Earle of Mansfield, with his wife and diuers other (whose names in these letters for hast, were not expressed) at that instant came into his chamber.MarginaliaThe quiet death of Luther. Finally, feelyng his fatall houre to approch, before ix. of the clocke in the mornyng, the. xviij. of February, he commēded himselfe to God, with this deuout prayer.

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MarginaliaThe prayer of Luther at his death MY heauenly father, eternall and mercyful God, thou hast manifested vnto me thy deare sonne, our Lord Iesus Christ. I haue taught him, I haue knovven hym, I loue hym as my lyfe, my health, and my redemptiō: vvhom the vvicked haue persecuted, maligned, and vvith iniurie afflicted. Dravv my soule to thee. After this he sayd as ensueth, thryse.

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I commende my Spirite into thy handes, thou hast redemed me, O God of truth. GOD so loued the vvorld, that he gaue his onely sonne, that all those that beleue in him, should haue lyfe euerlastyng. Iohn. iij.

Hauyng repeated oftentymes his prayers, he was called to God, vnto whom so faythfully he commended his spirit: to enioy, no doubt, the blessed society of the Patriarches, Prophetes, and Apostles in the kyngdome of God the father, the sonne and the holy Ghost. Let vs now loue the memory of this man, and the doctrine that he hath taught. Let vs learne to be modest and meeke. Let vs cōsider the wretched calamities and marueilous chaunges that shall folow this mishap and dolefull chaunce. I beseech thee O sonne of God, crucified for vs, and resuscitate Emanuell, gouerne, conserue and defend thy Church. Hæc Melancthon.

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MarginaliaThe death of duke Fridericke. Fridericus Prince Electour dyed  

long before Luther in the yeare of our Lord. 1525. Leauyng no issue behynd him for that he lyued a single lyfe, and was neuer maryed: wherfore after him succeded Iohn Fridericke, Duke of Saxony.  

MarginaliaDisceptation betwene the Senate of Strausburgh, & Cardinall Campeius, about marryed mynisters. Mention was made  

a litle before, pag. 832. of the Ministers of Strausburgh, which because of their Mariage were in trouble and cited by the Byshop, to appeare before him, and there to be iudged without the precinct of the Citie of Strausburgh: whereas there had bene a contrary order taken before betwene the Byshop, & the Citie, that the Byshop should execute no iudgement vpon any, but vnder some of the Magistrates of the sayd citie of Strausburgh. Wherupō the Senate & Citizens takyng into their handes the cause of these maried Ministers, in defence of their own right and liberties, wrote (as is sayd) to their Byshop of Strausburgh, and caused the iudgement therof a while to be stayed. By reason whereof the matter was brought at length, before Cardinall Campeius Legate, sent by Pope Clement to the assemble of Norenberge. an. 1524.MarginaliaMurnerus a Frier, an accuser of maryed ministers. The chief doer in this matter was one Thomas Murnerus a Franciscan Frier, who had commenced a greuous complaynt agaynst the Senate and Citie of Strausburgh, before the foresayd Cardinal Campeius.MarginaliaThe Senate of Strausburgh purgeth them selues to Cardinall Campeius. Wherfore the Senate, to purge themselues, sent their Ambassadours, thus clearyng their cause, & aunsweryng to their accusatiō: That they neither had bene, nor would be any let to the Byshop, but had signified to hym before by their letters, that what soeuer he could lay agaynst those maryed Priestes, consonant to the law of God, they would be no stay, but rather a furtherance vnto hym, to proceede in his action. But the Senate herein was not a litle greued, that the Byshop, cōtrary to the order and compact, which was taken betwene hym and them, dyd call the sayd Ministers out of the liberties of their citie: For so it was betwene them agreed, that no Ecclestical person should be adiudged, but vnder some iudge of their owne Citie.MarginaliaThe Byshop of Strausburgh breaketh the agreement made, and the liberties of the Citie. But now contrary to the sayd agreement, the Byshop called those Ministers out their liberties, and so the Ministers clayming the right and priuiledge of the Citie, were condemned, their cause beyng neither heard nor knowē. And now if the Senate should shew themselues any thyng more sharpe or rigorous vnto those Ministers, in clayming the right of the Citie, the people, no doubt, would not take it well, but happely would rise vp in some commotion agaynst them, in the quarell and defence of their fraunchises and liberties.

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And where it is obiected, that they receaue Priestes and men of the Clergy, into the fredome and protection of their Citie, to this they aunswered, that they dyd nothyng herein, but which was correspondent to the aūcient vsage and maner of the Citie before: and moreouer þ^t it was the byshops owne request and desire, made vnto them so to do.

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MarginaliaThe aunswere of Campeius to the ambassadours. To this the Cardinall agayne aduising well the letters of the Byshop, & the whole order of the matter, which was sent vnto hym, declared that he right well vnderstode by the letters sent, that the ministers in dede (as the Ambassadours sayd) were called out from the fredome, and liberties of the Citie, and yet no order of law was broken therein:MarginaliaThe popes prelates be lawles, & can breake no order whatsoeuer they doe. for as much as the Byshop, (sayd he) had there no lesse power and authoritie, then if he were his owne Vicare delegate, & therfore he desired them, þ^t they would assist the Byshop in punishyng the foresayd Ministers. &c.

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MarginaliaThe Ambassadours reply agaynst the Cardinall. After much other talk and reasonyng on both partes, wherein the Ambassadours argued in defence of their fredome, that the iudgemēt should not be transferred out of the Citie, among other communication, they inferred moreouer and declared,MarginaliaHoly matrimony punished, wicked whoredome escapeth. how in the Citie of Strausburgh were many yea the most part of the Clergy, which lyued viciously and wickedly with their strumpets and harlots, whō they kept in their houses, to the great offence of the people, shame to Christes Church, and pernitious example of other: and yet the Byshop would neuer once styrre to see any punishyng or correctiō therof. Wherfore if the Senate (sayd the Ambassadours) should permit the Byshop to extende his crueltie and extremitie agaynst these maryed Ministers, for not obseruyng the Byshop of Romes law, and leaue the other notorious whoremasters, which brake the law of God, to escape vnpunished, doubtles it would redounde to their great daūger and perill, not onely before God, but also among the commons of their Citie, ready to rise vpon them.

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MarginaliaCampeius answereth. To this Campeius aunswered, what composition or bargayne was betwixt the Byshop and them, he knew not: but surely the Acte of the one was manifest, and neded no great triall in law of prouyng and confessyng, and therefore they were sequestred and abandoned from the communion of the Church, ipso facto.MarginaliaIpso facto, that is, vpon the very doing of the acte, without any further iudgement or tryall by the lawe. As for the other sort of thē, which keepe harlottes and concubines although (sayd he) it be not well done: yet doth it not excuse the enormitie of their Mariage. Neither was he ignoraunt, but that it was the maner of the Byshoppes of Germany, for money to wynke at Priestes lemans, and the same also was euill done in deede: and farther, that the tyme should come, when they shall be called to an accompt for the same: but yet neuerthelesse it is not sufferable that Priestes therefore should haue wyues. And if comparison should be made (sayd he) much greater offence it were, a Priest to haue a wife, then to haue & kepe at home many harlottes.MarginaliaA fitte reasō for a carnall Cardinall: better it is to haue many concubynes, then one wife. His reason was this: For they that keepe harlots (said he) as it is naught that they do, so do they acknowledge their sinne: the other perswade them selues to do wel, and so continue styl without repentance, or conscience of their facte. All men (sayd he) can not be chaste, as Iohn Baptist was: yet can it not be proued by any example, to be lawfull for Priestes professing chastitie, to leaue their single lyfe, and to mary:MarginaliaTouching the Greeke Church how vntruely this Cardinall speaketh, turne to the pag. 189. no not the Greekes them selues, which in rites be differyng from vs, do geue this libertie to their owne Priestes to marrye: wherefore he prayed them to geue their ayde to the Bishop in this behalfe.

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MarginaliaThe Ambassadours reply. Whereunto the Ambassadours replyed againe, saying, that if he would first punish the whoremasters, then might the Senate assist hym the better in correctyng the other. But the Cardinal was styl instaunt vpon them, that first they should assist their Bishop, & then if the Bishop would not punish whoredome, he woulde come thyther hym selfe, and see them punished accordingly.

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This Cardinal Campeius, how he was sent by Pope Clement the vi. to the second assemble or diet of Norenberge, ann. 1524. & what was there done by þ^e said Cardinal, is before signified,  

pag. 836.MarginaliaThe assembly or Dyet at Ratisbone After this Coūcel of Norenberge, immediately folowed an other sittyng at Ratisbone,   where were present Ferdinandus, Campeius, the Cardinal of Salisburge, the two Dukes of Bauaria, the Bishops of Trent and of Ratisbone: also the Legates of the Byshops, Bamberge, Spires, Strausburgh, Ausburgh, Constance, Basill, Frising, Passame, and Brixine. By whom in the sayd assemble was concluded: That for so much as the Emperour, at the request of Pope Leo, had condemned by his publike Edict set forth at Wormes, the doctrine of Luther, for erroneous and wicked, and also it was agreed vpō in both the assembles of Norenberge, that the said Edict should be obeyed of all men: they likewise at the request of Cardinal Campeius, do will, and commaund the foresayd Edict to be obserued through all their fines & precinctes:MarginaliaPopishe decrees made at the coūcell of Ratisbone That the Gospell, and all other holy Scriptures in Churches shoulde bee taught accordyng to the interpretation of the auncient forefathers: That all they whiche reuiue any old heresies before condemned, or teach any new thyng contumelious, either agaynst Christ, his blessed mother, and holy Saintes, or which may breede any occasion of sedition, the same to be punished accordyng to the tenour of the Edict aboue sayd: That none be admitted to preache without the licence of his ordinary: That they which be already admitted, shall be examined how, and what they preach: That the lawes which Cāpeius is about to set forth

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