ful people vnder the sayd payne of the great curse, to auoyde or cause to be auoyded so muche as in them doth lye, the foresaide heretikes not obedient to our commaundementes, and to haue no felowship or any conuersation or communion with them or with any of them, neither to minister to them thinges necessary. And moreouer, to the more confusion of the sayd Martin, with his abettors, adherentes, and retayners aforesayd thus beyng declared and condemned as heretickes, after the expiryng of the terme aforesaide, we commaund all and singularMarginaliaApocal. 13.
And hee shall haue power & commaundement vpon euery company, and people and tounge, and nation. &c. Christes faythfull people both men and women, as Patriarkes, Archbishoppes, Prelates of Churches, either Patriarchall, Metropolitane, and other Cathedrall, Collegiate and other inferiour Churches, to Deanes and Chapiters, and other Ecclesiasticall persons secular, and of all other orders, euen of the beggyng Friers also, namely of that Congregation, where the sayd Martin is professed, or hath his abode: also to regular, exempt, and not exempt, Item, to al and singular Princes, what dignitie or callyng so euer, either Ecclesiasticall or Temporall they be of: to Kynges, Princes, Electors, Dukes, Marquesses, Earles, Barons, Captaynes, Conductours, Seruitours, Communalties, Vniuersities, Dominions, Cities, Landes, Castles, and places or the Citizens, and inhabitauntes thereof:MarginaliaThe Pope here dreameth of a drye Summer, thinking all the world to be subiect vnto hym. and briefely, to all and singular other aforesayd, through the vniuersall world dispersed, specially in Almanye, that they and euery of them vnder all and singular penalties aforesayd, do personally apprehende the sayd Martin, his abettours, adherentes, receyuers, and fautours, and to retayne them beyng apprehended at our instaunce and to send them vnto vs (who in so doyng, for their good worke shall receyue of vs and of the See Apostolique, condigne rewarde and recompence) or at least, that they vtterly driue them and euerye one of them out of their Metropolitane, Cathedral, Collegiate, and other Churches, Houses, Monasteries, Couentes, Cities, Dominions, Vniuersities, Communalties, Castles, Landes, and places respectiuely, as wel the Clergy men as the regular and lay men, all and singular aforesayd.

Those Cities, Dominions, Landes, Castles, Villages, Communalties, Holdes, Townes, and places where soeuer they be situate respectiuely, Metropolitane, Cathedral, Collegiate and other Churches, Monasteries also, Priories, Couentes, and Religious and deuout places, of what order soeuer (as is aforesayd) vnto the which it shall chaunce the sayd Martin to come, so long as he or they shall there remayne, and three dayes after their departyng from thence, we here geue ouer to the Ecclesiasticall interdiction.

And that the premisses maye be knowen to all men, we commaund moreouer al patriarkes, Archbishops, byshops, prelates of patriarchal, metropolitane, and other cathedral and collegiate Churches, to Deanes and Chapters, and other persōs Ecclesiasticall, & of what order els soeuer aforesayd, to regular brethren, religious Monkes exempt & not exempt aforesaid, where soeuer they dwel, & especially within Almany, that they and euery of them vnder like censures and paynes, do publikely denounce and cause and cōmaund to be denounced of others, the said Martin, with al and singular his foresaid adherentes which shal not obey our commaundementes and monitions within the terme aforesayd, vpon euery sonday, and other Festiuall dayes, within their churches, when as the greatest concourse of people shal resort to diuine seruice, to be declared and cōdemned for heretikes, and that al Christes faythful people shall auoyde thē vnder the said censures and penalties as be afore expressed, and that they do set vp these presentes, or cause to be set vp, or the transcript of them made vnder the fourme hereafter ensuyng, in their churches, Monasteries, houses, Couents, and other places there openly to be sene and read.

Item, we do excommunicate and curse all and singular persons of what so euer state, degree, condition, preeminence, dignitie, or excellencie they be, whiche shall procure, or cause to be procured by them selues or other, pruily or apertly, directly or indirectly, secretly or expressely, wherby these presentes or the copies transcript, or the examples of them can not be read, set vp and published in their landes and dominions. &c.

Let no man therfore be so bold to dare to infringe or with rash presumption, to contrary this writing of our damnation, reprobation, reiection, decree, declaration, inhibition, wil, commaundement, exhortation, beseeching, request, admonition, assignation, graunt, condemnation, subiection, excommunication, and curse.MarginaliaCuius contrari verum est, And if any person and persons dare presume to attempt the same, let hym know and be sure that he shall incurre the indignation of almighty God, and of hys blessed Apostles Peter and Paul.

Geuen at Rome at S. Peters. an. 1520. 17. Calend Iu-
lij, and of our Popedome the eight yeare.

Although it was somewhat long before this Bull afore sayd of Pope Leo, beyng sent & dispersed through all other places abroad, could come to the handes of Luther, MarginaliaM. Luther aunswering agayne to the Popes Bull. yet so soone as he, by meanes of his frends, might get a sight therof, he shaped agayne an aūswere to the same: in such sorte, as I am sure the pope himselfe will say,MarginaliaThe Popes Bulbaytyng. that his Bul was neuer so bayted, and so well fauouredly shakē in all his dayes, as by the handlyng of the matter & readyng of his aunswere may euidently appeare. The contentes and copy of the which aunswere I thought here next after the sayd Bull, immediatly to exhibite to the Christian reader, that who so is disposed to conferre the one with the other, hauyng them both at hand, may iudge the better of the whole matter and cause,MarginaliaThe Pope described in his colours. and also may see the true Image of the Pope out of hys paynted visour appeare in his owne perfect colours. The aunswere now to the Bull here foloweth.

MarginaliaThe aunswere of M. Luther to the Popes Bul, in Latin. FAMA peruenit ad me, Christiane Lector, exijsse Bullā quādam aduersum me, penè in omnē terram, priusq; ad me, in quē vnico furit, & cui maximè erat inferenda, veniret. Forte, quod noctis & tenebrarum scilicet filia, timuit lucem vultus mei. Hænc tamen ipsam noctuam, vix tandem multum adiunantibus amicis, in imagine sua, datum est videre &c.

MarginaliaThe copye of M. Luthers aunswere to the Bul of Pope Leo, in Englishe. MArtin Luther to the christian reader, wisheth the grace of Christ to eternall saluation. I heard a fame a farre of (christian reader) that a certayne Bull was past out agaynst me. and sent almost ouer all the world, before it came to me, agaynst whom it was especially directed, & to whom most chiefly it apperteined. For what cause I cannot tell, except peraduenture it was for that the sayd Bull lyke vnto a night crow, and as a birde of darckenesse hatched in the night, durst not flie in the day, nor abide to come in my sight. Notwithstanding the sayd night foule after long tyme, by helpe of frendes was caught at length and brought vnto me in hys owne lykenes to behold. Which causeth me yet to bee vncertayne what to thinke, whether my papistes do dally & iest with me, in settyng out such famous libels without any name against me: or whether in truth and earnest they play the mad men so against me at Rome, or no. For first neither do I see here the stile (as it is called) nor the processe of the Court of Rome obserued. And againe (which maketh me more to doubt) herein be brought & condemned such articles which it is playne and manifest to be most christian: wherby it semeth to me most lyke, the said monster to be hatched by Ioh. Eccius, a man wholy compact and framed altogether of lyes, dissimulations, errors, 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 the Apostle of such a goodly Bull.MarginaliaEckius a false Apostle. And not vnlyke, when none could be more meete an Apostole for such an Apostleship then he. And in deede I heard no lesse long since, that a Bull was in working agaynst me at Rome, partly by the workemanship of Eccius: which because (as the style and composition therof declareth) it displeased the good and learned men there, was therfore differred & should haue bene suppressed.

But whatsoeuer the matter be, it semeth to me not vnlyke where soeuer this apostle Eccius beareth rule, there to be the kyngdom of Antichrist, and all kynd of madnes there to reigne. In the meane tyme I will so deale, that I will not seme to beleue pope Leo the x. with his learned Cardinals to be the authors of this furious madnes: which I do not so much for the honor of the sea of Rome, as because I wyl not be puft vp to much w^t pride, & seme to my selfe as one worthy to suffer such, so great, & so glorious thyngs for the veritie of God. For if it were so in deede that the byshop of Rome did so furiously rage agaynst me, who were thē so happy before God as Luther, to be condēned for so manifest a truth of such a proude Prelate? Wherin what were more to be wished for of me, thē that I should neuer be absolued, reconciled, nor haue any part with that so doltish & vnlearned, wicked and furious Antichrist?MarginaliaM. Luther thinketh hym selfe not worthy to suffer in so good a cause. Happy were that day, happy were that death, and to be receiued with all ioy and thākfulnes to God, if it might be my happe at any tyme in such a cause as this is, to be apprehēded and to suffer death. But geue the honour of this cause vnto others, & let this matter finde his Martyr worthy for the same: I for my sinnes am not worthy to come to that honour.

Let other mē therfore thinke of these Romanistes what they lyst: Thus I thinke, that whosoeuer was the author