Page:History of the Thirty Years' War - Gindely - Volume 1.djvu/171

 policy. Here also he failed, and all his labors to this end were fruitless: the election would take place according to the summons unless he should resolve to defeat it by an act of violence. This plan, also, Frederic meditated; and it was perhaps with the design of gaining confederates in the execution of this plan that he, as Director of the Union, called at Heilbronn a meeting of the members to take counsel. The majority, however, only advised another attempt with the individual Electors to have the election put off. For violent interference but a few members, by no means the majority, expressed themselves. He again pursued the way proposed, but failed of the desired end, and was obliged to resolve, whether for good or for ill, to send his envoys to the Electoral Diet. He enjoined upon his ambassador to labor above all for the adjustment of the Bohemian quarrel, and to prevent the election from taking place until peace should have been restored. Only in case the other Electors would not unite on this proposal, were they permitted to take part in the election, and then they were not to vote for Ferdinand.

Together with the three ecclesiastical Electors, who were present in person, appeared in Frankfort-on-the-Main the envoys of the Palatinate, Saxony, and Brandenburg; the Bohemians had also sent envoys to protest against Ferdinand’s participation in the election, but they were not admitted. The sessions of the Electoral College were opened with the consideration of the question, whether the election should be immediately proceeded to, or whether the Bohemian dispute should first be settled. Ferdinand, who was already in Frankfort, though he took no part in the counsels, declared to the ecclesiastical Electors that he would not enter into any negotiations with the Bohemians until he should be acknowledged as