Page:History of the Thirty Years' War - Gindely - Volume 1.djvu/106

 not hesitate to issue the same, since the most influential members of the Hungarian Diet did, on the 7th of April, verbally make to the royal envoys the declaration that it was not at present, or ever had been, the purpose of the Hungarian Diet in the election of a King, to fall away from the illustrious house of Austria, or to neglect the consideration due to it, or, finally, to disregard the royal stock and its extraordinary services and expenditures in maintaining the kingdom.” These precautionary interpolations of the Diet’s explanations in the wording of the Diploma would make it easier afterwards to find proof of the hereditary right of the Hapsburgs than of the Hungarian right of election.

When the Diet learned the contents of this document, the opposition felt that its acceptance would give no support to the elective right which they claimed, but rather undermine it, and so rejected it. Thus it was again quite uncertain what course the business would take, until the inventive Cardinal again found an expedient. He proposed that the Diploma should be dropped, and that the report of the Diet’s action in regard to Ferdinand’s elevation should be as follows: “In accordance with our [the Emperor’s] recommendation, the Hungarian Estates have, after manifold negotiations and in harmony with their old and ever-observed manner and freedom, unanimously elected the Archduke Ferdinand as their King.” The Hungarian Estates, whose desire for a Diploma noticeably cooled down on learning the contents of such a one as had been offered them, belabored on all sides and worn out by the long-continued discussion, yielded, and accepted the formula proposed by Khlesl; though it said nothing of a free election, it nevertheless affirmed that Ferdinand had been made King by an election, and was therefore