think at first of leaving the Pope; many divines, some car dinals, and the duke of Saxony, pleased with the justice of his cause, and his defence of it, took part with him; and the emperor Maximilian said, he ought to be protected. Nor had Luther any enemies, while he confined himself to writing against indulgences, except the monks and their agents, whose interest was at stake. These, indeed, raised a clamour against him: but their malice, without argument, increased his party.

John Eckius, professor, and vice-chancellor, of the university of Ingoldstadt, also opposed Luther; in which he was joined by Silvester Prierias, professor in the university of Padua, vicar-general of the Dominicans, and master of the sacred palace under pope Leo X. Luther opposed the indulgences by reasons: but Eckius and Prierias, not finding themselves sufficiently strong to answer him, had recourse to common places, and laid down for a foundation, the authority of the Pope, and consent of the schoolmen ; concluding, that indulgences ought to be received as an ar ticle of faith, since they proceeded from the Pope, who had approved the doctrine of the schoolmen, and was infallible in matters of faith. Eckius wrote his obelisks against Luther's thesis, without intending to publish it; and Luther published it together with his own refutation. Luther answered Eckius in another thesis, without intending to publish it; and Luther published it together with his own refutation. Luther answered Eckius in another thesis, about repentance; and asserted, "that the just man lives, not by the work of the law, but by faith." He had another adversary in Jacobus Hogostratus, a frier-preacher, who wrote against some of his propositions, and advised the Pope to condemn Luther, and burn him, if he would not retract. Luther made a kind of manifesto against this author, in which he reproached him with cruelty and ignorance.

As Luther opposed the scandalous sare of pardons and indulgences; so in the countries where the Reformation had got an entrance, or in the neighbourhood of them, this was no more heard of; and it has been taken for granted, that the traffic was no longer practised.

It is said, he was rough in controversy; and that his reply to Henry VIII. was disrespectful: but he had an unfavourable opinion of sovereign princes; which is evident from the remark that he made on Charles V. snatching up

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spiritual livings, as a dog did meat from the shambles. He said, that the Pope and his partizans were such incorrigible reprobates, that they ought to be treated in the severest manner; and that Erasmus spoiled all, by shewing them too much courtesy and respect, As he thus fashed the Papists, so he did not greatly spare his own brethren of the Reformation, if they departed from his sentiments. He accounted matrimony to be not only lawful, but a duty incumbent upon all who were capable of entering into that

state.

Luther said, "When my first positions concerning indulgences were brought before the Pope, he said, a drunken German wrote them; when he hath slept out his sleep, and is sober again, he will be of another mind." But Luther often apologized for his roughness. "I am accused, says he, of rudeness and immodesty, particularly by adversaries, who have not a grain of candour or good manners. If, as they say, I am saucy and impudent, I am however simple, open, and sincere; without any of their guile, dissimulation, or treachery."

The Pope, and the emperor, were equally concerned, that Luther was allowed to propagate his opinions in Saxony, where the great number of his followers, and the resolution with which he defended his opinions, made it evident, that it would become troublesome both to the church and empire, if a stop was not put to his proceedings. Luther defended his propositions by reason and Scripture against Tetzelius, who had recourse to the authority of the Pope and church. This made it necessary for Luther to examine upon what foundation one was erected, and in what state the other remained. In the course of this enquiry, monstrous errors and abuses were discovered; the cheats and scandalous lives of monks and priests were brought to light; and Luther, for securing to himself the assistance of temporal princes, took care to explain the nature and extensiveness of civil power.

Tezelius stirred up the archbishop of Magdeburg and others against Luther, who boldly answered all their writings. The emperor Maximilian, on August 5, 1518, wrote to pope Leo X. and required him to stop these dangerous disputes by his authority; assuring him, that he would execute in the empire, whatever his holiness should appoint. The Pope ordered Hieronymus de Genutiis, bi

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shop of Ascoli, and auditor of the apostolic chamber, to cite Luther to appear at Rome within sixty days, that he might give an account of his doctrine to the auditor, and Prierias master of the palace, to whom he had committed the judgement of the cause. The Pope, on August 23, wrote a let ter to the elector of Saxony, desiring him to give Luther no protection, but to put him into the hands of cardinal Cajetan, his legate in Germany; assuring him, that if Luther was innocent, he would send him back absolved; and if guilty, he would pardon him upon his repentance. At the same time, the Pope likewise sent a brief to cardinal Cajetan, in which he ordered him to bring Luther before him as soon as possible; and to hinder the princes from being any impediment to the execution of this order, he denounced the ordinary punishments of excommunication, interdiction, and privation of goods against those that should receive Luther and give him protection; and promised a plenary indulgence to those, who should assist in delivering him up.

The elector of Saxony was unwilling that Luther should appear personally at Rome; and the university of Wittenberg interceded with the Pope, who consented that the matter should be tried before cardinal Cajetan in Germany. This prelate was a Dominican; yet Luther met him at Augsburg in October. Cajetan asserted the authority of the Pope, and said he was above a council. Luther denied it, and alledged the authority of the university of Paris. delivered Cajetan a formal protestation, in the presence of four imperial counsellors and a notary, wherein he declared, "that he was satisfied, he had advanced nothing contrary to the Holy Scripture, the doctrine of the fathers, decretals of the Popes, and right reason: that he had advanced nothing but what was sound, true, and catholic: and that he would submit himself to the lawful determination of the church."

The legate threatened Luther with the censures of the church, if he would not retract, and bring his recantation. Luther knew that Cajetan had orders to seize him, if he would not submit: and, therefore, on October 16, he made an act of appeal, before a notary, wherein he vindicated himself, and declared, that he was oppressed and injured, and obliged to appeal from the Pope; for which purpose, he demanded letters of mission; and protested he would pursue his appeal. Luther told the legate, that as he had

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not deserved his censures, so he disregarded them; and then"; returned to Wittenberg, where he was safe under the protection of the elector of Saxony. Luther was powerfully supported by the university of Wittenberg, where he continued to teach the same doctrines, and sent a challenge to all the inquisitors to dispute with him there, under the sanction of a safe conduct from his prince, and the most remarkable hospitality from the university.

The cardinal, mortified at Luther's escape, wrote to the elector October 25, 1518, desiring him to give him up, to send him to Rome, or to banish him from his dominions. To this letter the elector answered, December 18, following, and told the cardinal, that he hoped he would have dealt with Luther in another manner, and not have insisted upon his recanting, before his cause was heard and judged; that there were several able men in his own and in other universities, who did not think Luther's doctrine either impious or heretical; that, if he had believed it such, there would have been no need of admonishing him not to tolerate it; that Luther not being convicted of heresy, he could not banish him from his states, nor send him to Rome; and that, since Luther offered to submit himself to the judge ment of several universities, he thought they ought to hear him, or, at least, shew him the errors which he taught in his writings."

While these things passed in Germany, pope Leo attempted to put an end to these disputes about indulgences, by a decision of his own; and for that purpose, upon the 9th of November, published a brief, directed to cardinal Cajetan; by which Luther knew, that he could not possibly escape being proceeded against, and condemned at Rome; and, therefore, upon the 28th of the same month, published a new appeal from the Pope to a general council, in which he asserts the superior authority of the latter over the former. The Pope foreseeing, that he should not easily manage Luther, so long as the elector of Saxony continued to support and protect him, sent the elector a golden rose, such an one, as he used to bless every year, and send to several princes, as marks of his particular favour to them. Miltitius, his chamberlain, was intrusted with this commission; by whom the Pope sent also letters, dated the beginning of January, 1519, to the elector's counsellor and secretary, in which he prayed those ministers to use all VOL. III.-No. 61. possible

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possible interest with their master, that he would stop the progress of Luther's errors, and imitate therein the piety and religion of his ancestors. It appears by Seckendorf's account of Miltitius's negociation, that Frederick had long solicited for this bauble from the Pope; and that three or four years before, when his electoral highness was a bigot to the court of Rome, it had probably been a most welcome present. But, "post est occasio calva:" it was now too late: Luther's contests with the see of Rome had opened the elector's eyes, and enlarged his mind; and, therefore, when Miltitius delivered his letters, and discharged his commis sion, he was received but coldly by the elector, who valued not the consecrated rose, nor would receive it publicly and in form, but only privately and by his proctor. As to Luther, Miltitius had orders to require the elector to oblige him to retract, or to deny him his protection: but, things were not now to be carried with so high a hand, Luther's credit being too firmly established. Besides, the emperor Maximilian departed this life upon the 12th of this month, whose death greatly altered the face of affairs, and made the elector more able to determine Luther's fate. Miltitius thought it best therefore to try, what could be done by fair and gentle means, and to that end came to a conference with Luther. He poured forth many commendations upon him, and earnestly entreated him, that he would himself appease that tempest, which could not but be destructive to the church. He blamed, at the same time, the behaviour and conduct of Tetzelius, and reproved him with so much sharpness, that he died of melancholy a short time after. Luther, amazed at all this civil treatment, which he had ne ver experienced before, commended Miltitius highly, and owned, that if they had behaved to him so at first, all the troubles, occasioned by these disputes, had been avoided; and did not forget to cast the blame upon Albert archbishop of Mentz, who had increased these troubles by his severity. Miltitius also made some concessions; as, that the people had been seduced by false opinions about indulgences; that Tetzelius had given the occasion; that the archbishop had set on Tetzelius to get money; that Tetzelius had exceeded the bounds of his commission, &c. This mildnes and seeming candour, on the part of Miltitius, gained so wonderfully upon Luther, that he wrote a most submissive letter to the Pope, dated March 13, 1519. Miltitius, how