meorum libellorum damnationem. Ego nisi iram dei super nos sæuientem flens intelligerem, qua effœminatis pueris, & faci illi hominum vltimæ ex omni terra nos subiecit, præ in dignitate rei dirumperer.

Mea sententia fuit & est hæc, satisfactionem eam quā claues queant tollere, non esse iuris diuini: sin esset, non posse eam tollis per claues. Si quid aliud mihi hoc articulo isti Bullatores imponunt, suo more faciunt. Quid enim refert si Antichirstus mentiatur?

MarginaliaArticulus sextus.Contritio quæ paratur per discussionem, collectionem, & detestationem peccatorum, qua quis recogitat annos suos in amaritudine animæ suæ, ponderando peccatorum grauitaté, multitudinem, fœditatem, amissionem æternæ beatitudinis, ac æternæ damnationis acquisitionem: hæc contritio facit hypocritam, immo magis peccatorem.

MarginaliaResponsio Lutheri ad 6. Articul.Proh incredibilem cæcitatem & inscitiam Bullarum istarum. Meus certè est articulus & Christianissimus, quem mihi innumerabilibus Papis & Papistis non partiar extorqueri. MarginaliaError Papistarū de doctrina contritionis.Hoc enim ea doctrina egi, pœnitentiam nullius esse momenti, nisi in fide et charitate fieret: quod ipsimet docent quoq; nisi quod nec quid fides nec quid charitas sit, aut sciunt aut docent. Ideo dum mea damnant, sua ipsorum imprudenti contradictione damnant. Dico ergo, qui pœnitentiam sic docet vt promissæ misericordiæ dei, & fidei in tandem non maiorem habeat curam quàm carnisicinæ istius, hic pœnitentiam Iudæ Iscariotis docet, pestilens est diabolus animarum, & cernifex conscientiarum. Lege autem libros illorum Sophistarum de pœnitentia, & videbis eos nec promissionis, nec fidei vllam mentionem facere. Has enim partes pœnitentiæ viuas omittunt, & solis mortuis contritionibus homines exagitant. Sed latius aliâs.

Sed quid denuò articulos omnes probem, cum extent libelli vbi omnium rationem reddidi abundè, plura daturus si aduersarij sua quoq; in lucem dedissent. Quæ est enim stultitia, vt hoc vno mihi responsum velint, quod dicunt sibi damnata videri omnia mea, cum ego in hoc ipsum scripserum, vt suos errores ipsi agnoscerent quibus populum dei hactenus dementauerūt? Non hoc expectaus vt damnarer, qui sciens & prudens damnata iam olim ab eis, adductis scripturis & rationibus iustificaui. Nec volui vt dicerent quid ipsi saperent (sciebam enim omnia) sed an rectè saperent, id quasitū est a me: hic volui erudiri, & ecce nemo audet prodire. Quare video asinos istos, non modo mea, & sua non intelligere, sed præ insigni hebetudine nec hoc percepisse quid meis libellis quæsierim. Arbitrantur enim se talis in opinione mea esse, apud quos sit veritas, cum nihil minus de eis suspicatus sim. Cum enim olim ab eis omnia ista scirem damnata esse, non damnandus sed velut iam damnatus ab eis prodij, damnationem eorum traducturus impiam, hæreticam, & blasphemam, eosq̀; nisi ratione reddita rectè sese sapere docuissent, erroris & hærescos crimine publicè reos acturus, ipsi (velat ridiculus Cithearedus chorda semper tadem aberrans) MarginaliaPapistæ dānant, sed nullam reddunt rationem.petito principio aliud non reddunt, nisi dānamus quæ damnauimus, noua dialectica probantes idem per scipsum, damnationem per damnationem. O ineptissimos & insulsissimos dānatores. Vbi manet illud Petri: Semper parati ad reddendam rationem de ea quæ in vobis est fide & spe?

Quare cum Papistæ & Bullistæ isti ignorantissimi, ante veritatis manifestæ faciem sic sint confusi metuq̀; perculsi vt pro se suaq; sententia ne hiscere quidem audeant, & meticulosissimani hanc Bullam agre emutierint: ego inimicorum fuga erectus, hanc meticulosam damnationem vice approbationis robustissimæ accipio, & suam in eos ipsos retorqueo damnatioē. Qua enim ratione scipsos possent magis damnare, quàm, dum metuunt erroris & hæreseos rei inuenirisi rationem reddere cogerentur, ad hoc extremū & frustraneum miserorum effugium labuntur, vt clausis & oculis & auribus, dicant: Nolo, damno, non audio, non admitto. Si ego sic insanijssem, obsecro, quanta gloria in me triumpharent? Degeneres animos timor arguit.

Ego itaq̀;, ne prolixo lectorem grauem sermone si singulos articulos prosequar, his scriptis testor me omnia damnataper Bullam istam execrabilem, confiteri pro Catholicis dogmatibus, de quibus rationem reddidi aditis libellis. Demde, adhuc volo libellos meos in orbe vagantes vice publicæ accusationis haberi aduersus impios istos Sophistas populi dei seductores, ita vt nisi ratione reddita me conuicerint & sua statuerint, reos erroris, hærescos, sacrilegij, quantum in me fuerit, meritò eos censeā, monens, rogās, hortansq̀; in domino omnes qui Christum verè confitentur,MarginaliaPapa reus hæreseos argultur.ab eorum peruersis & impijs doctrinis sibi caueant, & verum illum Antichristum per eos in orbe regnare non dubitent. Quod si quis fraternum hoc monitorium meum contempscrit, sciat me esse mundū a sanguine suo, & in extremo iudicio Christi excusatum. Nihil enim omisi quod charitati Christianæ de bui. Porro, si alia via non queo damnatoribus verbosis & manibus resistere, vltimum quod habeo exponam, nempe hanc animam & hunc sanguinem. Melius est enim me millies occidi, quàm vnam syllabam damnatorum articulorum reuocare. Et sicut ipsi me excommunicant pro sacrilega hæresi sua, ita eos rursus ego excommunico pro sancta veritate dei. Christus index viderit vtra excommunicatio apud eum valeat. Amen.

MarginaliaThe copye of M. Luthers aunswere to the Bull of Pope Leo, in Englishe.MArtin Luther to the Christian reader, wisheth the grace of Christ, to eternall saluatiō. I heard a fame a farre of (Christian reader) that a certain Bull was past out agaynst me and sent almost ouer all the world, before it came to me, agaynst whom it was especially directed, and to whom most chiefly it apperteined. For what cause I can not tell, except peraduenture it was for that the sayd Bull lyke vnto a night crow, and as a byrde of darkenes hatched in the nyght, durst not flye in the day, nor abyde to come in my sight. Notwithstandyng the sayd night foule after lōg tyme, by helpe of frendes was caught at length and brought vnto me in his owne likenes to behold. Whiche causeth me yet to be vncertayne, what to thinke, whether my Papistes do dally and ieste with me, in settyng out such famous libels without any name agaynst me: or whether in truth and earnest they play the madde men so agaynst me at Rome, or no. For first neither do I see here the style (as it is called) nor the processe of þ^e Court of Rome obserued. And agayn (which maketh me more to doubt) herein be brought & condēned such Articles, which it is playne and manifest to be most Christian: wherby it semeth to me most like, the sayd monster to be hatched by Iohn Eccius, a man wholy compacte and framed altogether of lyes, dissimulations, errours, and heresies.

The sayd suspition this also partly confirmeth, for that I heare it so bruted abroad, that the sayd Eccius is thought and sayd to be þ^e Apostle of such a goodly Bull. MarginaliaEckius a false Apostle.And not vnlike, when none could be more mete an Apostole for such an Apostleship, then he. And in dede I heard no lesse long since, that a Bull was in workyng agaynst me at Rome, partly by the workemāship of Eccius: which because (as the style and composition therof declareth) it displeased the good and learned men there, was therfore differred and should haue bene suppressed.

But what so euer the matter be, it semeth to me not vnlyke where soeuer this Apostle Eccius beareth rule, there to be the kyngdome of Antichrist, and all kynde of madnes there to reigne. In the meane tyme I will so deale, that I wil not seme to beleue Pope Leo the x. with hys learned Cardinals to be the authors of this furious madnes: whiche I do not so much for the honor of the Sea of Rome, as because I will not be puft vp to much with pride, and seme to my selfe as one worthy to suffer such, so great, and so glorious thynges for the veritie of God. For if it were so in dede that the Byshop of Rome did so furiously rage agaynst me, who were then so happy before God as Luther, to be condemned for so manifest a truth of such a proude Prelate? Wherin what were more to be wished for of me, then that I should neuer be absolued, reconciled, nor haue any part with that so doltishe and vnlearned, wicked & furious Antichrist? MarginaliaM. Luther thinketh hym selfe not worthy to suffer in so good a cause.Happy were that day, happye were that death, & to be receaued with all ioy and thankefulnes to God, if it might be my happe at any tyme in such a cause as this is, to be apprehended and to suffer death. But gyue the honour of