Marginaliabe the successour of Peter, and haue his authoritie: why then doth not the Pope, bearing the keyes of Peter, exercise the power of his spirit vpon Luther his great enemie, as Peter did vpon Ananias and Saphira.

authoritie of the priest, God cōmaunded to be punished with death. So Peter prince of the Apostles, denounced sodein death to Ananias and Saphira, which lyed vnto God.  

So the olde and godly Emperours commaundedMarginalia * If Iouinianus, Priscillianus, and Vigilantius, were proued heretickes, they were proued not onely by Canons and Councells, but by Scripture. so was Luther neuer. * Iouinianus and Priscillianus, as heretiques, to be beheaded. So S. Hierome wisheth Vigilātius as an heretique, to be geuen to the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saued to the day of the Lord. So also did our predecessours in the Councell ofMarginalia * Your fathers, in the Councell of Constance did kill the prophets of God, and you make vp their graues. But thankes be vnto God which hath geuen such light to the worlde, so vnderstande your cruell impietie in killing Iohn Hus, which you thought should neuer be espied. * Constance condemne to death Iohn Hus & his felow Hierome, which now appeareth to reuiue againe in Luther. The woorthyMarginalia * You haue well imitated your forefathers alreadie, in burning so many Lutherians: and yet how haue you prospered against the Turkishe Infidels the space of these 40. yeares. * actes & examples of whiche forefathers, if you in this doyng (seing otherwise ye can not) shal imitate: we do not doubt, but gods merciful clemencie shal eftsoones releue hys Church, whiche beyng nowe sore vexed of Infidels, hath her eyes chiefely and principally directed vpon you, as beyng the most puisaunt and most populous nation that we haue in Christendome.

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Wherfore vpon the blessing of almighty God & of blessed S. Peter, whiche here we sende vnto you take courage vnto you, as wel agaynst the false dragon, as the strong Lion, that both these:MarginaliaThe false Dragon resembleth the Pope and the strong Lyon the Turke. that is, as well these inwarde heresies, as the forreine enemies by you beyng ouercome, you maye purchase to your honours an immortal victorie, both here and in the world to come. This we geue you to vnderstād, that what soeuer the lord hath geuen to vs to ayd you withal, either in money or authoritie, we wyll not fayle to support you herein, yea and to bestowe our lyfe also in this holy quarrel, and for the health of our sheepe to vs cōmitted.MarginaliaThe false Dragon here seeth that it is tyme to bestyrre hym. Other thinges as touching the matter of Luther, we haue committed to this Cheregatus our Legate, whom we haue directed purposely for the same, vnto your assemble, whom we wish you to Credite, as being our trusty Legate, Datum Rom. apud S. Petrum sub annulo piscatoris. die 25. Nouemb. an. 1522. pontificatus nostri anno primo.

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¶ By this letter aboue prefixed, thou hast (gentle reader) to note and vnderstande, what eyther wyly perswasions, or strength of authoritie could deuise agaynst Luther, here not to haue lacked. If plausible termes or glosing sentences, or outwarde facyng and bracing coulde haue serued, where no ground of Scripture is brought, this might seeme apparantly a pithie Epistle. But if a man should require the particulars or the specialties of the dictrine which he here reprehendeth, to be examined and tryed by gods worde, there is no substaunce in it, but onely wordes of office, whiche may seeme wel to serue for waste paper. And yet I thought to exhibite the saide letter vnto thee, to the entent, that the more thou seest mans strength with all his policie bent against Luther, the more thou mayst consider the almighty power of God, in defending the cause of this poore man, against so mighty enemies.

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Now heare further what instructions the sayde Pope Adrian sent to his Legate Cheregatus, how and by what reasons to moue and inflame the princes of Germanie to the destruction of Luther, and hys cause, and yet was not able to bring it passe.

MarginaliaInstructions of the pope agaynst Luther. IN primis,  

you shall declare to them the great griefe of our hart, for the prospering of Luthers secte, to see the innumerable soules redemed with Christes bloud, and committed to our pastorall gouernement, to be turned awaye from the true fayth and religion, into perdition by his occasion: & that especially in the nation of Germanie, beyng our natiue coūtrey, which hath ben euer heretofore, tyl these few yeares past, most faythful and deuout in religion: and therfore our desire to be the greater, that this pestilence shoulde be stopped by tyme, least the same happen to that countrey of Germanie, which happened of late to Bohemia. And as for our part, there shalbe no lacke to helpe forwarde what we may: As likewise we desire them, to endeuour them selues to the vttermost of their power, whom these causes ought to moue, which here we direct vnto you, to be declared vnto them.

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Marginalia* The first cause to styrre men agaynst Luther. * First þ^e honor of God, which before al other thinges ought to be preferred: whose honour by these heresies is greatly defaced,Marginalia * The honour of God consisteth principally in honouring Iesus the Sonne of God, whom the father hath sent: Now examine, good reader, whether more extolleth the honour of Christ, the doctrine of Luther, or the doctrine of the Pope. MarginaliaLuther sendeth vs onely to Christ: The Pope sendeth vs to other Patrons & helpers. Luthers doctrine tendeth soly to the glorye of Christ: the Popes doctrine, if it be well wayed, tendeth to the glory of man. Luther cleaueth onely to Scripture: The Pope leaneth to the Canons and Councels of men. & his worshyp not only diminished, but rather wholy corrupted. Also þ^e charitie toward our neighbor, by which charitie euery man is bound to reduce his neighbour out of error: otherwise God will require at their handes all suche as by there negligence do perish.

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MarginaliaThe second cause. The second cause to moue them against Luther, is the infamie of their nation, which being counted before time alwayes most Christian, nowe by these sectaries of Luther, is euyl spoken of in al other quarters.

MarginaliaThe thyrd cause. The third cause is þ^e respect of their owne honour, which notoriously wyl be disteined, if they which most excel in nobilitie & authoritie among the Germanes, shal not bende all their power to expel these heresies: First for that they shall appeare to degenerate from their progenitors, who beyng present at the condemnation of Iohn Hus, & of other heretiques, are said some of thō with their own hands to haue led Iohn Hus to the fire: Secōdly, for that they or þ^e greater parte of them approuing with their authoritie theMarginalia * This edict of the Emperour aboue touched pag. 827. was deuised and set out not knowing to diuers of the princes there. And seemeth chieflye to be brought aboute by the Pope, and hys flatterers about hym Looke more hereof in the storye of Sledan. Lib. 3. * emperial edict set forth of late in cōdemnatiō of M. Luther, now except thei shal folow the executiō of the same, shalbe noted incōstant, or may be thought to fauour þ^e same, seing it is manifest that they may easily exterminate hym, if they were disposed.

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MarginaliaThe 4. cause. The fourth cause is the iniurie wrought by Luther to them, their parentes, and progenitours, for as much as their fathers, progenitours, & them selues also haue alwaies holdē the same faith, which þ^e catholike church of Rome hath appoynted: cōtrary to which faith, Luther with his sectaries now doth hold, saying þ^t many things are not to be beleued, which their foresaid aūciters haue holdē to be of fayth: it is manifest therfore that they be cōdemned of Luther for infidels & heretikes, & so consequently by Luthers doctrine al their foreelders & progenitors which haue deceased in this our faith, be in hel: for error in fayth importeth damnation.

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MarginaliaThe fifte reason or cause. The fift cause to moue them is, that they should wel aduise & consider the end, whereunto all these Lutherians do tend:Marginalia * The doctrine of Luther tendeth agaynst the vsurped power of the Sea of Rome. Ergo, the doctrine of Luther dissolueth al obedience due to Magistrates. This consequent is to be denyed, for the power of Magistrates is of God: and he that resisteth them, resisteth God: So is not the vsurped power of the Pope. * Which is, that vnder þ^e shadowe of Euangelicall libertie, they may abolish al superioritiy & power.  

For although at þ^e first begynning they pretended onely to adnul & represse our power Ecclesiasticall, as being falsely & tyrannously vsurped against the Gospell: yet for as muche as libertie is al their foundation & pretense, by the which libertie the secular power and magistrates can not bynd men by any cōmaundementes (be they neuer so iust, or so reasonable)Marginalia * If the pope doe say, that no preceptes of Magistrates do oblige vnder payne of mortall sinne, he sayth not true: If he say that Luther so teacheth, he belyeth Luther: who teacheth all men to be subiectes vnto Magistrates, no man more. * to obey them vnder paine of mortal sinne: it is manifest that their scope is to enfeeble & infringe as much or more, the seculer state also, although couertly they pretend to salue it: to the end, that when the seculer Princes shall beleue this their working not to be directed against thē, but onely against þ^e vsurped domination of the church and churchmen, then the laitie (which cōmonly hath ben alwayes against men of the church) holding with them, shal suffer the churchmen to be deuoured: which done, no doubt butMarginalia * Who so considereth the doctrine of Luther De Libertate Christiana, shall finde this to be a false sclaunder. For how is it like that he meaneth any rebellion, who describyng a Christian, calleth hym a seruaunt and an vnderling to all men? * they wyl afterward practise þ^e like vpon the seculer princes & potestates, which now they attēpt i our ecclesastical iurisdictiō.

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MarginaliaThe sixte cause. The sixt cause to moue and perswade them against Luther, is this, for them to cōsider the fruites which folowe of that sect:  

as slaunders, offences, disturbaunce, robberies, murders,Marginalia * The cause why the Pope doth charge the Lutherians with sedition, did rise vpon this, because one Franciscus Sickyngus a valiaunt man and a great sauourer of Luther, did warre agaynst the Archbishop of Triers, for withholding two certaine persons from iudgement, which should haue appeared, and by his meanes did not. * seditions, dissensions, which this sect hath & dayly doth stir vp through whole Germanye: Also blasphemies,Marginalia * As for sclaunderous wordes and bitter tauntes with what face can the Pope charge Luther, being hym selfe so impudent and bytter, as in this his present letter is manifest to be sene? Wherein he sheweth hym selfe in his owne colours, what he is. * slaunderous words, schoffing iests & bitter taūts whiche are euer in their mouthes. Against which, vnles þ^t they shal finde a present remedye, it is to be feared, least the desolation of gods wrath wil fal vpon Germanie, being so diuided: or rather vpō þ^e princes of Germanie, who hauyng the sword geuē of god into their hands for the suppression of malefactors, suffer such enormities amongst their subiectes. Cursed is he (saith the Prophete) vvhich doth the vvoorke of the Lorde negligently, and holdeth backe his svvorde from the bloud of vvicked doers.   MarginaliaIere. 48.

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MarginaliaThe 7. cause or reason. The seuenth reason is, that the princes should consider