A. D. 1546. general council should be assembled in Germany, or a select number of divines should be appointed out of each party to examine and define articles of faith. They mentioned the recesses of several diets favourable to this proposition, and which had afforded them the prospect of terminating all their differences in this amicable manner; they now conjured the emperor not to depart from his former plan, and, by offering violence to their consciences, to bring calamities upon Germany, the very thought of which must fill every lover of his country with horror. The emperor, receiving this paper with a contemptuous smile, paid no further regard to it. Having already taken his final resolution, and perceiving that nothing but force could compel them to acquiesce in it, he dispatched the cardinal of Trent to Rome, June 9. in order to conclude an alliance with the pope, the terms of which were already agreed on; he commanded a body of troops, levied on purpose in the Low-Countries, to advance towards Germany; he gave commissions to several officers for raising men in different parts of the empire; he warned John and Albert of Brandenburg, that now was the proper time of exerting themselves, in order to rescue their ally, Henry of Brunswick, from captivity. 1 "All these things could not be transacted without the observation and knowledge of the protestants. The secret was now in many hands; under whatever veil the emperor still affected to conceal his designs, his officers kept no such mysterious reserve; and his allies and subjects spoke out his intentions plainly. Open preAlarmed with reports of this kind from every parations 1 Sleid. 374. Seck. iii. 658. for war. VIII. June 16. CHAP. quarter, as well as with the preparations for war which they could not but observe, the deputics of the confederates demanded audience of the emperor, and, in the name of their masters, required to know whether these military preparations were carried on by his command, and for what end, and against what enemy? To a question put in such a tone, and at a time when facts were become too notorious to be denied, it was necessary to give an explicit answer. Charles owned the orders he had issued, and, professing his purpose not to molest on account of religion those who should act as dutiful subjects, declared that he had nothing in view but to maintain the rights and prerogatives of the imperial dignity, and, by punishing some factious members, to preserve the ancient constitution of the empire from being impaired or dissolved by their irregular and licentious conduct. Though the emperor did not name the persons whom he charged with such high crimes, and destined to be the objects of his vengeance, it was obvious that he had the elector of Saxony and the landgrave of Hesse in view. Their deputies considering what he had said, as a plain declaration of his hostile intentions, immediately retired from Ratisbon." 1 The diet soon after broke up, and both parties openly prepared for war. July 24. In the mean time the great instrument which providence had employed in producing the reformation was no more. "While appearances of danger daily increased, and the tempest which had been so long gathering was ready to break forth in all its violence against the protestant church, Luther was saved by a season 1 Sleid.376. A. D. 1546. able death, from feeling or beholding its destructive rage. Having gone, though in a declining state of health, and during a rigorous season, to his native city of Eysleben, in order to compose, by his authority, a dissension among the counts of Mansfield, he was seized with a violent inflammation in his stomach, which in a few days put an end to his life, in the sixtythird year of his age."1 Such is the clear, and, in the main, very cor- Further rect outline of the course of public events be- particulars fore us, which is now to be filled up with matters appropriate to our specific object. Two diets, it will have been observed, are comprehended within this period, that of Worms in 1545, and that of Ratisbon in 1546; and with the former is connected a scheme for a general reformation of the church, which, in compliance with the recess of the preceding diet of Spires, the elector caused his divines to prepare; and with the latter another conference between the catholic and protestant parties, of which some notice has been taken. Feb. 18. relating to the History of Religion. tion pre the Diet of 1545. The decree of Spires directed each party to Scheme of prepare a formulary of reformation, extending Reformaboth to doctrines, ceremonies, and discipline, pared for and of which concession towards their oppo- Worms. nents, carried to the utmost limits that conscience would allow, was to be the leading principle; in order that, from the comparison of the two, to be made at the diet of Worms, it might be ascertained what hope existed of bringing the contending parties together, or of establish ing some pacific compromise between them. Though this was in itself a sufficiently unpro 1 Robertson iii. 283, 286-295, 300-308, 315-325, 309. CHAP. VIII. Bucer's mising project, and, after the condemnation which the pope had pronounced of the whole proceeding, the catholics were sure not to perform their part of the prescribed task, yet the elector thought it not right that the protestants should be wanting to their duty, or that they should lose this fresh opportunity of explaining their views, and shewing the moderation of their aims. Accordingly, by a rescript dated November 23, 1544, he called upon the divines of Wittemberg to prepare and submit to him such a document as was required. They lost no time in complying with the demand, and transmitted their plan in the month of January following, signed by Luther, Bugenhagius, Cruciger, G. Major, and Melancthon. It is not necessary here to enlarge on its contents: it may be seen at length in Seckendorf. They avow little expectation of its proving at all availing, but they say, "According to our proper calling, we comply with the orders we have received, and propose a plan of reformation, which will sufficiently shew that we grasp not at the dignities or the wealth of the ecclesiastics, nor afford any just occasion for schism in the church. We cannot provide against all dangers; we aim to do our duty, and commit the rest to God."-Great piety, wisdom, and moderation seem to reign throughout the composition. Bucer, about the same time, transmitted a scheme drawn up by himself, and approved at Strasburg. It was very long,2 and its tone was 1 Seck. iii. 522-536: also in Pezelii Consil. Melanc. i. 586. &c. Melancthon appears to have made the Latin version of this document: but the original German seems not to have been composed either by him or Luther, though signed by them both. 2 Extending to ninety-four folio pages. It is abstracted in Seck. iii, 539-543. very different from that of the Wittemberg formulary. It may well be thought surprising, that Bucer, who has been styled "the moderate reformer," and who appears on some occasions to have been in danger of sacrificing sincerity to peace, should have adopted so different a line of conduct at the present time. He commences with censuring the course hitherto taken by the protestants, in submitting to be considered as the accused party, and standing upon the defensive: he would have them now boldly come forward as the accusers, and charge the pope, the bishops, and their adherents, with all the atrocities and abominations of which they were guilty. "Nor must they," he argues, "be content with effecting such a reformation as they desire for themselves and those who may choose to embrace it: they must demand its admission, generally, by the whole churchto leave any part of which subject to papal cor ruptions is to be unfaithful to Christ, and virtually to deny him." This was strangely, indeed, to confound what was desirable with what was attainable, and, by grasping at that which was hopeless, to risque the loss of all. A. D. 1545. Elector, The elector of Saxony sent both the docu- Judgment ments which he had received to Pontanus, de- of the siring his judgment upon them. This wise and and of Ponexcellent person expressed himself dissatisfied tanus. with the Strasburg scheme, the opening of which he thought arrogant and unbecoming; and the elector himself judiciously remarked, that to prefer an accusation against the bishop and church of Rome before the imperial diet, thus making that body judges of the question at issue, would be to sanction an evil precedent against themselves-for the diet would feel itself equally intitled to decide upon the doctrines |