And although Maximilianus the Emperour, Carolus K. of Spayne and Pope Iulius had geuen commaundement to the sayd Duke Fridericke, that he should inhibite Luther from all place and libertie of preachyng: yet the Duke consideryng with himselfe the preachyng & writyng of Luther, and weghyng diligently the testimonies and places of the Scripture by him alledged, would not withstand the thyng, which he iudged sincere.  

And yet neither did he this, trustyng to his owne iudgemēt, but was very anxious & inquisitiue to heare the iudgements of other, which were both aged, and learned. In the number of whom was Erasmus,   whom the Duke desired to declare to him his opinion touchyng the matter of Martin Luther, saying and protestyng that he would rather the grounde should open and swalow him, then he would beare with any opiniōs, which he knew to be contrary to manifest truth: & therfore he desired him to declare hys iudgement in the matter to him freely & frendly.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaThe iudgement of Erasmus touching Luther. Erasmus thus beyng entreated of the Duke, began thus iestyngly and merely to aunswere the Dukes request, saying: that in Luther were two great faultes: first, that he would touch the belyes of mōnkes: the second, that he would touch the Popes crowne:MarginaliaMonkes bellies and the popes crowne not to be touched. which two matters in no case are to be dealt withall. Then openyng his mynde playnly to the Duke, thus he sayd, that Luther dyd well in detectyng errours, and that reformation was to be wished, and very necessary in the Church: and added moreouer, that the effect of his doctrine was true, but onely that he wished in him, a more temperate moderation and maner of writyng and hādlyng.MarginaliaEx Chronic. Casp. Peuter. lib. 5. Whereupon Duke Fridericke shortly after wrote to Luther seriously, exhortyng hym to temperate the vehemēcy of his style. This was at the Citie of Colen, shortly after the Coronation of the new Emperour, where also Huttenus, Aloisius, Marlianus, Ludouicus viues, Halonius, with other learned men, were assembled together waytyng vppon the Emperour.

[Back to Top]

Furthermore, the same Erasmus, the yeare next folowyng that, wrote to the Archbyshop of Mentz a certeine Epistle,MarginaliaEx epist. Erasm ad Moguntinensem. touchyng þ^e cause of Luther. In which Epistle thus he signifieth to the Byshop: That many thyngs were in the bookes of Luther condemned of Monkes and Diuines, for hereticall, which in the bookes of Bernarde and Austen are redde for sound and godly.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaThe Church burdened. Also, that the world is burdened with mens institutiōs, with schole doctrines and opinions, and with the tyrāny of beggyng Friers: which Friers when they are but the Popes seruaūtes and vnderlinges: yet they haue so growē in power and multitude, that they are now terrible both to the Pope himselfe, and to all Princes. Who so long as the Pope maketh with them, so lōg they make him more then a God. But if he make any thyng agaynst their purpose or commoditie, there they wey his authoritie no more then a dreame or phantasie.

[Back to Top]

Once) sayd he) it was counted an heresie, when a man repugned against the Gospels, or Articles of the faith. Now he that dissenteth from Thomas of Aquine, is an hereticke, whatsoeuer doth not like them, what soeuer they vnderstād not, that is heresie. To speake Greke, is heresie. Or to speake more finely then they do, that is with thē heresie. And thus much by the way concernyng the iudgement of Erasmus.

[Back to Top]

Now to returne and to entreate  

somethyng orderly of the actes and conflictes of Luther with his aduersaries: after that Tecelius   the foresaid Frier, with his felow mōkes and Frierly felowes, had cryed out with opē mouth agaynst Luther, in mainteyning the Popes indulgences, and that Luther agayne in defence of his cause, had set vp propositions against the open abuses of the same, maruell it was to see how soone these propositions were sparcled abroad in sūdry and farre places, and how gredely they were catched vp in the handes of diuers both farre and neare. And thus the contention of this matter increasing betwene them, Luther was cōpelled to write therof more largely & fully, thē otherwise he thought:MarginaliaEx Paralip. Abbat. Vrspurg. which was in þ^e yeare of our Lord. 1517.

[Back to Top]

Yet all this while, Luther neuer thought of any alteration to come of any one ceremonie, much lesse such a reformation of doctrine and ceremonies, as afterward did folow. But onely hearyng that he was accused to the Byshop of Rome, he dyd write humbly vnto hym: in the begynnyng of which writyng, he declareth þ^e vnordinate outrage of those his pardonmongers, which so excessiuely dyd pill and pole the simple people, to the great slaunder of the Church, and shame to his holynes: and so procedyng in the end of the sayd his writyng, thus he sumitteth hymselfe.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaThe submission of Luther to the Pope. Wherfore (sayth he) most holy father, I offer my selfe prostrate vnder the feete of your holynes, with all that I am, and that I haue. Saue me, kyll me, call me, recall me, approue me, reproue me, as you shall please. Your voyce, the voyce of Christ in you speakyng, I will acknowledge. If I haue deserued death, I shall be contented to dye: For the earth  

is the Lordes, and all the fulnesse thereof,MarginaliaPsal. 23. who is to bee blessed for euer. Amen. This was in the yeare of our Lord. 1518.

[Back to Top]

After that Martin Luther, prouoked thus by Tecelius,  

had declared his mynde by writing lowly and humbly, and had set vp certeine propositions to be disputed, not long after, among other Monkes and Friers,MarginaliaThe raging Dialogue of Syluester Prierias against Luther. steppeth vp one Siluester de Priero, a Dominicke Frier, who first began to publish abroad a certeine impudent and raylyng Dialogue agaynst him. Vnto whom Luther aunswered agayne, first alledgyng the place of the Apostle. 1. Thes. v. That we must proue all thynges. Also the place Gal. ij.That if an angell from heauen do bryng an other Gospell, then that we haue receaued, he ought to be accursed.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaThe aunswee of Luther agaynst Syluester. Item, he alledged the place of Austen vnto Hierome, where the sayd Austen sayth: That he is wont to geue this honour onely to the booke of Canonicall Scripture, that whosoeuer were the writers therof, he beleueth them verely not to haue erred. But as touchyng all other mens writynges, were they ueuer so holy men or learned, he doth not beleue them therfore, because they so say, but in that respect as they do agree with the Canonicall Scripture, which can not erre.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaClem. De pœnit. et remiss. C. Abusionibus Item, he alledged the place of the Canon law: Clem. de Pœnit. & remis. C. Abusionibus. Wherein he proued, that these pardonsellers, in their settyng forth of the Popes indulgences, ought to go no farther by the law, then is enioyned them within the letters of their commission.

[Back to Top]

And in the latter part of his aunswere, thus Luther writeth to the reader, Let opiniōs (sayth he) remaine opinions, so they be not yokes to the Christians. Let vs not make mēs opiniōs equall with the Articles of fayth, and to the decrees of Christ, and Paul. Moreouer I am ashamed (quod he) to heare the common saying of these Diuine schole doctors, who holdyng one thyng in the scholes, and thinkyng otherwise in their own iudgement, thus are wont, secretly amōg themselues, and with their priuy frendes, talkyng together, to say:MarginaliaEx Palaipomenis Abba. Vrsperg. Thus we do hold, and thus would I say, beyng in the scholes, but yet (be it spoken here amongest vs) it can not be so proued by the holy Scripture. &c. Ex Paralip. Abb. Vrsperg.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaEckius writeth agaynst Luther. Next after this Siluester, stept forth Eckius, and impugned the conclusions of Luther.MarginaliaD. Andræas aunswereth for Luther. Agaynst whom encoūtered D. Andræas Bedenstein,  

Archdeacon of Wyttemberge, makyng his Apologie in defense of Luther.

Then was Martin Luther cited, the vij. of August, by one Hieronimus B. of Ascalon,  

to appeare at Rome. About which tyme Thomas Caietanus Cardinall, þ^e popes Legate, was then leiger at the Citie of Augusta, who before had bene sent downe in commission, with certeine mandates from Pope Leo, vnto that Citie.MarginaliaThe vniuersitie of Wittēberge writeth to the Pope for Luther. The Vniuersitie of Wittenberge vnderstandyng of Luthers citation, eftsoones directed vp their letters, with their publique seale to the Pope, in Luthers behalfe. Also an other letter they sent to Carolus Miltitius the Popes Chamberlaine beyng a Germaine borne. Furthermore good Fridericke ceased not for his part, to solicitate the matter with his letters & earnest suyte, with cardinall Caietanus, that the cause of Luther might be freed from Rome, and remoued to Augusta, in the hearyng of the Cardinall.   Caietanus at the suyte of the Duke, wrote vnto the Pope, from whom he receaued this aūswere agayne, the xxiij. of the foresayd moneth of August,MarginaliaThe Popes charge to his Legate agaynst M. Luther. that he had cited Luther, to appeare personally before him at Rome, by Hieronymus Byshop of Ascalon, Auditour of the chamber: which Byshop diligētly had done, that was commaunded him, but Luther abusing and contemnyng the gentlenes offered, did refuse not onely to come, but also became more bold and stubborne, eontinuyng or rather encreasing in his former heresie, as by his writyngs did appeare: Wherefore he would that the sayd Cardinall should cite and call vp the sayd Luther to appeare at the Citie of Augusta before him, adioinyng withall, the ayde of the princes of Germany and of the Emperour, if neede required: so that whē the sayd Luther should appeare, he should lay hād vpon him and commit him to safe custody, & after he should be brought vp to Rome: and if he perceaued hym to come to any knowledge or amendement of his fault, he should release hym, and restore him to the Church agayne, or els he should be interdict, with all other his adherentes, abetters, & mainteiners, of whatsoeuer estate or condition they were, whether they were Dukes, Marqueses, Earles, Barons. &c. Agaynst all which persons and degrees, he wylled hym to extend the same curse & malediciton (onely the person of the Emperour excepted) interdictyng by the censure of the Church, all such landes, Lordshyps, townes, tenementes, villages, as shoulde minister any harbour to the sayd Luther, and were not obedient to the sea of Rome. Contrarywise to all such as shewed thēselues obedient, he should pro-

[Back to Top]