MarginaliaThe apologie of the Emperour to the popes edict Ascendit de mari. &c.(altering the veritie into lies) his papal leters stuft with all vntruthes, are sent into sundry partes of the world: of hys owne corrupt humor, and vppon no rrasonable cuase, blemishing the cinseritie of our religiō. The lord pope hath compared vs, vnto the beast rising out of the sea, full of names of blasphemye, and spotted like a Lyberd. But we say, that he is that mōstrous beast of whō it is sayd, and of whom we thus reede: MarginaliaAntechrist, long agone discried to the world by the Emperour.And there shall come an other red horse out of the sea: and he þ^t shal sit on him, shal take peace away out of þ^e earth: let thē therfore that dwell vpon the earth destroy him. For synce the tyme of hys promotion, he hath not bene the father of mercy, but of discord: A diligent steward of desolatiō in steede of consolation, and hath intised all the worlde to commit offence: And to take the wordes in right sence and interpretation, he is that greate Dragon that hath deceaued the whole worlde: he is that Antechrist, of whō he hath called vs the forerunner: he is that other Balam hired for mony to curse vs, the prince of darknes, which hath abused the prophets. This is the Angel leaping out of the sea, hauing hys phials fild wyth bitternes, that he may both hurt the sea and the land: the counterfet Vicar of Christ, that setteth forth hys own imaginations. He sayth that we do not rightly beleue in the Christian fayth, and that the world is deceiued with three maner of deceauers (which to name God forbyd we shoulde open our mouth) MarginaliaThe confession of the Emperours fayth wherof he was accused by the pope.seyng that openly we confesse onely Iesus Christ our Lorde and sauiour to be the euerlasting sonne of god, coequal with hys father & the holy ghost, begotten before all worldes, and in proces of tyme sent downe vppon the earth, for the saluation of mankinde: Conceaued, not by the seede of mā, but by the holy gost: which was borne of the glorious virgin Marye, and after that, suffered and dyed as touching the flesh: and by hys godhead the third day, he raysed from death that other nature which hee assumpted in the wombe of hys mother. But we haue learned, that the body of Machomet hangeth in the ayre, and that hys soule is buryed in hell: whose workes are damnable and contrarye to the law of the most highest. We affirme also, that Moyses was the faythful seruant of God, and a true teacher of the law: and that he talked with God in mount Sinay, vnto whom the Lord sayd, Rubrum. &c. By whom also, God wrought myracles in Egipt, and deliuered the law written to the Israelites, and that afterwardes wyth the elect he was called to glory. In these & other thinges our enemy and enuier of our state, causing our mother the church to accuse her sonne, hath wrytten agaynst vs venemous and lyeng sclaunders, and sent the same to the whole world. If he had rightly vnderstood the Apostles meaning, he would not haue preferred hys violent wyll before reason, whych beareth such sway with him: MarginaliaThe pope vnder pretence of his olynes deceaueth simple soules & ingorant men.neither would he haue sent out his Mandates to the suggestion of those which call light darknes, and euil good: which suspect hoony to be gall, for the great good opiniō they haue conceaued of that holy place, which in deede is both weake and infirme, and conuerteth all truth into falshood, and affirmeth that to be that is not.

Truly, my opinion (so indifferēt on euery syde) ought not in anye case to bee infringed and auerted from the fayth, to such enemies of so corrupt a conscience. Wherfore, we greatly ar inforced not a litle to maruel, which thing also doth much disquiet vs to see: that you whych be the pyllers and assistentes in office of righteous dealyng, the Senatours of Peters City, and the principall beames in Gods buylding: haue not qualified the perturbation of so fierce a Iudge, as do the planets of heauen in theyr kind: which, to mitigate the passing swyft course of the great orbe or sphere of heauen, draw a contrary way by their opposite mouinges. In verye dede, our imperiall felicity, hath bene (almost euen from the beginning) spurned against, and enuied at, of the papalsee and dignitie: MarginaliaThe imperiall dignitie spurned as alwaies by the pope.As Simonides being demaunded why he had no mo enemies & enuiers of his state, answered and sayd: quia nichil fœlicit,/qer gessi. for because (saith he) I haue had no good successe in any thing that euer I toke in hand. MarginaliaThe answer of Simonides applyed.And so, for that we haue had prosperous succes in all our enterprises (the Lordes name be blessed therefore) especially in the ouerthrowe (of late) of our rebellious enemies the Lumbardes, to whom in their good quarel he promised lyfe & absolution & remission of theyr synnes, is the cause wherefore thys Apostolicall byshop mourneth and lamenteth: And now, not by your councels, I suppose he laboureth to impugn this our felicitie but of hys owne power of binding and loosyng, whereof he glorieth so muche, he impugneth it. But presently where power and habilitie wanteth to redres, there doth abuse take place. We see in hym whiche was so mighty a kyng, and the worthiest prince amongest all þ^e Prophets, to desire and craue the restitution of Gods holy spirit, when he had polluted the dignitie of his office. But þ^e prouerbe is, Vti dissolubilia nō soluuntur ita intellegibilia non leguntur. As thinges indissoluble are not to bee loosed, so thinges that cannot bee vnderstoode are not to bee redde. Whiche thyng manifestlye is proued in hym. For why, the Scriptures of God doo instruct men how to lyue: they mortifie our soules whiche are immortal, and viuifie the same whiche are dead for want of life. And doubtles, God is able to hūble & bryng downe those, that are vnworthy of dignitie, as much as hym pleaseth, and whē him pleaseth. Doubtles, if the bishop of Rome, were a true bishop in dede, innocent, impollute, and not associate with wicked syners and euill mē, his life shold declare him so to be. He would not thē be an offerer of dissentious sacrifice, but a peaceable offerer of loue and charitie, and would cense, not with the incense of grief and hatred, but with the sweete smellyng incense of concorde and vnitie: neither yet would altare, suum pontificium in malificium: That is, make of a sanctified office an execrable abuse. Yf he were such a byshop as he ought to be, he would not wrest or abuse the preachyng of the word, into the frute and gayne of his own dissention: neither should we be accused for such an enemy of our mother the true church, as is a layd vnto her sonnes charge by such a Byshop. Whiche true and mother churche, with all reuerence we honour, and benignitie imbrace, so bewtified & adourned with Gods most holy Sacraments. Some singular persons notwithstanding, fainyng them selues to be our brethren by that mother & yet are not, but of a strumpet begat: such I say, as, are subiect and sclaues to corruptible things (putting thē from amongst vs) we vtterly reiect: MarginaliaThe Emperour vtterly reiecteth the pope and church of Rome.Especially, for that iniuries by them done, are not onelye transitorie and mundane, wherwith our maiestie is so molested, vexed, and greued. Wherfore, we cannot so easly mitigate our moode, neither ought we in very dede so to do: and therfore are we inforced the more, to take the greater reuēg of them. You therfore, that are men of graue and deliberate counsel, hauyng the excellent gift (as from God) of wisedome and vnderstandyng: Refuse you that roryng enmy of ours in these his procedings, whose beginnings are so wicked & detestable: wisely cōparyng things past with those to come. Otherwise, you that are vnder our subiection, as wel of the empire as other our dominiōs, shall feele and perceiue (both of my chiefe enemie & persecutour, as also of the princes that are his fautours and adherentes) what reuenge by sworde Fridericus Augustus shall take vpon them, God so permittyng.

MarginaliaThe Emperour called a parliament or coūcel to expresse the popes malice.This done, he denounceth a solemne parliament or councell of all the princes and other nobilitie of the empire at Aegra: whether came Cōradus Cesar, Moguntinus Presul, the Saxon dukes, the Lordes of Brandeburgh, Misna, Thuringus, and the legates of all the no-