ibid. 

Videre enim bominem vuluerunt. L. Epp. i. 544, dated ICtii 
January 1521. 



172 MELAXCTHON'S EXHORTATION LUTHER'S WORKS. 

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," exclaimed Melanc- 
thon, " who has ventured to measure himself with our 
Hercules, not perceiving the finger of God in every one 
of Luther's actions,* as Pharaoh would not see it in those 
of Moses." The gentle Melancthon found words of power to 
arouse those who seemed to be retrograding or even remain- 
ing 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.-{- 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 particularly 
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 distributed 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 papal power. 

Nor was this all : biting satires against the principal ultra 
montanists were circulated throughout the provinces of the 
empire. The opposition rallied all its 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 encroachments of the ecclesiastical tribunals, 
attached themselves to the reform, but the humanists, in 

Dei digitum esse quse a Martino fiant. Corp. Ref. i. 282. 

t Non posse Evangelium Romans impietati probari. Ibid. 280 

I See Vol. I. p. 213. 



ULK1CH HUTTEN. 173 

particular, eagerly embraced this party. Ulrich Hiitten was 
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 Gospel is preached ; the truth ig 
proclaimed ; the absurdities of Rome are overwhelmed with 
contempt ; your decrees languish and die ; liberty is begin- 
ning to dawn upon us ! " * 

Not content with employing prose, Hiitten had recourse 
to verse also. He published his Outcry on the Lutheran 
Conflagration^ in which, appealing to Jesus Christ, he be- 
seeches him to consume with the brightness of his counte- 
nance 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 intelligible to every one ; but 
now I address all my fellow-countrymen !" His German 
rhymes unveiled to the people the long and disgraceful cata- 
logue of the sins of the Roman court. But Hiitten did not 
wish to confine himself to mere words ; he was eager to in- 
terfere in the struggle with the sword ; and he thought that 
the vengeance of God should be wrought by the swords and 
halberds 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.":}: 

* Ablata ilia cst a vobis inducta olim nostris oculis caligo, praedicatm 

Evangelium spes est libertatis. Ulrich ab Hiitten Eques, Mar. Carrac, 

L. Opp. Lat. ii. 176. 
J- Quo tu oculos, pie Christe, tuos, frontisque severse 

Tende supercilium, teque esse ostende neganti. 

Qui te contemnunt igitur, mediumque tonanti 

Ostendunt digitum, 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. 

In Incendium Lutheranum Exclamatio Ulrichi Hiitteni Eqnitie, Mar. 
Carac. L. Opp. Lat. ii. 176. 

t Nollem vi et caede pro Eyangelio certari ; ita ut scripsi ad hominem 
L. Epp. i. 543. 



174. CHRIST'S PASSION THE CARNIVAL. 

The celebrated painter Lucas Cranach published, under 
the title of the Passion of Christ and Antichrist,'* set of en- 
gravings which represented on one side the glory and mag- 
nificence of the pope, and on the other the humiliation 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 re- 
spect so opposed to the spirit of its Founder. " This is a 
very good work for the laity," said Luther.* 

Many persons wielded weapons against the papacy, that 
had but little connexion with the holiness of a Christian life. 
Emser had replied to Luther's book (To the Goatof Leipsic) 
by another whose title was To the Bull of Wittemberg. The 
name was not badly selected. But at Magdeburg Eraser's 
work was suspended to the common gibbet, with this in- 
scription : " The book is worthy of the place," and a scourge 
was hung at its side, to indicate the punishment the author 
merited. -J- At Doeblin some persons wrote under the papal 
bull, in ridicule of its ineffectual thunders, " The nest is here, 
but the birds have flown." J 

The students at Wittemberg, taking advantage of the 
license of the carnival, dressed up one 01 their number in a 
costume similar to the pope's, and paraded him with great 
pomp through the streets of the city, but in a manner some- 
what too ludicrous, as Luther observes. When they reached 
the great square, they approached the river, and some, pre- 
tending a sudden attack, appeared desirous of throwing the 
pope into the water. But the pontiff, having little inclination 
for such a bath, took to his heels ; his cardinals, bishops, and 
familiars imitated his example, dispersing into every quarter 
of the city. The students pursued them through the streets ; 
and there was hardly a corner in Wittemberg where some 
Roman dignitary had not taken refuge from the shouts and 

* Bonus est pro la'icis liber. L. Epp. i. 571. This book, which deserves 
reprinting, I found in the library of Zurich. 

f In publico infamioe loco afhxus. Ibia. ,561 

J Das Nest ist hie, die Vogel sind ausgeflogen. Ibid. 570. 

Nimis ludicre Papam personatum circumvenerunt subliinem et pom- 
paticum. Ibid 561. 



STAtPITZ INTIMIDATED. 175 

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 out 
opinion he is wrong ; truth is too beautiful to be thus pol- 
luted. She should combat without the aid of ballads, cari- 
catures, and the masquerades of a carnival. Perhaps, with- 
out these popular demonstrations, her success would be less 
apparent; but it would be purer, and consequently more 
lasting. However that may be, the imprudent and preju- 
diced 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 
everything. Behind that chariot in which he was dragged 
by a people excited and transported with admiration, there 
was not wanting the slave to remind him of his miserable 
state. Some of his friends seemed inclined to retrace their 
steps. Staupitz, whom he designated his father, appeared 
shaken. The pope had accused him, and Staupitz had de- 
clared his willingness to submit to the decision of his holi- 
ness. " 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 your letter. Christ is condemned, stripped, and 
blasphemed ; this is a time not to fear, but to raise the voice.-J- 
For this reason, while you exhort me to be humble, I ex- 
hort you to be proud ; for you have too much humility, as I 
have too much pride. The world may call me proud, covet- 
ous, an adulterer, a murderer, antipope, one who is guilty of 
every crime What matters it! provided I am not re- 
proached with having wickedly kept silence at the moment 
our Lord said with sorrow : / looked on my right hand, and 
beheld, but there was no man that would know me. (Ps. cxlii.) 
The Word of Jesus Christ is a Word not of peace but 
of the sword. If you will not follow Jesus Christ, I will 

Fugitivum cam cardinalibus, episcopis, familiisque suis, in diver- 

sas partes oppidi disperserunt et insecuti sunt. L. Epp. i. 17th Feb. 1621. 
f Non cnim hoc tempus timendi sed clamandi. Ibid. 557. 



176 LUTHEK'S LABOURS AND HUMILITY. 

walk alone, will advance alone, and alone will I carry the 
fortress."* 

Thus Luther, like a general at the head of an army, sur- 
veyed 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 ra- 
pidly followed each other. Three presses were constantly 
occupied in multiplying his writings.-}- His words ran 
through the people, strengthening the alarmed consciences 
in the confessionals, upholding in the convents timid souls 
that were ready to faint, and maintaining the rights of truth 
in the 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. From day to 
day the waters rise, and already I am entirely surrounded by 
the waves. The tempest is bursting 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 snapped them asunder. " Excom- 
municated by the bull," said he, " I am absolved -from the 
authority of the pope and of the monastic laws. Joyfully 
do I welcome this deliverance. But I shall' neither quit the 
habit of my order nor the convent." || And yet, amid this 
agitation, he 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 sufficient time to holy exercises ;, life is a 
cross to me. You do well to exhort me to modesty : I feel 
its necessity; but I am not master of myself; I am carried 

* Quod si tu non vis sequi, sine mo ire et rapi. L. Epp. i. 558. 

f Cum tria prela solus ego occupare cogar. Ibid. 

J Videns rem tumultuosissimo tumultu tumultuantem. Ibid. 546. 

Una manu gladium apprehendens et altera murum scdificaturua 
Ibid. 565. 

|| Ab ordinis ot Pup e legibus solutui quod gaudeo et amplector. 

Ibid. 558. 



PROGRESS OF THE REFORM. 177 

away by mysterious impulses. I wish no one ill ;* but my 
enemies press on me with such fury, that I do not suffi- 
ciently guard against the temptations of Satan. Pray, then, 
for me 1" 

Thus the reformer and the Reformation were hastening 
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 prebends 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, appa- 
rently full of vigour, 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 work ; it was seen, however, in the early 
days of Christianity, 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 favour of 
all that was holiest upon earth, the doctrine of faith and 
of grace. All the religious elements were fermenting beneath 
the agitated surface of society ; and the fire of enthusiasm 
urged souls to spring forward with courage into this new life, 
this epoch of renovation, which was so grandly opening before 
them, and whither Providence was hurrying the nations. 

* Compos moi non sum, rapior nescio quo spiritu, cum nomini me male 
velle conscius sim. L. Epp. i. 555. 
f- Reynold Epist. J. Eekii ad Cardinalem Contareuum. 
8* 



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 -Dif- 
ficultiesCharles demands Luther The Elector to Charles V. State 
of Feeling Alarm of Aleander The Elector departs without Luther 
Aleander arouses Rome Excommunication of Pope and Communion 
with Christ Fulminations of the Bull Luther's Motives in the Re- 
formation. 

THE Reformation, commenced by the struggles of an humble 
spirit in the cell of a cloister at Erfurth, had continually 
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 numer- 
ous 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 Leipsic ; 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 
undergone. The Word was destined to triumph over the 
emperor of the West, over the kings and princes of the 



THE DIET OF WORMS. 17S 

earth ; and then, victorious over all the powers of the 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 straggle. A mighty religious revolu- 
tion, 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 Roman hier- 
archy. 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 presen- 
timent that a great transformation of society was at hand, 
inspired all minds with holy enthusiasm. 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 im- 
pulse 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 suffering from the 
plague, it was convoked to meet at Worms on the 6th 
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 displaying his power. The 
youthful landgrave Philip of Hesse, among others, who 
was afterwards to play so important a part in the Reforma- 
tion, arrived at Worms, about the middle of January, with 
six hundred horsemen, among whom were warriors cele- 
brated for their valour. 

But a much stronger motive inclined the electors, dukes, 
archbishops, landgraves, margraves, counts, bishops, barons, 
and lords of the empire, as well as the deputies 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 

* Sleidan, vol. i. 80. 



180 POLICY OF ROME. 

of regency to govern the empire during Charles's absence, and 
the jurisdiction 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 interests 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 personages who arrived at Worms. 

Every thing announced that the diet would be stormy, 
and difficult to manage. Charles, who was hardly twenty 
years of age, was pale, of weak health, and yet a graceful 
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 expression, and he had 
not hitherto shown any remarkable talent, and did not 
appear to have adopted any decided line of conduct. The 
skilful and active William de Croi, lord of Chievres, his 
high chamberlain, tutor, and prime minister, who enjoyed 
an absolute authority at court, died at Worms : numerous 
ambitions here met ; many passions came into collision ; 
the Spaniards and the Belgians vied with each other in their 
exertions to creep into the councils of the young prince ; the 
nuncios multiplied 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 terrible 
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, reveals its intentions. " If 
I am not mistaken, the only business in your diet will be this 
affair of Luther, which gives us much more trouble than the 
Turk himself. We shall endeavour to gain over the young 
emperor by threats, by prayers, and feigned caresses. We 

* Es gieng aber auf diesem Reiclrstag gar schliipferig zu Seckend 

p. 326. 



DIFFICULTIES. 181 

shall strive to win the Germans by extolling the piety of their 
ancestors, 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 obedience; 
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, 
honour, religion, Christ we shall make light of all, provided 
our tyranny be saved.":): 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 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 compared with the 
Roman empire, to which nearly the whole world had sub- 
mitted 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 displeasing 
either Aleander or Frederick? The first entreated the emperor 
to execute the pope's bull, and the second besought him tc 
take no steps against the monk until he had been heard. 

* Robertson's History of Charles V., book iii. 

f- Cassarem deponemus, populos subjectione debita liberabimus, sedi- 
tiouem inter Germanos, quemadmodum nunc inter Hispanos, concitabi- 
mus, Gallum, Anglum, et omnes terra regia ad arma convocabimus, 
Riederer, Nachrichten, i. 179. 

J Tantum ut voti compotes evadere valeamus, nihil pensi apud nos 
erit, non Christus, neque fides, pietas, honestas, probitas, dummodo 
tyrarmis nostra sit salva. Ibid. 



182 LUTHER TO THE ELTOTOR. 

Desirous of pleasing both parties, 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 Chievres and the 
count of Nassau, threw the elector into great perplexity. 
A.t every moment the alliance of the pope might become 
accessary to the young and ambitious emperor, and then 
Luther's fate was sealed. If Frederick should take the re- 
former to Worms, he might be leading him to the scaffold. 
And yet Charles's orders were precise. The elector com- 
manded Spalatin to communicate 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 himself. 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 con- 
sequence. 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 they should triumph. It is not for me 
to decide whether my life or my death will contribute most 
to the salvation 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 by the sword of the 
Romans. You know what chastisement was inflicted on 
the Emperor Sigismund after the murder of John Huss. 

* Adversaries omnia moliri ad maturandum id negotii. L. Epp. L 
584. 



THE ELECTOR TO CHARLES V. 183 

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 formed 
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 favourable result. " It appears a difficult 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 willing to defend his doc- 
trine, 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 dishonour- 
ing 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 elector alluded to the burning of the 
papal bull. 

But the rumour of Luther's coming was already current 
through the city. Men eager for novelty were delighted ; 
the emperor's courtiers were alarmed ; but none showed 
greater indignation than the papal legate. On his journey, 
Aleander had been able to discover how far the Gospel 
announced by Luther had found an echo in all classes 
of society. Mem of letters, lawyers, nobles, the inferior 
clergy, the regular orders, and the people, were gained over 
to the Reformation.f These friends of the new doctrine 
walked boldly with heads erect ; their language was fearless 
and daring ; an invincible terror froze the hearts of the par- 
tisans of Rome. The papacy was still standing, but its 
buttresses were tottering ; for their ears already distin- 
guished a presage of destruction, like that indistinct murmur 
heard ere the mountain falls and crumbles into dust.J 

* Omnia de me prresumas prater fugam et palinodiam. L. Epp. i. 536. 

f Multitude turba pauperum, nobilium grammatici causidici 

inferiores ecclesiastic! factio multorum regularium Pallav. i. 

93. 

lire omnes conditiones petulantei jrassantium mctum cuilibet in- 

cutiebaiit. Ibid. 



184 ALAEM OF ALEANDER. 

Aleander on the road to "Worms was frequently unable to 
contain himself. If he desired to dine or sleep 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 lowest 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 
immediately used every exertion to prevent the appearance 
of the bold and formidable Luther. "Would it not be 
scandalous," said he, " to behold laymen examining anew 
a cause already condemned by the pope ?" Nothing is sc 
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 condemna- 
tion to be agreed upon unanimously ; but such a result 
appeared by no means certain. Will not Luther's powerful 
eloquence, which has already committed such ravages, drag 
many princes and lords into inevitable destruction? Aleander 
pressed Charles closely : he entreated, threatened, and spoke 
as the nuncio of the head of the Church.f Charles sub- 
mitted, and wrote to the elector that the time accorded to 
Luther having already elapsed, this monk lay under the 
papal excommunication, so that, if he would not retract 
what he had written, Frederick must leave him behind at 
Wittemberg. But this prince had already quitted Saxony 
without Luther. " I pray the Lord to be favourable to our 
elector," said Melancthon, as he saw him depart. " It is 
on him all our hopes for the restoration of Christendom 
repose. His enemies will dare anything, xat irdvra, X/0o 
xivrtgo/jsivovs ft but God will confound the councils of Ahi- 
thophel. As for us, let us maintain our share of the combat 

* Neminem nactus qui auderct ipsum excipere, ad villa sordidaquo 
hospitia segre divertit. Pallav. i. 93. 

t Legati Roman! nolunt ut audiatur homo haereticus. Minantur multa. 
Zw. Epp. p. 157 

J Aud they will not leave a stone unturned. Crp. ,Bef. i. 279. 
24th January. 



ALEANDER'S EFFORTS. 185 

by out teaching and by our prayers." 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 waa 
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, re- 
bellion, impiety, and blasphemy. But the very tone of his 
voice betrayed the passions by which he was animated. " He 
is moved by hatred and vengeance, 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.^ Some persons observed to him that the papal 
bull had only condemned Luther conditionally ; others could 
not altogether conceal the joy they felt at this humiliation 
of the haughtiness of Rome. The emperor's ministers 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 latter, that the 
pontiff might purchase their support at a dearer price. A 
feeling of Luther's innocence predominated 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 ?|| 
Rome must be awakened. Aleander uttered a cry of alarm. 

* Cum dolore legi novissimas Caroli litteras. L. Epp. i. 542. 

+ Magis invidia et vindictae libidine quam zelo pietatis. Historic 
Johannis Cochlcei, de actis et scriptis Martial Lutheri, Paris, 1565, p. 27 
verso. Cochloeus was all his life one of the most inveterate of Luther's 
enemies. He will soon appear upon the stage. 

J Vehcmentibus suis orationibus parum promovit. Cochlceus. 

Negligens quaedam securitas Romam pervaserat. Pallav. i. 94. 

U Nee pecunia ad varies pro eadem sumptus. Ibid. 



186 THE CHRISTIAN TABERNACLE. 

" Germany is separating from Rome," wrote he to the Car 
dinal 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 redoubtable 
thunderbolts in the Vatican. The pope issued a new bull ;} 
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, aug- 
mented Luther's liberty, and with increased 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 temple, he felt more strongly that he 
was himself a temple in which dwelt the living God. 

" It is a great glory," said he, u that we sinners, by be- 
lieving in Christ, and eating his flesh, possess within us, 
in all their vigour, his power, wisdom, and righteousness, 
as it is written, Whoso believeth in me, in Mm do I dwell, 
Wonderful abiding-place! marvellous tabernacle ! far superior 
to that of Moses, and magnificently adorned within, with 
beautiful hangings, curtains of purple, and ornaments of 
gold; while without, as on the tabernacle that God com- 
manded to be built in the desert of Sinai, we perceive nought 
but a rude covering of goats' hair and rams' skins. \ 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 conflict or of appearing before 
the bar of the world, Christ suddenly stirred within them, 

* Periculum denique amittendse Germanise ex parcimonia mouetw 
cujusdam. Pallav. i. 94. 

t Decet Romanum Pontificem, &c. Bullarium Romannia. 
J Exodus xxvi. 7, 14. 



THUNDERS OF THE BULL. 187 

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. Mean- 
time Rome rejected him with violence. The reformer and 
all his partisans were accursed, whatever their rank and 
power, and dispossessed, with their inheritors, of all their 
honours and goods. Every faithful 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 excommunication with due solemnity. The altars 
were to be stripped of their ornaments and sacred \essels; 
the cross to be laid on the> ground ; twelve priests holding 
tapers in their hands were first to light them, and immediately 
dashing them violently to the earth, to extinguish 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 male- 
dictions, and preach boldly against Luther and his adherents. 

The excommunication had been published in Rome twenty- 
two days, but probably had not yet reached Germany, when 
Luther, being informed that there was another talk of sum- 
moning him to Worms, wrote a letter to the elector, drawn 
up in such a manner that Frederick 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 nature 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 affair. 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 him- 
self and not of an individual, especially such a one as 



So regete sich dcr Christus, dass sie so fest wurden, dass der ToufeJ 
Biehen musste. L. Opp. ix. 613, on John vi. 56. 



188 LUTHER'S DECLARATION. 

myself,* 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 presumptuous 
spirit, or to derive any advantage, that I have taught the doc- 
trine 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 extir- 
pation 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 ! 



CHAPTER II. 

A Foreign Prince Council of Politicians Conference between the 
Confessor and the Chancellor Inutility of these Manoeuvres Aleau- 
der's Activity Luther's Words Charles yields to the Pope. 

BUT all this was of little consequence to politicians. How- 
ever 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 understood 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 circum- 
stance that, at the moment of its most intimate transforma- 
tion, Germany should elect a foreign prince, to whom the 
necessities and tendencies of the nation were but of secondary 
importance. Undoubtedly the emperor was not indifferent 

* Causam, quae, Christc teste, Dei, christiani orbis, ecclesiro catholioae, 
ct totius Germanicao nationis, et non unius et privati est hominis. I* 
Epp.i. 55'. 



POLITICAL COUNCILS. 189 

to the religious 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 
became therefore daily more necessary to Charles's projects. 
He would have preferred detaching Frederick from Luther, 
or satisfying the pope without offending Frederick. Many of 
his courtiers manifested in the affair of the Augustine monk 
that disdainful coldness which politicians generally affect 
when there is any question of religion. " Let us avoid all 
extreme measures," said they. " Let us 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 1 
By accepting a compromise, 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 project formed by the emperors confidants. 
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's 
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 
favours 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.}: 

Among the elector's councillors was Gregory Bruck, or 
Pontanus, the chancellor, a man of intelligence, decision, 

Clanculum tentent et experiantur. Corp. Ref. i. 281. 3d Feb. 
f- Benignis officiis recens a Pontifice delinitus. Pallav. i. 90. 
J Et sane in co toto negotio singulare probitatis ardorisque specimen 
dedit. Ibid. 



190 CONFERENCE BETWEEN 

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's court. Glapia, 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 preciou^ :'rnit. 
Many people, it is true, have entertained the same views 
before his time ; yet no one but himself has had the noble 
courage to publish the truth without fear. But when I read 
his book on the Captivity of Babylon, I felt like one over- 
whelmed with blows from head to foot. I do not think," 
added the monk, " that brother Martin will acknowledge 
himself to be the author of it ; I do not find in it either his 
usual style or learning." After some discussion, the con- 
fessor continued : " Introduce me to the elector, and in your 
presence I will show him Luther's errors." 

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 de- 
mand 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 re- 
conciled 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 irritation 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 impossible : " Tell the 

Es haben dessen Biicher Hire Majostiit am etwas gefalleu. 

Weimar State Papers. Seckeiid. p. 315. 



THE CONFESSOR AND THE CHANCELLOR. 191 

confessor," answered he, " that I cannot comply with his re- 
quest ; but continue your conference." 

Glapio received this message with every demonstration of 
respect ; and changing his line of attack, he said : " Let the 
elector name some confidential persons to deliberate 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."* 

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" 

THE CHANCELLOR. " But the pope's bull condemns all his 
other writings." 

THE CONFESSOR. " That is because of his obstinacy. If 
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 always 

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 his hearer, he added : " What would 
be the result if to-day or to-morrow the emperor should 
have recourse to arms ? Reflect upon this." He then per- 
mitted Pontanus 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 Christian 
Der andcrn das Hertz zu vielem Guten eroffnet Seckend. p. 315. 



192 THE CONFESSOK AND THE CHANCELLOR. 

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 thai Luther would come off victorious on 
many points.* I will speak about it to the emperor. Be- 
lieve me, I do not mention these things solely on my own 
authority. I 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." -J- 

The chancellor, on hearing these words (which reflected the 
feelings of the age, and showed the opinion entertained of 
Luther even by his adversaries), could not forbear ex- 
pressing his astonishment that his master was not treated 
with more respect. " There are daily consultations with the 
emperor on this affair," said he, " and yet the elector is not 
invited to them. He thinks it strange 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 
these deliberations, and then heard the emperor resist the 
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 confessqr 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 

* Es sey nicht zu zweifeln, dass Lutherus in vielen Artickeln vrerde 
den Sieg darou tragen .... Seckend. p. 319. 

f Dass Gott diesen Mann gesandt dass er eine Geissel seye um der 

Siinden willen. Weimar State Papers, ibid. 320. 

Glapio that hierauf cinen tiefen Seufzer,und rufteGott zum Zeugen... 
Ibid. 321. 



UNAVAILING MANOEUVRES. 193 

all that GJapio 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 present 
his most humble salutations to the elector, he retired. 

Such were the manoauvres resorted to by the courtiers. 
They were disconcerted by the firmness of Pontanus. That 
just man was immovable as a rock during all these negotia- 
tions. 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 foxes prowl round it, and spring on 
it to devour it ; but they fall into the pit and perish, while 
the timid bird remains unhurt. It is thus the holy angels 
keep watch around us, and those devouring wolves, the 
hypocrites and persecutors, cannot harm us."* Not only 
were the artifices of the confessor ineffectual, but his admis- 
sions 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 emperor, 
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." -J- 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 energy. 
It was no longer against the elector and Luther alone that 

L. Opp. (W.) xxii. 1655. 

+ Und niemals dein Papst allein geglaubt. Seek. p. 323. 
$ Spalatinus scribit tantum favoris Evangelic esse istic ut mo inaudit uru 
et inconvictum damnari non speret. L. Epp. i. 556, Feb. 9. 
VOL. II. 9 



194 ALEANDER'S ACTIVITY. 

he had to contend. He beheld with horror the secret 
negotiations of the confessor, the proposition of the prior, 
the consent of Charles's 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 gushed over them."* 
lie had at length received from Rome the money he had 
demanded ; he held in his hand the energetic hriefs addressed 
to the most powerful men in the empirc.-J- Fearing to see 
his prey escape, he felt that now was the time to strike a 
decisive blow. He forwarded the briefs, scattered the 
money profusely, and made the most alluring promises ; 
" and, armed with this threefold weapon," says the historian, 
Cardinal Pallavicini, " he made a fresh attempt to bias the 
wavering assembly of electors in the pope's favour."! But 
around the emperor in particular he laid his snares. He 
took advantage of the dissensions existing between the Belgian 
and Spanish ministers. He besieged the monarch unceas- 
ingly. 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 endeavour to injure him in every way. Those 
who parade in their red hats, the Romans, with all their fol- 
lowers, display indefatigable zeal in this task." 

Aleander was in reality pressing for the condemnation 
of the reformer with a violence that Luther characterizes as 
marvellous fury.|| The apostate nuncio,^ as Luther styles 
him, transported by anger beyond the bounds of prudence, 
one day exclaimed : " If you Germans pretend to shake of! 
the yoke of obedience to Rome, we will act in such a 
manner that, exterminated by mutual slaughter, you shall 

* Hinc aqua manabat, qu;e succensae pietatis aestum. restinguebat 
Pallav. i. 96. 

f Mandata, pecunirc ac diplomata. Ibid. 95. 

Triplici hac industria nunc Aleander Ibid. 

Das thun die in rothen Huten prangen. Seek. p. 364. 

|| Miro furore Papistso moliuntur mini mala. L. Epp. i. 556. 

H Nuntius apostaticus (a play upon the words " apvstolicm and aposta 
ttcus, apostolic and apostate) agit summis viribus. Ibid. 569. 



CONTRAST BETWEEN 1 UTHER 4.ND ALEANDER. 195 

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 nothing 
for himself. " Luther is ready," said Melancthon, " to pur- 
chase 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 shall we see a storm burst upon the 

priests like that which has devastated Bohemia My 

liands are clear of this, for I have earnestly entreated the 
German nobility to oppose the Romans by wisdom, and not 
by the sword.J 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 occupied 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 
tournament, 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 stringent 
edict was laid before them, enjoining its immediate execu- 
tion. " If you can recommend any better course," added 

* Ut mutuis csedibas absumpti, vestro cruore pereatis. L. Epp i. 556. 
t Libenter etiam morte sua Evangelii gloriam et profectum emerit 
Corp. Ref. i. 285. 
J Non ferro, aed consiliis et edictis. L. Epp. i. 563. 



196 ALEANDER INTRODUCED TO THE DIET. 

the emperor, following the usual custom, " I am ready to 
hear you." 

An animated debate immediately took place in the assem- 
bly. " This monk," wrote a deputy from one of the free 
cities of Germany, " gives us plenty of occupation. 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 opposition 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 
was ail that Aleander desired ; and he was promised to be 
introduced to the diet on the 13th of February. 



CHAPTER III. 

Aleander introduced to the Diet Aleander's Speech Luther is accused 
Rome is justified Appeal to Charles against Luther 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 surrounded with 
all the splendour of his high office, he was also one of the 
most eloquent men of his age. The friends of the Reforma- 
tion looked forward to this sitting with apprehension. The 
elector, pretending indisposition, was not present; but he 
gave some of his councillors 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 Caiaphas going to Pilate's 
judgment-seat and calling for the death of this fellow who 
perverted the nation.* " Just as the nuncio was about to cross 
* Luke xxiii. 2. 






ALEANDEB'S SPEECH. 197 

the threshold, the usher of the diet," says Pallavicini, " ap- 
proaching him rudely, thrust him back by a blow on the 
breast."* " He was a Lutheran in heart," adds the Romanist 
historian. 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 before 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 ex- 
cellent deputies ! I appear before you in defence of a cause 
for which my heart glows with the most ardent affection. 
It is to retain on my master's head that triple 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 Luther's 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 con- 
sciences are overwhelmed with sorrow and confusion be- 
cause of their sins, and that no one is justified by baptism,! 
if he has not faith in the promise of which baptism is the 

* Pugnis ejus pec tori admotis repulerit. Pallav. i. 112. 

f Dummodo mecum una monstrum nascentis hocresis arderct. Pallav. 
i. 97. Seckendorff, and many Protestant historians after him, have as- 
serted 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 readers ; but he points out the sources 
whence he had taken it, and in particular, Aleander's letters deposited in 
the archives of the Vatican (Acta Wormatise, fol. 66 and 99}; in my 
opinion, therefore, I should betray partiality by rejecting it wholly 
I quote some of the features of this speech from Protestant and Ro 
inauist sources. t Vol. I. p. 145 bot. 



L98 LUTHER ACCUSED. 

pledge.* He denies the necessity of works to obtain heav- 
enly glory. He denies that we have the liberty and power 
of obeying the natural and Divine law. He asserts that we 
sin of necessity 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 favour 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 re-echo with their holy soiigs, and plunge 
into adultery, incest, and every vice! 

" Shall I enumerate all the crimes of this Augustine 
monk ? He sins against the dead, for he denies purgatory ; 
he sins against heaven, for he says that he would not be- 
lieve even an angel from heaven; he sins against the 
Church, for he maintains that all Christians are priests; he 
sins against the saints, for he despises their venerable writ- 
ings; he sins against councils, for he designates 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 con- 
demned by the Council of Florence, laid at the emperor's 
feet the papal bull on this council. The Archbishop of 
Mentz took it up, and gave it to the Archbishops of Troves 
and Cologne, who received it reverently, and passed it to the 
other princes. The nuncio, after having 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 reli- 

* Baptismum neminem justificare, sed fidem in verbum promissionis, 
;ui additur Baptismus. Coehlceus, Act. Luth. 28. 

J- Weil cr vcrbiete jemand mit Todes Strafe zu belegen, der nicht eiua 
Todtsiiude bcgangen. Backend, p, 333. 



ROME JUSTIFIED. 199 

gion 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 Mahoinet and of Luther him- 

eelf ; but such is not the religion which the Roman pontiffs 
teach us. Yes, the doctrine they profess condemns them 
all, as having committed faults ; many, as guilty ; and some 

(I will speak frankly) as criminal.* This doctrine exposes 

their actions to the censure of men during their lives, to the 
brand of history after their death.-j- Now, I would ask what 
pleasure or profit could the popes have found in inventing 
such a religion? 

" The Church, it may be said, was not governed by the 
Roman pontiffs in the primitive ages. What conclusion 
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 object 
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 instructed 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 Ah!" said Aleander, turning to- 
wards 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 doctrines be interdicted by you 
throughout the length and breadth of the empire : let his 

* Multos ut quadantenus rcos, nonnullos (dicam ingenue) ut scelestos 
Pallav. i. Ifll. 

f Linguarum vituperationi dum vivunt, historiarum infamize pos 
mortem. Ibid. 

J In the Odyssey, Homer represents the princess Nausioaa going with 
her maidens to the river side to wash her garments. The classical reader 
will be familiar with the allusion to acorns, which the heathen writers 
supposed to he the earliest food of the human race, " when first in woods 
the naked savage ran." 

Quod idem erat, ac revinctis legati brachiis, et lingua solum solute. 
Ibid. 109. 



200 . APPEAL TO CHAKLES. 

writings be burnt everywhere. Fear not ! In Luthers 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 ol 
Luther's doctrines into his kingdom ; and the King of Eng- 
land is preparing an assault with his own royal hand. You 
know what are the sentiments of Hungary, Italy, and Spain, 
and there is not one of your neighbours, however much he 
may hate you, who wishes you so 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 are all these Lutherans? A crew oi 

insolent pedagogues, corrupt priests, dissolute monks, ignor- 
ant lawyers, and degraded 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 wavercrs, and give 

strength to the weak But if the axe is not put to the 

roots of this poisonous tree, if the death-blow is not struck, 

then I see it overshadowing the heritage of Jesus Christ 

with its branches, changing our Lord's vineyard into a 
gloomy forest, transforming the kingdom of God into a den 
of wild beasts, and reducing Germany into that frightful 
state of barbarism and desolation which has been brought 
upon Asia by the superstition of Mahomet." 

The nuncio was silent. He had spoken for three hours. 
The enthusiasm of his language had produced a deep im- 
pression on the assembly. The princes looked at each other, 
excited and alarmed, says Cochlceus, and murmurs soon 
arose from every side against Luther and his partisans.-]- If 
the eloquent Luther had been present ; if he had been able to 
reply to this speech ; if, profiting by the avowals extorted from 
the Roman nuncio by the recollection of his former master, 

" Dass 100,000 Ketzer ihrcthalben verbrannt werden. Seek. p. 332. 
* Vehcmenter exterriti atque commoti, alter alterum intuebantur, at- 
qua in Lutlierum cjusque fautcres murmurare cceperunt. Cochlcous, p. 23. 



EFFECT OF ALEANDER V S SPEECH. 20 1 

txie infamous Borgia, he had shown that these very argu- 
ments, intended to defend Rome, were of themselves its con- 
demnation ; if he had shown that the doctrine which proved 
its iniquity 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 re-establishing in its primi- 
tive splendour ; if he had presented a faithful and 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 nullified. But no one rose to speak. 
The assembly remained under the impression produced by this 
speech ; and, agitated and transported, 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 purposes 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 Lad to say. 
But it was precisely this last effort of the papacy that became 
a signal of 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. Neither the one nor the other, to run its course, 
should be concealed. The light tests all things. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Sentiments of the Princes Speech of Duke George Character of the 
Reformation One Hundred and One Grievances Charles gives Waj 
Aleander's Stratagems The Grandees of Spain Peace of Luther 
Death and no Retractation. 

A FEW days were sufficient to dissipate the first impression, 
as is ever the case when an orator conceals the emptiness oi 
his arguments by high-sounding words. 

* Luthcrauam haircsim esse funditus evellendam. Pallav. i. 101 ; Ros- 
coe's Leo X. chap. xix. 

9* 



202 SPEECH OF DUKE GEORGE. 

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 accordingly 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 Wittemberg was, that by his despised doctrines he 
was spoiling the whole affair. But now, seeing the nuncio 
affecting 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 astonishment 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 regulations to monopolize, 
sell, and lease the ecclesiastical benefices ; a multitude of 
transgressions connived at ; rich transgressors undeservedly 
tolerated, while those who have no money to purchase 
impunity are punished without mercy ; the popes con- 
tinually bestowing on their courtiers reversions and re- 
serves, to the detriment of those to whom the benefices 
belong ; the commendams of the abbeys and convents of 
Rome conferred on cardinals, bishops, and prelates, who 
appropriate their revenues, so that not a single monk is to 
be found in a convent where there should be twenty or 
thirty; stations multiplied to infinity, and stalls for the 
Bale of indulgences set up in every street and public place 
of our cities stalls of Saint Anthony, of the Holy Ghost, 
of Sain* Hubert, of Saint Cornelius, of Saint Vincent, and 
so forth ; companies purchasing at Romp the right to hold 



SPEECH OF DUKE GEOEGE. 203 

such markets, then buying permission of their bishop to 
display their wares, and squeezing and draining the pockets 
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 -oppres- 
sing the lowly with penances for blasphemy, adultery, 
debauchery, and the violation of any festival, but not even 
reprimanding the clergy who commit similar crimes ; penal- 
ties 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. De- 
bauchery stretches out the hand to avarice. The officials 
invite women to their dwellings under various pretexts, and 
endeavour to seduce them, at one time by threats, at another 
by presents, or if they cannot succeed, they ruin their good 
fame.f Alas ! it is the scandal caused by the clergy that 
hurls so many poor souls into eternal condemnation ! A 
general reform must be effected. An ecumenical council must 
be called to bring about this reform. For these reasons, most 
excellent princes and lords, I humbly entreat you to take this 
matter into your immediate consideration." Duke George 
then handed in a list of the grievances he had enumerated. 
This was some days after Aleander's speech. The important 
catalogue 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 something more 
The duke pointed out the evil; Luther had pointed out 

* Sondern dass er es bald wieder begehe und mehr Geld erlegen musso. 
- Weimar State Papers, Seckend. p. 328. 

f- Dass sie Weibesbilder unter mancherley Schein beschicken, selbige 
sodann tnit Drohungen und Gcschcnken zu fallen suchen, oder in eiueo 
bdsen Verdacht bringen. Ibid. p. 330. 



204 CHARACTER OF THE REFORMATION. 

both the cause and the remedy. He had demonstrated 
that the sinner receives the true indulgence, that which 
cometh from God, solely by faith in the grace and merits of 
Jesus Christ; and this simple but powerful doctrine had over- 
thrown all the markets established by the priests. " How can 
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."* 

The duke's speech was that of a secular prince ; Luther'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 extreme point of this course ; and 
that which was most spiritual in Christianity, namely, 
pardon, might be purchased in shops like any other com- 
modity. Luther's great work consisted in employing this 
extreme degeneration of 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 happens in other cases, the remedy 
was found in the disease itself, and the two extremes met. 
From that time forward, the Church, that for so many cen- 
turies had been developed externally in human ceremonies, 
observances, and practices, began to be developed internally 
in faith, hope, and charity. 

The duke's speech produced a proportionally greater im- 
pression, as his hostility to Luther was notorious. Other 
members of the diet brought forward their respective griev - 
ances, which received the support of the ecclesiastical princes 
themselves.f " We have a pontiff who loves only the chase 
and his pleasures," said they ; " the benefices of the Ger- 
man nation are given away at Rome to gunners, falconers, 
footmen, ass-drivers, grooms, guardsmen, and other people 

L. Opp. (W.) xxii. 748, 752. 
t Seckend. Vorrede ton trick 



CHARLES 3IVES WAY. 205 

of this class, ignorant, inexperienced, and strangers to Ger- 
many."* 

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 ecclesiastical 
princes presented the report to the emperor, conjuring him 
to see them rectified, as he had engaged to do in his capitu- 
lation. "What a loss of Christian souls I" said they to 
Charles V. ; " what depredations ! what extortions, on ac- 
count of the scandals by which the spiritual head of Chris- 
tendom is surrounded ! It is our duty to prevent the ruin 
and dishonour of our people. For this reason we most 
humbly but most urgently entreat you to order a general 
reformation, and to undertake its accomplishment."-}- There 
was at that time in Christian society an unknown power 
operating on princes and people alike, a wisdom from on 
high, influencing even the adversaries of the Reformation, 
and preparing for that emancipation whose hour was come 
at last. 

Charles 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 im- 
mediately recalled the edict commanding Luther's writings to 
be burnt throughout the empire, and substituted a pro- 
visional 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 learning 
from his own mouth whether he is the author of the books 
that are ordered to be burnt. His doctrines, said his adver- 
saries, have so taken hold of men's minds, that it is impos- 
sible to check their progress, unless we hear them from him- 
self. There shall be no discussion with him; and if ho 

* Biichsenmeistern, Falknern, Pfistern, Eaeltreibern, Stallknechton, 
Trabanten Kapp's Nachlese nutzl. Ref. Urkunden. iii. 262. 

-r Dasa eine Besserung und gemeine Reformation geschehe. Ibid, 
262. 



'206 AUEANUER'S INTRIGUES. 

avows his writings, and refuses to retract them, then we will 
all with one accord, electors, princes, estates of the holy em- 
pire, true to the faith of our ancestors, assist your majesty 
to the utmost of our power in the execution of your decrees.* 

Aleander in alarm, and fearing everything from Luther's 
intrepidity and the ignorance of the princes, instantly strained 
every nerve to prevent the reformer's appearance. He went 
from Charles's ministers to the princes most favourably in- 
clined to the pope, and from them to the emperor himself. -j- 
" 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 portrait sur- 
rounded 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 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 penin- 
sula 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. Frederick, duke of Alva, in particular, was 
transported with rage whenever he heard the Reformation 
mentioned. || He would gladly have waded in the blood of 

L. Opp. (L.) xxii. 567. 

t Quam ob reiii sedulo contcstatus cst apud Csesaris administros. 
Pallav. i. 113. 

:.': Lingua promptus, ardore vultus, et oris spiritu ad concitandam se- 
ditionem. Ibid. 

Haud certe fidcm publicam illi praebendam ..Ibid. 

'1 Albau dux vidcbatur aliquando furentibus modis agitari ..Ibid. 362. 



PEACE OF LUTHER. 207 

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 remains 
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!"* But Luther was a stranger to fear; 
shutting himself up in his quiet cell, he there meditated 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.-^- These are some of the reflections that filled 

Luther's heart: "HE THAT is MIGHTY says Mary. 

What great boldness on the part of a young girl ! With a 
single 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.f 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 designs 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 permits his adversaries 

to increase in grandeur and power. He withdraws His 

* Utinam Deus redimat nostro sanguine salutem Christian! populi 
Corp. Ilef. i. 362. 
t Luke i. 46-55. 
t Magnificat. L. Opp. Wittemb. Deutsch. Ausg. iii. 11, Ac. 



208 DEATH RATHER THAN RETRACTATION. 

support, and suffers them to be puffed up with their own.* 
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 brightness 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 very 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 retractation, 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 ol 
what they call the Church. If the Emperor Charles summons 
me only that I may retract, I shall reply that I will remain 
here, and it will 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 ; f 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 1 " 



CHAPTER V. 

Shall Luther have a Safe-conduct The Safe-conduct Will Luther 
come Holy Thursday at Rome The Pope and Luther. 

AT last the emperor made up his mind. Luther's appear- 
ance before the diet seemed the only means calculated to 

* Er zieht seine Krafft heraus und liisst sio von eigener Krafft sich auf- 
olasen. L. Opp. (Wittemb.) Deutsch. Ausg. iii. 11, &c. 

f Si ad me occidendum doinceps vocare velit offeramme venturum, 

L. Epp. i. 574. 



CHAKLES'S BUMMONS. 209 

terminate an affair which engaged the attention of all the 
empire. Charles V. resolved to summon him, but without 
granting him a safe-conduct. Here Frederick was again 
compelled to assume the character of a protector. The dan- 
gers 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 him- 
self 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 debatef be- 
tween the princes. Struck at last by the extensive agita- 
tion 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 favour 
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 terri- 
tories he would have to pass, gave him each a safe-conduct. 

On the 6th of March 1521, Charles V. signed the follow- 
ing summons addressed to Luther : 

" Charles, by the grace of God Emperor elect of the Romans, 
always August, &c. &c. 

" Honourable, well-beloved, and pious! We and the 
States of the Holy Empire here assembled, having resolved 
to institute an inquiry touching the doctrine and the books 
that thou hast lately published, have issued, for thy coming 
hither, and thy return to a place of security, our safe-con- 
duct 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-conduct, thou mayst 
without fail be present before us. Fear neither injustice nor 
violence. We will firmly abide by our aforesaid safe-con- 

* Tanquam perfido haeretico nulla sit servanda fides. Cochloeus, 
P. 28. 

+ Longa consultatio difficilisque disceptatio. Ibid. 

J Cum autem grandis ubique per Germaniam fere totam ezcitata 
ret aniraor urn commotio. Ibid. 



210 THE SAFE-CONDUCT. 

duct, 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, this 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 the honourable, our well-beloved and pious Doctor 
Martin Luther, of the order of Augustines" 

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 Hungary, of 
Dalmatia, of Croatia, &c., Archduke of Austria, Duke of 
Burgundy, Count of Hapsburg, of Flanders, of the Tyrol," 
&c. &c. 

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 respect the 
safe-conduct which had been given him, under pain of the 
displeasure of the emperor and the empire.* 

Thus did the. emperor confer the titles of " well-beloved, 
honourable, and pious," on a man whom the head of the 
Church had excommunicated. This document had been 
thus drawn up, purposely to remove all distrust from the 
mind of Luther and his friends. Gaspard Sturm was com- 
missioned to bear this message to the reformer, and accom- 
pany him to Worms. The elector, apprehending some out- 
burst of public indignation, wrote on the 12th of March to 
the magistrates of Wittemberg to provide for the security 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 

* Lucas Craaach'a Stammbuch, &o. herausgegeben v. Chr. v. Mecheln. 
P. 12. 



WILL LUTHER APPEAR. 211 

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 Mans- 
feldt 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 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 cardinals and 
bishops aie attacking him very harshly:* God grant that 
all may turn out well ! Would to God that I could procure 
him a favourable 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 re-echoed with a solemn excommunication. It was 
the custom to publish at that season the terrible bull In 
Coena Domini, which is. a long series of maledictions. On 
that day the approaches to the temple in which the sove- 
reign pontiff was to officiate were early occupied with the 
papal guards, and by a crowd of people that had flocked 
together from all parts of Italy to receive the benediction of 
the holy father. Branches of laurel and myrtle decorated 
the open space in front of the cathedral ; tapers were lighted 
on the balcony of the temple, and there the remonstrance 
was elevated. On a sudden the air re-echoes with the loud 
pealing of bells ; the pope, wearing his pontifical robes, and 
borne in an arm-chair, appears on the balcony ; the people 
kneel down, all heads are uncovered, the colours are 
lowered, the soldiers ground their arms, and a solemn silence 
prevails. A few moments after, the pope slowly stretches 
out his hands, raises them towards heaven, and then as 

* Die Cardinale uiid Bischbfe s.ad ihm hart zuwider Seckend. 

p. 365. 



212 HOLY THURSDAY AT ROME. 

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, proclaiming 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 maledic- 
tion are hurled down from the roof of the temple.* 

As soon as Luther was informed of this excommunication, 
he published its tenor, with a few remarks written 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 striking features. We shall 
hear the high-priest of Christendom on the balcony of the 
cathedral, and the Wittemberg monk answering him from 
the farthest part of Germany.-J- 

There is something characteristic in the contrast of these 
two voices. 

THE POPE. "Leo, bishop" 

LUTHER. " Bishop ! yes, as the wolf is a shepherd : for 

the bishop should exhort according to the doctrine of salvation, 
and not vomit forth imprecations and maledictions." 

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 Saint Paul, 
long-suffering, kindness, and love." (2 Cor. vi. 6, 7.) 

THE POPE. "According to the duties of the apostolic 
affice, and to maintain the purity of the Christian faith" 

* This ceremony is described in various works ; among others in the 
* Tagebuch einer Reise durch Deutschland und Italien." Berlin, 1817 
iv. 94. The principal features are of earlier date than the 16th century. 

t For the bull and Luther's commentary, see Die Bulla vom Abend- 
fressen. L. Opp. <L.) xviii. I. 



THE POPE AND LUTHER. 213 

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 believers, 
we follow the ancient custom, and excommunicate 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 iii. 17.) 

THE POPE. " The Son, and the Holy Ghost, and according 

to the power of the apostles Peter and Paul and our 

own" 

LUTHER. " Our own ! 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 
Word of God." 

THE POPE. " And Martin Luther, recently condemned 
by us for a similar heresy, as well as all his adherents, and 
all those, whomsoever they may be, who show him any 
countenance." 

LUTHER. " I thank thee, most gracious pontiff, for con- 
demning me along with all these Christians ! It is very 
honourable for me to have my name proclaimed at Rome 
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?" 

* This name has been altered ; read Gaseari or Cathari. 



THE POPE AND LUTHER. 

THE POPE. " Particularly those who navigate our seas".. 

LUTHER. " OUR seas! Saint Peter, our predecessor, 

said : Silver and gold have I none (Acts iii. 6) ; and 
Jesus Christ said : The kings of the Gentiles exercise lord- 
ship over them ; but ye shall not be so (Luke xxii. 25). 
But if a waggon filled with hay must give place on the 
road to a drunken man, how much more must Saint Peter 
and Christ himself give way to the pope I" 

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 his 
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. v. 40), and this is our commentary." 

THE POPE. " Whatever be their station, dignity, order, 
power, or rank; were they even bishops or kings" 

LUTHER. " For there shall be false teachers among you, 
who despise dominion and speak evil of dignities, says Scrip- 
ture." (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 Tuscany, 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. " Peter 1 thou poor fisherman ! whence didst 

* Gleich wie ein Hand urns Beines willen. L. Opp. (L.) xviii. 12. 



LUTHER AND THE POPE. 215 

thou get Rome and all these kingdoms? all hail, Peter! 
king of Sicily ! and fisherman at Bethsaida !" 

THE POPE. " We excommunicate and curse all chancel- 
lors, councillors, parliaments, procurators, governors, officials, 
bishops, and others, who oppose our letters of exhortation, 
invitation, prohibition, mediation, execution." 

LUTHER. " For the holy see desires only to live in idle- 
ness, in magnificence, and debauchery ; to command, to in- 
timidate, to deceive, to lie, to dishonour, to seduce, and com- 
mit every kind of wickedness in peace and security 

" 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 ende/I these maledictions, the parch- 
ment 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 for- 
ward and endeavouring to seize a scrap of this terrible bull. 
These were the holy relics that the Papacy offered to its faith- 
ful adherents on the eve of the great day of grace and expia- 
tion. The multitude soon dispersed, and the neighbourhood 
of the cathedral became deserted and silent as before. Let 
us now return to Wittemberg. 



CHAPTER VI. 



Luther's Courage Bugenhagen at Wittemberg Persecutions in Pome- 
rania Melancthon desires to accompany Luther Amsdorff, Scburff, 
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 mo- 
ment for the reformer ! All his friends were in consternation. 



216 LUTHEB'S COUKAGE. 

No prince, without excepting Frederick the Wise, had de- 
clared 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 seeing the anguish of his friends, " do not desire 
my coming 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 mas- 
ter, 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.-j- 
They are busy at Worms about compelling me to retract 
and this shall be my retractation : I said formerly that the 
pope was Christ's vicar ; now I assert that he is our Lord's 
adversary, and the devil's apostle." And when he was ap- 
prized that all the pulpits of the Franciscans and Dominicans 
resounded with imprecations and maledictions against him : 
" Oh! what deep joy do I feel!" exclaimed he.J He knew 
that he had done God's will, and that God was with him ; 
why then should he not set out with courage ? Such purity 
of intention, such liberty of conscience, is a hidden but in- 
calculable support, that never fails the servant of God, and 
renders him more invulnerable 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 his life, 
and to comfort him at the moment of his departure. TJiis 
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 exercised on the friends of 

* Damnatum et perditum. L. Epp. i. 556. 

t Ut hos Satan a; ministros et contemnam vivens et vincam moriens, 
Ibid. 579. 

Quod mire quam gaudeam. Ibid. 567. 

Venit Wittembergam paulo ante iter Lutheri ad comitia Wormatiae 
indicia. Melch. Adami Vita Bugenhagii, p. 314. 



BUGENHAGEN PERSECUTIONS IN POMERANIA. 217 

the Gospel, whether ecclesiastics, citizens, or men of letters.* 
Sprung from a senatorial family, and born at Wolliu in Po- 
mcrania (whence he is commonly called Pomeranus), Bugen- 
hagen 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.f One day towards the end of December 1520, 
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 running his eye over the 
pages, " many heretics have infested 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 presented 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." J Several priests, a deacon, and the abbot him- 
self, received the pure doctrine of salvation, and in a short 
time, by the power of their preaching, they led their hearers 
(says an historian) back from human superstitions to the 
sole and effectual merits of Jesus Christ. Upon this a 
persecution broke out. Already the prisons re-echoed with 
the groans of many individuals. Bugenhagen fled from his 
enemies and arrived at Wittemberg. " He is suffering for 
love to the Gospel," wrote Melancthon to the elector's chap- 
lain. " Whither could he fly, but to our cievXov (asylum), 
and to the protection of our prince ?"|| 

But no one welcomed Bugenhagen with greater joy than 
Luther. It was agreed between them, that immediately 
after the departure of the reformer, Bugenhagen should begin 

* Sacerdotes, cives et scholasticos in vincula conjecit. Mel. Adami Vita 
Bugenhagii, p. 313. 

t Precesque adjunxit, quibus divinitus se regi ao doceri petivit. Ibid, 
p, 312. 

In Cimmeriis tenebris yersatur : hie vir unus et solus rerum videt. 
Ibid. p. 313. 

A superstitionibus ad unicum Christi meritum traducere. 

!1 Corp. Ref. i. 361. 
VOL. ri. 10 



218 MELANCTHON, AMSDORFF, AND SCHUKFF. 

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 manner 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 Luther with all the affection of 
a susceptible heart. " Luther," 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 ;* but I admire Luther after another and a Christian 
fashion." He then added these beautiful and sublime words : 
" As often as I contemplate Luther, I find him constantly 
greater than himself." -J- Melancthon desired to accompany 
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 latter never re- 
turned, who then would there be to direct the work of the 
Reformation ? " Would to God," said Melancthon, resigned, 
yet disappointed, " that he had allowed me to go with him." j 

The impetuous Amsdorff immediately declared that he 
would accompany the doctor. His strong mind found plea- 
sure in confronting danger. His boldness permitted him 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 sentence of death on a single malefactor." 
This timid man, however, desired to assist the doctor by his 

* Alcibiades was convinced that the society of Socrates was a support 
the gods had given him for his instruction and security. Plutarch Al- 
cibiades. 

t Quern quoties contemplor, se ipso subinde majoreui judioo. Corp. 
Ref. i. 264. 

J Utinam licuisset mihi una proficisei. Ibid. 365. 

L. Opp. (W.) xxii. 2067. 1819. 



HUTTEN TO CHARLES V. 219 

advice in this perilous journey. A young Danish student, 
Peter Suaven, who resided with Melancthon, and who after- 
wards became celebrated by his evangelical labours in Pome- 
rania and Denmark, likewise declared that he would accom- 
pany 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 me- 
naced the representative of her people. She found a suitable 
voice to give utterance to her fears. Ulrich of Hiitten shud- 
dered at the thought of the blow about to be inflicted on his 
country. On the 1st of April, he wrote to Charles V. him- 
self: " Most excellent emperor," said he, " you are on the 
point of destroying us, and yourself with us. What is pro- 
posed 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 interest in this matter.* The priests alono 
set themselves against Luther, because he has opposed their 
enormous power, their scandalous luxury, and their depraved 
lives ; and because he has pleaded, in behalf of Christ's doc- 
trine, for the liberty of our country, and for purity of morals. 

" emperor ! discard from your presence these Eoman 
ambassadors, bishops, and cardinals, who desire to prevent 
all reformation. Did you not observe the sorrow of the 
people as they saw you arrive on the banks of the Rhine, 

surrounded by these red-hatted gentry and by a band ol 

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 common destruc- 
tion. Lead us into the midst of the greatest dangers, under 
the weapons of your soldiers, to the cannon's mouth ;-j- let 
all nations conspire against us ; let every army assail us, so 
that we can show our valour in the light of day, rather than 
that we should be thus vanquished and enslaved obscurely 

and stealthily, like women, without arms and unresisting 

* Neque enim quam lata est Germania, ulli boni sunt, &c. L. Opp. 
Lt. ii. 182, verso. 

1- Due nos in manifestum potius periculum, due in ferrum, due in ignts. 
Ibid. 183. 



220 PRAYER OF GERMANY. 

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 ;* with tears 
we entreat and implore your help, your compassion, 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 na- 
tion to Charles V. The emperor paid no attention to this 
epistle, and probably cast it disdainfully to one of his secre- 
taries. He was a Fleming, and not a German. His per- 
sonal aggrandizement, and not the liberty and glory of the 
empire, was the object of all his desires. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Departure for the Diet of Worms Luther's Farewell His Condemna- 
tion is posted up Cavalcade near Erfurth Meeting between Jonas 
and Luther Luther in his former Convent Luther preaches at Er- 
furth 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 Luther'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 
epend the Thursday or Friday following at Erfurth,-f- he bade 
farewell to his colleagues. Turning 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. Labour in my stead, since I shall no longer 
be able to labour for myself. If you survive, my death will 
be of little consequence." Then, committing his soul to the 

* Omnem mine Germaniam quasi ad genua provolutam tibi. L. Opp 
Lat. ii. 184. 
+ L. Epp. i. 580. 



LUTHER'S JOURNEY. 221 

hands of Him who is faithful, Luther got into the car and 
quitted Wittemberg. The town-council had provided him 
with a modest conveyance, covered with an awning, which 
the travellers could set up or remove at pleasure. The im- 
perial herald, wearing his robe of office, and carrying the 
imperial eagle, rode on horseback in front, attended by hia 
servant. Next came Luther, Schurff, Amsdorff, 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 Leipzic no respect was shown him, 
and the magistrates merely presented him with the custom- 
ary cup of wine. At Naumburg he met a priest, probably 
J. Langer, a man of stern zeal, who carefully preserved in 
his study a portrait of the famous 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 con- 
fessor 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 intrepid 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 solemnly, " and 
God will as firmly stand by thee !"-{ 

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 condemnation. " Look there !" 
said the herald. He-turned his eyes, and with astonishment 
saw the imperial messengers going from street to street, 
everywhere posting up the emperor's edict commanding his 

* Terrorem hunc a Sathana sibi dixit afferi M. Adami, p. 117. 

t Er wolle bey der erkandten Wahrheyt mit breytem Fuss aushalten 
.. ...Mathesius Historian, p. 23. We quote the first edition of 1566. 



222 LUTHER AT WEtMAE THE CAVALCADE. 

writings to be deposited 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 in- 
terdicted in every city, I shall go on ! I rely upon the em- 
peror'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 
Franciscan monk, who heard him, by name John Vo'it, the 
friend of Frederick Myconius, was then converted to the 
evangelical doctrine. He left his convent two years after, 
and somewhat later became professor of theology at Wit- 
temberg. The duke furnished Luther with the money ne- 
cessary 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 distance. 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 university, 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, by name Justus 
Jonas, had outstripped the cavalcade.-}- Jonas, after study- 

Nisi periculum sit Erfordiam ingredi. L. Epp. i. 580. 
f- Hos inter, qui nos praevenerat, ibat Jonas, 
Jllc decus uostri, primaque fama Chori. 

Eob. Hessi Elegia Second*. 



MEETING OF JONAS AND LUTHEE. 223 

tug 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 enter- 
tained 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." * 
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 active and enterprising 
spirit, had set out on foot in company with a few friends, 
and had crossed forests infested with robbers, and cities 
devastated by the plague, in order to visit Erasmus, who 
was then at Brussels. Shall he now hesitate to confront 
other dangers by accompanying the reformer to Worms ? 
He earnestly begged the favour to be granted him, and 
Luther consented. Thus met these two doctors, who were 
to labour together all their lives in the task of renovating 
the Church. Divine Providence gathered round Luther men 
who were destined to be the light of Germany : Melancthon, 
Amsdorff, 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."-f- No preacher ever 
surpassed him in his power of captivating his hearers. 
" Pomeranus is a critic," said Melancthon ; " I am a dialec- 
tician, Jonas is an orator. Words flow from his lips with 
admirable beauty, and his eloquence is full of energy. But 
Luther surpasses us all." J 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 tho 

* Velut organum quoddam electum ad illustrandam filii sui Jesu 
gloriam. Erasm. Epp. v. 27. 

f- Vir est quern oportuit multo pretio emptum et servatum in terra*. 
Weismann, i. 1436. 

$ Pomeranus est grammaticus, ego sum dialecticus, Jonas eat orator 

Luther us yero nobis omnibus antecellit. Knapp Narrat. do J. 

Jona, p. 581. 



22-1 LUTHER'S SERMON AT ERFCRTH. 

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 spectators was im- 
mense. Luther alighted at the convent of the Augustines, 
where the Gospel had first given consolation to his hcait 
Lange joyfully received him; Usingen, and some of the eldei 
fathers, showed him much coldness. There was a great de- 
sire 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 Sunday after Easter the church of the Augustines 
of Erfurth was filled to overflowing. This friar, who had 
been accustomed in former times to unclose the doors and 
sweep out the church, went up into the pulpit, and opening the 
Bible, read these words : Peace be unto you. And when he had 
so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side (John xx. 
19, 20). " Philosophers, doctors, and writers," said he, " have 
endeavoured 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 ; accord- 
ingly Luther's hearers redoubled their attention. 

" There are two kinds of works," continued the reformer : 
" 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 something else. All these works are 
nothingness and will come to nought ; 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, 
icxtirpate sin, and shut the gates of hell. This is the work 
of salvation. The devil thought he had the Lord in his power, 
when he saw Him hanging between two thieves, suffering 
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 ! this is the joyful news I and 
we are saved by his work, and not by our own. The pope 



FAITH AND WORKS. 225 

says differently : but I affirm that the holy mother of God 
herself was saved, neither by her virginity, nor by hei 
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 was 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 ; others stood motionless through fright. 
The preacher stopped a moment, and then stretching out his 
hand, exclaimed with a loud voice : " Fear nothing ! there 
is no danger : it is thus the devil seeks to hinder me from 
proclaiming the Gospel, but he will not succeed."* At 
these words, those who were flying halted in astonishment 
and surprise ; 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 reply 
to me) : show us how we may obtain it. Well, I will teach 
you. Our Lord Jesus Christ said : Peace be unto you ! behold 
my hands, that is to say, Behold, 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," re- 
sumed Luther, " nor have you ; but we have all partaken 
of the sin that Adam has transmitted to us, and 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 justifi- 
cation, Luther proclaims works as the consequence and 
manifestation of salvation. 

" Since God has saved us," continues he, " let us so order 

our works that they may be acceptable to him. Art thou 

rich? let thy goods administer to the necessities of the 

poor ! Art thou poor ? let thy services be acceptable to the 

* Agnosco iusidias, hostis acerbe, tuas. Hessi Eleg. iii. 

10* 



226 LUTHER'S ILLNESS AND COURAGE. 

rich 1 If thy labour is useful to thyself alone, the service 
that thou pretendest to render unto God is a lie.*'* 

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, or the 
nuncios ; he preaches Christ, and Christ only. At this mo- 
ment, 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. 

Luther departed from Erfurth, and passed through 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 the convent of the Benedictines 
at Reinhardsbrunn, and from thence proceeded to Eisenach, 
where he felt indisposed. Amsdorff, Jonas, Schurff, and 
all his friends were alarmed. He was bled; they tended him 
with the most affectionate anxiety, and John Oswald, the 
schultheiss of the town, brought him a cordial. Luther having 
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 em- 
pire.^- An immense crowd flocked eagerly around him.J 
" 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 Wittemberg, the flames of which 
reached to heaven,- 1 would walk through it in the name of 
the Lord,^I would appear before them, I would enter the 
jaws of this Behemoth, and break his teeth, confessing the 
Lord Jesus Christ." 

" L. Opp. (L.) xii. 485. 

f Quocunque iter faciebant, frequens erat concursus hominum, videzidi 
Lutheri studio. Cochloous, p. 29. 

Iter facienti occurrebant populi. Pallav. Hist. C. Tr. i. 1 14. 
Ein Fcuer das bis an den Himmel reichte Keil, i. 98. 



COUHACHi LETTER TO SPALATIN. 227 

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 with a milder air, said : 
" My dear friend, what you say is a 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 multitudes that thronged around him ; but 
they depicted his journey in far different colours.f The doc- 
tor 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, cardinal-archbishop of 
Mentz, would have given any thing to stop him on the road. 
New intrigues were put in motion to attain this result. 

As soon as Luther arrived in Frankfort, he took some re- 
pose, 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 endeavoured to stop me 
on the road by sickness. Since I left Eisenach 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.| Have the 
goodness, therefore, to prepare a lodging for me." 

* Nun habt Ihr einen grossern Herrn, denn ich. Ibid. 99. 

j- In diversoriis multa propinatio, Iseta compotatio, musices quoque 
gaudia : adeo ut Lutherus ipse alicubi sonora testudine ludens omnium 
in se oculos converteret, velut Orpheus quidam, sed rasus adhuc et cucul- 
latus, eoque mirabilior. Cochlceus, p. 29. In the taverns there was 
good cheer, joyous potations, and e\en the charms of music : so that 
Luther, playing upon the harp, drew all eyes upon himself, like a very 
Orphans, and the more wonderful as he was shorn and wore a cowl. 

J Intrabimus Wonnatiam, invitis omnibus portis inferni et potentate 
bus aeris. L. Opp. i. 987. 



228 LUTHER AT FRANKFORT. 

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 left upon another, he 
renounced 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 advanced 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 preserve 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 Cochloms, 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 devoted champions. It is true 
no one had summoned him ; but that mattered not. Luther 
had scarcely quitted the city, when Cochloeus followed him, 
ready (said he) to sacrifice his life in defence of the honour 
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 entered, all might 
perhaps be lost. Archbishop Albert, the confessor Glapio, 
and the politicians who surrounded the emperor, were con- 
founded. How could they hinder this monk from coming ? 
To carry him off by force was impossible, for he had Charles's 
safe-conduct. Stratagem alone could stop him. These artful 
men immediately conceived the following plan. The em- 
peror's confessor and his head chamberlain, Paul of Armsdorff, 
hastily quitted Worms.f They directed their course towards 

" Icb. hoffe dass du der Verheissene Cypr. Hilar. Ev. p. 608. 

f Lutherum iliac transeuntcm subsequutus, ut pro honore Eccleslai 

vitain suam exponeret. Cochlceus, p. 36. This is the writer whooj 

we quote so frequently. 

J Dass der Keyser seinen Beichtvater und Ihrer Majest. Ober-Kam 
taerling zu Sickicgen schickt. L. Opp. xvii. 587. 



SCHEMES OF THE ROMANISTS. 229 

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 Dominican 
chaplain to the elector-palatine, and converted to the evan 
gelical doctrine by the disputation at Heidelberg,* 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 confessor's designs. In fact, Bucer was a man 
of pacific character. Making a distinction between funda- . 
mental and secondary points, he thought that the latter 
might be given up for the sake of unity and peace.-J- 

The chamberlain and Charles's confessor began their 
attack. 'They gave Sickingen and Bucer to understand, 
that Luther was lost if he entered Worms. They declared 
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 question of merely se- 
condary matters, and you shall mediate between us." The 
knight and the doctor were staggered. The confessor and 
the chamberlain continued : " Luther's invitation must pro- 
ceed from you," said they to Sickingen, " and Bucer shall 
carry it to him." J Everything was arranged according to 
their wishes. Only let the too credulous Luther go to Ebern- 
burg, his safe-conduct will soon have expired, and then who 
shall defend 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 recognised 
Bucer, with whom he had held such intimate conversa- 
tions at Heidelberg. " These cavaliers belong to Francis 
of Sickingen," said Bucer, after the first interchange of 

* See Vol. I. p. 330. 

f Condocefaciebat T avayxaTa a probabilibus distinguere, ut scirent 

qua retinenda M. Adami Vita Buceri, p. 223. 

I Dass er sollte den Luther zu sich fodern. L. Opp. xTii. 587. 
Da kam Bucer zu, mit etlichen Reutern. Ibid. 



230 LUTHER'S FIRMNESS. 

friendship ; " he has sent me to conduct you to his castle.* 
The emperor's confessor desires to have an interview with 
you. His influence over Charles is unlimited ; everything 
may yet be arranged. But beware of Aleander!" Jonas, 
Schurff, and Amsdorff knew not what to think. Bucer was 
pressing ; but Luther felt no hesitation. " I shall continue 
my journey," replied he to Bucer ; " and if the emperor's 
confessor has anything 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 anxious 
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 approaching 
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 Spa- 
latin himself! But Luther, undismayed, 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 !" t Never, perhaps, has 
Luther been so sublime ! The messenger returned to Worms 
with this astounding answer. " I was then undaunted," said 
Luther, 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 Mathe- 
sius, " the heart expands, and gives c'ourage and energy to 
evangelists as well as to soldiers."! 

* Und wollte mir iiberreden zu Sickingen gen Ebernburg zu komiacn. 
L. Opp. xvii. 587. 

f Wenn so viel Teufel zu Worms waren, als Ziegel auf den Duchcrn 
aoch wollt Ich hiaein. Ibid. 

So wachst das Herz iui Lube.... Math. p. 24. 



LUTHER ENTERS WORMS. 231 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Eiilry into Worms Death-Song Charles's Council Capito and the 
Temporizers Luther's numerous Visitors Citation Hiitten 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 Triumph Luther's Firmness Vio- 
lence of the Spaniards Advice Luther's 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 say no more The Weakness of God 
stronger than Man A new Attempt Victory. 

AT length, on the morning of the 16th of April, Luther dis- 
covered 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 gentlemen in the train of the 
princes, to the number of a hundred (if we may believe Pal- 
laviciui), unable to restrain their impatience, rode out on 
horseback to meet him, and surrounded him, to form an es- 
cort 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 horse- 
back, and the cavaliers were on both sides of him. A great 
crowd was waiting for him at the gates. It was near mid- 
day when he passed those walls, from which so many persons 
had predicted he would never come forth alive. Every one 
was at table ; but as soon as the watchman on the tower of 
the cathedral sounded his trumpet, all ran into the streets 
to see the monk. Luther was now in Worms. 

Two thousand persons accompanied him through the 
streets of the city. The citizens eagerly pressed forward to 
see him : every moment the crowd was increasing. It was 
much greater than at the public entry of the emperor. .On 
a sudden, says an historian, a man dressed in a singular 
costume, and bearing a large cross, such as is employed in 



232 THE REQUIEM. 



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 utter- 
ing them from the abode of the dead : 

Advenisti, desiderabilis ! 
Quern expectabamus in tenebris !* 

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 difficulty 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, TJlrich of 
Pappenheim. Luther alighted from his car, and said as he 
touched the ground : " God will be my defence." f " I en- 
tered Worms in a covered waggon, 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 of Saxony 
and Aleander with alarm. The young and graceful Arch- 
bishop Albert, who kept a middle position between the two 
parties, was confounded at such boldness. " If I had pos- 
sessed no more courage than he," said Luther, " it is true 
they would never have seen me at Worms." 

Charles V. immediately summoned his council. The em- 
peror's privy-councillors hastily repaired to the palace, 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 himself: 
" We have long consulted on this matter. Let your imperial 

* At last thou'rt come, long looked-for one, whom we have waited foi 
in the darkness of the grave. M. Adami Vita Lutheri,p. 118. 
t Deus stabit pro me. Pallav. i. 114. J L. Opp. xvii. 587. 



CAPITO AND THE TEMPORIZERS. 233 

majesty get rid of this man at once. Did not Sigismund 
cause John 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 beholding 
this illustrious servant of God. Capito, chaplain and coun- 
cillor to the Archbishop of Mentz, was the foremost among 
them. This remarkable man, who, shortly before, had 
preached the Gospel in Switzerland with great freedom,-}- 
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 Romanists.^ Yet 
at Mentz he had proclaimed the doctrine of grace with 
much clearness. At the moment of his departure, 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 endeavour to preach from the Holy Scriptures 
after their manner, and employ all the means in their power 
to check the impulse 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 
flattered himself, as others did who shared in his opinions, 
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 

* Dass Ihre Majestat den Luther aufs erste beyseit thate und um- 
bringon liess L. Opp. xvii. 587. f See below Book VIII. 

JAstutia plusquam viflpina vehementer callidum Lutherismum 

versutissime dissimulabat. Cochloeus, p. 36. 

Evangelium audiunt avidissiine, Verbum Dei alligatum non est..... 
Caspar Hedio, Zw. Epp. p. 157. 

|| Lutherns in hoc districtu dudum esset comtustus, Lutheran} 
yvyoi, nisi Capito aliter persuasisset principi. Ibid. p. 140. 



234 CROWD OF VISITEKS. 

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.* Capito no doubt 
thought he was advancing Christ's cause by all these tem- 
porizing expedients, but we cannot find that they led to any 
good result. The event almost always baffles these calcula- 
tions 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.t They left him, however, 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. All, 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 elevation and enthusiasm which gave this simple 
monk an irresistible authority. But while some ascribed 
this grandeur to something divine, the friends of the pope 
loudly exclaimed that he was possessed by a devi!4 Visiters 
rapidly succeeded each other, and this crowd of curious in- 
dividuals kept Luther from his bed until a late hour of the 
night. 

On the next morning, Wednesday the 17th of April, the 
hereditary marshal of the empire, Ulrich of Pappenheim, cited 
him to appear at four in the afternoon before his imperial 
majesty and the states of the empire. Luther received this 
message with profound respect. 

Thus everything was arranged; he was about to stand 
for Jesus Christ before the most august assembly in the 

* Hie (Capito) ilium (Cochlceum) insinuavit Hieronymo Aleandro, 
nuncio Leonis X. Cochlcous, p. 36. 

+ Eadem die tota ci vitas solicite confluxit. Pallav. i. 114. 

J Nescio quid divinum suspicabantur ; ex adverse alii, malo daemon* 
obsessura cxistimabant. Ibid, 



HUTTEN'S LETTER TO LUTHER. 235 

world. Encouragements were not wanting to him. The 
impetuous knight, Ulrich Hiitten, 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 (17th April) he wrote to him, 
adopting the language of a king of Israel :* " The Lord hear 
thee in the day of trouble ; the name of the God of Jacob de- 
fend 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 Luther ! my ve- 
nerable 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 Hiitten was unable 
to do; he came from Ebernburg to Worms, and did not 
leave his friend during the time of his sojourn in that city.J 
Four o'clock arrived. The marshal of the empire ap- 
peared; Luther prepared to set out with him. He was 
agitated at the thought of the solemn congress before 
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 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 witnessed this, rushed into the 

* David in the 20th PP^T. + Servet te Christus. L. Opp. ii. 175. 
Bucerus eodem veni*. M, Adami Vita Buceri, p 212. 
Und ward also dnrch heimliche Gauge gefiihrt. L. Opp. (L.) 
srii. 574. 



236 PROCESSION TO THE DIET FREUNDSBEBG. 

houses after the 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 spec- 
tators.* 

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, Italians, Spaniards, and others. Luther advanced 
with difficulty. 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 Freundsberg, 
who, four years later, at the head of his German lansque- 
nets, bent the knee with his soldiers on the field of Pavia, 
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 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 ! lie that 
ruleth his spirit is greater than he that taketh a city, were the 
words of a king.J 

* Doch lief das Volk haufig zu, und stieg sogar auf Dacher. Seek, 
p. 348. 

f Mnnchlein ! Monchlein ! du gehest jetzt einen Gang, einen solchcn 
Stand zu thun, dergleichen ich und mancher Obrister, auch in unser 
allerernstesten Schlacht-Ordnung nicht gethan haben Seek. p. 348. 

J Proverbs xvi. 32. 



IMPOSING ASSEMBLY. 23? 

At length the doors of the hall were opened. Luther 
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 in- 
dependent sovereigns over countries more or less extensive, 
and among whom were some whose names afterwards be- 
came formidable to the Reformation, the Duke of Alva and 
his two sons ; eight margraves ; thirty archbishops, bishops, 
and abbots; 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 society ; and yet 
he was summoned in respectful language, and received before 
the most august assembly in the world. The pope had con- 
demned 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 re- 
volution had thus been effected by Luther's instrumentality. 
Rome was already descending from her throne, and it was the 
voice 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 

* Einige aus denen Reichs-Gliedern sprachen fhm einen Muth, mit 
Christi Worten, eia Matthew x. 20, 28. Scckcndorf, p. 348. 



238 THE CHANCELLOR'S SPEECH. 

comforted with his Master's words by the princes of this 
world. 

Meanwhile the guards made way for Luther. He ad- 
vanced, and stood before the throne of Charles V. The 
sight of so august an assembly appeared for an instant to 
dazzle and intimidate him. All eyes were fixed on him. 
The confusion gradually subsided, and a deep silence fol- 
lowed. " Say nothing," said the marshal of the empire to 
him, " before you are questioned." Luther 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 majesty 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 do not know how they could have procured 
them," said Luther, relating this circumstance. It was 
Aleander who had taken this trouble. " Secondly," con- 
tinued the chancellor, " Are you prepared to retract these 
books, and their contents, or do you persist in the opinions 
you have advanced in them ?" 

Luther, having no mistrust, was about to answer the first 
of these questions in the affirmative, when his counsel, 
Jerome Schurff, hastily interrupting him, exclaimed aloud : 
" 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 J 

* Legantur tituli librorum. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 588. 



LUTHER'S REPLY ms DISCRETION. 239 

a 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 treasure either 
in heaven or earth,* 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 Luther 
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 firm- 
ness 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 impetuous 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 
utterance. This restraint, this calmness, so surprising in 
such a man, multiplied his strength a hundredfold, and put 
him in a position to reply, at a later period, with such wis- 
dom, power, and dignity, as to deceive the expectations of 
liis adversaries, and confound their malice and their pride. 

And yet, because he had spoken in a respectful manner, 
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 

* Weil dies eine Frage vom Glauben und der Selen Seligkeit ist, und 
Gottes Wort belanget L. Opp. (L.> xvii. 573. 



240 * SAYING OF CHARLES V. ALARM. 

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 as- 
semhled 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, " his im- 
perial majesty, of his natural goodness, is very willing to 
grant you another day, but under condition that you make 
your reply viv& voce, and not in writing." 

The imperial herald now stepped forward and conducted 
Luther back to his hotel. Menaces and shouts of joy were 
heard by turns on his passage. The most sinister rumours 
circulated among Luther's friends. " The diet is dissatis- 
fied," said they ; " the papal envoys have triumphed ; the 
reformer will be sacrificed." Men's passions were inflamed. 
Many gentlemen hastened to Luther's lodgings: " Doctor," 
said they, with emotion, " what is this ? It is said they are 
determined to burn you!"f..." If they do so," continued 
these knights, " 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 fails 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 appear- 
ance before the emperor and his brother.^ I confessed 

myself the author of my books, and declared that I would reply 

Hie certe nunquam efficeret ut hsereticus evaderem. Pallav. i. 115. 

f Wie geht's ? man sagt, sie wollen euch yerbrennen L. Opp. (L.) 

XT4i. 588. 
J Hac hora coram Coesare et fratre Romano constiti. L. Epp. i. 587. 



VIOLENCE OP THE SPANISH SOLDIERS. 241 

to-inorrow touching my retractation. With Christ's help, I 
shall never retract one tittle of ray works."* 

The emotion of the people and of the foreign soldiers in- 
creased every hour. While the opposing parties were pro- 
ceeding 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 citizens. One of these 
myrmidons of Charles, finding in a bookseller's shop the 
pope's bull with a commentary written by Hiitten, took the 
book and tore it in pieces, and then throwing the fragments 
on the ground, trampled them under foot. Others having 
discovered several copies of Luther's writing on the Cap- 
tivity 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 horse- 
back 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.f 

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 pope and his 
court, and you are safe." Aleander shuddered with alarm 
at this counsel. But Luther, immovable in his resolution, 
declared that he had no great opinion of a political reform 
that was not based upon faith. 

Glapio, the Chancellor ab Eck, and Aleander, by Charles's 
order, met early on the morning of the 18th to concert the 
measures to be taken with regard to Luther. 

For a moment Luther had felt dismay, when he was 
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 refuse to 
submit to these men, whom God had invested with sove- 
reign power, disturbed his soul ; and he felt the necessity of 
looking for strength from on high. " The man who, when 
lie is attacked by the enemy, protects himself with the shield 

* Verum ego ne apicem quidem revocabo. L. Epp. i. 537. 
t Happens lief. Urkunden., ii. 448. 
VOL. n. 11 



242 LUTHER'S ANGUISH AND PRAYER. 

of faith," said he one day, " is like Perseus with the Gor- 
gon's head. Whoever looked at it, fell dead. In like 
manner should we present the Son of God to the snares ol 
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 hidden from him. His faith grew weak ; his enemies 
multiplied before him ; his imagination was overwhelmed at 

the sight .His soul was as a ship tossed by a violent 

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 Gethsemane, 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 : f 

" Almighty and Everlasting God I How terrible is this 
world ! Behold, it openeth its mouth to swallow me up, and 

I have so little trust in Thee! How weak is the flesh, 

and Satan how strong ! If it is only in the strength of this 

world that I must put my trust, all is over! My last 

hour is come,f my condemnation has been pronounced ! 

God! God! God! do thou help me against all 

the wisdom of the world ! Do this ; thou shouldest do this 

thou alone for this is not my work, but Thine. I 

have nothing 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. Lord ! help me ! Faith- 
ful and unchangeable God ! In no man do I place my trust. 
It would be vain ! All that is of man is uncertain ; all 

that cometh of man fails God ! my God, hearcst Thou 

me not? My God, art Thou dead? No! Thou canst 

not die ! Thou hidest thyself only ! Thou hast chosen me 
for this work. I know it well! Act, then, God ! 

* Also sollen wir den Sohn Gottea als Gorgonis Haupt L. Opp. 

(W.) xxii. 1659. 

t See L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 589. 

t Die Glocke ist schon gegossen : lit. the bell is already founded. 
ibid. 



STRENGTH OP THE REFORMATION. J243 

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? my God! where art 

Thou? Come! come! lam 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! I 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 1* Yes ! Thy Word is my 

assurance of it. My soul belongs to Thee ! It shall abide 

for ever with Thee Amen! God! help me! 

Amen !" 

This prayer explains Luther and the Keformation. His- 
tory here raises the veil of the sanctuary, and discloses 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 times. Luther and 
the Reformation are here brought before us. We discover 
their most secret springs. We see whence their power was 
derived. This out-pouring 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 Numbei 
XVI., 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 ol 
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 
" Die Seele st dein. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 589. 



244. L\jTHER r S VOW THE COURT OF THE DIET. 

open on the table, and with emotion placed his left hand ou 
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 f jur o'clock the herald appeared and conducted him 
to the. place where the diet was sitting. The curiosity of 
the people had increased, for the answer was to be decisive. 
As the diet was occupied, Luther was compelled to wait in 
the court in the midst of an immense crowd, which swayed 
to and fro like the sea in a storm, and pressed the reformer 
with its waves. Two long hours elapsed, while the doctor 
stood in this multitude so eager to catch a glimpse of him. 
" I was not accustomed," 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 countenance was serene ; his features tranquil ; the 
Everlasting One had raised him on a rock. The night began 
to fall. Torches were lighted in the hall of the assembly. 
Their glimmering rays shone through the ancient windows 
into the court. Everything assumed a solemn aspect. At 
last the doctor was introduced. Many persons entered with 
him, for every one desired to hear his answer. Men's minds 
were on the stretch; all impatiently awaited the decisive 
moment that was approaching. 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 
Wittemberg finding himself again standing before Charles V., 
the chancellor of the Elector of Treves began by saying : 

" Martin Luther ! yesterday you begged for a delay that 
has now expired. Assuredly it ought not to have been con- 
ceded, 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 touching his faith 

Now, therefore, reply to the question put by his majesty, 

* Des Getiimmels und Wesens war Ich gar nicht gewohnt. L. Opp. 
XTii. 535, 588. 



LUTHER'S SPEECH. 245 

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 chancellot 
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 on the assem- 
bly, " I appear before you this day, in conformity with the 
order given me yesterday, and by God's mercies I conjure 
your majesty and your august highnesses to listen graci- 
ously to the defence of a cause which I am assured is just 
and true. If, through ignorance, 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, if I would re- 
tract or defend the doctrine I had taught in them. To the 
first question I then made answer, and I persevere in thai, 
reply. 

" As for the second, I have written works on many dif- 
ferent subjects. There are some in which I have treated oi 
faith and good works, in a manner at once so pure, so 
simple, and so scriptural, that even my adversaries, far from 
finding anything to censure in them, allow that these works 
are useful, and worthy of being read by all pious men. The 
papal bull, however violent it may be, acknowledges this. 

If, therefore, I were to retract these, what should I do? 

Wretched man ! Among all men, I alone should abandon 
truths that friends and enemies approve, and I should op- 
pose what the whole world glories in confessing 

* Schreyt nicht sehr noch heftig, sondern redet fein, sittich, zlichtig 
und bescheiden. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 576. 



246 THREE CLASSES OF WETTINGS. 

" Secondly, I hare written books against the papacy, in 
which I have attacked those who, by their false doctrine, 
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 consciences of 
believers, while the crying and perpetual extortions of Rome 
swallow up the wealth and the riches of Christendom, and 
especially of this illustrious nation? 

" 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 torrent of impiety ?* 
Overflowing with still greater fury than before, we should 
see these insolent men increase in number, behave more 
tyrannically, and domineer more and more. And not only 
the yoke that now weighs upon the Christian people would 
be rendered heavier by my retractation, but it would become, 
so to speak, more legitimate, for by this very retractation it 
would have received the confirmation of your most seiene 
majesty and of all the states of the 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 ecclesiastical 
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 op- 
portunity 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 xviii. 23), said he. How 
mucb more should I, who am but dust and ashes, and who 

* Nicht allein die Fenster, sondern aucb Thiir und Thor aufthate. L, 
Opp. (L.) xvii. 573. 



REQUIRES PROOF OF HIS ERROR. 247 

may so easily go astray, desire every man to state his objec- 
tions 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 erred. As soon as 
I am convinced of this, I will retract every error, and 
be the first to lay hold of my books and throAV 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. / came not to send peace 
on earth, but a sword, said Jesus Christ (Math. x. 34). 
God is wonderful and terrible in his counsels ; beware lest, 
by presuming to quench dissensions, you should persecute 
the holy Word of God, and draw down upon yourselves a 
frightful deluge of insurmountable dangers, of present dis- 
asters, and eternal desolation You should fear lest the 

reign of this young and noble prince, on whom (under God) 
we build such lofty expectations, not only should begin, 
but continue and close, under the most gloomy auspices. I 
might quote many examples from the oracles of God," con- 
tinued Luther, speaking with a noble courage in the pre- 
sence of the greatest monarch of the world : " I might 
speak of the Pharaohs, the kings of Babylon, and those ot 
Israel, whose labours never more effectually contributed to 
their own destruction than when they sought by counsels, 
to all appearance most wise, to strengthen their domi- 
nion. God removeth mountains, and they know it not ; wide 
overturneth them in his anger (Job ix. 5). 

" 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 



248 REPEATS HIS SPEECH IN LATIN. 

you not to suffer the hatred of my enemies 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 sur- 
rounded 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 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. J 

" This *ave great pleasure to the Elector Frederick," says 
the reformer. 

When he had ceased speaking, the Chancellor of Treves, 
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 pre- 
cise answer, I will give you one, 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. Unless therefore I am convinced 
"by the testimony of Scripture, or by the clearest reasoning, 
unless I am persuaded by means of the passages I have 

* This speech, as well as all the other expressions we quote, is taken 
literally from authentic documents. See L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 776-780. 

-( Non clamoso at modeste, non tainen sine Christiana animositato efc 
constantia. L. Opp. Lat. ii. 165. J L. Opp. Lat. ii. 165-167. 

Dabo illud neque deutatum, neque cornutum. Ibid. p. 166. I will 
give you one that shall have neither horns nor teeth. 



GODS WEAKNESS IS MANS STRENGTH. 2"* 

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 ] 

STAND, I CAN DO NO OTHER ; MAY GOD HELP ME ! AMEN !" * 

Luther, constrained to obey his faith, led by his conscience 
to death, impelled by the noblest necessity, the slave of hig 
belief, and under this slavery still supremely free, 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 words which still thrill 
our hearts at an interval of three centuries : thus spoke a 
monk before the emperor and the mighty ones of the nation ; 
and this feeble and despised 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 pre- 
lates 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 difficult to conceal their admiration. The emperor, 
recovering from his first impression, exclaimed : " This 
monk speaks with an intrepid heart and unshaken courage."f 
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." 

" Hier stehe ich : Ich kann nicht anders : Gott helfe mir. Amen. L, 
Opp. (L.) xvii. 580. 

f Der Monch redet unersclirockcn, mit getrostcm Muth ! Seek. 360. 
11* 



250 NEW ATTEMPT VICTORY. 

At these words Luther's friends began to tremble; but 
the monk repeated : " May God be my helper ; for I can 
retract nothing."* 

After this Luther withdrew, and the princes deliberated. 
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 endeavoured 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. The distinction you have made between 
your books was futile ; for if you retracted those that con- 
tained your errors, the emperor would not allow the others to 
be burnt. It is extravagant in you to demand to be refuted 
by Scripture, when you are reviving heresies condemned by 
the general council of Constance. The emperor, therefore, 
calls upon you to declare simply, yes 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 impression on this illustrious assembly. There was 
no longer any hope. The Spaniards, the Belgians, and even 
the Romans were dumb. The monk had vanquished these 
great ones of the earth. He had said no to the Church and 
to the empire. Charles V. arose, 1 and all the assembly with 
him : " The diet will meet again to-morrow to hear the 
emperor's opinion," said the chancellor with a loud voice. 
L. Opp. (W.) xv. 2236. 



TUMULT AND CALMNESS. 251 



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 Favour of Luther- 
Language of Conciliation Fears of the Elector Luther's numerous 
Visitors Philip of Hesse. 

NIGHT had closed in. Each man retired to his home in 
darkness. Two imperial officers formed Luther's escort. 
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 thdy taking him 
to prison ?" " No," replied Luther, " they are accompany- 
ing me to my hotel." At these words the agitation sub- 
sided. 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 human enthusiasm, 
no anger ; overflowing with the liveliest emotion, he was still 
at peace ; modest, though withstanding 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 
Christ, for it is not ye that speak.-^- Never perhaps had this 
promise been more clearly fulfilled. 

* Subsannatione hominem Dei et longo rugitu prosecuti sunt. L 
Opp. Lat. ii. 166. t Matt. x. 18 20. 



252 DUKE ERIC'S FLAGON. 

A profound impression had been produced on the chiefs ol 
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 interrupted the guilty monk. 
Many lords and princes were won over to a cause supported 
with such conviction. With some, it is true, the impression 
was transient ; but others, on the contrary, who concealed 
their sentiments at that time, at an after-period declared 
themselves 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, " invites you to refresh your- 
self with this draught." "Who is the prince," said the Wit- 
temberg doctor, "who so graciously remembers me?" It 
was the aged Duke Eric of Brunswick. The reformer was 
affected by this present from so powerful a lord, belonging 
to the pope's party. " His highness," continued the servant, 
" has condescended 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 present of trifling value ; but Luther, desirous of show- 
ing his gratitude to a prince who remembered him at such 
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 stand- 
ing at his bedside : " Take the Bible," said he, " and read it 
to me." The 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 my 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 away, 

* Also gedencke seiner unser Herr Christus in seinem letzten KampH 
Beck. p. 354. 



THE ELECTOR AND SPALATIN. 253 

before a messenger from the Elector of Saxony came with 
orders for Spalatin to come to him immediately. Frederick 
had gone to the diet filled with great uneasiness. He had 
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 ! 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 
vigour. The opportunity was favourable : war with France 
was imminent. Leo X., desirous of enlarging his states, and 
caring little for the peace of Christendom, was secretly nego- 
tiating two treaties at the same time, one with Charles 
against Francis, the other with Francis against Charles.-j- 
In the former, he claimed of the emperor, for himself, the ter- 
ritories of Parma, Placentia, and Ferrara ; in the second, he 
stipulated with the king for a portion of the kingdom of 
Naples, which would thus be taken from Charles. The lat- 
ter 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 friendship 
at the cost of Luther's life. 

On the day following Luther's appearance (Friday, 19th 
April), the emperor ordered a message to be read to the diet, 

* wie schon hat Pater Martinus geredet! Seek. p. 355. 

f Guicciardini, lib. xiv. 175 ; Dumont, Corp. Dipl. vol. iv. 96. Dices! 
del papa Leone, che quando 1'aveva fatto lega con alcuno, prima solera 
dir che pero non si dovea restar de tratar con lo altro principe opposto. 
Suriano, Venetian Ambassador at Rome, MS. in the archives of Venice 



254 THE EMPEROR'S MESSAGE. 

which he had written in French with his own hand.* " De- 
scended from the Christian emperors of Germany," said he, 
" from the catholic kings of Spain, from the archdukes oi 
Austria, and from the dukes of Burgundy, who have all been 
renowned as defenders of the Roman faith, I am firmly re- 
solved to imitate the example of my ancestors. A singlev 
monk, misled by his own folly, has risen against the faith of 
Christendom. To stay such impiety, I will sacrifice my king- 
doms, my treasures, my friends, my body, my blood, my soul, 
and my life.-j- 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 adherents, as con- 
tumacious heretics, by excommunication, by interdict, and by 
every means calculated to destroy them4 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 extreme 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 an historian, bitterly repented in 
after-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 himself. I might 
and I ought to have broken my word, and to 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 ad- 
vance. His death would have stifled it in the cradle." || 

* Autographum in lingua Burgundica, ab ipsomet enaratum. Coch- 
loeus, p. 32. 

f- Regna, thesauros, amicos, corpus, sanguinem, vitam, spiritumquc 
profundere. Pallav. i. 118. 

J Und andern Wegen sie zu vertilgen. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 581. 

Dass Luthero das sicherc Geleit nicht mb'chto gehalten werdon. 
Seckend. p. 357. 

|| Sandoval, Hist, de Carlos V. quoted in Llorente's History of the 



ENTHUSIASM FOR LUTHER. 255 

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 misfor- 
tunes on the German nation for us ever to raise such a scaf- 
fold a second time." " The princes of Germany," exclaimed 
even George of Saxony, Luther's inveterate 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 Ger- 
man 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 
appeared to recede. 

The rumour 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."* Pallavicini 
speaks of four hundred nobles ready to enforce Luther's 
safe-conduct with the sword. On Saturday morning 
placards were seen posted at the gates of houses and in 
the public places, some against Luther, and others in his 
favour. On one of them might be read merely these ex- 
pressive words of the Preacher : Woe to thee, land, when 
thy king is a child,-\ Sickingen, it was reported, had as- 
sembled at a few leagues from Worms, behind the im- 
pregnable ramparts of his stronghold, many knights and 
soldiers, and was only waiting to know the result of the 
aljair before proceeding 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 

Inquisition, ii. 57. According to Llorente, the supposition that, towards 
the end of his life, Charles inclined to evangelical opinions, is a mere in- 
vention of the Protestants and of the enemies of Philip II. This question 
is an historical problem which Llorente's numerous quotations seem un- 
happily to solve entirely in accordance with his statements. 

* Eum esse puerum, qui nutu et blanditiis Papistarum et Episcoporum 
trahatur quocunque velint. Cochlceus, p. 33. -f Eccles. x. 16. 

J Verum etiam in longinquis Germanise civitatibus, motus et murmura 
plebiuiu. Cochlffius, p. 33. 



256 PLANS OF CONCILIATION. 

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 em- 
pire.* 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 or courage to do this. 
There can be no doubt, also, that Charles V., who was then 
young, feared to commit perjury. This would seem to be 
indicated by a saying, if it is true, which, according to some 
historians, he uttered on this occasion : " Though honour 
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.-}- 

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 con- 
fidence in God was so affecting ; but there was also a desire 
to save the Church. Men shuddered 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 ; 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 interest shown by the people and nobility Co- 
wards the Saxon monk. Capito, his chaplain, who during 
his sojourn at Basle had formed an intimacy with the evan- 

* Es ware ein Aufruhr daraus worden, says Luther. Thereupon an 
insurrection would have broken out. 

f- Carlo si excuse di non poter procedere piu oltre, rispetto al salvo- 
condotto, ma la verita fu che conoscendo che il Papa temeva molto di 
questa doctrina di Luthero, lo voile tenere con questo freno. Vettori, 
Istoria d'ltalia, MS. in the Corsini Library at Rome, extracted by 
Ranko 

Qui pio magis ammo erat quam forti. Pallaviciui, p. 118. 



CAPITO THE ELECTOR'S FEARS. 257 

gelical 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, represented to 
Albert the justice of the reformer's cause. The worldly 
archbishop had one of those returns to Christian sentiments 
which we sometimes notice in his life, and consented to 
wait on the emperor, to ask permission to make a last 
attempt. But Charles refused everything. 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 commu- 
nicate officially with Luther. But," added he, to Aleander's 
great vexation, " I will grant that man three days for re- 
flection ; during which time, you may exhort him privately."* 
This was all that they required. The reformer, thought 
they, elevated by the solemnity of his appearance before 
the 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 should be 
ready to defend Luther. You cannot imagine how far 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 destruction ; and whoever mani- 
fests any interest for his safety, is immediately set down as 
a heretic. May God, who never abandons the cause of jus- 
tice, bring all things to a happy end!" Frederick, without 
showing his kindly feelings towards the reformer, confined 
himself to observing every one of his movements. 

It was not the same with men of every rank in society 
who were then at Worms. They fearlessly displayed their 
sympathy. On Friday a number of princes, counts, barons, 
knights, gentlemen, ecclesiastics, laymen, and of the common 
people, collected before the hotel where the reformer was 
staying ; they went in and out one after another, and could 

* Quibus privatim exhortari hominem possent. Pallav. i. 119. 
f Wunder horen werden. Seckend. p 365. 



258 LUTHER'S VISITERS PHILIP OF HESSE. 

hardly satiate themselves with gazing on him.* 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 oi 
the nation, Luther held conversations abounding in that 
salt with Avhich 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 secretary to Casimir, margrave 
of Brandenburg, to one of his friends. " What conversa- 
tions, how full of piety and kindness, has Luther had with 
me and others ! What a charming person he is !"} 

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 unwilling to be guided by any ideas 
but his own. Struck by Luther's speeches, he wished to 
have a nearer view of him. " He, however, was not yet on 
my side," said Luther, as he related this circumstance. J He 
leapt from his horse, unceremoniously ascended to the re- 
former's chamber, and addressing him, said : " Well ! dear 
doctor, how goes it ?" " Gracious lord," answered Luther, 
" I hope all will go well." " From what I hear of 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 im- 
perial court who had told this story to the landgrave. The 
enemies of truth never fail to invent and propagate fables on 
the pretended doctrines 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 help you!" He 
then left the room, sprung on his horse, and rode off. This 

* Und konnten nicht satt werden ihn zu sehen. L. Opp. xvii. 581. 
f- Wie eine holdselige Person er ist. Meuzel, Magaz. i. 207. 
t Wax noch nicht auf meiner Seite. L. Opp. xvii. 589. 



CONFERENCE WITH THE ARCHBISHOP OF TREVES. 259 

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. 



CHAPTER X. 

Conference with the Archbishop of Treves Wehe's Exhortation to 
Luther Luther's Replies Private Conversation Visit of Cochloeus 
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 receives Orders to leave 
Worms Luther's Departure. 

RICHARD of Greiffenklau, archbishop of Treves, had with 
the permission of Charles V. undertaken the office of me- 
diator. 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 (22d April), 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 Cochloeus. 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 atten- 
tively to all that is said, so as to give me a faithful report."* 
The reformer with some of his friends arrived at the arch- 

* Aleander, mane hora quarta vocaverit ad se Cochloeum, jubens ut 
aod'iret solum Coe'doaus, p. $6. 



260 WEBB'S EXHORTATION LUTHER'S REPLY. 

bishop's, where he found the prelate surrounded by Joadu.**, 
margrave of Brandenburg, Duke George of Saxony, tho 
Bishops of Brandenburg and Augsburg, with several nobles, 
deputies of the free cities, lawyers, and theologians, among 
whom were Cochloeus and Jerome Wehe, chancellor of 
Baden. This skilful lawyer was anxious for a reformation 
in morals and discipline ; 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 
conciliatory person who was charged with the conference. 
Turning 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 noon-day. That enemy of mankind has ex- 
cited you to publish many things contrary 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 misled by you, and perish ever- 
lastingly 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 em- 
pire,-}- 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 

* Dasa das Wort Gottes, welches so lange unter dem Scheffel verbor- 
gen gesteckt, heller scheme Seckend. p. 364. 

f Und aua dem Reich verstossen. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 582 ; Sleidan, i. 
97. 

J Agnosco enim me homuncionem, longo viliorem esse, quain ut a 
tantis principibus L. Opp. Lat. p. 167. 

Ecclesia Christ! est uuiversitas praedestinatorum. Ibid. 



LUTHER AND THE ELECTOR OF BRANDENBURO. 261 

this article of our faith, I lelieve 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 oi 
Christ cannot be preached without offence. Why then 
should the fear or apprehension of danger separate me from 
the Lord and from that Divine Word which alone is truth ? 
No ! I would rather give up my body, my blood, and my 
life!" 

The princes and doctors having deliberated, Luther was 
again called in, and Wehe mildly resumed : " We must 
honour the powers that be, even when they are in error, and 
make great sacrifices for the sake of charity." And 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 examine 
and judge my works ; but on one condition, that they take 
the Word of God for their standard. Men have nothing 
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 
6tand."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 heresies." 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 in the things belonging 

* Sie tvollten sein Gewissen, das mit Gottes Wort und heiliger Schrifft 
gebunden und gefangeii ware, nicht dringen. Matt. p. 27. 
t Ja darauf stehe ich. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 588. 



262 PRIVATE CONVERSATION. 

to the Word of God. Every Christian should see and decide 
for himself how he ought to live and die."* They separ- 
ated. The partisans of the 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 an- 
nounced the failure of his mediation. The astonishment of 
the young emperor was equal to his indignation. " It is 
time to put an end to this business," said he. The arch- 
bishop, pressed for two days more ; all the diet joined in the 
petition ; Charles V. gave way. Aleander, no longer able to 
restrain himself, burst out into violent reproaches.-j- 

While these scenes were passing in the diet, Cochlo3us 
burned to gain a victory in which kings and prelates 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 vexation he felt at the emperor's resolu- 
tion. After dinner, the conversation became animated. | 
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 Scripture, but on constraining him by force. 
" Well, then," said Cochloeus to Luther, impatient under 
these reproaches, " I offer to dispute publicly with you, if 
you will renounce your safe-conduct." All that Luther 
demanded was a public disputation. What ought he to do? 
To renounce the safe-conduct would be to endanger his 

* Ein Christenmensch muss zusehen und richtcn L. Epp. i. 604. 

f De iis Aleander acerrime conquestus est. Pallav. i. 120. 
J Peracto prandio. Cochloeus, p. 36. 

Und wollto mit mir disputiren, ich sollte allein das Geleit aufsagcn. 
L. Opp. (L.) XTii. 589. 



VISIT FROM COCHI/EUS. 263 

life ; to refuse this challenge would appear to throw doubts 
on the justice of his cause. His guests perceived in this 
proposal a plot framed with Aleander, whom the Dean ot 
Frankfort had just quitted. One of them, Vollrat of Watz- 
dorf by name, extricated Luther from the embarrassment 
occasioned by so difficult a choice. This fiery lord, indig- 
nant 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.-}- 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 Cochlceus denies, and we 
are inclined to credit his testimony. And yet just before 
going to Luther's lodging 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 con- 
ference : he thought that this would be a means of unbend- 
ing their minds, and bringing them closer together. Luther, 
so firm and intrepid before arbitrators and judges, in private 
life was so good-humoured 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 Luther's health. The latter prepared to 
return the compliment ; 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 

Atque ita traderet earn carnificinse. Cochlceus, p. 36. 
f- Das ihm das Blut liber den Kopffgelaufen ware, wo man nichtgeweh" 
et hatte. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 589. 



264 SUPPER AT THE ARCHBISHOP'S. 

astonished. " It must have contained poison !"* exclaimed 
some of Luther's friends aloud. But the doctor, without 
betraying any agitation, replied with a smile : " My dear 
Sirs, either this wine was not intended for me, or else it 
would 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 circumstances are not devoid 
of grandeur, and show an unalterable 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 favour 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 Chan- 
cellor Wehe, and Doctor Peutinger of Augsburg, the em- 
peror'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 christian-likc 
manner." " Here is my answer in two words," replied 
Luther. " I consent 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 emo- 
tion, and said to the envoys : " Is not this enough ? Is not 
the sacrifice large enough ?" And after declaring he would 
not hear a single word more, he left the room. Upon this, 

* Es miisse Gift darinnen gewesen seyn. Luther does not speak of 
this circumstance ; but Razeberg, a friend of Luther's, and physician to 
the Elector John Frederick, mentions it in a manuscript in the library at 
Gotha, and says that he had it from an eye-witness. 

f Er wollte ehe das Geleit aufsagen L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 589. 



CONFERENCE AT THE HOTEL. 265 

Wehe And Peutinger, hoping to succeed more easily with 
the doctor, came and sat down by his side. " Place your- 
self in the hands of the diet," said they. " No," replied he, 
" for cursed be the man that trusteth in man /" (Jeremiah 
xvii. 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 upon 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 delegates offered a council to 
Luther. The latter might have accepted it without speci- 
fying anything. 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 everything. 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 ol 
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 condition that the council shall 
decide only according to Scripture." f 

Peutinger and Wehe, not imagining that a council could 
decide otherwise, ran quite overjoyed to the archbishop : 
" Doctor Martin," said they, " submits his books to a coun- 
cil." The archbishop was on the point of carrying these 
glad tidings to the emperor, when he felt some doubt, and 
ordered Luther to be brought to him. 

Richard of Greiffenklau was alone when the doctor arrived. 

* Er wollte kurtztim Menschen liber Gottes Wort nicht erkcnneu. 
L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 583. 

t Dassdariiber aus der heiligen Schriffl gesprochen. Ibid. 584. 
VOL. II. 12 



266 LAST INTERVIEW WITH THE ARCHBISHOP. 

" Dear doctor," said the archbishop, with great kindness and 
feeling,* " my doctors inform me that you consent to submit, 
unreservedly, your cause to a council." " My lord," replied 
Luther, " I can endure everything, 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 h'ke telling a short-sighted man," says 
Pallavicini, " to read very small print, and at the same time 
refusing him a pair of spectacles." -J- 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 immedi- 
ately carried this news to the emperor ?" 

Luther's immovable firmness and inflexibility are doubt- 
less surprising ; but they will be understood and respected 
by all those who know the law of God.. Seldom 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." 

LTJTHER, 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 nought : but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it ; 
lest haply ye be found even to fght against God. Let the em- 
peror, the electors, the princes, and states of the empire, write 
this answer to the pope." 

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." f 

The archbishop understood Luther at last. " You may 

* Ganz gut und mehr denn gnadig. L. Epp. i. 604. 

f Simulque conspieiliorum omnium nsum negare. Ibid. 1 10. 

J Ehe Stumpf und Stiel fahren lassen L. Opp. (L.) XTii. 584. 



VISIT TO A SICK FRIEND ORDER TO LEAVE WORMS. 267 

retire," said he, still with the same kind manner. " My lord," 
resumed Luther, " may I beg you to have the goodness 
to see that his majesty provides me with the safe-conduct 
necessary for my return." " I will see to 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. Luther 
gave the sick man the most affectionate consolations. " Fare- 
well!" 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 Rhodes, when the Chan- 
cellor 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 com- 
mands you to return home in the space of twenty-one days, 
and forbids you to disturb the public peace on your road, 
either by preaching or by writing." 

Luther felt clearly that this message was the beginning 
of his condemnation : " As the Lord pleases," answered 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 
* Totum imperium ad s conversum spcctabat. Foliar, i. 120. 



268 LUTHER'S DEPARTURE. 

other states of the empire for having listened 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 everything 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, says 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 Luther's hotel.* They 
were delighted at seeing the Christian firmness with which 
he had opposed Charles and the empire ; and recognised in 
him the features of that celebrated portrait of antiquity : 

Justum ac tenacem propositi virum, 
Non civium ardor prava jubentium, 

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 lowering with tempests. 
This solemn moment he desited to pass in the presence of 
God. He lifted up his soul in prayer, blessing those who 
stood around him4 As it struck ten, Luther issued from 
the hotel with the friends who had accompanied him to 
Worms. Twenty gentlemen 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 imperial herald, at Oppenhelm, and on the next 
day they arrived at Frankfort. 

" Salutatis patronis et amicis qui eum frequentissimi convenerunt 
L. Opp. Lat. ii. 168. 

f- 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. iii. 3. 
t Seine Freunde gesegnet. Mathesius, p. 27. 



THE CONFLICT AT WORMS. 269 



CHAPTER XI. 

The Conflict at Worms Luther's Letter to Cranach Luther's Lettei 
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 Wart- 
burgLuther 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 ; hut Christ has made a wide 

breach in it, and Satan was constrained to confess that the 

7 

Lord is mightier than he."* 

" The day of the Diet of Worms," says the pious Mathe- 
sius, Luther's disciple and friend, " is one of the greatest and 
most glorious days given to the earth before the end of the 
world." -f- The battle that had been fought at Worms re- 
sounded far and wide, and at its noise which spread through 
all Christendom, from the regions of the North to the moun- 
tains 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 Satur- 
day 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 Lucas Cranach. " Your 
servant, dear gossip Lucas," said he. " I thought his majesty 
would have assembled some fifty doctors at Worms to con- 
vict the monk outright. But not at all. Are these your 
books ? Yes ! Will you retract them ? No ! Well, then, 
be gone! There's the whole history. blind Germans J 

* Aber Christus macht ein Loch darein. L. Opp. (L.) xvii. 589. 

t Dies ist der herrlichen grossen Tag einer vorm Ende der Welt 
Mathcs. p. 28. 



270 LETTERS TO CKANACH AND CHARLES V. 

how childishly we act, to allow ourselves to be the 

dupes and sport of 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 Chrisf 
(John xvi. 16). I hope that it will be the same with me. 
Farewell. I commend you all to the Lord. May he pre- 
serve in Christ your understanding and your faith against the 
attacks of the wolves and the dragons of Rome. Amen 1" 

After having written this somewhat enigmatical letter, 
Luther, as the time pressed, immediately set out for Fried- 
berg, which is six leagues distant from Frankfort. On the 
next day Luther again collected his -thoughts. He desired 
to write once more to Charles, as he had no wish to be con- 
founded 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 involuntarily reminded of the words of the 
greatest autocrat of modern times : " My dominion ends 
where that of conscience begin s."-|- 

" God, who is the searcher of hearts, is my witness," says 
Luther, " that I am ready most earnestly to obey your 
majesty, in honour or in dishonour, 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 interests are concerned, God 
wills not that man should submit unto man. For such sub- 
mission in spiritual matters is a real worship, and ought to 
be rendered solely to the Creator.":}: 

* Es miissen die Juden einmal singen : lo, lo, lo ! L. Epp. i. 58!) 

The shouts of joy uttered by the Jews at the time of the crucifixion re- 
present the triumphal songs of the papal partisans at the catastrophe 
that awaited Luther ; but the reformer hears in the distance the halle- 
lujahs of deliverance. 

t Napoleon to the Protestant deputation after his accession to the 
empire. 

Nam oa fides et submissio proprio est vera ilia latria et adoratio 
Dei L. Epp. i. 592. 



THE ABBOT OF HIRSCHFELDT. 271 

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 letter was copied 
several times and circulated throughout Germany ; " every- 
where," says Cochloeus, " it excited the indignation of the 
people against the emperor and the superior clergy."* 

Early the next day Luther wrote a note to Spalatin, en- 
closing 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 
horse'men with the abbot at their head. The latter dis- 
mounted, and Luther got out of his waggon. The prince 
and the reformer embraced, and afterwards entered Hirsch- 
feldt together. The senate received them at the gates of the 
city.-}- 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 sleeping in 
his own bed. The next day Luther preached, and this dig- 
nitary 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 surrounded him, en- 
treating him to preach, and the next day, accompanied him 
to the church. Upon this the priest of the parish appeared, 
attended by a notary and witnesses ; he came forward trem- 
bling, divided between the fear of losing his place, and of 
opposing the powerful man that stood before him. " I pro- 
test against the liberty that you are taking," said the priest 

* Per chalcographos multiplicata et in populos dispersa est ea epistola* 
.. .Csesari autem et clericis odium populare, &c. Cochloeus, p. 38. 
f Senatus intra portas nos excepit. L. Epp. ii. &. 



272 THE PRINCES LEAVE THE D13T. 

at last, in an embarrassed 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, 
sounded 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 s 
all was properly arranged to secure the incumbent's place. 
" Pardon me," said he to the doctor humbly ; " I am acting 
thus to protect me from the resentment of the tyrants who 
oppress the Church."* 

And there were in truth strong grounds for apprehension. 
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 ; " no- 
thing can save him. If God permits me to return to you, 
I shalljhave matters to relate that are almost beyond belief. 
It is not only Annas and Caiaphas, but Pilate and Herod 
also, that have combined against him." Frederick had 
little desire to remain longer at Worms ; he departed, and 
the elector-palatine did the same. The elector-archbishop 
of Cologne also quitted the diet. Their example was followed 
by many princes of inferior rank. As they deemed it impos- 
sible to avert the blow, they preferred (and in this perhaps 
they were wrong) abandoning the place. The Spaniards, the 
Italians, and the most ultra-montane German princes alone 
remained. 

The field was now free Aleander triumphed. He laid 
before Charles the outline of an edict intended by him as a 
model of that which the diet ought to issue against the 
monk. The nuncio's project pleased the exasperated em- 
peror. 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. 

* Humi liter tamen excusante ob metum tyrannorum suorum. L, 

Epp. ii. 6. 



CHAKLES SIGNS LUTHER'S CONDEMNATION. 273 

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 V.* He held in 
his hand two copies of the edict against Luther, one in Latin, 
the other in German, and kneeling before his imperial ma- 
jesty, entreated him to affix to them his signature and the 
seal of the empire. It was at the moment when the sacri- 
fice had been offered, when the incense still filled the temple, 
while the sacred chants were still re-echoing through its 
long-drawn aisles, and as it were in the presence of the Deity, 
that the destruction of the enemy of Rome was to be sealed. 
The emperor, assuming a very gracious air,-{- took the pen 
and wrote his name. Aleander withdrew in triumph, imme- 
diately sent the decree to the printers, and forwarded it to 
every part of Christendom.^ 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 employ- 
ing every means in our power to prevent our holy empire 
from being polluted by any heresy. 

" The Augustine monk, Martin Luther, notwithstanding 
our exhortation, has rushed like a madman on our holy 
Church, and attempted to destroy it by books overflowing 
with blasphemy. He has shamefully polluted the inde- 
structible law of holy matrimony; he has endeavoured to 
excite the laity to dye their hands in the blood of the clergy ; 
and, setting at nought all authority, has incessantly urged the 

* Cum Caesar in templo adesset processit illi obviam Aleander. 

Pallav. i. 122. f Festmssimo Tultu. Ibid. 

$ Et undique pcrvulgata. Ibid. 

Ihre Hande in der Priester Blut zu waschcn. L. Opp. (L.) xvii, 5J>*" 
12* 



274 THE EDICT OP WORMS. 

people to revolt, schism, war, murder, robbery, incendiarism, 

and to the utter ruin of the Christian faith In a word, not 

to mention 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,* has collected into one 
stinking slough all the vilest heresies of past times, and 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 madman, 
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 penalties 
due to the crime of high-treason, we forbid you to harbour 
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 suc- 
cour whatsoever. We enjoin you, moreover, to seize him, 
or cause him to be seized, wherever 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 man- 
ner you are to act towards him, and have received the reward 
due to your labours in so holy a work. 

" As for his adherents, you will apprehend them, confine 
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, be not only rejected, but 
destroyed ! You will therefore burn them, or utterly destroy 
them in any other manner. 

" As for the authors, poets, printers, painters, buyers or 
sellers of placards, papers, or pictures, against 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 

* Nicht cin Mensch, sondern als der bose Feind in Gestalt einos Men- 
schen mit angenommener Monchskutten. Ibid. 



THE EDICT OP WORMS. 275 

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 
was more than a bull of Rome, which, although published 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 I" exclaimed they. " In my opi- 
nion," said Alphonso Valdez, a Spaniard at Charles's court, 
" it is not the end, but only the beginning."* Valdez per- 
ceived 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 incar- 
nate devil, covered with a monk's 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 of 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 ; Luther got into the waggon with Ams- 
dorff, who still remained with him, and entered the forests of 
Thuringia.-}- 

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 relations ; happy, after 
the tumult at Worms, in this sweet tranquillity. On the next 
oiorning he resumed his journey, accompanied by Amsdorff 

* Non finem, sed initium. P. Martyris Epp. p. 412. 

f Ad carucni incam trans sylvam profectus. L. Epp. ii. 7* 



276 LUTHER CAKRIED OFF. 

and his brother James. In this lonely spot the reformer's 
fate was to be decided. They skirted the woods of Thu- 
ringia, following the road to Waltershausen. As the waggon 
was moving through a hollow way, near the deserted church 
of Glisbach, at a short distance from the castle of Altensteiu, 
a sudden noise was heard, and immediately five horsemen, 
masked and armed from head to foot, sprung upon the tra- 
vellers. His brother James, as soon as he caught sight of ' 
the assailants, leaped from the waggon and ran away as fast 
as his legs would carry him, without uttering a single word. 
The driver would have resisted. " Stop !" cried one of the 
strangers with a terrible voice, falling upon him and throwing 
him to the ground.* A second mask laid hold of Amsdorff 
and kept him at a distance. Meanwhile the three remaining 
horsemen seized upon Luther, maintaining a profound silence. 
They pulled him violently from the waggon, threw a military 
cloak over his shoulders, and placed him on a led horse. 
The two other masks now quitted Amsdorff and the wag- 
goner ; 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 them. Luther, little accustomed 
to be on horseback, was soon overcome with fatigue.-j- They 
permitted him to alight 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 af- 
frighted waggoner 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 Wittemberg. 
At Waltershausen, at Wittemberg, in the country, villages, 
^and towns along their road, they spread the news of the violent 
abduction of the doctor. This intelligence, which delighted 

* Dejectoque in solum auriga et yerberato. Pallav. i. 122. 
+ Longo itinere, novus eques, fessus. L. Epp. ii. 3. 



THE WAYS OP GOD. 277 

some, struck the greater number with astonishment and 
indignation. A cry of grief soon resounded through all Ger- 
many : " Luther has fallen into the hands of his enemies !" 

After the violent combat that Luther had just sustained, 
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 ac- 
complished by other means than violent struggles or pomp- 
ous appearances before diets. It is not thus that the leaven 
penetrates the mass of the people ; the Spirit of God seeks 
more tranquil paths. The man, whom the Roman cham- 
pions 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 individual. 
It was necessary for the man to retire, that God might re- 
main alone to move by His Spirit upon the deep waters in 
which the darkness of the Middle Ages was already engulfed, 
and to say : Let there be light, so that there might be light. 

As soon as it grew dark, and no one could track their 
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 ap- 
proached, by the black forests that cover the mountains of 
Thuringia. 

It was to this lofty and isolated fortress, named the Wart- 
burg, 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; 

* Hora ferae undecima ad mansionem noctis perveni in tenebris. L 
Epp. ii. 3. 



278 LUTHER IN THE WARTBURG- 

the reformer crossed the threshold; the doors were closed 
behind him. He dismounted in the court. One of the 
Norsemen, Burkhardt of Hund, lord of Altenstein, with- 
drew ; another, John 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 dressed him in the military garments 
that had been prepared for him, enjoining him to let his 
beard and hair grow,* 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 recognised himself in his new 
dress.-J- 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 biographer, 
" 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 not concealed from him that his 
liberty must be sacrificed to the anger of Charles and of the 
pope.j: 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 
gun had accomplished its annual course, and still the walls 
of the Wartburg enclosed their prisoner. Truth had been 
interdicted by the diet; its defender, confined within the 
ramparts of a castle, had disappeared from the stage of the 
world, and no one knew what had become of him : Aleander 

* Exutus vestibns meis et equestribus indutus, comam et barbam mr 

triens L. Epp. ii. 7. 

t Cum ipse me jamdudum non noverim. Ibid. J Seckeud. p. 365. 



LUTHER A CAPTIVE. 279 

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 dis- 
tant 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. 



BOOK VIII. 

THE swiss. 1484 1522. 

CHAPTER I. 

Movement in Switzerland Source of the Reformation Its democratic 
Character Foreign Service Morality The Tockenburg A Chalet 
on the Alps A Family of Shepherds Young Ulrich. 

A.T the moment when the decree of the Diet of Worms ap- 
peared, 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 re-echoed 
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 conspi- 
racy 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 moun- 
tain top, so the Spirit of God was now melting throughout 
Christendom the ices of a lengthened winter, and covering 
it with fresh flowers and verdure, from its lowest plains to its 
most barren and its steepest rocks. 

It was not Germany that communicated the light of truth 
to Switzerland, Switzerland to France, and France to Eng- 
land : 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 imparts it direct to all the 
earth. Infinitely exalted above men, Christ, the day-spring 
from on high, was at the epoch of the Reformation, as he had 
been at the establishment of Christianity, the Divine fire 
whence emanated the life of the world. One sole and same 



SOURCE OF THE REFORMATION. 281 

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 spirit, everywhere pro- 
ducing the same faith. 

The Reformation of Germany and that of Switzerland de- 
monstrate this truth. Zwingle had no communication 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 1516, 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 learnt 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 different reformations derived a striking unity 
from the same Spirit whence they all proceeded, they also 
received certain particular marks from the different nations 
among whom they were effected. 

"We have already given an outline of the condition of Swit- 
zerland at the epoch of the Reformation.-!- We shall add but 
little to what has been already said. In Germany the mon- 
archical principle predominated, in Switzerland the democra- 
tic. In Germany the Reformation had to struggle with the 
will of princes; in Switzerland against the wishes of the people. 
An assembly of men, more easily carried away than a single 
individual, 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 months and sometimes only 
a few days. 

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 ra- 
ging, we discern from afar his lofty stature rising high above 
the battle. Luther is the monarch, so to speak, of the revo- 
* 1516 eo scilicet tempore, quum Lutheri nomcn in nostris regionibus 

man di turn adhuc erat doctrinam Christ! non a Luthero, sed ex verbo 

Dei didici. Zwinglii Opera cur. Schulero et Schulthessio, Turici, 1829, 
rol. i. 273, 276. f Vol. I. p. 80. 



282 DEMOCRATIC CHARACTER FOREIGN SERVICE. 

lution that is accomplishing. In Switzerland, the struggle 
begins in different cantons at the same time ; there is a con- 
federation of reformers ; their number surprises us ; doubt- 
less 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 : Wit- 
tembach, Zwingle, Capito, Haller, CEcolampadius, Oswald 
Myconius, Leo Juda, Farel, Calvin ; their stage was Glaris, 
Basle, Zurich, Berne, Neufchatel, Geneva, Lucerne, Schaf- 
hausen, Appenzel, Saint 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 thousand 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 inde- 
pendence 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 ot 
the Alps so long the abode of simplicity and peace. At- 
tracted by the charms of gold, sons, labourers, and serving- 
men, stealthily quitted 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, proposed to 
restore the unity and the ancient virtues of the cantons. 
Its first cry was for the Swiss to rend the perfidious toils of 
the stranger, and to embrace one another in close union at 
the foot of the cross. But its generous accents were un- 
heeded. Rome, accustomed to purchase in these valleys the 
blood she shed to increase her power, uprose in anger ; ex- 
cited Swiss against Swiss ; and new passions arose to tear 
the body of the nation. 

Switzerland needed a reform. There was, it is true, 



MORALITY THE TOCKENBUKG. 283 

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 astrolo- 
gers attributed to the constellations;* philosophers, 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.-}- Marriage was forbidden the priests ; but it 
would have been difficult to find one who lived in a real 
state of celibacy. They were required to behave, not 
chastely, but prudently. This was one of the earliest dis- 
orders against which the Keformation 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 hermits 
made their way from Saint Gall towards the mountains 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, Sommerigkopf, and the 
Old Man, separate this valley from the canton of Appenzel ; 
on the south, the Kuhfirsten with its seven peaks rises be- 
tween it and the Wallensee, Sargans, and the Grisons ; 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, 2010 
feet above the level of Lake Zurich, there arose around a 
church a village named Wildhaus, or the Wild-house, upon 
which now depend two hamlets, Lisighaus, or Elizabeth'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 sides of the mountains, 
above which enormous masses of rock rise in savage gran- 
deur to the skies. 

* Wirz, Helvetische Kirchen Geschichte, lii. 201. 
f Sodomitis melius erit in die judicii, quam rerum vel honoris ablator!* 
bus. I lemmcrlin, de anno jubilseo. J The Tockenburg. 



284 THE HERDSMAN'S FAMILY. 

About a quarter of a league from the church, near Lisig- 
haus, by the side of a path that leads to the pasture-grounds 
beyond the river, may still be seen a peasant's cottage. Tra- 
dition narrates that the wood necessary for its construction 
was felled on the very spot.* Everything 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 inha- 
bited 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 country.^ The wife of the amman 
of Wildhaus, Margaret Meili (whose brother John was 
somewhat later abbot of the convent of Fischingen in Thur- 
govia), 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 lonely chalet. Five other sons, John, Wolfgang, 
Bartholomew, James, Andrew, and an only daughter, Anna, 
increased the number of this Alpine family. No one in the 
whole district was more respected than the amman Zwingle.|| 
His character, his office, and his numerous children, made 
him the patriarch of the mountains. He was a shepherd, 

* Schuler'a Zwingli's Bildungs Gesch., p. 290. 

f Diss Geschlacht der Zwinglinen, wass in guter Achtung diesser 
Landen, als ein gut alt ehrlich Geschlacht. H. Bullinger's Hist. Besch- 
reibung der Eidg. Geschichten. 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 by some friends 
of history at Zurich. In my quotations I have preserved the orthography 
of the original. 

Ein verrumbter Mann. Ibid. 

Quadragesimum octavum agimus (I am in my forty-eighth year), 
wrote Zwingle to Vadianus, on the 17th of September 1531. 

j] Clarus fuit pater ob spcctatam vit;i- sanctimoniam. Oswald Myco- 
nius, Vita Zwinglii. 



THE HERDSMAN'S FAMILY YOUNG ULEICH. 285 

as were his sons. No sooner had the 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 Wild- 
haus re-entered their humble cottages. Sometimes, during 
the summer, the young people who should have stayed at 
home, longing 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 ; for all 
were musicians. When they reached the Alps, the shep- 
herds 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, returned to their 
valleys to the sound of the bagpipe. In his early youth ; 
TJlrich doubtless sometimes shared in these amusements. 
He grew up at the foot of these rocks that seemed everlast- 
ing, 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."* 

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 heard 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 coun- 
try kindled in his heart ; Switzerland became dear to him ; 
and if any one chanced to drop a word unfavourable to 
the confederates, the child would immediately rise up and 
warmly defend their cause.f Often, too, might he be seen, 
during these long evenings, quietly seated at the feet of his 

* Divinitatis nonnihil coelo propiorem contraxisse. Oswald Myconius, 
Vita Zw. 
t Schuler's Zw. Bildung. p. 291. 



286 ULRICH AT WESEN. 

pious grandmother, listening, with his eyes fixed on her, to 
her scripture stories and her pious legends, and eagerly re- 
ceiving them into his heart. 



CHAPTER II. 

Ulrich at Wesen and Basle Ulrich at Berne The Dominican Convent 
Jetzer The Apparitions Passion of the Lay-brother Imposture 
Discovery and Punishment Zwingle at Vienna and Basle Music 
at Basle Wittembach proclaims the Gospel Leo Juda The Priest 
of Claris. 

THE good amman was charmed at the promising disposition 
of his son. He perceived that Ulrich might one day do 
something better than tend herds on Mount Sends, 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 descended the bold and 
savage rocks that border the Lake of Wallenstadt ; on reach- 
ing 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 distin- 
guished 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.-{- 
His father and his uncle resolved to send him to Basle. 
When the child of the Tockenburg arrived in this celebrated 

* Tenerrimum adhuc ad fratrem sacrificum adduxit, ut ingonii ejus 
periculum faceret. Melch. Adami Vita Zw. p. 25. 

f Und in ihm erschienen merkliche Zeichen ernes edlen Geuuiths. 
Bullinger Ghrouick. 



ULRICH AT BASLE. 287 

city, with that single-mindedness and simplicity of heart 
which he seems to have inhaled with the pure air of his native 
mountains, but which really came from a higher source, a 
new world opened before him. The celebrity of the famous 
Council of Basle, the university which Pius II. had founded 
in this city in 1460, the printing-presses which then resusci- 
tated the masterpieces of antiquity, and circulated through 
the world the first fruits of the revival of letters ; the resi- 
dence of distinguished men, Wessel, Wittembach, and especi- 
ally of that prince of scholars, that sun of the schools, Eras- 
mus, 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. Youn^ Zwingle 
made rapid progress. The learned disputations, then in 
fashion among the doctors, had descended evtn to the chil- 
dren in the schools. Ulrich took part in them ; he disciplined 
his growing powers against the pupils of other establish- 
ments, and was always conqueror in these struggles, which 
were a prelude 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 1497, 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. Lupulus, 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.-j- The young neophyte ardently in- 
haled these perfumes of antiquity. His mind expanded, his 
style was formed. He became a poet. 

" In disputationibus, quae pro more turn erant inter pueros usitatae, vie- 
.oriaon semper reportavit. Osw. Myc. Vita Zw. 
t Ab eo in adyta classicorum scriptorum introductus. Ibid. 



288 THE DOMINICAN CONVENT. 

Among the convents of Berne, that of the Dominicans was 
the most celebrated. These monks were engaged in a serious 
quarrel with the Franciscans. The latter maintained the 
immaculate conception of the Virgin, which the former denied. 
Wherever they went, before the dazzling altars that adorned 
their church, and between 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 under- 
standing, and thinking that he might give lustre to their order, 
endeavoured 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 resorted, 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 Dominican convent, had 
been repulsed. The poor dejected youth made another at- 
tempt, and said, holding out fifty-three florins and some 
pieces of silk, " It is all I possess ; 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 con- 
vent of the Carthusians, whence he was sent back to the 
Dominicans. 

On the following night, the eve of the festival of Saint 
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 1 I can do nothing !" The phantom then 

* Und alss er wol singen kcendt,lockten ihn die prediger inceiichen in 
dass Kloster. Bullinger Chronik. 



TOE APPARITIONS. 289 

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 Saint 
John." The spectre answered thus and vanished. The lay 
brother confided the particulars of this apparition to his con- 
fessor, the convent-preacher, and, by his advice, submitted 
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 de- 
serted, and the people ran in crowds to the church, where 
the holy man was to be s*een prostrate on the pavement. The 
, eoul from purgatory 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 h'ke 
horrible torments with me." At this news, which soon spread 
through Berne, the partisans of the Franciscans were still 
more dismayed. But the soul, at the moment of disappear- 
ing, 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 II., " who," said she, " is the man selected by 
God to abolish the festival of His pretended immaculate con- 
ception." 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 favour, 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 
the Dominicans might at least equal that of the Franciscans, 
Jetzer must have the five wounds of Christ and of St. Francis 
on his hands, his feet, and his side. The four others were 
VOL. n. 13 



290 PASSION OF THE LAY BftOTHER IMPOSTURE. 

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 imagina- 
tion soon became greatly excited. The monks from time to 
time opened the doors of this chamber to the people, who 
came in crowds to contemplate with devout astonishment the 
brother with his five wounds, stretching out his arms, bend- 
ing 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 suffering the cross of Christ," murmured 
the spectators. The multitude, eager in pursuit of miracles, 
thronged the convent incessantly. Men who deserve our high- 
est 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 hum- 
bling 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 simple, rude, and igno- 
rant 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 purveyor of the convent were as- 
signed the principal parts, but they were not able to play 
them out. A new apparition of Mary having taken place, 
Jetzer fancied he recognised his confessor's voice ; and on 
saying so aloud, Mary disappeared. She came again to 
censure the incredulous brother. " This time it is the prior," 
exclaimed Jetzer, rushing on him with a knife in his hand. 
The saint flung a pewter platter at the head of the poor 
brother, and vanished. 

Alarmed at the discovery Jetzer had made, the Domini- 
cans endeavoured to get rid of him by poison. He de- 
tected their treachery, and having escaped from the con- 
vent, 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 of Lausanne and 
Sion, to inquire into the affair. The four Dominicans were 
convicted and condemned to be burnt alive, and on the 1st 



ZWINGLE AT ViENNA AND BASLE. 291 

of May 1509, they perished at the stake in the presence of 
more than thirty thousand spectators. The rumour of this 
imposture circulated through Europe, and by laying bare one 
of the greatest sores of the Church, prepared the way for the 
Reformation.* 

Such were the men from whose hands the youthful Ulrich 
wingle 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 Austria were a young 
man of Saint Gall, Joachim Vadian, whose genius promised 
to adorn Switzerland with a learned scholar and a dis- 
tinguished statesman; Henry Loreti, of the canton of Glaris, 
better known as Glarean, and who appeared destined to 
s,hine as 3 poet ; and a young Swabian, John Heigerlin, 
the son of a blacksmith, and hence called Faber, a man 
of pliant character, proud of honours and renown, and 
who gave promise of all the qualities requisite to form a 
courtier. 

Zwingle returned to "Wildhaus in 1502 ; but on revisiting 
his native mountains, he felt that he had quaffed of the cup 
of learning, and that he could not live amidst the songs of 
his brothers, and the lowing of their herds. Being now 
eighteen years of age, he again repaired to Baslef to con- 
tinue his literary pursuits ; and there, at once master and 
scholar, he taught in Saint 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 years, was one of his greatest 
friends. 

Zwingle now applied to the study of scholastic divinity ; 
for as he would one day be called to expose its sophistry, 
it was necessary that he should first explore its gloomy 
labyrinths. But the joyous student of the Sentis mountains 

Wirz, Helvetische Kirchen Gesch. iii. 387 ; Anshelm's Chronik, 
iii. and iv. No transaction of that day ever gave rise to so many pub* 
locations. See Haller's Biblioth. der Schw. Gesch. iii. 
f- Ne diutius ab exercitio literarum cessaret. Osw. Myo. Vita Zw. 



292 MUSIC AT BASLB. 

might be seen suddenly shaking off the dust of the schooia 
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 cheerful air, as in the pasture-grounds 
of Lisighaus ; make his own chamber or that of his friends 
re-echo 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 at- 
tractive conversational powers.! 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 vigour 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, vain-glory, 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 a burgo- 
master of Bienne, arrived at Basle. Hitherto he had been 
teaching at Tubingen, at the side of Reuchlin. He was in 
the flower of life, sincere, pious, skilled in the liberal arts, 
the mathematics, and in the knowledge of Scripture. Zwingle 
and all the youths of the academy immediately flocked 

* Ich habe auch me von Keinem gehcert, der in der Kunst Musica 

BO erfahren gewesen. B. Weysen, Fiisslin Beytrage zur Ref. Gesch. iv. 
35. 

+ Ut ingenium seriis defatigatutn recrearetur et paratius ad solita 
studia rediretur Melch. Adami Vita Zw. 

$ Ingenio amocnus, et ore jucundus, supra quam dici possit, erat. Osw. 
Myc. Vita Zw. 



WITTEMBACH LEO J0DA. 293 

around him. A life till then unknown 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 aside, 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 fighting under the banners of the 
Teutonic knights in the defence of Christendom. Leo and 
Ulrich became intimate friends. Leo played on the dulcimer 
and had a very fine voice. Often did his chamber re-echo 
with the cheerful 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 office of pastor t)f Glaris became vacant at this time. 
One of the pope's youthful courtiers, .Henri Goldli, his 
Holiness's equerry, and who was already the possessor of 
several benefices, hastened to Glaris with the pontiff's letter 
of nomination. But the shepherds of Glaris, proud of the 
antiquity of their race and of their struggles in the cause of 
liberty, did not feel inclined to bend their heads before a 
slip of parchment from Rome. Wildhaus is not far from 
Glaris, and Wesen, of which Zwingle's uncle was the in- 
cumbent, is the place where these people hold their markets. 
The reputation of the young master of arts of Basle had ex- 
tended even to these mountains, and him the people of 

* Et doctrinam Ecclesise veterem instaurari oporteat. Gualterus ; 

Misc. Tig. iii. 102. 

t Der Tod Christy sey die cinige Bezahlung fiir unsere Siinde 

Fusslin Beytr. ii. 268. 

J Qaum a tanto viro semma qusedam Zwiflgliano pectori injecta 

essent. Leo Jud. in Praef. %d A.nn. Zw. in N. T. 



294 PASSION FOR WAR. 

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 Wildhaus on St. Michael's day, in the presence of all his 
relations and the friends of his family, and about the end of 
the year arrived at Glaris. 



CHAPTER III. 

Fondness for War Schinner Pension from the Pope The Labyrinth 
Zwingle in Italy Principle of Reform Zwingle and Luther 
Zwingle and Erasmus Zwingle and the ancient Classics 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 war at that time inflamed the tranquil 
valleys of Glaris. There dwelt the families of heroes the 
Tchudis, the Walas, the CEblis, 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 

* Sic reverentia pudoris, imprimis autem officii divini, perpetno cavit. 
Osw. Myc. Vit. Zw. 



295 

of the holy father himself, descending like an avalanche from 
the Alps, and dashing with a noise of thunder against the 
troops drawn up in the plains. 

As a poor boy named Matthew Schinner, who attended 
the school of Sion, in the Valais (about the middle of the 
second half of the fifteenth century), was singing one day In 
the streets, as the young Martin Luther did a little later, he 
heard his name called by an old man. The latter, struck by the 
freedom with which the child answered his questions, said to 
him with that prophetic tone which a man is thought some- 
times to possess on the brink of the grave : " Thou shalt be a 
bishop and a prince."*- These words struck the youthful men- 
dicant, 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 Rome somewhat 
later to demand of the pope the confirmation 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 cardi- 
nal's hat, and he smiled as he now saw but one step between 
him and the papal throne. 

Schinner's eyes wandered continually over the cantons 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 learnt 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, dur- 
Helvet. Kirch. Gcsch. von Wirz, iii. 314. 



296 THE LABYRINTH. 

ing the short time Ulrich received it, was entirely devoted 
to the purchase of classical or theological works, which he 
procured from Basle.* Zwingle from that time attached 
himself to the cardinal, and thus entered the Koman party. 
Schinner and Julius II. at last betrayed the object of their 
intrigues ; eight thousand Swiss, whom the eloquence of the 
cardinal-bishop had enlisted, crossed the Alps 5 but want of 
provisions, with the arms and money of the French, made 
them return ingloriously to their mountains. They carried 
back 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 cares oi 
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 Glaris 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 Athenians. " 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 country ; 
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 France. The hero surmounts all these obstacles, reaches 
the monster, slays him, and saves his country. 

" In like manner," exclaims the poet, " are men now wan- 
dering in a labyrinth, but, as they have no clue, they can- 
not regain the light: Nowhere do we find an imitation oi 
Jesus Christ. A little glory leads us to risk our lives, tor- 
ment our neighbour, and rush into disputes, war, and battle. 
* Welches er an die Biicher verwandet. Bullingcr Chronik. 



2WINGLE IN ITALY. 297 

One might imagine that the furies had broken loose 

from the abyss of hell."* 

A Theseus, a reformer was needed ; this Zwingle per- 
ceived clearly, and henceforth he felt a presentiment of hia 
mission. Shortly after, he composed an allegory, the mean- 
ing of which was less enigmatical.-^ 

In April 1512, the confederates again arose at the voice 
of the cardinal for the defence of the Church. Glaris was in 
the foremost rank. The whole parish took the field under 
their banner, with the landamman and their pastor. Zwinglo 
was compelled to march with them. The army passed the 
Alps, and the cardinal appeared in the midst of the con- 
federates 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 rivers, 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 
abundance; monks and priests mounted the pulpits, and 
proclaimed 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."} 

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 study Greek, " in 
order (as he said) to be able to draw from the fountain-head 
of truth the doctrines of Jesus Christ. I am determined to 

* Dase wir die hoellschen wiiterinn'n 

Moegend denken abbrochen syu. 

Zw. Opp. (Edit. Schiller et Schulthess), ii. second part, 250. 
t Fabelgedicht vom Ochsen und etlichen Thieren, iez loufender clingi 
begriffenlich* Ibid. 257. 

J De Gestis inter Galloa et Helvetica, relatio H. Zwinglii. 
Ante decem annos, operam dedi graccis literis, ut ex fontibns doc- 
trinani Christ! haurire possem. Zw. Opp. i. 274, in bis ExpJrui. Artia. 
which bears the date of 1523. 

13* 



298 PRINCIPLE OF THE REFORMATION. 

apply myself to Greek," wrote he to Yaclian on the 23d of 
February 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 later, a worthy 
priest, who had been his schoolfellow, coming to see him : 
" Master Ulrich," said he, " I am informed that you are 
falling into this new error; that you are a Lutheran." " I 
am not a Lutheran," said Zwingle, " for 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 Christianity, 
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 then* own reason.^- Men 
are not permitted to wrest the Gospel at pleasure that it may 
square with their own sentiments 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 the man 
whom certain persons have not hesitated to represent as 
having desired to subject the Bible to human reason. 
" Philosophy and divinity," said he, " were always raising 
objections. At last I said to myself: I must neglect all 
these matters, and look for God's will in his Word alone. I 
began (continues he) earnestly to entreat the Lord to grant 
me his light, and although I read the Scriptures only, they be- 
came clearer to me than if I had read all the commentators." 

* Ich liab graecae konucn, ehe ich ni nut von Luther gehorthab. Salat. 
Chronik. MS. 

f Nib.il sublimius de evangelic sentiunt, quam quod, quidquid eorum 
nitioni non est consentaneum, boc iniquum, vanum et frivolum exist i- 
mant. Zw. Opp. i. 202. * 

t Neo posse evangelium ad sensum et interpretationem homimmj 
redigi. Ibid. 215. 

In ccelum suspexit, doctorem quccruns Spiritum. Osw. Myc. Vita 
Zw. 



ZWINGLE AND LUT1IER. 299 

Ife compared Scripture with itself; explaining obscure pas- 
sages by those that are clear.* He soon knew the Bible 
thoroughly, and particularly the New Testament.f When 
Zwingle thus 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.:}: " All-divine 
work!" exclaimed Oswald Myconius; " it is thus we recovered 
the knowledge of the truth from heaven !" 

Zwingle did not, however, contemn the explanations of 
the most celebrated doctors : in after-years he studied 
Origen, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Chrysostom, but 
not as authorities. " 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. 

Zwingle's course was slow, but progressive. He did not 
arrive at the truth, like Luther, by those storms which impel 
the soul to run hastily to its harbour of refuge ; he reached 
it by the peaceful influence of Scripture, whose power ex- 
pands gradually in the heart. Luther 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 6r 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's poems, in which Jesus 
Christ is introduced addressing mankind perishing through 
their own fault, made a deep impression on Zwingle. Alone in 

* Scripta contulit et obscura claris elucidavit. Osw. Myc. Vita Zw. 

f In summa, er macht im, die H. Schrifft, Insonders dass N. T. gantz 
gemein. Bullinger MS. 

J Ut namo non videret Spiritum doctorem, non hominem. Osw. Myo. 
Vita Zw. 

Script ur a canouica, sea Lydio lapido probandos. Ibid. 



300 ZWTNGLE AND THE CLASSICS. 

his closet, he repeated to himself that passage in which Jesus 
complains that men do not seek every grace from him, al- 
though he is the source of 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 assistance ? No : Christ is our only treasure."* 

Zwingle did not restrict himself to the study of Christian 
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 learnt 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 
knowledge 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 justifica- 
tion. But if he honoured them so highly, it was because he 
fancied he discerned in them, not mere human virtues, but 
the influence of the Holy Ghost. In his opinion, God's in- 
fluence, far from being limited in ancient times by the bound- 
aries of Palestine, extended over the whole world.-}- " 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 educated at his 
school. " You have offered me not only books, but yourself 

* Dass Christus unser armen seelen em einziger schatz sey. Zw. Opp. 
i. 298. Zwingle said in 1523 that he had read this poem of Erasmus's 
Borne eight or nine years before. 

t Spiritus ille crelestis non solam Palestinam yel creayerat Tel forobat, 
Bed mundum uuiversum. CEcol. and Zw. Epp. p. 9. 

J Nisi religiosij nunquam fuissont magnanimi. Ibid. 



GLARIS AND PAKIS. 30l 

also," wrote Valentine Tschudi, son of one of the heroes in 
the Burgundian wars ; and this young man, who had already 
studied at Vienna and Basle under the most celebrated doc- 
tors, added : " I have found no one who could explain the 
classic authors with such acumen and profundity as your- 
self."* 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 
frivolities do they educate the French youth 1" said he. " No 
poison can equal the sophistical art that they are taught. 
It dulls the senses, weakens the judgment, and brutalizes 
the man, who then becomes, as it were, a mere echo, an empty 
sound. Ten women could not make head against one of 
these rhetoricans.-}- Even in their prayers, 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 tho 
Alps. One ray of light from God's Word enlightens more 
than all the wisdom of man. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Zwingle to Erasmus Oswald Myconius The Robbers (Ecolampadius 
Zwingle at Marignan Zwingle and Italy Zwingle's Method Com- 
mencement of the Reform Discovery Passage from one World to 
the other. 

A GREAT man of that age, Erasmus, exercised much influ- 
ence over Zwingle. No sooner did one of his writings ap- 

* Nam qui sit acrioris in enodandis auctoribus judicii, vidi neminem 
Zw. Epp. p. 13. 

fUtnecdecem mulierculae uni sophists adacquari queaut. Ibid 

p. 45. 



302 SWINGLE AN1> ERASMUS. 

pear than Zwingle hastened to purchase it. In 1514, Eras- 
mus arrived in Basle, where the bishop received him with 
every mark of esteem. All the friends of learning immedi- 
ately assembled around him. But the prince of the schools 
had easily discovered him who was to be the glory of Swit- 
zerland. " I congratulate the Helvetians," wrote he to 
Zwingle, " that you are labouring 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.-}- 
It was Erasmus. His agreeable manners soon banished 
Zwingle's timidity; the power of his genius subdued him. 
" Poor as ^Eschines," said he, " when each of Socrates' 
disciples offered their master a present, I give you what 

^Eschines gave I give you myself!" 

Among the men of learning who then formed the court of 
Erasmus, such as Amerbach, Rhenanus, Frobenius, Nes- 
senus, and Glarean, Zwingle noticed one Oswald Geiss- 
hiissler, a young man of Lucerne, twenty-seven years old. 
Erasmus hellenized his name, and called him Myconius. 
We shall generally speak of him by his Christian name, in 
order to distinguish the friend of Zwingle from Frederick 
Myconius, the disciple of Luther. Oswald, after studying at 
Rothwyl with a youth of his own age named Berthold Haller, 
and next at Berne and at Basle, had become rector of Saint 
Theodore's school, and afterwards of Saint Peter's in the 
latter city. The humble schoolmaster, though possessed of 
a scanty income, had married a young woman whose sim- 
plicity 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 violent disorders, and the soldiers, 
returning to their country, brought back with them their 

* Tu, tuique similes optimis etiam studiis ac moribus et ezpolietis et 
nobilitabitia. Zw. Epp. p. 10. 

f- Et corpusculo hoc tuo minuto, verum miuime inconcimio, urbauis- 
sinie gestientem videre videar. Ibid. 



OSWALD MYGONIUS THE KUFFIANS. 303 

campaigning habits of licentiousness arid 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 moment, a noise was heard in the street. Un- 
able to control 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 know- 
ledge and virtue, brought him into contact with Zwingle. The 
rector of the school of Basle recognised the superiority of the 
priest of Glaris. In his humility he shrunk from the praises 
lavished on him both by 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 child- 
hood, there has been something humble and mean about 
me."f 

A preacher who had arrived in Basle at nearly the same 
time as Zwingle was then attracting general attention. Of a 
mild and peaceful disposition, he loved a tranquil life ; slow 
and circumspect in action, his chief delight was to labour in 
his study and to promote concord among all Christians.^ His 

* Erasmi Laus Stultitiae, cum annot. Myconii. 

f Equidem humi repere didici hactenus, et est natura nescio quid 
humile vel a cunabulis in me. Osw. Myc. Vita Zw. 

$ Ingenio miti et tranquillo, pacis et coiicordiae studiosisuimus. Mclcb. 
Ad. ViL (Ecol. p. 58. 



304 (ECOLAMPADIUS. 

name was John Hausschein, in Greek (Ecolampadius, or 
" the h'ght of the house ;" he was born in Franconia, of 
rich parents, a year before Zwingle. His pious mother de- 
sired 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 CEco- 
lampadius had returned from Bologna, where he had been 
studying the law, the Lord, who was pleased to make him 
a light in the Church,* called him to the study of theology. 
He was preaching 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, f Erasmus admit- 
ted 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 monarch of learning to 
him, " that we should look for in Holy Scripture, and that 
is Jesus Christ." J He gave the youthful preacher, as a me- 
morial of his friendship, the commencement of the Gospel of 
St. John. (Ecolampadius would often kiss this pledge of 
so valued an affection, 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 Eras- 
mus." Zwingle had received a new impulse. Such journeys 
often exercise a great influence over the career of a Christian. 
Zwingle's pupils Valentine, Jost, with Louis Peter and 
Egidius Tschudi; his friends the landamman ./Ebli, the 
priest Binzli of Wesen, Fridolin Brunner, and the celebrated 
professor Glarean, were delighted to see him increase in 

* Flectente et vocantc Deo, qui eo in domo sua pro lampade usurua 
erat. Melch. Ad. Vit. (Ecol. p. 46. 

t Omnium vcro spiritualium et eruditorum admiratione Christum prse- 
tlicavit. Ibid. 

$ Nibil in sacris litcris prater Christum quterendum. Erasm. Epp, 
p. 403. 



ZWIXGLE AT MARIGNAN. 305 

knowledge and in wisdom. The old respected him as a 
courageous patriot ; the faithful pastors, as a zealous minis- 
ter 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 honour of the French name, the pope in 
consternation endeavoured to gain over the cantons. Thus, 
in 1515, Ulrich again visited the plains of Italy in the midst 
of the phalanxes 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 re- 
mained faithful to their colours were assembled. " If we 
had then, and even later, followed Zwingle's advice," said 
Werner Steiner of Zug, " what evils would our country have 
been spared!" But all ears were shut against the voice of 
concord, prudence, and submission. The impetuous elo- 
quence of Cardinal Schinner electrified the confederates, and 
impelled 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 dis- 
asters, threw himself, in the cause of Rome, into the midst 
of danger. His hand wielded the sword. $ A melancholy 
error ! A minister of Christ, he forgot more than once that 
he should fight only with the weapons of the Spirit, arid 
he was destined to see fulfilled, in his own person, this 
prophecy of our Lord : They that take the sword, shall perish 
with the sword. 

Zwingle and the Swiss had been unable to save Rome. 

* Justitiam avitam per hunc olim restitutam iri. Osw. Myc. Vita Zw, 
f In dem Heerlager hat er flyssig geprediget. Bullinger Chron. 
t In den Schlachten sich redlich und dapfer gestcllt mit Rathen, War- 
ten und Thaten. Ibid. 



ZWINGLE AND ITALY. 

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 !"* Luther and Zwingle, in their dangers, knew 
another arm, and invoked another mercy. 

This s*econd visit to Italy was not unprofitable to Zwingle. 
He remarked the difference between the Ambrosian ritual in 
use at Milan and that of Rome. He collected and com- 
pared with each other the most ancient canons of the mass. 
Thus a spirit of inquiry was developed 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 their herds, filled him with indignation. 
It was a common saying, that " the flesh of the confederates 
was cheaper than that of their kine." The faithlessness and 
ambition of the pope,-j- the avarice and ignorance of the 
priests, 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 Church. 

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 scripture.^ He spoke with animation and 
with power, and pursued with his hearers 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 

* Domine orator, vederemo quel fara il re Christianissimo se metteremo 
in le so man dimandando misericordia. Zorsi Relatione MS. 

f- Bellissimo parlador (Leo X.) prometea assa ma non atcudca. Re- 
latione MS. di Gradenigo, venuto orator di Roma. 

J Non hominum commentis, sed sola scripturarum biblicarum colla- 
tione. Zw. Opp. i. 273. 

Sondern auch mit predigen, darrincn er hcftig waas. Bullinger MS. 



ZWINGLE'S METHOIV- BEGINNING OP THE REFORMATION. 307 

study of the Bible manifested to him any useful lesson, he 
communicated it to his flock. He endeavoured to instil the 
truth into their hearts, and then relied on it for the result 
that it was destined to produce.* " If the people under- 
stand 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 (1516) as the begin- 
ning 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 impart to them the 
light that he had found therein. This is a new and impor- 
tant epoch in the history of the development of the religious 
revolution in these- countries ; but it has been erroneously 
concluded from these dates that Zwingle's reform preceded 
that of Luther. Perhaps Zwingle preached the Gospel a 
year previous to the publication 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 generation 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 of 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 

* Volebat veritatem cognitam in cordibus auditorum, agere sutuu o- 
ficium. Osw. Myc. Vit. Zw. t Vol. I. 204, &c. 



308 DISCOVERY PASSAGE FROM ONE WORLD TO THE OTHER. 

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 Kerensen, these friends dis- 
covered an old liturgy, in which they read these words : 
" After the child is baptized, let him partake of the sacra- 
ment of the Eucharist and likewise of the cup."* " So 
then," said Zwingle, " the sacrament 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 the emperor 
conjured them by their honour, by the tears of widows and 
orphans, and by the blood of their brethren, not to sell 
themselves to their murderers. The French party had the 
upperhand in Glaris, and from that time this residence be- 
came burdensome to Ulrich. 

Had Zwingle remained at Glaris, he might possibly have 
been a mere man of the age. Party intrigue, political pre- 
judices, the empire, France, and the Duke of Milan, might 
have 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 retire- 
ment, where they find 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 

* Detur Euckaristico sacramentum, similitcr poculum sanguinis. Zw 
Opp. i. 266. 



EINSIDLEN. 309 

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 terri- 
tory, 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 his noviciate, 
to the solitude of a hermitage. He confined within the 
narrow walls of an abbey this generous seed of the Refor- 
mation, which, soon transplanted to a better soil, was to cover 
the mountains with its shadow. 



CHAPTER V. 

Oar Lady of Einsidlen Zwingle's Call The Abbot Geroldsek A 
learned Society The Bible copied Zwingle and Superstition First 
Opposition to Error Sensation Hedio Zwingle and the Legates 
The Honours of Rome The Bishop of Constance Samson and the In- 
dulgences Stapfer Zwingle's Charity His 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. Ruf- 
fians imbrued their hands in the blood of the saint. The 
polluted cell long remained deserted. About the end ol 
the tenth century, a convent and church in honour of the 
Virgin were 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 invisible 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- 



310 ZWINGLE'S CALL. 

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 light- 
ning. A bull of Leo VIII. had forbidden the faithful to 
doubt the truth of this legend. From that time an im- 
mense crowd of pilgrims had annually visited our Lady ol 
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 extraordinary place that, in 1516, 
Ulrich Zwingle was invited to be priest and preacher. 

Zwingle did not hesitate. " It is neither ambition nor 
covetousness," said he, " that takes me there, but the 
intrigues of the French." -J- Reasons of a higher kind de- 
termined 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.^ 

The friends of evangelical preaching at Glaris loudly ex- 
pressed 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?" 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.|| 

* Cessa, cessa, frater, divinitus capella consecrata est. Hartm. Annal. 
Einsidl. p. 51. 

t Locum mutavimus mm cupidinis aut cupiditatis moti stimulis, vcrum 
Gallorum technis. Zw. Epp. p. 24. 

% Christum et veritatem ejus in regiones et varias et remotas divulgari 
tarn felici oportunitate. Osw. Myc. Vita Zw. 

Quid enim Glareanae nostrae tristius accidere poterat, tanto videlicet 
priyari viro. Zw. Epp. p. 16. 

|| For two years after this Zwingle still signed his name : Paster 
Glaronre, Minister Eremi. Zw. Epp. p. 30. 



THE ABBOT GEROLDSEK. 311 

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 pretensions of Rome and theological dis- 
cussions. One day when, during a visitation of the order, 
some observations 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 intricate 
question at table with the administrator of the convent, the 
hunting abbot exclaimed : " Leave off your disputes ! I 
cry with David : Have mercy upon me, God, according 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 favourite plan was to assemble 
in his convent a body of learned men ; and with this view 
he had invited Zwingle. Eager for instruction and reading, 
he begged his new friend to direct him. " Study the Holy 
Scriptures," replied Zwingle, " and that you may better un- 
derstand them, read Saint Jerome. However (added he) a 
time will come (and that soon, with God's help) when Christians 
will not set great store either by Saint Jerome or any other 
doctor, but solely by the Word of God."-^ Geroldsek's conduct 
gave indication 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. Tl\e same charm erelong tenderly attached 
to Zwingle, not only Geroldsek, but also Zink the chaplain, the 

* Wirz, K. Gesch. iii. 363; Zwinglis Bildung v. Schiller, p. 174; Miscell. 
rigur. iii. 28. 

f Fore, idque bre^i, Deo sic juvante, ut neque Hieronymus nequo 
caeteri, sed sola Scriptura dirina apud Christianos in pretio sit future 
Zw. Opp. i. 273. 



312 LEARNED SOCIETY THE BIBLE COPIED. 

worthy CExlin, 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 writings of the re- 
storers of learning. This interesting circle was often in- 
creased 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. 

In this calm retreat Zwingle enjoyed rest, leisure, books, 
and friends, and grew in understanding and in faith. It was 
then (May 1517) that he commenced a work that proved 
very useful to him. As in ancient days the kings of Israel 
transcribed God's law with their own hands, so Zwingle with 
his copied out the Epistles of St. Paul. At that time there 
existed none but voluminous editions of the New Testament, 
and Zwingle wished to be able to carry it with him always.* 
He learned these 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 simply to acknow- 
ledge 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 pro- 
gress in sanctification. 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 
' This manuscript is still extant in the public library of Zurich. 



SWINGLE AND SUPERSTITION. 313 

aims. He was to have a nearer view of the superstitions 
and abuses which had invaded the Church. The image of 
the Virgin, carefully preserved in the monastery, had, it was 
said, the power of working miracles. Over the gate of the 
abbey might be read this presumptuous 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 great feast of " the Consecration of the Angels" that 
the crowd thronged the hermitage. Many thousand indivi- 
duals of both sexes climbed in long files the slopes of the 
mountain leading to the oratory, singing hymns or count- 
ing their beads. These devout pilgrims crowded eagerly into 
the church, imagining themselves nearer to God there than 
elsewhere. 

Zwingle's residence at Einsidlen, as regards a knowledge 
of the abuses of the papacy, produced an analogous effect to 
that resulting from Luther's visit to Rome. In this monas- 
tery he completed his education as a reformer. God alone 
is the source of salvation, and He is everywhere : this was 
what he learned at Einsidlen, and these two truths became 
the fundamental articles of Zwingle's theology. The seri- 
ousness he had acquired in his soul soon manifested itsell 
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. What- 
ever 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 pilgrimages, 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 embody our prayers ? What efficacy has a glossy 
cowl, a smooth-shorn head, a long and flowing robe, or gold- 

VOL. IT. 14 



314 FIRST OPPOSITION TO ERROR. 

embroidered slippers! God looks at the heart, and GUI 

hearts are far from Him!"* 

But Zwingle desired to do more than merely inveigh 
against superstition ; he wished to satisfy the ardent yearn- 
ings for reconciliation with God, experienced by many pil- 
grims who flocked to the chapel of Our Lady of Einsidleu. 
u Christ," exclaimed he, like John the Baptist in this new 
desert of the mountains of Judea, " Christ, who was once 
offered upon the cross, is the sacrifice (host] and victim, that 
had made satisfaction for the sins of believers to all eter- 
nity."-]- Thus Zwingle advanced. On the clay when such 
bold language was first heard in the most venerated sanc- 
tuary of Switzerland, the standard 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 foundations. 

In effect, universal astor^shment filled the crowd as they 
listened to the words of the eloquent priest. Some with- 
drew in horror ; others hesitated between the faith of their 
sires and this doctrine which was to ensure 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 pilgrims returned to 
their homes, everywhere announcing what they had heard 
at Einsidlen : " Christ ALONE saves, and he saves EVERY- 
WHERE." 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 impoverishing himself, if he could spiritually 
enrich souls. 

Among Zwingle's numerous hearers at the feast of Whit- 
suntide in 1518, was Gaspard Hedio, doctor of divinity at 
Basle, a learned man, of mild character and active charity. 

* Vestis oblonga et plicis plena, muli auroornati Corvero interim 

procul a Deo est. Zw. Opp. i. 236. 

+ Christus qui sese semel in cruce obtulit, hostia est et victims satisfa- 
eiens in seteruum, pro peccatis omnium fidelium. Ibid. 263. 



SENSATION HEDIO. 315 

Zwingle was preaching on the narrative of the paralytic 
(Luke v.), in which occurs this declaration of our Lord : 
The Son of Man hath poiver upon earth to forgive sins 
words well adapted to strike the crowd assembled in the 
temple of the Virgin. The preacher's sermon stirred, 
harmed, and inspired his congregation, and particularly 
the Basle doctor.* For a long while after, Hedio was ac- 
customed to speak of it with admiration. " How beauti- 
ful is this discourse," said he : " how profound, solemn, 
copious, penetrating, and evangelical ! how it reminds jis 
of the iv'igyita, (the force) of the ancient doctors!"-}- From 
this moment Hedio admired and loved Zwingle.J He would 
have liked to have spoken with him, to have unbosomed 
himself to him ; he wandered round the abbey, yet dared 
not advance, being held back (he says) by superstitious 
timidity. 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. 

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 everything 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 humoured 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 Brandenburg), but especially because of his 
attachment to the political party of the pope, and the influ- 
ence 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 

* Is sermo ita me inflammavit Zw. Epp. p. 90. 

f Elegans ille, doctus, gravis, copiosus, penetrans et evangelicus 

Ibid. p. 89. 

Ut inciperem Zwinglium arctissime complecti, suscipere et ad- 
mirari. Ibid. 

Sicque abequitavi, non sine molostia, quam tamen ipse mihi pepere- 
ram. Ibid. p. 90. 



316 ZWINGLE AND THE LEGATES ROMAN HONOUBS. 

flattered themselves they would retain many by gaining 
Zwingle, as they had already gained Erasmus, by pensions 
and honours." 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 sacrificing the truth to the 
demands and offers of Rome, let no opportunity escape of de- 
fending the Gospel. The famous Schinner, whose diocese 
was then in a disturbed state, spent some time at Einsidlen. 
" J*he popedom," 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 explained to the pre- 
late what ought to be done in order to save the Church. 
Pucci promised everything, but did nothing. Zwingle de- 
clared 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 setting 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." \ Pucci in 
alarm procured for the reformer the nomination of acolyte to 
the pope. This was a step to further honours. Rome aimed 
at frightening Luther by her judgments, and gaining Zwingle 
by her favours. Against the one she hurled her excom- 
munications ; to the other she cast her gold and splendours. 
These were two different 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 
Switzerland. The latter was the more skilful policy : but 
neither was successful. The emancipated souls of the 

* Dass das ganz Papstum eiuen schlechten Grund habe. Zw. Opp. ii 
part. i. p. 7. 

f Oder aber sy werdind mit grosser unriiw selbs umfallen. Ibid. 

J Frustra sperari me vel verbulum deveritate diminuturum esse.pecu-' 
nise gratia. Zw. Opp. i. 365. 



THE BISHOP OP CONSTANCE SAMSON. 317 

preachers of the truth were equally beyond the reach of 
vengeance or of favour. 

Another Swiss prelate, Hugo of Landenberg, bishop of Con- 
stance, about this time excited hopes in Zwingle's breast, 
He ordered a general visitation of the churches. But Lan- 
denberg, a man of no decision of character, permitted himself 
to be guided at one time by Faber his vicar, and at another 
by a vicious woman whose influence he could not shake off. 
Sometimes he appeared to honour the Gospel, and yet he 
looked upon any man as a disturber of the people who ven- 
tured 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 sides they should have 
fought. Zwingle applied to him, but in vain. He was 
destined to make the same experiment as Luther, and to ac- 
knowledge 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 oi 
God. The opportunity soon came. 

Along the heights of Saint Gothard, over those elevated 
roads that have been cut with incredible toil" through the 
steep rocks that separate Switzerland from Italy, journeyed 
a Franciscan monk, in the month of August 1518. Emer- 
ging 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 
honour 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 adventurers 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 spoliation of the simple inhabitants of Switzer- 
land. Samson, 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 



318 THE INDULGENCES CHARITY. 

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 Switzerland, addressing the 
inhabitants of the capital. " Heaven and hell are subject to 
my power ; and I sell the merits of Christ to any who will 
purchase them by buying an indulgence for ready monej." 

Zwingle's zeal took fire as he heard ol' these discourses. 
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!"-j- 

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 can ton, a man of distinguished character, and afterwards 
secretary of state, was suddenly reduced with his family to 
great distress. " Alas !" said he, addressing 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 himself, " it is God who begets charity in the faithful, 
and gives at once the thought, the resolve, and the work 
itself. Whatever good work the just man doeth, it is God who 
doeth it by His own power. "j| Stapfer remained attached to 

* Romam curre ! redime literas indulgentiarum ! da tantumdein 
monachis ! offer saerdotibus, &c. Zw. Opp. i. 222. 

f Christus una est oblatio, unum sacrificium, una via. Ibid. 201. 

J Ut mose, meorumquo liberorum incdia; corporali subveniretis. Zw. 
Epp. p. 234. Largas mihi quotidie suppetias tulistis. Ibid. 

II Caritatein ingeiierat Deus, concilium, propositum et opus. Quidquid 
boni praestat Justus, hoc Deus sua virtute preestat. Zw. Opp. i. 226. 



ZWINGLE'S FRIENDS. 319 

Zwingle all his life, and when four years later he had becpme 
secretary of state at Schwytz, and felt impelled by more ele- 
vated desires, he turned towards Zwingle, saying with noble- 
ness and candour : " Since it was you who provided for my 
temporal wants, how much more may I now expect from you 
the food that shall satisfy my soul !" 

Zwingle's friends increased in number. It was not only 
at Glaris, Basle, and Schwytz that souls were found in har- 
mony with his : in Uri, there was Schmidt, the secretary of 
state; at Zug, Colin, Mtiller, and Werner Steiner, an old 
fellow-soldier at Marignan ; at Lucerne, Xyloctect and Kilch- 
meyer ; at Bienne, Wittembach ; and many others in other 
places besides. But the priest of Einsidlen had no friend 
more devoted than Oswald Myconius. Oswald had quitted 
Basle in 1516, to superintend the cathedral school at Zurich. 
At that time this city possessed neither learned men nor 
learned schools. Oswald laboured, in conjunction with several 
other well-disposed men, among whom was Utinger, the 
pope's notary, to rescue the Zurich people from their igno- 
rance, 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 emperor 
commanded anything in opposition to the Gospel, man is 
bound to obey God alone, who is above the emperor and the 
pope. 



CHAPTER VI. 

The Canons' College Election to the Cathedral Fable Accusations 
Zwingle's Confession Development of God's Purposes Farewell to 
Einsidlen Arrival at Zurich Zwingle's bold Declaration First 
Sermons Their Eflect Opposition Zwingle's Character Taste for 
Music Arrangement of the Day The Book-hawker. 

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 institution, and desiring 



320 THE CATHEDRAL PREACHER FABLE. 

to enjoy their benefices in the sweets of an indolent life, used 
to elect a priest to whom they confided the preaching and tho 
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 ! Zwingle's exterior was 
in his favour. He was a handsome man,* of graceful man- 
ners, and pleasing conversation ; he had already become cele- 
brated for his eloquence, and excelled throughout the Confe- 
deration by the splendour of his genius. Myconius spoke of 
him to Felix Frey, the provost of the chapter, who was prepos- 
sessed by Zwingle's talents and appearance ; f to Utinger, an 
old man, highly respected, and to the canon Hoffmann, a per- 
son of upright and open character, who, from having long 
preached against the foreign service, was already well dis- 
posed in Ulrich's favour. Other Zurichers had, on different oc- 
casions, heard Zwingle at Einsidlen, and had returned full of 
admiration. The election of a preacher for the cathedral soon 
put everybody in Zurich in motion. The different parties be- 
gan to bestir themselves. Many laboured day and night to pro- 
cure the election of the eloquent preacher of Our Lady of the 
Hermits.J Myconius informed his friend of this " Wed- 
nesday next, I shall go and dine at Zurich," replied Zwingle, 
" and then we will talk this matter over." He came accord- 
ingly. While paying a visit to one of the canons, the latter 
said, " Can you not come and preach the Word of God 
among us?" " I 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, Lawrence Fable, even delivered a proba- 
tionary sermon, and a report was circulated that he had been 
elected. " It is very true, then," said Zwingle, on being ap- 
prized of this, " that no man is a prophet in his own country 
since a Swabian is preferred to a Swiss. I know what tho 

* Dan Zwingli vom lyb ein hiibscher man wass. Bullinger Chron. 

t Und als imme seine gestalt und geschiklichkeit wol gefiel, gab er im 
&yn stimm. Ibid. 

+ Qui dies ot iioctcs laborarent ut vir ille subrogaretur. Os. M/a 
Vit. Zw. 



FABLE ACCUSATIONS. 321 

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 unworthy 
as this Fable aspired to the station, he became the more 
eager for it himself, and wrote about it to Mycouius. Os- 
wald replied on the following day : " Fable will always re- 
main a fable; our gentlemen have learnt that he is the 
father of six boys, and already holds I know not how many 
livings." f 

Zwingle's enemies, however, did not consider themselves 
beaten. All agreed in extolling to the clouds the extent of 
his acquirements ; J but some said, " He is too fond of mu- 
sic!" Others, "He loves company and pleasure!" And 
others again, " He was once too intimate with persons ot 
light conduct ! " One man even accused him of seduction. 
Zwingle was not blameless, and although less erring than 
the ecclesiastics of his day, he had more than once, in the 
first years of his ministry, allowed himself 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 autho- 
rized, as conformable to the laws of nature. A saying of 
JEneas 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 admit- 
ted order of things. 

Oswald exerted an unwearying activity in his friend's 
behalf; he employed all his powers to justify him, and 
luckily succeeded.|| He visited the Burgomaster Roust, 

* Scio yulgi acclamationes et illud blandum Euge ! Euge 1 Zw. 
Epp. p. 53. 

t Fabula manebit fabula ; quern domini mei acceperunt sex pueris esse 
patrem Ibid. 

J .Xeminem tarnen, qui tuam doctrinam uon ad coohuii ferat Ibid. 

IS'oii esse qui vigesimum annum excessit, nee virginem tetigerit 
Ibid. p. 57. 

It Reprimo hsec pro viribus, imo et repressi. Ibid. p. 54. 
14* 



022 ZWINGLE'S CONFESSION. 

Hoffman, Frey, and Utinger; he lauded the probity, de- 
corum, and purity of Zwingle's conduct, and confirmed the 
Zurichers in the favourable impression they entertained 
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 under-tone. " 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 I had formed," wrote he to the canon 
Utinger, " many even of those about me being offended at 
hem, alas ! I fell, and like the dog of which St. Peter speaks 
(2 Pet. ii. 22), I turned again to my vomit.* The Lord 
knows 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 wretched- 
ness far more willingly than to man."-}- But if Zwingle 
acknowledged himself a sinner, he vindicated himself from the 
odious accusations that had been made against him. He de- 
clared that he had always banished far from him the thought 
of adultery or seducing the innocent,^ grievous excesses 
which were then too common. " I call to witness," says he, 
" all those with whom I have ever lived." 
The election took place on the llth of December. Zwingle 

* Quippe neminem Jiabens comitem hujus instituti, scandalisantes, 
vcro non paucos, lieu ! cecidi et factus sum canis ad vomitum. Zw. 
Epp. p. 55. 

f En, cum verecundia (Deus novit !) magna hsec ex pectoris specubus 
depromsi, apud cum scilicet, cum quo etiam coram minus quam cum ullc 
r erme mortalium confiteri vererer. Ibid. 

Ea ratio nobis perpetuo f nit, nee alienum thorum conscendero, Deo 
virginem vitiare. Ibid. 

Testes invoco cunctos, quibuscum vixi. Ibid. 



GOD'S PURPOSES FAKEWELL. 323 

was appointed by a majority of seventeen votes out ol 
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 else- 
where. God, who had chosen the new university of Wittem- 
berg,- 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 regenerate his 
nation. Zurich was about to become the centre 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 nomination. 
The society which had been formed there was about to be 
broken up by the removal of its most valuable 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 senti- 
ments, styling him, " reverend, most learned, very gracious 
lord and good friend."* " Give us at least a successor 
worthy 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 myste- 
ries of Scripture." " I will have him," said the adminis- 
trator. It was Leo Juda, that mild and intrepid man, with 
whom Zwingle had been so intimate at Basle. Leo accepted 
this invitation which brought him nearer his dear Ulrich. 
The latter embraced his friends, quitted the solitude of 
Einsidlen, and arrived at that delightful spot where rises the 

* Raverende. perdocte, admoduin gratiose domine ac bone amice. 
Zw. Epp. p. 60. 



324 ZWINGLE AT ZURICH. 

cheerful and animated city of Zurich, with its amphitheatre 
of hills, covered with vineyards, or adorned with pastures 
and orchards, and crowned with forests above which appeal 
the highest summits, of the Albis. 

Zurich, the centre of the political interests of Switzerland, 
and in which were often collected the most influential 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 nomination. At Paris, in 
particular, the Swiss students, who were very numerous, 
thrilled with joy at this intelligence.* But if at Zurich a 
great victory lay before Zwingle, he had also to expect 
a hard struggle. Glarean wrote to him from Paris : " I 
foresee that your learning will excite great hatred ;f but 
be of good cheer, and like Hercules you will subdue the 
monsters." 

On the 27th of December 1518, Zwingle arrived at Zurich 
and ah'ghted at the hotel of Einsidlen. He received a hearty 
and an honourable 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. Un- 
usual excitement prevailed in the assembly ; for every one 
fell, 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 im- 
portant duties of his charge. " You will make every exer- 
tion," 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 masses, and in general 
from every ecclesiastical ordinance." The chapter added : "Aa 

* Omnes adeo quotquot x. Helvetiis adsunt juvenes fremere et gau- 
lere. Zw. Epp. p. 63. 

t Quantum invidise tibi inter istos eruditio tua conflabit. Ibid. p. 64. 
Da er ehrlich und wol empfangen ward. Bullinger Chronik. 



ZWINGLE'S BOLD DECLARATION. 32 

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 sacra- 
ments to none but persons of note, and only when called 
upon; you are forbidden to do so without distinction of 
persons."* 

What a regulation for Zwingle ! money, money, nothing 

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 express- 
ing 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 foun- 
tains of Scripture,-}- sounding its depths, comparing one 
passage with another, and seeking for understanding by con- 
stant and earnest prayer.J It is to God's glory, to the praise 
of his only Son, to the real salvation of souls, and to their 
edification in the true faith, that I shall consecrate my mini- 
stry.'^ Language so novel made a deep impression on 
the chapter. Some testified their joy; but the majority 
evinced sorrow. || " This way of preaching is an innova- 
tion," exclaimed they ; " one innovation will lead to another, 
and where shall we top ?" The canon Hoffman, especially, 
thought it his duty to prevent the melanchojy consequences 
of an election for which he himself had been so earnest. 

This explanation of Scripture," said he, "will be more 

* Schiller's Zwingli's Bildung. p. 227. 

f Absque humanis commentationibus, ex solis fontibus Scripturae 
saorae. Zw. Opp. i. 273. 

^ Sed mente Spiritus, quam diligenti Scripturarum collectione, preci 
busque ex corde.fusis, se nacturum. Osw. Myc. Vita. Zw. 

A lies Gott und seinen einigeu Sohn zu Lob und Eliren and zu 
cechtea Heil der Seelen, zur Underrichtung im rechten Glauben. Bull, 
MS. U Qnibns auditis, moeror simul et Isetitia. Osw. Myc, 



326 ZWINGLE'S BOLD DECLARATION. 

injurious than useful to the people." " It is not a new 
manner," replied Zwingle, "it is the old custom. Call tn 
mind the homilies of Chrysostom on St. Matthew, and of 
Augustine on St. John. Besides, I will speak with modera- 
tion, and give no person 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 commence- 
ment 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 up 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 Zwingte to 
disturb the faith of the people. The provost called the new 
preacher before him, and spoke to him very affectionately. 
But no human power could close Zwingle's lips. On the 
31st 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 Zurich, and for the work that God was pre- 
paring for him in this city. 

On Saturday, the 1st 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 celebrated 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 



FIRST SERMON IN THE CATHEDRAL. 327 

(1st chapter of St. Matthew), he explained it in such a 
manner that his wondering and enraptured hearers ex* 
claimed : " 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 lan- 
guage, 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.^ 
At the same time, he called them most earnestly to repent- 
ance ; he forcibly attacked the prevailing errors among his 
people ; and inveighed courageously against the luxury, in- 
temperance, costly garments, the oppression of the poor, idle- 
ness, foreign service, and pensions from the princes. " In 
the pulpit," said one of his contemporaries, " he spared no one, 
neither pope, emperor, kings, dukes, princes, lords, nor even 
the confederates themselves. 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 labours 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, flocked to hear 
him. || Many Zurichers had ceased to frequent the public 
worship. " I derive no instruction from the sermons of these 
priests," said Fiisslin, the poet, historian, and councillor of 

* Dessgleichen wie jederman redt,nie gehb'rt worden war. B. Weiso, 
(Zwingle's contemporary), Fusslin Beytrage, iv. 36. 

f Nam ita simplices sequaliter cum prudentissimis et acutissimis qui- 
busque, proficiebant. Osw. Myc. Vita Zw. 

J In welchem er Gott den Vater prysset und alle Menschen allein uff 
Jesum Christum, als den, einigeu Heiland verthrauwen lehrte. Bui- 
linger Chron. 

All sein Trost stuhnd allein mit frolichem Gemlith zu Gott B. 

Weise, Fusslin Beytr. iv. 36. 

|| Do ward bald ein gross Gelauffvon allerley menschen, innsonders YOU 
dern gemeineu Mann Bui linger Chron. 



328 FIRST SERMON EFFECTS OPPOSITION. 

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 Rauschlin, 
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.' 1 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 Moses 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, the Son of God, had 
been put to death, fishermen rose up to fill his place. And 
now, if you destroy the preachers of the truth, you will see. 
glaziers, millers, potters, founders, shoemakers, and tailors 
teaching in their stead."f 

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 reformation, gradually became 
estranged from Zwingle. The violence of the monks, sup- 
pressed 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.J 
Among his enemies, some laughed and joked, others gave 
utterance to violent threats ; but he endured all with Chris- 
tian patience. " 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 ! 

* Und unser Moses seyn, deruns aus Egypten fiihrt. Bullinger Chron. 

t Werden die Glaser, Mliller, Haffner, Glesser, Schuhmacher und 
Schneider lehren.' Miiller's Reliq. iii. 185. 

J Nobis, apostolic! illius sscculi virum repraesentas. Zw. Epp. p. 74. 

Obganniunt quidam, rident, minantur, petulanter incessant at tu 

fere, Christiana patientia, suffers omnia. Ibid. May 7, 1519. 

H Conniveudum ad multa, ei qui vclit malos Christo lucri facere .Ibid. 



ZWINGLE'S CHARACTER. 329 

His character and his deportment towards all men contri- 
buted, as much as his discourses, to win their hearts. He 
was at once a true Christian and a true republican. 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 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 so well that the notables of 
Zurich used to visit the peasants, 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 Gospel took 
advantage of this, and called him " the evangelical lute- 
player and fifer."-!- Faber having one day censured him 
for this taste, he replied with noble frankness : " My dear 
Faber, you do not know what music is. True, I have 
learnt to play on the lute, the violin, and other instruments, 
and they serve me to quiet little children ; J but you are too 
holy for music ! Do you not know that David was a skil- 
ful player on the harp, and how by this means he drove the 

evil spirit out of Saul? Ah I 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 likewise." Perhaps this may have been a weak- 
ness in Zwingle ; still it was with a spirit of cheerfulness 
and evangelical liberty that he cultivated this art, which 

* Dass der Rath gemoldete Bauern besucht Salat's Chronik,p. 155 

f Der Lauthenschliiger und evangelischer Pfyffer. Bullinger Chron. 
J Dass kombt mir ja wol die Kind zu geschweigen. Ibid. 



330 HIS MODE OP LIFE BOOK-HAWKING. 

religion has always associated with her sublimest devotion 
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 contem- 
poraries ; " he despised no one ; he was compassionate to 
the poor, always steadfast and cheerful in good and evil for- 
tune. No misfortune alarmed him ; his conversation was at 
all times full of consolation, and his heart firm."* Thus 
Zwingle's popularity was ever on 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 friends and visit his flock. At two o'clock he 
resumed his studies. He took a short walk after supper, 
and then wrote his letters, which often occupied 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 required. 
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 circulating 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 evangelical doctrines. Lucian had travelled 
over almost the whole of Switzerland, and knew nearly 
everybody. " Ascertain," 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, 

* War allwegen trostlichen Gemuths und tapferer Red. B. Weise, 
Fiisal. Beytr. iv. 36. 

f Certas studiis vindicans horas, quas etiam non omisit, nisi eoriis 
coactus. Osw. Myc. Vita Zw. 



INDULGENCES. 381 

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.* 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 them so much the faster." 
By this means a ray of light penetrated the humble dwelling 
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 



CHAPTER VII. 

The Indulgences Samson at Berne and at Baden The Dean of Brem- 
garten Young Henry Bullinger Samson and the Dean Zwingle'a 
internal Struggles Zwingle opposes the Indulgences Samson is sent 
back. 

AN opportunity of displaying Zwingle s zeal in a new voca- 
tion presented itself. Samson, the famous indulgence mer- 
chant, 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. TKs did not suit the monk's views; 
and accordingly one of his attendants began to cry out 
to the populace : " Good folks, do not crowd so much ! 
make way for those who have money ! We will afterwards 
endeavour 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 Romish merchandise in these most beauti- 

* Oppidatim, municipatim, vicatim, imo domesticatim per Helvetios 
circumferat. Zw. Epp. 81 



332 SAMSON AT BERNE. 

fill portions of Switzerland, they arrived in the neighbourhood 
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 de Stein, appeared before 
him, prancing on a dapple-gray horse,f which the monk 
admired very much. " Give me," 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 dapple-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 stable, and all those souls were declared for 
ever exempt from hell. Another day, a citizen purchased oi 
him for thirteen florins an indulgence empowering his con- 
fessor to absolve him, among other matters, from every kind 
of perjury 4 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 pro- 
claimed the departure of the monk from Berne. Samson 
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, turning to the schultheiss 
De "Watteville, " your safest plan, my gracious lord, is to 
ghut up your sheep and your geese." But the monk cared 
little for such remarks, which, moreover, did not reach 
his ears : " Kneel down," said he to the superstitious 
^rowd, " recite three Paters, three Aves, and your souls will 

* A batz is worth about three-halfpence. 

t Urn einen Kuttgrowen Hengst. Anshelm, T. 335 ; J. J. Hotting 
Helv. K. Gesch. iii. 29. 
t A quovis perjurio. Muller's Reliq. iv. 403. 



SAMSON AT BADEN. 333 

immediately be as pure as at the momentof your baptism."* 
Upon this all the people fell on their knees. Samson, 
desirous of surpassing himself, exclaimed ; " I deliver from 
the torments of purgatory and of hell all the souls of the 
Bernese who are dead, whatever may have been the man- 
ner and the place of their death I" These mountebanks, 
like their brothers of the fairs, kept their best trick till the 
last. 

Samson, laden with money, proceeded through Argovia 
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 splendour. The 
Bishop of Constance, who was irritated because Samson 
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 mate 
any strenuous opposition to his traffic. The effrontery of the 
monk was redoubled. Heading a procession round the ceme- 
tery, 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 soul* escaping from the cemetery to 
heaven, he exclaimed'. " Fcce 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 !" ex- 
claimed this wag, shaking a cushion on the summit of the 
tower. Many persons burst out laughing, f 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 quite abashed. 

He continued his journey, and about the end of February 

1519, arrived at Bremgarten, which the schultheiss and 

junior priest of the town, who had seen him at Baden, had 

invited him to visit. .In al 1 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, 

Vo\. I. p. 145 hot. 

t Dessen viol liith gnug laehten. Bullinger Chronik. 



334 DEAN OP BREMGARTEN HENRY BULLTNGEK. 

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 practice 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 
Hallwyll, the abbot of Mury, and the patricians of Zurich, 
scouring the neighbouring fields and forests. His table was 
free to all comers, and none of his guests was 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 in- 
telligent features. Henry, one of the dean's sons, had in- 
curred 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 recognised 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 station,' and repeat at the full strength 
of his voice : " I believe in God the Father," &c. 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 tha 
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 debauchery. For- 
tunately Henry was preserved from evil in this distant place. 



SAMSON AND THE DEAN. 335 

Like Luther, he gained his bread by singing from door to 
door, for his father wished him to learn to live on his owp 
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 ah" human additions. I believe neither the 
Fathers nor myself, but explain scripture by scripture, with- 
out adding or taking away anything."* Thus did God 
prepare this young man, who was one day to be Zwingle's 
successor. He is the author of the chronicle 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 merchandise in his 
deanery. The schultheiss, the town-council, 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 1" 

THE DEAN. " I will not permit the purses of my parish- 
ioners to be drained by unauthenticated 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 favour." 

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 rashness 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 I am going 

* Bulling. Epp. Franz's Merkw. Ziige, p. 19. 



336 ZWINGLE'S INTERNAL STRUGGLES. 

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 Bremgarten, 
Zwingle, who saw the enemy gradually approaching, preached 
energetically against the indulgences.-}- The vicar, Faber of 
Constance, encouraged him, promising him the bishop's sup- 
port.:): " I am aware," said Samson, 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 forgiveness, not to attack the paper 
indulgences of these foolish men. Like Luther, he often 
trembled because of 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 that, which God commands!' forthwith the gentle 
voice of the Gospel consoles me, by saying : ' What thou 
canst not do (and certainly thou canst do nothing), Christ 
has done and perfected.' Yes (continued the pious evange- 
list), when my heart is troubled because of my helplessness 
and the weakness of my flesh, my spirit is revived at the 
sound of these glad tidings : Christ is thy innocence ! Christ 
is thy righteousness! Christ is thy salvation! Thou art 
nothing, thou canst do nothing ! Christ is the Alpha and 
Omega; Christ is the First and the Last; Christ is all 
things ; he can do all things. All created things will for- 
sake and deceive thee ; but Christ, the innocent and righte- 
ous one, will receive and justify thee Yes! it is he," 

exclaimed Zwingle, "who is our righteousness, and the 

* Du freche Bestie Sec. Bull. Chronik. 

. f Ich prengete streng wider des Pabsts Ablass Zw. Opp. ii. 

part i. p. 7. 

J Und hat mich darin gestarkt : er wello mir mit aller truw byston. 
Ibid. 

Christus est innocentia tua ; Christus est justitia et puritaa tua ; 
Christus est salus tua ; tu nib.il es, tu nihil potes ; Christus est A et ft ; 
Christus est prora et puppis (the prow and the stern); Christus cat 
omnia Ibid. i. 207. 



ON INDULGENCES SAMSON DISMISSED. 337 

righteousness of all those who shall ever appear justified 
before the throne of God!" 

In the presence of such truths, the indulgences fell of 
themselves : 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 indul- 
gences 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 ambas- 
sadors of Satan." 

Dean Bullinger, still heated by his conversation with the 
monk, arrived at Zurich before him. He came to lay 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 support 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 hono- 
rary 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 receive him ; but as he spoke of 
nothing but papal bulls, he was dismissed after being com- 
pelled to withdraw the excommunication pronounced against 
the dean of Bremgarten. He quitted the hall fuming with 
anger, and soon after the pope recalled him to Italy. A 
waggon, drawn by three horses and laden with the money 
that his falsehoods had wrung from the poor, preceded him 
oil 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. -J- 

* Nisi Christtis Jesus, verus Deus et verus homo Zw. Oop. i. 41'2. 

J* Und fiihrt mit ihm ein threspendiger Schatz an Gelt, den er armcu 
I u then abgelogen hat. Bullinger Chronik. 
VOL. n. 15 



338 ZWINGLE'S LABOURS THE BATHS. 

The Helvetic diet showed more resolution than the Ger- 
man. 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 Ger- 
many. But the affair of the indulgences, which played so 
important a part in the German, was merely an episode in the 
Swiss Reformation. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Zwingle's Toils and Fatigue The Baths of Pfeffers The Moment of 
God The Great Death Zwingle attacked by the Plague His Adver- 
saries His Friends Convalescence General Joy Effects of the Pes- 
tilence 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 continued 
toil called for relaxation, and he was ordered to repair to the 
baths of Pfeffers. u Oh ! had I a hundred tongues, a hun- 
dred 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 mois- 
tened by the spray of its broken waters. Torches were 
required to be burned at noon-day in the house where Zwin- 
gle 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 serving his 

* Etiamsi mihi sint linguae centum, sint oraque centum, ferrea vox, ut 
Virgilius ait, ant pot i us Ciceroniana eloquentia. Zw. Epp. p. 84. 



THE MOMENT OF GOD. 339 

Master. His affability won the hearts of many of the inva- 
lids. Among their number was the celebrated poet, Philip 
Ingentinus, professor at Friburg, in Brisgau,* who from that 
time became a zealous supporter of the Reformation. 

God was watching over his work, and designed to accele- 
ate it. Strong in frame, in character, and in talents, 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 baptism of adversity and infir- 
mity, 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 
heroes 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 ana- 
logous moment exists in the life of God's heroes, but it is in 
a contrary direction ; it is that in which they first recognise 
their helplessness and nothingness ; from that hour they re- 
ceive the strength of God from on high. A work like that 
of which Zwingle was to be the instrument, is never accom- 
plished by the natural strength of man ; it would wither im- 
mediately, like a tree transplanted in all its maturity and 
vigour. 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 colossalrocks thatencircle 
the furious torrent of the Jamina, when he was suddenly in- 
formed 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 

* Illio turn comitatcm tuam e sinu uberrimo profluentem, non iuju- 
onde sum expertus. Zw. Epp. p. 119. 
t Der gropse Tod. Bullinger Chronik. 



840 THE GREAT DEATH. 

Candlemas, sweeping off two thousand five hundred inhabit- 
ants. The young men who resided in Zwingle's house had 
quitted it immediately, in accordance with the directions he 
had left behind him. His house was deserted ; but it was his 
time to return to it. He hastily quitted Pfeffers, and reap- 
peared in the midst of his flock, which the malady had deci- 
mated; his younger brother Andrew, who had waited for him, 
he immediately sent back to Wildhaus, and from that horn 
devoted himself entirely to the victims of this frightful scourge. 
Every day he proclaimed Christ and his consolations to the 
sick.* His friends, delighted to see him unharmed amid so 
many deadly arrows,-j- 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 after- 
wards, " 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 di- 
rected 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 natural language, we will 
endeavour at least to exhibit its rhythm and literal mean- 
ing, he exclaimed : 

Lo ! at the door 

I hear death's knock ! J 
Shield me, Lord, 

My strength and rock. 

* Ut in major! periculo sis, quod in die te novo cxponas, dum invisis 
tngrotos. Bullinger Chronik. p. 87. Chateaubriand had forgotten this and 
a thousand similar facts, when he wrote that " the protestant pastor aban- 
dons the necessitous on the bed of death, and never risks his life in the 
midst of the pestilence." Essai sur la litte'rature Anglaise. 

f Plurimum gaudeo, te inter tot jactus telorum versantem, illaesura, 
hactenus evasisse. Ibid. 

J Ich mein der Tod, 

Syg an der Thiir, &c. Zw. Opp. ii. part ii. 270. 

In rendering this and the other specimens of poetry contained in this 
history, the translator has aimed solely at giving a faithful transcript 
of the original. 



ZWINGLE CATCHES THE PLAGUE. 341 

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 despairing 
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 was 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 I } 

See Satan's net 

Is o'er me tost 
I feel his hand 

Must I be lost ? 

His shafts, his voice 

Alarm no more, 
For here I lie 

Thy cross before. 

Canon Hoffman, sincerely attached to his creed, could not 
bear the idea of seeing Zwingle die in the errors which he 

* Willt du dann glych 

Tod haben mich 

In mitts der Tagen min 

So soli's willig sin. Zw. Opp. ii. part ii. 270. 
f Nun ist es um 

Min Zung ist stumm. 
* * * * 

Darum ist Zyt 

Dass dunlin stryt. Ibid. 271. 



342 HIS ENEMIES AND FRIENDS. 

had preached. He called on the provost of the chapter, and 
said to him : " Think of the danger to which his soul is ex- 
posed. Has he not designated as innovators and fantastical 
all the doctors who have taught these three hundred and 
eighty years past and more 'Alexander Hales, Bonaven- 
tore, Albertus Magnus, Thomas Aquinas, and all the 
canonists ? Does not he maintain that their doctrines are 
mere visions, which they dreamt in their cowls within the 

walls of their cloisters ? Alas ! it would have been better 

for the city of Zurich had Zwingle ruined our vintage and 

our harvest for many years 1 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 faithful pas- 
tor.* 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 bro- 
ther Nicholas.-}- 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 his 
death, was circulated through Switzerland and Germany. 
" Alas!" exclaimed Hedio in tears, " the preserver of our 
country, the trumpet of the Gospel, the magnanimous herald 
of truth, is cut down in the flower and spring-tide of his 
life !"J When the news of Zwingle's decease reached Basle, 
the whole city resounded with lamentations and mourning. 

* Alle Glaubige rufften Gott treuwillich an, dass er ihren getreuwen 
Hirten wieder ufrichte. Bullinger Chronik. 

+ Nicolao vero germano nostro etium obiit servus suns, attamen non 
in sedibus suis. Zw. Epp. p. 88. 

J Quis enim non doleat, publicam patria> salutem, tubam Evangelii, 
magiianimum veritatis buccinatorem languere, intercidere. Ibid. p. 90. 

Heu quantum luctus, fatis Zwinglium concessisse, importunus ille 
rumor, suo vehement! impetu divujgavit. Ibid. p. 91. 



HIS RECOVERY. 343 

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 candlestick of the 
Church. The plague had forsaken its victim, and Zwingle 
exclaims with emotion : 

My God, my Sire, 

Heal'd 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... 
O'erwhelm'd perchance 

With deeper gloom.* 

It matters not ! 

With joy I'll bear 
My yoke, until 

I reach heaven's sphere.f 

At the beginning of November, as soon as he could hold 
a 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 woman's sorrow. At Basle, Conrad Brun- 
ner, Zwingle's friend, and Bruno Amerbach, the celebrated 
printer, both young men, had died after three days' illness. 
* These words were strikingly fulfilled, twelve years later, on the 
blood-stained field of Cappel. 

f So will ich doch 
Den Trutz und Pocji 
In diser Welt 
Tragen frolich 
Um widergelt. 

Although these three fragments of poetry bear date " at the begin- 
ning, the middle, and the end of his malady," and express the sentiments 
Zwingle really felt at these three periods, it is most probable that they 
were not put into the shape in which they have come down to us until 
after his recovery. See Bullinger Chronik. 

J Inspectis tuis literis, incredibilis quidam aestus laetitise pectus meum 
eubiit. Zw. Epp. p. 88. 
Ejulatum et luctum plusquam feminoum. Ibid. p. 155. 



3-14 GENERAL JOY EFFECTS OF SICKNESS. 

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 describe their 
delight when Collins, a student from Lucerne, and after him 
a merchant from Zurich, brought intelligence that Zwingle 
had escaped from the jaws of death !f The vicar of the 
Bishop of Constance, John Faber, that old friend of Zwingle's, 
who was subsequently his most violent antagonist, wrote to 
him : " Oh ! my beloved TJlrich, what joy I feel at learning 
that you have been saved from the grasp .of cruel death 1 
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 w T as obtained, but in a dif- 
ferent manner from that imagined by Faber. This pesti- 
lence of 1519, which committed such frightful ravages in 
the north of Switzerland, was in the hands of God a power- 
ful means for the conversion of many souls.J But on no one 
did it exercise so powerful an influence as on Zwingle. The 
Gospel, which had hitherto been too much regarded by him 
as a mere doctrine, now became a great reality. He arose 
from the darkness of the sepulchre with a new heart. His 
zeal became more active ; his life more holy ; his preaching 
more free, more Christian, and more powerful. This was 
the epoch of Zwingle's complete emancipation; hencefor- 
ward he consecrated himself entirely to God. But the Re- 
formation of Switzerland received a new life at the same 
time as the reformer. The scourge of God, the great death, 
as it swept over these mountains and descended into its 
valleys, gave a holier character to the movement that was 
there taking place. The Reformation, as well as Zwingle, 
was baptized in the waters of affliction and of grace, and came 
forth purer and more vigorous. It was a memorable day in 
the counsels of God for the regeneration of this people. 

*"O> n Stii QiKiovffi, viav'urxo; TiMurZ. Zw. Epp. p. 90. 

f Ediria te mortis faucibus feliciter ereptum negotiator quidam Tigu. 
rinus Ibid. p. 91. 

J Ala die Pestilentz im Jahro 1519 in diesser Gegend grassirte, viele 
neigten eich zu einem bessern Loben. George Vogolin, Ref. Hist. 



MYCONTOS AT^LUCERNE. 345 

Zwingle derived fresh strength, of which he stood so much 
in need, from communion \vith his friends. To Myconius 
especially he was united by the strongest 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 affection of Zwingle and Myconius. It was the canon 
Xyloctect inviting Oswald to return to Lucerne, his native 
place. " Zurich is not your country," said he, " it is Lu- 
cerne I 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 nomina- 
tion 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 the sacrifice, he re- 
solved 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 de^ 
fending, like that suffered by an army in battle-array when 
one of its wings is destroyed.f Alas ! now I feel all the 
value of my Myconius, and how often, without my know- 
ing 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 Novem- 
ber 1519, " and depressed my spirits." He was hardly con- 
valescent before he resumed all his duties. " But," said he, 

Patriam cole, suadeo et obsecro, et, si hoc possum, jubeo. Xyloctectus 
Myconio. 

j- Nam res mere, te abeunte, non sunt minus accisae, quam si ezercitui 
in procinctu stanti altera alarum abstergatur. Zw. Epp. p. 98. 

15* 



846 OSWALD ENCOURAGES ZWINGLE. 

u when I am preaching, I often lose the thread of my dis- 
course. All my limbs are oppressed with languor, and I am 
almost like a corpse." Besides this, Zwingle's opposition to 
indulgences had aroused the hostility 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 sig- 
nal victories over Rome? " 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 conferred upon 
you in heaven !" 

The arrival of an old friend consoled Zwingle for the de- 
parture of Myconius. Bunzli, who had been Ulrich's in- 
structor at Basle, and who had succeeded the Dean of Wesen, 
the reformer's uncle, visited Zurich in the first week of the 
year 1520, and Zwingle and he formed a project of going to 
Basle to see their common friends.* Zwingle's sojourn in 
that city was not fruitless. " Oh 1 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 1 
You have won my affections by that gracefulness of manner, 
that inexpressible suavity with which you subdue all hearts, 
nay, even the stones, if I may so speak."t 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 carrying 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. 

* Zw. Epp. pp. 103, ill. 

+ Morum tuorum elegantia, suavitasque incredibilis, qua omnes tibi 
deviucia, etiam lapides, ut sic dizerim. Ibid. p. 133. 



BASLE CAPITO AND 11EDIO. 



34f 



The people received it gladly, and hailed with acclamations 
the revival of Christianity.* This was the dawn of the Re- 
formation ; 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 op- 
posed to him, accepted the invitation. The people were 
excited; their indignation was roused against the priests, 
and a violent commotion broke out in the city.J Hedio was 
thought of as his successor ; but some objected to his youth, 
and others said^ " He is Capito's disciple !" " The truth 
stings," said Hedio ; " it is not safe to wound tender ears by 
preaching it. But it matters not ! Nothing shall make "me 
swerve from the straight road." The monks redoubled their 
efforts : " Do not believe those," exclaimed they from the 
pulpit, " who tell you that the sum of Christian 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 hunters after glory have 
been able to do, is merely to add a few Greek or Hebrew 
words to obscure the whole matter." || 

The disturbance increased, and there was cause to fear 
that, after Capito's departure, the opposition would become 
still more powerful. " I shall be almost alone," thought 
Hedio ; " I, a weak and wretched man, to struggle unaided 
with these pestilent monsters."^ In these circumstances he 
called to God for succour, 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 

* Renascent! Christianismo mirum quam faveant. Zw. Epp. p. i*20. 

} Cardinalis illic invitavit amplissimis conditionibus. Ibid. 

J Tumultus exoritur et maxima indignatio vulgi erga 'i^'s. Ibid. 

Auriculas teneras mordaci radere vero, non usque adeo tutum est. 
Ibid. 

[[ Scotum plus profnisso rei Christianas quam ipsum Paulum qulc- 

quid eruditum, furatum ex Scoto Ibid. 

1\ Cum pcstilentissimis monstris. Ibid. p. 121. 



348 UNNATURAL SON. 

Cologne. If ever the Church was in imminent danger, it is 
now."* 

Capito left Basle for Mentz on the 28th of April, and was 
succeeded by Hedio. Not content with the public assem- 
blies in the church, where he continued the explanation o* 
8t. 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 evangelical instruction 
to those who felt its necessity. This powerful means of 
edification in the truth and of exciting 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 priests, both which classes, though from dif- 
ferent motives, are unwilling that God should be worshipped 
anywhere except within the boundary of certain walls. But 
Hedio was immovable. 

At the period when he was forming this good resolution 
at Basle, there arrived at Zurich one of those characters 
who, in all revolutions, are thrown up, like a foul scum, on 
the surface of society. 

The senator Grebel, a man highly respected in Zurich, 
had a son named Conrad, a youth of remarkable talents, 
a violent enemy of ignorance and superstition, which he at- 
tacked with the most cutting satire ; he was blustering and 
passionate, caustic and ill-natured in his speech; void of 
natural affection, dissipated, speaking loudly and frequently 
of his own innocence, and seeing nothing but evil in his 
neighbours. We mention him here, Because he was after- 
wards destined to play a melancholy 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 
prodigal 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 

* Si unquam imminebat periculum, jam imminct. Zw. Epp. p. 121, 
17th March 1520. 



ZWINGLE PREPARES FOR BATTLE. 349 

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 some- 
what later presumed to domineer over Zwingle, and became 
notorious as one of the chiefs of the fanatical enthusiasts of 
the day. It may be that Divine Providence allowed such 
characters to appear at the epoch of the Reformation, to foflm 
a contrast by their very excesses with the wise, Christian, 
and regulated spirit of the reformers. 

Everything seemed, to indicate that the battle between the 
Gospel and popery was about to begin. " Let us stir up the 
temporizers," wrote Hedio to Zwingle ; " the truce is broken. 
Let us put on our breastplates ; for we shall have to fight 
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 obstinate men," said he, "by kindness and friendly 
proceedings, rather than overthrow them by violent contro- 
versy.J 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." 

* Sie regiert das Haus, schlaft, steht auf, zankt, fruhstiickt, keift , 

Simml. Samml. iv. ; Wirz, i. 76. 

t Armemus pectora nostra ! pugnandum erit contra tcterrimos hostea. 
Zw. Epp. p. 101. 

J Benevolentia honestoque obsequio potius allici, quam animosa opp-ag- 
natione trahi. Ibid. p. 103. 



350 ZWINGLE AND LUTHER CONTRASTED. 



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. 

ALTHOUGH Zwingle desired to follow a mild course, he did 
not remain inactive. After his illness, his preaching had 
become more profound and more vivifying. Upwards of 
two thousand persons in Zurich had received the Word of 
God in their hearts, confessed the evangelical doctrine, and 
were already qualified to announce it themselves.* 

Zwingle held the same faith as Luther, but a faith de- 
pending 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 energy and life, animates all 
that he says. The same sentiment, 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 
experience the faith that animated these two great disciples 
of the same Lord have fallen into the gross error of represent- 
ing 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 that they do not regard secondary 
questions in the same light ; but that faith which is one, 

* Non cnira soli sumus : Tiguri plus duobus millibus permultorum est 
rationalium, qui lac jam spirituale sugentes Zw. Epp. p. 104. 



THE FALL OP MAW ATONEMENT. 351 

that faith which renews and justifies its possessor, that 
faith which no confession, no articles can express, exists 
in them alike. Zwingle's doctrines hare been so often mis- 
represented, that it will not be irrelevant to glance at what 
he was then preaching to the people who 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 natu/6 
was pure ; the disease of sin had not yet reached him ; his 
life was in his own hands. But having 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 God himself, raises them 
from the dead."* 

The inhabitants of Zurich, who listened eagerly to this 
powerful orator, were overwhelmed with sorrow as he un- 
folded before their eyes that state of sin in which mankind 
are 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," -j- 
said the eloquent voice of this son of the Tockenburg 
herdsman, " has purchased for us a never ending redemp- 
tion. For since it was the eternal God who died for us, 
his passion is therefore an eternal sacrifice, and everlastingly 
effectual to heal ; \ it satisfies the Divine justice for ever in 
behalf of all those who rely upon it with firm and unshaken 
faith. Wherever sin is," exclaimed the reformer, " death of 
necessity follows. Christ was without sin, and guile was 

* .Quum ergo omnes homines in Adamo mortui sunt donee per 

Spiritum et gratiam Dei ad vitam quas Deus est excitentur. Zw. Opp. i. 
203. This passage, and others we have quoted, or which we may have 
occasion to quote, are taken from a work Zwingle published in 1523, and 
in which he reduced to order the doctrines he had been preaching for 
several years past. Hie recensere coepi (he says) quse ex Terbo Dei prae- 
dicavi. Ibid. p. 228. 

+ Christus verus homo et verus Deus Ibid. 206. 

J Deus enim seternus, quum sit qui pro nobis moritur, passionem ejus 
atemain ct perpetuo salutarem esse oportet. Ibid. 



352 WOKTHLESSNESS OF WORKS. 

not found in his mouth ; and yet he died I This death ha 

suffered in our stead I 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 re-establish- 
ment of eternal order and for the salvation 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 God.J 

The souls that thirsted after salvation in the city of Zurich 
found repose at the sound of these glad tidings 5 but there 
still existed in their minds some long-established errors which 
it was necessary to eradicate. Starting from the great truth 
that salvation is the gift of God, Zwingle inveighed power- 
fully against the pretended 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." || 

Zwingle foresaw the objections -this doctrine would excite 
among some of his hearers. They waited on him 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 dissolute. But of 
what importance are the fears and objections that the dainti- 
ness of men may suggest? Whosoever believes in Jesus 

* Mori voluit ut nos vitse restitueret Zw. Opp. i. 204. 

t Necesse fjiit ut voluntas humana in Christo se divina; submit- 
teret. Ibid. 

J Hostia est et victima, satisfacicns in rctcnmm pro peccatis omnium 
fidolium. Ibid. 253. Expurgata peccata multitudinis, hoc est, fidclia 
populi. Ibid. 264. 

Sequitur meritum nostrorum operum, nib.il esse quam vanitatem et 
stultitiam, ne dicam impietatem et ignorantem impudentiam. Ibid. 290. 

II Quotquot ad Deum vcucrunt unquam, per mortem Christ! ad Deua 
Ibid. 



POWER OF LOVE TO CHSIST. 353 

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? God, most gracious, most 

righteous Father of all mercies," exclaimed he in a transport 
of piety, " with what charity Thou hast embraced us, thine 

enemies I {- With what lofty and unfailing hopea Kast 

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 ! Thou wiliest, by this unspeakable 

love, to constrain us to return thee love for love!" 

Following out this idea, he proceeded to show that love to 
the Redeemer is a law more powerful than the command- 
ments. " 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 him4 Christ alone is his leader, and he 
needs no other guide." And then making use of a compari- 
son within the range of his hearers' intelligence, he added : 
" If a government forbids its citizens under pain of death to 
receive any pension or largess from the hands of foreigners, 
hoAv mild and easy is this law to those who, from love to their 
country and their liberty, voluntarily abstain from so culpable 
an action 1 But, on the contrary, how vexatious and oppres- 
sive it is to those who consult their own interest alone ! Thus 
the righteous man lives free and joyful in the love of righte- 
ousness, and the unrighteous man walks murmuring under 
the heavy burden of the law that oppresses him !" 

In the cathedral of Zurich there were many old soldiers 
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 ? Accordingly 
Zwingle, growing bolder, proclaimed to the people of Zurich 

* Certus est quod quidquid ex Deo est, boimm sit. Si ergo Evange 
lium ex Deo, bonum est. Zw. Opp. i. 208. 

f Quanta caritate nos fures et perduelles Ibid. 207. 

: Turn enim totus a Christo pendet. Christus est ei ratio, consilium 
justitia , innocentia et tota salus. Christus in eo vivit, in eo agit Ibid. 235 

Bonus vir in amore justitia) liber et lautus vivit Ibid. 234. 



354 CHRIST ALONE IS OUE MASTER. 

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 worthless," said the Christian orator. 
" Since every thing is done of him, in him, and by him, what 
can we lay claim to for ourselves 5 Wherever there is faith 
in God, there God is ; and wherever God abideth, there a 
zeal exists urging and impelling men to good works.* 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 ot 
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 him- 
self. " 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 other 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 Spirit of God is in unison with itself, since 
both of us, without any collusion, teach the doctrine of Christ 
with such uniformity. " 

Thus did Zwingle preach with courage and enthusiasm. || 
The vast cathedral could not contain the multitude of his 

* Ubi Deus, illic cura est et studium, ad opera bona urgens et impel- 
lens Zw. Opp. i. 213. 

f Vita ergo pii hominis nihil aliud est, nisi perpetua qusedam et hide- 
fessa boni operatic, quam Deus incipit, ducit, et absolvit Ibid. 295. 

Quum ergo Deus pater nos elegit ex gratia sua, traxitque et vocavit, 
cur ad eum accedere non auderemus ? Ibid. 287. 

Quam concors sit spiritus Dei, dum nos tarn procul dissiti, nihil col- 
ludentes, tarn concorditer Christi doctrinam docomus. Ibid. 276, 

II Quam fortis sis in Christo pradicaiido. Zw. Epp. p. 160. 



EFFECTS OF ZWINGLE's PEEACHESO. 355 

hearers. All praised God for the new life that was begin* 
ning 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 country. 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 Caesar; 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 Myco- 
nius for teacher, virtue and sacred learning are reviving 
among us. fortunate Helvetia ! if at last thou wouldst 
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 youP'f "Thou 
hast armed thyself with an intrepid courage," wrote Hedio 
from Basle ; " I will follow thee as far as I am able." J " I 
have heard thee,"wrote Sebastain Hofmeister of Schaffhausen 
from Constance. " Would to God that Zurich, which is at 
the head of our happy confederation, were healed of its dis- 
ease, so that the whole body might be at length restored to 
health !" 

But Zwingle met with adversaries as well as admirers. 
"Why," said some, " does he busy himself with the affairs of 

Switzerland?" "Why," said others, "does he repeat the 

game things in every sermon?" In the midst of all this 
opposition, dejection often came over Zwingle's soul. Every- 
thing seemed in his eyes falling into confusion, and society 

* Helvetian! longe feliciorem, si tandem liceat te a bellis conquies 
jero ! Zw. Epp. p. 128. 

t At video mendacium esse, cum audiaris per totaia Helvetiam. 
[bid. p. 135. 

J Sequar te quoad potero Ibid. p. 134. 

Ut capite felicis patrirc nostrae a morbo erepto, sanitas tandem in 
rek'qua membra reciperetur. Ibid. p. 147. 



850 DEJECTION AND COURAGE STAHELI. 

to be on the eve of a general convulsion.* He thought it 
impossible for any new truth to appear, without its antago- 
nistic 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 im- 
purities, the more men like Hercules must we call up to 
cleanse these Augean stables. I am under no apprehen- 
sions 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 waters ot 
Baden. The priest of this town, formerly one of the pope's 
guards, a man of kindly disposition but of the greatest ignor- 
ance, had obtained his benefice by carrying the halberd. 
Faithful to his military habits, he used to pass the day 
and part of the night in jovial company, while his curate 
Staheli was indefatigable in performing all the duties of his 
charge.^[ Zwingle sent for him and said : " I have need 01 
Swiss helpers ;" and from that moment Staheli was his 
fellow-labourer. Zwingle, Staheli, and Luti subsequently 
pastor at Winterthour, lived under the same roof. 

Zwingle's 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 their consolation and their strength. Afflicted 
at seeing the priests, and above all the monks, uttering 
shamelessly from the pulpit whatever came into their heads, 

* Omnia sursum deorsumque moventur. Zw. Epp. p. 142. 

f- Ut nihil proferre caput queat, cujus non contrarium o regione emer- 
gat. Ibid. 

J Ecclesiam puto, ut sanguine parta cst, ita sanguine instaurari. 
Ibid. p. 143. 

Eo plures armabis Hercules qui fimum tot hactenus boura cfferant 
Fbid. p. 144. 

|| Etiamsi fulmine Jovis istius fulminetur. Ibid. 

1 Misc. Tig. ii. 679-696 ; Wirz. i. 78, 79. 



INTERVENTION OF THE STATE. 357 

the council published a decree ordering them to preach 
nothing in their sermons " that they had not drawn from 
the sacred fountains of the Old and New Testaments."* It 
was in 1520 that the civil authority thus interfered for the 
first time in the work of the Reformation, acting as a 
Christian magistrate (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 ; depriv- 
ing 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 God. The Reformation in Switzerland then 
emerged from simple individualities, and became a national 
work. Bora in the hearts of a few priests and learned men, 
it extended, rose up, and took its station on higher ground. 
Like the waters of the sea, it rose gradually, until 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 conversing 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 

* Vetuit eos Senatus quicquam prsedicare quod non ex sacrarum liter- 
arum utriusque Testamenti fontibus hausissent. Zw. Opp. iii. 28. 
f Wir waren aber gut geriistet. Misc. Tig. ii. 681 ; Wirz. i. 834. 



358 MARTYRDOM OP GALSTER. 

measures. An aged man of Schaffhausen, named Galster, 
possessing a just spirit and a fervour rare at his age, and 
rejoicing in the light he had found in the Gospel, endea- 
voured to communicate it to his wife and children ; 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 de- 
signs, left his house broken-hearted, and fled to the neigh- 
bouring 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 re-echoed 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.* 



CHAPTER X. 

A new Combatant The Reformer of Berne Zwingle encourages 
Haller The Gospel at Lucerne Oswald persecuted Zwingle'a 
Preaching Henry Bullinger and Gerold of Knonau Rubli at Baslo 
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 candour, simplicity, and 
diffidence.-J- He introduced himself as Berthold Haller, and 
on hearing his name Zwingle embraced the celebrated 
preacher of Berne with that affability which imparted such 

* Wirz. i. 510 ; Sebast. Wagner, von Kirchhofer, p. 18. 
f Animi tui candorem simplicem et simplicitatem candidissimam, 
hac tua pusilla quidem epistola Zw. Epp. p. 186. 



THE REFORMER OF BERNE. 359 

a charm to his manners. Haller was born at Aldingen in 
Wurtemberg,* and had studied first at Rotwyl under Ru- 
bellus, and next at Pforzheim, where Simmler was his pre- 
ceptor and Melancthon his fellow-pupil. The Bernese had 
about that time resolved on attracting literary men to their 
republic, which had already become so famous by its feats 
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 announced him. Thus did Haller and 
Zwingle meet. Haller, a man of meek disposition, confided 
to Zwingle all his trials ; and Zwingle, the strong man, in- 
spired 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 pul- 
pit and retire to Basle, to employ myself wholly, in Wittem- 
bach'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 of his terrors and 
promises. He alarms me by saying : Whosoever shall be 
ashamed of me before men, of him shall I be ashamed before 
my Father ; and he restores me to tranquillity by adding : 
Whosoever shall confess me before men, him also will I con- 
fess before my Father. my dear Berthold, take courage I 
Our names are written in imperishable characters in the 
annals of the citizens on high.-J- I am ready to die for Christ.! 

Oh! that your fierce bear-cubs," added he, "would 

hear the doctrine of Jesus Christ, then would they grow 
tame. But you must undertake this duty with great gentlc- 

* Ita ipse in literis MS. J. J. Hott. iil 54. 

t Scripta tamen habeatur in fastis supernorum civium. Zw. Epp 
p. 186. 

J Ut mori pro Christo non usque adeo detrectem apud me. Ibid. p. 187 

Ut ursi tui ferociusculi, audita Christi doctrina, mansuescere inci- 
piant. Ibid. The reader will remember that a bear figures in the shield 
Df Berne. 



360 THE GOSPEL AT LUCERNE. 

ness, lest they should turn round furiously, and rend you m 
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 Zwinglc'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 devour him. 

It was in another quarter, however, that the persecution 
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 they heard one word of peace calculated to 
restrain their warlike disposition. When Luther's 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 cham- 
bers were filled with devils, surrounding and gazing upon 

them with a sarcastic leer.f They hastily closed the 

volume and flung it aside in terror. Oswald, who had heard 
of these singular visions, never spoke of Luther, except to 
his most intimate friends, and was content simply to an- 
nounce the Gospel of Christ. Yet notwithstanding this mo- 
deration, loud cries were heard in the city : " We must burn 

Luther and the schoolmaster (Myconius)!"J " I am 

assailed by my adversary, like a ship in a hurricane at sea," 
said Oswald to one of his friends. One day at the begin- 
ning of the year 1520, he was suddenly called before the 
council. " You are enjoined," said they, " never to read 

Donee Christum, cucullatis nugis longe a nobis exulem pro virili 

restituerim. Zw. Epp. p. 187. 

j- Dum Lutherum semel legerint, ut putarent stubellam suam plenam 
fsae dscmonibus. Ibid. 137. 

Clamatur hie per totam civitatem : Lutherum comburendum et ludi 
magistrum. Ibid. 153. 

Non aliter me impelluiit quam procellse marinas navem aliquant. 
Ibid. 159. 



.03 OSWALD PERSECUTED. 36) 

Luther's works to your pupils, never to mention him before 
them, and never even to think of him."* The lords of Lu- 
cerne 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 remained quietly in his 
place, as if the matter did not concern him. But on leaving 
the church, as he was walking with his friend the Canon 
Xyloctect, one of the councillors, 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. " I live," said Myconius, 
" in the midst of savage wolves ; but I have this consolation, 
that most of them have lost their teeth. They would bite if 
they could ; but as they cannot, they merely howl." 

The senate ws 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 an- 
other. " He is a seducer of yo uth," said a third " Lei him 

appear! let him appear!" cried all. The poor schoolmaster 
came before them, and heard 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." 
' Whilst the truth thus met with so many obstacles at Lu- 
cerne, it was triumphant at Zurich. Zwingle laboured un- 
ceasingly. Desirous of meditating on the whole of Scripture 
in the original languages, he applied himself diligently to the 
study of Hebrew under the direction of John Boschenstem, 

* Imo ne in mentem eum admitterem. Zw. Epp. p. 159. 
t Si Christus non csset, jam olim defecissem. Ibid. p. 160. 

VOL. n. 10 



3G2 ZWINGLE'S COURSE OF PREACHING. 

Reuchlin's pupil. But .his object in studying the Scriptures 
was to preach them. On Fridays, the peasants who came in 
crowds, bringing their produce to the market of the city, 
showed great eagerness for the Word of God. To satisfy 
their wants, Zwingle had begun, in the month of December 
1 520, to expound the Psalms every market-day, preparing his 
sermon by previous meditation on each particular text. The 
reformers always combined learned pursuits with their prac- 
tical labours : these labours were their end, their studies 
were but the means. They were not less zealous in the 
closet than before the people. The union of learning and 
love is a characteristic feature of this epoch. 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 doc- 
trine of Christ had been propagated. He next set forth 
the rule of a Christian life, as inculcated in the Epistles to 
Timothy ; he made use of the Epistle to the Galatians to 
combat doctrinal errors, and combined with it the two Epistles 
of Peter, to demonstrate 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 floAv from the gift ol 
Jesus Christ, the great high-priest of the Christian. 

But Zwingle did not confine himself to adult men alone ; 
he endeavoured to kindle in the young also a sacred fire by 
which they should be animated. One day in the year 1521, 
as he was engaged in his closet studying the Fathers of the 
Church, extracting the most remarkable passages, and care- 
fully classifying them in a thick volume, he saw a young 
man enter whose features strongly interested him.* It was 
Henry Bullinger, 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 Christen- 
dom. The handsome youth fixed his eyes successively on 
the reformer and his books, and felt a call to follow Zwingle's 

* Ich hab by im ein gross Buch gesehen, Locorum communium ; als 
ich by ihra wass, anno 1521 , dorinnen er Sententias und Dogmata Palrum- 
flysSig jedes au seinem ort verzeicb.net. Bullinger Chronik. 



GEROLD VON KNONAU. 3G3 

example. The latter welcomed him with that cordiality which 
won every heart. This first visit had a powerful influence 
over the whole life of the student, after he had returned 
to his father's hearth. Another young man had also gained 
Zwingle's affection ; this was Gerold Meyer von Knonau. His 
mother, Anna Reinhardt, who subsequently occupied an im- 
portant place in the life of the reformer, had been a great 
beauty, and was still distinguished by her virtues. A young 
man of noble family, John Meyer von Knonau, who had been 
brought up at the court of the Bishop of Constance, to whom 
he was related, had conceived an ardent affection for Anna ; 
but she belonged to a plebeian family. The elder Meyer von 
Knonau had refused his consent to their union, and disin 
herited 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 grand- 
father was inexorable. One day, however, the widow's ser- 
vant 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 beautiful child, so buoyant with life and fresh- 
ness, belonged. " It is your son's," was the reply. The old 
man's heart was touched the ice was melted everything 
was forgotten, and he clasped in his arms the wife and the 
children 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 sur- 
rounded, alas ! by the dead bodies of his enemies. Thinking 
that Gerold could not find in Zurich sufficient resources for 
study, Zwingle in 1521 sent him to Basle. 

The young Von Knonau did not find Hedio, Zwingle's friend, 
in that city. As Capito was obliged to accompany the Arch- 

* Luget des Kindts Gressvater zum f anster uss, und ersach das Kind in 

der Fischer-branten (Kufe ), so fr'ach (frisch) und frb'lich sitzen Archives 

des Meyer de Knonau, quoted in a notice of Anna Reinhardt, Erlangeni 
1835, by M. Gerold Meyer yon Knonau. I am indebted to the kindness 
of this friend for the elucidation of several obscure passages in the life 
of Zwingle. 



364 RUBLI AT BASLE. 

bishop Albert to the coronation of Charles V., he had engaged 
Hedio to supply his place at Mentz. Basle thus successively 
lost her most faithful preachers ; the Church seemed aban- 
doned, 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 in- 
vocation 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 instead 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 : osten- 
tation 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 
immediately filled the square of the Cordeliers. " Protect 
our preacher," said the citizens to the council. Fifty ladies 
of distinction interposed in his favour, but Rubli was com- 
pelled 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 an 
humble voice distinctly proclaiming the Gospel doctrines. It 
was that of the youthful Wolfgang Wissemburger, 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 chaplain than they had for the 
haughty Rubli himself. Wolfgang began to read mass in 
German. The monks renewed their clamours; 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 suc- 
cess of the Reformation at Basle was an omen of still greater. 

* Dieweil er ein Burger war und sein Vater des Baths. Fridolin 
Ryfif s Chronik. 



ZUEICH ZWINGLE ON FOREIGN SEEVICE. 365 

At the same time, it was of much importance to the progress 
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 the new temple 
were extending. The Reformation in Switzerland was at- 
taining a higher stage of development. 

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 ears," said the French general 
Lautrec.* This ill-timed jest increased the pontiffs anger. 
The King of France claimed the support of the Swiss can- 
tons, which, with the 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 confi- 
dence in his dexterity and eloquence, hastened to this city to 
procure soldiers for his master. But he met with a resolute 
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 standards 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 picture his patriotic and Christian soul 
thrilled with horror. He thundered from the pulpit : " Will 
you," exclaimed he, "tear in pieces and destroy the con- 
federation ?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 

mantles and the hats they wear are red ; shake these gar- 

* 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. 1523. 

+ Sagt wie es ein fromme Eidtgaosscliafft zertrennen und umbkehreu 
wurde. Bull. Chrouik. 



366 ZWINGLE ON TRADITION. 

ments, and down will fall ducats and crowns ; but if you 
wring them, you will see them dripping with the blood ol 
your brothers, your fathers, your sons, and your dearest 

friends!"* In vain did Zwingle 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 influ- 
ence was not, however, lost. For many years after the ban- 
ners of Zurich were not unfolded and carried through the 
gates of the city in behatf of foreign princes. 



CHAPTER XL 

Zwingle opposes Human Traditions Commotion during Lent Truth 
triumphs amidst Opposition The Bishop's Deputies Accusation be 
fore 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. 

WOUNDED in his feelings as a citizen, Zwingle devoted him- 
self with fresh zeal to the preaching of the Gospel. His 
sermons increased in energy. " I will never cease labouring 
to restore the primitive unity of the Church of Christ," said 
lie.-}- 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 
vigour. After having laid the foundations of the new build- 
ing, 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 

* Sie tragen billig rothe hut und mantel, dan schiite man sie, so fallen 
Cronen und Duggaten heraus, winde man sie, so riint deines Bruders, 
Vaters, Sohns und guten Freunds Blut heraus. Bull. Chronik. 

f Ego veterem Christi Ecclesiae unitatein iustaurare non desinam. Zw, 
Opp Ui. 47. 



.j DISTURBANCE DUEING LENT. 367 

now find any savour in the wretched nutriment of human 
traditions."* And then attacking the compulsory abstinence 
from meat at certain seasons, he exclaimed with his artless 
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 slaughter ! "-5- 

At this daring language the partisans of the military 

capitulations, who were present in the assembly, shuddered 
with indignation and anger, and vowed never to forget it. 

While Zwingle was preaching thus energetically, he still 
continued to say mass ; he observed the established usages 
of the Church, and even abstained from meat on the ap- 
pointed 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 Saint 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 Saturday. On this they greatly 
.prided themselves. The question of fasting engrossed every 
mind. An inhabitant of Lucerne having come to Zurich, 
said to one 6f his friends in this city : " .You worthy con- 
federates 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 

butcher If it be an affair of money, one is certainly as 

good as the other." | The council having received a com- 
plaint against the transgressors of the ecclesiastical ordi- 
nances, 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 authority should have come to 

* Gustum non aliquis humanarum traditionum cibus vobis arridere 
potuerit. Zw. Opp. L 2. 

f- Aber menschenfieisch verkoufen und ze Tod schlahen-. ...Zw. Opp. 
i. part ii. p. 301. 

J So haben wir's yon dem Metzger crkaufft Bull. Chronik. 



368 RELIGION TURIVES UNDER ATTACKS. 

some decision on the matter. The other members of the 
clergy concurred in his sentiments. 

The enemies of the truth took advantage of this fortunate 
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, " is the destroyer 
and not the keeper of the Lord's fold."* 

The ambitious Faber, Zwingle's old friend, had just re- 
turned from Rome full of fresh zeal for the papacy. From 
the inspirations of this haughty city were destined to 
proceed the first religious troubles in Switzerland. A de- 
cisive struggle between the evangelical truth and the re- 
presentatives of the Roman pontiff was now to take place. 
Truth acquires its chief strength in the attacks that are 
made upon it. It was under the shade of opposition and 
persecution that Christianity at its rise acquired the power 
that eventually overthrew all its enemies. At the epoch 
of its revival, which forms the subject 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. With-, 
out 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 other- 
wise have remained lifeless on the spot where they had 
fallen. The tree, that was destined to shelter the people of 
Switzerland, had been deeply planted in her 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 
't, but they only made the conflagration fiercer and more 
extensive. , 

In the afternoon of the 7th of April 1522, three eccle- 

* Grills dominici popuiator esse, non custos ant pastor. Zw. Opp. 
tii. 28. 



THE BISHOP'S DEPUTIES ACCUSATION. 3W 

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 Melchioi 
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 business.* 
It was already dark when Luti ran to Zwingle and said . 
" The bishop'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 delivered a speech 
which his opponents described as haughty and violent ;-{- 
he studiously refrained, however, from uttering Zwingle's 
name. A few priests, recently gained over to the Gospel, 
were thunderstruck ; their pallid features, their silence, and 
their sighs betrayed their total loss of courage.:}: Zwingle now 
stood up and answered in a manner that effectually silenced 
his adversaries. At Zurich, as in the other cantons, the 
most violent enemies 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 oi 
safety, and God made use of it to save the cause of the Gospel. 

* Zw. Opp. iii. 8 J. J. Hottinger, iii. 77. Ruchat, i. 134, 2d edition, 
and others say, that Faber headed this deputation. Zwingle namea 
the three deputies, but does not mention Faber. These writers hare 
probably confounded two different offices of the Roman hierarchy, those 
of coadjutor and of vicar- general. 

f Erat tota oratio vehemens et stomachi superciliique plena. Zw 
Opp. iii. 8. 

Infinnos quosdam nuper Christo lucrifactos sacerdotes ofFensos ea 
scntirem, ex tacitis palloribus ac suspiriis. Ibid. 9. 
16* 



870 APPEAL TO THE GREAT COUNCIL THE COADJUTOR. 

The Two Hundred were convened. The partisans of the 
papacy made every exertion to prevent Zwingle's admission ; 
he struggled hard to obtain a hearing, knocking at every 
door, and leaving not a stone unturned,* to use his own 
expression ; but in vain ! " It is impossible," said the bur- 
gomasters ; " the council has decided to the contrary." 
;< Upon this," says Zwingle, " I remained tranquil, and with 
deep sighs laid the matter before Him who heareth the groans 
of the captive, beseeching him to defend his Gospel." -j- 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 re- 
sisted : 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 Zurich ; 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," 
Bays 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 capable of bringing the 
simple to a knowledge of salvation ; J and the shepherds of 
the flock have nothing more to do than explain their mean- 
uig to the people." 

* Frustra din movi omncm lapidem. Z\v. Opp. iii. 9. 

+ Ibi ego quiescere ao suspiriis reru agere ccepi apud eum qui audit 
Rcmitum compeditorum. Ibid. 

t Unicas esse per quas simpliccs christiaui ad agnitiouem salutis in- 
ducerentur. Ibid. 10 



THE COADJUTOX AND ZWINGLE. 371 

As soon as the coadjutor had finished his speech, he pre- 
pared 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." 

THE COADJUTOR. " We have no commission to dispute 
with any one." 

ZWINGLE. " I have no wish to dispute, but to state fear- 
lessly what I have been teaching up to this hour." 

THE BURGOMASTER ROUST, addressing the deputation from 
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 discussion 
to be held with him." 

ZWINGLE. " How long since has it been customary to ac- 
cuse 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 salva- 
tion and of life, listen to me.* If you cannot as deputies, at 
least do so as Christians." 

After firing her guns in the air, Rome was hastily retreat- 
ing 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 ;{ again the burgomaster entreated the deputies 
to remain. Abashed and speechless, they returned to their 
places^when Zwingle said : 

" The reverend coadjutor speaks of doctrines that are sedi- 
tious 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 circumstance which all 
good citizens ascribe to the Gospel. Is not Christianity 

* Ob communcm fidem, ob communem baptismum, ob Christum vita? 
salutisque auctorem. Zw. Opp. iii. 11. See vol. I. p. 145 bot. 
f- Ccapit murmur audiri civiuiu indignantium. Ibid. 



372 ZWINGLE'S REPLY. 

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 ? f Yes ! there 
is another way, besides these vain observances, to bring 
the unlearned people to the knowledge *of the truth. It is 

hat which Christ and his apostles followed the Gospel 

itself! Let us not fear that the people cannot understand it 
He who believes, 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 it 
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 not be ac- 
cused 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 con- 
fessed 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. To explain the 
Gospel and to follow it is our whole duty as ministers of 
Christ. Let those who live upon ceremonies 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 controverted point, and 
that in the meanwhile the people should abstain from eating 

* Imo Christianismum ad communem jostitiam scrvaudam esse poteu- 
tissimum. Zw. Opp. Hi. 13. 

f Ceremonias haud quicquam alind agere, quam et Christo et ejus fide- 
libus os oblinere. Ibid. 

Quicquid hie agitur drvino fit afflatu, non humano ratiooinio. Ibid. 

Extra ilkm neminem salrari. Ibid 15. 



POSITION OP THE TWO PARTIES. 73 

meat during Lent. This was leaving the matter in statu 
quo, and replying to the bishop by seeking to gain time. 

This discussion had forwarded the work of the Reforma- 
tion. The champions of Rome and those of the new 
doctrine had met face to face, as it were, in the presence of 
the whole people ; and the advantage had not remained on 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 courage to the 
whole army 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 attacked these false apostles and their Ananiahs those 

whited walls The satellites of Antichrist can never do 

more than gnash their teeth at you !" From the farthest 
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 
ef their blows. Hoffman laid before the chapter a volu- 
minous accusation against the reformer. " Suppose," he 
said, " the priest could prove by witnesses what sins or 
what disorders had been committed by ecclesiastics in cer- 
tain convents, streets, or taverns, he ought to name no 
one ! Why would he have us understand (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 

* Ut vulgo jactatum sit, nunquam ultra copias sarturos. Zw. Epp. p. 203. 
+ Vale renascentis Theologise decus. Letter of Urban Regius. Ibid. 
225. 
Die andern aber aus Rinnen und Ffutzen. Simml. Samml. Wirz. i 



374 MOUKNING AND JOY IN GERMANY. 

the diversity of men's minds, that every preacher should 
reach 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 
J 6th of April he published a treatise on the free use of meafs.f 



CHAPTER XII. 

Mourning and Joy in Germany Plots against Zwingle The Bishop's 
Mandate Archeteles The Bishop's Appeal to the Diet Injunction 
against attacking the Monks Zwingle's Declaration 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 Wartburg, of the 
mighty apostle who had first arisen in the bosom of the 
Church. Already many pastors and believers, 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 Frankfort, whom Luther had 
visited on his road to Worms, wrote to Zwingle : " Oh ! 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." J 

But it was not in Germany alone that the adversaries were 
plotting against the friends of the Reformation. Not an hour 
passed in which the means of getting rid of Zwingle were 

* Ut cornu rehemens taurus aristas. Zw. Epp. p. 203. 
+ De delectu et libero ciborum usu. Zw. Opp. i. 1. 
J Et ut iis, qui ob malorum episcoporum samtiam anobia submoventor, 
prodesse velis. Zw. Epp. p. 208. 



PLOTS AGAINST ZWINGLE's LIFE. 375 

not discussed.* One day he received an anonymous letter, 
which he communicated immediately to his two curates. 
" Snares surround you on every side," wrote his secret 
friend ; " a deadly poison has been prepared to take away 
your life.-{- Never eat food but in your own house, and only 
what has been prepared 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 
that of Delphi. I am your friend; you shall know me 
hereafter." f 

On the next day after that in which Zwingle had re- 
ceived this mysterious epistle, just as Staheli was entering 
the Water-church, a chaplain stopped him and said ; 
" Leave Zwingle's house forthwith ; a catastrophe is at 
hand 1" Certain fanatics, who despaired of seeing the Refor- 
mation checked by words, were arming themselves with 
poniards. Whenever mighty revolutions are taking place 
in society, assassins ordinarily spring from the foul dregs of 
the agitated people. God watched over Zwingle. 

Whilst the murderers were beholding the failure of their 
plots, the legitimate organs of the papacy were again in com- 
motion. The bishop and his councillors resolved to renew 
the war. Intelligence of this reached Zwingle from every 
quarter. The reformer, in full reliance on the Word of God, 

said with noble intrepidity: "I fear them as a lofty 

rock fears the roaring waves <rvv r$ Qt$, with the aid of 

God !" added he. On the 2d of May, the Bishop of Con- 
stance published a mandate, in which, without naming either 
Zwingle or Zurich, he complained that speculative persons 
were reviving doctrines already condemned, and that both 
learned and ignorant were in the habit of discussing in 
every place the deepest mysteries. John Vanner, preacher 
of the cathedral at Constance, was the first attacked : 
" I prefer," said he, " being a Christian with the hatred of 

* Nulla prceteriit bora, in qua non fiercnt consultationes insidiosis- 

Osw. Myc. Vita Zw. 

^"Eraifix $icu.a.x.u. Xuyj. Zw. Epp. p. 199. 

J 2; tifti ; agnosces me postea. Ibid. 

Quos ita metuo, ut littus altum fluctuum undas minacium. Ibid. p. '203. 



370 AKCHETELES. 

many, to abandoning Christ for the friendship of the 
world."* 

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 addressed to the 
provost and chapter. " Sons of the Church," wrote the pre- 
late, " let those perish who will perish ! but let no one seduce 
you from the Church." -J- At the same time the bishop 
entreated the canons to prevent those culpable doctrines, 
which engendered pernicious sects, from being preached or 
discussed among them, either in private or in public. When 
this letter was read in the chapter, all eyes were fixed on 
Zwingle. The latter, understanding 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 signifies 

"the beginning and the end;" "for," said he, "I hope 

this first answer will also be the last." In this work he spoke 
of the bishop in a very respectful manner, 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 know- 
ledge of their own infirmities ; I have endeavoured to con- 
duct 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 Switzer- 
land can understand." And then, passing from a defensive 
to an offensive attitude, he added with great beauty : " When 
Julius Caesar felt the mortal wound, he folded his garments 
around him, that he might fall with dignity. The downfall 
of your ceremonies is at hand ! see at least that they fall 
decently, and that light be everywhere promptly substituted 
for darkness." J 

* Male esse Christianus cum multorum invidia, quam relinquere 
Christum propter mundanorum amicitiam. Z\v. Epp. p. 200, dated '2 J.I 
May. 

t Nemo vos filios ecclesise de ecclesia tollat ! Zw. Opp. iii. 35. 

1 In umbrarum locum, lux quam ocissime inducatur. Ibid. 69. 



THE BISHOP'S ADDRESS TO THE DIET. 37V 

This was the sole result of the bishop's letter to the chap- 
ter of Zurich. Since every friendly remonstrance had proved 
vain, it was necessary to strike a more vigorous 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.* Deputies from the bishop appeared before this 
bxly, stating that their master had issued a mandate for- 
bidding the priests in his diocese to make any innovation 
in matters of doctrine ; that his authority had been despised, 
and that he now invoked the support of the chiefs of the 
confederation to aid him in reducing the rebels to obedience, 
and in defending the true and ancient faith.f The enemies 
of the Reformation had the majority in this first assem- 
bly of the nation. Not long before, it had published a de- 
cree interdicting all those priests from preaching, whose 
sermons, in its opinion, were a cause of dissension among 
the people. This injunction of the diet, which then for the 
first time interfered with the Reformation, fell to the ground ; 
but now, being resolved to act with 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 parish- 
ioners. 

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 them- 
selves 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 favour. " If Zwingle 
will not hold his tongue," said they, " we will bawl louder 
than he." The diet had sided with the oppressors. The 
louncil of Zurich knew not what to do. On the 7th of June 

* Nam er ein anderen weg an die Hand ; schike seine Boten, &o. 
Bullinger Chronik. 
f Und den wahren altcn glauben crlialtcn. Ibid. 



378 ZWINGLE'S DECLARATION. 

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 Bul- 
linger's chronicle, " which made them all look at one another."* 
Tranquillity was not restored; the battle that was fought 
from the pulpit every day grew hotter. The council nomi- 
nated a deputation before which the pastors of Zurich and the 
readers and preachers of the convents were summoned to 
appear in the provost's house; after a lively debate, the burgo- 
master enjoined both parties to preach nothing that might 
endanger the public peace. " I cannot comply with this in- 
junction," said Zwiugle ; " I am resolved to preach the 
Gospel freely and unconditionally, in conformity with the 
previous ordinance. I am bishop and pastor of Zurich ; to 
me has been confided the cure of souls. It is I who have 
taken oath, and not the monks. They ought to yield, and 
not I. If they preach lies, I will contradict them, even in 
the pulpits of their own convents. If I myself teach a doc- 
trine contrary to the holy Gospel, then I desire to be re- 
buked, not only by the chapter, but by any citizen whatso- 
evei 5f and moreover to be punished by the council." " We 
demand permission," said the monks, " to preach the doc- 
trines of St. Thomas." The committee of the council deter- 
mined, after proper deliberation, " That Thomas (Aquinas), 
Seotus, and the other doctors should be laid aside, and that 
nothing should be preached but the Gospel." Thus did the 
truth once more prevail. But the anger of the papal parti- 
sans was augmented. The ultramontane canons could not 
conceal their rage. They stared insolently at Zwingle in 
the chapter, and seemed to be thirsting for his blood.J 

These menaces did not check Zwingle. There was still 
one place in Zurich where, thanks to the Dominicans, the 
light had not yet penetrated : this was the nunnery of CEten- 
bach. 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, 

* Liess die Rathstuben einen grossen Knall. Bull. Chronik. 
t sondern voii einem jedem Burger wyssen. Ibid. 
3 Oculos in me procacius torqucnt, ut cujus caput peti gauderent. 2w 
Oir iii.29- 



raE NUNS OF CETENBACH SCIFWYTZ. 379 

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 Dominicans, and preached " on the clearness 
and certainty of the Word of God."* He subsequently pub- 
lished this remarkable discourse, which did not fall on barren 
ground, and which still further exasperated the monks. 

A circumstance now occurred that extended this hostility, 
and communicated it to many other hearts. The Swiss, 
under the command of Stein and Winkelreid, had just suf- 
fered a bloody defeat at the Bicocca. They had made a 
desperate charge upon the enemy, but Pescara's artillery and 
the lansquenets of that Freundsberg whom Luther had met 
at the door of the hall of assembly at Worms, had over- 
thrown both commanders and standards, while whole com- 
panies had been mown down and suddenly exterminated. 
Winkelreid 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 de- 
cimated. The bloody relics of this frightful combat had 
returned to 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 pain as Zwingle. He imme- 
diately wrote an address to Schwytz dissuading the citi- 
zens of this canton from foreign service. " Your ancestors," 
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 country. The scourge 
of God chastises our confederate nations, 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 Nicholas de Flue, ^ and followed up the 

* De claritate et certitudine verbi Dei. Zw. Opp. i. 66. 

t Ein gottlich Vermanung an die eersamen, etc. Eidgnossen zu Scliywz. 
Ibid, part ii. 206. 

J In 1481, the confederates were on the brink of civil war, when a 
hermit of Uuterwalden (Nicholas de Flue) repaired to Stanz, where the 
diet were assembled, calmed their angry passions, aad restored tranquil* 
lity and peace. 



ZWINGLE AND SCHWYTZ. 

exhortations of this man of peace. This address having been 
presented to the assembly of the people of Schwytz, 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 repeal of this ge- 
nerous resolution, and Schwytz, from that 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 ministerwho was endeavouring 
to avert from his country so many misfortunes and such 
deep shame. An opposition, growing more violent every day, 
was formed in the confederation against Zwingle and Zurich. 
The usages of the Church and the practices of the recruiting 
officers, as they were attacked conjointly, mutually supported 
each other in withstanding the impetuous blast of that reform 
which threatened to overthrow them both. At the same time 
enemies from without were multiplying. It was not only 
the pope, but other foreign princes also, who vowed a pitiless 
hostility to the Reformation. Did it not pretend to with- 
draw 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 bring- 
ing to its aid men who had been persecuted for their faith. 



CHAPTER XIII. (<#. 

A French Monk He teaches in Switzerland Dispute between Zwingle 
and the Monk Discourse of the Commander of the Johannites The 
Carnival at Berne The Eaters of the Dead The Skull of St. Anne 
Appeuzel The Orisons Murder and Adultery Zwingle's Marriage. 

ON Saturday the 12th of July there appeared in the streets 
of Zurich a monk of tall, thin, and rigid frame, wearing the 



A FRENCH MONK. 381 

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, how- 
ever, he was able to make lumself 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 apostolical preacher of the convent-general of Avignon, 
has been teaching the Christian truth for 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 Romish 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." { The Frenchman 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 Lausanne, on the shores of the 
same lake. Zwingle, highly 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 sermons, in which he inveighed forcibly against 
the errors of Rome ; but in the fourth, he defended the invo- 
cation of Mary and the saints. 

" Brother!, thou art mistaken,"! immediately exclaimed 
an animated voice. It was Zwingle's. Canons and chap- 
lains 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 July the two champions met in the conference 

* Kam em langer, gerader, barfusser Monch ritte auf einer 

Eselin. Fiisslin Beytrage, iv. 39. . 

. t A tali Franciscauo, Gallo, quse omnia mare superstitionum confluore 

faciunt, inaudita. Zw. Epp. p. 207. 

J Bruder, da irrest du. FUsslin Beytr. iv. 40. 



382 DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE MONK AND ZWINGLE. 

hall of the canons. Zwingle opened the Old and New Tes- 
tament 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,* exclaimed : " I thank 
thee, God, that by means of such an illustrious instrument 
thou hast brought me to so clear a knowledge of the trutli 1 
Henceforth," added he, turning to the assembly, " in all my 
tribulations I will call on God alone, and will throw asidfc 
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 was 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 contrary, 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 Lucerne was against him ; 
a fever preyed upon him ; the physicians declared that 
unless he removed to some other place, he 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 is ONE in heaven on whom all my hopes repose."-j- 

This hope was not delusive. It was about the end of 
March, and the feast of the Annunciation was approaching. 
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 surrounding districts, and several hundreds 

Dass er beyde Hande zusammen hob. Fiisslin, Beytr. iv. 40. 

+ Quicquid facio venenuin est illis. Sed est iu quern omnis spes mea 
recliuat. Zw. Epp. p. 192. 



THE COMMANDER OF THE JOHANNITES. S83 

of priests were assembled. The sermon at this solemn feast 
was usually delivered by some celebrated preacher. The 
commander of the Johannites, Conrad Schmidt of Kiissnacht, 
arrived to perform this duty. An immense congregation 
filled the church. Who shall describe the general astonish- 
ment, 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 fervoui 
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!-}- 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 him." 
Oswald could not contain himself for joy." " What a man !" 
cried he, " what a sermon ! what majesty ! what authority ! 
"now full of the spirit of Christ !" The effect was general. A 
solemn silence succeeded the agitation that filled the city ; 
but this was merely transient. If the people stop their 
ears to the voice of God, his calls become less frequent every 
day, and even cease entirely. This was the case with 
Lucerne. 

Whilst the truth was thus proclaimed from the pulpit at 
Berne, the papacy was attacked in the festive meetings ol 
the people. Nicholas Manuel, a distinguished layman, cele- 
brated for his poetical talents, and who had reached the 
highest offices of state, indignant at seeing his fellow-country- 
men so unmercifully plundered by Samson, composed some 
carnival dramas, in which he assailed the covetousness, pomp, 
and haughtiness of the pope and clergy with the stinging 
weapons of satire. On the Shrove Tuesday "of the lords" 
(the lords were then the clergy, and began their Lent eight 

Wolt er keine pracht tryben mit latein schwatzen, sondern gut 
ieutsch reden. Bullinger Chronik. 

t Abit a grege Christiano, ut caput tarn lutulentum et peccatia plenum 
acceptans, Christum abjio'at. Zw. Epp. p. 195. 



384 TIIE CARNIVAL AT BERNE. 

days before the people), nothing was talked of in Berne but 
a drama or mystery, entitled, The Eaters of the Dead, which 
some young persons were to act in the Rue de la Croix. The 
citizens crowded to the show. As a matter of art, these dra- 
matic sketches at the commencement of the sixteenth century 
possess some interest ; but it is with a very different 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 does not create, she can only adduce what she finds. 
At last the show begins, to the great delight of the im- 
patient 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 courtiers, his guards, 
and a motley crowd of priests of every degree ; behind them 
are nobles, laymen, and mendicants. Soon a funeral pro- 
cession appears ; it is a wealthy farmer they are carrying to 
his last home. Two of his relatives walk slowly in front of 
the coffin, with handkerchiefs in their hands. When the 
procession came before the pope, the bier was placed at his 
feet, and the acting began : 

FIRST RELATION, in a sorrowful tone. 
Noble army of the saints ! 
Hear, oh ! hear our sad complaints: 

Our cousin's dead the yawning tomb 

Has swallow'd him in life's first bloom. 

SECOND RELATION. 

No cost to monk or priest we'll spare ; 
We've a hundred crowns for mass and prayer, 
If thus from purgatorial fire 
We can but save our 'parted sire. * 

TUB SEXTON, coming out of the crowd around the pope, and running 
hastily to the parish priest, ROBERT MORE-AND-MORE. 

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 t 

* Kcin kosten soil uns dauern dran, 
Wo wir Monch und Prieeter mogen ha'n 

Uud sollt'es kosten hundert kronen. 

Bera. Mausol. iv. Wirz. K. Gcsch. i. 888. 



THE EATERS OF THE DEAD. 385 

The more the merrier then lire we !* 
Death is the best of games for me. 

THE SEXTON. 

Would it were so ! 'twould 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 1 
With salmon and pike, with barbel and tronl, 
It fills my house right merrily. 

THE PRIEST'S NIECE.-J- 
'Tis 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. 

'..JDI.NAL HIGH-PRIDE, wearing a red fiat, and standing near the popti 

Did we not love the heritage of death, 

Could we sweep off in life's young prime' 

On corpse-encumbered field such countless bands, 

Lured by intrigue, or else by envy urged ?J 

On Christian blood Rome fattens. Hence my hat 

And robe derive their sanguinary hue. 

My honours and my wealth are gain'd from death. 

BISHOP WOLF'S-BELLY. 

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. 

We priests were shepherds now, the peers of kings. 

And yet at times a shepherd's life I love. 

A VOICE. 
A shepherd's life ! 

* Jo mehr, je besser ! Kamen doch nocn zehn! Bern. MansoL iv. 
Wirz. K. Gesch. i. 383. 

T The German word (Pfaffenmetze) is more expressive, but leps decent. 
J Wenn mir nicht war' mit Todten wohl, 

So lag nicht mancher Acker voll, etc. Ibid. 
Wenn es stiind, wie im Anfang der Kilchen, 

Ich triige vielleicht grobes Tuch und Zwilchen. Ibid, 
VOL. n, 17 



386 THE EATERS OF THE DEAD. 



BISHOP WOLF'S-BELLY. 

Ay ! at shearing time. Shepherds and wolves are wt 
They, the poor sheep ; and if they feed us noi, 
They fall unpitied, by our ruthless fangs. 
Connubial sweets we are forbid to taste. 
'Tis wall ! 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 florius four I'm blind. 
Has he a child ? again his purse must bleed. 
'Tis thus a good round sum I net each year, 
Two thousaud florins ; but not e'en two pence* 
Would fall to me, were they discreet and wise. 
All honour to the pope ! With bended knee 
I bow before him. In his faith I'll 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 ga es 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, \ve should live 

Alas ! in poverty, and meanly die. 

Ah ! then farewell to richly harness'd steeds, 

To sumptuous chariots then a sullen ass 

Would bear the portly majesty of Rome.f 

No ! firmly Saint 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. 

A vaunt, vo 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 tht 

* The German is very expressive : 

So bin ich auf gut Deutsch eiu llurenwirth, &c. &c. Bern. Mausol iv 
Wirz. K. Gesch. i. 383. 

t Wit mochtcii fast kaum ein Eselein ha'n. Ibid. 



THE SKULL OP SAINT ANNE. 887 

reformers, and their anger against those who threatened to 
put a stop to their disorders, are painted in the liveliest colours 
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 seriously affected ; they spoke of Christian liberty and 
of the papal despotism ; they contrasted the simplicity of the 
(rospel with the pomp of Rome. The contempt of the 
people soon went beyond all bounds. On Ash Wednesday 
the indulgences were paraded through the streets, accom- 
panied with satirical songs. A heavy blow had been struck 
in Berne and in all Switzerland at the ancient edifice of 
Popery. 

Not long after this representation, another comedy was 
acted at Berne ; but in this there was nothing invented. 
The clergy, council, and citizens were assembled 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 appeared, carrying the holy relic 
enveloped in a silken cloth, before which the Bishop of Lau- 
sanne had humbly bent the knee as it passed through his 
city. The precious skull was borne in procession to the 
Dominican chupch ; 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 hi 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 Reformation was advancing in other parts of Switzer- 
land. In 1521, a young man of Appenzel, Walter 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 



388 APPENZEL AND THE GRISONS. 

youthful Christian. An innkeeper named Rausberg, mem- 
ber 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, per- 
secuted the evangelical ministers. One day, however, re- 
membering 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 Gos- 
pel. On witnessing the crowds that could not find room in 
the churches, he said : " Let the ministers preach in the 
fields and public places ;" and despite a violent opposition, 
the meadows, hills, and mountains of Appenzel often after- 
wards re-echoed with the tidings of salvation. 

This doctrine, proceeding upwards along the banks of the 
Rhine, spread even as far as the ancient Rhsetia. One day 
a stranger coming from Zurich crossed the stream, and entered 
the house of a saddler in Flasch, the first village of the Grisons. 
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 proclaiming the Gospel. 
The rumour 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 institution. 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 surrounded, the doors burst in ; 
they sought for the heretical preacher, but in vain : at last, 
the persecutors left the place.* 

Anhorn Wiedergeburt der ET. Kirchen in den 3 Biindteu. Chut 
1680; Win. i. 557. 



ADULTERY AND MURDER. 389 

The Word of God spread through the whole league of the 
ten jurisdictions. The priest of Mayenfeldt, having returned 
from Rome, whither he had gone in his irritation at the pro- 
gress of the Gospel, exclaimed : " Rome has made me evan- 
gelical!" and he became a fervent reformer. Erelong the 
Reformation extended over the league of " the house of God :" 
" Oh ! that you could see how the dwellers in the Rhaetian 
mountains are throwing off the yoke of the Babylonian cap- 
tivity !" wrote Salandronius to Vadian. 

Disorders of a revolting character hastened the time when 
Zurich and the neighbouring cantons snapped asunder the 
Roman yoke. A married schoolmaster, desiring to enter 
holy orders, obtained his wife's consent with this view, and 
they separated. The new priest, finding it impossible to 
observe his vow of celibacy, and unwilling to wound his 
wife's feelings, quitted the place where she lived, and went, 
into the see of Constance, where he formed a criminal con- 
nexion. His wife heard of this, and followed him. The 
poor priest had compassion on her, and dismissing the wo- 
man 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 ./nin- 

cillors of the consistory deliberated and ordered the curate 

either to forsake his wife or his benefice. The poorwte left 
her husband's house in tears, and her rival re-entered 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 mar- 
ried woman and lived with her. The husband, having re- 
turned 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 husband, and inflicted a 
wound of which the latter died.f All pious men felt th;> 
necessity of re-establishing the law of God, which declares 
marriage honourable in all.\ The evangelical ministers had 

" Simml. Samml. vi. ; Wirz. K. Gesch. i. 275. 

f- Hinc cum scorto redeuntem in itinere deprehendit, aggreditnr, lethi 
feroque vulnere caedit et tandem moritur. Zw. Epp. p. 20b'. 
Hebrews xiii. 4. 



890 ZWINOLE'S MARRIAGE. 

discovered that the law of celibacy was of human origin, im- 
posed by the pontiffs, and contrary to the Word of God, 
which, describing a faithful bishop, represents him as a hus- 
band and father (1 Timothy iii. 2, 4). At the same time 
they observed, that of all abuses that had crept into the 
Church, none had been a cause of more vice and scandal. 
They thought, therefore, that it was not only lawful, 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, Gerold'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 Gerold, who had become, as it were, his adopted 
son, drew him still closer to the mother. The sufferings un- 
dergone by this Christian woman, who was one day to be more 
cruelly tried than any woman recorded in history, had com- 
municated a seriousness that contributed to show forth her 
evangelical 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 himself 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 is undoubt- 
edly 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, f He sacrificed a portion of his happiness to 

* Anna Reinhard, von Gerold Meyer von Knonau, p. 25. 

f- Ein hochheiliges Biindniss. Ibid. 

Qui veritus sis, te marito non tarn felicitcr usurum Christum in 
uegotio vorbi sui. Z\v. Epp. p. 335. 



THE TRIUMPH OF TRUTH. 331 

these fears, excusable perhaps, but which he ought to have 
shaken off.* 



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 Reformers Effect of 
the Petitions to 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 Consterna- 
tion of Zwiugle's Brothers Zwingle's Resolution Tke Future 
Zwingle's Prayer. 

BUT far higher interests 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 doctrines likely to disturb the people. 

* Biographers, respectable historians, and all the writers who have 
copied them, place Zwingle's marriage two years later, iii April 1524. 
Without any intention of stating here all the reasons that have convinced 
me of their error, I shall put down simply the most decisive authorities. 
A letter from Myconius, Zwingle's intimate friend, dated 22d July 1522, 
has these words : Vale cum uxore quam felicissime. In another letter 
from the same, written about the end of the year, we read : Vale cum 
uxvre. The very contents of these letters prove the accuracy of their 
respective dates. But what is stronger still is a letter written from 
Strashurg by Bucer, at the very time Zwingle's marriage was made 
public, the 14th April 1524 (the date of the year is wanting, but internal 
evidence proves it to have been written in 1524), containing several pas- 
sagos which show that Zwingle must have been married some time : 
here are several, besides that quoted in the preceding note : " Professum 
palam te inaritum legi. Uninn hoc desiderabam in te. Qua; multo 
facilius quam connubii tui confessionem Antichristus posset ferre, 

Aymftty, ab eo, quod cum fratribus episcopo Coustantiensi congressus 

es, nullus credidi. --Qua rationo id tarn diu celares non dubitarim, 

rationibus hue adductum, quso apud virum evangelicum non queaut 
omnino repudiari, &c. 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 Reinhardam clandestino in 
matrimoiiio habebat ?" p. 210. This does not appear to be a doubtful 
point, but a fact which combines all the truth required in history. 



392 MEETING AT ENSIDLEN. 

Zwingle felt that the moment for action had arrived; and 
with his characteristic energy convened a meeting at Ein- 
sidlen of the ministers of the Lord who were friendly to 
the Gospel. 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 con- 
fession 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 assur- 
ance 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 Switzerland ; 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 June and the beginning of July 1522, 
pious ministers were seen from every side journeying to- 
wards the celebrated chapel of Einsidlen on a new pilgrim- 
age.* From Art in the canton of Schwytz, came its priest 
Balthasar Trachsel; from Weiningen, near Baden, the 
priest Staheli ; 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 Eiusidlen, joyfully received all these 
ministers of Jesus Christ into the old abbey. Subsequently 
to Zwingle's residence, this place had become the stronghold 
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, resolved 

* Thaten sich zusammen etliche priester. Bull. Chronik. 
f Zu Einsidlen batten sie alle Sichcrheit dahiu zu gehen und dort zu 
wohnen. J. J. Hottinger Helv. K. Gesch. iii. 86. 



PETITION TO THE BISHOP, 393 

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 obtain- 
ing the free preaching of the Gospel, and at the same time 
the abolition of compulsory celibacy, the source of such 
criminal disorders. All concurred in his opinion.* Ulricn 
had himself prepared the address. The petition to tho 
bishop was read first : this was on the 2d of July, and it was 
signed by all the evangelists named above. A cordial af- 
fection knit, together the preachers of the Gospel truth in 
Switzerland. There were many others who sympathized 
with the men who had met at Einsidlen ; such were Haller, 
Myconius, Hedio, Capito, (Ecolampadius, Sebastian Meyer, 
Hoflmeister, and Vanner. This harmony is one of the most 
beautiful features of the Swiss Reformation. These ex- 
cellent persons ever acted as one man, and remained friends 
until death. 

The men of Einsidlen felt that it was only by the 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 ecclesiastical superior in the address of the 
2d of July, " that truth which God the Creator has mani- 
fested 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, of a few men. But this same Almighty God 
has resolved to re-establish it in its primitive estate. Unite, 
then, with those who desire the whole body of Christiana 

should return to their Head, which is Christ.f On om 

part, we are determined to proclaim his Gospel with indefa- 
tigable perseverance, and at the same time with such dis- 
cretion that no one shall complain of it.J Favour this 

* Und warden eins an den Bischoff zu Constanta und gmeiu Eidtgnos 
sen ein Supplication zu stellen. Bull. Chronik. 

t Ut universa Christianorum multitude ad caput suum, quod Christum 
est, redeat. Supplicatio quorundum apud Helvetios Eyangelistarunk 
Zw. Opp. iii. 18. 

Eraugelium irreiuisso tenore promulgare statuimus Ibid. 

17* 



394 PETITION TO THE BISHOP. 

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 hud 
nothing to ask in this respect ; he had such a wife as, ac- 
cording to Saint Paul's deseription, the wife of a minister 
of Christ should be grave, sober, faithful in all things. 
(1 Tim. iii. 11.) But he thought of his brethren, whose 
consciences were not as yet, like his own, emancipated from 
human ordinances. He longed, moreover, for that time when 
all the servants of God might live openly and fearlessly in the 
bosom of their families, having their children in subjection 
with all gravity. (1. Tim. iii. 4.) " You cannot be ignorant," 
said the men of Einsidlen, " how deplorably the laws of 
chastity have hitherto been violated by the priests. When 
in the consecration of the ministers of the Lord, they ask of 
him who speaks for all the rest : Are those whom you 
present to us righteous men ? he answers : They are 
righteous. Are they learned ? They are learned. But 
when he is asked : Are they chaste ? He replies : As far 
as human weakness permits.* The New Testament every- 
where condemns licentious intercourse ; everywhere it 
sanctions marriage." Here follows a great number of quo- 
tations. "It is for this reason," continued they, "we en- 
treat you, by the love of Christ, by the liberty he has pur- 
chased for us, by the wretchedness of so many feeble and 
wavering souls, by the wounds of so many ulcerated con- 
sciences, by all divine and human motives to permit 

what has been rashly enacted to be wisely repealed ; for 
fear the majestic edifice of the Church should fall with a 
frightful crash, and spread destruction far and wide.f Be- 
hold with what storms the world is threatened ! If wisdom 
does not interfere, the ruin of the priestly order is certain." 

* Suntne casti? reddidit : Quatenus humana imbecillitas pennittit 
Supplicatio, &c. Zw. Opp. iii. 18. 

t No qnando moles ista non ex patris coelestis sententia constructs, 
cum fragore longe perniciosiore corruat. Ibid. 24. 



PETITION TO THE CONFEDERATION. 395 

The petition to the confederation was longer still.* " Ex- 
cellent sirs," thus spoke the allies of Einsidlen to the confe- 
derates 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 pesti- 
lence, and in the midst of other calamities. It is in the 
name of sincere chastity that we address you. Who is un- 
aware that we should better satisfy the lust of the flesh by 
not submitting to the regulations 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.-J- We 
have all the same country, the same faith ; we are Swiss, 
and the virtue of our illustrious ancestors has always dis- 
played its power by an invincible defence of those who are 
unjustly oppressed." 

Thus in Einsidlen itself, in that ancient stronghold of super- 
stition, and which in our days is one of the most famous sanc- 
tuaries 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 Ein- 
sidlen separated 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 moun- 
tains, 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 
found the Gospel, expose themselves to every danger. But 
God preserved them all, so that no harm befell them ; for 

* Arnica et pia paraenesis ad communem Helvetiorum civitatem 
scripta, ne evangelicse doctrinse oursum impediant, &c. Zw. Opp. i. 39. 

f- Divini euim verbi auctoritatem, libertatis christianae et divinai 
eratiae presidium nobis adesse conspicietis. Ibid 63. 

t Es was zwahren gros zu donen Zyten Bull. Chronik. 



396 SCENE IN A CONVENT. 

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. 

Everything 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 some satisfaction 
to the Roman party, had summoned before them Conrad Gre- 
bel and Glaus Hottinger, two of those violent men who ap- 
peared desirous of overstepping the bounds of a prudent 
Reformation. " We forbid you," said the burgomaster 
Roust, " to speak against the monks and on the controverted 
questions." At these words a loud noise was heard in the 
chamber, says an old chronicle. God so manifested himselt 
throughout all this work, that the people saw signs of his 
intervention in everything. 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 indigna- 
tion 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 con- 
vent of Fraubrunn ; 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 doctrine that, in the Chris- 
tian 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 

* Da liess die Stube einen grossen Knall. Fiisslin Beytr. iv. 39. 

t Cum invalescente Baccho, disputationes, imo verius jurgia Z\v 

Epp. p. 230. 



OSWALD MYCONIUS. 397 

violent language of the guests, he rose boldly and said aloud : 
" Yes ! all true Christians are priests and sacrificers, as St. 
Peter says : Te 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! beggarly 

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 commo- 
tion. The diet had met in this city, and complaints arrived 
from every quarter against these daring 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 dinner in his own house with 
the canon Kilchmeyer and others favourably disposed to 
the Gospel, a youth sent by Zwingle stood at his door. 7 
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 to give up everything 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 !"J exclaimed Oswald, looking up to 
heaven, and adding immediately : " From this very hour 
this prayer should be the constant occupation of our hearts.' 
The petitions were circulated immediately, perhaps with 
more ardour than Zwingle had required. But the moment 
was extraordinary. Eleven men, the flower of the clergy, 
had placed themselves in the breach ; it was desirable to 

* Estote ergo Grseculi ac Donatistse regale sacerdotium Zw. Epp 

p. 230. 

-{- Venit piier, quern misisti, inter prandendum. Ibid. 209. 
t Deus ocepta fortune! Ibid. 



398 STRENGTH OP THE REFORMERS. 

enlighten men's minds, to decide the wavering, and to win 
over the most influential 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 conquered 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 
nothing but his Word. Your struggles impart unflinching 
courage to all who have devoted themselves to Jesus 
Christ."* 

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 them- 
selves, would neither praise nor blame them.-}- " These 
folks," said others, "will never succeed in this business!" 
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.| Oswald, who watched attentively these different 
impressions, felt his courage sinking. The Gospel future 
that he had pictured in Lucerne and Switzerland, seemed to 
vanish. " Our countrymen 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." 

In the council and the diet the irritation was greatest. 
The pope, France, England, the empire all were in com- 
motion 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 

* Is permaneas, qui es, in Christo Jesu Zw. Epp. p. 210. 

} Boni, qui pauci sunt, commendant libellos vestros ; alii nee laudaut 
nee vituperant. Ibid. 

J: Belli furor occupat omnia. Ibid. 

Nihil ob id apud Helvetica agendum de iisrebns quso Christi gloriao, 
possiint augere. Ibid. 



HALLER AND THE DIET. 399 

enough, that these eleven men should come with their 
petitions and superadd mere religious questions? The de- 
puties of Zurich alone inclined in favour 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 everything to 
fear. On the 13th of August he wrote to Zwingle : " Sen- 
tence 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 throw me into prison," said he, continu- 
ing his letter, " I 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 his 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 courage 
he explained the Gospel of St. Matthew, after Zwingle's ex- 
ample. A great crowd filled the cathedral of Berne. The 
Word of God operated more powerfully on the people than 
Manuel's dramas. Haller was summoned 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 influential members. " We must 
give him up to Mon seigneur of Lausanne." Haller's friends 
trembled at these words, and besought him to withdraw as 
soon as possible. The people surrounded him, and accom- 
panied 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 ic 
Berne. Sebastian Meyer refuted the pastoral letter of the 

* Tu vero' audi. Haec dum scriberem, irruit praco, a Seflatoribus 
missus Zw. Epp. p. 213. 



400 FKIBURG OSWALD DISMISSED. 

Bishop of Constance, 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 hundred, and the Gospel 
is older than the decrees of the pope."* 

About this time, the magistrates of Friburg intercepted 
some letters addressed to Haller and Meyer by a canon of 
that town, named John Hollard, a native of Orbe. They im- 
prisoned him, deprived him of his office, and finally banished 
him. John Vannius, a chorister of the cathedral, soon de 
clared in favour of the evangelical doctrine ; for in this war 
no soldier fell whose place was not immediately filled by an- 
other. " How can the muddy water of the Tiber," said Van- 
nius, " subsist beside the pure stream that Luther has drawn 
from the springs of St. Paul?" But the mouth of the cho- 
rister also was shut. " In all Switzerland you will hardly 
find men more unfavourably disposed towards sound doctrine 
than the Friburgers," wrote Myconius to Zwingle.f 

An exception must however be made as regards Lucerne ; 
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 Lu- 
cerne ; 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 breastplates, that as yet had re-echoed alone in this 
warlike city. Oswald had sacrificed everything for his coun- 
try ; he had quitted Zurich and Zwingle ; he had lost his 
health ; his wife was ailing ;| 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 

* Simml. Samml. vi. 

f Hoc audio vix alios esse per Helvetiam, qui pejus velint same ioc- 
trinae. Zw. Epp. p. 226. 
$ Conjux infirma. Ibid. 192. 



^OSWALD'S DISMISSAL. 401 

what should excite their compassion does but inflame then 
anger. Hertenstein, burgomaster of Lucerne, an old and 
valiant warrior, who had become celebrated in the Swabian 
and Burgundian wars, proposed 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 meet- 
ing 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 courageous 
deputy. But Berguer promised more than he could per- 
form. 

The burgomaster's tidings were but too true, and they were 
soon made known to the unhappy Myconius. He is strip- 
ped 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 nowhere 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 Lucerne.^ 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 pro- 
vide for my wants !" 

Thus wrote Oswald. He had not long to wait for the word 
of consolation. There was one man in Switzerland 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 

* Veniat ! efficiemus enim ne dormicndum sit ei sub dio. Zw. Epp 
p 216. 

f Nil exprobarunt nisi quod sim Lutheranus. Ibid. 
J Expdlitur ecce miser Myconius a Senatu Lucernano. Ibid. 215. 



i02 ZWINQLE CONSOLES 

are their attacks, that it is not only the wind and rain that 
burst upon it, as our Lord predicts (Matth. vii. 27), but also 
the hail and the thunder.* If I did not see that the Lord 
kept watch over the ship, I should long since have abandoned 
the helm ; blit 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. Let Him govern, let Him carry 
us forward, let Him hasten or delay, let Him plunge us 

even to the bottom of the deep we will fear nothing.-j- 

We are vessels that belong to Him. He can make use of us 
as he pleases, for honour or dishonour." 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 fhis language, Oswald followed the noble 
advice of thf- reformer ; but all his efforts were unavailing. 
This witness to tin truth was compelled to leave his country ; 
and the people of Lucerne decried him so much that in every 
quarter the magistrates prevented his finding an asylum. 
" Nothing remains for me but to beg my bread from door to 
door," | 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 his sick wife 

* Nee rentes ease, nee imbres, sed grandines et fulmina. Zw. Epp, 
p. 217. 

f Regat, vehat, festinet, maneat, acceleret, moretur, rnergat ! Ibid 

J Ostiatim quserere quod edam. Ibid, p, 245. 



ARREST OF URBAN WEISS. 403 

and infant child compelled to leave that ungrateful city, 
where, of all his family, one only of his sisters 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, accompanied 
by two feeble creatures, whose existence depended upon him, 
with eyes turned towards the lake, and shedding tears ovei 
his blinded country, bade adieu to those sublime scenes of 
nature, the majesty of which had surrounded his cradle, the 
Gospel itself departed 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, ordered the 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 
chronicle, " 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 dragged 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 rumour of his 
doctrines and of his struggles had passed the Sentis, pene- 
trated the Tockenburg, and reached the heights of Wildhaus. 
The family ofherdsmen from which the reformer had sprung. 

* Uss anstiffien der geistlichen, die zu alien Zyten Christum PMat< 
and Herodi viirstellea. Chroaik. 



.404 ALARM OF ZWINOLE'S BROTHERS HIS FIRMNESS. 

was deeply moved. Of Zwingle's five brothers, some had 
continued their peaceful mountain labours ; others, to their 
brother's great regret, had taken up arms, quitted their 
herds, and served a foreign prince. Both were alike asto- 
nished at the reports that reached their chalets. Already 
they pictured to themselves their brother dragged to Con- 
stance before the bishop, and a pile erected for his destruc- 
tion on the same spot where Jolin Huss had perished in the 
flames. These proud herdsmen could not endure the idea 
of being called the brothers of a heretic. They wrote to 
Zwingle, describing their pain and their fears. Zwingle 
replied to them as follows : " So long as God shall permit 
me, I will execute the task which he has confided to me, 
without fearing the world and its haughty tyrants. I know 
every thing that can befall lie. There is no danger, no 
misfortune that I have not carefully weighed long ago. My 
own strength is nothingness itself, and I know the power of 
my enemies ; but I know also that I can do every 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 milder 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 ! t 
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 labours have no other aim than to pro- 
claim to men the treasures of happiness that Christ hath 
purchased for us, that all might take refuge in the Father, 
through the death of his Son. If this doctrine scandalizes 
you, your anger cannot stop me. You are my brothers 

* Plus enim metuo no forte lenior, mitiorque fuerim. De semper casta 
virgine Maria. Zw. Opp. i. 104. 
-| Si vel igni vcl alio quodam supplicii genere tollaris e medio. Ibid. 



PROSPECTS ZWINGLE'S PRAYER. 405 

yes ! my own brothers, sons of the same father, fruit of the 

same womh; 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. Farewell. 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 of Myconius, saw, in his mis- 
fortunes, the beginning of calamities. Enemies in Zurich, 
ftnemies without ; a man's own relatives becoming his op- 
ponents ; a furious opposition on the part of the monks and 
priests ; violent measures in the diet and councils ; coarse 
and perhaps bloody attack* from the partisans of foreign 
service ; the highest valleys of Switzerland, that cradle of 
the confederation, pouring forth its invincible phalanxes, to 
save Rome, and annihilate at the cost of their lives the 
rising faith of the sons of the Reformation : such was the 
picture the penetrating eye of the reformer discovered in 
the distance, and he shuddered at the prospect. What a 
future ! Was the work, hardly begun, about to be destroyed ? 
Zwingle, thoughtful and agitated, laid all his anguish before 
ihe throne of God : " Jesus," said he, " thou seest how 
the wicked and the blasphemers stun thy people's ears with 
iheir clamours.-}- Thou knowest how from my childhood I 
Dave hated all dispute, and yet, in despite of myself, Thou 

nast not ceased to impel me to the conflict Therefore do 

I call upon Thee with confidence to complete what Thou 
hast begun. If I have built up any thing wrongly, do 
Thou throw it down with thy mighty hand. If I have laid 
any other foundation than Thee, let thy powerful arm destroy 
it.j vine abounding in sweetness, whose husbandman ia 
the Father, and whose branches we are, do not abandon thy 

* Prater vester germanus nunquam desinam, si modo vos fratres Chxisti 
esse perrexeritis. Zw. Opp. i. 107. 

f Vides enim, piissime Jesu, aures eorum septas esse nequiasimis su- 
surronibus, sycophantis, lucrionibus Ibid. iii. 74. 

i Si fuudamentam aliud pneter te jccero, demoliaris. Ibid. 



406 ZWTNGLE ; S PRAYER. 

shoots I* For Thou hast promised to be with us until thf 
end of the world!" 

It was on the 22d of August 1522 that Ulrich Zwingle, 
the reformer of Switzerland, seeing the storms descending 
from the mountains on the frail bark of the faith, thus poured 
forth before God the troubles and desires of his soul. 

* O suavissima vitis, cujus vinitor pater palmites vere nos Bumus, sa- 
tionem tuam ne deseras 1 Zw. Opp. iii. 74. 



END Of VOLUME SECOND. 



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