Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1507-1521.djvu/423

 Worms, and the hitherto so fortunate journey of our little boat has met with a check.

As previously related I obtained from the Emperor a man- date against the writings of Luther and all others who at- tacked the Pope and the Holy See, for the imperial heredi- tary dominions and kingdoms. I always carry it with mc At present we request urgently a mandate good for the whole Empire and threatening the ban, for the imperial cotmdllors before the coronation at Aix stated that they could not at that time draw up such an edict, although according to the decree of the Lateran council it is desirable, indeed, indis- pensable, as a weapon against Luther's person and against his printers. Now, however, the imperialists are sullenly crawling behind the worthless excuse that the condemnation of a German unheard by them would cause grave scandal; wherefore they say it is advisable to hear him and to sum- mon him to the Diet. Yet they say that he shall only come to recant, and therefore they have already in good faith requested the elector to bring him to the Diet.* Others again advise him to demand only the recantation of the opin- ions condemned by general councils and emperors. So it appears that they make absolutely no mention of the present Pope and his predecessors, and leave the question of the papal primacy undiscussed. What rascality! Contrariwise, we represent to them that there can be no question of trial or investigation of that which is only too loudly proclaimed by Luther's writings; that in earlier times many heretics were thus condemned by the Popes, who have sole jurisdiction in such cases, whereas princes were obliged to execute the tem- poral punishment at the demand of the Pope; that finally, as St. Jerome teaches in his work against the Luciferians, "the safety of the Church depends on the absolute and supreme power of the Pope ; for otherwise there would be as many schisms as priests."

Finally, yesterday evening at eleven o'clock, the Bishop of Liege took me to the Emperor, who heard my account of the whole business with great attention and satisfaction, and thereupon assured me that the honor of the Pope and of

^Supra, no. 342,

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