Page:History of the Thirty Years' War - Gindely - Volume 1.djvu/107

 approved. Nor were the royal envoys dissatisfied with it, since they had inserted, by way of precaution, that little word “ever;” for the “ever-observed manner” was, as they thought, an acknowledgment of the hereditary right, and if preserved in future could not be detrimental to the rights of the Archducal house. Thus the parties understood the formula differently, and probably each rejoiced in having outwitted the other. The court, however, and the Hungarian Catholics who sympathized with it, regretted the omission of the “explanation,” and took the only way of escape which remained to them. The royal deputies had the explanation, together with an account of its origin, reduced in detail to protocol in the office of the Chief-Justice. This document, meaningless at the time, might become valuable, for it was executed before the first Hungarian magistrate, and by him subscribed, and must, at least from its contents, be of weight in the future.

All difficulties removed, on the morning of May 16th, the Estates, in the hall of the Diet, proclaimed Ferdinand King of Hungary, and repaired to his lodgings to offer their congratulations. The new Palatine was elected on the same day. Of the several candidates proposed by the government, the Chief-Justice Forgach was the one elected, so that this dignity was in possession of a Catholic: The royal party wished to end the transactions relating to the succession, and called upon the Diet to fix the day of coronation. But the Estates, instead of assenting to this demand, began the discussion of certain grievances, in which twelve days were consumed. Two of these grievances had an import extending quite beyond the bounds of Hungary, and stood in close relation to all the affairs of Austria. The subject of the one was the condition of