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 Luther and the Cardinal. 
 
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CARDINAL ALBRECHT. 
 From a portrait by A. Diirer in the Briluk Museum. 
 
LUTHEB AND THE GAEDINAL. 
 
 % Pislork-§migrap^itaI t^al*. 
 
 GIVEN IN ENGLISH 
 
 BY 
 
 JULIE SUTTER 
 
 THE EELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY ; 
 56, Paternoster Eow ; 65, St, Pattl's CmrKCHTARD ; 
 
 AND 164, PlOCADILLT. 
 
LONBoir: 
 R. Clay, Soks, and Taylob, 
 
 BREAD STREET HILL,' B.C. 
 
PEEFACE. 
 
 The following is an adaptation from the German 
 of Pastor Nietschmann of Halle. It is not so much a 
 translation as a reproduction in kind with liberty of 
 handling; the object being to give in English what, 
 it is hoped, may be accepted as a worthy picture of the 
 time when the night was dispelling and the broad daylight 
 appearing with the freedom of souls in its wake. 
 
 The story embodies Luther's struggle with the most 
 powerful of his adversaries, the Elector Archbishop 
 Cardinal Albrecht of Mainz, Primate of all Germany, 
 and, next to Pope and Emperor, the greatest man in 
 the realm. There are no fictitious characters intro 
 duced, the dramatis personce each and all being true 
 to history. 
 
 It does not seem to be easy to judge rightly of 
 the great Cardinal himself, or to vmderstand how 
 it was that one naturally gifted with all that is 
 generous, one of whom even Luther had hopes, fell 
 
vi PREFACE. 
 
 away so grievously. There was a time when the 
 two roads lay before him, when he was "almost 
 persuaded " to turn his back upon Rome ; but he 
 could not wean his heart from its weakness, and, as 
 Hutten points out, it is the " way of the flesh " which 
 takes Albrecht to Eome. There is that in his natural 
 disposition which moves one to pity, as from weakness 
 he sinks to wickedness, ending his struggle in defeat. 
 "Thou has conquered, Augustinian," he is brought 
 to own at the last. And the Prince Primate of Germany, 
 the magnificent, luxurious hierarch, the patron of arts 
 and letters, the high-bom ruler who, at the outset 
 of his career, had not a little of the amiability that 
 wins men's hearts, dies almost forgotten, and, at any 
 rate, poor and powerless, in his lonely palace at 
 Mainz. The Truth had prevailed, and Albrecht 
 reaped what he had sown. 
 
 As the following pages do not trace his life quite 
 to the end, we may add here that he died in 1545, 
 in the fifty-sixth year of his age. 
 
 We offer this volume as a tribute to the Cardinal's 
 fearless opponent — the brave, true-hearted Luther — 
 who, in the strength of his faith, took up the conflict 
 with the powerful hierarch, who broke the chains 
 which bound the people to Rome. 
 
PREFACE. vii 
 
 It may interest the reader to know that the actual 
 grant of indulgence assigned by Pope Leo X. to 
 Cardinal Albrecht, which may well be called a hinge 
 of this story, as it also was a starting-point of the 
 Reformation, can be seen at the British Museum, 
 King's Library, Show-case XII. 
 
 The illustrations are confined to portraits of the 
 chief characters who figure in the story. They are 
 nearly all taken from the best contemporary authori- 
 ties, and help us to form some idea of what manner 
 of men they were who did the deeds recorded in 
 this story. 
 
 J. S. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. PAOK 
 
 I. — DATS OP PROMISE 1 
 
 II. — HIS GRACE OF MAINZ 8 
 
 III. — AT THE elector's COURT 16 
 
 IV. — THE ARCHBISHOP IN DIFFICULTY 26 
 
 V. — PALLING AWAY 39 
 
 VI. — BOUND POE MAINZ 48 
 
 VII. — DOMINICAN AND AUQUSTINIAN 58 
 
 VIII. — THE cardinal's HAT 70 
 
 IX. — THE " HERETIC " AT THE BAR 77 
 
 X. — CHANGES 87 
 
 XI. — THE HORIZON OVERCAST 96 
 
 XII. — FRIENDSHIP PARTED 108 
 
 XIII. — FIRE FOR FIRE 120 
 
 XIV.— WORMS 128 
 
 XV. — HE CANNOT OTHERWISE 141 
 
 XVI. — PRESH DIFFICULTY AND A NEW EXPEDIENT . 160 
 
 XVII. — THE IDOL AT HALLE 177 
 
 XVIII, — LUTHER VERSUS THE CARDINAL 186 
 
 XIX. — THE GREAT CATHEDRAL 204 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 OHAP. PAGE 
 
 XX. — ANOTHER WITNESS FOB THE TRUTH .... 216 
 
 XXI. — STORM- TIDE 227 
 
 XXII. — POSSIBILITIES 241 
 
 XXIII. — THE PROMISE BROKEN . 252 
 
 XXIV. — A DEED OF DARKNESS . 263 
 
 XXV. — CONSCIENCE ... 279 
 
 XXVI. — FRESH ENDEAVOURS .... . ... 289 
 
 XXVII. — TIOHTENING THE REIN ... 299 
 
 XXVIII. — BEHIND THE SCENES . . 313 
 
 XXIX. — CHASTISING WITH SCORPIONS 321 
 
 XXX.— RUPTURE 331 
 
 XXXI. — COMING TO HIMSELF . 338 
 
 XXXII. — BROUGHT TO THE G4.LL0WS .... . 345 
 
 XXXIII. — LUTHER RISING IN JUDGMENT 351 
 
 XXXIV. — THE LAST STRUGGLE 364 
 
 XXXV. — CONQUERED ... 372 
 
LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 DAYS OF PROMISE. 
 
 , A GLADDENED throng of people was pressing through 
 the Ulrichsthor of Halle on the Fifth Sunday after 
 Easter, A.D. 1514. The whole town seemed on foot, 
 crowd after crowd passing the gate and the Judendorf, 
 or Jews' quarter, beyond it, towards the Giebichenstein. 
 Old and young, rich and poor, master and servant — all 
 were there. Just outside the gate a procession formed, 
 headed by the magistrates and town councillors on 
 horseback, exhibiting all the splendour of their official 
 dignity. Next to them, scarcely less imposing in ap- 
 pearance, ranged the clergy both secular and monasterial, 
 having donned their most gorgeous vestments, not for- 
 getting banner and cross. These were followed by the 
 guilds and corporations, notably that of the salt-workers, 
 carrying mace and halberd in honour of the day. 
 
 Expectation was written on every face, nor was it 
 surprising, since they were ready to make welcome the 
 new Archbishop. The previous Sunday had witnessed 
 
2 LVTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 his enthronisation at Magdeburg ; the town of Halle, 
 the archiepiscopal residence, having her turn to-day. 
 
 A very sunshine of promise gladdened men's hearts, 
 for people hoped great things of the newly-appointed 
 hierarch, fondly looking for a time of peaceful pros- 
 perity under his rule. The late Archbishop had left no 
 pleasant memory ; his had been an iron sceptre, and, not 
 satisfied with the fortress of Giebichenstein, he had 
 built a strong tower, the Moritzburg, within the town 
 itself, overawing the citizens and succeeding but too 
 well in depriving them of time-honoured political 
 liberties. The lesult was that, noble or simple, what- 
 ever their mutual jealousies, the people of Halle were 
 one m hating his tyranny. Rebellion was but asleep, 
 her wakeful signs becoming apparent here and there ; 
 and when the plague had added terror and devastation 
 to general distress, a popular outbreak, headed by a 
 turbulent schoolmaster named Thomas Miinzer, showed 
 how little the shepherd could count upon his flock. A 
 conspiracy 'against his life, which proved abortive, tended 
 nowise towards the healing of deep-seated disaffection. 
 The tyrant's measxire, however, was full, and he was 
 called to his account. The funeral rites were befittingly 
 solemn, but grief was expressed by the priests and 
 choristers only, who recited the appointed dirges in 
 lamentation of the dead. 
 
 And now Hope spread forth her rose-coloured mantle. 
 Whoever might succeed, a worse ruler than Archbishop 
 Ernest could never be forthcoming. Nor were the 
 people disappointed. News arrived that Markgrave 
 Albrecht of Brandenburg had found favour with the 
 High Chapter of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg; 
 the bells pealed forth the joyful event, and the citizens 
 
DA YS OF PROMISE. 3 
 
 flocked to churches and chapels to sing a Te Deum of 
 praise and thanksgiving. Nothing had ever been heard 
 of the young prince in question but what left room for 
 the joyful expectation that righteousness and peace 
 should kiss each other beneath his rule. The youthful 
 Markgrave was known to be possessed of all knightly 
 graces ; he was reported to be clear-headed and high- 
 minded, a lover of art and patron of learning, a man 
 likely to make benevolence and justice the safeguards 
 of his power. And surely he must be specially fitted 
 for high ecclesiastical dignity, seeing that three Chapters 
 almost simultaneously accorded him the palm. For 
 scarcely had he been invested with the see of Magde- 
 burg, when the bishopric of Halberstadt followed in the 
 wake, and within a few months from this a deputation 
 arrived from Mainz praying him to accept the archi- 
 episcopal honours of that town, including one of the 
 seven electorships of the realm. 
 
 Something like jealousy at this news could not at 
 first be suppressed within the diocese of Magdeburg, 
 people feeling as though they had lost two-thirds of 
 their Archbishop ; and, indeed, who ever heard that one 
 prince could fitly occupy three sees ? Misgivings, how- 
 ever, yielded to the fond assurance that if one man was 
 found worthy of having authority over ten cities, power 
 and wisdom no doubt would also be given him for the 
 fulfilment of so great a trust ; a feeling of pride even- 
 tually rising uppermost, seeing that the Archbishop 
 of Magdeburg now united in his person the highest 
 spiritual and temporal dignity of the empire. As Arch- 
 bishop of Mainz he was Primate of all Germany, as 
 Elector of Mainz he was Lord High Chancellor of the 
 realm. It was little to be wondered at, therefore, that 
 
 B 2 
 
4 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 the good people of Halle were joyously prepared to 
 greet his arrival. 
 
 One Nicholas, a worthy master of the pewterers' guild, 
 found himself surrounded by quite a crowd of ques- 
 tioners, for he had been to Magdeburg lately, and had 
 seen all that could be seen of the ceremony there. 
 People wanted to know what it was like; nor was 
 he chary of information, but added description upon 
 description with willing voice. 
 
 " I have seen him with my own eyes ! " he said. " He 
 is but a youthful prince, he cannot be more than four- 
 and-twenty, but he seems to have reached a maturity 
 beyond his age ; there is an earnest manliness about 
 him, and he has the eye of a ruler, but he looked affable 
 and mild, like one who might prove a fatherly guide. 
 And his appearance is striking. How well he sat his 
 horse, as handsome and knightly a figure as ever poet 
 dreamed ! I heard him speak, too, and his voice 
 nowise belies his appearance ; in it harmony and power 
 are combined." 
 
 " And how did the Magdeburghers receive him ? " 
 asked one of the crowd. 
 
 " How they received him ? The town was astir with 
 delight, and so great was the concourse of people that 
 the festive procession could scarcely make its way to 
 the cathedral. For you must know that a bull had 
 arrived from his Holiness the Pope, promising indul- 
 gence for sin to all who would hear high mass at the 
 Archbishop's enthronisation ; people had come from far 
 and near — the city could scarcely hold them. But the 
 procession was something to behold ! At first I saw but 
 an array of horsemen, whose steel helmets and polished 
 cuirasses filled the air with a glitter of dazzling light. 
 
DA i'S OF PROMISE. 5 
 
 As they approached I recognised the new Archbishop 
 his brother, the Elector Joachim of Brandenburg, riding 
 on his left ; some two hundred noblemen in scarlet jerkins 
 and glistening breastplates — a goodly sight — acting as 
 his body-guard. The nearing cavalcade was met by 
 a splendid company of welcome from the town. Riding 
 first, there appeared Prince Ernest of Anhalt, with 
 flying colours and a hundred knights clothed in black 
 velvet and silk ; they were followed by the four Counts 
 of Mansfield, with over a hundred horsemen in olive-green 
 apparel, also displaying their banner ; there was Count 
 Barby, with sixteen retainers ; next came the Provost 
 of the Cathedral, Prince Adolphus of Anhalt, and with 
 him the deputies of the Chapter, followed by fifty horse- 
 men, all these again in solemn black. The rear was 
 brought up by the magistrates of Magdeburg with a 
 hundred horse. Beneath a triumphal arch wreathed 
 with flowers the two processions met, and the Arch- 
 bishop having been received in the name of the town, 
 they turned to gain the cathedral, at the porch of which 
 the Chapter, together with the Bishops of Merseburg, 
 Naumburg, Brandenburg, Havelberg, and Lebus, stood 
 waiting. The Bishop of Merseburg came forward to 
 address the new hierarch in the name of the Chapter, 
 and having offered his congratulations he put upon him 
 the insignia of his high position — the cloak and scarlet 
 mitre. And now, amid the flourishes of drum and 
 trumpet, Albrecht went up the aisle to the high altar, 
 which was ablaze with light and gorgeous with flowers. 
 There he knelt, the choir chanting the Te Deum ; after 
 which he was lifted upon the altar, as a sign that he 
 was now indued with the archiepiscopal authority. The 
 ceremony within the cathedral having terminated, the 
 
6 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 procession moved to the palace, that his grace luiijht 
 there receive the homage due to him as ruler of the 
 land. Nothing was wanting to add to the solemnity ; 
 the church beUs pealed as he mounted a decorated 
 platform, whence he addressed the magistracy and 
 the thronging people : ' Will you swear allegiance,' he 
 said, with far-sounding voice, ' promising to hold by us 
 faithfully?' 'Yea, yea!' cried the magistrates; and 
 the people held up their right hands in token of yielding 
 their oath. After which the chief official present ad- 
 dressed the Archbishop, asking him in the name of the 
 town : ' Will your lordship promise, in your turn, fidelity 
 to us ? ' His grace replied with a hearty ' I will,' 
 shaking hands with the magistrates." 
 
 The pewterer would have continued, having more to 
 say evidently, but was interrupted by shouts of delight 
 rising from the people more in advance. All heads 
 bared, and in another moment the churches and chapels 
 united in a peal of welcome, the priests adding their 
 solemn chant — silencing for a time the acclamations 
 of the people. There he was, the new Archbishop — 
 indeed a lordly prince ; fame had nowise exaggerated 
 his appearance. Beside him rode his brother. Elector 
 Joachim of Brandenburg ; behind him his cousin, John 
 Albrecht of Anspach, with the Bishops of Lebus and 
 Brandenburg ; these again being succeeded by a retinue 
 of knights. 
 
 The Archbishop having been received and made 
 welcome to the town by the assembled magistrates, the 
 procession rearranged to lead him to his palace, the 
 majestic Moritzburg. Proudly waved the colours of 
 Brandenburg together with the archiepiscopal banner 
 from the battlements of the strong-built castle, at the 
 
DA VS OF PROMISE. 7 
 
 chief entrance of which the youths of the highest 
 families of the town had formed a guard of honour, 
 even now offering a joyous salute to the arriving 
 prelate. 
 
 The following day brought new festivity to the town- 
 ship of Halle, calling the people to the market-place 
 for the tendering of their allegiance. On a snow-white 
 charger the Archbishop arrived with his courtly train, 
 and received the homage of the citizens, promising 
 grace and goodwill in his turn. 
 
 This ceremony over, the town council presented him 
 with a golden tankard, together with a cask of malmsey, 
 three barrels of Eimbeck beer, and two hundred bushels 
 of wheat. And then, with pipes and kettle-drums, the 
 salt-workers arrived, begging his grace to dismount, 
 whereupon they led the horse round each spring in turn, 
 in accordance with an ancient custom, which also re- 
 quired that the Archbishop must redeem his steed with 
 a gift of twenty gold florins to the salt guild of Halle. 
 
 The afternoon of that day was passed amid games 
 and popular sports on the great meadow by the Saale ; 
 the people took their fill of pleasure in honour of their 
 new Archbishop, a cloudless sky of May looking down 
 upon all this merriment. And in the evening the men 
 gathered here and there round the social " schoppen," 
 exchanging their ideas concerning the new ruler, when 
 it appeared that there was but one voice among them, 
 since he had gained all hearts by his stately yet 
 gracious bearing. 
 
CHAPTER 11. 
 
 HIS GRACE OF MAINZ. 
 
 At the meeting of nvers, where the Main and Rhine 
 unite, nestles the ancient fortress whose origin is of the 
 time when the Romans held sway in the land, succeed- 
 ing centuries adding their spoil — the town and strong- 
 hold of Mainz. The middle ages called it the " golden 
 city," not only on account of the wealth accumulated 
 hy her merchants and patricians, but also because of 
 the splendour of art adorning her buildings, especially 
 the venerable cathedral, which carried her six steeples 
 proudly beyond clustering houses and churches of lesser 
 degree. Ever since the days of St. Boniface Mainz 
 had rejoiced in the dignity of an archbishopric, the 
 honours of which gained new lustre when the electoral 
 hat was added to the mitre. The Archbishops of Mainz, 
 Treves and Cologne ^ formed part of the august council 
 which disposed of the imperial crown. And more than 
 this, in the course of time he of Mainz had gained a 
 privileged position among his peers, adding to his elec- 
 toral and archiepiscopal dignities those of Lord High 
 
 ' There were three spiritual and four temporal electors, ia whom the 
 right of office was vested to elect a new Emperor at the demise of the 
 erown. 
 
HIS GRACE OF MAINZ. 9 
 
 Cbancellor of the Empire. And, lest the temporal power 
 should outweigh the spiritual, Rome had stepped in, 
 making the Archbishop of Mainz Primate of all 
 Germany. Thus, then, this favoured hierarch in power 
 and splendour was next to Emperor and Pope — a much- 
 coveted position naturally. There had been a hot contest 
 upon the present occasion : besides Albrecht of Branden- 
 burg, who had come forth victorious, Duke Ernest of 
 Bavaria, Duke Ulrich of Wurtemberg, Markgrave Philip 
 of Baden, and Bishop William of Strassburg had solicited 
 the Chapter, outdoing each other in promises. The 
 Emperor's wishes were with the Bavarian Duke, of 
 whose attachment he fblt most assured ; the Markgrave 
 of Brandenburg, on the contrary, being the very last 
 he desired, not caring that two brothers should sit in 
 the High Council of Electors. But the personal wishes 
 of the Emperor were not respected, since the yery one 
 was chosen whom he approved of least. 
 
 And was the choice a wise one indeed ? Did the 
 Chapter know what it was about ? Will a prince of but 
 four-and-twenty summers be equal to the responsible 
 position of Elector Primate, especially as two dioceses 
 were already claiming his attention ? And would the 
 Pope give his sanction ? Was it not against all pre- 
 cedent to place three mitres upon the self-same head, 
 the head of a young man even who had not reached the 
 canonical age, requiring special dispensation on this 
 account ? People at Mainz could but ask and wonder. 
 
 Another care added its weight : would the brother of 
 the new Archbishop, the Elector of Brandenburg, really 
 do as he had promised, and pay the price for the archi- 
 episcopal pallium? It was natural if this question 
 troubled the townfolk. The Pope did not grant the 
 
lO LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 white linen strip covered with crosses — the distinctive 
 badge of Archbishops— for nothing. No! Thirty 
 thousand gold florins had to be paid for the same to 
 the "Vicar of Christ." And with whom rested this 
 payment ? With the archiepiscopal treasury, of course. 
 But who replenished this treasury ? Why, the diocese. 
 Now since Mainz had had the misfortune of losing two 
 archbishops, dying shortly one after another, their re- 
 sources, in consequence of repeated payments of the 
 pallium tax, were at the lowest ebb ; the Chapter there- 
 fore had been anxious to direct their new choice to one 
 whom they believed capable by private means to satisfy 
 the papal greed. Albrecht's brother, then, had under- 
 taken to be good for the amount — but will he keep his 
 promise ? The people of Mainz could but ask and 
 fear, month after month passing before the newly chosen 
 Archbishop thought of showing himself on the Rhine. 
 " Mainz ought to be of more importance to him than 
 Magdeburg and Halberstadt put together," the people 
 would say, impatiently ; their apprehensions being eased 
 at last, when the news reached them that the Elector 
 Archbishop had left Halle with a retinue of two hundred 
 horsemen, and might be looked for at an early date. 
 This was in October. 
 
 Acting as a potent charm, the expectation of seeing 
 him allayed all fears ; a thousand hands were willing to 
 prepare him a worthy reception. 
 
 The Archbishop having expressed a desire to come 
 by ship down the Main, a stately Rhine boat was made 
 ready, decorated with flowers — as many as the late season 
 would yield — and fitted out with all possible convenienca 
 This vessel, followed by a fleet of thirty masts, proudly 
 waving their red and white streamers, sailed up the 
 
HIS GRACE OF MAINZ. II 
 
 Main as far as Hoctst, where a deputation of the 
 Chapter, together with the first spiritual and temporal 
 vassals of the archbishopric, awaited the coming of 
 their new lord. 
 
 On the sixth of November the cavalcade, headed by 
 Albrecht, came in sight, whereupon the larger vessel 
 hoisted the flags of Mainz and Brandenburg, and a 
 flourish of trumpets greeted the august arrival. As the 
 little fleet sailed down the river the towns and villages 
 everywhere hailed the princely traveller, the church 
 bells pealing forth, that people far and wide might 
 rejoice in the knowledge that the long-expected ruler 
 had now come to his own. 
 
 And when the domes and steeples of the " golden 
 city " grew upon the horizon, the mighty cannon raised 
 its voice from her ramparts, and the masses of her 
 citizens pressed through the Fisher-gate. The High 
 Chapter, with the united clergy of .Mainz, the Electoral 
 court state, the nobility of the town and neighbourhood, 
 the university, the corporations with their banners, the 
 school children with festive tapers — all had come. The 
 church bells sounded their joyous peal, the trumpets 
 added flourish upon flourish, the people waved their 
 hats in a storm of welcome — the Elector Archbishop 
 Albrecht had landed. 
 
 Triumphal arches had been erected, through which 
 the procession moved towards the cathedral ; a mounted 
 body-guard in scarlet and gold, with shining helmets and 
 waving plumes, red and white, taking the lead. Then, 
 bearing a cross, came the school children with their 
 masters ; the guilds with trumpets and banners ; the 
 electoral household in silver-laced scarlet; the priests 
 and secular clergy, the foremost among whom carried the 
 
12 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 archiepiscopal insignia — the golden crosier and a scarlet 
 mitre covered with pearls. Behind them followed 
 knights and vassals, with pages holding aloft on a gold- 
 broidered cushion the electoral marks of honour, the 
 hat and cloak of red velvet, bordered with ermine. The 
 court-marshal with the electoral sword preceded him 
 who was the central glory of all this pomp and vanity,^ 
 for now appeared Albrecht, the Elector, in a black silk 
 cassock and surplice of costly Brabant lace, wearing an 
 ermine cape, and on his breast, suspended on a scarlet 
 ribbon, the archiepiscopal cross richly set with diamonds. 
 Four knights in black Spanish costume held a canopy 
 above him, gorgeously v/orked in gold, silver, and pearls ; 
 to4;he right and left walked a number of satellites in 
 yellow jerkins with halberds, red and white plumes 
 waving from their slouching hats. The Elector himself 
 was supported by the Dean and Provost of the Chapter, 
 one on either hand ; behind him followed his chancellor, 
 the grand steward of the palace, and the notables of 
 Mainz, all in black silk capes, with swords and black- 
 plumed caps. The professors in gowns were surrounded 
 by the students of the university in full force bringing 
 up the rear, and followed only by a second division of 
 mounted body-guard. 
 
 On the procession went, over carpets and flowers, 
 between banners and wreaths ; the eyes of the towns- 
 folk seeking, the central figure, who bore himself with 
 majestic dignity, looking about him with winning eyes, 
 handsome in the bloom and power of his youth, the 
 broad forehead not wanting in gravity, as he dispensed 
 the archiepiscopal blessing to the pious multitude. 
 
 ^ The description of these festivities is taken from the accounts 
 preserved in the cathedral archives of Mainz. 
 
HIS GRACE OP MAINZ. I3 
 
 Arrived at the cathedral, he knelt down by the altar 
 of St. Martin, the patron of Mainz, the choir filling the 
 splendid pile with solemn chant. The capitulation took 
 place in the Chapter room, after which the Elector 
 Archbishop was led in state to his electoral residence, 
 the Martinsburg; and there he met with a splendid 
 reception of purely temporal character. Beside the 
 more exalted ofiSce-bearers of his court, there were the 
 Count of Nassau, Lord High Steward of the realm, the 
 Landgrave of Hesse, Lord High Marshal — in fact, quite 
 a galaxy of grandees, the hereditary dignitaries of 
 the empire. His grace of Mainz evidently was 
 considered worthy of honour. 
 
 The ceremony of state being over, and before the 
 grand assembly had finally broken up, a young knight 
 forced his \^ay into the Elector's presence, and, gracefully 
 kneeling, he offered a scroll wrapped in a scarlet 
 covering. 
 
 Albrecht gave a glance at the kneeling youth, a 
 gleam of delight passing over his face at recognition. 
 
 " Thou here, Ulrich mine ? " he said. " Friendship is 
 glad to call thee welcome. How full of sunshine is this 
 favoured day ! So much happiness and blessing, I am 
 not worthy of it all. But what is this thou bringest 
 me ? I guess aright, I think — is it a song of thy lyre 
 to grace thy friend ? " 
 
 Ulrich von Hutten — for the young knight was he — 
 pressed the Elector's hand with overflowing gladness, 
 pleased not a little with the gracious assurance of 
 unchanged feelings. "Each and all bring their best 
 to-day," he said. " Ulrich is happy if his Elector will 
 not disdain so humble a gift." 
 
 Albrecht opened the paper. It contained a long poem 
 
14 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 in the Latin tongue, redounding of praise concerning 
 the newly chosen Elector, and congratulating the 
 territory of Mainz at having gained a ruler of such 
 noble birth, whose superior intellectual attainments and 
 high-minded disposition must prove a blessing to the 
 Church, to the Electorate, even to the Empire at large ; 
 beneath whose sway arts and letters would flourish to 
 the well-being of his generation. 
 
 " Now leave us, Ulrich ! " said Albrecht, offering his 
 hand. " I shall look for thee to-raorrow, and then we 
 will have a chat, calling back the happy days when we 
 enjoyed our youth at the University of Frankfort. 
 Would thou couldst stay with me always ! " 
 
 " Far too gracious is the prince to his servant," said 
 Hutten, moved. " But the days are counted which I 
 may spend in happy Mainz : my face is set towards 
 Italy. I mean to study the laws at Bologna." 
 
 The Elector smiled. " I did not dream I could keep 
 thee. Thou must be free as the bird in the air, I know. 
 Spread thy wings, then, even as the royal eagle thou 
 art, who seeks the sun. But if ever this town of Mainz 
 can attract thee for a while, be sure that an old friend 
 will delight in thy presence ; and who knows whether 
 thou wilt not be glad of him yet ! " 
 
 Albrecht and Hutten shook hands, the Elector leaving 
 the hall of reception. 
 
 Deep into the night the high windows of the Martins- 
 burg were bright with burning tapers, the multitude in 
 the streets, in spite of the now pouring rain, listening to 
 the sounds of feasting in honour of the new ruler. The 
 trustful people felt so glad, so happy, having seen him ; 
 for, as at Magdeburg and Halberstadt, he had gained 
 all hearts by his winning presence. 
 
HIS GRACE OF MAINZ. 1 5 
 
 Wlien the last sound had died away, and the lights 
 all had yielded to darkness, Albrecht sat alone in his 
 chamber, thinking. Sleep fled his eyes, and his soul 
 was wakeful with the impressions of the day. He felt 
 lifted up with the worship which had been laid at his 
 feet that day; his hands folded as though he would 
 offer thanks. A.nd, despite his elation, he could not but 
 ask himself with some diffidence : " Shall I be equal to 
 - the high calling — I, who after all am young ? Sword 
 and crosier — how shall I 'hold them both? If the 
 right hand wields the sword, there is but the left one 
 for the crosier ! Shall I be equal to the holy office ? " 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 AT THE elector's COURT. 
 
 " What strange occupation is this of yours 1 " queried 
 Valentine, the steward of the kitchen, of Sebastian, the 
 falconer, in the archiepiscopal palace yard. It was a 
 pleasant day in March, 1515, and the said Sebastian was 
 exerting himself greatly. 
 
 " I am trying to teach my bird to take to sparrows," 
 said he bluntly, " seeing he will have little chance of 
 ever proving his training upon a heron again. But the 
 creature is obstinate, and doesn't quite understand 
 the change." 
 
 " How should he 1 " laughed the steward ; " you are a 
 fool for your pains, master falconer ! Why should you 
 think the days of heron chasing will never return ? " 
 
 " Why ? because I think so, I, the court falconer of 
 Mainz. The blessed days are over. How different it 
 was with the late Archbishop, to be sure ! My lord 
 Uriel loved falconry, and Sebastian had a happy time of 
 it. But now we might as well be dead, both I and my 
 bird, for all the new Elector cares for us. Nothing to 
 do from morning to night — I am sick of it ! " 
 
 "It is a pity you cannot lend us a hand in the 
 kitchen ; we have plenty to do, I assure you.'' 
 
AT THE ELECTOR'S COURT. 1/ 
 
 " Yes, you, I dare say/' growled the falconer, " since 
 there is no end to dinners and visitors, and ex- 
 travagance to boot. His grace must have a long 
 purse for all that." 
 
 Valentine looked ahout him cautiously. " Take care 
 of your tongue, Sebastian, it is not well to say all one 
 thinks ! " And coming closer, he continued under his 
 breath : " You are right, though ; I too keep wondering 
 who is to pay for it all ! You have no idea of the 
 expense in the kitchen department. At first I believed 
 it was merely for the sake of novelty, and that his grace 
 thought fit thus to inaugurate his new dignity. But 
 there is no sign of abatement ; never a day there is 
 without a host of boon companions — women included, 
 strange to say ! This very week we are preparing for a 
 great tomfoolery, no end of ladies being invited. There 
 is going to be a grand game of fortune, and, my stars, 
 you should just see the prizes'! Perhaps you have 
 noticed a queer old man about the place ; it was a 
 goldsmith of Nlirnberg, and a pretty penny no doubt he 
 has made here. Why, his grace is like a child if you 
 show him some glittering trinket. The chamberlain told 
 me that he has seen him pay seven hundred gulden for 
 one single necklace. Good heavens, to think of his 
 throwing away all that money on his lady visitors ! " 
 
 The virtuous steward was interrupted by a wild 
 halloo from the stable yard — some young gentlemen, 
 booted and spurred, were trying to break in an 
 Arab colt. 
 
 " Look at that tribe of dandies," continued Valentine. 
 " It is beyond my understanding why the Elector keeps 
 the like of them at court. They are good only for eat- 
 ing and drinking, and playing at love with the servant 
 
 C 
 
1 8 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 girls, torturing the horses and dogs besides. That 
 young fop there, with the carroty hair and milky face, 
 has been sitting up the whole night with some of them 
 drinking and gambling, aad a nice picture he looks ! It 
 is all the warden of the palace can do to keep the place 
 in order — you can hear his voice now in the servants' 
 . haU ; I suppose he has to interfere with some of the 
 brawlers there. Nice times these, to be sure ! " 
 
 " I cry you mercy, gentlemen ! " exclaimed a voice 
 behind them ; and turning in alarm they perceived 
 a monk, whose face plainly said : " Yes, yes, I 
 heard you ! " 
 
 The steward bit his lips, and was going to make 
 some covered remark concerning uninvited listeners, 
 but the ecclesiastic anticipated it with a pleasant nod, 
 saying in a half whisper : " Hush, hush, Master 
 Valentine, I could not help being privy to the expression 
 of your feelings, but you are quite safe with me ; indeed, 
 you have only ventured to put into words what many 
 others more prudently keep to themselves. It is all 
 true ; but it is not the worst. The Elector is but young, 
 and he too must have his time of youthful follies ; he 
 will settle down presently. But what good is to come of 
 his predilection for the humanists, I know not ! " 
 
 "Humanists?" repeated the steward. "Is it Diirer 
 and Kranach you are speaking of, who painted those 
 pictures for the Dom and the palace ? Nice to look at, 
 I grant you, but woefully expensive. Why, that single 
 altar-piece in the Dom, representing St. Martin, was 
 paid for with eight hundred gold gulden. Would you 
 believe it — all that money for a bit of coloured canvas!" 
 
 "Well, well," said the monk, "the Elector knows 
 where to replenish his coffers, if he drains them." 
 
AT THE ELECTOR'S COURT. IQ 
 
 " Does he ! " sneered the steward, " no doubt he 
 does — borrowing of the Fuggers at Augsburg ! '■ 
 They are pressing him already for the thirty thousand 
 gold florins they have advanced him for the pallium, 
 and which they are not likely to receive back in a 
 hurry. His grace's brother, the Elector of Brandenburg, 
 had promised to be good for the amount, but it seemed 
 more convenient to forget all about it, forcing the 
 Archbishop to have recourse to those usurers. The 
 load of debt, however, does not seem to weigh upon 
 him very heavily, to judge from the waste we witness. 
 Perhaps he is meditating another tax like that first 
 one, when, entering upon ofiice, he claimed of all 
 priests and cloisters the fifth part of their revenues. 
 It created much ill-will even then ; I should wonder if 
 it were taken quietly a second time." 
 
 "Well," replied the monk, "art is an expensive 
 luxury, but it graces a man's life nevertheless. I would 
 not blame the Archbishop for patronising an Albrecht 
 Diirer and a Lucas Kranach; but his friendship for 
 those others is a hateful thing ! It is much to be 
 regretted, too, that he has brought hither his old 
 tutor, Eitelwolf von Stein, and made him his privy 
 councillor.'' 
 
 " Why should he not ? " queried Valentine. " He is of 
 noble family, both good and learned, and knows more- 
 over how to speak courteously with plain folk. We all 
 like him for it." 
 
 " I dare say you do ! " cried the monk, " not per- 
 ceiving that he is one of those of whom it is written, 
 'Beware of false prophets, which come to you in 
 sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.' 
 ' The Rothschilds of those days. 
 
 c 2 
 
20 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 You may shake your head, but they are ! If this 
 Eitelwolf were the only one — but are they not all 
 coming hither, Erasmus, Herman von Busch, Helding, 
 and the rest of them ? Doctor Stromer, the Elector s 
 physician, too, may be considered one of the tribe. And 
 Ulrich von Hutten likewise — what keeps that young 
 adventurer here, I wonder? He was going to Italy, 
 I believed." 
 
 " The Elector will not let him depart before he has 
 recovered his health a little," explained the steward; 
 " he looks but poorly." 
 
 " Not a doubt of it," rejoined the monk, with an 
 ugly grin ; " he looks as he does, methinks, leading a 
 vagabond's life, cursed by his own father as a very 
 Cain. There is little good to be heard of him, I know ; 
 his ill looks speak for an ill life, I deem. Would we had 
 seen the last of him ! I cannot bear that face of his ; I 
 see but scorn on his forehead and a sneer on his lip." 
 
 " But what is it that makes you so angry ? " 
 inquired the steward. " I have always heard the 
 humanists spoken of as wise and learned men. And 
 our Elector is famed as a patron of learning." 
 
 " Yes, yes," said the monk, with iU-suppressed wrath, 
 " so wise is their wisdom, and so learned their learning, 
 that they think they know better than Holy Church 
 herself. Nothing so sacred but they wiU make it a 
 butt of their miserable sarcasm ! They sneer at the 
 saints, worshipping heathen gods and heroes instead; 
 they think more of old pagan learning, I warrant me, 
 than of Holy Writ ! " 
 
 " Your reverence is labouring under excitement," 
 returned the steward, quietly ; " it is not so bad, surely. 
 I have been told that these men only scoff at what has 
 
AT THE ELECTOR'S COURT. 21 
 
 grown bad within the Church ; they would wish to 
 reform that ; and surely it were no bad thing if they 
 succeeded ! There are others besides the humanists 
 who see infirmity and failings everywhere in the 
 Church, and are not afraid of putting their fingers to 
 the sores. Has not Doctor Sebastian Brandt of 
 Strassburg written and published a book called the 
 Shif of Fools, dealing of these very things, and do 
 not the people delight in the poem ? " 
 
 " He is a fool who wrote the Ship of Fools ! " cried 
 the exasperated monk. 
 
 " Is he ? " retorted the steward, getting angry in his 
 turn ; " then I suppose you would call his Holiness the 
 Pope a fool for taking the part of the famous Eeuchlin 
 in his quarrel with the Dominicans of Cologne ? I was 
 delighted to find they had to pay the costs ; it served 
 them right, them and their leader, Jacob von Hog- 
 straten, that fiend of an inquisitor ! What crime had 
 the venerable Reuchlin committed by his endeavouring 
 to defend true learning against those cowls who are as 
 ignorant as they are cruel, whose studies are directed to 
 meat and drink chiefly ? He has held up the torch of 
 knowledge, illumining the haunt of the hooded owls ; 
 and they resent it, stretching forth their claws, and 
 would fain kill him if they could." 
 
 " Avaunt, madman ! " ejaculated the monk, now quite 
 beside himself with wrath, "lest you experience the 
 power of their claws yourself ! " 
 
 He shook his fist with impotent rage, rousing the 
 merriment of both steward and falconer, and quitted 
 the scene utterly discomfited. 
 
 The Elector Archbishop Albrecht, with his grand 
 
22 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 steward and privy councillor Eitelwolf von Stein, was 
 holding consultation in a superb apartment, not over 
 large, but a very haunt of art and luxury. The floor 
 was covered with a carpet, the softest and most perfect 
 production of the Brabant looms. On the high-backed 
 chairs of carved oak the electoral scutcheon was blazing 
 in fields of gold. Low couches of deep red velvet stood 
 about the room. The wainscoted ceihng showed the 
 richest arabesque, a silver chandeUer being suspended 
 from the centre, the six arms of which were wrought 
 into lilies, each holding a taper. Valuable paintings 
 adorned the walls, a large picture representing the 
 destruction of Troy nearly fiUing one side of the room 
 opposite the entrance; to the right of it appeared a 
 Venus, rich and radiant ; to the left two smaller pieces, 
 the one showing Orpheus in Hades, the other a vine- 
 wreathed Bacchus. One of the window recesses held 
 a chess-board of ebony inlaid with mother-of-pearl, the 
 other a crystal vase filled with primroses and violets, 
 the early gift of spring. 
 
 " I have much to ask of you," said the Elector to his 
 councillor, v\rhen seated. " Let us begin by hearing 
 your report concerning our recently instituted court of 
 law. I entertain great hopes of the new appointment, 
 the administration of justice being at its lowest ebb 
 throughout the empire, arbitrariness often taking the 
 place of right. There is room for improvement, indeed. 
 John de Lune, the new judge, has been in office for 
 some time now ; is he likely to justify our hopes ? " 
 
 " We could not have found a more able magistrate ; 
 none of his colleagues, though they are all men of 
 intelligence, is equal to him in quickness of perception 
 and uprightness of judgment, his integrity being beyond 
 
AT THE ELECTOR'S COURT. 23 
 
 all praise. But he says the court is simply overwhelmed 
 with lawsuits, which shows that a great want has been 
 met, and that the people are thereby benefited." 
 
 "The matter has my sincerest wishes," remarked 
 Albrecht ; '' may it prove a bright example for all 
 Germany ! But further — what of our new market 
 regulations, and how have the people taken to them ? " 
 
 Eitelwolf reported : " The inhabitants of Mainz are 
 delighted that the butchers have been obliged to form 
 a guild, like other trades, meeting in a common market ; 
 it is a great safeguard against unfair dealings, since the 
 butchers are under obligation now to have a proper 
 supply, to sell by weight, and keep their prices within 
 the prescribed limits." 
 
 The Elector felt flattered by the evideat success of 
 his administrative arrangements, and said with satis- 
 faction : " I am truly glad to meet the people's wants 
 and wishes. I trust the Lord will at all times en- 
 lighten my understanding, that I may fulfil the duties 
 of my august calling according to His will and to 
 the well-being of our land ! One thing more — what 
 about the appointments of our court and the list of 
 
 retainers ? " 
 
 " The household and retinue are nearly complete. I 
 made out seven commissions the day before yesterday, 
 gaining an addition of sixty-eight horse." 
 
 " How is that ? " inquired the Elector. 
 
 "Three of these last-installed knights are bound to 
 furnish and accoutre twelve troopers each, which they 
 are willing to do ; each of the others providing eight." 
 
 " Well, let us hope we shall never need them — not for 
 feud or warfare, that is. I am ambitious rather of being 
 a prince of peace, and rule my people in happiness 
 
24 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Yet one thing more ; how is it that mine eyes have not 
 beheld Hutten these t-wo days ? " 
 
 Eitelwolfs features clouded. "The poor young 
 knight is weakened by sickness. I watch him 
 anxiously. It would be grievous to see him die, for 
 I love him as a son, and great hopes for our country 
 would be buried with him." 
 
 "He must not die!" said the Elector, "indeed he 
 must not. He is not fit to think of Italy for a while ; 
 he shall go to Ems at our expense, and draw new health 
 from its waters." 
 
 "God bless your grace ! " exclaimed Eitelwolf 
 warmly. "But I had almost forgotten a matter of 
 importance, a letter, that is, which a messenger brought 
 me late last night ; it is from Reuchlin at Stuttgart." 
 
 "From our Reuchlin?" echoed Albrecht, with 
 brightening eyes. " Tell me ; ,1 am glad at all times to 
 hear of the bold champion for light and truth ; the 
 land is full of his fame, and people are in arms for or 
 against him everywhere — tell me how it goes with 
 him." 
 
 " He has had to battle through fresh trouble," 
 reported the councillor, " for the Dominicans of Cologne, 
 whom the Bishop of Spires had sentenced to silence 
 with costs, have again broken the peace, appealing to 
 various universities for support. And indeed they are 
 upheld by four of our colleges, whose verdict they have 
 published triumphantly, putting Reuchlin to the fear 
 that the curse of heresy will yet be flung at him, if 
 only after his death. He has called upon his Holiness, 
 therefore " 
 
 "He has done well," interrupted the Elector, 
 greatly interested. " Leo the Tenth is a man of clear 
 
AT THE ELECTOR'S COURT. 2$ 
 
 judgment, and he, too, loves the light. I can see how 
 it ended." 
 
 " Yes, yes," rejoined Eitelwolf approvingly, " the 
 Lord be praised, it came to a happy issue. Reuchlin, 
 to be sure, was not left to speak for himself, since 
 besides five bishops, thirteen abbots and fifty-three 
 free cities, even the Emperor, testified to his pious 
 course, the Duke of Bavaria and the Markgrave of 
 Baden doing the same. In the face of such an array 
 the Pope could not well condemn him, at the same 
 time not daring to condemn the Dominicans either, 
 since Hogstraten, the Inquisitor of'Cologne, threatened 
 with a revolt of the powerful order. Eeuchlin would 
 have expected a solemn acquittal by his Holiness ; still 
 he is amply compensated for any disappointment in 
 this respect by the hearty sympathy of his many 
 friends and adherents." 
 
 " Ourselves among the number ! " cried the Elector 
 enthusiastically. "Write and tell him so this very 
 day, dear Eitelwolf; tell him that the Martinsburg at 
 Mainz shall be open to receive and shelter him when- 
 ever he may need it. And this reminds me, Hutten 
 has shown me lately a Latin poem of his entitled 
 'Reuchlin's Triumph.' That shall be printed at once 
 now, that all the world may read it." 
 
 But Eitelwolf looked doubtful. '' I, too, know the 
 poem," he said ; " it breathes fire and brimstone, after 
 the fashion of our young friend. It would seem 
 prudent to delay publishing it, lest premature triumph 
 cheat Reuchlin out of the fulness of victory." 
 
 " You judge wisely," assented the Archbishop, after a 
 pause. " Impart your opinion to friend Hutten." 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE ARCHBISHOP IN DIFFICULTY. 
 
 On a hot day in August, A.D. 1516, two courtiers 
 holding earnest conversation went to and fro in the 
 long dusky colonnade of the Martinsburg. 
 
 " You enjoy more of his grace's confidence than I," 
 said the one, Burgrave Conrad von Echtingen ; " can 
 you tell me what is the matter with him ? He has 
 come hack from Halle in the worst of tempers, and 
 scarcely looked at the pomp of welcome with which 
 this faithful town of Mainz greeted his return. He 
 snubbed me out of my wits almost this morning when 
 I solicited his attention to business." 
 
 Dr. Stromer, physician in ordinary to the Elector, 
 stopped short at this question, looking about him cau- 
 tiously to ascertain that no hsteners were near, and 
 then made answer : " There has been quite a combina- 
 tion of troubles overshadowing his grace's serener 
 prospects. To begin with, the death of his chief coun- 
 cillor, Eitelwolf von Stein, has grieved him greatly, and 
 although some months have passed the sense of loss 
 continues. He really loved the noble knight, besides 
 holding him in high esteem for his wisdom. But his 
 
THE ARCHBISHOP IN DIFFICULTY. 2J 
 
 mind is vexed with matters of other kind. Scarcely a 
 day at Halle was free of annoyance. His very entry, 
 usually an occasion of rejoicings, was made unpleasant, 
 the people actually fixing upon the time to execute a 
 Jew right in front of the palace windows. True, the 
 delinquent stood accused, amongst other crimes, of 
 having conspired against the Archbishop's life. It was 
 an ugly beginning. And when his grace came to in- 
 quire into financial matters, courage almost forsook 
 him : the coffers were simply empty. You know that 
 things were not much better here at Mainz when he 
 first entered upon his reign, but there was a chance 
 of redress by means of a tax. He would fain have laid 
 the archbishopric of Magdeburg under similar contri- 
 bution, had the states of the province not put in an 
 effectual bar. That sort of thing is not known here in 
 the Electorate. It was vain that he summoned the 
 ungracious representatives to reason with them by the 
 mouth of his high steward. Count Stolberg, urging the 
 fact that it was the late Archbishop who had contracted 
 so alarming a debt ; but though the prelates and the 
 aristocracy were willing enough, the towns proved re- 
 fractory, and no grant was made. This rebuff greatly 
 nettled his grace's sensibility, casting quite a gloom 
 upon his mind, and he was glad to leave Halle for his 
 brighter dominions as soon as the most pressing business 
 had been despatched. So he returned to Mainz, coming, 
 forsooth, upon similar annoyance. His vice-regent has 
 appeared before the Chapter, deprecating the miserable 
 state of the finances ; none of the public creditors receive 
 interest, he says ; the revenues seemed to go nowhere ; 
 debts were increasing, and unless the High Chapter 
 came to the rescue the archiepiscopal Electorate was in 
 
28 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 imminent danger. The Markgrave of Baden alone has 
 a claim of fifteen thousand gulden." 
 
 " Well, between ourselves," interposed the Burgrave, 
 "I cannot but view most anxiously the Elector's taste 
 for art and fancies of other kind ; look at the im- 
 mense cost of his courtly splendour, when there is but 
 debt and debt around him ! There ought to be but 
 one law paramount — the law of saving and restraint." 
 
 "You are right, Burgrave," replied the physician. 
 "I, too, stand aghast at the tremendous waste which 
 has been going on ever since the Electors accession. 
 However, he himself seems to have perceived it at last, , 
 hence his moody irritability. But hush — here he 
 comes ! " 
 
 The two courtiers retired speedily, anxious to avoid 
 a meeting. 
 
 Accompanied by a canon and a Dominican prior the 
 Archbishop came slowly up the colonnade, leading the 
 way presently to his cabinet. His forehead was clouded ; 
 the eyes, at other times so full of brightness, were over- 
 cast with trouble ; his very step had lost in firmness ; 
 his voice, too, lacked fulness of sound. 
 
 " Tell me what to do," he said gloomily, having sunk 
 into a chair. "The waters are closing over my head. 
 How much did you say was the full extent of our 
 debts?" 
 
 "If we include the thirty thousand gulden due to 
 those Fuggers alone, the bankers of Augsburg, it is no 
 less than eighty-six thousand gulden, so please youi' 
 grace," said the canon, almost under his breath. 
 
 Albrecht groaned, passing a jewelled hand through 
 his hair. " Those Euggers, indeed ! How are they 
 to be satisfied ? Their clamouring for payment is 
 
THE ARCHBISHOP IN DIFFICULTY. 29 
 
 insupportable. They add interest upon interest; it 
 is a crushing burden. Tell me what to do ! " 
 
 The canon looked diffidently into vacancy. 
 
 " I wish I could advise your electoral grace to any 
 purpose," he said, after a while. " What is to be done, 
 indeed ? To levy fresh taxes when the old ones are 
 stiU to be enforced is impossible. If you order the 
 cutting of timber in the Spessart, it might bring in a 
 few thousand gulden, but what of that? Unless we 
 hit upon resources more productive than this, we 
 might as well " 
 
 He hesitated ; there was a pause of painful silence, 
 broken at last by the prior, who had held his peace 
 so far. 
 
 " I have thought of an expedient that might obviate 
 all difficulty," he said, "if so be that it would suit 
 your electoral grace." 
 
 " Speak without ' ifs ' ! " cried Albrecht, almost rudely. 
 
 The prior half closed his eyes till they all but 
 vanished in the fat folds of his visage, and continued 
 blandly — 
 
 " Your grace no doubt is aware that his Holiness, for 
 the finishing of St. Peter's and other pious purposes, 
 has proclaimed a general indulgence. If you could 
 farm a part of this revenue for the Holy Father, say 
 within your own diocese, your troubles would soon 
 be ended." 
 
 The Archbishop stared at his tempter with the 
 strangest mixture of greed and wrath, almost unseat- 
 ing the worthy prior. After a while he said : — 
 
 " I am indeed aware of this new device, but never 
 dreamt of participating in a work which may bring 
 gains to the Pope, if little honour, and must be 
 
30 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 displeasing to God ; for the sellers of iadulgences, what- 
 ever their traffic may he worth, seem to consider them- 
 selves licensed for all manner of mischief. The princes 
 disapprove of their subjects being robbed, on the plea 
 that these doings are sanctioned by the Pope ; and even 
 the common people here and there suspect that such a 
 work can scarcely be done in the service of God. Some 
 of the clergy even have been moved to discountenance 
 it in the pulpit, perceiving it to be full of abuse. 
 Would you indeed counsel us to assist the Pope in a 
 matter which might be productive of plenty of money 
 and plenty of disgrace withal 1 " 
 
 The prior shook his bald head. " I pray your elec- 
 toral highness to forgive my dissenting entirely. We 
 all know that there is nothing so holy but it is open to 
 abuse, and abuse does not lessen holiness. Would you 
 doubt forgiveness of sin because some brazen-faced 
 monks, by way of fiUing their coffers, assure the be- 
 lieving people that the groschens they part with for 
 release from temporal punishment are the key also to 
 Paradise, and a means of saving them from the pains 
 of heU ? " 
 
 " I quite agree with the prior," broke in the canon. 
 " And I pray your electoral grace to lay hold of this 
 expedient when aught else seems to fail." 
 
 The Elector jumped from his seat, overthrowing the 
 chair in his excitement. His flushed face and trembUng 
 features betokened the conflict in his mind. His clear 
 understanding saw through the traffic of indulgence; 
 he abhorred it as an insult to the Church itself, and, 
 moreover, he could not but think of his friends among 
 the humanists. What would they say, if one of these 
 days the news should be whispered : Archbishop 
 
THE ARCHBISHOP IN DIFFICULTY. 3 1 
 
 Albrecht himself has soiled his hands with the despicable 
 traffic ? Would he not have to hide himself in utter 
 shame ? Would they not turn their backs upon him 
 from the moment that he lowered himself to the depth 
 contemplated by the prior ? But, after all, was not 
 his distress a more urgent consideration than all this ? 
 Was it not ever present, like some terrible spectre, 
 chasing away aught else that might be a warning in 
 temptation ? Conflicting thoughts ran high in his soul, 
 causing him an agony of doubt. He broke forth at last 
 with a " Get ye gone, both of you ! This evening you 
 may return, prior, and hear my mind." 
 
 The two men took their leave with an obsequious 
 bow, and Albrecht was alone. 
 
 He sat down upon a couch, supporting his head with 
 his hand. He had longed to be alone, but, no sooner 
 left to himself, he wished the prior back that he might 
 share his misery, and help him to wind his way out 
 of this dilemma. 
 
 He could not rest. He rang for his valet, and received 
 him with such a volley of abuse that the poor fellow 
 stood rooted to the ground. He had carried out his 
 master's injunctions carefully as ever ; this very morning 
 he had received marks of the Archbishop's favour — 
 what bad happened, that all at once he should be found 
 fault with as an awkward, good-for-nothing menial ? 
 
 " Why do you keep standing here with this fool's face 
 of yours? "cried the irritated hierarch, utterly dumb- 
 founding the startled servant. " Eetire ! " 
 
 Again the Archbishop was left to his thoughts. The 
 air about him grew more and more oppressive. He 
 opened a casement, thirsting for the cool breezes of 
 heaven ; but they had fled the place, the atmosphere 
 
32 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 was sultry and pregnant with thunder. His eye for a 
 moment rested on the town, the high roofs of which 
 seemed burnished with a deep red glow. 
 
 His hand gave a sudden wrench at the bell. The 
 valet reappeared. 
 
 " Have the white barb saddled and brought round at 
 once ! " Within a quarter of-an hour the Elector dashed 
 through the town gate, turning his horse's head to the 
 forest beyond. 
 
 The poor steed was no better off than- the valet had 
 been ; there was no pleasing his unreasonable rider. 
 Slackening in pace, the cruel spur would lacerate his 
 flanks ; quickening to a gallop, there was pull upon pull 
 at the mouth ; the willing creature could nowise be 
 in harmony with so capricious a master. That master, 
 indeed, continued in the worst of moods. Everything 
 about him seemed to add to his annoyance ; the glowing 
 sun, the toiling reapers in the harvest-field, singing as 
 though they were light-hearted, the little birds hopping 
 from branch to branch heedless of care — was no one 
 miserable but he, the Archbishop ? Must they needs all 
 conspire to shoot arrows at his despair ? 
 
 Deep into the forest he rode, not looking whither, 
 and when a low clap of thunder roused him at last 
 he knew not where he was. This was more than he 
 could brook ; an unfortunate keeper, whose hut hap- 
 pened to be near, had to bear the brunt of his anger, 
 as though he were committing a great crime by in- 
 habiting a cottage so far away from the purlieus of 
 the town. 
 
 Guided on his way the Elector returned to the city ; 
 the bells of churches and chapels were ringing even- 
 song; the threatening storm, too, came nearer and 
 
THE ARCHBISHOP IN DIFFICULTY. 33 
 
 nearer. He rode at a full gallop, but decision as to 
 his course of action had not come to him in. the wood. 
 
 When he entered his palace-yard dinner had been 
 kept waiting for half an hour already — a fresh grievance, 
 for the epicure desired his food cooked to a nicety. 
 He dined by himself to-day, company was hateful. 
 Having arrived at the third course the sound of 
 horses' hoofs broke upon his ear. 
 
 He stepped to the window. "Who has business 
 here, this time of day ? " he murmured, little pleased. 
 " Good heavens, the Markgrave of Baden's own livery ! 
 What can he be wanting ? " 
 
 There was no more dining ; the Archbishop walked 
 the room impatiently, guessing but too well the import 
 of this embassy. Nor was he mistaken ; the Markgrave's 
 message was to the effect that the loan in question 
 must be repaid within a month. 
 
 That settled matters ; the Archbishop arrived at his 
 conclusion. The Dominican prior was sent for 
 
 "I have carefully weighed this question," said his 
 grace, when the monk appeared ; " I have decided to 
 follow your advice. I dislike it cordially, but necessity 
 is hard upon me." 
 
 The prior bent low, to hide the satisfaction gleaming 
 from his eyes. ' Your grace has chosen the good part," 
 he said ; " you will yet thank your faithful servant for 
 his helpful counsel. Let it not trouble your conscience, 
 for in this case your conscience is not with you, but at 
 Kome. It is not you who have set going the sale of 
 indulgences — it is the Pope's doing ; and if there is any 
 responsibility of wrong connected with the business, it 
 is not you who are accountable for it, but he whose 
 invention it is." . 
 
 D 
 
34 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL 
 
 The Elector gave a long wistful glance into the evil 
 countenance of the monk, but holding out his hand 
 presently he said : " Thank you ! Early to-morrow I will 
 despatch a messenger to Rome ; he shall fetch me the 
 Pope's sanction for farming part of the revenues accru- 
 ing from the sale of indulgences. I have little doubt 
 but that his Holiness will be agreeable, for he has 
 reason to oblige the Primate of all Germany. But I 
 doubt me where I shall find the right man for the 
 work. Sit down, and advise me in this matter also. 
 Is there none among your friars who might be recom- 
 mended for the business ? I say your friars, for it 
 appears to me that your order chiefly cultivates the 
 ready tongue, which is more useful with the common 
 people than all manner of learning." 
 
 The prior seemed lost in thought, replying after a 
 while, " Well, there are several amongst us whom I 
 could propose to your electoral grace, and, indeed, one 
 man would scarcely suffice if the Pope allowed you a 
 tolerable domain. To begin with, there is lodocus 
 Lorcher, doctor of church law in this very place ; next 
 I might mention George Behaim, dean of St. Laurence's 
 at Niirnberg ; John Neubar, also, vicar at Wiirzburg, is 
 likely to be useful. But greatly do I lament that a 
 fourth I could mention is quite beyond the reach of 
 your grace. He could do more than all the three put 
 together ; if we had him there would be a speedy influx 
 of gold filling your cofiers." 
 
 " Who is this paragon ? " queried the Archbishop, 
 wondering. 
 
 " A brother of ours, Tetzel by name," said the prior. 
 
 " Ha ! I know him ! " ejaculated Albrecht. " You 
 are right, there is none like him for harvesting. I 
 
TETZEL. 
 From G. Hechtiits' Vita J. TeUeli. 
 
THE ARCHBISHOP IN DIFFICULTY. 37 
 
 remember his success at Gorlitzin 1506 ; I was a student 
 at Frankfort at the time. He had been gleaning in the 
 neighbourhood for six weeks, and was going to betake 
 himself to another field of labour, when the magistrates 
 of the town begged him to assist them in raising the 
 means for replacing the worn-out shingle roof of their 
 church with one of copper. Mind you, he had had the 
 best of the land already, and yet he managed an after- 
 gleaning of forty-five thousand rix-dollars in about three 
 weeks ! Yes, he would seem the man for our purpose. 
 You say he is beyond our reach. Where is he ? " 
 
 " Where he would rather not be," said the prior, 
 shrugging his shoulders. "Locked up at Leipzig, I 
 am sorry to say." 
 
 " In prison ! What has he done to be there ? " 
 
 The prior would rather not have explained, but the 
 Elector desiring information, he gave it. "Brother 
 Tetzel was at Innsbruck some two years since, and 
 found himself in a sorry plight ; his life, indeed, was 
 not worth a day's purchase. The people had dragged 
 him to the river-side, and were going to throw him over 
 the bridge, tied up in a sack; the Emperor's letter of 
 grace arrived at the very nick of time." 
 
 " Then Tetzel had forgotten the seventh command- 
 ment ? " inquired the Archbishop. 
 
 " It is a weak point with him," owned the prior. 
 
 " But how could Maximilian care to save him ? " 
 
 " Tetzel owes that to the intervention of his own 
 Elector, Frederick of Saxony ; the Emperor commuted 
 the sentence to prison for life. It is sad indeed that 
 the man who might still be doing great things for the 
 Church should be shut up in a dungeon of the Domini- 
 cans at Leipzig, dead, to all intents and purposes." 
 
 D 2 
 
38 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 " Dead ! no, we will resuscitate him ! " cried the 
 Arclibisliop excitedly. " I am in good favour with the 
 Emperor ; it is but a few days ago that he offered me 
 the regency during his probable absence from the 
 empire. He will not deny me the culprit's pardon ; and 
 our dilemma will be solved." 
 
 The prior's countenance radiated as he left the 
 Elector's apartment. 
 
 The following morning a man-at-arms dashed from 
 the courtyard of the Martinsburg, followed by a couple 
 of grooms with sumpter horses. A long journey lay 
 before him ; he was intrusted with a mission from the 
 Archbishop Elector of Mainz to the Pope at Rome, 
 praying for an assignment of part of the proposed indul- 
 gence, that he might farm its revenues for his holiness. 
 
 About a month later a lonely pilgrim turned his back 
 upon the town of Leipzig ; his face, too, was directed to 
 the city of the seven hills. It was Brother Tetzel, 
 freed from prison at the intercession of the Elector 
 Primate. He was on his way to the Pope to kneel for 
 forgiveness. But his appearance was not that of a man 
 who had suEfered want in prison ; a Dominican dungeon 
 would seem to offer consolation to unlucky inmates — 
 his face was round, his gait that of a hopeful man. He 
 knew what the Pope owed him, he trusted to his merits 
 as a trafficker of indulgences, which would outweigh at 
 Rome any knowledge of his crimes. 
 
 Nor was he mistaken ; his reception proving favour- 
 able beyond expectation. The convict-pilgrim re- 
 crossed the Alps carrying his head proudly; for not 
 only had he received papal absolution, but had been 
 found worthy of the dignity of Inquisitor Apostolic 
 for Germany. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 FALLING AWAY. 
 
 "What wool-gathering have you been after, 
 Balthasar? The bread is heavy, and burned to a 
 cinder ! " 
 
 Master Riedinger, the peace-loving, good-natured man, 
 was really vexed with the youth who had served for 
 seven years in his bakehouse, who had been apprenticed 
 with him as a boy, and had grown both into the business 
 and into his master's confidence. And Balthasar was 
 indeed worthy of all trust ; he thoroughly understood 
 the baking, and was faithful to the core of his honest 
 heart. One need but look at him to make sure that 
 one liked him, with his healthy, pleasant countenance, 
 and those blue eyes of his, which never dreamt of harm. 
 Yet dreams had come to him lately; he had blundered 
 once or twice when he ought to have been wide awake. 
 The truth was that of an evening, when he had re- 
 tired to his little room, he would sit by his window 
 peering across the narrow yard to another casement, 
 longingly hopeful to see his heart's desire. And if she 
 did appear, the lovely creature, his eye grew sad with 
 the sorrow within. How near him she dwelt — the 
 
40 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 fairest of maidens, Margaret, his master's child — and 
 yet how far ! 
 
 It had not been so always. She used to look upon 
 him kindly, not loth to accept his willing service, nor 
 did she withdraw her girlish hand when he took it at 
 times to wish her a happy day. She was his child- 
 queen from the first, and the parents did not object that 
 their little girl should haunt the bakeroom with a 
 friendly interest. Master Riedinger, especially, would 
 entertain worthy hopes : " If this Balthasar will stay 
 with us, and be as a son to me, I shall say nothing " 
 against it." 
 
 But these early dreams somehow would not come 
 true. Margaret was no child now, and her womanly 
 beauty grew more brilliant day by day. Mistress 
 Ursula, her mother, saw it, and was fiUed with thoughts 
 of pride. " Your Margaret is the handsomest girl in the 
 town," people would say ; of course she believed it, and 
 her vanity grew in proportion. " She is too good for 
 that Balthasar," she decided presently ; " a better one 
 than he shall have her." 
 
 Indeed, Margaret Riedinger could not cross the streets 
 now without drawing all eyes after her, those of men 
 especially, who were simply fascinated. And if a 
 stranger chanced to behold her, he would scarcely be- 
 lieve that she was but a baker's daughter of Mainz. 
 Her beauty had something astonishingly commanding ; 
 there was an elegance of bearing about her as though 
 she came of an ancestry of kings — and how lovely was 
 her face, with those deep blue eyes and long silken 
 lashes ! These eyes could speak, and one could look 
 through them into a depth of slumbering passion. 
 Her forehead was high and thoughtful ; her blonde hair 
 
FALLING AWAY. 4 1 
 
 silken and wavy — the whole creature a very vision of 
 beauty ; no wonder she drew all eyes ! She was tall 
 beyond her kind, but that added only to the majesty of 
 her perfection. She was an adept too in the art of 
 dress ; she knew what suited her, and understood how 
 to clothe her charms. There was that in her beauty 
 which might be a good man's delight, and was sure to 
 be a weak man's perdition. 
 
 Did she know what people thought and said of her 
 prospects ? If she did not find it out for herself, hei: 
 mother did, and Mistress Ursula was not one to hide 
 her foolish hopes. 
 
 Margaret, therefore, began to withdraw her favours 
 from Balthasar, taking the barest notice of his existence. 
 But the less he occupied her attention, the more need 
 she seemed to find to show herself at the sitting-room 
 windows, which commanded the street ; there were 
 flowers to be tended, and, that excuse failing, she drew 
 her distaff to the casement. 
 
 Balthasar saw it all, and it cut him to the heart ; he 
 was not ashamed of tears even on his lonely pillow. 
 Yet he hoped against hope till that happened which 
 put out the last faint gleam, and he knew that all was 
 at an end. 
 
 Let us cast a look through the lozenge-paned window 
 and the flowering geraniums behind. There is a round 
 table in the midst of the spacious apartment, and 
 Margaret, with folded hands, standing like one in a 
 trance ; it is but a red velvet casket which so moves 
 her, a-glitter with trinkets and costly gems. The 
 sparkling things seem to have called up a kindred 
 gleam in her eyes, yet two large tears trickled down 
 her face. Her father had just declared that not with a 
 
42 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 finger should she touch that jewellery. He could not 
 imagine, he said, what the Elector could be thinking of; 
 he. Master Kiedinger, was not aware of having done 
 anything particular that need be rewarded with such 
 marks of favour. It almost looked as if that lurked 
 behind which he would not soil his lips by even 
 naming. 
 
 Margaret held her peace, and secretly wished her 
 mother were at home, who was absent on a visit to a 
 sick sister. 
 
 Mistress Ursula, however, returned the following day, 
 her daughter losing no time in telling her the wonderful 
 news. 
 
 And now the worthy master had the worst of it, his 
 wife declaring, unhesitatingly, that he had better look 
 after his loaves only, that being about all his under- 
 standing seemed fit for. It was a pity he did not see 
 the honour intended for his child. His electoral grace 
 was knowij to have an eye for merit, and a heart for the 
 recompensing of virtue according to its own deserts, 
 Men differed in gifts : some were clever, some were rich, 
 others had the power of wielding blows ; but if a girl 
 had a pretty face, well, that was Tier gift — why should 
 she be barred from her rightful reward ? 
 
 The honest master did not quite follow the logic of 
 this reasoning, he even ventured to express decided 
 doubts ; it seemed a great deal more plain, be argued, 
 that an electoral present and his daughter's beauty were 
 not things that should have any common relation, nor 
 could he understand that a pretty face could possibly be 
 a virtue that needed reward. But he had a ducking for 
 his pains, and fairly ran for shelter — his wife's volubility, 
 when roused, being a very waterspout of feminine ire. 
 
FALLING A WA V. 43 
 
 He took refuge in the bakehouse. Balthasar was there. 
 It must have been the feeling of some common grief 
 which made him speak kindly to the youth, turning to 
 him unconsciously with the helpless hope that the 
 stalwart young man might yet be the warder- off of 
 pitiful ruin. 
 
 Balthasar, in sooth, was grateful for the master's 
 kindness, but his sorrow was none the less poignant, for 
 he knew what had passed in the dwelling-room, and 
 knew now that Margaret for him was lost ; for the 
 mistress was master in the house whenever opinions 
 differed, the youth was aware of that. The desire came 
 upon him to warn the poor master, begging him to have 
 an eye to his only child, for those who aspired high 
 might Gome to fall ; but he refrained, pressing his lips 
 together closely. 
 
 It was some days after this that in the hush of 
 the evening there was a knock at Master Eiedinger's 
 door, and, the women responding, there appeared the 
 muffled figure of a man, for it poured with rain ; but 
 the hiding cloak could not hide the majestic port- 
 liness of his bearing. He was followed by one more 
 humble in appearance, carrying some closely covered 
 object. 
 
 " All blessing to you," said the former with a deep, 
 melodious voice, divesting himself of his mantle — it was 
 Albrecht himself, the Archbishop Elector. 
 
 Margaret, who had been sitting by the window, 
 blushed scarlet, feeling spell-bound and unable to move. 
 Was it terror or delight stealing through her every fibre ? 
 She dared not breathe. 
 
 Mistress Ursula, who had been busy peeling turnips, 
 recovered first. " Maria Joseph ! His grace the 
 
44 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Elector ! " she cried, and bustling up from her house- 
 hold concerns, wiping her hands on her apron, she 
 dropped courtesy upon courtesy. " What honour ! " 
 she gasped, " what undeserved favour ! Who are we 
 that your electoral highness should grace our humble 
 abode ! Alack-a-day ! we have not even thanked your 
 highness for the jewellery sent to our Margaret; but 
 it is not my fault — holy Joseph, no ! My husband 
 would have none of it ; he is clever enough to bake his 
 bread, and there has been some talk already of his 
 being made master of the guild, but " 
 
 "Never mind, my good woman," interrupted his 
 grace, " I have not come to upbraid you. My little 
 present was meant to please this child of yours, of 
 whose beauty and virtue we have heard. It is meet 
 for the violet to bloom in the shade, but the queenly 
 rose is fit for the sunlight. Where high-born damsels 
 vie for the palm, there I should like to see the 
 maiden Margaret ; and the prize of beauty would be 
 hers, I ween." 
 
 Mistress Ursula stood open-mouthed ; the Elector's 
 language soared above her brain. " I am a 
 humble woman," she stammered ; " I do not quite 
 take in your gracious meaning." 
 
 "Then let me speak plain," said the Archbishop, 
 smiling benignly. " There will be a tournament at our 
 court, which will be attended by many knights and 
 high-born ladies. I should hke your daughter to be 
 of the number, and, to make sure of your consent, I 
 have brought the invitation in person." 
 
 The foolish mother fairly rubbed her eyes for grati- 
 tude ; it was too touching, she thought, and said so, 
 forgetful of all pretence at decorum. Her noble visitor, 
 
FA LLING A WA Y. 45 
 
 however, took no umbrage whatever, for he knew now 
 that he had not called in vain. 
 
 "But we have only plain worsted clothing," con- 
 tinued Ursula, somewhat embarrassed ; " what will she 
 look like, by the side of their silks and satins ? " 
 
 " Have no fear, good woman,'' returned the Elector ; 
 "we ourselves have thought of this." At a sign from 
 his lord the servant now stepped forward, and from the 
 covering folds of his cloak lie produced a parcel, which 
 contained nothing less than a dress of rose-coloured silk 
 trimmed with the daintiest of Brabant laces and a 
 profusion of pearls. 
 
 Mistress Ursula was dumb with delight, a gentle sob 
 by the window breaking upon her silence. 
 
 The Elector turned towards Margaret with his most 
 winning countenance : " Shall I have the pleasure, then, 
 honoured maiden, of witnessing your triumph ? " 
 
 Again Margaret blushed scarlet, a great wave of 
 anticipating joys rushing through her being, and falling 
 to her knees she said softly, " I am not worthy of the 
 honour ! " 
 
 The Elector took the girl's small, delicately-shaped 
 hand, holding it a while within his own ; raising her 
 presently, his left hand rested on her waving hair as he 
 said, " We knew we should find thee a good child ! " 
 And turning to the mother with a kindly remark he 
 took his leave. 
 
 There was silence in the room for several minutes ; 
 then Margaret hastened away and returned with a 
 lighted lamp. 
 
 They had not half seen the splendour in the deepen- 
 ing twilight. And now they stood, mother and daughter, 
 scarcely venturing to touch the courtly dress with a 
 
46 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 finger. Did they understand the price to be paid for 
 it ? Their eyes were aglow with eager delight. Vanity 
 at present was uppermost. 
 
 Mistress Ursula at last lifted the finery with the tip 
 of her fingers. " Hold still, child," she said ; " let us 
 see how it suits you." 
 
 And suit it did, fitting her shape as though made for 
 her. The mother could not cease for pride, turning the 
 girl about and about, 'as though she had never seen her. 
 Could so splendid a creature indeed be Margaret 
 Riedinger, the baker's daughter of Mainz 1 Did she 
 not look like a maiden of high degree, a princess at 
 least? The foolish mother's heart leapt for joy; im- 
 patiently she wished her husband home, who was at 
 a meeting of the guild. 
 
 He returned presently, standing transfixed in the 
 doorway, bolt upright with surprise. " God's thunder ! " 
 he exclaimed, rubbing his eyes, " what has happened ? 
 Is this our Margaret, or " 
 
 " Who else should it be ? " cried Mistress Ursula im- 
 patiently. " Of course it is our Margaret ! I hope you 
 are ashamed of yourself now for having spoken as you 
 did concerning our gracious Elector. He has just been 
 here — his very own self — with one of his chamberlains, to 
 invite our child to the tournament, providing her with 
 a dress, moreover. There, look — isn't she a beauty to 
 be proud of? He is not far wrong if he thinks her 
 worthy to sit among the noble ladies of his court, for 
 that is what he means her to do. I told you he had an 
 eye for merit — he knows what is beautiful, he does; the 
 baker's child of Mainz will not disgrace him." 
 
 The master scarcely knew whether he was in his 
 right mind. What was this he heard ? The Elector 
 
FA LL ING A WA Y. 47 
 
 had been in his dwelling-room, with a chamberlain ? 
 Invited his daughter to attend the tournament, and 
 brought her a dress ? Perhaps, after all, he had 
 wronged the great lord with his suspicions ! 
 
 He said something to this effect, smoothing away the 
 last obstacle in the path of his daughter ; both Margaret 
 and her mother revelled in expectant bliss. 
 
 After a while it was noised abroad that a baker's 
 daughter of Mainz had found favour in high quarters ; 
 she has been invited to court, and takes her place among 
 the ladies of birth and rank. And she likes it so much 
 that she has no desire to return to her humble home. 
 Her father, when his eyes were opened, tried to resist it, 
 calling things by ugly names ; but the mother viewed 
 them differently, whereupon he subsided into mournful 
 silence. 
 
 One dark evening the house door of Master Riedinger 
 opened softly ; a young man came forth with knapsack 
 and travelling staff. Having crossed the street he 
 turned with a last wistful look upon the window whence 
 the lamplight followed him as a parting benediction. 
 " Fare thee well, thou spot of my fondest dreams," he 
 said, " of my deepest sorrow ! " And with a last sigh 
 he grasped his staff, turning his back upon the " golden 
 city " with a manly resolution. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 BOUND FOR MAINZ. 
 
 One hot afternoon in July, 1517, a lonely traveller 
 sat in his room at the " Red Cock " of Spires, on the 
 Rhine ; he had his wallet before him, which seemed to 
 hold more books than travelling comforts, and having 
 found at last what he looked for, he sat down by the 
 table. 
 
 It was a poverty-stricken figure, most insignificant in 
 appearance ; he seemed about fifty, his face was pale 
 and furrowed, his eyes deep set, but capable of a 
 wondrous light when he raised them. The narrow, 
 bloodless lips were firmly closed, a smile of exquisite 
 sarcasm flitting about them. There was nothing strik- 
 ing about this traveller at first sight ; but the landlord 
 evidently was of different opinion, seeing that he 
 always received the stranger's orders standing humbly 
 by the door. 
 
 And the man, in truth, belied his appearance. 
 That insignificant body held one of the greatest minds 
 of the age. It was Desiderius Erasmus. 
 
 Erasmus and Reuchlin were, as Ulrich von Hutten 
 said, the two eyes of Germany, her morning stars 
 
BOUND FOR MAINZ. 49 
 
 ushering in a new day. They were not the sun them- 
 selves, but heralds they were, announcing the sun about 
 to rise. Among the men who had taken up the great 
 conflict against darkness and superstition, against 
 spiritual slavery and sacerdotal deceit ; who did their 
 utmost to quit the quagmires of a stagnating period 
 for heights where the breath of heaven might blow, 
 and were anxious to draw men after them into a new 
 liberty of mind, Erasmus and Reuchlin took a leading 
 position. When the Middle Ages had outlived them- 
 selves and died, the school of the humanists turned- to 
 the long-lost waters of classic learning, hoping to 
 quench their own thirst thereby, and that of the people. 
 E.euchlin was a Hebrew scholar, and Erasmus famous 
 for his knowledge of Greek. 
 
 He had now come from BMe, where he had the New 
 Testament printed in the original, and was returning to 
 Brussels, at the court of which town he had found an 
 honourable retreat. 
 
 Being startled from his meditation by an un- 
 expected knock at the door, he looked up from his 
 book ; a youthful knight had entered with beaming 
 face, and now caught hold of his hand, exclaiming : 
 " God greet you, reverend father ! How glad I am to 
 have tracked you at last ! " 
 
 Erasmus, no less delighted, rose to his feet, holding 
 out both hands to the visitor. " Hutten, my own Hutten, 
 mv soul rejoices at thy sight ! Be welcome, thou brave 
 one ; let me look into thine eyes, thou great one, 
 crowned as thou art by the Emperor himself with the 
 laureate's diadem ! I am indeed proud of thee, Ulrich 
 mine ; thou art an honour to all of us, and thy name 
 will be cherished by future generations. I owe thee 
 
50 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 special thanks, moreover, for having acted as my 
 physician extraordinary, quite restoring me to bodily 
 health." 
 
 Hutten looked at his learned friend amazed, not 
 understanding his meaning. 
 
 Erasmus continued with a smile : " I was ill, thou 
 must know, suffering of a troublesome boil, which 
 Esculapius could neither get to break nor disperse, 
 when I came across the Epistolce Obscurorum Virorum, 
 that masterpiece of wit which has done more to hold 
 up the ' darklings ' in their true light, than all the 
 books since gone forth against them from the humanists' 
 camp. And as the whole of Europe burst into laughter 
 at these wonderful letters, I needs must laugh too, and 
 so heartily did I laugh th^t, behold, my boil has burst. 
 That is why I call thee my physician extraordinary ! " 
 
 It was Hutten's turn now to laugh. " Has that 
 report come to your ears even ? " he cried. " Everybody 
 will have it it is I who wrote those letters ; yet such is 
 not the case." 
 
 " Don't pretend to deceive thine own master ! " said 
 Erasmus, with playful seriousness. " As if I did not 
 know thy pen ; and I admire thee for that masterpiece. 
 It was a delicious thought to let those owls of monks 
 confess their secret thoughts to one another in a series 
 of fictitious letters, showing to all the world the depth 
 of their ignorance and of their lazy, immoral lives." 
 
 Hutten looked at his master with a smile of inteUi- 
 gence. " I know," he said ; " and if you like I will tell 
 you all about it. I will not deny that I had a hand in 
 the making of that little book, but only here and there ; 
 most of it is due to Crotus Eubianus and Eobanus 
 Hesse. Afew others too had a finger in the pie." 
 
ERASMUS. 
 
BOUND FOR MAINZ. 53 
 
 " Well," said Erasmus, rubbing his hands for sheer 
 delight, "be that as it may, the little book rejoiced my 
 soul, and, as I tell thee, my boil could not stand it. 
 But sit down now and let me hear how you fared. 
 I know nothing of your doings since you went to 
 Bologna to study the laws." 
 
 Hutten sat down on a low seat by his master, and, 
 half emptying a jug of beer which the latter hospitably 
 had filled for him, he began his report. 
 
 " I have spent a year at the Italian university, but 
 when the hot season came upon us, I packed up my 
 traps and recrossed the Alps. I had set my face 
 towards Augsburg. And there a surprise was in store 
 for me of which I never dreamt ; friend Conrad Peu- 
 tinger was at the bottom of it. In her withdrawing 
 chamber the lovely Constance, his own fair daughter, 
 made a wreath of laurel. Little thinking what might 
 be its object, I watched the pretty white hands, admiring 
 how deftly they proceeded. The following day I was 
 sent for to the Emperor's presence. A brilliant assembly 
 had gathered around him ; all eyes turned upon me, 
 and at Maximilian's desire the maiden Constance 
 crowned me poet with that self-same laurel crown. 
 I was as in a dream, scarcely hearing the Emperor's 
 most kind and flattering words ; only this I remember, 
 or 'Something to this effect, with which he concluded: 
 ' Because you, Ulrich von Hutten, have added the 
 nobility of learning to that of your birth, we have 
 considered you worthy to receive a mark of our approval. 
 It is our imperial desire that you should be honoured 
 with the laurel and the golden ring ; we name you poet 
 and orator, and hold you entitled to teach the art of 
 poetry and rhetoric at any of our universities, bestowing 
 
 E 
 
54 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 upon you moreover all its privileges, honours, and 
 favours, enjoyed by other crowned poets and orators, 
 according to usage and right. And, in order to give 
 you a more special mark of our favour, we grant you 
 the protection of our imperial person and of this holy 
 realm ; you shall be justiciable henceforth to no judge 
 but the Emperor alone.' " 
 
 " You happy mortal ! " cried Erasmus, with hearty 
 .sympathy, again pressing Hutten's hand. " And what 
 are your further plans now ? " 
 
 Hutten hesitated, playing with his sword-hilt, but 
 saying presently : " Friend Peutinger rather pressed me 
 to remain at court and bask in the sunshine of imperial 
 favour, but I could not make up my mind." 
 
 " Why not ? " returned Erasmus quickly. " The poet 
 should be where the prince is, for both are rulers of 
 men." 
 
 " No doubt you are right, honoured master," rejoined 
 Hutten, "and indeed it was my intention to attach 
 myself to court ; not the Emperor's however — gratitude 
 would seem to call me elsewhere." 
 
 " Ah, I guess your meaning," broke in Erasmus ; " it is 
 Mainz which draws you. Archbishop Albrecht has a 
 claim on your gratitude, I own. I also propose taking 
 Mainz on my way, so we can continue our road 
 together." 
 
 Hutten moved on his chair, embarrassed. "Y.ou 
 interrupted what I was going to say, much honoured 
 father. I have become doubtful concerning my original 
 intention. I seem to have lost confidence in his grace 
 of Mainz. Indeed, I could hardly believe my ears 
 when I heard that Archbishop Albrecht has succumbed 
 to temptation ; that he has lowered himself to the 
 
BOUND FOR MAINZ. 55 
 
 position of the Pope's accomplice in this vile matter of 
 indulgences ; that he has not been ashamed to use his 
 influence for getting out of prison that scoundrel 
 Tetzel, starting him afresh with his diabolical money- 
 chest. This news has cast a great gloom over my 
 otherwise happy days. How is it possible that 
 Albrecht, a man of high -mind edness and intellect, the 
 lover of art and letters, can stoop to soiling his hands 
 with the abominable traflSc, the invention of miserable 
 priestcraft ? How is it possible, I ask " 
 
 " Stop, stop ! " cried Erasmus. " The excitement of 
 youth should not run away with you ; you must judge 
 of things more calmly. Archbishop Albrecht is still 
 with us, and there is no reason why you should lose 
 confidence in him. You should have seen how he 
 laughed at the letters of the ' darklings ' ! He was 
 delighted, he said, that the hooded owls were drawn to 
 the light for once ; and he who had written the book 
 was worth his weight in gold." 
 
 " Then I don't understand him ! " cried Hutten. 
 " How is it, I pray you ? " 
 
 " Well," said Erasmus, taking off his little cap and 
 wiping his forehead, for the day was hot and the room 
 low-ceiled and stuffy, " to tell the plain truth, he saw 
 no other way out of his diflSculty. You know what a 
 weight of debt there is upon him ; he vainly tried all 
 other resources, and nothing seemed left at last but 
 this one expedient — he farms part of the revenues for 
 the Pope. It did cost him a hard struggle with con- 
 science, but he yielded, leaving all responsibility with 
 him who set going this work of indulgence. Matters 
 would scarcely have been much better if he had not 
 yielded ; for then the Archbishops of Treves aud 
 
 E 2 
 
56 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Cologne would have snatched at the gain, and Albrecht 
 -would only have been a loser of what, situated as he 
 is, he cannot afibrd to lose. He has been successful so 
 far, for Tetzel understands his business ; the Archbishop 
 has already been enabled to pay off the Fuggers, which 
 is a good thing, for his liabilities to that banking 
 concern were immense." 
 
 Hutten looked bewildered. " Am I so young or so 
 innocent," he murmured, " that I am unable to perceive 
 the force of such reasoning ? " 
 
 " Yes, you are young," said Erasmus, laying a 
 fatherly hand upon his shoulder. " Youth would push 
 ahead where old age treads circumspectly. As a whirl- 
 wind you would burst upon the worm-eaten structure ; 
 and you might succeed in laying low what no doubt 
 ought to be laid low. But what will you give instead ? 
 The building up is not so easy — what of the building 
 up ? Things need time ; good things especially are 
 slow of growth. The Archbishop judges rightly, per- 
 haps, in thinking that the people cannot be brought 
 from darkness into light all at once, that the stronghold 
 of superstition must be undermined by degrees, and 
 that we are not powerful enough as yet for the work 
 we would do. Those who would fight for light and 
 liberty m-ist first join their efforts, must use their own 
 eyes to the light, as it were, before they will shower a 
 blessing upon the people^ — which might prove a curse if 
 it comes before they are ready to receive it. Therefore, 
 I say. Archbishop Albrecht is still as one of ourselves, 
 and you may trust him ; see if he does not receive you 
 with open arms. Go, therefore, and help him as you 
 may be able, that he shall remain true to our cause 
 and true to his own better self." 
 
BOUND FOR MAINZ. 57 
 
 " I ■will," said Hutten, with earnest resolve. " If you 
 think so, I may give over my doubts ; and indeed I can 
 always leave him again, should I find him faithless to 
 the flag we hold aloft unflinchingly. Yet I cannot go 
 to Mainz at once and in your company ; I long to see 
 my father's house again ; and I long for the quiet of 
 Burg Steckelberg for another reason, intending to finish 
 some work there, of which I hope you may hear before 
 long." 
 
 " May I not hear about it now ? " said Erasmus, 
 smiling, and not without cjiriosity. 
 
 " I ask your leave, much honoured father, for 
 keeping my own counsel yet a while," returned Hutten. 
 " I trust it will not be long ! Meantime fare you 
 well ! " 
 
 The two men shook hands and parted, each zealous 
 and well-meaning in his own way; but the true light 
 was hidden. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 DOMINICAN AND AUGTTSTINIAN. 
 
 "Bad tidings I bring you, as bad as tbe weathei 
 ushering in this month of November !" With these 
 words the prior, whose acquaintance we have made in a 
 former chapter, entered tbe chamber where the Elector 
 Archbishop, sitting by the side of Margaret Riedinger, 
 enjoyed an early meal. " Evil tidings, so please your 
 grace, from Saxony ! " 
 
 The Elector, who had liked his wine and his oysters, 
 did not like a disagreeable announcement. Handsome 
 Margaret, too, annoyed at interruption, treated the 
 new-comer to such a look of anger that the features of 
 her brilliant face quite suffered in consequence. She 
 saw fit to bear the prior a general grudge, not 
 approving of his advancement in the Archbishop's 
 confidence, which he abused, she thought, almost 
 venturing to put himself between Albrecht and her, 
 his chosen companion. 
 
 " What has happened ? " inquired the Elector, putting 
 back the disordered hair from his forehead. 
 
 " Tetzel has come to grief! " said the prior. 
 
 " Oh no, not ill, surely ! " exclaimed the Elector. 
 
DOMINICAN AND AUGUSTINIAN. 59 
 
 " No, not ill," echoed the prior. 
 
 " Not dead either ! That would be all too soon, for, 
 much as he has enabled me to satisfy those Fuggers 
 and the Markgrave of Baden — nay, many another 
 creditor besides — I could ill miss it if the trafficker 
 stopped sending gold to our treasury.'' 
 
 The prior shook his head. "His life is safe enough, 
 but his traffic, I fear me, may come to an untimely 
 end." 
 
 " And why so ? " queried Albrecht, anxiously. 
 
 " There has appeared one stronger than he, likely to 
 stop his proceedings." 
 
 The Elector's eyes opened wider and wider, yet not 
 understanding, he said impatientlj-, " Speak plain, and 
 tell me what it is." 
 
 And the prior, coming a step closer, told what he 
 knew. " Tetzel, going about the country, came to the 
 neighbourhood of Wittenberg, where an Augustinian 
 took sore umbrage at his doings, so much so that he 
 dared refuse absolution to any person coming to him 
 with an indulgence given by Tetzel, whom he called 
 ugly and wicked names. And more than this, he has 
 put up ninety-five theses at the Schlosskirchc of 
 Wittenberg, concerning the traffic of indulgences, in- 
 tending to make it a subject of open disputation. These 
 theses are even now running through the country like 
 wildfire ; they seem the one subject of conversation 
 everywhere. A pedlar coming from Ntirnberg has just 
 told me, and is astonished that we at Mainz should 
 still be ignorant of the event. He says that every- 
 where, on the high roads even, people are hotly dis- 
 cussing the Wittenberg theses." 
 
 " Is that all ? '■' said Albrecht, resettling himself on 
 
6o LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 his comfortable couch. " Are these your evil tidings ? 
 Am I to be frightened with mere monkish palaver ? " 
 And he smiled superciliously. 
 
 But the prior looked serious, raising a fat finger of 
 warning. " Take it not lightly, most noble Elector ! 
 They are but theses stuck to a church door — yes, but 
 if even before the intended disputation they have flown 
 through the length and breadth of the land as on the 
 wings of a storm-swept commotion, gaining people's 
 attention everywhere, that is more than monkish 
 palaver, as you please to call it." 
 
 The Elector waved a careless hand. " A storm raises 
 dust, we know, but the commotion will subside. It 
 is not for the first time that monks have thought to 
 shake the foundations of the earth." 
 
 " But this Augustinian is reported to be a man of 
 clear understanding, having a tongue, they say, afraid 
 of no man," continued the prior. 
 
 Albrecht laughed aloud. "As if Tetzel had not a 
 tongue of his own ! It will do him good to learn to 
 hold it ; indeed, I shall thank the Augustinian if he 
 will teach him this lesson, for Tetzel has often annoyed 
 nae by the impudent way with which he carries on his 
 business, even daring to flourish about the archi- 
 episcopal name, to the great detriment of our honour. 
 If wherever he goes he sets up a hullabaloo of fancy 
 stalls, merry-go-rounds, lottery shops, with a menagerie 
 of animals, and rope-dancing besides, this we might 
 excuse ; he understands his business, and is clever at 
 attracting the people. But the sahmeless falsehoods of 
 his preaching, his saying he would not change with 
 St. Peter himself, and that by means of his letters of 
 indulgence he passed more souls into heaven than the 
 
& 
 
 DOMINICAN AND A UG USTINIAN. 6 1 
 
 chief of the apostles ; his telling the people the Lord 
 had delegated all His power to the Pope, reserving 
 nothing for Himself until the day of judgment, his 
 daring inventions concerning the papal cross of in- 
 dulgence, from which he said living blood had flown, 
 being the blood of Christ Himself — all this has greatly 
 moved my resentment. I have heard, too, that Tetzel 
 and his band spend part of their daily gains holding 
 unpermissible carousings at night. I have sent an 
 attorney of the Fuggers after him, requesting Tetzel to 
 give up the keys of his money-chests ; but the rascal 
 knew how to indemnify himself The accounts show 
 plainly that he requires no less than eighty gulden per 
 month for himself, ten for his servant, apart from what 
 he charges for their own maintenance and the keep of 
 three horses. And there is no saying what he may not 
 embezzle and purloin besides ! I have long been 
 desirous of reprimanding him for these grievous faults ; 
 if this Augustinian has forestalled me, well, I can- 
 not be angry. Tetzel will learn to act with more 
 prudence." 
 
 " It is too late to think of improvement," remarked 
 the prior. " He will have to retire altogether ; the 
 people, I hear, turn against him everywhere, and pelt 
 him with mud instead of giving their groschens." 
 
 The Elector frowned. "Do not exaggerate, prior. 
 You repeat from hearsay, and we know how news is 
 added to from mouth to mouth." 
 
 " If I have said more than is true," replied the prior, 
 " I shall be glad to correct myself." 
 
 A door was being opened; a chamberlain coming 
 forward announced an Augustinian monk just arrived 
 with a message to his electoral highness. 
 
62 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 "An Augustinian?" repeated Altrecht quickly. 
 " And whence is he ? " 
 
 " From Wittenberg, your grace ! " said the chamber- 
 lain. There was a pause of speechless surprise, broken 
 by the Elector. 
 
 " Let him enter ! " said he. 
 
 A young, healthy-looking monk, barefooted and 
 black-gowned, appeared on the threshold, humbly 
 crossing his hands and bending his head with a 
 " Praised be Jesus Christ ! " 
 
 " Now and evermore, amen ! " responded the Arch- 
 bishop. " What is thy message ? Say on." 
 
 "I bear a letter to your electoral grace, indited by 
 brother Martin, Professor at the University of Witten- 
 berg, and Doctor of Holy Writ." 
 
 And from within the folds of his garment he produced 
 a scroll, handing it reverentially to the Elector. 
 
 The latter, opening it at once, glanced through it 
 quickly, dismissing the monk with a wave of the hand ; 
 the prior, too, who would fain have remained, received 
 leave to retire ; Margaret, on the contrary, though about 
 to rise, was invited to remain. 
 
 "Sit stiU," he said, addressing his fair companion 
 when they were left alone, "thou shalt hear what 
 brother Martin has to say to the Archbishop, for thou 
 art the sharer of my every secret ; what I would not tell 
 my closest friend, I would not hide from thee, for part 
 of myself thou art, and the sunshine of my life." 
 
 He drew her close, and she listened to him in silent 
 rapture. 
 
 " This is the letter," he continued, after a while ; " it 
 is written in Latin, but I will translate it for thee as 
 best I can. 
 
DOMINICAN AND A UGUSTINIAN. 63 
 
 '"Grace and mercy from God, with all my soul, 
 Most Reverend Father in the Lord, most serene Elector ! 
 I intreat your highness most graciously to bear with 
 me, that I, the lowest and least of men, should dare to 
 think of, nay, write a letter to your reverence. The 
 Lord Jesus is my witness that I am not unmindful of 
 my own lowliness, wherefore I have long delayed this 
 writing which I am now emboldened to undertake. I 
 am chiefly moved thereto by the faithful service of 
 which I own myself debtor to your electoral grace, 
 most reverend father in God. May your reverence 
 therefore look graciously upon me, who am but dust 
 and ashes, listening to my desire according to your 
 episcopal forbearance. 
 
 '"The Pope's indulgence for the building of St. 
 Peter's at Rome is being hawked about the land under 
 your electoral grace's own name and title. And it is 
 not so much the great to-do of the traffickers I would 
 rebuke, as the false meaning which the poor simple 
 people everywhere put upon it, and take to themselves. 
 It is this which hurts and grieves me, that the mis- 
 guided folk accept and believe that on buying letters of 
 indulgence they insure their own salvation; likewise 
 also that souls straightway get out of purgatory when 
 money for them is laid into the chest ; again, that this 
 same indulgence be of such virtue, that there is no sin 
 so great but that it can be remitted and forgiven through 
 it ; further, that men by this indulgence are freed from 
 all punishment and guilt. Woe is me, this is the way to 
 bring poor souls under your care and diocese not to life 
 but to death ! It ia a great and growing responsibility 
 for your reverence, who will have to render account for 
 all these souls. Therefore I could no longer be silent, for 
 
64 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 man is not assured of his salvation by a bishop's will 
 or work, but the apostle enjoins us at all times to work 
 out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Even 
 the just will hardly live, for narrow is the way which 
 leadeth unto life, and the Lord hath shown us again 
 and aofain how hard it is to be saved. 
 
 " ' How then dare they render the people falsely secure 
 and fearless, by giving them worthless fables and un- 
 true promises of an indulgence which cannot help their 
 souls, nor cause that any man be justified and saved, 
 but only can take away such outward and present 
 punishment which, according to the Church's institution, 
 might be put upon the sinner ? Moreover the works of 
 godliness and charity, which are far better than in- 
 dulgences, are not preached half so diligently nor with 
 a like show, indeed, they are quite driven into a 
 comer, and nothing but indulgences is praised and 
 promised, whereas it should be a bishop's one and 
 greatest aim to have the gospel preached to the people, 
 and to teach them the love of Christ. Nor hath Christ 
 anywhere commanded indulgences, but the gospel only. 
 
 " ' What danger, therefore, and terror are awaiting that 
 bishop who has brought nothing among the people but in- 
 dulgences with a great cry, and is more anxious about it 
 than about the gospel ! WiU not Christ say to him : 
 Woe unto you who strain at a gnat and swallow a camel \ 
 Nor is this aU, most reverend father in God, but the 
 instruction of commission, which pretends to have gone 
 forth under your name (no doubt without your will and 
 knowledge), announces as chiefest grace this priceless 
 gift, whereby man be reconciled to God and all punish- 
 ment of purgatory remitted ; also that repentance is not 
 needed by him who buys a letter of indulgence. 
 
DOMINICAN AND AUGUSTINIAN. 63 
 
 " ' How then can I otherwise, reverend Bishop and 
 most serene Elector, than conjure your reverence by the 
 Lord Jesus Christ to have a fatherly care coiicern- 
 ing this matter, and put down this same writ of 
 instruction, commanding the preachers of indulgence 
 some other fashion and form of preaching, lest one 
 should arise in these times with books, to gainsay them 
 and their writ to the great dishonour of your highness ; 
 which I should truly be sorry for, but fear me it must 
 come to pa.ss, unless the matter be speedily amended. 
 Let this my faithful service be accepted in a worthy, 
 princely, and episcopal manner, that is, most graciously, 
 for I have shown this with a true heart, entirely 
 mindful of your reverence; for I too am a sheep of 
 your flock. The Lord Jesus keep and preserve your 
 reverence now and evermore. Amen.' " 
 
 The Archbishop dropped the letter, and sat still a 
 while. Turning to Margaret, he asked her presently, 
 " What thinkest thou of this missive, my child ? " 
 
 Margaret answered somewhat diffidently : " It seems 
 to me this is not the way in which a mendicant friar 
 should address the Archbishop." 
 
 Albrecht smiled disdainfully, but said : " This brother 
 Martin is right, nevertheless ; I look at his letter from 
 a different point of view. He is clear-headed, and not 
 wanting in courage to speak the truth. I rather like 
 him for that. Nor are his objurgations as bad as I 
 expected. I thought he would condemn the sale of 
 indulgences altogether, but it is against the abuses only 
 he has raised his voice." 
 
 " And what do you think of doing ? " cried Margaret. 
 " Will you send him a reply ? " 
 
 The Archbishop laughed. " No," said he ; " let the 
 
66 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 friars fight it out amongst themselves. Brother Tetzel 
 will kick against brother Martin ; and if brother Martin 
 by way of rejoinder finds, means to trip him up, it will 
 teach Tetzel a lesson, as I said, and we shall hear no 
 more about it." 
 
 " But those theses ? " continued Margaret. " You 
 have not even looked at that copy which the prior 
 left on the table ! " 
 
 The Elector waved his hand. "Ninety-five theses, 
 and expect me to read them ? No. The letter was 
 long enough ; it must have contained everything that 
 could be said in any number of theses." 
 
 " But the people are reported to think much of thera 
 everywhere ! " urged Margaret. 
 
 The Elector grew impatient. "Has the prior put 
 thee up to warn me ? He is a cowardly fool. I teU 
 thee these things are best left alone; they will be 
 foro'otten before a month is out — I know that ! And 
 
 o 
 
 now come, let us have a canter, the morning promises 
 fair." 
 
 Within a quarter of an hour the stately pair rode 
 from the Martinsburg. The Elector Archbishop by the 
 side of his radiant companion could not be expected to 
 trouble himself long about the worries of his high 
 calling, debts and theses included. 
 
 Albrecht, however, was wrong in his prognostication. 
 The matter at issue was no mere monkish palaver ; it 
 spread in widening circles, dividing the world ere long 
 into opposing camps. As a spark amid dry tinder, the 
 theses of Wittenberg did the work, the bursting flame 
 testifying to their importance. That monk had dared 
 to put into words what was moving in the hearts of 
 
DOMINICAN AND AUGUSTINIAN. dj 
 
 thousands — unconsciously perhaps, needing his touch 
 only to rise as a great tide of conviction. Impotent 
 was Tetzel's revenge— his burning of Luther's theses at 
 Jiiterbogk, and pubhshing counter-theses in their stead. 
 If the latter met with a like fate at Wittenberg, it was 
 without Luther's knowledge ; and a new set of opposi- 
 tion theses, which Tetzel devised for himself, with the 
 assistance of a certain rector named Wimpina, intending 
 thereby to gain his degree as doctor of divinity, proved 
 the death light of his earthly fame. 
 
 Higher and higher rose the waves, more and more 
 voices giving their assent to the monk of Wittenberg. 
 Nor did Luther remain on his first position ; step by 
 step he advanced in the knowledge of truth, and before 
 long he denounced the Pope's indulgence altogether, 
 as entirely at variance with the teaching of Holy Writ. 
 
 The Roman owls were heard, hooting ominously ; a 
 Sylvester Prierias, the Pope's minister of the palace, a 
 Jacob von Hogstraten, Inquisitor at Cologne, a John 
 Eck, vice-chancellor of the university of Ingolstadt, 
 raised their hue and cry, thinking thereby to annihilate 
 the heretical monk ; but one and all retired from the 
 scene, leaving their feathers behind them. Indeed, 
 their opposition only served to advance Luther with the 
 people at large, thus assisting the spreading of truth 
 against their will. 
 
 As for Archbishop Albrecht, the march of events 
 rather went beyond him. In his heart he was inclined 
 to patronise Luther, for, together with his friends the 
 humanists, he chuckled over the thought that the Pope 
 for once should be humbled by a bold-faced monk. 
 The Primate of Germany was jealous of the Roman 
 see ; indeed, he was the avowed protector of Ulrich von 
 
68 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Hutten, although the latter had lately published a book 
 wielding an unmistakable blow against popedom. But 
 that Luther should have laid low the power of indul- 
 gence, spoiling entirely that fruitful source of revenue, 
 did not suit the Elector's need ; his cupidity was stronger 
 than his half-hearted inclination towards truth. 
 
 But he was obliged to keep his counsel; opinion 
 amongst the humanists ran high ; he did not like to 
 go against it.' He felt his hands bound, secretly chafing 
 at times against brother Martin's open action. If that 
 Augustinian could not hold his peace, why of all things 
 must the traffic of indulgences be the mark of his 
 attack ? There were worse sores than this in the 
 Church, the Archbishop thought, and for all he cared 
 the monk might fight them. 
 
 Yet, nevertheless, alarmingly empty as the coffers 
 wore growing, Margaret Riedinger was clothed in jewels 
 upon jewels, and never a desire of hers remained un- 
 satisfied. Nor must the electoral table suffer restraint ; 
 and the magnificent hierarch did not dream of denying 
 himself the purchase of any treasure of art, any costly 
 gem that moved his fancy. He saw well enough the 
 drift of his habits, but as for modifying them or curbing 
 his passions, it was beyond his will. 
 
 Meanwhile Luther, having learned that the Emperor 
 also looked askance at the Wittenberg movement, had 
 addressed a humb!e letter to the Pope to justify his 
 position. His enemies, hearing this, did their utmost 
 in calumny, anxious the Pope should cite the heretic 
 before his judgment-seat. And they succeeded. In 
 the month of August, 1518, a papal brief was issued, 
 requiring Luther to appear at Rome within sixty days 
 upon pain of the ban, unless he saw fit to recant. 
 
DOMINICAN AND A UGUSTINIAN. 69 
 
 Luther's friends took alarm, conjuring him not to 
 comply. He himself saw that a journey to Rome under 
 the circumstances would end for him on the pyre or 
 within prison walls ; he -was grateful, therefore, that his 
 Elector, at the intercession of the Wittenberg university, 
 protested against the papal rescript. Before, however, 
 the Elector's messenger could reach Rome, opinion there 
 had changed. The German business should be settled 
 on German soil ; it was referred to the Diet of 
 Augsburg, 
 
 The friends of Luther were relieved of their worst 
 fears, but thought it advisable to procure for their 
 Doctor a safe-conduct from the Emperor; they had 
 heard it whispered that Cajetan, the papal legate who 
 was to try brother Martin, was empowered to carry 
 him off as a prisoner to Rome, should he refuse, to 
 recant. 
 
 On foot, after the fashion of the apostles, Luther, 
 trusting in his God, set out upon his way ; it was on 
 the 27th of September, 1518 ; and having preached the 
 gospel at various places, having stopped also at Niirn- 
 berg to receive at the hands of his friend Link a new 
 cowl for the threadbare old one, he on the 7th of October 
 entered the town of Augsburg. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE cardinal' S HAT. 
 
 The bow-windows of the Chapter room at Mainz 
 gleamed brightly into the night. At an unusual hour 
 the High Chapter had been called to deliberation. 
 
 " I crave pardon of the reverend brethren," began the 
 Provost of the cathedral, " to have invited their attend- 
 ance so late in the day ; but important news require 
 immediate consultation. It is deeply to be regretted 
 that the matter was not heard of at Mainz at an earlier 
 period, before his electoral grace, the Archbishop, 
 quitted our midst. Now, when he is already at Augs- 
 burg, an abbot of the Franciscans brings me certain 
 information that a peculiar distinction is about to be 
 conferred on him. It has been decided at Rome to add 
 the cardinal's hat to .his archiepiscopal and electoral 
 honours." 
 
 A low murmur went round the Chapter, each looking 
 at the other with questioning eyes. 
 
 The Provost continued : " If I understand you aright, 
 you aU share my opinion, that this new honour is no- 
 wise to our advantage, for there lurks mischief behind. 
 The hat wiU be a pressing burden upon us all. It is 
 
THE CARDINAL'S HAT. 71 
 
 cleax that Rome intends it as a snare, and that what 
 liberty and independence still is ours is to be taken 
 from us. Every German Chapter must resist it, if a 
 German, a non-Italian, is thought worthy of the cardinal- 
 ship; for the scarlet hat is only a means by which 
 Rome claims leave to meddle with our affairs, and to 
 subjugate the German Church entirely. If any of you 
 hold different opinions, let them speak." 
 
 Not a voice was heard. 
 
 " Then the reverend Chapter are unanimously with 
 me ? " continued the Provost. " If so, attest it with 
 an amen." 
 
 " Amen ! " echoed from mouth to mouth. A smile 
 of satisfaction hovered on the lips of the Provost. 
 
 After a short pause he went on : " There is yet time 
 for action ; let us improve it by sending a courier to 
 Augsburg : he may not be too late for acquainting the 
 Archbishop with our earnest prayer that his grace might 
 refuse the honour which is likely to prove detrimental 
 to the Church over which he reigns. If the reverend 
 Chapter agree with me, attest it." 
 
 " Amen ! " went round the room. The youngest 
 member present received orders forthwith to put into 
 writing the resolution arrived at, in order that a messenger 
 might be despatched early the following morning. 
 
 The missive being made out and accredited with the 
 great seal of the Chapter, the prebends bent their heads 
 to a silent paternoster, and the meeting rose. 
 
 The following morning — it was towards the end of 
 July, 1518 — a man-at-arms rode at a quick trot from 
 the town gate of Mainz, taking the high road in the 
 direction of Augsburg. He had been enjoined the 
 greatest possible speed, nor did he save his horse. But 
 
 F 2 
 
72 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 the sun rose high, burning pitilessly upon his cuirass, 
 and before the evening sank he fain turned to a village 
 inn for rest. Accommodation there was not for sicken- 
 ing travellers ; he felt scarcely fit in the morning to 
 mount his horse, and reaching a country town in the 
 afternoon, was obKged to give in. It took three days 
 before some helpful Esculapius set him on the road 
 again. The lost time could hardly be made good; 
 he rode apace, and saw afar the church steeples of 
 Augsburg. 
 
 Solemnly the beUs did peal, the country folk in 
 Sunday best arrived from miles around, the streets 
 were thronged, all the world seemed bound for the 
 cathedral. Making his way through the crowd, the 
 messenger happened to catch the words "cardinal's 
 hat." He stopped short. Information was readily 
 forthcoming. Too late — yes, he arrived but in time to 
 see the last of the procession entering the sacred pile. 
 
 He threw the bridle to some loiterer, and himself 
 entered the cathedral. 
 
 Splendid indeed was the spectacle before him. 
 Enthroned beneath a canopy of red velvet, to the 
 right of the high altar, appeared the venerable figure 
 of Emperor Maximilian, gorgeously arrayed in a gold- 
 broidered mantle. Opposite, and sitting between the 
 two cardinals, Mathias and Cajetan, the Elector Arch- 
 bishop of Mainz had a prominent place. Behind hira 
 the lords of the Diet, the Electors of the Palatinate and 
 Saxony, the Dukes of Brunswick and Bavaria, the 
 Markgraves Casimir, Frederick and John Albrecht of 
 Brandenburg, the Archbishop of Bremen, the Bishops 
 of Bamberg, Eichstadt, Regensburg, Augsburg, and 
 Salzburg. 
 
THE CARDINAVS HAT. 73 
 
 The choir burst forth with Ve,ni, sande spiritus, where- 
 upon the Pope's legate, Thomas de Vio (commonly called 
 Cajetan ^), took his position on the steps of the altar, 
 before which the chancellor of Archbishop Albrecht now 
 read with a loud voice the papal bull of installation. This 
 done, two priests, stepping up to Albrecht, hung upon 
 his shoulders the purple cloak and led him to the altar, 
 that from the mouth of the Pope's ambassador he 
 should receive the cardinalate. With well-worded 
 flattery the legate dwelt on Albrecht' s personal claims 
 which had moved his Holiness to admit him to the 
 purple. A man of such superior eminence would no 
 doubt prove the Pope's able coadjutor in Germany. 
 
 Albrecht, having yielded his solemn oath kneeling 
 before the altar, received on his brow the cardinal's hat, 
 acolytes filling the place with incense, which clothed 
 him in a mysterious veil. 
 
 Again the organ joined in with a jubilant anthem, 
 high mass was celebrated by the legate, and the Te 
 Deum sung. Such was the course of the solemnity by 
 which Albrecht was invested with the cardinalate. He 
 left the cathedral by the side of the Emperor, followed 
 by princes, prelates, and nobles of high degree. 
 
 Returning to his quarters, he found the Chapter's 
 missive lying on his table. 
 
 " Too late ! " he said with a smile, having glanced at 
 its import. "But you need not have troubled, my 
 friends; there is no fear that the cardinal's hat will 
 turn me into a slave. of Rome. I am a German prelate, 
 
 ' From his birthplace, Cajeta, which name he adopted in accordance 
 with a fashion prevalent in those times. For his zeal in defending the 
 papal pretensions, he was promoted to the Archbishopric of Cajjta, 
 whence he was raised to the archiepiscopal see of Palermo. 
 
74 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 and mean to keep a German heart even beneatli tlie 
 purple. Didst thou mean to catch me, Leo, with the 
 high honour thou gavest me, free of payment, to the 
 surprise of all ? if so, thou wilt have to be taught that 
 the Primate of Germany is strong enough to burst the 
 fetter when it becomes irksome. I understand thee well 
 enough ; I know why thou hast chosen a German for 
 the purple : thou seest the need in Germany of props 
 of thy power, for the country is full of complaint against 
 the Roman see. Thou wilt be surprised, Leo, to see 
 thy legate return with a long list of grievances made 
 out by the Diet of Augsburg against thee and thy rule. 
 Germany means to free herself of thy leading-strings. 
 A strange spirit seems moving in the land, the birth- 
 throes of new things are upon us — " 
 
 He stopped, losing himself in thought, and murmuring 
 after a while : " If thou didst choose me to fight thy 
 battles against my own people, thou art mistaken ! 
 Ulrich von Hutten, the bold champion now afield against 
 thy tyranny, is m/y retainer. Didst thou think I would 
 snatch the pen from his hand, as soon as I was crowned 
 with the purple hat ? No, indeed ! write away Ulrich, 
 fight away — and if the people join thee, calling out at 
 large : ' We will not have this man across the Alps 
 there, to reign over us,' well — well — Why should 
 the Church have but one ruler ? Suppose we had a 
 German Church with a German Pope ! " 
 
 Again the Cardinal fell to thinking, and a sudden 
 glow diffusing his face betokened the emotion within. 
 
 His contemplation was interrupted, steps resounding 
 in the ante-hall. The velvet curtain was lifted to admit 
 Ulrich von Hutten and Dr. Stromer, Albrecht's physician, 
 the two having followed their master to Augsburg, 
 
THE CARDINAL'S HAT. 
 
 75 
 
 Eeverence, if not awe, held them standing by the door, 
 awaiting permission to approach. 
 
 The Cardinal looked up surprised. "What is the 
 meaning of this strange deportment? Is friendship 
 not strong enough to lift you above the ceremonies of 
 etiquette ? " 
 
 " We have come to pay ourrespects to your eminence," 
 said the physician solemnly. 
 
 Albrecht winced. "Ah !" he said, "has the purple 
 frightened you away from me — is it likely to part old 
 friends ? " A frown overcast his features. " If so, the hat is 
 a burden already. I do not hold myself the Pope's debtor 
 for this honour. Since I am a cardinal, I will be one, 
 but a German cardinal. Let Leo be sure of this ! . . . 
 Step closer, my friends, and sit ye down by me as ye 
 are wont." 
 
 Obeying eagerly, both shook hands with the Cardinal, 
 and composed themselves by his side on one of the 
 luxurious settees. 
 
 Hutten having regained his confidence, said warmly : 
 " I am glad, your eminence — " 
 
 " Spare thyself the trouble of this title ! " interrupted 
 Albrecht impatiently. " For thee I am the Elector, as 
 before." 
 
 Flushing up with joy, Hutten repeated : " I am glad, 
 and grateful besides to your electoral grace for the grand 
 and honourable sentiment just expressed. You have 
 taken a load from my soul. I entertained the worst 
 fears when I learned the Pope's intention of crowning 
 you with the purple. If you are the Pope's servant, 
 Ulrich von Hutten can no longer be yours." 
 
 Albrecht gave a smile of intelligence. "I see, 
 Ulrich ! Thou hast thrown the gauntlet to papacy ; it 
 
^& LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 scarcely suits thee that thy avowed patron should suddenly 
 find himself wearing the Pope's livery. But be of good 
 cheer; I continue Albrecht of Brandenburg, and thy 
 friend. Only be advised, and let not thy pen run 
 away with thee, for fear of exposing me imprudently." 
 
 Hutten thanked his gracious master with a warm 
 grasp of hands. Dr. Stromer adding, equally pleased: 
 " This Hutten of ours is an impulsive fellow, but I, in 
 duty bound, am guided by prudence. I will have an 
 eye to him, and lower the hot-blooded temperament, if 
 need be." 
 
 Albrecht laughed gaily. " Happy is the man who is 
 blest with such a physician ; even though he be Elector 
 of Mainz, he is beholden to his art ! " 
 
 An attendant meanwhile had placed three tankards 
 of Cyprus wine before them ; the fiery influence of which 
 beverage, adding to the charms of friendly intercourse, 
 differences of rank were entirely forgotten, the time 
 passing pleasantly in merry chat. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE "heretic" at THE BAE. 
 
 The Diet had a lengthy session, for much business was 
 on hand. MaximiUan was anxious to make the best of 
 the short span of life yet granted to him ; he really had 
 the welfare of his people at heart. And the world was 
 full of the news that the Emperor was about to die : 
 for had there not been a great solar eclipse on the 7th 
 of July, true to the very hour predicted by George 
 Tanstetter, the famous astronomer of Vienna, and what 
 else should it mean ? The people believed it, and the 
 Emperor believed it, so much so that he had his cofEn 
 made, and carried it about with him. In the face of 
 this coffin now he kept the princes and prelates sitting, 
 autumn surprising them at their unfinished task. 
 
 "What has happened, Ulrich mine?" inquired Al- 
 brocht one afternoon in October, as the latter in un- 
 ceremonious excitement entered the electoral presence. 
 
 " Great things have happened ! " cried Hutten breath- 
 lessly, "great things indeed, while your grace was 
 away on the Emperor's hunt. I have seen Doctor 
 Martin, ay, and heard him ! " 
 
 The Elector smiled ironically. " Is this your 
 wonderful news ? Has the legate cast him in irons ? " 
 
78 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 " Do not speak banteringly of the monk, I pray you ! " 
 cried Hutten, still more excited. " Had you heard him 
 as I have, in sooth you would think differently of him. 
 The very fact that he has come at all gained him my 
 heart. He has courage, that barefooted friar, and I 
 love courageous men. You know yourself that I 
 rather looked down upon him before ; I took him for a 
 dreamer, filling men's ears with idle words ; when I had 
 hoped he would enter our ranks and assist us to wield 
 the sword of sarcasm against the ' darklings ' of miser- 
 able renown. But he is for going in another direction 
 than we humanists, he is for attacking the root at once. 
 And surely I own him better and greater than our- 
 selves ! I have seen him to-day, and have heard 
 him with mine own ears. Indeed, one has but to 
 look into those deep dark eyes of his, to see that 
 he is no ordinary man; there is a power in those 
 eyes, to which one cannot but yield oneself prisoner. 
 Twice already he had appeared before the legate, 
 and given a fine proof of his courage. The legate 
 had asked of him to retract his ninety-five theses, and 
 in future to hold his peace ; whereupon Luther declared 
 his readiness to do so from the moment they convicted 
 him of error by Holy Writ: The legate made answer 
 with scornful pride : ' Avaunt ! barefooted monkling ! 
 Thinkest thou I have crossed the Alps to dispute with 
 a mere German friar ? It is the Pope's gracious desire 
 that I should bring thee back to the fold; but thy 
 Bible lore we want not. The holy fathers and the 
 teaching of the Church are proof against the notions of 
 a foolish dreamer ! ' Cajetan imagined it needed but 
 the word from a cardinal's lips to overawe the poor 
 monk entirely. But he found himself mistaken: the 
 
THE " HERETIC" AT THE BAR. 79 
 
 German friar held his own before the Itahan grandee, 
 so much so that Ms eminence grew tired, and put him 
 off for another day. This morning, then, he appeared a 
 third time before the legate's judgment-seat, which 
 by-the-by seems a bad means, if the Pope intends 
 to solve matters in peace. For Thomas de Vio is 
 proud and overbearing; even at the Diet he claims 
 precedence of German Electors, and is not satisfied 
 with two guards of honour at his gates, but needs 
 must have four. Nothing is good enough for the 
 Italian among us German barbarians, and entering 
 his chamber is like dropping into a lady's bower. 
 I am glad that the vain-glorious fool was so grandly 
 defeated. " 
 
 " What, Hutten ! The Cardinal Legate defeated ? " 
 exclaimed the Elector greatly interested. " You don't 
 mean that the monk had the best of it ? " 
 
 "Let me report to your grace," said Hutten, and 
 continued : " The false Italian, not being generally 
 trusted, Doctor Martin's friends saw to safe company. 
 Two councillors of Electoral Saxony, Von Feilitsch and 
 Dr. Riihel by name, Councillor Langemantel and Canon 
 Adelmann of Augsburg, were with him, besides Dr. 
 Staupitz, the Augustinian Vicar-General, not mentioning 
 three imperial councillors and several others. Myself 
 was among the number, for I desired to hear the 
 monk's defence. We were ushered into a chamber 
 hung with rose-coloured silk, and beheld the proud 
 legate sitting as a king on a throne of purple and 
 gold amid a splendid retinue and a whole tribe of 
 Dominicans. Coldly he looked down upon the humble 
 monk, who, barefooted, approached his greatness. 
 Brother Martin knelt, doing reverence to the prelate, 
 
8o LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 awaiting permission to rise. 'Art come to thy senses, 
 friar ? ' demanded the scornful legate. ' Let us have 
 the last of it, and recant.' Luther rose to the full of his 
 figure, his dark eyes alight with a wondrous fire, a holy 
 courage surely, and with a brave voice he made answer : 
 ' Once more I repeat it : I hold myself in readiness for 
 public disputation, and I will submit to the universities 
 of Basel, Freiburg, Louvain and Paris, Here is my 
 defence ! Seeing that word of mouth avails nothing 
 before your eminence, I have put to paper what I have 
 to say.' The legate tcok the writing ungraciously 
 barely glancing at it. 'Empty words,' be said, and 
 threw it down contemptuously. Brother Martin was 
 about to appeal against such abuse, but Cajetan took 
 the word out of his mouth, peremptorily commanding 
 him to retract. You should have seen Luther meeting 
 thunder with thunder in the righteousness of bis cause ! 
 He quite forgot he was addressing a cardinal, turning to 
 him as to an ordinary mortal. ' Ask of me what you 
 will,' he cried, ' and you shall have it, but not this ! 
 not this ! I stand on the Scriptures, and I cannot retract.' 
 All the company present were moved ; all eyes watched 
 the legate who sat trembling, with blanched lips and 
 quivering features, silent a while, as though he were 
 gathering strength for a final onslaught. And then he 
 burst forth forgetful of all dignity : ' Begone, and let me 
 see thy face no more, unless thou art prepared to retract ! 
 And ye others, all of you who stand by the heretic, are 
 in danger of the ban ; every place which yields him 
 shelter does so under pain of the interdict ! It is the 
 Pope's will and pleasure ! ' Each and all must have 
 felt his wrath; but calmly, in the power of noble 
 consciousness, Luther once more faced the legate with 
 
THE "HERETIC" AT THE BAR. 8 1 
 
 a look only, and the latter dropped his eye ! Brother 
 Martin turned and left his presence.'' 
 
 Albrecht listened with a sensation hai-dly understood 
 by himself, Hutten's enthusiastic account carried him 
 along. 
 
 Again he felt himself face to face with the Wittenberg 
 monk. There was something in his heart siding with 
 the bold spirit who dared oppose the Pope's very envoy ; 
 and yet was he not the same who had also dared to 
 stop the influx to his money-chest I The Archbishop 
 kept his thoughts to himself. There was an embarrassing 
 silence ; he would have liked Hutten to continue, but 
 the latter was evidently waiting for something to be 
 said. Albrecht after a while remarked evasively : " I 
 understand thy admiration, XJlrich 1 This brother 
 Martin is not unlike thyself in fearless courage ; that is 
 what gains him thy heart." 
 
 Hutten glowed with genuine enthusiasm. "Mine 
 own Elector!" he cried, "great deeds are never done 
 where people walk circumspectly. Look at Erasmus, 
 that quiet hero, always considering; what has he 
 achieved ? A fortress must be stormed, you see ! nor is 
 it foolhardiness which moves this Luther ; it is the 
 holy daring of trust in God, the stronger for his humility. 
 If you could but see him face to face, and hear his 
 voice ! Shall I bring him to you ? " 
 
 The Elector stepped back, saying coldly : " This is 
 going too far, Ulrich, for friendship even! My time 
 and thoughts are taken up with other things." 
 
 Hutten's face fell. There was no more to be- said, 
 and taking his leave presently, he went his way to the 
 Carmelites, with whom Luther had taken up his abode. 
 " I pity thee, Albrecht," he murmured, walking along. 
 
82 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 "I am but a knight-errant, but I would not change 
 with thee, for I may speak and act as the heart prompts 
 me ; thou art driven into a corner against thyself." 
 
 The following morning, just as his grace of Mainz 
 was about to have a canter in company with Hutten, 
 the Cardinal Legate appeared at the door. 
 
 "I consider it fortunate not to have missed your 
 eminence," began the Italian eagerly, " for I have 
 called on most serious business." 
 
 Albrecht desired Hutten to have the horses taken 
 away, and re-entered the house with his visitor. 
 
 Cajetan was no sooner seated than he plunged into 
 the matter. " This mendicant is of tougher metal than 
 I thought. So far from giving in, he is now writing 
 a letter, I understand, appealing 'from the badly-in+ 
 structed to the better-to-be-instructed Pope.' This is 
 beyond endurance ! " 
 
 "Well," said Albrecht, "the monk must have fair 
 play ; you did not allow him to speak his mind, I hear." 
 
 Cajetan frowned and gave a searching glance into 
 the Elector's countenance. " What is this you say ? I 
 did not let him speak his mind ! Far too graciously I 
 listened to the German blockhead, who dared address 
 me as though I were his equal. I think you must 
 have heard him roar even at this distance, when, looking 
 at me with those queer eyes of his, he tried to advance 
 some of his strange doctrines." 
 
 Albrecht smiled imperceptibly. He personally dis- 
 liked the legate, and felt highly tickled at the proud 
 Italian's discomfiture. " Yes," he responded ; " but me- 
 thinks your voice overtopped his. You seem to have 
 thundered him into silence; may I ask — did you 
 succeed in refuting him ? " 
 
THE " HERETIC" AT THE BAR. 83 
 
 The legate looked daggers. " How am I to under- 
 stand your eminence's question? I have come to 
 consult you as to the best mode of dealing with the 
 heretic ; it almost looks as though you meant to take 
 his part." 
 
 " Imagine no such thing," returned Albrecht coldly. 
 " I can have nothing in common with this mendicant 
 friar ! " 
 
 "Neither do you seem to have anything against 
 him ! " continued the legate, with emphasis. " Is it 
 wise to look carelessly at so dangerous a matter — you of 
 all men, who have suffered so greatly from the effect of 
 his theses ? You have little choice, I ween, but to 
 assist me in getting rid of the heretic." 
 
 " What ! " exclaimed Albrecht, '' are you meditating 
 aught against his life ? " 
 
 Coldly, but with a hiss, Cajetan made answei' : " I 
 am the servant of my master. The servant has no will 
 of his own, but does as his master would have him." 
 
 " I understand your eminence," said Albrecht, with 
 distant haughtiness. "But there are other masters 
 besides him whom you serve. Be warned, lest you 
 should make an enemy of the one while doing the 
 business of the other. Maximilian is emperor here. 
 He will not break his word, nor suffer another to break 
 it with impunity.'' 
 
 The legate bit his lips. He knew he had stepped 
 on dangerous ground, and somewhat changed his 
 position. "The Pope's power is like the sun, we 
 know, leaving the imperial dignity to shine as the 
 moon. You agree with me, surely. Where the Pope 
 commands the Emperor must yield, inasmuch as the 
 Church is above the kingdoms of this world ; and when- 
 
84 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 ever the Church is endangered, the Vicar of Christ 
 must hold his own." 
 
 " And do you fear a mere mendicant can do aught 
 against the Church ? Stronger than the walls of Jericho 
 I deem her structure ; the blast of a monk will not lay 
 it low." 
 
 " This is utter carelessness ! " cried Cajetan ; '' nay, 
 wilful blindness, not to see so great a danger ! There 
 is but one way ; we must stamp it out ere it strikes 
 deeper root ; when the storm-bird has disappeared, the 
 storm too will yield." 
 
 With growing eloquence the legate hoped to gain 
 the Elector to his views. But Albrecht, whatever his 
 faults, had a German heart, turning with loathing from 
 the crooked ways of the Italian. He had no love for 
 Luther, the rather that his cupidity bore him a grudge ; 
 but he spoke a manly word to hold him safe from the 
 assassin's dagger. 
 
 Whether he succeeded in convincing the legate of 
 the wickedness of his intention, he knew not, for with 
 ambiguous speeches and burning with inward emotion, 
 the Italian Cardinal left his German peer. 
 
 Several days after this, towards nightfall, two men in 
 silence, and choosing by-ways, rode towards the cloister 
 of the Carmelite friars, which was situated in the out- 
 skirts of the town of Augsburg. Stof)ping at a wicket 
 gate leading into the monastery gardens, they dis- 
 mounted. " Bide here with the horses," said the one, 
 not raising his voice above a whisper ; and, disappearing 
 within the cloister precincts, he made for a side door 
 connecting the abbot's cell with the garden. 
 
 He had wrapped his mantle about him, for the night 
 was blustering ; fitful blasts shook the leafless tree-tops, 
 
THE "HERETIC" AT THE BAR. 85 
 
 rain fell in heavy showers, the weathercocks groaned 
 in their sockets, while an owl kept moaning in dismal 
 loneliness. 
 
 The man stood waiting ; a quarter of an hour had 
 passed, he was growing impatient, and creeping stealthily 
 along the building he searched the windows anxiously. 
 " Has Langemantel failed his promise ? Or could 
 Luther be raising objections ? He has a brave courage, 
 but defiance would be his ruin ! He little knows what 
 an Italian is capable of — how should he in his German 
 simplicity ? He trusts the imperial promise, he little 
 thinks—" 
 
 The man stopped in his soliloquy, steps approached, 
 and a cautious voice called : " Hutten ! " 
 
 Turning quickly, the latter perceived two figures. 
 " Is it yourself, brother Martin ? The Lord be praised ! 
 for indeed to-morrow's morning -would scarcely have 
 found you alive." 
 
 " God greet you, noble knight, and reward you for 
 this act of generous risk. I have more friends than I 
 wot of ! " a deep voice responded. 
 
 The two men shook hands, each seeking the other's 
 eyes, darkness interfering. Hutten was the first to 
 speak : " It is not long that I have come to your side, 
 brother Martin," he said, deeply moved ; " I was hostile, 
 not understanding you. Brother Martin, thou art 
 greater than I ! I put down my pen in thy presence, 
 but if ever thou needest a sword to defend thee— call 
 
 me ! 
 
 " My thanks to you, noble knight ! " replied Luther 
 warmly. " The word of God is powerful, and sharper 
 than any two-edged sword ; earthly weapon will not be 
 needed, I deem." 
 
86 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Luther's companion prevented further discourse, 
 urging the advisability of immediate action. Brother 
 Martin, yielding, turned at once, following his two 
 friends through the garden to the wicket gate. 
 
 " Thou art sure of the way, I hope ? " inquired Lange- 
 mantel of the attendant, who had stood patiently by 
 the horses' heads, in spite of the pouring rain. 
 
 "Sir," replied the man, almost hurt, "have I not 
 served the town these twenty years, and do you doubt 
 my knowing the way ? " 
 
 " Well then, be mounted, and God speed your journey [ 
 But can you ride, brother Martin, without boot or 
 spur ? " 
 
 "Have no fear, sir councillor," answered Luther; 
 " my feet have seen harder work than this." 
 
 " May He protect thee whose servant thou art ! " 
 cried Hutten, in the warinth of his feeling. 
 
 The clasping hands unloosened. Hutten and the 
 councillor stood listening till the last faint sound of the 
 horses' hoofs had died away in the distance. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 CHANGES. 
 
 The monasterial halls of St. Maurice's at Halle, one 
 day towards the close of the year 1519, were startled 
 out of their customary quiet, agitation and tumult 
 filling the cloister. The monks forgot their religious 
 duties, no horce resounded, no priest took his place by 
 the altar to read the mass — and yet the prior thought 
 not of reproof, the rather that he shared the general 
 excitement," feeling quite unable to have a vvatchful eye 
 to the rules of the convent. 
 
 And, alas ! what was the use of rules, since it had 
 happened now, the dreaded calamity ? Cardinal 
 Albrecht, who for some time had been holding court 
 at Halle, had given orders that within three days St. 
 Maurice's must be cleared of the Augustinians, in order 
 to make room for the Dominicans, who had been 
 obliged to quit their own monastery. 
 
 The noise in cells and cross-walks swelled louder and 
 louder, till the outside people heard it, forcing an 
 entrance into the cloister. 
 
 The passion-moved monks quite forgot the reverence 
 due to their spiritual head, upbraiding him disrespect- 
 
 G 2 
 
88 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 fully, SO that the Cardinal at last had to interfere by 
 means of his officials, at the same time despatching 
 his chancellor, Dr. Turk, who now entered the cell of 
 the prior for the further discussing of matters. 
 
 Wibh gloomy, hostile countenance the superior re- 
 ceived the Cardinal's messenger, barely nodding the 
 head in answer to his deferential greeting. 
 
 But Chancellor Turk was a man of business, whose 
 imperturbation and tenacity soon got the better of the 
 awkwardness of his position, and he quietly addressed 
 the prior. 
 
 " I am sent hither by his eminence the Cardinal, 
 who has been moved to most just resentment by the 
 spirit of uproar abroad within the monastery; he 
 requests you forthwith to make use of your authority 
 that the cloister be evacuated without delay. For 
 such is his will and pleasure." 
 
 " And why should it be his will and pleasure ? " 
 retorted the prior, aggrieved. " What crime has been 
 brought home to the monastery of St. Maurice, that 
 such an outrage should be our share ? " 
 
 Unmoved the chancellor made answer : " It behoves 
 not the subject to inquire into reasons when the ruler 
 has spoken. Yet I will meet your desire and appease 
 your resentment by explaining the Archbishop's in- 
 tention. It is no new plan he is carrying into effect, 
 seeing that his predecessor, Archbishop Ernest, had 
 thought of it before him. There are no less than 
 eleven cloisters in this small town of Halle, and what 
 is their usefulness? You observe the horcB, you read 
 the mass, and that is about all. But this occupation 
 does not require so great a number of monks ; the 
 spiritual estate nowise gains by being over-stocked, the 
 
CHANGES. 89 
 
 rather that it is greatly endangered by idleness and 
 sloth. Do not interrupt me, reverend father ! I 
 have satisfied myself of the state of things within our 
 holy houses ; I could mention worse frailty. Great is 
 the ignorance among our monks and their dislike to all 
 learned occupation ; about as great is their propensity 
 to luxurious living, including all manner of infamous 
 and profligate practice. His eminence has decided 
 therefore to lessen the number of cloisters in this place, 
 to draw together their possessions, which shall form 
 the basis of a new collegiate foundation, to which pious 
 and capable monks only will be admitted, who shall 
 cultivate learning, more especially theology." 
 
 "And with us you make the beginning?" returned 
 the prior, scarcely able to speak for indignation. " Does 
 his eminence consider the monks of St. Maurice's the 
 most profligate of them all ? " 
 
 " Not so ! " rejoined the chancellor. " We desire 
 to make no distinction of badness. It is the rich 
 possessions of St. Maurice's which make it advisable 
 that it should go first. Cloister Neuwerk will follow 
 next ; not that it is to be abolished, but it shall yield 
 the spiritual jurisdiction to the new foundation." 
 
 " Indeed ! " groaned the prior. " Oh, it is a perilous 
 game his eminence has ventured upon ! To touch 
 time-honoured institutions in these days, when the 
 Wittenberg commotion is endangering the very pillars 
 of our existence. My grey hairs will descend with 
 sorrow to the grave, for I see destruction bearing down 
 our strongholds met by dissolution within and with- 
 out. Alas ! if those who should be as the watchmen 
 of Zion help digging the grave for papal supremacy ! 
 Have you no eyes for the Wittenberg heresy, flourish- 
 
90 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 ing in this very town of Halle ? I conjure you, sir, to 
 turn the Cardinal's mind, if this indeed be possible ! 
 His intention may be good, but the end will be misery 
 and ruin. Would I could move him to quit the counsel 
 of the ungodly, and sit not in the seat of the scornful. 
 I mean the humanists, who, with their heathen learn- 
 ing, introduce heathen freedom of thought, preparing 
 a way for the Wittenberg seducer. TeU him this as 
 the dying bequest of one who is nigh the end of his 
 course, and dares speak his mind all the more boldly : 
 he wields the temporal sword aright, I say; not in 
 vain is he a prince of the house of Brandenburg, but 
 the hierarch's staff is powerless in his hand; he will 
 fail entirely unless he hstens to advice. Is it not he 
 who, if unwillingly, has stirred up the fire which is 
 ablaze in the Church — will he stand by, nor help in 
 stamping it out ? But no ! such is his dire infatuation, 
 that, far from attempting the putting out, he yields 
 fuel upon fuel. Woe is me, I see the end 1 I shall 
 be gone, but you remember my words when the fulfil- 
 ment is upon you. Ah me, how great will be the 
 faU!" 
 
 The grey-haired man spoke tremblingly with burning 
 eyes and uplifted hand ; as a prophet he a,ppeared, 
 foretelling a destruction he knew must come. 
 
 The chancellor felt a creeping horror at the picture 
 unrolled, but he could not be angry with the man who 
 raised such dire complaints against the Primate. He 
 stood meditatively, and then, taking the prior's hand, 
 he said soothingly : " Your eyes have grown dim, your 
 spirit is weary with age. Courage and hope are not the 
 old man's portion, who lives in the past, who cannot 
 keep up with the active present, who looks misgivingly 
 
CHANGES. 
 
 91 
 
 into the future. The self-same things show a different 
 face to me. My heart as yet is proof to such fears as 
 yours. I do perceive that we are in a state of dissolu- 
 tion and ferment; the country is in travail — a new 
 hirth is upon us, but it will come, it will be given. 
 And firm as a rock stands the Church amid this turmoil • 
 for is it not written that the gates of hell shall not 
 prevail against it? See if it does not come forth 
 victorious from the dread conflict. Be comforted then, 
 reverend father, and depart in peace. But have a care 
 first that your monks subside. Farewell ! " 
 
 The chancellor took his leave hastily, as though 
 fearful of another outburst. 
 
 With a quick pace he returned to the Moritzburg, 
 where the Cardinal was holding court. 
 
 In the ante-room of the archiepiscopal closet he met 
 with three members of the town council, who on 
 important business were about to be admitted to the 
 Elector's presence. The chancellor joined them, well 
 aware that the ruler would be glad of his attendance. 
 
 The magistrates bowed, awaiting permission to speak ; 
 it having been given, the spokesman raised a solemn 
 voice : " The worshipful council of this town of Halle 
 has been honoured with your eminence's request, 
 understanding from the same that a new collegiate 
 foundation is to be added to the churches and cloisters 
 of this place. And, albeit the council is fully desirous 
 in aU things to oblige your eminence, we cannot join in 
 such a plan, since of churches we have more than 
 enough, and our prayer would rather be for well-fitted 
 teachers and preachers, who will give us the Word 
 •of God pure and unalloyed. In order to acquaint 
 your eminence that such is the council's well- 
 
92 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 considered resolution, we have been sent to crave this 
 present hearing." 
 
 The Cardinal listened with increasing amazement, 
 but, conquering his rising temper, he made answer 
 calmly : " The worshipful council of Halle has returned 
 a decision the like of which we did certainly not anti- 
 cipate. We beheve, however, that our intention has 
 been misunderstood, which is no other than by means 
 of a new foundation to bring new Kfe into the monas- 
 terial stagnation of the town ; by a drawing together of 
 the several convents we mean to lessen the number of 
 monks, and replace the worthless cowls by a new 
 generation of educated ecclesiastics. We leave you, 
 dear Turk, to teU these gentlemen more about it." 
 
 And saying so, the Cardinal raised the audience, to 
 seek solace in the society of Margaret Riedinger, who 
 would expect his visit about this time of day. 
 
 For another hour the magistrates and the chancellor 
 remained closeted, and when they left their countenance 
 looked satisfied and their mind was changed. The 
 clever official had succeeded in convincing the fathers 
 of the town of the great benefit that must accrue from 
 the archiepiscopal intentions, so much so that they 
 went their way, prepared to move in council that 
 the Cardinal's plan should be favoured and his 
 grace subsidised by a grant of eight thousand rix 
 dollars. 
 
 Not a little elated was Albrecht on learning that the 
 council had fallen in with his views, and forthwith gave 
 direction to his architects to set about the work. 
 
 To the south of the Moritzburg, on an eminence by 
 the side of the river Saale, a busy scene presently met 
 the eye, in spite of the advancing season. A number 
 
CHANGES. 95 
 
 of workmen were engaged laying low the pride of the 
 ancient cloister of the Dominicans, pulling down its 
 walls; for on that site the new foundation should lift 
 its head, taking a foremost rank in all the diocese. Of 
 the old church the basement only would remain, on 
 which a great cathedral should arise, a worthy monument 
 of the Elector Primate's magnificence. Much time was 
 lost in preliminary preparations, carting away of rubbish 
 and the like, winter supervening, so that the Cardinal 
 could not await the solemnity of laying the foundation 
 stone ; matters of far-reaching importance peremptorily 
 demanding his presence at Mainz. The aged Emperor 
 Maximilian had departed this life in January of that 
 year, 1519 ; who should be his successor had for a long 
 time claimed the careful attention of the Electors. 
 And to Elector Albrecht, the Lord High Chancellor of 
 the realm, all eyes had turned now, awaiting his powerful 
 influence in the matter. 
 
 JIow will the dice be cast ? Will Albrecht show him- 
 self a man of German worth ? will he resist the gold of 
 France ? For with enticing sums the French king was 
 trying to gain Albrecht's voice for himself; Francis 
 could pay, and meant to pay, high for the imperial 
 crown. It was a sore temptation to the poor Archbishop, 
 whose money distress was an ever-threatening spectre, 
 and was again looming on his horizon at the present 
 juncture. But the prior of St. Maurice's had been right : 
 he of the princely house of Brandenburg was not likely 
 to disgrace the electoral hat, whatever might be his 
 bearing as a ruler of the Church ; Germany owed it to 
 him chiefly, and to his powerful speech before the election, 
 that in Charles V. of Spain, the grandson of Maximilian, 
 a German ruler was raised to the imperial, throne, and 
 
94 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 the realm was saved the disgrace of becoming a mere 
 appendage of France. 
 
 Great were the rejoicings throughout the empire when 
 the result of the election at Frankfort had become 
 known, and with happy hopes the people looked for 
 the advance of the youthful Emperor, who, on account 
 of troubles in Spain and Brabant, kept the German 
 people in expectation for thirteen months. On the 
 23rd of October, 1520, only, he arrived for his solemn 
 coronation at Aix-la-Chapelle. Sublime and dazzling 
 was the splendour of the ceremony, the trustful people 
 believing that so much glory must needs argue a time 
 of resurrection for the land ; that beneath the blissful 
 rule of the new monarch, mercy and truth should meet 
 together, righteousness and peace would be kissing each 
 other, that the religious troubles too should be guided 
 to a haven of heaven-sent rest. Even Luther looked 
 hopefully to the new Emperor, who had agreed to a 
 special promise, as a part of the solemn compact, " that 
 everything hitherto attempted by the Eoman Imperial 
 orown to the detriment of the German Church should be 
 done away with." In his heart's trust the Wittenberg 
 reformer directed a letter to Charles V., in which ha 
 said : " And seeing that all my endeavours hitherto 
 have proved fruitless, I have now thought well of calling 
 upon your Imperial Majesty, if so be that the Lord wiU 
 do the work by you, it being His work, not mine. I 
 therefore kneel to your Imperial Majesty, in humble 
 loyalty, praying your Majesty, not to save me, but to 
 take the cause of Divine faith beneath the shelter of 
 your wing, granting to myself no further protection 
 than may come to me from the setting forth and 
 vindicating of my teaching ; am I found to be a god- 
 
CHANGES. 95 
 
 less man and a heretic ? then I ask no protection. But 
 this I ask, that neither truth nor en-or be judged 
 unheaxd." 
 
 Will Charles, then, justify the great hopes built upon 
 him ? There is German blood in his veins, his house 
 and lineage are German. But what of his heart? 
 What augurs it that he understands not the German 
 tongue ? Take up thy hopes, people, for he who is 
 thy ruler understands not when thou speakest ! 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE HORIZON OVERCAST. 
 
 In one of the numerous luxuriously fitted witMraw- 
 ing-rooms of the Vatican sat his Holiness, Pope Leo X., 
 with his secretary Bembo playing at chess. Carelessly 
 the well-formed, almost womanishly beautiful hand of the 
 " Supreme Head of the Church " moved the ivory figures, 
 and his eye, which at times could be sparkling and fiery 
 enough, followed the game languidly, the heat being 
 such that even the white airy dressing-gown was 
 oppressive, great drops gathering on the exalted fore- 
 head. He liked to spend a pleasant hour at the chess- 
 board whenever the rule and guidance of the great 
 Church left him at leisure, and he had gathered about 
 him a shining circle of artists and men of letters — 
 he who was the friend and patron of the Muses, whom 
 his princely father, Lorenzo de Medici, had trained to 
 the enjoyment and appreciation of all that was beautiful, 
 who on the papal throne had become the centre of the 
 intellectual life of all Italy. 
 
 On the present occasion, then, the Holy Father was 
 absent-minded. The secretary, in spite of all manner 
 of leniency, had checkmated him once already, and was 
 
THE HO^RIZON 0VERCAS7. 97 
 
 in a fair way of doing so a second time, when a chamber- 
 lain, stepping softly, announced Doctor Eck, Vice- 
 chancellor of the University of Ingolstadt, who had 
 just arrived from Germany. 
 
 The Pope overthrew the chess-men, exclaiming dis- 
 gustedly : " Can this barbarous nation not leave me in 
 peace ? Germany and Italy never yet yoked pleasantly 
 together, but I especially have little cause to look with 
 a friendly eye upon this people. They are an ill-bred, 
 stiff-necked race, with minds full of cobwebs and dreams. 
 What is it that has brought this German doctor across 
 the Alps ? Let us hope that the religious peace which 
 our nuncio, Carl von Miltitz, so warily has worked for 
 is now concluded, and that the Wittenberg brawler has 
 been silenced. It was an ill-advised plan of ours to 
 send Cardinal Cajetan as our legate to Augsburg, for 
 the proud, vain-glorious man has only added fuel to the 
 fire, which we hoped he would be able to subdue. Far 
 better pleased were we with the results of our chamber- 
 lain Von Miltitz ; he seems to understand the art of 
 muzzling the German bear. But this visit bodes little 
 good. Doctor Eck is an unpleasant man, full of spite 
 and malice. Leave us, Bembo, and admit the German 
 Mercury." 
 
 The secretary disappeared, and within a few moments a 
 gaunt, evil-visaged figure with an ill-shaped nose entered 
 the apartment, paying the usual knee tribute to the 
 Holy Father, and stooping for the inevitable kiss of the 
 slipper, adding courtesy by word of mouth which amounted 
 to a long-winded speech. 
 
 " What is the German news ? " interrupted the Pope 
 presently. "Let us hope you are no unwelcome 
 messenger." 
 
98 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Doctor Eck's ungainly mouth broke into a dejdorable 
 grin, and he shrugged his shoulders. " I pray your Holi- 
 ness not to vent displeasure upon the bearer, if his news 
 is not what he himself would desire ! It was but a rotten 
 peace which your Holiness's chamberlain arrived at with 
 Luther, for the viUain has broken it." 
 
 The Popfe's foot stamped the ground. " Woe to him ! 
 What has he been doing ? " 
 
 "I had invited his friend and confederate. Doctor 
 Karlstadt to Leipzig," reported Eck, "in order to 
 hold a disputation with him, when Luther needs 
 must meddle too, making it a hard day's work for 
 me. 
 
 The Pope gave a searching glance at his visitor. 
 " Who told you to hold a disputation — with his friend 
 too, above all men f Of course he would meddle ; it is 
 you who tempted him to break the peace ! " 
 
 Doctor Eck felt losing ground at this unexpected 
 turn, but showed no dismay, continuing quietly, " I was 
 obliged to have a trial of strength with Karlstadt, who 
 had cast a slur upon my honour. I little dreamed that 
 Luther would join in the matter, which was no concern 
 of his." 
 
 The Pope shook his head impatiently. " You have 
 shown little wisdom," he said; "your untoward zeal 
 deserves our displeasure. Yet proceed with your 
 report." 
 
 " As for Karlstadt, I soon got the better of him," con- 
 tinued Doctor Eck, " for his voice is poor and his tongue 
 not a glib one. Luther, however, proved troublesome, 
 especially when he turned the disputation to the aU- 
 important question of the Pope's supremacy. With a 
 bold forehead the monk maintained that popery was but 
 
LEO THE TENTH. 
 
THE HORIZON OVERCAST. loi 
 
 of human invention, and that the Bishop of Rome, just 
 like any other mortal, was capable of error. And when 
 I wrathfully reminded him that Christ Himself had 
 appointed the spiritual power of the Pope, since it is 
 written : ' Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will 
 build My Church,' he turned these words to quite 
 a;nother meaning. I appealed to the authority of the 
 oecumenical councils, whereupon he burst upon me as 
 one demented, crying, 'And I say the holy councils 
 themselves are liable to err ! ' There was a desperate 
 uproar at this unheard-of statement, Duke George of 
 Saxony crying, horror-struck, ' The devil defend us ! ' 
 All present, in fact, were shocked at the presumptuous 
 heresy of these words, by which Luther, having broken 
 with the Pope, broke with the councils also, and with 
 all Church authority, taking his stand on the Scripture 
 alone, which he dares expound to his own liking. I 
 regret to say the disputation ended sadly." 
 
 "And you came forth from the tournament a 
 conquered hero ? " queried the Pope, sarcastically. 
 
 Eck gave a look of disdainful conceit. " No ! " he 
 cried. " Much praise was awarded me by those who 
 understand ; they yielded me the palm." 
 
 " Indeed ! " returned his Holiness, drily. " I fear, 
 then, that those who understand Luther believed the 
 victory with him." 
 
 " I cannot but own that," said Eck, somewhat crest- 
 fallen ; " but for this very reason I have crossed the Alps 
 to kneel to your Holiness, hoping that a word from your 
 throne will be sufficient to annihilate the crown he 
 imagines he took away from the disputation at Leipzig, 
 and that the heretic shall yet meet with his reward. 
 Far too leniently your apostolic forbearance has dealt 
 
I02 LUTHER A,VD THE CARDINAL. 
 
 ■with the wretch hitherto. Far better would it have 
 been if Cardinal Cajetan, instead of pretending to hear 
 his defence at Augsburg, had brought him a prisoner to 
 EiOme, for impunity has only added to his brazen-faced 
 courage ; he has kindled anew the fire which we hoped 
 had been got the better of, and by all manner of 
 writings he vilifies the sacredness of the see, resuscitating 
 those very heresies for which John Huss was brought to 
 the stake. No wonder that the Hussites venture forth 
 from their hiding-places, claiming him as their own, since 
 they think he is the swan of which Huss is said to 
 have prophesied when overtaken by his fate." 
 
 The Pope's patience was at an end ; he rose from 
 his chair abruptly, upsetting the elegant chessboard, 
 and the ivory figures rolled hither and thither about the 
 apartment. Doctor Eck stooped officiously to pick up 
 the king and queen, the bishops and the wandering 
 pawns, Leo the while standing by the window in 
 discouraged soliloquy : " Oh, these Germans, these 
 Germans ! " he groaned. " Would I had the power to 
 punish the cursed race ! May the Lord and His saints 
 prevail with the new Emperor, that perchance he will 
 lend me his arm for the rootiag up of those devil-sown 
 weeds of heresy ! " And turning again to Eck, who by 
 this time had succeeded in re-establishing the chessmen 
 in their places, he said, " Let a council of orthodox 
 theologians be called together, who with your assistance 
 shall inquire into the matter and pass judgment." 
 
 " The Lord reward your Holiness for such wisdom ! " 
 ■ejaculated Eck, his eyes afire with revenge. " If I may 
 offer my humble advice, no time should be lost, for day 
 by day infatuation swells the number of those who join 
 the prophet of Satan; more especially since Luther's 
 
THE HORIZON OVERCAST. 103 
 
 Elector, Frederick the Wise, openly patronised the 
 heretic, protecting the evil cause effectively during his 
 regency of the empire. Matters have come to a 
 desperate state in Germany ; wherever three men are 
 together in conversation, you may be sure that tvfo of 
 them are for Luther and one only for the Pope. Franz 
 von Sickingen, also, that unruly champion who is day 
 and night in the stirrup, creating quite a distemper in 
 the empire, has announced himself as a friend of 
 Luther, another well-known knight having followed 
 his example, of whose doings I would fain report more 
 to your Holiness." 
 
 " Who is that ? " asked Leo, with growing impatience. 
 "When shall I hear the last of these German barbarians ? 
 Who is this new disturber of our peace ? " 
 
 "It is Ulrich von Hutten, holy father ! " replied 
 Doctor Eck. 
 
 " What ! " exclaimed the Pope, " this promising youth 
 whose genius we remember having noticed with much 
 delight when he paid his respects to our court — has he 
 too forsaken us for the enemy's camp ? Is it possible 
 that he has turned traitor — so noble and so brave ? " 
 
 Eck gave an envious grin. " Yes, he is a genius, and 
 great things might be expected of him, had he not 
 turned his back upon the Church. But as it is, his 
 pen is a dangerous weapon. Pamphlet upon pamphlet 
 goes forth from his hand, pouring sarcasm upon all 
 things holy, more especially upon the papal see. I 
 will not offend your Holiness by quoting the wicked 
 things which have been hatched by that man's 
 prolific brain ; but three of his publications must be 
 brought to your notice, that you may understand the 
 peril which threatens from that quarter, and that you 
 
 H 
 
I04 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 may not hesitate giving over this dangerous youth 
 to a like damnation with the Wittenberg heretic. Your 
 Holiness may remember that a certain Laurentius 
 VaUa wrote a book which was condemned by the papal 
 courts and numbered among prohibited writiugs. That 
 book maintains it is an untruth that the Emperor 
 Constantine, retiring to the East, delegated, not only 
 Rome and Italy, but the whole of Western Europe, to 
 the Bishop of Rome. Its denial was intended as a 
 great blow in the face of papal supremacy. And this 
 book, in spite of all prohibition, has been published 
 afresh by Hutten." 
 
 " The miscreant ! " cried Leo, hotly. " Is he 
 possessed ? " 
 
 " Not a doubt of it," returned Eck. '' But there is 
 worse impudence behind. He has actually dared to 
 dedicate that book to the Pope's Holiness ! With biting 
 taunt, he says in the preface he felt sure Pope Leo 
 would thank him for resuscitating this hidden treasure, 
 since he, the builder-up of peace at Rome and else- 
 where, had thrown wide the doors to justice, truth, and 
 liberty; that all manner of knowledge could come forth 
 now from its hiding-place, that the important discovery 
 of the late Laurentius Valla too might walk the 
 daylight, since intellect sat on the see. Other Popes 
 had forbidden the book, fearing the truth, but Leo X. 
 would welcome it, being a lover of truth. Bad Popes 
 had been glad to believe the myth of Constantine's 
 gift, because it attributed to them a power which in 
 reality they had not ; but Leo, being a good Pope, would 
 yield of his own accord what otherwise must be taken 
 from him by force. Again, he says in his preface that 
 the falsehood of that myth was so stupid that its 
 
THE HORIZON OVERCAST. 105 
 
 inventors could have intended it to be received by the 
 Germans only, of whom the Italians believed that they 
 were without brains. If the papists had meant it for 
 other nations, they would have set about it much more 
 cunningly. But for this very reason the unmasking of 
 the fraud fitly came from Germany, if as a proof only 
 that the Germans had brains after all." 
 
 " Stop, stop ! " cried the Pope, with barely suppressed 
 emotion, his voice trembling with ire. " Is it possible, 
 is it conceivable, that such language be addressed to 
 the holy see? " 
 
 But pitilessly Eck continued : " It is not all. Hutten 
 has dared worse ; he has sent to Archduke Ferdinand, 
 the brother of the newly-elected Emperor, a certain 
 writ which he calls an old parchment provided with 
 new stings. That parchment is nothing else than the 
 old apology in behalf of the Emperor Henry IV., who, 
 barefoot and in the penitential sackcloth, was for three 
 days kept standing by Pope Gregory in the courtyard of 
 Canossa. He has called up this recollection of past 
 insult in order to rouse the German people against the 
 Roman see. And yet this is not all, but the more he 
 writes the more monstrous becomes his contumely. 
 He has sent forth a third publication, entitled the Trias 
 Bomana, in which he reaches the very climax of im- 
 pudence. I have brought a copy of it with me, that 
 your Holiness may see it for yourself Let me give 
 a specimen of it : ' Three things are murdered at Rome 
 
 the good conscience, true piety, and the sanctity of 
 
 the oath. Three things are a laughing-stock at Rome — 
 the virtue of our fathers, the priesthood of St. Peter, 
 and the great judgment day. Three things are set 
 store by at Rome — ^beautiful women, fine horses, and 
 
 H 2 
 
I06 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 papal bulls. Three things are general at Rome — lust 
 of the eye, the pride of life, and lust of the flesh. Three 
 things are venal at Rome — pretty girls, ecclesiastical 
 benefices, and the grace of God. Three things might 
 better Rome — if the German princes would rise in 
 opposition, if the German people were goaded to de- 
 spair, or if the Turks would invade the Pope's domain. 
 Three things might be a thorough cure of all evils — 
 doing away with Romish superstition, giving up all 
 Romish benefices, and entirely overthrowing the papal 
 see — ' " 
 
 " Hold thy tongue ! " cried Leo, forgetful of all 
 dignity. " We have heard enough, and more than 
 enough ! " 
 
 "And yet I must crave permission to add one 
 thing more," said the relentless Eck. " What 
 would the holy father say if he knew under whose 
 patronage these things have been published ? " 
 
 The Pope stared at his interlocutor helplessly. " Say 
 what you have to say," he panted after a while. 
 
 Eck continuing, with a sneer : 
 
 " Hutten's patron is no other than he whom your 
 Holiness honoured with the cardinal's hat but a year 
 ago — to whom you sent the rare distinction^ of the 
 golden rose but lately." 
 
 ' Albrecht of Mainz ! " groaned Leo, raising both 
 hands in unfeigned horror. " It is not possible ! 
 Albrecht is an honest man ! " 
 
 " An honest Gerpaan — yes ! " interposed Eck, with 
 nice distinction. 
 
 The Pope sank into his chair, gasping for breath, and 
 folding his hands upon his bosom. 
 
 " We must act ! " he exclaimed after a whUe. " Leave 
 
THE HORIZON OVERCAST. I07 
 
 US, dear Eck. We are beholden to your fidelity, on 
 which we built as on a rock. Though you are German 
 yourself, your heart is Eomish, and we trust you. Go 
 now, and consider who may be fit to sit in judgment on 
 those heretics. Hutten,-however, must be dealt with 
 less harshly than Luther, for Albrecht's sake, without 
 whom we cannot do, and whose opposition we would 
 rather not rouse." 
 
 He waved his hand, and Doctor Eck, greatly elated 
 at the result of the interview, left the papal presence. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 FRIENDSHIP PARTED. 
 
 One bright morning in August, 1520, a knightly- 
 figure might be seen riding from the gates of Brussels. 
 It was Ulrich von Hutten, who had travelled to the 
 court of that city, a gift of a hundred florins having 
 been granted for this journey by the Elector of Mainz. 
 Archduke Ferdinand, who was at Brussels awaiting the 
 arrival of his brother, the new German Emperor, on his 
 way now from Spain, had received Hutten graciously, 
 taking quite an interest in his plans for the liberation 
 of Germany from the Romish yoke. He also would 
 have liked to prolong his stay until the Emperor's 
 coming, having found friends moreover who shared his 
 fondest hopes. But of enemies too there seemed no- 
 lack. Not that the generous Hutten, too great-souled 
 himself to suspect meanness, discovered any of the 
 designs against his person, nor did he readily accept the 
 warnings of others; again and again the necessity of 
 flight had to be urged upon him before he saddled 
 his horse and took to the, road. 
 
 He was on his way to Louvain, to his friend Erasmus, 
 who lived there. 
 
FRIENDSHIP PARTED. IO9 
 
 In the vicinity of that town, at a spot where his path 
 was closed in on both sides with high banks, he was 
 startled by the sudden appearance of a man, who 
 jumped aside dismayed, pressing close against the 
 hedge, evidently hoping the rider would pass on. He 
 wore the habit of a monk. 
 
 Hutten fixed him with his eyes, recognition making 
 the blood boil in his veins. He had met with his mortal 
 enemy, Jacob von Hogstraten, the inquisitor of Cologne, 
 the chief of the " darklings " who had embittered the 
 days of the noble Reuchlin, who would have taken his 
 life had he been able. Hutten hated this agent of the 
 powers of darkness from the bottom of his true heart, 
 having sent him word at various times to beware of 
 ever meeting at arm's length with Hutten, else the 
 world might have to mourn the loss of an inquisitor. 
 Now they had met, Hogstraten finding himself face to 
 face with Hutten, and with no means of escape. 
 
 The knight's hand grasped his sword, his voice 
 sounding as a trumpet of the great reckoning day as 
 he cried, " Well met, thou fiend ! Death itself is 
 too good for thee, thou who hatest righteousness and 
 killest the truth ! " 
 
 The bared sword glittered cold in the sunlight. 
 
 In abject fear the inquisitor sank to the ground, 
 quaking on his knees as he begged for life. It was 
 a despicable sight. 
 
 For a moment the sword hung suspended, then it 
 flashed through the air — not to be buried in the heart of 
 the monk, but to return to the scabbard. " No ! " cried 
 Hutten, " my honest blade shall not be soiled with blood 
 such as thine ; but know that other swords will find 
 a way to thy infamous heart. Thou shalt not escape ! " 
 
no LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 And, spurring his horse, he rode away. 
 
 For a moment the inquisitor was stunned, but re- 
 covering his fright his eyes filled with a fiendish hatred, 
 and shaking his fist after the departing knight he hissed 
 between his teeth, " Go thy way, fool ; thou shalt not 
 rejoice in safety much longer ! " 
 
 For a short time only Hutten remained with his 
 fatherly friend Erasmus, proceeding on his journey. 
 
 Arrived at Aix-la-Chapelle, he put up at an inn. In 
 the public room a lonely stranger was taking a meal. 
 At Hutten's entrance he put down his knife, rising 
 with an exclamation, " Is it you, most noble knight ? " 
 
 Hutten recognised a travelling merchant of his 
 acquaintance, shaking hands with him heartily. 
 
 " What are your news ? " he inquired after a while. 
 
 "There are all sorts of news," replied the traveller. . 
 " Going about from place to place one learns a good 
 deal. One thing I heard quite lately which you will 
 be sorry for ; you can scarcely be aware of it yet, to 
 judge from the serenity of your brow." 
 
 " What is it ? " cried Hutten, concerned. 
 
 " Bad news from Rome ; the Pope has put Luther 
 under the ban." 
 
 Hutten flushed, and grew deathly pale. "Lord in 
 heaven," he cried, "is it possible ? Shall the light go 
 out again in darkness 1 Shall the evil one carry the 
 day? Ah, poor Germany, put on thy sackcloth and 
 bury thy hopes ! How bright seemed the dawn ; but 
 the sun has not power to carry us through ! " 
 
 The knight sat down as one in a dream, hiding his 
 face in his hands. 
 
 The merchant looked as though he had more to say, 
 but he refrained, fearful of addmg to Hutten's distress. 
 

 '<;-i&-^ '■ ?"^ 
 
 
 ULRICH VON HUTTEN. 
 From a portrait in the Moll Collection in the British Museum. 
 
FRIENDSHIP FARTED. 1 1 3 
 
 Yet was it right to keep silence ? Did he not owe it to 
 the brave champion to warn him ? Coming up to him 
 closely, he laid a timid hand on his shoulder, saying 
 with honest kindliness : " Dear sir, I have further 
 news, and it grieves me to tell it. The measure is not 
 ■ full as yet, and over your own head the sword hangs 
 suspended." 
 
 The knight looked up, scarcely understanding, and 
 the other continued : " The Pope's wrath is upon your- 
 self also ; the Elector of Mainz, your friend and 
 patron, has received a writ which might well set you 
 thinking, since it does not stop short of prison 
 chains." 
 
 Hutten started, rising to his full height. Fear and 
 weakness had left him, his dark eyes burning with a 
 beautiful fire. " I thank thee, Leo ! " he cried, with a 
 voice of thunder ; " from my heart I thank thee, that 
 thou hast thought me worthy to be the good man's, the 
 great man's, fellow in danger ! Whet the dagger, thou 
 murderer with the triple crown, plunge it in Luther's 
 breast, in Hutten's breast ! Thou mayest kill us, and 
 yet not kill ; the seed has been sown, it will bear fruit ; 
 posterity shall reap, and our children will rise in 
 judgment ! But thou hast not caught me yet, Leo ; 
 thou shalt hear of Hutten before thou hast him. 
 I will work while it is day, and if thou must have 
 my life, I will sell it dearly ! " 
 
 He called for his horse, and paid for the meal he had 
 not touched. 
 
 " What are you about ? " cried the merchant 
 
 anxiously. 
 
 " To ride straightway upon Mainz ! " said Hutten. 
 girding his loins. 
 
114 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 " That means riding straight to destruction ! " 
 
 " No ! " retorted Hutten, almost passionately. 
 " Albrecht as yet is my friend ; to him I go. I will 
 hear what he has to say; I wiU look into his face, 
 and see if he can, if he dares, play false to his 
 friend ! " 
 
 Vainly the merchant urged prudence ; Hutten had 
 made up his mind, and within half an hour he rode 
 apace on the high road towards Mainz. At Coblentz 
 he came to a dead halt ; if his own strength would have 
 lasted, that of his horse was at an end. 
 
 He fretted at the delay, but it enabled him to gather 
 particulars. It was true, then; — the Pope had asked of 
 several German princes, but more especially of the 
 Archbishop of Mainz, that Hutten should be taken 
 and sent a prisoner to Rome. Even the new Emperor, 
 though he had not yet set foot into his realm, had 
 been urged by his Holiness to spare no means for the 
 seizure of the culprit. 
 
 Hutten chafed, but when he was on the road again 
 it was not towards Mainz that his face was set. He 
 longed for quiet, for stillness within and without ; he 
 must collect his thoughts, must see his way, before he 
 would meet his fate. 
 
 On the boundary line dividiag Franconia and Hesse, 
 between the Spessart and the Vogelsberg and the 
 E.h6n, where the Kinzig and the Salza wind their pic- 
 turesque course. Burg Steckelberg raised her turreted 
 front — the ancient castle of the knightly family of 
 Hutten. Thither Ulrich directed his horse's head ; he 
 longed to see father and mother again, and would rest 
 a while in their love. 
 
 In a village by the roadside he took opportunity to 
 
FRIENDSHIP PARTED. 1 1 5 
 
 indite a letter to his friend Wolfgang Capito, who had 
 lately entered Albrecht's service as court chaplain, and 
 had been appointed his privy councillor besides. This 
 is what he wrote : — 
 
 " My Deakest Capito, 
 
 " The fire has begun to burn, and I marvel if it 
 is not to be put out with my blood. But I think my 
 courage is yet greater than mine enemies' power. Let 
 me be up and doing then ; the time of waiting is at an 
 end. I will know leniency no more, freely will I speak^ 
 for I perceive the Romish lions are athirst for my 
 blood. Yet before they taste it they shall hear the 
 utmost I have to say of them in this world. I retire 
 for a while to Steckelberg, then I shall come to Mainz 
 and face the Cardinal. Fare thee well ! If there be 
 any letters for me, take them till I require them at 
 thy hand. For ever thine, 
 
 " HUTTEN." 
 
 And on he went, being clasped presently to the heart 
 of his parents. His mother shed many a tear, and 
 would not hear of her Ulrich's intended departure ; 
 Steckelberg was the only place, she averred, where his 
 enemies would not dare to touch him. But the father 
 gloried in his son, and agreed with him that it was the 
 right thing, and worthy of their unspotted name, that 
 he should go like a man and show himself to his 
 Elector. So once more he saddled his horse, and set 
 out upon the journey, of which he knew not how it 
 would end. 
 
 The people of Mainz looked at him as though he 
 were an apparition as he entered the gates of their 
 
Il6 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 town. Still more startled was the doorkeeper who 
 admitted him to the Martinsburg ; his friend Capito 
 paling, with tears in his eyes, as he wrung his hand. 
 
 " Kothing but difficulty and trouble lies before you, 
 my Ulrich," said Capito, when the first excitement was 
 over. " The Cardinal is taciturn and morose ; an ominous 
 silence has spread her wings over the palace'; all the 
 household go on tiptoe, none dares speak his thoughts. 
 I myself have seen the letter which the Cardinal has 
 received from the Pope, and which says, that his 
 Holiness has learned, to his deepest mortification, that 
 a certain Ulrich von Hutten had published pamphlets 
 and books full of insult and invective against the 
 holy see ; and upon inquiry it had become apparent 
 that this same Ulrich enjoyed the patronage of the 
 Archbishop of Mainz — to wit, that the notorious books 
 had been printed in that town. And although it was 
 scarcely conceivable that the Archbishop had been 
 ignorant of this, yet he, the Pope, felt unwilling to 
 suspect a prince to whom he had given so many proofs 
 of his personal favour — the golden rose in particular ; he 
 preferred the alternative that those things had escaped 
 the archiepiscopal knowledge. But, all the more, the 
 Pope must expect of the Cardinal that he would 
 speedily suppress the daring spirit who had ventured 
 to cast opprobrium upon the see, and that the blasphemer 
 would meet with just retribution." 
 
 "And what was the Cardinal's answer?" asked 
 Hutten, with beating heart. 
 
 Capito hesitated. 
 
 " Tell me, tell me all, whatever it be ! " urged 
 Hutten. 
 
 " Alas, that I must say it ! " replied the chaplain. " I 
 
FRIENDSHIP PAR TED. 1 1 j 
 
 myself have been obliged to put on paper what the 
 Elector dictated to me; it was a hard day's work, 
 believe me, and he, too, thought it so. I saw that 
 plainly. But he sent his excuses to the Pope, regretting 
 that his Holiness should have been annoyed by books 
 printed at Mainz. He, the Archbishop, greatly taken 
 up with other things, had not paid much attention ; but 
 that, in obedience to the supreme Head of the Church, 
 he would do away with the offence." 
 
 Hutten paced the room, beginning to give vent to 
 
 his feelings, but Capito interrupted: "Judge calmly, 
 
 THrich mine ! Do yqu not know our Elector ? and 
 
 that, with all his lovable qualities, his is not a high 
 
 and lofty nature ?, He is full of benignity, ay, of 
 
 generosity too, but he cannot stand in the storm. His 
 
 intellect is clear and far-seeing, but his will needs 
 
 marrow, and his heart is weak. I understand him 
 
 thoroughly in this present case, for I have looked into 
 
 his soul. Many a one has been surprised all along that 
 
 the Cardinal should befriend a man, retaining him at 
 
 his court, whose pen had attacked the Roman see, 
 
 waging war with papacy for life or death. But I think 
 
 I know what moved Albrecht's heart. It was his 
 
 secret delight to watch you wielding blow upon blow 
 
 against the Romish tyrant, and his thought was this : 
 
 whatever in this feud will be snatched from the Roman 
 
 Pontiff will fall to the share of the German Primate. 
 
 If Hutten's pen and Sickingen's sword will help the 
 
 nation to cast off the Italian yoke, the German Church 
 
 will need a head at home, and its Bishop will rank next 
 
 after the Bishop of Rome. It was this expectation 
 
 which caused the Elector to be your friend, making you 
 
 welcome at Mainz ; he had accepted the thought that 
 
Il8 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Germany should be free of the foreign yoke, that her 
 Church even should break the bond. But you went 
 further ; papacy itself you would destroy, pulling down 
 the stronghold of the lying spirit. And now the Romish 
 lion has perceived your aim, setting up a roar which is 
 heard even at Mainz. Elector Albrecht has not the 
 courage to withstand the lion, and, fearful lest he rouse 
 him further, he has disowned his friend." 
 
 Hutten listened with deepest emotion, vainly trying 
 to master his grief, which kept welling up to the "brim 
 even of tears. " Oh, how art thou fallen from heaven, 
 thou brightest star ! Yea, put not your confidence in 
 princes ! Albrecht, on whom I rested my trust 
 entirely, how great were thy thoughts, how generous 
 thy intention, how noble thy bearing ! But thou art 
 fallen from thy height, grovelling before him who is in 
 power, and sacrificing thy friend ! . . . . My soul is full 
 of sadness, my spirit has lost her strength. Is it true, 
 then, that I am become a stranger where I had a home 
 — -shall I leave this place where for three years I loved 
 and was loved ? Not that I grieve leaving court. I have 
 long hated this luxurious living, this pampering of the 
 body by day and night, this excess of pleasure, this life 
 of sycophants and miserable toadies ; but woe is me, it 
 is hard to leave a friend ! . . . . Where is he ? " he 
 asked abruptly, turning to Capito, who stood by the 
 window lost in thought. 
 
 " Here he is — just riding from the courtyard," replied 
 the chaplain, starting from his reverie. 
 
 Hutten flew to the casement, and beheld the last of 
 the Elector, as by the side of fair Margaret he cantered 
 away. A proud smile rose to the lips of the knight, and 
 he refrained not from giving expression to harsh truth. 
 
FRIENDSHIP PARTED. 1 19 
 
 Capito laid a hand on his shoulder : " Be not carried 
 too far, Ulrich ; the feeling of being wronged makes 
 fchee unjust. Can you not see deeper? The Elector 
 would rather not meet thee, since rupture is inevitable ; 
 he would shorten the pain both to you and to himself. 
 Moreover, he feels he is giving you the opportunity 
 of escape." 
 
 But Hutten seemed heedless. Hotly flashed his eye, 
 his lips trembled, and hoarsely he spoke : " Friendship 
 is easily parted ; the love of woman — of that woman — 
 holds him in bonds. Go thy way, then, follow the way 
 of the flesh — I know the path which lies before me. 
 Albrecht is bound for Eome, Hutten for Wittenberg ! " 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 FIEE FOR FIRE. 
 
 Autumn advanced. The last of the shrivelled leaves 
 had fallen to the ground, the breath of early frosts 
 having killed every vestige of vegetation. The world 
 had put on the garb of mourning, dreaming only of past 
 delight ; death was doing its work in nature. 
 
 But another messenger of death sped through the 
 land. From across the Alps he had come, his voice 
 was even now resounding in Germany : " He must die, 
 the faithless son who has dared rise in judgment against 
 the Mother Church ! " 
 
 Burning with revenge. Doctor Eck, together with the 
 legates Aleander and Caraccioli, had returned from 
 Italy, bearing the ban .bull, and therewith the Pope's 
 reply in answer to the cry of conscience which had 
 appealed to him on behalf of the Gospel. From all the 
 pulpits this bull should be made public, that Germany 
 should know the fate in store for him to whom half 
 the people had begun to look as to a prophet sent from 
 God ; his writings, the writ ran, must be destroyed 
 with fire, and his mouth be silenced for ever. 
 
 On a cold cheerless day in November, a great concourse 
 
FIRE FOR FIRE. 1 2 1 
 
 of people was gathering on the market-place at Mainz. 
 A pyre had been erected, and was even now surrounded 
 by a guard of thronging monks and servants wearing 
 the electoral livery. " They mean to burn Luther," 
 said the people : " let us go and see it ! " 
 
 Beneath the Fisher-gate two horsemen met. 
 
 " God greet you, noble knight of Veltheim ! " cried the 
 one. " Let us proceed together, for methinks we are on 
 the self-same errand." 
 
 " My thanks to you, sir of Steineck," returned the 
 other. " Whence come you ? " 
 
 " From Cologne, turning neither right nor left." 
 
 " From Cologne, you say ! Is it true, then, what has 
 been noised abroad — that the writings of Luther have 
 been burned there by permission of the young 
 Emperor himself? " 
 
 " True indeed ! I saw it with mine own eyes, sad at 
 heart that this should be the fate of a man whom I 
 believed a messenger of God, sent to destroy the works 
 of darkness." 
 
 " And has the Emperor actually allowed it ? " 
 
 " Ay, more than allowed ! It was by his order, they 
 say. The twenty-year-old monarch is led entirely by 
 priests and Spanish grandees, all of whom see in our 
 Luther a very personification of the evil one. The pyre 
 has been lit at Louvain, and Maiaz is about to witness 
 a like spectacle, I hear." 
 
 " Alas ! alas ! If the Pope has gained the Emperor 
 to his side, the light must go out in. darkness, and our 
 hopes of liberty are over ! I entertained better expec- 
 tations of our new Emperor; and in sooth I had not 
 believed that the Elector of Mainz would permit such 
 disgraceful proceedings within his own town." 
 
 I 
 
122 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 "Ah, but Albrecht, too, has turned against the trath, 
 fearing the Pope and the Emperor; he has actually 
 parted with Hutten, whom he always befriended. 
 Let us drop this topic — I never trusted the cardinal's 
 hat ! But as for our Luther, his courage remains 
 unshaken, and his own Elector holds him safe." 
 
 " So I hear. Can you tell me more about it ? " 
 
 "I can give you certain information; I have it 
 from Spalatin, the Saxon court chaplain. It appears 
 that Doctor Eck, feeling himself propped up by two 
 legates, addressed insolent demands to the Elector of 
 Saxony, requesting his assistance for the carrying out of 
 the papal buU. That he should order Luther's writings 
 to be burned, and send him a prisoner to Rome, unless 
 he preferred passing sentence on him himself Where- 
 upon the Elector, having taken counsel with Erasmus, 
 informed the Romish would-be murderers that it was 
 not his business to judge or condemn what Luther had 
 done or not done, nor to decide whether his teaching 
 were Christian truth or otherwise ; that learned theo- 
 logians and dignitaries of the Church must sift this 
 matter. He vastly regretted that such had not done 
 their duty hitherto, the rather that they had condemned 
 Luther unheard. How could it be expected of him who 
 desired to rule righteously to be guilty of a like injustice ! 
 If by proper trial Luther, through his own writings, 
 could be proved in the wrong, he, the Elector, would 
 know his duty and would see to- the maintenance of 
 justice, without being counselled thereto by messengers 
 of his Holiness." 
 
 " That was a brave word, well befitting him whom 
 his people call the Wise ! I would fain take it as a 
 good omen that the great cause will be brought to 
 
FIRE FOR FIRE. 1 23 
 
 a glorious end. Burn away, then, ye Rome-servers, 
 burn Luther's writings — he is secure from your grasp. 
 Elector Frederick will hold him safe." 
 
 The two knights meanwhile were riding within the 
 town, making their way through the thronging populace 
 towards the market-place. They arrived just in time to 
 witness the solemn procession as it left the cathedral 
 for the place of judgment. It was headed by a division 
 of the Archbishop's body-guard, which was followed by a 
 long train of monks intoning lugubriously Psalm xciv. : 
 " O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth ; 
 God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show Thyself ! " 
 The monotonous chanting rose on the dismal November 
 air, the wind, as it were, snatching up the sounds, 
 blowing them hither and thither, as though nature must 
 rise in protest against man's evil blindness. The 
 monks were succeeded by the Chapter in full force, 
 Aleander, the Pope's legate, bringing up the rear — 
 he being on horseback and surrounded by a troop of 
 halberdiers in black slouched hats and brimstone-coloured 
 cloaks, evidently intended to strike terror into the 
 people, by reminding them of the inevitable fate in store 
 for heretics. For behind them on a hurdle, dragged by 
 two muffled henchmen, lay a great bundle of printed 
 matter, closely tied up and bearing the superscription : 
 "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, 
 prepared for the devil and his angels ! " The dreadful 
 procession closed with the hangman's company of men 
 with blackened faces and armed ' with fire-hooks. 
 
 A great silence had fallen on the people ; but when 
 the pile was about to be lit a deep murmur arose, 
 rolling onward as a gathering wave and breaking into 
 a great cry : " Stamp out their fire ! down with the 
 
 I 2 
 
124 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 monks ! " Even the legate's nanie resounded again 
 and again in threatening tones. 
 
 There was a general commotion. The people were 
 pressing round the doomed books, effectually inclosing 
 the hangman and his helpers, rendering them altogether 
 powerless ; and gibes were heard : " Why don't you 
 set fire to the books ? they are waiting patiently ! " 
 
 The legate, indeed, awaited the fire impatiently, and 
 forcing his horse among the people, he held forth, 
 threatening them one and all with the Pope's displeasure. 
 But a stone flew against his hat, another hit the horse, 
 mud was being thrown profusely, and speeches hurled 
 at him nowise redounding to his honour. 
 
 The legate was in a critical position, the Chapter 
 hopeless of results, when suddenly the mob dispersed. 
 Matters had been watched from the Martinsburg; a 
 division of the Elector's men-at-arms with drawn swords 
 came bursting upon the scene, clearing the place in 
 a moment. The pious intent experienced no further 
 hindrance, and the writings of Luther, the heretic, t!Ould 
 be burned. 
 
 As at Cologne, Loiivain, and Mainz, the fire flared up 
 wherever the Pope's cohort was strong enough to keep 
 down the people and carry out the pontifical command. 
 
 But in his cell at Wittenberg sat he who was the 
 object of all this impotent rage. Very calmly he took 
 the Pope's decree ; his hopes could rest on God, to whom 
 he looked with a good conscience, ever meeting his 
 anxious friends with the assurance : " If God be for me, 
 who can be against me? If Christ be on my side, 
 antichrist can have no part in me.'' 
 
 A great change was passing within him. Sitting 
 
FIRE FOR FIRE. 1 25 
 
 in his cell, he wrote as for very life. Not long, and 
 two further pamphlets shot, meteor like, through the 
 world, reaching Rome and bursting over the palace of 
 him with the triple crown. The one was addressed : 
 " To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation," the 
 second dealt of " The Babylonian Captivity of the 
 Church." 
 
 A great step had been taken by the Eeformer ; these 
 pamphlets form an era in his history. Up to the 
 present time he had still hesitated to break with the 
 Church openly and entirely, he had still acknowledged 
 the supremacy of the Pope ; but now, the Church 
 herself having thrust him out, he had burst the 
 last bond in his heart which held him prisoner to 
 Rome. " Since they drove me out of the old house," 
 he wrote, " which is eaten to pieces by the worms of 
 error and superstition, I will raise up a new structure, in 
 which the light of truth shall dwell. I have called to 
 thee. Vicar of Christ, but thou wouldst not hear ! I 
 have interceded with thee to free the building of the 
 gnawing worms, but thou wouldst not. Let responsi- 
 bility be on thy head, if there be schism now, and 
 struggle, and fight. I call God to witness, I have not 
 wished it. But thou, Leo, hast driven me to this step. 
 Let happen then what must be done ! " 
 
 On the 10 th of December, 1520, early in the 
 morning a great throng of people — students and 
 citizens — pressed round the University of Wittenberg. 
 The faces of all were aglow with excitement; some, 
 however, were scarcely free of apprehension ; there 
 was news posted up at the blackboard this morning 
 which one must read with one's own eyes to believe 
 them true. He was going to do it, the undaunted 
 
126 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 monk — he was going to declare before all the world what 
 he had shown in his recent writings ; he meant to 
 testify to it by an unmistakable, if figurative, act : he 
 was going to break now with the Pope, solemnly and for 
 ever — would meet his enemies with a just retribution — 
 he would burn the Pope's bull, together with the 
 decretals, this very day. 
 
 From the university the people streamed to the 
 Augustinian cloister, watching its exit expectingly. 
 The day was intensely cold, the frozen snow creaked 
 like dry sand beneath the footsteps of the hurrying 
 people ; but no one thought of cold, the excitement of 
 the moment ran as fire through their veins. 
 
 And as the watchman of the tower sang out the 
 ninth hour, the convent gate opened, Doctor Martin 
 appearing with a solemn countenance, his flashing eyes 
 seeking heaven ; and then with a loud voice he called 
 out to the people, " In the Name of God ! " 
 
 A long procession of students and professors followed 
 him through the Elsterthor of Wittenberg to a free 
 space beyond, where a large pile had been erected. 
 
 The people gathered in a great circle, looking on 
 breathlessly. One of the graduates stepped forward, 
 torch in hand ; tongues of fire leapt from the pile, and 
 a black column of smoke rose athwart the shining day. 
 
 Now Doctor Martin himself came forth, lifting a 
 bundle of considerable size, and saying with far-sound- 
 ing voice : " Inasmuch as thou hast aiHicted the Holy 
 One of God, eternal fire destroy thee ! " 
 
 The bundle of scrolls flew into tho flames — the 
 biidge between the monk and the Pope was broken 
 for ever, the chains of Roman tyranny were burst. 
 
 A deep silence had settled on the crowd. The people 
 
FIRE FOR FIRE. 1 27 
 
 perceived the import of that great moment, colouring 
 the history of future ages ; but in another moment the 
 jubilant hymn, " We praise Thee, God ! " burst from 
 a thousand hearts. 
 
 The fire did its work, diligently stirred by the students, 
 who, when Luther and the professors had retired, found 
 further fuel in the writings of Eck, Hogstraten, and 
 other papists, which at their hands shared the fate of 
 the bull. 
 
 And the smoke of the great fire at Wittenberg was 
 felt at Eome. The Pope gasped for breath. His throne 
 shook to its foundation ; half the world seemed ready to 
 hurl him from his seat. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 WORMS. 
 
 Peoudlt and luxuriously nestling on the song-famed 
 Rhine, a very gem of the sunny Palatinate, rose the 
 free town of Worms, of venerable antiquity and clothed 
 with a halo of poetic fancy. A chosen residence of kings 
 as early as the days of Chlodwig, the place was a 
 favourite with Charlemagne for the gathering of princes 
 and people, a favourite also with later German rulers 
 whenever returning summer invited them to the banks 
 of the vine-clad stream. 
 
 Charles V., too, fixed upon Worms for his first 
 meeting with the Diet of his imperial realm. 
 
 The month of November, 1520, witnessed a great 
 scene at the so-called Bishop's Seat : the hall of 
 the ancient building was being prepared for the 
 reception of the Diet. Workmen of all manner 
 of handicraft were in requisition ; there was gild- 
 ing, painting, tapestry-hanging — hands innumerable 
 plying their art with ceaseless industry, for the 
 Emperor, already at Mainz, had announced his 
 coming before the month was out. 
 
 And a grand entrance he made, with his Spanish 
 
WORMS. 129 
 
 Netherlandish train of courtiers, the members of the 
 Diet gathering speedily about him — three temporal and 
 three spiritual Electors, no less than four-and-twenty 
 reigning dukes, eleven markgraves and landgraves, 
 seven sovereign princes, thirty archbishops, bishops and 
 abbots innumerable, two papal legates, five ambas- 
 sadors — from England, France, Bohemia, Hungary, and 
 Venice respectively — fifty counts of the empire, a goodly 
 show of knights and nobles of lesser degree, besides the 
 deputed senators of various towns. 
 
 Important questions required to be settled ; all the 
 world looked to this Diet, watching the first public act 
 of the young Emperor. Will he be equal to his high 
 vocation ? Will he show a German heart for his 
 German realm, he of whose sway the vast empire 
 was but as a province ? Will his be the eye and the 
 hand of the circumspect ruler, since, after all, he was 
 but a youth of twenty summers ? He had entered 
 upon his reign under circumstances of peculiar difii- 
 culty ; the times had outlived themselves, so to speak, 
 things required a general recasting, the country was in 
 a state of seething solution, in birth-labour of new 
 things at hand. Would the Emperor be equal to it all ? 
 was his the strong hand to guide the disentangling 
 threads? People knew not, but hoped. Complaints 
 were rife on all sides, the country was overwhelmed 
 with grievances calling aloud for redress. The ex- 
 chequer was in all but hopeless condition, the army 
 entirely disorganised, the Turks an ever-present danger 
 on the eastern frontier. And what dissension, what 
 constant rupture between the imperial Estates ! The 
 Electors ever anxious to set their prerogatives over 
 aofainst the Emperor of their choice j the princes 
 
130 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 quarrelling with the nobility and the townships ; the 
 peasantry bearing a lifelong grudge to nobleman and 
 priest alike. And now, over and above these social 
 evils, the misery of schism lowered on the horizon, the 
 worst of contention, breaking up the land into two 
 great camps. Protestantism meeting Papacy face to 
 face. To steer the vessel clear of rock and shallow, 
 to lead the country to its haven of peace at such- a time, 
 required a man of men, a prince gifted with heavenly 
 wisdom. Would Charles prove himself the true guide 
 of his people ? 
 
 Among the manifold questions awaiting the considera- 
 tion of the Diet, the matter of religion, if last, was not 
 least. The Emperor, indeed, believed not in its import- 
 ance ; he had been brought up to outward mechanical 
 form of worship, and had no possible understanding for 
 the deep sacred conviction coming from the heart of 
 Luther, and pulsating throughout the new-born move- 
 ment for the purification of Christian faith. The monk 
 of Wittenberg was but a dreamer, he thought, who 
 would stand abashed before the tribunal of the Diet ; 
 the august "company of so many lords, spiritual and 
 temporal, would impress him with his own nothingness, 
 and he would straightway recant. The young monarch 
 expressed this view to some of the princes in private 
 conversation ; but the better instructed among them 
 reserved their decided doubt. 
 
 It was early in February, 1521. An oriel window of 
 the episcopal palace showed a bright glow long after 
 the rest of the building had yielded to the silence of 
 night. It was the room of the papal legates whence 
 that light proceeded. They were sitting up in earnest 
 consultation. 
 
WORMS. 1 3 1 
 
 " Matters are taking a most critical turn," said Ale- 
 ander, with an anxious look ; " we may expect a hard 
 battle yet. I could never have believed that the Emperor 
 himself would add to our difficulty, for both at Aix-la- 
 Chapelle and at Cologne he seemed quite at one with 
 our way of thinking. How are we to explain it to his 
 Holiness, that the Imperial Diet is careful of justice even 
 for a heretic under the ban ! No doubt the Pope would 
 think by this time that Luther is safe in some prison, 
 if not safe in another world ; and here they are actually 
 treating with him, ready to hear his defence, though 
 long condemned by the Pope's own bull — actually 
 promising him a safe-conduct for his journey ! Is this 
 not casting a slur upon the holy father's authority, 
 endangered as it is by the heretic's far-spreading in- 
 fluence ? I fear me the Pope's wrath will turn upon 
 us, his ambassadors, if we cannot bring matters to a 
 different issue. He will scarcely believe us that we 
 have done our best to influence the Emperor." 
 
 " I quite share your apprehension," replied his joint 
 legate, Caraccioli ; " and let me tell you I had a private 
 audience of the Emperor. I did my utmost in per- 
 suasion, assuring him that he need not keep his promise 
 of the safe-conduct ; his word to a heretic could nowise 
 be binding, the rather that it was a work of high 
 merit to free the world of heresy, no matter by what 
 means." 
 
 " Have you ventured to say this ? " returned Aleander. 
 " And what answer did he give you ? " 
 
 Caraccioli smiled grimly. "Charles is a German 
 after all — these people have wooden hearts, and 
 consciences as tough as shoe-leather. The Spanish 
 crown has not rendered him more tractable. He 
 
132 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 turned upon me wrathfuUy, saying he desired not to 
 be considered of a likeness with Emperor Sigismund, 
 whose name for all ages to come was marred by his 
 broken word, inasmuch as he permitted Huss to be 
 dragged to the stake in spite of his imperial promise 
 of a safe-conduct. There is no playing with Charles as 
 regards this matter, I plainly saw ; so I did my best 
 to allay his anger, lest he should turn against iis alto- 
 gether. For the present we seem to have no choice 
 but to acquiesce. Some dagger may find the way 
 to the heretic's heart, in spite of the safe-conduct. 
 Nevertheless, I am greatly troubled ; matters -seem 
 to take a most unexpected turn. We have come 
 hither to work for the unity of the German princes 
 in opposing this heretic ; and now the princes themselves 
 come forward with all manner of grievance against the 
 see itself, stirring up enmity between the Emperor and 
 the Pope. Some of these princes are powerful enough, 
 and I find that each of them has prepared his own 
 special charge ; even George of Saxony, whom I be- 
 lieved one of the truest sons of the Church, has resolved 
 his ducal complaints under twelve different heads. I 
 hear that no less than a hundred and one causes of 
 complaint have been made out by the princes them- 
 selves. It will require our most careful manipulation 
 lest these alleged grievances, apart from their taking 
 up the best of the time, should turn the Estates in 
 favour of the heretic, as seemingly of a like mind with 
 themselves, and not to be blamed, therefore, for what 
 he calls his preaching of the gospel." 
 
 " You greatly alarm me ! " exclaimed Aleander. " I 
 know nothing of these complaints you speak of. What 
 are they ? " 
 
WORMS. 133 
 
 " The German princes consider themselves overtaxed 
 by the Roman see. Whatever grudge they bear each 
 other, they seem unanimous in this," returned CaraccioH 
 testily. " There is but one cry among them concerning 
 the Pope's extortion, as they call it ; they accuse him 
 of violation of right, and all manner of abuse." 
 
 " But I should Uke to know the particulars," persisted 
 Aleander. 
 
 " It is scarcely possible to recount them all," replied 
 Caraccioli ; " one of their greatest objections seems to 
 be this, that the Pope sometimes grants benefices to 
 men nowise fitted for the Church — bakers, donkey- 
 drivers, and grooms even having been invested, they 
 say ; which persons, knowing their own ignorance, put 
 out their livings to curates upon a miserable stipend. 
 Another matter of complaint, it appears, is this, that 
 the Pope allows Germany to be overrun with sellers of 
 indulgences, whereby the pockets of the poor fools are 
 sadly drained." 
 
 Aleander's well-fed countenance fell. " The German 
 princes are not far wrong," he said ; " but on no account 
 must they be allowed to be in the right ! " 
 
 " The very opinion I would hold," assented Caraccioli, 
 " but the worst is this, they have concocted an address 
 to the Emperor, entitled, ' The Great Need of Reform,' 
 which need they sustain with these words : ' Whereas, 
 poor Christian souls are brought to great danger for the 
 offence permitted at Rome, and the German nation 
 thereby is impoverished ; we consider it needful that 
 a general amendment and reformation be advised, 
 in order to prevent the further ruin of this people. 
 With all diligence and earnestness we beseech your 
 Imperial Majesty graciously to grant us redress.' " 
 
134 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Aleander stared aghast, lifting up both hands, as 
 though to ward off the prayed-for reformation. " Alas 
 for our hopes," he cried, "if the Emperor be weak 
 enough to lend a willing ear ! Is not this preparing 
 the way for Luther and his heresy ? " 
 
 "No doubt!" rejoined Caraccioli; " but it must not 
 be. We must do all in our power to gain the Emperor. 
 I rest not much confidence in Glapio, his father-con- 
 fessor; I would rather try to work upon His Majesty 
 by means of Cardinal Albrecht. As Elector of Mainz 
 he is a very prop of the imperial throne, and he is 
 devoted to Charles. I little doubt but we may gain 
 him ; for Luther's preaching against the indulgences has 
 harmed him grievously. It is for his own benefit clearly 
 that Luther should be tried and condemned before the 
 Estates find a hearing for their grievances, which per- 
 chance they may retract altogether if we succeed in 
 our endeavour." 
 
 Aleander seized his colleague by the arm, " Let me 
 deal with the Cardinal," he cried, " for I believe Ihave 
 power with him ! " 
 
 Caraccioli assented, advising great prudence, however. 
 
 Early on the following morning, while Albrecht was 
 yet breakfasting, Aleander attemptedTiis mission. The 
 wily legate did his utmost to gain the Elector to his 
 views ; but it was not so easy ; for Albrecht secretly 
 approved of the defeat which the Diet seemed likely to 
 inflict upon his Holiness. If but recently he had 
 assured the Pope of his true allegiance, to the parting 
 even with his friend and retainer Hutten, that was 
 a concession to necessity, and not of his choice. 
 He lent but half an ear now to Aleander's proposals. 
 But when the Italian touched upon the indulgences as 
 
WORMS. 125 
 
 forming part of the intended complaints, the Elector 
 winced, becoming more tractable as the legate con- 
 tinued ; ending with a promise, at last, that his in- 
 fluence with the Emperor should be for the remanding 
 of the said grievances. 
 
 The legate triumphed, and, parting from the Elector, 
 he hurried back to his colleague to impart him the 
 news. 
 
 But more promising news than this even arrived 
 that very day from Rome, elating the papal envoys not 
 a little. A new ban had been prepared against Luther, 
 and if the former had been conditional — allowing a sixty 
 days' respite that he might retract — the latter anathe- 
 matised him absolutely, giving over him and his followers 
 to eternal damnation, and pronouncing the interdict upon 
 any place which had accepted the heretical doctrines. 
 Together with this bull arrived a papal writ to the 
 Emperor, enjoining him not for a moment longer to 
 tolerate the spread of heresy. And there was that 
 in the Pope's letter which highly gratified the legates. 
 " For now we have a hold on him," said Aleander, " if 
 he proves unyielding. Great is the Pope's wisdom in 
 having thought of this bait ; there is little doubt but 
 that the fish will bite. The papal brief tying his hands 
 with regard to the Spanish Inquisition has always 
 annoyed. him ; he will be glad to hear, therefore, that 
 the Pope is willing to rescind that restriction, if he, the 
 Emperor, wUl do his duty in Germany as regards the 
 suppression of heresy. What think you,* sir brother, 
 had now be our best line of action ? Strike the iron 
 while it is hot, I ween J Let us announce the bull to 
 the Diet at once." 
 
 Caraccioli agreed, and the following morning, it being 
 
136 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 the 13th of February and Ash-Wednesday, the papal 
 legate, Aleander, having donned his full splendour, 
 appeared before the assembled Estates, requesting a 
 hearing in the name of his Holiness, the supreme 
 head of Christendom. 
 
 The matter in hand was broken ofif immediately, the 
 august assembly preparing itself to listen attentively 
 to whatever the purple-clothed messenger was' about 
 to deliver. 
 
 With great assumption of dignity the legate first 
 read the papal bull, following it up with a powerful 
 discourse. Eloquently and cleverly he put forward the 
 alleged heresies, showing how they were detrimental 
 to God in heaven, to angels and saints, endangering the 
 Church, the holy father, his Imperial Majesty, and all 
 worldly rule. If a Huss had been burned, and burned 
 justly, for his teaching, surely this Luther had deserved 
 a tenfold death, for he had outdone all heresy hitherto 
 heard of in the Church ; for had he not declared the 
 Pope to be antichrist, and impugned not only the 
 council of Constance, but all councils, arrogating to 
 himself a better understanding of Holy Writ ? There- 
 fore the heretic was barred of all further hearing, 
 seeing that the Pope had passed judgment already; 
 and he prayed his Imperial Majesty graciously to desist 
 from the intention of citing Luther to Worms, granting 
 rather an immediate effect to the papal bull. 
 
 The legate's rhetorical display, occupying three hours, 
 left its unmistakable impression upon the Diet. With 
 growing interest the assembly had listened to his evolu- 
 tions, and many a one who had hitherto looked care- 
 lessly upon Luther began to entertain misgivings lest 
 he should prove the dangerous corrupter of mankind. 
 
WOEMS. 
 
 137 
 
 the child of hell, as shown forth by the bull. His 
 friends and patrons even felt overwhelmed with the 
 accusation. 
 
 As for the Emperor, the spark had caught, the legate's 
 speech had done its work ; the papal envoys saw it, and 
 failed not to improve the occasion. Effecting an en- 
 trance into the Imperial closet the following morning, 
 they were lucky in hitting upon an hour when inter- 
 ruption by Glapio, the monarch's confessor, was not to 
 be feared, whose jealousy both the Italians instinctively 
 dreaded. 
 
 They remained closeted with Charles for two hours, 
 and upon leaving their countenances betrayed satis- 
 faction. 
 
 The very next day an Imperial edict was laid before 
 the Diet, according to which, Luther, as a convicted 
 and already condemned heretic, should have no 
 further hearing, but should, after the burning of his 
 books, be taken prisoner and await the due course of 
 the law. 
 
 A bomb-shell suddenly bursting in their midst could 
 not have surprised the Diet more than the reading of 
 this edict; a great tumult arose, disclosing much 
 difference of opinion. The Emperor felt nettled, no- 
 wise composing himself when it became apparent that 
 the Estates required time for consideration. 
 
 The legates lost no opportunity to work upon the 
 Emperor. Dr. Eck, too, at that time at Ingolstadt, 
 wrote a letter which concluded with these words : 
 " May it please your Imperial Majesty to throw your 
 authority into the balance. Charlemagne of old forced 
 the necks of refractory Saxons under the yoke of faith ; 
 let it not be said that at the time of the greater 
 
 K 
 
138 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Charles, Luther the Saxon caused men to fall from the 
 faith." 
 
 Charles did his utmost that his will should be law, 
 but the Diet proved stubborn, its majority eventually 
 agreeing that at all events Luther must appear at 
 Worms, not for further disputation, but for retracting 
 the worst of his errors, perchance ; in which case they 
 would treat with him concerning the rest of his 
 teaching. 
 
 The fury of the legates knew no bounds. What 
 could they expect, if the Estates claimed the right of 
 distinction concerning the heretic's tenets ? If he 
 retracted some, they had said, they would treat with 
 him concerning the others. And supposing these 
 "others" were found to agree with their own com- 
 plaints against the see ? What then 1 what then ? A 
 vista opened before the eyes of the purple-robed 
 dignitaries which seemed ready to confound their 
 hopes. 
 
 They turned for counsel to the Elector Archbishop 
 of Mainz, whose vote, they knew, had been with the 
 minority. He received them graciously, for he too 
 had experienced the full effect of the legate's speech, 
 fairly shaking him out of the carelessness with which 
 he had hitherto saved himself the trouble to examine 
 the importance of Luther's influence. 
 
 "We will not hide from your electoral eminence," 
 said Aleander, with a wily show of confidence, "that 
 his Holiness the Pope was greatly incensed on learning 
 that Hutten, of baneful memory, actually stood in your 
 service, publishing his wicked writings in the daylight 
 of your cognisance. Since then the Pope's anger has 
 been allayed, seeing that you have withdrawn your 
 
WORMS. 1 39 
 
 friendship from Hutten; but his Holiness continues 
 apprehensive, aware that your electoral grace has not 
 done so of your own free will, but in obedience only 
 to the papal command. If your grace, however, is 
 desirous of regaining the Pope's full confidence, this 
 present crisis would seem to be your opportunity. If 
 the news be heard of at Rome that Cardinal Albrecht 
 of Mainz has been chierfly instnimental in silencing 
 Luther, your former friendship for Hutten will not be 
 remembered against you, and you may bask in the 
 fulness of papal favour." 
 
 The Cardinal continued in silence, lost in thought ; 
 conflicting desires passed through his mind. At last he 
 said : " I will do what I can. It is plain that neither 
 of the papal bulls have produced the impression they 
 should. Luther himself laughs at them, and the 
 people at large are not overawed by them. These bulls 
 need the additional influence of some greater terror; 
 where the Pope's arm is not sufficient, the Emperor 
 must come to the rescue. If Luther does not retract, 
 we must have him put under the ban of the Empire. 
 This will put an end to his laughing, for then he will be 
 given over to death." 
 
 The legates were deeply sensitive of the Elector's 
 home-thrust concerning their master, but they swal- 
 lowed their vexation for the sake of the new prospect of 
 the heretic's ultimate discomfiture. 
 
 One fine morning early in March, half Worms had 
 gathered on the market-place. The news had tran- 
 spired that an imperial herald was being despatched to 
 fetch the bold monk who had dared to defy the Pope, 
 and who no doubt would have courage also to stand up 
 for the truth before the Emperor and his Diet. 
 
 K 2 
 
140 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 And as the bells of the ancient town struck the 
 ninth hour, the imposing figure of Caspar Sturm, on his 
 well-accoutred charger, and followed by a man-at-arms, 
 appeared upon the scene. The Imperial eagle blazed 
 from his chest, and his right hand carried the herald's 
 staff. His eye flashed proudly, as though he felt the 
 grand import of his mission, and the citizens with loud 
 acclamation wished him a happy despatch. 
 
CHAPTEE XV. 
 
 HE CANNOT OTHERWISE. 
 
 Splendid and imposing had been the scene when 
 the most powerful of rulers, on whose realm the sun 
 never set, made his entry into Worms with all the 
 grandeur of his Spanish-Netherlandish retinue ; but 
 when on the 16th of April, 1521, a bare-footed Augus- 
 tinian entered the precincts of the venerable city, that 
 was greater still. Not one of all the thousands 
 gathered there from all parts of the vast empire had 
 ever seen a like arrival. 
 
 The whole journey of Doctor Martin, from the first 
 outset of his leaving Wittenberg, could be compared to 
 a king's procession through his land. From far and 
 near the people flocked together to see the man who to 
 some appeared a very angel from heaven, to others a 
 messenger of hell. Old men came tottering, mothers 
 brought their babes, and those who could not get near 
 enough envied the m.ore fortunate who saw the great 
 man face to face, and perchance had the happiness of 
 pressing his hand. If he preached anywhere — and he 
 did so on several occasions — the church could not hold 
 the thronging congregation, men stopping without 
 
142 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 listened through door and window to his far-sounding 
 voice. 
 
 He had been seriously cautioned against this journey, 
 his anxious friends conjuring him to desist from what 
 they believed would bring him to the stake. And 
 when, having started, he was taken ill suddenly at 
 Eisenach, his " beloved town," they saw in this delay 
 a heaven-sent sign confirming their apprehensions. 
 Luther, however, had set his face bravely towards 
 Worms, and having recovered from his indisposition, 
 he went his way fearless of man. Yet danger, so his 
 friends assured him, lay waiting on all sides; the 
 papists, they said, were on the watch for him every- 
 where, his death being desired at Eome. Still Luther 
 made answer: "To Worms I have been called, to 
 Worms I will go, were the town as full of devils 
 as there are tiles upon the roofs of its houses. For Ke 
 lives and rules who saved the three in the fiery furnace. 
 And if He will not save me, it will be the worse for 
 this head of mine, if you mean to uphold it against 
 Christ Himself, who was laid low in grievous and 
 ignominious death. Look to me for aught, but not that 
 I should either take flight or retract. Take flight I 
 will not, and retract I dare not. The Lord Jesus be 
 my strength ! " 
 
 On the 14th of April he arrived at Oppenheim, a 
 small town on the Rhine, where he made halt. There 
 came to him a messenger, despatched by Franz von 
 Sickingen, the noble knight, delivering an urgent 
 request that Luther should not proceed to Worms, but 
 come to Castle Ebernburg instead : the Emperor's 
 confessor, Glapio, and the Imperial chamberlain, Paul 
 von Amsdorf, had arrived there, the message ran, and 
 
HE CANNOT OTHERWISE. 1 43 
 
 were anxious to come to an understanding with 
 Luther. 
 
 "What !" said Doctor Martin, " am I called to Castle 
 Ebernburg ? Is this a snare, perchance, to detain me 
 beyond the time of the safe-conduct, of which but 
 three days now remain ! If it is Glapio who desires 
 my presence there, Cardinal Albrecht has a hand in it, 
 for he and the Emperor's confessor have been friends of 
 late, I hear ! " 
 
 "Yet you are mistaken, reverend doctor," replied 
 the messenger, who was no other than Martin Bucer, 
 the theologian. " Am I not sent to you by the noble 
 Sickingen ? You have no truer friend than he and the 
 brave Ulrich von Hutten, who at present also is seeking 
 shelter at the ' harbour of righteousness,' as the Ebern- 
 burg has justly been designated. BeUeve me, you are 
 called thither in honest friendship." 
 
 One of Luther's companions, Dr. Jerome Schurf, now 
 joined with the messenger in pressing the invitation ; 
 but before Doctor Martin was ready with his answer, a 
 stranger, who had come up to the little party unnoticed, 
 took the word : " I crave your pardon, sirs, for offering 
 advice, but there is error on both sides ; I would fain 
 tell you the truth, having left Worms but shortly. 
 Father Glapio has no worse intent than to waylay you, 
 good doctor, that perchance you might retract before 
 seeing the steeples of Worms, or else return whence 
 you came. For it is a fact that some at Worms are 
 afraid of your coming, well knowing that your fearless 
 confession will enlist the masses on the side of the 
 Gospel, and thereby bring trouble to Emperor and 
 Pope alike." 
 
 When Luther heard this, he turned to Bucer, saying : 
 
144 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 " Take my greeting to the noble Sickingen, not for- 
 getting brave Hutten ; tell them not to trouble about 
 me, for Luther must go his appointed way, and the 
 Lord of Hosts is his shield." 
 
 Within an hour the little procession was again on 
 the road, the Imperial herald with his man-at-arms 
 heading the party; behind him, on an open car, sat 
 Luther, still wearing the Augustinian dress, and accom- 
 panied by his friend Nicholas von Amsdorf, together 
 with a Swedish nobleman, Peter Slawen by name. 
 The rear was brought up by Justus Jonas, the Witten- 
 berg preacher, and Dr. Jerome Schurf, Luther's legal 
 adviser, both on horseback. 
 
 As the steeples of Worms grew upon the horizon, a 
 noble train came rneeting the travellers. The colours 
 of Electoral Saxony could easily be distinguished, and 
 there were happy acclamations on both sides. It was 
 the retinue of Frederick the Wise and some other 
 Saxon nobles, whose hearts prompted them to make 
 him welcome who was about to make a stand 
 for the truth, and to grace his entry into Worms. 
 Presently more knights appeared, being of the followers 
 of Ludwig, the Elector Palatine, the procession swelling 
 as it went along. Luther's friends gathered about 
 him. 
 
 The nearer they came to the town, the slower they 
 could advance for the great concourse of people, and 
 reaching the town gate, the clocks chiming the ninth 
 hour of morning, it was scarcely possible to make way. 
 The whole of Worms had left breakfast untasted, 
 anxious to see him of whom Huss had prophesied a 
 hundred years before. All the windows, the very roofs 
 even, were thronged with expectant faces ; had it been 
 
HE CANNOT OTHERWISE. I45 
 
 ari emperor's triumphant entry, the people could not 
 have cried. Hail ! Hail ! more eagerly. 
 
 Luther was glad, and breathed more freely when he 
 gained his quarters at the Hospitallers of St. John. 
 But little peace at first did he find, for all day long 
 counts and prelates, doctors and senators, succeeded 
 each other, anxious to see the famous monk and hear 
 him speak. And though many came but for curiosity, 
 Luther yet felt able to thank his God, when midnight 
 at last brought quiet to his chamber, that the Gospel 
 was already becoming a power in the land. He had 
 satisfied himself also that the stranger at Oppenheim 
 had spoken the truth : the papists dreaded his coming, 
 lest there should be a tumult. 
 
 The following morning, when Luther, with his friends 
 Amsdorf and Schurf, was sitting down to breakfast, the 
 door opened, admitting Ubich von Pappenheim, Heredi- 
 tary Marshal of the Empire, in full dress, come to cite 
 Luther in the name of Charles the Emperor to the 
 bar of the Diet for the fourth hour of the afternoon. 
 
 " They are in a hurry to have done with me," said 
 Luther, smiling, when the marshal had withdrawn. 
 " But I thank God that the hour has come. I am of 
 good cheer, for I know that the power of God will be 
 strong in my weakness. Let us turn to breakfast now, 
 blessing the Lord for His every mercy." 
 
 The day passed quickly. Doctor Martin again being 
 sought by those who were anxious to show their 
 sympathy ; and Luther felt almost overpowered with so 
 much kindness, for he longed to be alone with his God, 
 to whom at all times he could speak as a man to his 
 friend. He was able to retire at last, and seek strength 
 in prayer before setting out for the great confession 
 
146 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 And those who remained in the outer room heard hifn 
 wrestling with God, even as he wrestled who was called 
 Israel, having prevailed — heard his, " I will not let Thee 
 go except Thou bless me ! " And Luther received the 
 answer of faith : his God, he knew now, would grant 
 him power and victory. 
 
 At the appointed time the marshal reappeared, to 
 usher the monk into the hall of the Diet. 
 
 There was a great light in Martin Luther's eyes, and 
 solemnly he said : " In the Name of God ! " 
 
 They went into the street, but it was quite hopeless 
 to advance, for head to head stood the people. There 
 was nothing left but to re-enter the building, and see]j: 
 to gain the house of assembly by the back yards and 
 gardens. But even there numbers followed him with 
 silent gaze, men baring their heads. 
 
 Luther and his guide entered the ante-hall of the 
 Diet, finding it partially filled with armed men and 
 patricians of Worms. 
 
 For two hours he was kept waiting. Did those in 
 power intend him to understand the Diet had more 
 important business to engage its attention than the 
 fancies of a mere monk ? 
 
 Twilight deepened, torches, were lit in the gloomy 
 chamber. 
 
 As he stood waiting, an old, bearded, weather-beaten 
 soldier coming up behind him, laid a hand upon his 
 shoulder, saying with cordial kindliness : "Little monk, 
 little monk, thou art about to make a stand, the like of 
 which is unknown to me and many a brave soldier in 
 hottest battle. But if thou art sure of thy faith, go 
 forward in the name of God, and be of good cheer — He 
 will not forsake thee." 
 
HE CANNOT OTHERWISE. 1 47 
 
 "Is it you, dear Frundsberg ? " returned Luther, 
 clasping the honest captain by the hand. " I owe you 
 thanks for a timely word. We are soldiers both of us, 
 both ready to fight ; you will know then that victory 
 is of the Lord ; in Him do I repose my trust ! "' 
 
 At last the door was thrown open, the light of a 
 thousand tapers streamed into the half-lit lobby, quiver- 
 ing on expectant faces. The marshal giving the sign, 
 Luther together with his counsel entered the spacious 
 hall. 
 
 For a moment he seemed dazzled by the unac- 
 customed scene. What a difference between their 
 grandeur and his cloister-like lowliness ! Nor could he 
 at first suppress the feeling that he knew little of the 
 ways of the great ones upon earth, a stranger to their 
 very mode of speech. 
 
 In the centre of the vast dome, upon a throne of 
 gold beneath a purple canopy, sat the German, Emperor 
 of " sacred majesty," with crown and sceptre and ermine 
 cloak, resplendent with jewels, which, catching and 
 reflecting the rays of light, surrounded him with an 
 almost fairy-like halo. To his right and left appeared 
 the Electors, spiritual and temporal, blazing with the 
 emblems of their dignity. The eyes of all dwelt upon 
 Luther — Frederick of Saxony, and Ludwig Count 
 Palatine, looking upon him with sympathy and almost 
 fatherly encouragement ; Elector Archbishop Eichard 
 of Treves viewing him with a glance of supreme 
 dispassion; Joachim of Brandenburg and Herman of 
 Cologne scarcely veiling their inimical feelings, while 
 Albrecht, the Elector of Mainz, gazed upon him 
 which was a curious mixture of interest, pride and 
 aversion : this then was he who had caused him trouble 
 
148 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 and vexation, whom he now saw face to face. Albrecht's 
 eye met the Emperor's, who from his throne with 
 curling lip looked down upon the humble figure of the 
 pale-faced monk, saying, as though he were thinking 
 aloud : " He, will not lead me to heresy ! Good heavens, 
 what an abject creature ! Can it be he who has written 
 those books, who has filled the realm with the sound of 
 his voice ? " 
 
 Close beside the temporal Electors Archduke Fer- 
 dinand's chair had its place ; the glory of the spiritual 
 magnates, on the other hand, being added to by the 
 purple splendour of the papal envoys. The eyes of 
 both legates were filled with hatred, their trembling 
 features betokening the excitement with which they 
 anticipated the result of this hour. 
 
 Around and behind this centre of power sat princes 
 and lords of the empire, rulers and dignitaries of the 
 church, dukes, markgraves and counts on the right 
 hand, archbishops, bishops and abbots on the left; 
 the lesser nobility and deputies of free cities filling the 
 ranks behind them, while the background was thronged 
 with knights, councillors, doctors of universities and 
 secular priests, who, having no vote, assisted as 
 listeners only, representing the nation at large. The 
 great hall of the Bishop's Seat had never seen so 
 splendid, never so complete an assembly as that which 
 is known in Protestant history as the Diet of Worms. 
 
 If Luther stood still at the entrance, it was for a 
 moment only, till the wave of excitement had passed 
 over the convocation; and then, preceded by the 
 marshal and followed by Dr. Schurf, he advanced to 
 the free space in front of the throne, where a heap of 
 books, his own writings, lay piled on a table. 
 
HE CANNOT OTHERWISE. 149 
 
 A voice rose from the multitude : " God judge thee, 
 thou whited sepulchre ! " another voice forthwith making 
 answer : " Fear not them which kill the hody, but are 
 not able to kill the soul ! " 
 
 John von Eck, Official of Electoral Treves, standing 
 by the table, now began with low-toned voice : 
 
 " Martin Luther ! His most sacred and invincible 
 Majesty, acting upon the advice of the Imperial Estates, 
 has called thee to appear before his presence, that thou 
 shouldest give an answer to two questions : Firstly, dost 
 thou acknowledge thyself to be the author of these 
 books which have gone forth under thy name; and 
 secondly, wilt thou retract some of the doctrines 
 therein contained ? " 
 
 Luther was about to speak, when his counsel stepped 
 forward, saying : " Let the titles of these books be 
 specified." 
 
 It was done, Luther thereupon giving his reply : 
 
 "All these books which have just been enumerated 
 have been written by my hand. I acknowledge each 
 one of them. But if I am asked either to defend or 
 revoke them, this is a matter concerning Christian 
 faith and the salvation of souls; concerning the Word 
 of God also, than which there is nothing higher upon 
 earth. It would be presumptuous and perilous to speak 
 lightly. Without due thought upon the matter I 
 might say less than is rightful, or more than is war- 
 ranted by truth ; and in either case I should be guilty 
 of judgment; for, saith the Lord: 'Whosoever 
 shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny 
 before My Father which is in heaven ! ' Wherefore 
 I humbly pray your Imperial Majesty to grant me 
 time for reflection, that without prejudice to the 
 
ISO LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Word of God, or peril of my soul, I may meet this 
 question." 
 
 He spoke under strong emotion, which some were 
 glad to take as a sign of faint-heartedness. 
 
 k. rustle went through the assembly, as of the wind 
 lifting waves, or brushing through tree-tops. There 
 was an exchange of opinions on all hands, which, 
 however, varied greatly. Some attributed this evasive 
 answer to loss of courage, shaking their heads con- 
 temptuously, while others admired the presence of 
 mind which in the face of an unexpected question at 
 once perceived a rightful expedient. The legates looked 
 crestfallen. 
 
 The Emperor having consulted for a moment with 
 the Official, the latter turned again to Luther and said : 
 
 " His Imperial Majesty might well refuse such a 
 request as altogether unworthy of Imperial grace, but 
 nevertheless has condescendingly resolved to grant thy 
 desire and to expect thy answer to-morrow at this 
 hour." 
 
 A wave of the hand, and Luther was dismissed. 
 
 He hardly knew how he came back to his lodgings, 
 a crowd of impressions went heaving through his soul, 
 and wearily he sank into a chair, feeling as though 
 fortitude had left him. 
 
 But not for long. The next moment found him on 
 his knees wrestling in prayer for the needful strength. 
 And his prayer was that of a child, yet of a strong man 
 of God. 
 
 On the following day, at the selfsame hour, he re- 
 appeared before the Imperial Diet. His step was firm, 
 his walk erect ; and upon his countenance lay a light 
 which was not of earthly kindling. When the question 
 
HE CANNOT O TITER WISE. 1 5 1 
 
 was repeated, his answer could be given with the 
 assurance of a good conscience, rising from the heart, 
 and testifying to liberty of soul. 
 
 He seemed another man. Those who heard him 
 perceived at the very outset that he knew now exactly 
 what to say. 
 
 His words came forth, resistless as a flowing river, 
 his dark eyes burning with the fire of holy enthusiasm, 
 his very -figure seemingly growing with the fulness of his 
 burden — he spoke, and they listened in breathless 
 silence. Clearly and eloquently he passed from point 
 to point, showing by the light of the Scriptures that he 
 had taught nothing but what was in accordance with 
 the Word of God. 
 
 The assembly, friend and foe, hung at his lips, his 
 power was upon them, they could not otherwise but 
 listen; not a sound was heard, save an occasional 
 acclamation of admiring delight. 
 
 Not from the papists ! And presently the legates 
 were seen moving towards the Emperor, conferring 
 with him under their breath. The Official was called to 
 receive instruction ; he was evidently intended to inter- 
 rupt the speaker, when the latter, having reached his 
 climax, came to a stop with a bow of respect to the Diet. 
 
 " Martin Luther," said the Official, somewhat roughly, 
 *' this is detaining us with needless talk. Not for dis- 
 putation thou art called hither ; his Majesty desires to 
 hear nothing but a single and straightforward answer 
 whether thou wilt retract or not." 
 
 Luther held his peace, hurt in his zeal for the truth ; 
 there was a great silence ; every one present seemed to 
 feel that an answer now would be given of great and 
 far-reaching consequence. 
 
152 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Luther had recovered himself, his eyes flashed with 
 a nohle consciousness, a holy self-yielding; and resting a 
 burning gaze upon the assembly, he opened his mouth 
 and spoke : " Inasmuch as your Imperial Majesty and 
 your Lordships require a straightforward answer, I 
 wiU give one having neither horns nor teeth, to this 
 effect : Unless I can be proved in the wrong by the 
 clear evidence of Holy Writ — for I will not believe 
 either the Pope or the Church councils alone, since it 
 is manifest that both have erred upon several occasions, 
 plainly contradicting themselves — I must hold myself 
 bound by the Scriptures I have quoted, and my con- 
 science is a prisoner to the Word of God ; retract 
 therefore I cannot, and will not, since it is a doubtful 
 and dangerous expedient to do aught against conscience. 
 So help me God ! Amen." 
 
 Murmuring sounds arose, swelling to a tumult, voices 
 here and there applauding the fearless confessor ; and 
 the louder these voices became, the more horrified 
 seemed the legates: they sought the Emperor's ear, 
 Aleander breaking into a hoarse whisper : " He has 
 given the lie to the councils of Holy Church— that is 
 the point. I pray your Majesty to make him repeat 
 these words, that his adherents may take warning." 
 
 The Emperor yielded, and once more the Official put 
 the question, Luther repeating without a moment's 
 hesitation : " It is clearly manifest that the councils 
 have erred upon various occasions, the Council of 
 Constance plainly so, by deciding in the face of un- 
 mistakable passages of Holy Writ; wherefore I am 
 constrained by the Scriptures to say that this council 
 has been guilty of error." 
 
 " Thou art unable to prove it ! " cried Eck wrathfuUy 
 
HE CANNOT OTHERWISE. 1 53 
 
 But Luther dauntlessly made answer : " Yea, I will 
 prove it in many points." 
 
 "It is enough!" thundered Charles, half rising on 
 his throne. "Unheard-of things have come to our 
 knowledge. Are we to understand, then, that this is 
 thy opinion, monk, and that thou seest fit to insist 
 upon it ? " 
 
 Luther met the Emperor's indignant gaze. There 
 was a momentary pause. Slowly he raised his right 
 hand towards heaven, as in appeal to the King of Kings, 
 and the memorable words resounded through the hall : 
 " Here I stand, I cannot otherwise. God help me ! Amen!' 
 
 The Emperor burst from his seat, there was a general 
 rising, a passionate exchange of opinion; admiring 
 applause on the one hand, imprecation on the other. 
 
 But he who had raised all this commotion had 
 vanished from the scene. We find him again in his 
 chamber, quietly refreshing himself with a draught of 
 Eimbeck beer, which Duke Erich of Brunswick had 
 sent him. But he was not left long to peaceful enjoy- 
 ment. His abode at the Hospitallers of St. John 
 seemed a very place of pilgrimage, admitting visitors 
 all night long. Dukes, princes, counts, councillors, and 
 plain citizens — all were anxious to see him and press 
 his hand who had taken his stand upon the Gospel, 
 who seemed above them in heavenly daring. 
 
 Meanwhile, in the Imperial closet, Albrecht, the 
 Elector of Mainz, and the papal legates, consulted with 
 the youthful ruler as to the course of action to be 
 taken, the very next day revealing the conclusion 
 arrived at in the dark of night. This is what an 
 Imperial councillor laid before the Diet in Charles's 
 own handwriting : 
 
 I. 
 
1 54 L UTHER AND THE CARD IN AU 
 
 " Inasmuch as the Christian Emperors of Germany- 
 have always proven themselves brave defenders of the 
 faith and true sons of the Church of Rome, it is our 
 intention to save and protect everything held sacred 
 by our predecessors, more especially the decrees of 
 Church councils convened at Constance and elsewhere ; 
 we are firmly resolved therefore to hazard kingdoms 
 and rulerships, yea, land and life, rather than permit 
 the wicked designs of Luther, who presumes to know 
 better than all other Christians, overthrowing the 
 belief of a thousand years. Having heard his per- 
 tinacious answer yesterday, we hereby declare that we 
 are sorry to have hitherto delayed interfering with him 
 and his false doctrine ; we command therefore that 
 Luther be speedily returned to whence he came, but 
 let him take care, in accordance with the safe-conduct, 
 not to add to the commotion by fresh preaching, since 
 we are resolved to deal with him as with an open 
 heretic, looking to the princes of our realm to do their 
 duty as becomes Christian rulers. 
 
 " Given with our own hand, this nineteenth of April, 
 1521." 
 
 This rescript did not fall short of effect; a wave 
 of amazement and consternation passed through the 
 assembled Diet. 
 
 " The meaning of this is that they are about to put 
 Luther under the ban of the empire ! " said Frederick 
 of Saxony to his neighbour, Ludwig, the Elector Pala- 
 tine. "I perceive the influence of the papal legates, 
 who are anxious to turn our eyes from the many sores 
 within the Church, that we should drop our grievances 
 against the Eoman See, and occupy our attention with 
 Luther and his alleged heresy instead." 
 

 
 •,/ 
 
 
 \ \ \ 
 
 PBEDEBICK OF SAXONY. 
 After Albert Ditrer. 
 
HE CAN NO T THER WISE. \ 5 7 
 
 " You are right," replied the Palatine. " It is greatly 
 to be regretted that the Emperor allows himself to be 
 the tool of the Pope's creatures, not seeing that he is 
 caught in the Eomish net. Wiser by far would it be 
 did he urge the Pope to convoke a general council, not 
 only for the hearing of Luther's cause, but for a be- 
 ginning of that most needful reform of Church matters 
 for which the whole of Germany is anxious, ay, more 
 than anxious ! " 
 
 The Elector of Saxony shook his head. " I see the 
 ins and outs of the business," said he knowingly ; " it is 
 lust this:, the Emperor must conciliate the Pope, in 
 order to gain him to his side, should it come to a war 
 with France. Truly the Imperial crown will prove a 
 heavy burden to his youthful head. For my part, I 
 thank God, who gave me wisdom to refuse the dignity 
 offered me at the demise of the late Emperor." 
 
 The estates meanwhile exchanged opinion upon 
 opinion, the majority agreeing at last to solicit the 
 Emperor for the appointment of a special committee of 
 thoughtful men, and versed in theological matters, to 
 whom the Lutheran cause should be referred. 
 
 Charles grew wrathful, the legates ground their teeth, 
 but they were obliged to yield, and to witness, more- 
 over, that Luther was honoured by the people as though 
 he were a king. From far and near men came to con- 
 sult him; the very citizens of Worms took his part, 
 ready to fight his battle. And .more than this, the 
 Emperor one morning found a paper in his private 
 chamber containing the words of the preacher : " Woe 
 to thee, land, when thy king is a child ; " while the 
 Elector of Mainz had his dwelling placarded with the 
 information that four hundred noblemen had bound 
 
 L 2 
 
IS8 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 themselves to protect Luther, announcing enmity there- 
 fore to all papists, especially to his grace of Mainz; 
 and that eight thousand fighting men were ready to 
 strike the hlow. The legates saw the prudence of hold- 
 ing their peace, trusting that the stiff-necked Luther 
 himself would make further transaction, if not impossible, 
 at any rate useless. 
 
 Nor were they deceived in their hope, for Doctor 
 Martin remained firm; and on the 25th of April the 
 Official of Treves announced to the Diet the contents 
 of another Imperial rescript : Inasmuch as the heretic 
 turned a deaf ear to all exhortation, he would be given 
 over to the fall rigour of the law. His Majesty com- 
 manded, therefore, that within twenty days he should 
 return to Wittenberg, under the protection of the 
 promised safe-conduct, after which time he should be 
 dealt with according to his deserts. 
 
 The Diet listened in silence, and on the following 
 morning Luther quietly left the town which had wit- 
 nessed his greatest act of faith. It had been some- 
 thing to burn the bull at Wittenberg ; it was another 
 thing to confess his Lord before the great ones upon 
 earth — needing a nobler courage and far higher trust, 
 and both had been given him. Happy, therefore, and 
 with renewed assurance, he went his way, careless of 
 the Imperial ban following upon his footsteps, which 
 Charles had extorted from the unwilling estates, after 
 Luther's most influential friends, like him, had turned 
 their back upon the Diet. 
 
 The bold confessor could rest his soul in twofold 
 protection : he had received a secret message from his 
 own Elector, who sent him word through Spalatin not to 
 fear, should the Imperial ban be flung at him, inasmuch 
 
HE CANNOT OTHERWISE. 1 59 
 
 as he would be cared for, and a safe retreat be found 
 for him. But, better than this, the comfort of the Holy 
 Spirit was shed abroad in his heart — that He who had 
 been his shield and buckler hitherto, in whose strength 
 he had gone forth from the first, would not forsake him 
 now, but continue with him in the battle. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 FRESH DIFFICULTY AND A NEW EXPEDIENT. 
 
 It was high time for the Archbishop Elector to quit 
 Worms and to return to his own domains. He was 
 looked for impatiently both at Mainz and Magdeburg, 
 for those who governed ia his absence hardly knew 
 where to turn for help. Debts had increased more than 
 ever, and no adequate resource seemed at hand. At 
 Mainz the alarming figure of ninety thousand florins 
 stared in the treasurer's face, matters at Magdeburg 
 being about as bad. 
 
 The good folks at Mainz prepared a briUiant recep- 
 tion for the returning ruler ; but their pleasure was 
 seriously damped ; each and aU felt the overhanging 
 cloud, and the Elector as soon as he was informed of 
 the state of affairs positively took to flight. 
 
 " We long to return to Halle ! " he explained to the 
 Chapter; "we are anxious to see how the building 
 of our new cathedral has advanced in our absence ; for 
 our heart has set great stakes upon that rising structure, 
 which we look upon as a stronghold of the Romish 
 faith, whence we hope to fight the creed of Wittenberg." 
 
FSESn DIFFICULTY. l6l 
 
 The Chapter looked blank, their faces lengthening 
 at the hierarch's speedy departure. 
 
 But Albrecht's hurry slackened as soon as the "golden 
 city" lay behind him, coming to an actual standstill 
 at Aschaffenburg, where he possessed an inviting castle. 
 It was a pleasant abode in the sunny season — that 
 picturesque town, nestling on a slope of the Spessart, 
 whence the eye overlooked the fruitful plain, the broad 
 Rhine winding as a silver ribbon through the haze, the 
 landscape glowing with colour and warmth. Margaret 
 E-iedinger used to say she wished she could spend her 
 life there, for there she could breathe more freely and 
 enjoy herself more fully than either at Mainz or Halle. 
 And Albrecht, not loth to meet her wishes, spent many 
 a week in the charming place, all the more willingly, 
 as he owned forests there well stocked with deer. It 
 was May now, and for three whole weeks he Hngered 
 in delight. 
 
 But he must delay no longer ; repeated messages had 
 arrived from Halle and Magdeburg, urging his presence. 
 He was obliged to take his leave, Margaret being in no 
 hurry to quit the land of milk and honey, as she called 
 it, for the briny desert, so his grace must needs go his 
 lonely way. 
 
 It was early in June that with a small retinue he 
 proceeded to his eastern diocese. 
 
 If the pleasant time at Aschaffenburg had been 
 sufficient to chase away his every vexation, the sub- 
 sequent journey on horseback through tracts of beauty, 
 when all nature was aglow with the life of returning 
 summer, added not a little to his easy-going gladness. 
 He felt the happiest of princes, receiving his chancellor, 
 Doctor Turk of Halle, quite graciously, who came to 
 
1 62 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 meet him in an open carriage at a little distance from 
 tte town, and such were his own spirits that the 
 chancellor's depression positively escaped his notice. 
 
 The Elector dismounted, taking his place in the 
 vehicle. 
 
 " It is a long time since we have been favoured with 
 your grace's presence," said the official, in a tone which 
 covered reproof. 
 
 But the Elector did not take it as such, returning 
 pleasantly : " The longer our absence, the greater will 
 be our enjoyment in seeing the progress of our new 
 cathedral church. I trust the builders have done their 
 duty." 
 
 " They were willing to do it," said the chancellor, 
 gloomily, " but the work has not advanced as it might 
 have done. The body of the church, apart from the 
 towers, is finished so far that the sacred reHcs could be 
 moved thither from the private chapel ; but I cannot 
 speak of much progress besides." 
 
 The Elector raised questioning eyes. "These are 
 no cheering news,'' he said ; " what has retarded the 
 work ? " 
 
 The chancellor shrugged his shoulders significantly. 
 " The men do not care to take a blessing for pay ; they 
 must live, and seek work elsewhere." 
 
 "Is that it ? The old story; our want of money ! " 
 returned the Elector, heaving a sigh ; a dark shadow 
 had overcast his serenity. "I left Mainz to its own 
 devices because they had nothing but complaints there 
 to gi'ace my return ; we trusted for a brighter welcome 
 to Halle and Magdeburg; and now it seems you intend 
 singing to a similar tune ! I dislike your woe-begone 
 countenance, as though you knew not what else to 
 
FUESH DIFFICULTY. 1 63 
 
 advise. You must be able to advise ! What should 
 you say to a new tax ? " 
 
 The chancellor's puny figure wriggled as though 
 he were in a fit, his nostrils working like a 
 rabbit's. " I would not counsel this expedient," he 
 whimpered ; " the estates are tired of taxes, the last 
 one requiring all our efforts to push it in spite of 
 them." 
 
 The Elector's countenance showed annoyance ; he 
 rested an absent gaze upon the landscape, and held 
 his peace. 
 
 " I might suggest another means of help," continued 
 the chancellor, when silence became irksome ; and the 
 Archbishop turned to him abruptly. " Those were 
 days of blessing when Tetzel went about the land. 
 Silver and gold flowed in torrents; it was a pleasure 
 then to be chancellor of the archiepiscopal diocese. 
 Cursed be he who bound our Tetzel's hand ! But is 
 he not bound himself now ? N'ay, Luther is dead ! 
 Who shall hinder us to re-open the traffic? Our 
 troubles would soon be ended." 
 
 The Archbishop turned in disappointment. " If this 
 is all your advice," he said, " it is not worth your breath ! 
 The days of that traffic are over ; for, in the first place, 
 the time is past which had been fixed by the Pope for 
 the offering of indulgences ; secondly, Tetzel is dead, 
 without whom we could not think of re-opening the 
 business, seeing there is not the like of him in all 
 Christendom. And, moreover, that news seems false 
 which says that Luther has departed this life ! The 
 rumour is abroad even now that the sparrow hath 
 found an house where he abides his time in safety. But 
 even if it were not so, and the outlaw had met with his 
 
1 64 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 fate, I should not care to meddle a second time with 
 indulgences; the traffic has come to evil report, the 
 people detest it and laugh at it ; and among the princes 
 of the realm too, complaints concerning it are rife, as 
 the Diet of Worms has shown but too well. It would 
 be foolish under these circumstances to rest our hopes 
 once more on the sale of indulgences. However, I have 
 thought of putting forward an indulgence — of another 
 kind, that is. You know my plan of admitting the 
 people to a sight of our relics, granting remission of 
 sin to all such who will give a free-will offering of alms. 
 Have you been able to find out whether this idea is 
 likely to be favoured ? " 
 
 The chancellor looked disgusted. He felt secure of 
 the place he held in his master's regard, and made 
 answer with a gruff boldness : " Much use that would 
 be ! We want a great deal of money, mere alms would 
 be as a drop in the sea." 
 
 The Elector seemed nettled by this reply, wrapping 
 the folds of silence about him. The chancellor then 
 could but take the hint, and nothing more was said, till 
 his grace, evidently displeased with the absence of 
 conversation, took the lead, remarking : " Let there 
 be an end now to disagreeable things. What news of 
 our clergy ? " 
 
 But the chancellor did not recover his equanimity so 
 easily as all that. A flush of sarcasm lit up his features 
 at the question. " Delightful news ! " he said. " There 
 has been a wedding to interest all the country side ; 
 Brother Bartholomew Bernhardi, the Provost of 
 Kemberg, has taken a wife." 
 
 Albrecht gave a start, looking daggers at tlfe chan- 
 cellor. " What is this you say ? And you dare make 
 
FRESir DIFFICUL TY. 1 65 
 
 it a matter of fun, you to me, Doctor Turk ! Axe you 
 so certain of our favour as ^11 that ? " 
 
 The chancellor, quite frightened, hastened to change 
 the subject, and having succeeded in smoothing away 
 the cloud of wrath from the Elector's brow, the current 
 of conversation ran its even course. 
 
 " Look yonder ! " said Albrecht, after a whUe, pointing 
 to two figures in the distance. Both were on horseback, 
 the one leading a heavily laden sumpter by the bridle. 
 " Look yonder ! Is it not our Schonitz ? " 
 
 The chancellor put his hand across his brow, saying 
 after a while : " I seem to recognise the merchant and 
 his servant." 
 
 The foremost of the two, a young dapper man, some- 
 where about three-and-twenty, appeared to have formed 
 an idea now as to who might be sitting in the carriage, 
 for spurring his horse, he rode up alongside, taking off 
 his hat reverentially. " All hail, your grace ! " he 
 cried. " I rejoice in the honour to be the first to call 
 you welcome here.'' 
 
 The Elector waved his hand benignly. " Whence 
 are you, friend Schonitz ? " 
 
 " I have been to Frankfort, your grace." 
 
 " You seem to prefer the trader's life to looking after 
 the salt-works at home." 
 
 "Well, my activity brooks not overmuch leisure. 
 The salt-proprietorship at home scarcely fills my time, 
 and trade is handy. Moreover, I delight in seeing 
 something of the world, and getting to know other 
 people." 
 
 " I fancy you found your reward ; the sumpter could 
 scarcely carry a better load." 
 
 " I am satisfied, your grace. Business prospered — 
 
l66 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 new connectioBS have opfened, I was introduced to rich 
 people, met with unlooked-for honours, struck some 
 good bargains, in silks especially, and a few splendid 
 knick-knacks I bring home with me ; one, particularly, 
 which ought to be in your grace's possession ; it m a 
 beauty, and well worthy to be added to your collection 
 of holy relics." 
 
 " Tou quite raise my curiosity ! " said the Elector, 
 with glittering eyes. " What is this treasure ? " 
 
 "A casket of pure gold set with topazes and 
 turquoises, and ornamented with representations of 
 saints all round ; it rests on four lion's paws, and its lid 
 bears a capsula of silver and carved ivory. It is two 
 feet long, and about a foot in height." 
 
 " Can you lay your hand on it ? " inquired the Elector, 
 turning towards the sumpter. " We should like to see 
 it forthwith." 
 
 The chancellor cast a wrathful look upon Schonitz, 
 anxious to ward off the tempting sight. " Why examine 
 it now ? It would only delay his grace's entry, the town 
 being so near ! " But the Elector gave no heed ; as for 
 Schonitz, he was already busy looking for the treasure 
 among his baggage. Having disengaged it at last, he 
 handed it into the carriage. 
 
 With speechless delight the Elector took the precious 
 thing upon his knees, gazing upon it with the eye of a 
 connoisseur, starting as from a trance presently. " We 
 must have that ! " he exclaimed. " Unworthy is the 
 vessel of our collection which contains the blood of 
 John the Baptist. This splendid casket will be far 
 more fit to enshrine the holy relic. What is the price, 
 dear Schonitz ? " 
 
 " Twelve hundred florins Rhenisch I have paid for it 
 
FRESH DIFFICULTY. 1 67 
 
 myself," replied the merchant. " But if it can be of 
 use to your eminence, I shall be happy to part with it 
 without gain to myself." 
 
 Again the chancellor interfered, with anxious coun- 
 tenance. " Your grace ! " he cried, " might not the 
 transaction wait for better times ? It is but a useless 
 bauble — and the money, the money ! " 
 
 The Elector turned upon him with a frown. '' It is 
 the voice of Chancellor Turk, I hear ! You, I dare say, 
 can call such a beauty a bauble. Money only is 
 delightful in your sight, for art you have no eyes, 
 however — " 
 
 But Schonitz, aghast at the chancellor's hints, in- 
 terrupted hastily : " Let your grace not be troubled 
 about the payment. Indeed, I rather desired to offer 
 it as a present, if I might make so bold." 
 
 The Elector looked at the merchant with unfeigned 
 surprise. "Yours is a good, pious heart, dear Schonitz," 
 he said, after a while. " For our own person we would 
 not accept so valuable a present ; but as you intend it 
 for the new cathedral, and to the honour of God, it 
 shall be received as the offering of childlike loving 
 faith, and your reward shall be great in heaven. Put 
 up your treasure now, and bring it to us to-morrow 
 morning ; we will receive you ourselves at the Burg ! " 
 
 Beaming for joy, the merchant did as he was desired 
 offering voluminous thanks for so much favour. He 
 was proud of a link between him and the princely 
 hierarch, considering his twelve hundred florins a small 
 sacrifice for the confidence of such a magnate. 
 
 The journey proceeded without further delay, and 
 after an hour and a half the electoral carriage passed 
 the shingle-roofed old bridge, entering his town of 
 
1 68 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Halle. The magistrates and citizens, the corporations 
 of salt-workers and others, the clergy and the school- 
 children were ready to receive their ruler with solemn 
 welcome, accompanying him amid the singing of 
 Latin psalms to his princely dwelling at the 
 Moritzburg. 
 
 The following morning the salt-spring owner and 
 merchant of Halle, with delighted countenance, crossed 
 the drawbridge of the episcopal palace, not disdaining 
 to carry a covered baggage ; he requested to be taken 
 to his grace. 
 
 The great Cardinal came to his very ante-room, 
 receiving the citizen with all manner of condescension. 
 The precious casket being laid open to his sight, he 
 again and again gave vent to his rapture, requesting 
 the merchant to accompany him at once to the new 
 cathedral ; the beautiful thing should forthwith be 
 admitted to its destined use. 
 
 Schbnitz was profuse in thanks, . but Albrecht 
 interrupting him, the two left the palace. 
 
 They reached the place where the new collegiate 
 church was rising, the cathedral itself being partly re- 
 built only, the beautiful old monastery church of the 
 Dominicans serving as a foundation; the nave was 
 complete, the inside at least, outward adornments 
 remaining to be seen to, and both the towers, which 
 were planned for an unusual height, not far beyond 
 their base as yet. Nor was the rest of the structure 
 much advanced. 
 
 The Cardinal looked about him with evident annoy- 
 ance, counting the workmen. " It is most disheartening 
 to see the slow progress," he said, frowning. " We 
 
FRESH DIFFICUL TV. 1 69 
 
 have centred all our hopes in this collegiate church. 
 Heresy, like ill weeds, grows apace. That too should 
 grow which we intend as a bulwark against it ! " 
 
 And, approaching Schonitz, he continued, lowering 
 his voice : " You are a good man, we trust you ! 
 Can you tell us why our hopes are held back so 
 grievously ? " 
 
 Schonitz averted his eyes. 
 
 "You do know the reason," continued the Cardinal. 
 "It is money, wretched money ! Look here, dear 
 friend, could you assist us ? You have so many con- 
 nections, knowing rich people, as you said — do you 
 know none who would come to the rescue with an 
 adequate loan?" 
 
 Schonitz meditated. " I will show myself deserving 
 of your electoral grace's confidence," he said ; " I wiU. 
 try and procure what is wanted." 
 
 The Cardinal caught the merchant's hand. " Our 
 thanks in advance, dear friend, our warmest thanks — 
 we were not deceived in you ! And now follow us to 
 the holy relics." 
 
 The two men entered the church. 
 
 Again the Elector stood still, casting an inquiring 
 look about the edifice in which all his pride had centred. 
 What though this or that was wanting, or half finished 
 only, he, with the eye of a lover of art, saw the perfect 
 structure of his intention. He scarcely recognised the 
 ancient building. Everything that could hurt the eye 
 had been done away with, the pure Gothic forms were 
 clothed in chastest beauty, proclaiming the true 
 cathedral, and one fit to grace the abode of a great 
 hierarch. 
 
 " Follow us to the relics," repeated the Archbishop. 
 
I70 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 " and behold the treasures brought together here by our 
 predecessors and ourselves. It is indeed our pride and 
 heart's delight. For hours we could remain here lost 
 LU the contemplation of so much beauty, and satiate 
 our soul with the wondrous results of pious art for the 
 worthy adornment of the sanctuary. But we will not 
 keep the enjoyment selfishly to ourselves, it shall be an 
 attraction to our new church, for nowhere in all 
 Christendom is there a like collection of holy things. 
 We have caused a catalogue to be made, giving illumi- 
 nated representations of its various objects, for the better 
 understanding of the common people ; and we have 
 ordered the relics to be divided into nine different lots 
 according to their distinctive importance. The first 
 order contains the relics of saints and those of the Holy 
 Land ; the second, those of the Saviour ; the third, of 
 the Virgin Mary ; the fourth, of the patriarchs ; the 
 fifth, of the apostles ; the sixth, of the martyrs ; the 
 seventh, of confessors ; the eighth, of holy virgins ; and 
 the ninth, of elect women and widows." 
 
 With secret awe, Schonitz followed the Cardinal aU 
 round the collection, which impressed him, partly by 
 its value as objects of art, partly by their supposed 
 sanctity. 
 
 Shall we enter upon a description of the various 
 rehcs ? Here it is : let the reader see what our fathers 
 worshipped when their very high-priests stood up, 
 saying, " These be thy gods, O Israel ! " Let him give 
 thanks to our Father in heaven, who hath delivered 
 us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us 
 into the kingdom of His dear Son : in whom we 
 have redemption through His blood, even the for- 
 giveness of sins. 
 
FJiESff DIFFIC ULTY. 1 7 1 
 
 At the beginning, and, as it were, forming an intro- 
 duction, were two costly objects, not exactly of 
 ecclesiastical meaning; firstly, the consecrated golden 
 rose which Pope Leo X. had given to the newly- 
 appointed Cardinal; and secondly, the splendid sword 
 with which the same Pope presented the Emperor 
 Maximilian, and which the latter subsequently gave to 
 Albrecht. Then there followed a whole galaxy of 
 precious little coffins, some larger^ some smaller, some 
 containing bodies of saints, others but fragments of 
 bones. To these were added bones, capsules, and 
 shrines innumerable, some of gold, some of silver finely 
 embossed, others of carved ivory, cunningly cut into 
 representations of flowers, animals, or armorial devites 
 The benighted visitor might imagine himself in the 
 Holy Land almost, viewing these wonderful things ; for 
 there was earth of Damascus, taken of the self-same 
 field of which God in the beginning took up the dust 
 of the ground of which Adam was formed ; earth also of 
 the field of Hebron where Adam repented, and stones of 
 Mount Sinai ; there was manna, of which the Israelites 
 did eat in the wilderness ; and twigs were there of the 
 burning bush, of the very tree even on which grew 
 Aaron's rod that budded, and a fragment of the rod of 
 Moses wherewith he did signs ; there were bits of 
 Mount Tabor, of Mount Olivet; leaves of a shrub in 
 Gethsemane, by the side of which the chief priests and 
 elders appeared with their swords and staves ; sand of 
 the valley of Jehoshaphat, of the tomb of the Virgin 
 Mary, of Bethlehem, and what not besides. 
 
 The next order was supposed to refer to the life of 
 our Lord exclusively, art vying with art to make it a 
 fit abode of the holiest. Had they never heard that His 
 
 M 
 
172 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 true dwelling is the humble and contrite heart ? Bring 
 no more vain oblations — yet here they had set up a 
 golden shrine with pearls and precious stones, containing 
 the "miracle of the mass," or, to quote more fully, the 
 " true Corpus Christi for the redemption of mankind, 
 sacrificed to His Heavenly Father in willing death." 
 There were pieces of the cross of Calvary in gold or 
 silver setting ; entire thorns from the crown of sorrow ; 
 shreds of the seamless coat, of the towel with which 
 He girded Himself when washing the disciples' feet, of 
 the only garment left Him on the cursed tree, of the 
 purple robe when Pilate said : " Behold the man ! " of 
 the gorgeous robe with which Herod arrayed Him. 
 Some of the myrrh there was, which, mingled with 
 wine, they gave Hiln to drink. Other relics were there, 
 referring to the miracles ; some of the wine, for instance, 
 that was made of water at the marriage of Cana, and a 
 bit of one of the very waterpots of stone which held 
 that water. There were crucifixes innumerable, of 
 priceless value, and a representation of the resurrection, 
 the treasure of treasures of the collection. 
 
 The following order was dedicated to Mary, whom 
 they styled the "Mother of God," giving her in all 
 manner of likeness; here also there was shrine upon 
 shrine containing supposed relics of her who was called 
 blessed among women ; bits of her robe, of her shift, of 
 her veil, of her girdle, of the flax which she spun, of 
 the hair of her head ; some of the very milk even of 
 her virgin bosom, carefully kept in transparent crystal 
 tubes. 
 
 The next order was of the patriarchs and prophets ; 
 there was a picture of the holy Joachim, father of the 
 blessed Mary, with actual relics of his head, his ribs, etc. 
 
FRESH DIFFICUL TV. 1 7 3 
 
 A piece of the veil of the temple was shown. A silver- 
 gilt shrine contained one of John the Baptist's fingers, 
 another preserved some of this martyr's blood. 
 
 Here Archbishop Albrecht stopped to exchange 
 the unworthy vessel with the precious casket he had 
 received from Schonitz. 
 
 Then they turned to the relics of the holy apostles and 
 evangelists, showing their images in silver or gold 
 embossed and set with precious stones, St. Peter being 
 prominent ; the Cardinal, indeed, prided himself on 
 possessing more precious parts of the body of him who 
 was chief of the apostles, than could be found in any 
 other collection of relics throughout the land. 
 
 The last three divisions referred to saints only, 
 to martyrs, confessors, bishops, and elects of the 
 Church. 
 
 It took a long time to see it all properly, the 
 eye was dazzled, and the mind invited to pious 
 enjoyment. 
 
 " Immense is the value of this sanctuary," said Schonitz 
 at last, retuiruing to conversation. 
 
 The Cardinal nodded, well satisfied. " I know it," he 
 said ; " the Archbishop of Magdeburg is envied by many 
 on that account." 
 
 " But these treasures have a double value — that which 
 is inherent in their sanctity, and that other which is of 
 more tangible kind." 
 
 "How do you mean this ? " asked the Cardinal. 
 
 The trader looked knowing. " If I lock up money 
 in my chest, it may be a pleasure to look at ; but only 
 the miser would delight in such pleasure, and a miser 
 is a fool. Put out your money at interest, and you 
 double it." 
 
 M 2 
 
174 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 " Yes, yes, but how am I to take this simile ? " 
 inquired the Cardinal, half guessing its meaning. 
 
 Schonitz came a step closer, saying in a loud whisper : 
 " I would not keep this treasure all to myself, electoral 
 grace, I would admit others to the sight." 
 
 " This ' has been done for some time," said Albrecht. 
 " We exclude no one, and the pious may even take an 
 indulgence if they are so minded." . 
 
 " But this is not enough," urged Schonitz ; " men set 
 little store by what they get for nothing. What a man 
 has given money for, that he wiil value ; and the more 
 he has paid for it, the more he will think of it ! My 
 meaning then is this : these indulgences must not be 
 given gratuitously, and if your electoral grace would 
 but issue new letters of indulgence, after the fashion 
 of Tetzel, there would soon be money enough and 
 to spare." 
 
 The Elector was silent. Again the thought was 
 brought home to him to get rid of his difficulty by 
 another indulgence ; had not his chancellor given 
 similar advice, urging him to re-establish the practices 
 of Tetzel? And here was Schonitz suggesting some- 
 thing very like it ; that he should take payment, certain 
 sums for certain indulgence, obtainable only by a pious 
 beholding of the saintly relics ! He rather Kked the 
 proposal ; it was something new, and not quite so bad as 
 sending a Tetzel about the country, offering indulgence 
 for money. 
 
 Should he do it ? and how should he do it ? 
 
 His thoughts reverted to Luther, who, he felt, was 
 alive somewhere, and he saw his line of action. " Your 
 advice is good and bad," he said to Schonitz. " That 
 these holy relics and the indulgence obtainable thereby 
 
FRESH DIFFICUL TV. 1 7 S 
 
 should bring in some money, is quite our intention ; but 
 the question is, can we so hide our object that evil 
 tongues will not again make a butt of us and spoil our 
 hopes ? This is what we intend to publish." 
 
 And the Archbishop took a notebook from his pocket, 
 reading : " Be it known to all men, that all such who 
 are devoutly disposed to view these relics, offering their 
 prayers to God, and their alms to the cathedral, shall 
 receive unrivalled indulgence for the remission and 
 forgiveness of all their sins in this manner : that through 
 each part of a relic there are obtainable 4000 years, 
 3140 days and 800 quadragenes ; '^ therefore, seeing that 
 there are 8133 parts and 42 entire saints in our collection, 
 a full sum may be arrived at of 39,245,120 years and 
 220 days, besides 6,540,000 quadragenes. Blessed are 
 they who will assure themselves of so great a salvation ! 
 What think you, dear Schonitz, of this kind of 
 proclamation ? " 
 
 The merchant gave a nod of assent. " Your electoral 
 grace has hit the very form ; I see that my advice was 
 bad, and might have brought good intentions to an evil 
 end. But your grace's idea is deserving of all admiration ; 
 no one can take offence at it, nor pretend to hinder people's 
 free-will offerings. With all wisdom, too, your eminence 
 has so worded it, that no one could well suspect a 
 hidden aim, and say that gain of money is the object. 
 Great will be the throng of visitors anxious to avail 
 themselves of so much grace, and alms will be given 
 unsparingly." 
 
 The Elector was pleased with such manner of speech. 
 There was Chancellor Turk, who had quite pooh-poohed 
 his plan; but this merchant, on the contrary, admired it, 
 1 A period of forty days. 
 
176 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 and promised great success. "God grant it that our 
 hopes be not deceived ! " said the Cardinal presently, with 
 an honest sigh. " Meanwhile I trust you will be mindful 
 of your promise, dearest Schonitz, and procure us some- 
 thing for our most pressing need ; for not before the 8th 
 of September this year, being the day of the Virgin's 
 nativity, shall we be sufficiently advanced to admit the 
 people to a sight of these relics." 
 
 Schonitz repeated the assurance of his wiUingness to 
 do his utmost in proving himself worthy of such high 
 confidence. Cardinal Albrecht thereupon dismissiag 
 him with his most gracious smile. 
 
CHAPTER XVll. 
 
 THE IDOL AT HALLE. 
 
 Deeary November once more came round. Pitiless 
 winds rushed through the tree-tops, flapping their wings 
 about the battlements of the Moritzburg. Showers of 
 sleet filled the air with discomfort, the low-hanging 
 clouds ushering in the evening before its time. 
 
 The watchmen posted about the Burg and its court- 
 yard drew their cloaks over their heads, murmuringly 
 looking for shelter against the ungenial elements. 
 
 From the windows of the banqueting hall streams of 
 light flowed down upon the cheerless courtyard ; strains 
 of merry music, mixed with the sounds of carousal, falling 
 upon the lulls of the storm. 
 
 " The company up there are having one of their fine 
 evenings," said one of the electoral halberdiers to his 
 comrade, the two seeking a moment's protection beneath 
 an overhanging balcony. " One feels inclined at times 
 to accuse Heaven of unjust dealings. Why should some 
 few be revelling, while hundreds have but the where- 
 withal to starve ? And the worst of it is that the 
 revellers mostly are the bad ones, leaving the good to 
 famish." 
 
178 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 " Hold thy peace, Sigismund ! " replied the other, in 
 a loud whisper. " Let one of the courtiers hear this, 
 and apply it to his grace, thou wilt be the worse for it. 
 On the whole, thou hast spoken the truth ; but after all 
 I would except the Elector, who is a kind master to such 
 as we. Have we not better pay than any other prince's 
 men-at-arms ? A cousin of mine is serving under the 
 Duke of Saxony, and he told me " 
 
 " Who has business to talk here ? " interrupted a gruff 
 voice. It was the captain of the body-guard, making 
 his round. 
 
 The two halberdiers darted asunder, pleading the 
 bad weather, which had driven them under common 
 shelter; but this did not save them from severe 
 reprimand, and they were glad to gain their respective 
 posts. 
 
 The company in the great hall were indeed having a 
 fine evening, according to their ideas. It was a lordly 
 place, all arts combining to render it so — tapestry, 
 sculpture, painting, lit up by a profusion of tapers. 
 In the midst of this splendour a board was spread with 
 choicest viands and abundant flowers; and, that the 
 sense of hearing alone should not remain uncourted, 
 his grace's orchestra did their best to amuse his guests. 
 The Archbishop loved to display his greatness ; and it 
 tickled his pride if people averred that even the Imperial 
 table was not more magnificently appointed than his 
 grace's at the Moritzburg of Halle, or at the Martinsburg 
 of Mainz. 
 
 A numerous company had assembled. At the head 
 of the table sat the Cardinal, his chair slightly raised 
 and bearing two scutcheons — the city arms of Mainz, 
 being a white wheel on a red ground, and those of Halle, 
 
'I HE IDOL AT HALLE. 179 
 
 a crescent with two stars. To his right, decked with 
 silks and satins broidered with pearls, the bright waving 
 hair confined within the daintiest head-dress of purple 
 velvet and airy plumes, sat she who gloried in swaying 
 the great man's heart, surpassing all others in beauty, 
 and basking in the pride of her much-envied position. 
 The place to his left was assigned to a man who, if in- 
 significant in appearance, was, as we know, an important 
 personage nevertheless, the Chancellor Turk. Nearly 
 opposite to him sat one, blue-eyed, delicately-featured, 
 and wearing the priest's dress, who, on account of his 
 obliging nature and loyal amiability, was almost a 
 greater favourite with Albrecht than the chancellor, 
 viz., the Elector's court chaplain and privy councillor, 
 Wolfgang Fabricius Capito. 
 
 Courtiers, members of the nobility and patricians of 
 the town made up the distinguished party, both sexes 
 being represented. For the Cardinal, who prided him- 
 self on being a connoisseur of beauty in all her types, 
 whether in art or nature, was not slow in appreciating 
 feminine charms ; and that beautiful women should 
 grace his table pleased him better than filling his halls 
 with the attractions of art. Nor did the ladies thus 
 " honoured " despise taking their place in a circle which 
 had not its equal among the courts of the realm, the 
 Emperor's alone excepted. That Albrecht was a 
 spiritual ruler, whom the celibacy which he professed 
 ought to have rendered insensible to the fascinations 
 of womanhood, was little thought of in a time when 
 right and wrong, morality and immorality, had come to 
 be hopelessly confused ; and all being equally poor in, 
 honourable feeling concerning such things, men excused 
 themselves with each other's precedent. 
 
l8o LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 One among the guests yet remains to be named, 
 Hans Sctonitz, who had his seat among the nobility. 
 The Elector, without exactly taking him into special 
 employment, had somehow attached him to his person, 
 honouring him with his confidence ; and worthy 
 Hans, anxious to repay the same, had prevailed upon a 
 Dutch trader, and subsequently upon a Frankfort 
 merchant, to supply his grace with a considerable sum 
 of money. It was in acknowledgment thereof that the 
 plain citizen was honoured with an invitation to the 
 electoral board; but his neighbours of the country 
 nobility did not quite relish his company. They did 
 not know that Schbnitz after all was of noble extraction ; 
 it was no fault of his that his family, a few generations 
 previous, had relinquished the distinction. 
 
 Conversation flowed as a merry stream, and precious 
 wine, figuratively, likewise. 
 
 Albrecht was in serenest mood, and many a pleasant 
 banter passed between him and the fair creature at 
 his right. Even the chancellor, usually inclined to 
 be serious and somewhat morose, made merry to-day, 
 enjoying the well-filled glass and delighting if the 
 company appreciated his occasional jokes. Nor was he 
 light-hearted without cause, for the great weight of 
 care he had borne ever since his grace's accession 
 concerning the electoral coffers was suddenly taken 
 from him, inasmuch as these coffers were experiencing 
 an unexpected influx. It had nettled his pride at first 
 that he should have been in the wrong with his fears ; 
 for Doctor Turk was inclined to overrate his wisdom, 
 and to distrust any expedient not originating with his 
 own brain ; but the patent fact that there was a pay- 
 ing off of debts now, leaving hopes even of surplus funds 
 
THE IDOL AT HALLE. 1 8 1 
 
 before long, had a wonderful influence. over his feelings, 
 smoothing away the last shade of annoyance. 
 
 The Elector, bending towards him, said with satis- 
 faction : " We have heard that yesterday, it being the 
 day of the Virgin's offering, there was an unusual 
 throng of pilgrims anxious to be admitted to a sight 
 of the holy relics. Can you tell me the amount of 
 alms thus yielded ? " 
 
 The chancellor winked knowingly. " Alms ! " he 
 said. " I ween if gold and silver be as plentiful every- 
 where as at present within the church of Sts. Maurice 
 and Magdalene, it were no bad thing to continue a 
 receiver of alms for ever. The pious pilgrims give 
 most largely ; the alms of yesterday, the treasurer tells 
 me, amounted to upwards of seventeen hundred gulden. 
 There seems to have been some great lord among the 
 palmers, for five hundred florins wrapped in a linen bag 
 were found in one of the boxes. May the Lord keep 
 up this pious zeal but for the space of a year, and we 
 shall be able to sing a T& Deum I " 
 
 "No doubt, no doubt," replied the Elector eagerly, 
 and with flushing face, for he had not saved his wine. 
 " The noise of our holy relics has gone abroad in the 
 land, and the devout are coming from far and near to 
 see what nowhere else is to be seen. But a few days 
 ago I was pleased to notice a band of devotees whose 
 travel-stained garments betokened their distant home ; 
 and upon inquiry we learned that they have come 
 from Swabia, not grudging the journey." 
 
 " There are pilgrims from the Rhine, too," rejoined the 
 chancellor, " and others from the far east of Germany ; 
 they all bless themselves at the shrines, and leave their 
 gold behind. Nor is it surprising ; how should they 
 
1 82 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 think lightly of the benefit, that at Halle, in Saxony, 
 by dint of pious alms and prayer, forty thousand 
 years of indulgence for sin are to be obtained ? I 
 hardly know much about the duration of purgatory, 
 but methinks such a span of time is sure to cover it ; 
 poor souls therefore can be freed at Halle from all their 
 fear." 
 
 Capito, the Elector's chaplain, listened to this conver- 
 sation with eyes apparently studying the contents of 
 his plate, giving careless answers to his neighbour, 
 anxious to lose not a word of the chancellor's account. 
 With difficulty he mastered his feelings, the knife and 
 fork in his hands trembling involuntarily. 
 
 His neighbour noticing it, inquired whether he 
 ailed anything. 
 
 "I feel grievously troubled," he replied; and perceiv- 
 ing that the Elector had overheard him, he prayed for 
 permission to retire. 
 
 Albrecht, at all times kindly disposed towards his 
 chaplain, dismissed him with a look of sympathy ; and 
 Capito hastened away, breathing more freely when the 
 banqueting haU lay behind him. "Whither are we 
 drifting ? " he groaned. " The Elector sees nought but 
 sunshine, careless of the clouds gathering overhead. I 
 dare not open his eyes ; rather will I attempt to act 
 independently — perhaps I may succeed in warding off 
 the blow ! To-morrow at daybreak I will set out. 
 I must consult with Spalatin." 
 
 He was a nobly-disposed and well-inclined man, this 
 electoral councillor and court chaplain, Wolfgang 
 Fabricius Capito, true-hearted and clear-headed withal> 
 and more than half gained for the Protestant truth, but 
 all too prudent and fearful of harming a good cause. 
 
THE IDOL AT HALLE. 1 83 
 
 He thought there was no other way but that of cir- 
 cumspection for impressing the Cardinal with the power 
 of the Gospel — if he were open to impression at all — 
 the unfathomable man who seemed to have nothing but 
 enmity for Luther, while not hindering the progress of 
 Gospel teaching within his dominions. " He does not 
 understand Luther ! " sighed Capito-; " and the Gospel 
 is hidden to his eye, because his heart is far from it 
 and filled with this world's gain, delighting in honour 
 and power, in art and sensuous enjoyment. God grant 
 he may yet be a different man ! Lord help me to pre- 
 vail with him ! Thine is the cause, Lord, yet fill 
 me with wisdom and strength to do the work ! " 
 
 Capito stood by the window of his own chamber, lost 
 in thought. The sounds of revelling, of music and 
 table delight were heard even in his quiet retreat, not 
 lessening his fears. " If thou but knewest, Albrecht ! " 
 he groaned, and, dressed as he was, he sought his couch. 
 
 That same evening two citizens of Halle, the stocking- 
 weaver, Gabriel Rennepfennig, and Jonathan Ehricht, 
 master of the springs, were passing away the twiUght 
 hour in the taproom of the " Golden Heart," talking of 
 this and that, the landlord going to and fro. 
 
 The room was filling with strange visitors, not to the 
 satisfaction of the worthy citizens, he of the springs 
 presently remarking to his friend of the stockings : 
 
 " Pilgrims upon pilgrims, haviag walked miles, to 
 judge by their speech, for the worshipping of dead bones 
 and rags, thinking to gain heaven thereby, forsooth ! 
 I call it foolery and superstitious nonsense ; and his 
 eminence can scarcely hide it that money, after all, is 
 the object. Would our Luther were still in the land ; 
 
184 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 he would not hesitate to call things by their names ; but 
 that watchman of Sion has vanished from the wall. 
 Perhaps the Lord will raise him up a successor ; his 
 voice has been heard far and wide, awakening many 
 who are ready for the battle now, though the leader is 
 gone, ready to fight against Popish fraud." 
 
 " Hush ! this is not for all men's ears ! " whispered 
 Gabriel. " Over there is one watching you with widening 
 eyes." 
 
 " Let him ! " cried Jonathan, half querulously. " Surely 
 a man may speak the truth ! I call it foolery and 
 superstition, and so it is ! I pity each poor creature 
 toiling away with the pilgrim's staff. That Luther has 
 opened my eyes. I have read his books ; and, to the 
 face of the Romish antichrist,' I believe him to be a 
 messenger of God." 
 
 The stocking-weaver again felt anxious to warn his 
 friend, but before he could speak the stranger of the 
 watchful eyes, a big bulky feUow, had approached the 
 two, crying with threatening gestures : " What dis- 
 graceful blasphemy is this ? Will you stop it at once 
 or take the consequences ? " 
 
 " Indeed ! " cried the salt-master, indignantly. " Who 
 are you, to attack a citizen of Halle in his own town ? " 
 
 But the stranger, little abashed, raised a fist, others 
 of the pilgrims coming up behind him, and ciies arose : 
 " Down with him, he is a Lutheran ! " 
 
 The salt-master, having strength of body and courage 
 of mind besides, defended himself with weU-aimed 
 blows. The stocking-weaver, of more puny kind, had 
 slunk away, but returned presently, followed by several 
 of their fellow-citizens, who, coming to the rescue of 
 brave Jonathan, plied their clubs as though the stranger 
 
THE IDOL A T HALLE. 1 85 
 
 pilgrims were so ma,ny barley sheaves. More citizens 
 arrived, and of salt-workers not a few, and the palmers 
 had the worst of it. 
 
 The brawl had been dragged into the street, so that 
 even the constabulary was required to separate the 
 combatants. 
 
 The pious pilgrims retired to more congenial quarters, 
 and forthwith resolved to despatch a deputation accusing 
 the citizens to the Cardinal. Their landlord, however, 
 advised them to leave matters alone ; they would do 
 better, he said, to withdraw from the town as quietly 
 as possible; for Halle was full of people inclined to 
 the Lutheran teaching, and they knew their own mind. 
 Moreover, these Lutherans were not only common 
 citizens, but were to be found among the magistrates, 
 and even among noble patricians. There was no saying, 
 he added, how many secret friends of the Gospel could 
 be found at Halle, besides those who confessed 
 themselves as such openly. 
 
 The palmers grew frightened, wondering how such 
 things were possible beneath the very eyes of the 
 Cardinal, and when the morning dawned they stealthily 
 quitted the town. 
 
 The feasting Cardinal heard of this occurrence at the 
 time. He frowned, gave a grunt of displeasure, 
 but saw no occasion for rising from his evening's 
 enjoyment. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 LUTHER VERSUS THE CARDINAL. 
 
 At nightfall a horseman arrived at the gates of the 
 electoral castle at Torgau ; having dismounted, he 
 knocked for admittance somewhat impatiently, requesting 
 to see the court chaplain of his serene highness. 
 
 He was informed that the reverend gentleman had 
 accompanied the Elector to Altenburg, and was not 
 expected back before the morrow. 
 
 The traveller was evidently vexed, not hiding his 
 disappointment. Leaving his horse in the charge of a 
 groom, he entered the castle, asking for the court 
 chaplain's rooms ; but finding them comfortless for want 
 of a fire, he retired to an apartment in the lower regions 
 where he could thaw his frozen limbs. 
 
 Time hung heavy on his hands. He cared not for 
 conversation with the lackeys, but tried to amuse him- 
 self with some books of the absent chaplain's ; his very 
 thoughts, however, seemed congealed ; it had been a 
 miserable cheerless day. 
 
 The following noon the court preacher arrived, coming 
 in advance of the Elector. 
 
 Entering his rooms, he stood still exclaiming: "Is 
 
LUTHER VERSUS THE CARDINAL. 1 87 
 
 it yourself, Capito, dear friend ? What brings you 
 hither ? " 
 
 "Anxiety for him I call my master," replied the 
 other, quickly. 
 
 The friends shook hands, sitting down by the fire- 
 place. 
 
 " This uncertain fear is killing me," said Capito. " I 
 hardly dare to look the Cardinal in the face. Unsus- 
 piciously and unconcerned he lives his thoughtless life, 
 not understanding my timid hints. He cannot but have 
 noticed that I am troubled, and indeed he has asked 
 me several times within these last few days what is 
 the matter with me ; I cannot hide my sorrow much 
 longer. This is what brings me hither, dear Spalatin ; 
 I have come hoping you have comforting news. Did you 
 succeed in appeasing Luther ? " 
 
 Spalatin shrugged his shoulders. " You know Doctor 
 Martin yourself by this time ; and you know that he 
 will do what he thinks right, and no power on earth, 
 neither friend nor foe, will dissuade him. When I first 
 learned that he intended a new pamphlet against the 
 Cardinal concerning this recent matter of indulgence, 
 which should expose his eminence to public shame, 1 
 wrote him a long letter praying him to desist ; more- 
 over, I have been empowered to inform him of his 
 serene highness's opinion in the matter, which is 
 neither more nor less than that Elector Frederick would 
 withdraw his friendship if he dared to insult the 
 most powerful prince of the realm, who stands high in 
 the favour of both Emperor and Pope, the Primate of 
 all Germany and Lord High Chancellor of the ' Holy 
 Roman Empire of the German Nation.' In fact, our 
 Elector sees something of a personal thrust in Luther's 
 
 N 
 
1 88 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 intended attack upon the worship of relics, since in his 
 own cathedral at Wittenberg he preserves a number of 
 these sacred things to which indulgence is attached, though 
 not for money, and he cannot wean his heart from them. 
 He has never allowed the sale of indulgences, as the 
 Cardinal has done ; but he does not see much harm in 
 the worshipping, and he feels annoyed now that Luther 
 should direct his shafts against both practices alike. 
 But it was of no use my reasoning with Luther ; nor 
 had it any effect my pointing out to him that his attack 
 upon the Cardinal would place our Elector in a most 
 awkward position as regards his relation with the power- 
 ful "representatives of the house of Brandenburg, since 
 they would naturally suspect that Luther would do 
 nothing without the sanction of his sovereign protector. 
 But Doctor Martin has his own thoughts and opinions, 
 and cares for little else. The considerations of politics 
 are nothing to him, nor does he stop on his way for 
 courtly reasons. What his heart and conscience prompt 
 he will do in the face of the very devil, not to say of 
 his Elector. And fancy now the plight he has put me 
 in : he has sent me that very pamphlet, that I should 
 revise it and see to the printing ! " 
 
 " No ! " exclaimed Capito. " No, in the name of all 
 the saints ! Is that pamphlet a fact already ? I heard 
 that he was busy writing his sermons on the Wartburg ! 
 And he has sent it to yoii actually? " 
 
 "It is our Luther!" said Spalatin, not without 
 emotion. " He is great in all things, great also in his 
 trust." 
 
 " But what have you done with it ? " inquired Capito, 
 excitedly. 
 
 " The only thing I could. I took it to the Elector," 
 
LUTHER VERSUS THE CARDINAL. 1 89 
 
 continued Spalatin. " His highness was furious, as you 
 may imagine, calling Luther a madman. And then he 
 charged me to inform him that he would never consent 
 to his attacking the Cardinal, that he would consent 
 to nothing, in fact, intended to disturb the public 
 peace." 
 
 " The Lord be praised ! " ejaculated Capito ; " and 
 blessings upon the Elector. Truly he has not been 
 called ' the Wise ' undeservedly." 
 
 " Do not rejoice too soon ! " warned Spalatin. " We 
 have not done yet. Luther of course sent a reply, and 
 what a reply! His wrath made me tremble even at 
 this distance. Here is his letter — listen to this : ' This 
 of all things I will not stand. Eather will I lose thee 
 and thy Elector and all the world. Have I withstood 
 the Pope who made the Cardinal, and shall I be fearful 
 of his creature ? Truly this is a most righteous pro- 
 ceeding, not to have the public peace disturbed, but 
 allow the Cardinal's disturbing the eternal peace of 
 God by his wicked doings ! My Spalatin ! my own 
 Elector ! For the sake of Christ's little sheep, this 
 heinous wolf must be resisted with all power, as an 
 example to others. Thy letter cannot move me to alter 
 a single word of what I have written, although I gave 
 leave to Melancthon to make what alteration seemed 
 good to him. Take warning, therefore, not to keep 
 back the pamphlet ; let him have it, that he may get it 
 printed. I will not take thy advice, and there is an 
 end of it.' " 
 
 Capito grew white, shaking as though seized with 
 ague. He stared, speechless, asking after a while : 
 
 " And have you done his behest ? " 
 
 Spalatin moved uneasily. " Well, no," he said, 
 
 N 2 
 
1 93 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 pausing. " I have ventured to detain the manuscript. 
 I have not' given it to Melancthon." 
 
 Capito pressed his friend's hand eagerly. "This is 
 courageous resistance, but keep to it ! It must not 
 be printed ! Let Luther roar out his anger ; he is a 
 prisoner on the Wartburg, and will have to calm down. 
 His wrath will pass away, and then he will be able to 
 thank his friends that their prudence saved him from a 
 hasty and dangerous act. I conjure thee, by all that is 
 sacred, be firm, mySpalatin." 
 
 The Saxon court chaplain was glad to have found one 
 on whom to rest half the responsibility in the matter ; 
 and he assured his friend that he would do his utmost 
 to save the Cardinal from disgrace, thereby shielding his 
 own master from annoyance and embarrassment. 
 
 Capito had no further occasion for continuing at 
 Torgau. Ordering his horse round, he trotted away 
 more light-heartedly than he had come. 
 
 The cold was intense, turning each breath into frozen 
 moisture ; the departing chaplain soon changed to a 
 quick gallop for the wanning of man and beast. Night 
 was falling when he arrived at Eilenburg, where he 
 put up, continuing his journey in the morning. 
 
 He had not ridden far when, reaching a cross-road, 
 he saw another horseman approaching with a servant 
 behind him. The stranger was dressed in a darkish 
 grey jerkin, black leather cap, a long sword hanging 
 from his side. The lower part of his face was hidden 
 by a full beard, dark and curling. 
 
 Coming close, Capito perceived that he pulled up 
 short, fixing a searching look upon the Cardinal's 
 councillor, his lips parting as though he were about 
 to speak. But, apparently changing his intention 
 
LUTHER X'ERSUS THE CARDINAL. I9I 
 
 suddenly, he spurred his horse, turning in his seat as it 
 bounded away with a " God speed you, reverend sir ! " 
 
 Now it was for Capito to pull up short, in utter 
 surprise moreover. Who could it be ? A stranger to all 
 appearance, but a well-known voice ! 
 
 He was baffled ; by the voice alone he could not 
 make him out, and almost angrily he pulled his horse's 
 rein. The little incident was soon forgotten, however, 
 and towards evening he who was the Cardinal's trusted 
 servant, and yet also Luther's secret friend, crossed the 
 drawbridge of the Moritzburg far more hopefully than he 
 had done on leaving the palace a few short days since. 
 
 It was about the same hour that there was a knock 
 for admittance at the door of Nicholas von Amsdorf at 
 Wittenberg. The worthy Professor giving leave to 
 enter, there appeared the same tall knightly figure met 
 by Capito on the road. 
 
 " God greet thee ! " said a voice proceeding from the 
 depth of the hiding beard. It was a well-known voice, 
 electrifying the Professor. For a moment he too was 
 baffled ; but with a sudden start he came forward, 
 peering close into the stranger's face, receding again as 
 from a vision supernatural. 
 
 The stranger burst into hearty laughter. " Well, 
 Amsdorf," he cried, " art afraid of an old friend % I 
 am not a ghost, but my own self bodily." 
 
 " Brother Martin ! is it possible ? But why this 
 mummery, and for Heaven's sake why have you left 
 your safe retreat ? " 
 
 " Hush ; do not proclaim it at the top of your voice. 
 I have come secretly, to avoid trouble to the Elector ; 
 I could not otherwise but come, for evil tidings have 
 reached me from Wittenberg." 
 
192 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 It was indeed trother Martin, in spite of this disguise. 
 He felt unable to continue quietly in his " desert," news 
 having reached him that the Wittenberg students had 
 fallen into all sorts of pranks against the papists 
 rousing his fears, lest whal had been begun in the spirit 
 should be in danger of ending in the flesh., Moreover, 
 he felt anxious personally to consult with Melancthon, 
 and to satisfy himself concerning his pamphlet against 
 the Cardinal. 
 
 Amsdorf locked the door, Luther divesting himself 
 of hat and sword, after which the two friends sat down 
 to quiet conversation concerning events at Wittenberg. 
 Luther was glad to hear that proper behaviour among the 
 students had been restored, which information greatly 
 assisted the return of his usual good humour ; and 
 breaking off the matter in hand, he said with a twinkle 
 of amusement : " Do send for friend Kranach, I long 
 to see him ! You might let him know that a stranger 
 knight, having heard of his fame, would wish to sit for 
 his picture. Magister Philip, too, I fain would see." 
 
 A messenger was despatched, and presently the tall 
 venerable figure of Lucas Kranach, the Wittenberg 
 painter and magistrate, made its appearance in the iU- 
 lit little room, politely bowing and saying : " You have 
 desired my presence, noble knight, I shall be pleased 
 to take your picture." 
 
 But the knight, unable to keep up. his character, 
 wrung the artist's hand with gladdening delight, quite 
 bewildering his unsuspecting friend, till he too made 
 the discovery that it was indeed brother Martin, and 
 was even more dismayed than Amsdorf had been. 
 
 Again the door opened, ushering in a pale-faced 
 weakly little man, somewhat stooping — that was 
 
LUTHER VERSUS THE CARDINAL. 193 
 
 Magister Philip Melancthon. He fairly trembled, 
 having recognised Luther's voice on the spot ; his was 
 a shy, anxious disposition, and the Doctor had some 
 trouble in calming his apprehension. 
 
 Melancthon's news, however, did not add to Luther's 
 composure. The Doctor learned, to his surprise and 
 vexation, that his pamphlet to the Cardinal, to all 
 appearance, was still safe in Spalatin's custody. 
 
 That was more than his high mettle could brook ; 
 his wrath knew no bounds, quite bewildering his friends, 
 who scarcely understood the meaning. And even when 
 Luther tried to make them see it, they were not quick 
 in sharing his views, doing their utmost, on the contrary, 
 to convince him of the inadvisability of his intention, 
 urging him to withdraw the pamphlet, or at least to 
 take time for re-consideration. The latter point they 
 carried, Luther yielding after much pressure ; the 
 pamphlet, then, should be delayed for a while. 
 
 Unanimity being restored, the four friends sat in 
 happy intercourse far into the night, early dawn 
 witnessing the departure of the grey-coated horseman 
 with the curly beard. 
 
 Proceeding on the road, his thoughts reverted to the 
 promise given to the Wittenberg friends. His own 
 views were gaining the upper hand, and his anger 
 turned against himself for having yielded. His fiery 
 spirit resented the curb ; patience and prudence dic- 
 tated by fear were scarcely suited to his mind. 
 
 Suddenly he rose in the saddle, his eyes brightening 
 with newborn intention. "I am not to print, they 
 said; well, then, there is ink at the Wartburg — for 
 Luther's voice must reach thee, Cardinal ! " 
 
194 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 The privy councillor and court ctaplain of Cardinal 
 Albrecht, Wolfgang Fabricius Capito, was sitting in his 
 quiet chamber at the Moritzburg lost in study, when a 
 servant came to him with a letter sealed and addressed 
 to his eminence. 
 
 He started, recognising the handwriting ; there was 
 no mistaking the firm, powerful characters of Doctor 
 Martin Luther. 
 
 Rising from his table, he paced the room excitedly. 
 What might not be written in that letter ? There was 
 little chance of its being pleasant correspondence, but 
 every probability that it treated of the same matter as 
 that pamphlet in Spalatin's keeping. Should he take 
 the letter to his grace ? Was it not far wiser to destroy 
 it at once ? But what if Luther should inquire ? 
 Capito trembled at the bare thought. He could not, 
 he dared not resist him ; it was nothing short of a 
 vision of terror, that Luther, goaded beyond endurance 
 by a second interference with his intention, would not 
 only find means for holding up the Cardinal to the eyes 
 of the world, but his chaplain along with him. He 
 siw no loophole for escaping his unwelcome duty, but 
 took the letter to the Cardinal. 
 
 Albrecht was busy consulting with Hans Schonitz; 
 bales of costly silks and Brabant carpets were spread 
 upon the floor. His grace knew no bounds in the 
 embellishing of his new cathedral church, nor need he 
 fear expenses, since the alms of pious pilgrims showed 
 no symptoms of abatement. 
 
 " What ill-luck is written in your face, my chaplain ? " 
 exclaimed the Cardinal, stopping short in the midst of 
 a dissertation upon tapestry. 
 
 Capito vainly endeavoured to look unconcerned, 
 
LUTHER VERSUS THE CARDINAL. 1 95 
 
 sajing, " I am the bearer of a sealed document ; I ' can 
 only guess at the contents ; it is addressed in the 
 handwriting of Martin Luther." 
 
 " What is this I hear ? " cried the Cardinal. " What 
 daring is this of one who has been found guilty of 
 double ban ! " 
 
 He took hold of the letter with the tips of his 
 fingers, as though fearing the very contact were con- 
 taminating, flinging it from him in high displeasure. 
 Capito did not await his breaking the seal ; and the 
 Cardinal, not anxious to learn the contents, reverted to 
 his business with Schonitz. 
 
 The latter having retired at last, Albrecht took up 
 the missive, murmuring with every mark of disgust : 
 " This is the third time that the churl dares to address 
 me, his archbishop, and a prince of the realm." 
 
 Unfolding the document, his eyes glanced over the 
 contents. A deep flush overspread his features, his 
 eyes began to swim, and crumbling the paper, he sank 
 helplessly into a chair, cold drops gathering upon his 
 forehead. 
 
 Recovering himself at last, he glanced about the 
 room uneasily — there lay the letter before him on the 
 floor. He snatched it up, reading now more slowly. 
 
 But the process did not tend to his composure. He 
 was beside himself, scarcely knowing what he did. 
 Stamping the floor, and once more crushing the paper, 
 he burst into an exasperated fury against the heretic 
 who again and again crossed his path like some evil 
 spectre, holding up a hand of warning, as though there 
 were no difference between a begging friar and a 
 Cardinal of the Church. " It is beyond mortal en- 
 durance i " he cried ; " how the churl dares censure one 
 
196 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 SO immeasurably above him ; lie who is under the ban 
 of Pope and Emperor alike, finding fault with the 
 Primate of all Germany — having no regard even for 
 the sanctity of the purple ! Nothing is safe from his 
 degrading touch ; the holy relics even must be a butt 
 to his insulting remarks. Be anathema, thou child of 
 hell! for daring to shake the pillars of the Church, 
 for — for — endeavouring to empty my coffers! Good 
 heavens ! what has been effected by my publishing the 
 Edict of Worms through the length and breadth of 
 my diocese ? Art thou become powerless, Holy Father, 
 and is thy ban as little thought of as the sting of a 
 fly ? And thou, Charles, where is the power of thy 
 sword ? Dost thou not hear him whom thou hast pro- 
 nounced an outlaw blaspheme us ? " 
 
 The Cardinal stopped — another thought came upper- 
 most, shaking his frame as with a fit of ague. He 
 remembered that part of the letter which hinted at 
 his private life, leaving him with the fear that the 
 cloak should be snatched from him in the face of all 
 the world. His eminence was sensible to the disgrace ; 
 again the cold dews covered his countenance — the 
 Archbishop gasped for breath. 
 
 In order to understand all this, we must quote 
 Luther's letter, long as it is. 
 
 "Twice I have written to your electoral grace in 
 the Latin tongue, in the first instance dealing with the 
 deceitful sale of indulgences. I could easily have 
 directed the whole tumult against your grace, but I 
 saved your grace and the princely house of Branden- 
 burg, thinking you did it unwittingly, misled by pick- 
 thanks. But my faithful exhortation met with little 
 
LUTHER VERSUS THE CARDINAL. 1 97 
 
 gratitude. Upon the second occasion I craved instruc- 
 tion, but received only a harsh, ill-mannered, unbishop- 
 like and unchristian answer, referring me to men of 
 the schools. As both letters therefore availed me 
 nothing, I purpose to write a third one in the vulgar 
 tongue. 
 
 "Your grace has again raised up the idol which 
 robs poor simple Christians of money and soul, thereby 
 acknowledging openly that it is the Bishop of Mainz 
 who is answerable for whatever Tetzel has done, 
 although at the time I did not impute it to him. 
 Maybe your electoral grace now imagines that I have 
 vanished from the scene — you would like to be safe 
 from me, and have the monk smothered by Imperial 
 majesty. Very well then. Your electoral grace 
 nevertheless shall know that I mean to do what 
 Christian charity demands, not being a respecter of 
 the gates of hell, far less of those who know not, popes, 
 cardinals or bishops. I will neither suffer it nor hold 
 my peace, that the Bishop of Mainz should pretend 
 he knows not, or ought not to give instruction if a poor 
 sinner asks it of him, seeing that he knows well enough, 
 and no shame of his prevents the doing, where his 
 gain of money is concerned. This, then, is my most 
 humble petition, that your electoral grace would leave 
 poor people unmisled and unrobbed, proving yourself 
 to be a bishop and not a wolf. It is full well known 
 now that the sale of indulgences is nought but knavery 
 and deceit, and that Christ alone should be preached to 
 the people ; and your electoral grace therefore h^s not 
 the excuse of ignorance. Let your grace remember the 
 beginning, and the direful fire sprung from the despised 
 little spark, when all the world would have believed 
 
198 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 that a single poor mendicant was far too immeasurably 
 beneatli the Pope, having set about a thing altogether 
 impossible. Yet God has found judgment, making hard 
 work for the Pope a,nd his own ; for, against all the 
 world's opinion, He has brought matters to such an 
 issue that the Pope will not easily recover, the rather 
 that each day finds him the worse : the work of God 
 then is plainly to be perceived. That same God is 
 alive stiU, let no one doubt it ; and He understands the 
 art of resisting also a Cardinal of Mainz, no matter 
 how many Emperors may hold a hand over him. He 
 deUghts especially in laying low the grand cedar.s, and 
 to humble proud, hard-hearted Pharaohs. Your elec- 
 toral grace, I pray, should not tempt or despise Him, 
 for there is no end to His power. And let your elec- 
 toral grace not imagine that Luther is dead ; nay, he 
 rejoices to boast of that God who humbled the Pope, 
 and he is ready for a game with the Cardinal of Mainz 
 which may surprise many. Unless the idol be done 
 away with, I must take occasion at it, openly to attack 
 your grace, together with the Pope; I shall speak 
 against it with assurance, laying all past wickedness of 
 Tetzel to the charge of the Bishop of Mainz, and 
 proclaim to the world the difference between a bishop 
 and a wolf 
 
 "Further, I pray your electoral grace to forbeai- 
 and leave such clergy unmolested who, for the better 
 avoiding of unchastity, have entered, or are about to 
 enter, the wedded state, and not to attempt depriving 
 them of that which God has given them. If this my 
 prayer be not considered, a cry from the Gospel will 
 be heard, how well it would befit the bishops first to 
 cast out the beam of their own eye, and turn out their 
 
LUTHER VERSUS THE CARDINAL. 
 
 199 
 
 concubines, before they attempt to separate others 
 from their piously-wedded wives. I pray your elec- 
 toral grace to keep watcli over yourself, that I may 
 hold my peace. For I take no delight in your grace's 
 shame, but I and all Christians are bound to hold by 
 what God has called honourable, even if a poor sinner, 
 not to say a cardinal, should have to be dishonoured. 
 I now pray for and await your electoral grace's proper 
 and undelayed answer within a fortnight from this; 
 for after these fourteen days, unless there be an answer, 
 my little book treating of the idol at Halle shall be 
 sent forth. And if this letter should be detained by 
 your grace's councillors, and not reach your hand, that 
 shall not stop my course. For councillors should be 
 faithful, and a bishop should thus order his court that 
 nothing be kept from him which he ought to see. May 
 God grant ffia grace to your electoral grace for a 
 right-minded will. 
 " Given in my desert. 
 
 "Mabtin Luther." 
 
 Albrecht sat for a long time debating what he had 
 better do. He at first thought he would keep the letter 
 to himself; but this resolution seemed unsatisfactorj'. 
 He knew not what course to take. 
 
 Eising presently he touched his bell. A valet appeared. 
 
 The Elector stared at him absently, and said, gruffly : 
 " You are not wanted ! " 
 
 The man retired. 
 
 But very soon the bell called him back, the Elector 
 had thought of a message now: "Fetch the privy 
 councillor; he is to make his appearance without 
 delay ! " 
 
200 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 The Elector had so far got over his feelings that he 
 perceived he must take some one into his counsel ; and 
 it could only be Capito, with his unoffending amiabUity. 
 
 When the chaplain entered, the Elector had outwardly 
 recovered. And throwing down the letter with a short, 
 " There, read it ! " he stepped to a window, turning his 
 back upon Capito, who obeyed the command. 
 
 But vainly did he wait for Capito's initiatory remark ; 
 he saw he was obliged to take the lead, and said pre- 
 sently, with all the sarcasm at his command : " You 
 seem highly edified, to judge by your appearance." 
 
 Poor Capito was only embarrassed, flush and pallor 
 succeeding each other rapidly upon his cheeks. His 
 secret conviction was with the writer of that letter; 
 what could he say ? 
 
 " It is just like Luther ! " he stammered at last. " It 
 is no light matter for any one to incur his anger, for he 
 knows no bounds and respects no man's person." 
 
 " Well, but what is your advice ? " demanded the 
 Cardinal, sharply ; "that is what I wish to hear." 
 
 Capito tremblingly made answer : " My advice, if I 
 am to give it, may not be agreeable to your grace, but I 
 know not what else to say. Your electoral grace must 
 try and appease Luther, lest he should do as he has 
 threatened, and send forth that little book, and the cry 
 of the people be louder than ever. Methinks it 
 might be the best way to appease the enemy, to deal 
 gently with him, and give him a soft answer." 
 
 "It is a pity you are not an apothecary," sneered the 
 Elector, " since you seem to understand the manufacture 
 of bitter pills." 
 
 " Yet bitter pills are more serviceable in illness than 
 sweetmeats," returned Capito, humbly. 
 
LUTHER VERSUS THE CARDINAL. 20I 
 
 " You may retire ! " said the Elector, shortly. 
 
 The privy councillor was glad to obey, the very 
 ground seemed to burn under his feet. 
 
 " My days here are numbered ! " he murmured to 
 himself, when the Elector's closet lay behind him. " I 
 must see where I can build me another nest." 
 
 Albrecht sat and stared at the clean sheet of paper 
 before him. Highly displeased as he was with his 
 councillor, whose advice he had always found useful, 
 there-seemed nothing left but to swallow the pill, bitter 
 as it was. 
 
 Again and again he dipped his pen, but the quill 
 seemed refractory, and words would not take shape. 
 Having written a line or two he crumpled up the paper, 
 a second sheet meeting with a like fate. A third time 
 he began, and now he seemed to have found his cue ; 
 the quill went over the paper rapidly, nor did he stop 
 till, having ended, the epistle required dating. 
 
 This is what he wrote : 
 
 "My dear Doctoe, — I have read your letter, and 
 have taken it in all favour and good-will, considering 
 at the same time that the cause which has moved you 
 to such writing has long since been rectified. It is my 
 desire, please God, to live and show myself as befits a 
 pious, spiritual, and Christian prince, if so be that God 
 grant me grace, strength, and understanding, for the 
 which I will pray Him faithfully, and cause others to 
 pray. For I have no power in myself, and confess that 
 I need the grace of God, Seeing that I am a poor sinful 
 man, who may be found in sin and error, indeed, who 
 sins and errs daily. I know that, apart from the grace 
 of God, there is no good in me, and that, like any other 
 
202 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 man, if not more so, I am but foul and useless dust. 
 I will not deny this, in answer to your writing, in all 
 good will, for I am fully ready to show you nought but 
 good for Christ's sake. Brotherly and Christian reproof 
 I may well suffer, hoping the merciful and gracious 
 God will further grant me grace, strength, and patience 
 in this and all other matters to live according to 
 His wiU. 
 
 " Given at Halle—" 
 
 But here the pen rebounded ; he was going to put 
 the date, but " No ! " he cried ; " this is too much of 
 concession to the miserable friar, if I were to keep even 
 his appointed time, as though I, the Cardinal, could fear 
 his churlish chastisement. The letter shall go, but not 
 till after the fortnight he has tied me to." 
 
 Once more dipping the pen he added, by way of date, 
 the 21st of December. 
 
 Now he rose, wiping his forehead. Never in all the 
 thirty-one years of his life had any work been so hard 
 to do as this short letter. He liad humbled his 
 pride before the mendicant, whom the Pope had excom- 
 municated and the Emperor outlawed. He had done it 
 because he was forced to it, because it seemed the only 
 possible means for averting contumely and disgrace. 
 He had humbled himself, yes, but with clenched fist 
 and grinding teeth, and every word of that letter 
 was blackest hypocrisy. Could he expect to deceive- 
 Luther ? 
 
 Again he stood by the window, gazing upon the 
 wintry scene. " Thou hast forced me to kneel, Augus- 
 tinian ! but dream not that I am defeated ; think not 
 thou hast triumphed over the Cardinal ! / will take 
 
LUTHER VERSUS THE CARDINAL. 203 
 
 wp the gauntlet nmu, and fight thee ; and it remains to he 
 seen who will come forth as conqueror, I, the Cardinal, or 
 thou, the mendicant friar. Behold the steeples of my iiew 
 cathedral chiorch; how quickly they have grown, how 
 proudly they stand ! They shall he an emblem to me of 
 prophetic meaning, that the Cardinal will conquer thee, 
 Augustinian ! " 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE GREAT CATHEDRAL. 
 
 It was the eve of St. Bartholemew, the 23rd of 
 August, 1523. Brightly the sun had risen on a cloud- 
 less sky, a pleasant wind kept fanning the air with 
 coolness of the east. Although it was a working day, 
 Sunday quiet had settled on the fields: no waggon 
 laden with sheaves was on its way to the threshing- 
 floor, no sickle plied, no happy reapers were singing the 
 harvest home. Yet songs rose on the air, deep piety- 
 breathing melody, as pilgrims poured into Halle, 
 country-folk from far and near, the beUs of the many- 
 steepled city swelhng the sounds of devotion. 
 
 The townspeople were about in holiday attire. Shops 
 were closed, the salt-springs left to themselves; rich 
 and poor, old and young, were on foot to assist at the 
 solemn opening of the now finished cathedral. 
 
 A considerable group of buildings made up the 
 new foundation, and proudly rose its chief structure, the 
 collegiate church of Sts. Maurice and Magdalene, with 
 her towering steeples, adding importance to the town 
 and quite a halo of glory to her founder. 
 Albrecht, indeed, had spared no effort to grace his 
 
THE GREAT CATHEDRAL. 20$ 
 
 cathedral, which should rank first after the high Dom 
 of Magdeburg ; all the cloisters of HaUe, its churches and 
 chapels must yield the supremacy. Convent Neuwerk, 
 which had been foremost hitherto, had been required 
 to cede its judiciary rights ; the provost of the new 
 foundation should be archdeacon of the diocese, in 
 whom spiritual jurisdiction henceforth should be vested. 
 There were other rights and privileges which the 
 Cardinal had not failed to procure for his darling 
 creation, on which rested the pride of his heart. 
 
 To the Moritzburg, then, the people pressed, for 
 thence the procession should start. 
 
 At the tenth hour of morning a flourish of trumpets 
 from within the palace-yard announced to the populace 
 that their time of waiting was at an end. And from 
 the archway there streamed forth a division of the 
 archiepiscopal body-guard with breastplate and waving 
 plume, behind them the school children with wreaths 
 and tapers. Next came the secular clergy decked in 
 all their finery, followed by monks and nuns with cross 
 and banner. Close upon the spiritual worthies appeared 
 the chief officials of the archbishopric, together with the 
 High Chapter of Magdeburg ; the Bishops of Branden- 
 burg, Merseburg, and Naumburg preceding the Lord 
 Cardinal himself in purple splendour, and holding aloft 
 the golden crosier. He walked beneath a canopy of 
 gold-broidered scarlet, carried by pages of noble degree 
 . and showing the armorial bearings of Mainz, Magde- 
 burg, and Brandenburg. Behind him followed the 
 canons and numerous dignitaries who had been found 
 worthy of being promoted to the new foundation. The 
 knighthood of the diocese, the representatives of the 
 nobility, the magistrates, the chiefs of guilds and 
 
 2 
 
206 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 corporations terminated the procession, not forgetting a 
 favoured selection of the salt-workers in military trim. 
 With bared heads and devout looks the people 
 •watched the imposing procession. As soon as the train 
 approached the cathedral an anthem resounded through 
 the sacred edifice, causing solemnity to fall upon the 
 gathering crowd ; for the doors had been thrown wide, 
 and the people pressed in behind the festive throng. 
 
 Splendid indeed was the structure and surpassingly 
 beautiful, fully coming up to its proud distinction as 
 a. cathedral of the Primate of all Germany. If want- 
 ing in size, so much the greater seemed the richness of 
 adornment brought together within. The very porch 
 was a masterpiece of sculpture, the foot treading upon 
 exquisite mosaic. The pillars and arches showed a 
 profusion of golden arabesques, from between which 
 white marble angels on hovering wing tended to im- 
 press an appearance of awe upon the upturned faces of 
 the congregation. Art and splendour, however, cul- 
 minated at the high altar, to the perfection of which 
 the greatest masters of the age had yielded their best. 
 On the broad marble table rested a shrine with the 
 life-size representations of St. Maurice, St. Magdalene, 
 St. Martha, St. Lazarus and St. Chrysostom, the pictures 
 being surmounted with a statue of St. Maurice of 
 wrought silver, images of other saints surrounding this 
 centre. The walls were hung with Flemish tapestry, 
 the half-length portrait of Charles, the Emperor, and 
 Albrecht, the Cardinal, being added on either side. A 
 thousand tapers lit up this imagery, weaving about it 
 a veil of transfiguring glory, the lights themselves 
 gleaming through clouds of incense as so many stars 
 through the mists of night. Mists of the night indeed ! 
 
THE GREAT CATHEDRAL. 20/ 
 
 the Protestant reader could almost imagine Albrecht 
 standing up with the cry, " Great is Diana of the 
 Ephesians." The side aisles of the structure were 
 devoted to the " holy things," that is, the precious relics 
 of which the reader had a vision on a former page, and 
 which by their richness, set forth in the mysterious 
 illumination, were now supposed to have their fullest 
 effect on the minds of devout beholders. 
 
 There was a magnificent organ, and a Te, Deum was 
 sung. The Cardinal thereupon performed service, using 
 a famous missal, the outward beauty of which he had 
 caused to be restored for the occasion by Nicholas 
 Glockendon. The missal was worth untold sums of 
 money, not only on account of the profusion of gold 
 -and precious stones introduced into the binding, but 
 even more so because of the artistic beauty of its 
 pages. 
 
 Standing on the steps of the high altar, the Cardinal 
 surveyed his handiwork — for such to his pride was the 
 magnificent cathedral. One who understood how_ to 
 read his features, would have taken his expression as 
 the elation of present victory and hope for the future. 
 He was laying to his heart even now the assurance 
 of a power and glory inherent in the Catholic Church, 
 the pinnacles of which should not be laid low by a 
 mere Wittenberg mendicant, and which in the strength 
 of her long-lived history would yet ride triumphant 
 over the imaginations of a poor monkish dreamer. 
 
 The act of consecration being completed, the pro- 
 cession returned to the palace, and the populace dis- 
 persed. But the great haU of the Moritzburg witnessed 
 further solemnity. There the High Chapter of Magde- 
 burg assembled, togetlier with the archiepiscopal office- 
 
2o8 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 bearers and the dignitaries of the new foundation, 
 which latter numbered some sixty in all. They had 
 gathered to wait for the hierarch who was going to 
 address them upon the event. 
 
 And presently he appeared, the great Cardinal 
 Elector, Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg, followed 
 by his chancellor. How handsome, how imposing 
 he looked ! He had put off the purple and donned 
 the archiepiscopal robe, and now took his place on a 
 throne at the upper end of the hall. AU eyes rested 
 upon him. How reverence-inspiring was the dignity 
 of his princely bearing, yet how engaging the benignity 
 of his countenance ! There was both authority and 
 graciousness in the sound of his voice : he commanded 
 attention, but there was charm in the listening. 
 
 When stillness had spread her wing, settling dowu 
 with a hush of expectation, he opened his mouth, and 
 his speech flowed forth with a fervour, which was 
 surprising even to those who had heard him before. 
 This is what he said : 
 
 " Upon a solemn occasion you are gathered together, 
 most reverend members of the High Chapter and of 
 our new foundation. A building has been raised to 
 the honour of God, a gi-eat cathedral has been con- 
 secrated. This in itself is a matter of import ; it is 
 very meet and right that the people, resting from 
 work, should put on the garment of joy and gladness 
 for the beholding of that which is now accompUshed. 
 But it is not the mere consecration which so moves our 
 hearts. There is a deeper meaning, of, we trust, far- 
 reaching consequence. We dedicate this foundation 
 to the warfare with Wittenberg ; it shall prove itseK 
 a stronghold of our faith. This town of Halle shall 
 
THE GREAT CATHEDRAL. 20g 
 
 be as a city set on a hill ; a power shall go out from it 
 which shall take no denial. "We will go forth to battle 
 with the heretic, we will fight him with spiritual 
 weapons, since the weapons of temporal power avail 
 not. For he laughs at his enemies in spite of the ban 
 of both Pope and Emperor. If he is to be vanquished, 
 it must be by other means. It is to you, then, we look 
 m this conflict — to you whom we have thought fit to be 
 worthy inmates of this collegiate foundation! You 
 shall be the soldiers we send afield against the heretic. 
 We trust you are prepared to meet him in the strength 
 of the Spirit, and with the weapons of a knowledge 
 rooted in the Church. What is the reason that this 
 Luther has been able to do great things hitherto? 
 Why is it that the people have accepted him so readily, 
 why, I ask ? Because the Church has not done her 
 duty, because our clergy have laid up their pound in 
 the napkin of ignorance and sloth. Indeed, we owe 
 this much of gratitude to Luther, that he has roused 
 the sleepers, that he has laid bare the sore in our 
 midst. But now, smce we are awake, we will stand 
 manfully at our post, we will defend the walls of Zion 
 against those who would lay them low. For is not this 
 the, sacrilegious intention of the Augustinian, to pull 
 down the venerable structure of the Catholic Church, 
 and build up a new church after his own liking ? A 
 seditious rebel he is — witness the events of both 
 Zwickau and Wittenberg. To him, and him alone, it is 
 due that fanatical rioters have arisen as a host of wild 
 boars to destroy the gracious beauty of the vineyard. 
 It is Luther who has called up the spirits of the deep. 
 If he had not roused men's minds, sowing the seeds 
 of revolt; such things never would have happened. 
 
2TO LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Therefore, I say, heresy is the mother of all rehelhon, 
 and the world even now hath proof what spirit moves 
 within him whom the infatuated masses worship as 
 a prophet; for it is apparent what must he the 
 consequences, if men dare question the authority of 
 the Church. 
 
 " At Wittenberg then are the head-quarters of sedi- 
 tion ; let Halle be the place where the means has been 
 found of opposing the wild commotion with powerful 
 reaction ; we will meet the rebellion, but we will meet it 
 with reformation. We will arise and seek for a heahng 
 of the sores within the Church. True knowledge shall 
 help us ; we will return to the wisdom of the fathers^ 
 too long has it lain hidden amid the cobwebs of forget- 
 fulness ; we will bring it forth anew, it shall testify 
 against the heretic and his fanatical dreamings ; it shall 
 prove that we are the true Church, and that he. has 
 fallen away grievously. Upon you, Magister Winkler, 
 we would count especially in this matter — you whom 
 we have elected to the responsible position of our court 
 preacher. For you shall not be satisfied with the service 
 at the high altar, we desire you especially to cultivate 
 the influence of the pulpit, and furnish proof that it 
 is "but vanity and conceit of these Lutherans to imagine 
 that none but they can open the Scriptures to the 
 people. A great gift of speech is yours, we know, for 
 the fame of your power has gone before you ; if then 
 it lies with you to move the hearts of hearers, we 
 enjoin you to let your voice go forth in behalf of the 
 Catholic faith, and for the good of the Church. 
 
 " Nor stand we alone in our hopeful endeavour, seeing 
 that his Holiness the Pope has set us a bright ex- 
 ample. Truly the Spirit of God is upon him who was 
 
THE GREA T CA THEDRAL. 2 1 1 
 
 raised to the throne of St. Peter at the demise of 
 Leo X. ; for clear is his perception concerning the in- 
 firmities of Holy Church, and strong is his will to work 
 for a bettering of both head and members. The 
 Wittenberg seducer wiU lose all ground then for his 
 would-be reformation. With deepest gratification did 
 we hsten to Pope Adrian VI.'s declaration given at 
 the Diet of Nilrnberg by the mouth of his legate, 
 bravely owning that 'much unholiness had become 
 apparent in the Holy See, for the which it was not to 
 be marvelled at, if the whole body had sickened of 
 impurity ; that it was meet to honour God by humbling 
 ourselves, that he himself would not be last, but first in 
 this, earnestly striving to reform the Romish court, so 
 that the spot whence the disease had spread should be 
 the spot also whence healing might go forth and new 
 life for the recovery of the members. To be sure, 
 the healing could not be sudden, for the disease was of 
 long standing and greatly complicated ; circumspectly 
 and by degrees, therefore, must be the process of re- 
 formation.' Thus the new Pope, and for a truth it is 
 a great word he hath spoken. Let us join him, then, 
 and be found working by his side. 
 
 " It is high time, moreover, that a beginning should 
 be made, for heresy is spreading as a very canker in our 
 midst. Is there a town left in the empire where 
 Lutheranism has not its followers? At the Diet of 
 Niimberg even, to our grief be it owned, heresy opened 
 its mouth, deceiving the people by thousands, and not 
 stopping short of commotion when the Diet attempted 
 to impose silence. And what shall we say of men so 
 gifted or so situated, that they might be shining lights 
 in their generation ? Albrecht Durer, the noble master, 
 
212 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 has grieved us sadly by his barely-hidden friendship for 
 Luther, while Lucas Kranach quite openly has joined 
 his side. Bishops even might be pointed at for further- 
 ing, rather than opposing, this dire evil, seeing that 
 his grace of Bamberg has not refrained from saying 
 that Luther, after all, was not far wrong, haK his 
 diocese following the example. Women even have con- 
 sidered themselves called upon to raise their voices in 
 behalf of the heretic ; to wit. Dame Argula von Grum- 
 pach and her ill-advised composition. Fitly Doctor Eck 
 has endeavoured to remind her of the true vocation of 
 womanhood, by making her a present of a distaff. For 
 surely the days are but evil when women take to the 
 pen. And turning to Switzerland, you all must have 
 heard that Luther has found a fellow-in-arms there 
 who even goes beyond him. Along the Ehine, too, the 
 flame is uprising ; Capito, who once stood so high in 
 our trust, adding fuel upon fuel from his retreat at 
 Strassburg. We loved him once, little suspecting 
 what an adder we were nourishing in our bosom ; for 
 he actually was a secret adherent of Luther while 
 pretending friendship for ourselves. As far as Austria 
 even, and Hungary, the seeds of heresy have spread, 
 taking root in Bohemia especially, where the secret 
 followers of Huss venture abroad now, extolling Luther 
 as the promised saviour of whom the former heretic had 
 prophesied. And this even is not all ; everywhere, in 
 Holstein and Mecklenburg, in Pomerania, Prussia, 
 and Silesia the new teaching is gaining ground, thus 
 spreading its perilous net all over Germany. In France 
 men look up when there is mention of Luther ; nay, in 
 very Italy, in the face of the Pope himself, there is a 
 questioning and asking whether this Luther might not 
 
THE GREAT CATHEDRAL. 21 3 
 
 have been sent as a judgment upon tte corruptness of 
 the Church. 
 
 " Let these things then be a sign to you, reverend 
 Chapter and brethren of our foundation, a token of the 
 great necessity that we should be asleep no longer, but 
 take up the arms of knowledge, fighting for the old 
 faith against the new, seeing that even at Halle that 
 has happened which must perturb our pious spirit. We 
 refer to those clergy of St. Gertrude's and St. Mary's 
 who have broken their vows of chastity and have 
 married wives; yea, even the Provost of Cloister 
 Neuwerk, whom we have raised to the position of 
 our privy-counciUor, has not stopped short of the 
 like wickedness. Let these be the first and the last 
 amongst us whose sinful defection we have to deplore. 
 Arise then, ye priests of the holiest, ye men of learning, 
 gird about your loins the sword of truth, and fulfil the 
 hopes we have built upon you. We have spoken, and 
 now praise ye the Lord ! " 
 
 Thus the Cardinal, and piously the assembly bowed 
 their heads. 
 
 This speech, however, was heard beyond the archi- 
 episcopal hall ; its import was known in the town by 
 the evening, creating not a little excitement among the 
 citizens. It became apparent soon that Luther had 
 even more friends at Halle than the Cardinal wot of. 
 
 At the RatskeUer,^ especially, disturbance ran high, 
 not yielding to quiet till old Gabriel Burkhardt rose in 
 his seat, and all prepared to listen ; for he enjoyed the 
 confide Qce of his fellow-citizens, who venerated both his 
 
 ' Literally cellars of the council, a social meeting-place of tho 
 citizens. 
 
214 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 age and his wisdom. " What is this," he said, " that 
 we hear about the Wittenberg rebellion? Has the 
 Archbishop forgotten that Luther has not left the 
 Church of his own free will and intention ? Did he 
 rise against its authority in the pride of the flesh? 
 Do we not know that he. prayed and conjured the Pope 
 to do away with the great offence, and he would return 
 to his cell and quiet studies ? Did the Pope lend an 
 ear to the cry of conscience ? No ! As a mad dog they 
 attacked him ; to the stake they would have dragged 
 him as a godless heretic. What could he do — he whose 
 conscience was astir with the truth, who felt constrained 
 by the Word of God? Was he not driven for the 
 Lord's sake to break with the Church which had thrust 
 him out ? Is that rebellion ? Is that sedition ? Woe 
 unto you. Popes and Bishops, who will not hear the 
 truth, hardening your hearts against him whom God 
 hath sent." 
 
 " But, Master Burkhardt," cried a voice among the 
 listeners, " was there not mention in the speech of how 
 the new Pope, and our Archbishop too> are aware of 
 the evils within the Church, and are prepared to set 
 about reforming these things ? " 
 
 The salt-worker gave a groan. " They should have 
 thought of this before it was too late," he returned. 
 " If our Luther were the Cardinal, there might be some 
 hope, perchance. As it is, I call it barren promises if 
 they talk of reforming either head or members ; how 
 should they reform the body if the very life-blood is 
 diseased? Will they cure the deep-seated infirmity 
 with their plasters, or even with the surgeon's knife ? 
 It will be well, no doubt, to shake up the lazy monks, 
 better still to forbid the granting of benefices for filthy 
 
THE GREA T CA THEDRAL. 2 1 5 
 
 lucre doing away with the worst abuses within the 
 Church ; but what boots even this if root and doctrine 
 cannot be purified according to the Scriptures ? This, 
 I say, is the great work of our Luther : that he strives for 
 a healing of the diseased life-blood of the Church, — its 
 doctrine, that is, — showing us the true faith which rests 
 upon the Gospel, and giving us that Gospel in our own 
 tongue, that each of us may read for himself, searching 
 the Scriptures to see whether these things are so. There- 
 fore I cannot doubt but that he is a messenger sent from 
 God, in whose name he has gone forth, in whose ^narne 
 he will obtain the victory. In the power of God, I 
 say, the monk will be stronger than Pope Or Cardinal 
 I am an old man, I may not hve to see the day, but 
 you who are young, you will see it ; a new and purer 
 Church is about to rise on the ruins of the old one ; 
 and when the Lord will have brought it to pass, then 
 remember that I, Gabriel Burkhardt, said so." 
 
 A deep silence had sunk upon the Ratskeller. The 
 aged believer's prophetic words made an impression 
 which none of the adversaries dared gainsay. 
 
 The Cardinal heard of the occurrence, and people 
 watched anxiously lest the venerable Burkhardt should 
 suffer for his Christian manliness. But no harm befell 
 him. Did the Cardinal not dare to caU the old man to 
 account who was beloved in the city ? Or what was it 
 that held his arm ? 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 ANOTHER WITNESS FOE THE TRUTH. 
 
 The Ajchbishop had made a happy choice with his 
 new court chaplain. Magister George Winkler was a 
 man well fitted for his post. He had all the qualities 
 that make a popular orator — portliness of figure, a fine 
 ringing voice, geniality of address, and the command of 
 language. Not that he overpowered people with-high- 
 flown words of human wisdom ; his delivery, on the 
 contrary, was as plain and simple as possible, but all the 
 more lucid, so that even the illiterate could follow, and 
 there was a warmth of feeling in his discourse that 
 went straight to the hearer's heart. People felt attracted 
 by the natural simplicity of speech which avoided all 
 puffing and storming, desirous rather that the Word of 
 God should be its own powerful exponent. 
 
 The Archbishop had given him a hint to prove to 
 his hearers that the Lutherans were not the only people 
 who understood the interpreting of the Scriptures. The 
 new chaplain was an earnest man, anxious to come up 
 to his every duty ; and in obedience to the Archbishop's 
 desire he set about a special study of the Holy 
 Writings. 
 
ANOTHER WITNESS FOR THE TRUTH. 217 
 
 But the more lie read the more his mind was im- 
 pressed. A strange unrest seized him; there was a 
 moving in his heart as of waters being troubled. The 
 towering structure of the creed he had hitherto held 
 was giving way; the mortar loosening its hold, the 
 crumbUng stones falling to the ground. The teaching 
 of the Church seemed unable to heal the ruin ; oppos- 
 ing Scripture rose as in judgment, and Magister George 
 found himself face to face with the question : " Can 
 Luther after all be in the right ? " 
 
 The very possibility filled him with a quivering 
 dread. " If Luther's teaching be the truth, woe is me ! 
 What shall I do ? Am I not called hither to bear 
 testimony against him ? " 
 
 He sent for Luther's books, and read them secretly 
 with a burning zeal. But this only added to his 
 distress, for he found not that on which he could base 
 the slightest refutation. His trouble was present with 
 him in the pulpit, he wrestled with it ; but his struggle 
 seemed to react as a kindling power on his sermons, 
 and the result was that the people flocked in increasing 
 numbers to the great cathedral. Whoever had heard 
 one sermon was anxious for another ; and every hearer 
 felt that step by step he was being led into new 
 realms of understanding ; that the chaplain had a way 
 of breaking seal after seal of the Holy Book ; his touch 
 and guidance withal being so gentle that people scarcely 
 perceived the growth, and arrived on Luther's vantage 
 ground without knowing it or ever hearing his name, 
 nor yet suspecting that the truth they drank in so 
 eagprly might have been preached at the Schlosskirche 
 of Wittenberg itself. 
 
 Archbishop Albrecht, who was away, assisting at the 
 
21 8 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Diet of Niimberg, was greatly delighted to hear of his 
 court chaplain's success, sending him marks of his favour 
 by every messenger he despatched to Halle. Not so 
 pleased, however, w^ere the clergy of that city, whose 
 churches and chapels grew alarmingly empty, their 
 congregations openly forsaking them for the preaching 
 at the new coUegiate church. The pressure of objur- 
 gation was applied, but in vain. The offended shep- 
 herds, as a last resource, took their complaints to the 
 Archbishop. 
 
 One of these, brother Bartholomew of Our Lady's, 
 journeyed to Niirnberg and presented his and his 
 brethren's grievance to his grace : Magister Winkler 
 was a wolf in sheep's clothing, he was expected to bear 
 testimony against Luther, but he never as much as 
 mentioned the heretic's name; his preaching, on the 
 contrary, savoured of highly suspicious meaning ; he 
 had said things which any heretic might have said, but 
 he had a way of expressing them which sheltered his 
 wickedness ; he had quite caught the people, and had 
 simply emptied all other churches at Halle. Moreover 
 there were those among his hearers whose leaning to 
 Lutheranism was notorious. 
 
 The Archbishop, perceiving the jealousy, smiled 
 knowingly, dismissing the charge, with the advice that 
 the preachers at Halle had better all try to attract the 
 masses ; he, the Archbishop, would take opportunity to 
 inquire into his chaplain's creed. 
 
 Nor was this mere putting-off; but the "special 
 report" which reached his grace from Halle seemed 
 not to offer any inducement for censuring his chaplain. 
 
 Brother Bartholomew discovered that his journey's 
 end was disappointment : the people did not cease from 
 
ANOTHER WITNESS FOR THE TRUTH. 219 
 
 attending Magister Winkler's preaching, and the col- 
 legiate church could scarcely hold the anxious crowds. 
 
 One morning this said disappointed brother was on 
 his way to officiate at Our Lady's, when he was met 
 by streams of worshippers evidently flocking towards 
 the cathedral. That was too much for his equanimity : 
 "There they are again, running after that priest of 
 Baal ! " he cried, with ill-suppressed resentment. "But 
 see if I don't pay you out ! I'll visit your houses, and 
 your womankind shall rue it." 
 
 This was intended for soliloquy. But two men 
 passing alongside had sharper eai-s than he expected. 
 They showed it by a look only, leaving him quickly 
 behind. 
 
 The afternoon of that day witnessed a gathering crowd 
 on the market-place. Men stood by twos and threes 
 in eager conversation, and presently the populace moved 
 towards the vicarage of Our Lady's. A tumult rose 
 around the house ; there was an attempt at forcing 
 the door, and that not succeeding, stones flew against 
 the lozenge-paned windows. A couple of ringleaders 
 were about to effect an entrance, when the constabulary 
 appeared, forcing them to desist. But the excited 
 crowd would not subside until the sergeant, having 
 learned the cause of the disturbance, agreed to arrest 
 the culprit chaplain, and lead him before the magistrate. 
 To the ministers of authority the barricaded door 
 could but yield ; and presently Bartholomew Mellerstadt, 
 chaplain of Our Lady's, appeared between two officers 
 on his way to the town hall. The people were loud in 
 their indignation, many preparing to wait in the streets 
 for the magisterial decision. 
 
 But that was vain : the magistracy was not so eager 
 
 p 
 
220 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 to try the delinquent ; the case was drawn up for the 
 information of the Prior of Convent Neuwerk, the 
 prisoner meanwhile being lodged in the Temnitz.^ 
 
 The prior's answer was not long in coming, a com- 
 plaint being returned against the town authorities' 
 arbitrary interference with the rights of the convent : 
 how could the magistracy think of laying hands on a 
 consecrated priest, instead of submitting their charges 
 against him to the prior, his own superior ? 
 
 The magistracy made excuse that the brother was in 
 the Temnitz merely to hold him safe from the people ; 
 if the prior would examine into the case, the accused 
 should be given up ; the town authorities at the same 
 time expecting that the convent would hold him in 
 custody against the return of the Archbishop himself, 
 who no doubt was best fitted to pronounce judgment, 
 whereas the prior might be disposed to connive. There 
 had been some talk of sending the miscreant backwards 
 on a donkey across the market-place to the gates of 
 Neuwerk ; but, for the avoiding of further • tumult, this 
 thought had been rehnquished, and he should be 
 delivered quietly to the jurisdiction of his order. 
 
 That was done. But the convent highly resented 
 the magisterial bearing. A messenger was despatched to 
 Niimberg to lodge complaint with his electoral grace 
 concerning the unheard-of demeanour of the town 
 authorities of Halle, interfering with the papal and im- 
 perial privileges of the convent, casting slur and inSult 
 upon the reverend body and all consecrated clergy ; the 
 brethren humbly prayed his electoral grace to exercise 
 his prerogative commanding forthwith that the innocent 
 victim should be reinstated in his cure, abiding his 
 1 The "toll-booth" of Halle. 
 
ANOTHER WITNESS FOR THE TRUTH. 221 
 
 grace's return, when the Archbishop himself should 
 pass judgment according to his pleasure. ■ 
 
 The messenger brought back his grace's desire that 
 his return- should indeed be awaited, the accused remain- 
 ing in charge of the convent's custody. 
 
 This incident resulted in sending all the more hearers 
 to the cathedral. 
 
 The people's love and veneration for the magister 
 grew from day to day. But their tribute added only to 
 their inward trouble. He knew now that he differed 
 nowise from Luther's doctrine, and yet he dared not, 
 openly and before all the people, acknowledge his 
 conformity with him who taught the truth. But was 
 not that deceiving the people ? Was it not playing 
 at hypocrisy, if he clothed the Gospel with a veil of 
 careful, if not ambiguous words ? He began to feel 
 ashamed of himself " Where is thy manliness, George 
 Winkler ? So many stand up for the Gospel fearlessly ; 
 even at Magdeburg, beneath the very e^'es of the High 
 Chapter, Nicholas Amsdorf with noble courage dares 
 preach the pure Word of God, while the court chaplain 
 of Halle deals it out but insincerely. Lord, help me to 
 fight Thy battle, showing my colours openly ! " 
 
 Thus he wrestled day by day, night after niglit, 
 irresolution holding him her prey. What chiefly 
 prevented his laying hold of true courage, was the 
 oath which bound him to the Archbishop. " I have 
 sworn, as far as in me lies, to help build up and 
 defend the Holy Mother Church. Woe is me, I have 
 fallen from my oath ! How shall I meet him who is 
 shepherd over us all, who has shown me nought but 
 kindness and confidence ? " 
 
 But one morning he came forth from his chamber a 
 
 p 2 
 
222 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 new creature. He liad not closed an eye that night, 
 yet he felt like one bathed in strength, for the firm 
 resolve had at last been given him ; uncertainty was at 
 an end. He had found his better self " Why all this 
 needless torment?" he was no'w able to say. "Is it 
 breaking my oath if I preach as Luther preaches 1 I 
 am bound to build up and defend the Church — but 
 where is the Church, the true Church ? Is it not where 
 Christ is preached ? Can that be the Church where 
 He, the One Mediator, is put aside and men are invited 
 to try and gain heaven by their own good works ? Can 
 that be the Church where priests step in between the 
 Saviour and the individual believer, saying : No one 
 can come to Him but by us ? God cannot forgive thy 
 sins unless thou hast first confessed to the priest ? Or 
 again, is that the Church where the 'vicar' of Him 
 who had not where to lay His head clothes himself in 
 purple and fine raiment ? Where the ' successor ' of 
 Him who said, ' My kingdom is not of this world,' has 
 built himself a throne, assuming a crown fit only for a 
 prince of this world ? Truly there is but corruption 
 coming from Rome ; it is at Wittenberg where we hear 
 of healing. Luther is the man who in the power of 
 God can build up a true Church on the crumbling ruins. 
 And if I take my place by the side of him, working 
 together with him, can that be breaking my oath ? Is 
 it not rather fulfilling it in its truest and holiest sense 1 
 ... It shall be done then, what must be done ; I will 
 obey the voice of conscience. I will speak openly 
 before all the people, they shall hear my confession. 
 They shall know that by earnest study of the Holy 
 Book I have arrived where Luther is ; and that he is 
 no heretic, but a teacher of God's own blessed truth." 
 
ANOTHER WITNESS FOR THE TRUTH. 223 
 
 The court chaplain took his Bible to meditate upon 
 the Word he intended to preach from the following 
 morning. He felt as though his heart were freed from a 
 great burden ; his soul was filled with happy hopes, and 
 they radiated from his countenance. With a joyful 
 assurance, such as he had never known before, he 
 ascended his pulpit and gave out his text : " And 
 Jesus said unto him. Go thy way : thy faith hath made 
 thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, 
 and followed Jesus in the way." 
 
 The congregation, soon en rapport with the preacher, 
 hung on his lips breathlessly ; his people felt the 
 moving of the Spirit. It was a sermon full of power, 
 the very words ringing with a clearness of exposition 
 which could not but convince. For the first time, 
 the chaplain mentioned the Wittenberg Reformer by 
 name, not to denounce him, but to say that concern- 
 ing this man's enemies and persecutors, the Christian 
 could not but repeat the Lord's own words : " Father, 
 forgive them ; for they know not what they do ! " 
 Those who cursed Luther did not know him; those 
 who knew him could not revile, but must bless 
 him altogether. 
 
 There was a movement in the church like the swell 
 of a rising tide; the chaplain had to raise his voice to 
 make himself heard. As soon as the " Amen " had 
 dropped from his lips, part of the congregation rose 
 and somewhat noisily left the building, not awaiting the 
 concluding prayer. But when the preacher retired to 
 his vestry the venerable Gabriel Burkhardt followed 
 him, holding out both hands, and saying with tearful 
 eyes : " God bless you, reverend sir ! Now you have 
 spoken openly, giving us the truth with courage. May 
 
224 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 the Lord of the Church be your own reward, and help 
 you to stand faithfully by your confession, even though 
 the martyr's crown should await you." 
 
 Winkler thanked his noble parishioner, and left the 
 cathedral with the joyful assurance that his Master's 
 power would uphold him. 
 
 Returning to his home on the Burg, he perceived 
 that most of the episcopal household looked at him 
 askance ; his colleagues treated him to silence, the 
 Chancellor Turk only attacked him with the ominous 
 question : " Herr Magister, how could you ? " 
 
 "I have followed the voice of conscience," replied 
 Winkler, with simple manliness. 
 
 " Conscience ! " reiterated the chancellor disdainfully ; 
 "methinks, then, it ought to have spoken differently. 
 Besides, what of your oath ? " 
 
 " I deem I have come up to its meaning to-day in 
 its truest sense," said Winkler. 
 
 The chancellor looked up amazed, wondering 
 whether the chaplain could be labouring under some 
 sudden derangement. " We shall soon have the 
 Cardinal back," he rejoined presently ; " and I would 
 rather not be in your place then. How are you going 
 to face him ? " 
 
 " In the name of my Lord," said Winkler, with a 
 look of holy confidence. " If God be for me, who can 
 be against me ? " 
 
 Again the chancellor looked up in wonderment. 
 " And how can you be so certain that God is for you ? " 
 
 " I cannot doubt it," returned the chaplain. " Those 
 who seek the truth shall hear His voice ; the believing 
 heart experiences the upholding of the Spirit, and there 
 is a love of God which casteth out fear." 
 
ANOTHER WITNESS FOR THE TRUTH. 225 
 
 Turk shrugged his shoulders. " Many a one dreameth 
 it is the Spirit of God within him, and after all it is 
 but his own misguided mind which leads him astray. 
 Have we not heard of the prophets of Zwickau, and 
 what sorry fanatics, to be sure, they are ! " 
 
 And saying this the worldly-wise chancellor went 
 his way. 
 
 Soon after this, about the middle of October, the 
 Cardinal returned to Halle. The very first morning 
 after his arrival, Winkler was cited to his eminence's 
 presence ; and it was fully two hours before he was seen 
 taking his leave. 
 
 No one ever learned what had passed ; but the 
 citizens of Halle vainly waited for the voice of their 
 beloved preacher ; a stranger officiated in his stead. 
 
 " Has he been" dismissed ? " his friends asked ; and 
 the idea did not tend to move the citizens' hearts in 
 favour of the Cardinal ; people, on the contrary, began 
 to speak of tyranny, and it became apparent that the 
 new preacher must direct his discourse to empty 
 benches. 
 
 It was announced at last that Magister Winkler 
 had met with no further mark of episcopal displeasure 
 than being suspended for the space of three months, 
 which time of disgrace his eminence had advised him 
 to devote to a close study of the fathers. Learning 
 this, the people felt hopeful of the result ; a study 
 of St. Augustine, they believed, would not turn Winkler 
 from the truth, but rather yield fresh proof that the 
 Papal Church and Gospel teaching were widely apart. 
 And what then ? " Well, if the time comes when again 
 he may speak to us of the truth," said the venerable 
 Gabriel Burkhardt one day to his like-minded fellow- 
 
226 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 citizens, " and if the Cardinal should attempt to stop 
 it, then we, may claim a voice in the matter ! We will 
 go up to his eminence and say boldly, ' This Magister 
 Winkler is giving us the Word of God truly and 
 unalloyed ; him only will we hear. Do we not know 
 that Nicholas von Amsdorf preaches the Gospel at Mag- 
 deburg ? and shall that be denied to the town of Halle 
 which the city of Magdeburg is enjoying freely?' 
 Which of you, my fellow-citizens, are ready to join 
 me in standing up for our own beloved Magister 
 Winkler?" 
 
 And most of those present held up their hands in 
 token of earnest assent. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 STOEM-TIDE. 
 
 Heavy, terror-boding clouds covered the heavens 
 when the bells of churches and chapels rang in the year 
 of our Lord 1525, and fearfully the eyes of men gazed 
 into the immediate future. It seemed as though there 
 ■was to be fulfilled what astrologers had read in the 
 stars, what the clear-sighted Luther had foreseen, not 
 needing the spy-glass. War and bloodshed was hovering 
 over the land. It had begun among the peasantry 
 of Franconia and Swabia ; but in widening circles horror 
 seemed about to enfold the realm. 
 
 " Peasantry " is scarcely the correct expression, seeing 
 there were no peasants in those days. There might 
 be a yeoman or some rustic freeman here and there, 
 but the great mass of the toilers of the earth were 
 serfs — nothing short of slaves — a wretched people, de- 
 spised* and abused. Significantly enough, the tiller 
 of the soil went by the appellation of the " poor man." 
 He seemed created only to work for others ; the 
 produce of the field gained in the sweat of his brow he 
 w:as bound to take to castle or convent, and thank his 
 taskmasters if they allowed him the refuse as his 
 
228 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 reward. It was Ms lot sadly to bend the neck and 
 bear all manner of loads — tithes, taxes, tribute, and 
 toll. He must give work without wages, let the deer 
 revel in his sprouting fields, nor raise a murmur should 
 the lordly hunting train tread down his growing corn ; 
 and if the more nobly-born had a desire for the gracious 
 gifts of womanhood, woe to the poor man if he dared 
 withstand the sacrifice ! 
 
 Towards the close of the fifteenth century, then, and 
 at the beginning of the sixteenth, despair had driven 
 the people to attempt a bursting of their chains. In 
 Swabia, in particular, a conspiracy had been formed call- 
 ing itself the " arme Conrad," ^ and which gathered 
 round a standard bearing a shoe as their cognisance; 
 similar risings occurring in the Rhineland. These efforts 
 at insurrection, however, lacked unity, being easily over- 
 ridden therefore by knight and nobleman, who never 
 failed to take dire vengeance upon the unfortunate 
 rebels. 
 
 But though successful so far, they could not stamp 
 out the fire, since they thought not of rectifying the 
 grievances; the heaped-up tinder again and again 
 flared up upon the slightest provocation. 
 
 Such was the state of affairs when the word " Liberty " 
 was spoken at Wittenberg, resounding through the 
 length and breadth of the land ; when Luther stood up 
 against Pope and Bishop, working for a new creation 
 upon the ruins of the degenerate Church. And lo ! the 
 "poor Conrad" caught at that word, straightway thinking 
 
 ^ i.e. Poor Conrad. For such readers as can see German derivation, 
 we add that the appellation is supposed to mean: dem "armen" 
 Mann " kein Rat " (no help for the poor man) ; the Swabian patois for 
 kein Eat being koan -Eat, whence Conraad. We own, however, that 
 this is almost too ingenious not to be an after conclusion ! 
 
STORM-TIDE. 229 
 
 of tlie liberty he longed for. Were they going to clear 
 up the rubbish within the Church ? Surely it was 
 right and meet then to attack the heaped-up filth in 
 the fair lands of Germany as well. If souls should be 
 free, was it not time then to burst asunder the bonds 
 of slavery that held the body ? Men should no longer 
 be worse off than the wild beasts of the field.. And 
 there was a heaving and upboiling throughout the land. 
 In the dark of night, in caves and forests, the goaded 
 peasantry would meet, passing the word to and fro 
 on byways and hidden paths, the ominous correspond- 
 ence travelling through Franconia and Swabia, through 
 Thuringia and the valleys of the Rhine. 
 
 And before long they dared to raise the veil of secresy, 
 rebellion walking in the daylight boldly. 
 
 The villages of Thuringia were haunted by a man of 
 strangest demeanour. Weirdly glowed the large grey 
 eyes from beneath the bushy eyebrows in a face over- 
 hung with wildly flowing hair, and he looked at the 
 people with the power of speech upon his lips. All who 
 heard him seemed helpless against the charm : he 
 appeared as a very Prophet Elias come to show from 
 the Scriptures that slavery was against the behest of 
 the Almighty, that the Gospel required the people to be 
 free, that men were brethren now as in the days of the 
 apostles, when no man called anything his own, but all 
 men had all things in common. Frightful was the 
 sound of his voice when in the strain of a psalm of 
 vengeance ; he delivered his woe upon the godless 
 oppressors — the wicked Pharaohs who drove the people 
 to work with lashes, chastising them with scorpions; 
 the bloodsuckers who grew rich upon the sweat of the 
 poor man's brow ; the fiends in human guise who took 
 
230 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 delight in the writUngs of the worm at their feet, the 
 cries of anguish of a tortured people being as music 
 to their ear. 
 
 Thomas Miinzer was the name of this man, the 
 whilom schoolmaster of Halle, who had played a leading 
 part in the rising against Archbishop Ernest, Albrecht's 
 predecessor in the diocese of Magdeburg, a leading 
 part also among the fanatics of Zwickau. Once more 
 he had come to the front, the people gathering round 
 him as their prophet ; as a mountain torrent he carried 
 them headlong to the turbulent scene. 
 
 More wildly still foamed the waters of uproar in the 
 south, in Franconia and in Swabia. The lawless hordes 
 found leaders there who with powerful arm directed the 
 commotion, rendering it all the more terrible ; Florian 
 Geyer, a worthy warrior, giving them the benefit of his 
 generalship, while Wendel Hipler, a well-meaning 
 lawyer and politician, served them with legal advice. 
 Both these men did not join the agitation under pres- 
 sure, as was the case with the adventurous knigbt, 
 Gotz von Berlichingen ; but they of their own free 
 will and with all their soul adopted the cause of 
 the suffering people, ready to yield heart and hand, 
 liberty and life, in purest enthusiasm for the rebeUious 
 peasantry. 
 
 When such men took the lead, insurrection walked 
 with assurance, and was in a fair way of gaining its end. 
 Very moderate and sober were the twelve articles which 
 at the inspiration of Wendel Hipler were drawn up by 
 the peasantry ; and even Luther, who was appealed to, 
 could not but acknowledge the justice of their demands 
 in the main, exhorting the despotic lords to come to an 
 amicable adjustment with the peasants. They claimed 
 
STORM-TIDE. 23 1 
 
 the right for each parish to choose their own minister. 
 They agreed to continue giving tithes of the field, but 
 only for the maintenance of the clergy, refusing the 
 tithes of live stock, because God had made the cattle 
 free for the benefit of man. It was against the word of 
 God, too, they added, that the poor man should be 
 barred from his share of game and fish. Furthermore, 
 they demanded that serfdom should be absolutely 
 abolished, for Christ had shed His blood for all men 
 equally. They prayed for the usufruct of forest 
 lands, unless a clear case of right by purchase could be 
 made out, and they requested a reasonable reduction of 
 taxes, a material lessening also of tributary labour. 
 
 Luther's admonition, however, was spoken to the 
 winds. The tyrants' pride despised the alternative of a 
 compromise with the peasantry, adding insult to injury. 
 
 Then broke the long-sufi'ering patience of the 
 oppressed, the last thread snapping asunder, and 
 their vengeance knew no bounds ; the hands which 
 had been folded in petition snatched up the sword, 
 passion rose to the level of madness, overbearing the 
 sobriety of Hipler, the moderation, too, of Florian 
 Geyer ; terror had raised her front, ready to fulfil the 
 star-gazers' direst prediction. 
 
 As ravening beasts raged the peasants, strangers to 
 ruth. Whatever was owned by nobleman or monk 
 must be theirs now, and what they knew not how to 
 make use of was doomed to destruction, the red blood 
 of murder soaking the land. The Swabian Bund was 
 formed under Truchsess of Waldburg, partial success 
 tending but to a fuller development of the wild-beast 
 nature in man. The angel of humanity averted her 
 face and wept. 
 
232 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 As a spectre of hell appears that Jerkin Rohrbach, 
 whose history yields terrible proof that a man may be 
 worse than a tiger, ay, worse than a fiend. He was 
 the ringleader of the bloody Easter of Weinsberg. 
 For on Easter Monday of the year of grace 1525, the 
 rising sun beheld a ghastly scene on the common stretch- 
 ing away from the lower gate of the little town. The 
 rebels had succeeded in storming the place, to the walls 
 of which a great number of the Swabian nobility had 
 fled for safety ; they made prisoners of some seventy 
 knights, foremost among them the justiciary, Count 
 Helfenstein, whose wife was a natural daughter of the 
 late Emperor Maximilian. They prepared for imme- 
 diate execution. Elorian Geyer did his utmost to 
 awaken some feeling of forbearance, but in vain ; the 
 Black Witch, an ancient hag of a woman, with the face 
 of a screech-owl, who haunted the rebel camp to bless 
 the sedition with her spells, set up a wUd howl of 
 revenge, supported by the terrible Jerkin. And fear- 
 ful was the punishment resolved upon. The hapless 
 prisoners should be driven into the enemies' spears. 
 And forthwith the line was formed through which the 
 victims should run. They were being led to the dismal 
 scene ; the Count Justiciary was appointed to the dire 
 precedence, when his wife, the Emperor's daughter, a 
 child on her arm^ and about to give birth to another 
 pressed through the crowd, falling to her knees with 
 anguished cries for pity, The warrior Geyer was moved 
 to compassion, sending a helpless glance along the rebel 
 ranks; but they were dead to the dictates of mercy, 
 Jerkin and the Black Witch pouring oil into the flame, 
 the latter not refraining from dragging the poor wife 
 away by the hair, thus at least sparing her the awful 
 
STORM-TIDE. 233 
 
 sight. Upon a miserable dnng-cart they cast her — 
 Maximilian's daughter — and hurried her away. Count 
 Helfenstein meanwhile was chased into the spears, 
 sinking dead, not uttering a groan. The pitiful execu- 
 tion continued till, in the end, the seventy lay pierced 
 by the lances, the rebels' piper playing merry tunes 
 the while. 
 
 A cry of hoiTor echoed through the land at this and 
 similar occurrences. The Emperor trembled in his 
 castle. And Luther ? With such murderers he could 
 have nothing in common ; he could no longer advocate 
 their claims, but wrote a book " Against the murderous 
 and rapacious peasants,'' calling upon the princes to 
 rise in common for the suppression of the work of 
 darkness. 
 
 And the knights buckled on their armour ; but much 
 blood must yet be shed, many a fire flare aloft, many a 
 trophy of human skill sink in ashes, before quiet could 
 be restored. 
 
 As a fearful avalanche the rebel army rolled north- 
 wards towards the Saxon lands, which had not thought 
 of arms. On the 24th of April the governor of the 
 Wartburg announced to his duke at Weimar that 
 Salzungen had yielded to the insurgents, and that 
 Eisenach was in imminent danger. The selfsame day 
 the lurid flame was seen bursting. Cloister Eeinhards- 
 brunn was afire, the frightened township of Erfurt 
 opening its gates to the rebels. 
 
 The seditious hosts had swelled by thousands ; from 
 their villages came the peasants, many citizens from the 
 towns, joined by the rabble that had flocked round 
 Thomas Miinzer, who had succeeded in planting his 
 standard at Miihlhausen. They swarmed through the 
 
234 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 country, the wild cohorts, with fire and sword, they 
 spread through the Eichsfeld and the Harz, they overran 
 the golden Aue and the county of Mansfeld. Within 
 a fortnight some forty convents, and a still greater 
 number of Burgen, had vanished from the face of the 
 earth, which was coloured afresh with the blood of her 
 children. 
 
 Duke John of Weimar quaked behind his castle 
 walls, Dute George at Dresden sending doleful appeals 
 to the Saxon Elector, who could not help, for he lay 
 dying on his bed. The turreted homes of the nobility 
 were filled with panic, the knights trembled as women, 
 gazing about them dispirited, not knowing where to 
 turn for their lives. 
 
 Luther even for a moment had lost his balance. 
 He saw the world reeling on her foundations, he believed 
 that Satan was riding atop of the commotion, that he 
 would succeed in destroying the Gospel, that the great 
 judgment day was at hand. But not for long; the 
 brave courage of his faith returned, he felt ready for a 
 battling with Satan ; and since his Elector lay dying, he, 
 Luther, would front the adversary. To Mansfeld then 
 he went alone, facing the insurgents with his thundering 
 voice. But even that voice seemed powerless amid the 
 curses of the maddened host. " Thou hast forsaken 
 our cause ! " they cried ; " thou hast betrayed us ! Get 
 thee gone, lest thou share the fate of the aristocracj, 
 the dogs, to whom thou lendest thy voice ! " 
 
 And sore at heart Luther retired to his closet, to 
 groan and wrestle in prayer; and again despondency 
 would have him believe that judgment was at 
 hand. 
 
 At Halle too the pangs of terror were felt. An 
 
LUTHER. 
 After Albert Dilrer. 
 
STORM-TIDE. 237 
 
 oppressive silence had hushed the Moritzhurg, the 
 ianermost chambers of which hid the Cardinal, for he 
 had lost his head. Ominous was the news he received 
 from his western diocese, Bishop William of Strassburg, 
 his vicegerent at Mainz, despatching more dismal 
 information week after week. A desperate rabble from 
 the Odenwald had overrun the archiepiscopal electorate, 
 swelling in numbers day after day. The little town of 
 Miltenberg, where the Elector's own receiver of 
 revenues headed the rebels, had yielded to the enemy, 
 the distressed vicegerent calling upon the vassals of 
 the diocese to oppose the insurrection. But they were 
 slow of preparation, news of the catastrophe of Weins- 
 berg quite paralysing the knights, and Bishop William 
 was brought to harassing straits. The insurgents made 
 for Aschaffenburg, where he resided, matters taking a 
 most critical turn since the citizens pronounced for the 
 peasants, forcing the Bishop to treat with them. What 
 could he do, poor man, but yield to whatever they 
 demanded ? Nor was Mainz more peacefully situated. 
 On the 25th of April, St. Mark's Eve, a crowd had 
 gathered on the oxen market, passing the night under 
 arms, at daybreak forcing the magistrates to give up the 
 town keys ; whereupon they released from prison a 
 number of Lutheran preachers, and having possessed 
 themselves of the cannon from the ramparts, they 
 demanded surrender of the Martinsburg. This being 
 refused, they turned the cannons' mouth upon the 
 Martinsburg, to take it by storm ; then the Chapter 
 yielded, and were found willing to grant the thirty-one 
 articles setting forth the citizens' complaints. 
 
 This was the news which reached the Cardinal from 
 his electorate ; no wonder he hid his face, night after 
 
 Q 
 
238 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 night courting sleep in vain. As a shipwrecked man 
 he was, to whom nothing is left but a helpless plank 
 the waves of destruction yawning about him. And 
 even that plank must be snatched from his hold if the 
 storm should dash the commotion upon Magdeburg, 
 upon his very town of Halle ! 
 
 With his chancellor Turk he had climbed one of the 
 western turrets, anxiously peering along the Mansfeld 
 hills : the news had spread that an armed rabble had 
 been seen approaching. 
 
 As far as the eye reached nothing suspicious could be 
 discovered, but a dull noise rising from the streets broke 
 upon the ear. 
 
 " What is it ? " cried the Cardinal, in alarm. " What 
 can there be within the town ? The Lord preserve us, 
 if the people of Halle will follow the example of the 
 citizens of Mainz or Aschaffenburg ! I trust them 
 but half" 
 
 The chancellor bit his lips, about to descend to 
 inquire into the tumult, when the captain of the 
 palace rushed up the turret stairs, announcing sus- 
 picious gatherings about the town. 
 
 "Your grace had better anticipate further harm," 
 cried Turk unceremoniously. "A kind word may yet 
 avert mischief ; promise them what you please." 
 
 The Cardinal stared into vacancy, but coming to a 
 sudden resolution, he cried : " Follow me ! " 
 
 And hastily the two descended from the watch- 
 tower. 
 
 A great multitude had gathered in the churchyard of 
 St. Ulrich ; debate ran high, but yielded to a hush at 
 the sudden appearance of the Cardinal. 
 
 All eyes were upon him, as he raised his powerful 
 
STORM-TIDE. 239 
 
 voice ; " What is it that moves you, our beloved, our 
 faithful subjects? Has the tumult of this time of 
 wickedness drawn you within its circle ? Have you 
 forgotten that justice and mildness govern the hand 
 which rules you ? " 
 
 There was no answer save a deep, swelling murmur, 
 and quickly he continued : " Which prince is able to 
 please and satisfy his every subject ? But if there is 
 aught we have done amiss, such was not our inten- 
 tion. We enjoin you to state any grievance openly, 
 and none shall be blamed for doing it. And we invite 
 you to do so by writing, for the better discharging 
 thereof; it is I, your just and loving ruler, that 
 desires it." 
 
 The citizens kept silent, and the Cardinal, taking 
 their passive demeanour for acquiescence, went his way 
 with the chancellor through the TJlrich Street to the 
 market-place, where another crowd had gathered. He 
 repeated the self-same words, also apparently quieting 
 the disturbance. He proceeded to St. Maurice's, with a 
 similar result. 
 
 On the following day the guilds and corporations, 
 together with the town council, despatched a deputa- 
 tion to the Moritzburg, submitting an address to the 
 Cardinal, duly stating their complaints, as he had desired. 
 The first clause prayed for the removal of some of the 
 magistrates who had lost the citizens' confidence by 
 oppressive measures. 
 
 The Cardinal swallowed his vexation, for the ofiicials 
 in question, he knew, were on his side; but he felt 
 obliged to yield. 
 
 The second clause ran thus : " We pray that our 
 gracious ruler may permit the Word of God to be 
 
 Q 2 
 
240 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 preaclied to us, pure and unalloyed, and the sacrament 
 to be administered as the Lord Jesus Himself hath 
 appointed." The Cardinal flushed scarlet, but he 
 agreed. The further clauses, being of less significance, 
 could all the more wUlingly be granted. 
 
 The deputation expressed their heartfelt thanks, 
 and left the Burg, holding trustfully by the given 
 promise. 
 
CHAPTEK XXII. 
 
 POSSIBILITIES. 
 
 The town was quiet, but there was tempest in the 
 heart of the Cardinal, who with his Chancellor Turk, 
 and the newly appointed councillor, Dr. John Klihel, 
 was sitting in earnest consultation. 
 
 " These are serious matters," said Albrecht, troubled ; 
 "there is no saying where they will land us. Hear me, 
 Martin Luther!" he cried, with suppressed emotion, 
 " hear me, thou child of disturbance ! It is thou who 
 art answerable for all this war and bloodshed, for all 
 the misery brought upon tis by men who have become 
 as ravening beasts. It is the spirit of Wittenberg 
 which is upon them, it is thy teaching which is astir in 
 the turbid commotion." 
 
 "I venture to dissent from your electoral grace," 
 said Dr. Riihel, speaking courageously. " Martin Luther 
 may provoke many a man's displeasure, but h6 has 
 not deserved your grace's present accusation. It must 
 not be laid to his charge if the oppressed, untutored 
 masses understand in a carnal sense his preaching of 
 Christian liberty ! Do we not know that truth is 
 easily misapprehended, and from high spiritual meaning 
 
242 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 dragged to tte level of worldly abuse ? And where, let 
 me ask, has the terrible peasant war shown its wildest 
 excess ? Is it not rather in the popish districts ? Look 
 at Electoral Saxony, where the Gospel has been received 
 most fully; the people are quiet there, and have no 
 mind for rebellion." 
 
 That was true, if boldly spoken. Dr. Rtihel was 
 secretly inclined to Luther, but at the same time he 
 desired to be faithful to his master, the Cardinal. 
 Indeed, he entertained that boldest of all ideas — to 
 endeavour to bring about a reconciliation between the 
 two. Albrecht knew the councillor's honesty, and was 
 not inclined to censure him for a candid remark ; but 
 he changed the conversation, saying — 
 
 " There are more important things occupying my 
 mind, of which I would speak to you, gentlemen. Last 
 night, sleep being absent, my thoughts again and 
 again reverted to my cousin Albrecht, the Grand 
 Master of the Teutonic Order, who, as you will re- 
 member, visited me last year. Even then he confided 
 to me a bold plan, which has ripened to fulfilment since, 
 for he has cast off the ragged worn-out robe of his 
 spiritual distinction, turning the Teutonic Mastership 
 into a temporal Duchy. When he first hinted at this 
 idea, I was amazed and full of misgivings, but I view 
 it differently now ; in these days of subversion and 
 downfall, when the religious question is endeavouring 
 to change the very face of the earth, a spiritual ruler 
 may well entertain such thoughts ; the sceptre seems ot 
 more importance now than the crosier. I have heard 
 it rumoured that the Elector Archbishop of Cologne 
 secretly harbours similar longings. What should you 
 say to it, gentlemen ? " 
 
POSSIBILITIES. 243 
 
 The two were not ready with an answer to this 
 most unexpected appeal; Riihel, however, recovering 
 first. "It seems to me," he said, "that your grace's 
 cousin has done wisely in overthrowing a hiiilding 
 which was tottering on its foundation ; the Teutonic 
 Order has outlived itself, it has fulfilled its destinv, 
 and its days are over. If the spiritual rulership will 
 revive in another form, a new lustre may be in store 
 for it." 
 
 "And what should you say?" inquired the Cardinal, 
 turning to the chancellor. 
 
 But Turk was circumspect, and answered evasively, 
 " I admire the Grand Master for his courage ; for there 
 can be no lack of reproaches and revilings, more 
 especially since it must be expected that as a temporal 
 prince he will see fit to marry." 
 
 " My cousin is a prince every inch of him ! " cried 
 Albrecht warmly. " He will not be deterred by what 
 his enemies may say, he will do what he thinks right. 
 But if the Archbishop of Cologne were to follow his 
 example, what should you say to that ? " 
 
 Again Turk took shelter in evasion. " It is but a 
 report," he replied. " Moreover, an Archbishop could 
 scarcely carry into effect what was possible to a Grand 
 Master, whose spiritual dignity was about to be en- 
 veloped in ruin." 
 
 But the Cardinal was not put off so easily. Annoyed 
 at his chancellor's dulness, he returned to Eiihel, whose 
 brain was alight now with a sudden hope. " Do 
 you think his grace of Cologne might have similar 
 courage ? " 
 
 " Why not ? " replied the councillor enthusiastically, 
 " since he also is a prince who will not bow to the fear 
 
244 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 of man ; he might he bold enough to oppose hoth 
 Emperor and Pope ! " 
 
 His grace of Mainz seemed flattered by this 
 statement, continuing after a while : " And if two 
 have dared, others may follow. There would he an 
 end then to the Pope's authority in Germany." 
 
 " Which would be an advantage and blessing to the 
 realm," added Ruhel quickly; "since at Rome lies the 
 root of all evil for this poor land of ours." 
 
 The Cardinal raised a finger, smiling archly ; " Be 
 careful of your tongue, sir councillor. Silence is 
 gold!"_ 
 
 Again changing the topic, he spoke of matters of 
 government, of a new tax especially for which he hoped 
 to gain the approval of the Estates. Consultation being 
 ended, the officials took their leave. 
 
 Albrecht continued in his chair, lost in thought. 
 His cousin, the Grand Master, occupied him greatly ; 
 the idea that he, the Cardinal, might possibly follow his 
 example, quite perturbing his mind ; the drops appeared 
 on his forehead, and his heart beat in expectation. 
 Might not that be a cure for all his troubles, if he too 
 were to cast off the crosier, wielding the temporal 
 sceptre all the more powerfully ? Was it not to the 
 mitre that he owed all his vexation hitherto ? His 
 theological learning was but inadequate ; it might have 
 served his purpose in days of quiet, but he was not 
 equal to grappling with the overwhelming tide called 
 up by Luther. Not that he owned as much to himself, 
 but' the consciousness of deficiency was somewhere in 
 his mind, underlying the desire of following his cousin's 
 example. He resolved, however, to abide the Archbishop 
 of Cologne's example. 
 
P0SSIBILI7IES. 24S 
 
 But Doctor Eiihel, too, was engaged upon the problem. 
 " An unfathomable nature, this Cardinal ! " he solilo- 
 quised. " Who shall get at the bottom of his heart, 
 and know his mind ? His action has ever been mysterious, 
 the very opposite at times of what one would have 
 expected. What thoughts are these now engaging his 
 attention ? Why should he have directed us so pointedly 
 to the step taken by his cousin 1 Has he not betrayed 
 a desire of following the example, and is he not likely 
 to carry such desire into effect ? It is the Church, no 
 doubt, to which he, who was but a younger prince, owes 
 all his greatness ; but I doubt not he is equal to throwing 
 off the spiritual robe, if he can see his way. He has a 
 dislike to Luther, yet I am not sure but that he will 
 accept the Gospel if it will ease his shoulder from the 
 burden of his spiritual dignity, leaving him the temporal 
 power. Might not this be the opportunity of recon- 
 ciliation? Yes, Luther shall know of the Cardinal's 
 secret leaning. We must strike the iron while it is hot. 
 Perhaps Luther will succeed with the Cardinal, as he 
 succeeded with the Grand Master. They are Albrechts, 
 both of them ; let this be of good omen. Luther will 
 have harder work with the Cardinal, no doubt, for this 
 Albrecht does not ask his advice, as did Albrecht the 
 Grand Master; yet who knows whether the Cardinal 
 will not accept unsolicited counsel, if it falls in with 
 his own inclination ? " 
 
 And Riihel took up his .pen, writing quickly : 
 
 " My beloved Doctor Martin ! 
 
 " Strange ideas seem moving in my master's 
 the Cardinal's mind ; he has spoken to us admiringly, 
 nay, almost with envy, of his cousin the Teutonic Grand 
 
246 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Master in Prussia, barely hiding the thought that such 
 example might be worthy of imitation. I will endeavour 
 to keep him to this opinion ; but I pray you, much 
 loved Doctor, to send to my gracious master a letter of 
 comfort in these troublous times, which might ease his 
 mind and help him to take the great step ; of such letter 
 I would fain have a copy. May the Lord in heaven 
 look graciously to such important work ! I trust you 
 understand me aright, since it is not meet to put 
 everything on paper. God be with you and our- 
 selves ! 
 
 " John Ruhel." 
 
 Far into the night this good Doctor sat meditating 
 on the contents of this missive, which grew in importance 
 the more he thought of it. If it were indeed possible 
 to influence the Cardinal for turning his spiritual power 
 into mere temporal rulership, how far-reaching might 
 not be the consequence ! If he, the chief of spiritual 
 Electors, whose dominions extended from the Rhine to 
 the Elbe, were to break with Rome, how many more 
 might not follow, especially as the Archbishop of Cologne 
 seemed on a similar track. And if the first step were 
 taken, the second would come naturally, he would turn 
 his back upon celibacy ; and the greater result would be 
 this, that he would throw open the land to the teaching of 
 the Gospel. And if he, the most powerful of the German 
 princes, were now for the new teaching, the empire, no 
 doubt, would be brought to accept the Reformation. 
 And what then? Why, the whole realm would be 
 regenerate;, it would rise as an eagle on wings of 
 glory. 
 
 The honest Doctor was quite dazzled at these happy 
 
POSSIBILITIES. 247 
 
 prospects, too exceeding great for fulfilment almost ! 
 However, the letter was written, and it should go. In 
 these times of wondrous events, of high-going waves 
 both in religion and in politics, might not the impossible 
 be possible after all ? 
 
 On the following morning a special messenger 
 sped from Halle to Wittenberg, knocking at Doctor 
 Luther's door. His urgency, however, had to submit to 
 delay. The Doctor was not at home, but in his 
 pulpit at the Schlosskirche, delivering his " Sermon 
 of Peace," the tidings of victory over the rebellious 
 peasants having been received the night before. There 
 was a new hope of rest for the land, the storm had done 
 its worst, and seemed about to fold its terrible wings, 
 hearts might look up again with assurance, nor be 
 deceived of their faith. 
 
 But if all the world rejoiced, there was one who 
 would have liked to defer the good news, and that was 
 Doctor Riihel; he would have liked the Cardinal to 
 have a little more of anxiety, for on that anxiety the 
 honest councillor had rested his hopes. If all trouble 
 were at an end, it was much to be feared the Cardinal 
 would think no more of the plans engendered by 
 that trouble. 
 
 With misgivings, therefore, he received the reply to 
 his letter, in which Luther said : " If you perceive that 
 the Cardinal ■ takes pleasure in what I have written, 
 then take the copy herewith inclosed and have it 
 printed for circulation. And if his electoral grace 
 should put the question, which has been asked of me 
 before, why Martin Luther refrains from taking a wife, 
 seeing that he recommends wedlock to others, you shall 
 
248 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 say that I continue doubting my fitness, on account of 
 the great weakness of my perishable body ; but if my 
 marriage were a comforting example to his electoral 
 grace, I would not hesitate to trot ahead, if so be that 
 he might follow." 
 
 Riihel took the letter to the Cardinal, having carefully 
 deposited the copy in his desk. 
 
 He was unfortunate in choosing his time, for in an 
 oriel window of his favourite chamber Albrecht sat 
 chatting with fair Margaret, and interruption was not 
 desired. Riihel put down his letter, retiring quickly, 
 with an imprecation on his lips concerning "that 
 woman," who had more power over the Elector than 
 all his officials united. 
 
 Indeed, the Cardinal for quite an hour thought too 
 much of the smiles of his companion to look at any 
 letter ; only when she had retired it caught his eyes, 
 and the serene forehead clouded. " What is it ? " he 
 cried. " Is that monk at me again ? " 
 
 He threw down the missive and quitted the 
 apartment. 
 
 But the thought of it followed him and brought him 
 back almost immediately. He broke the seal, And 
 presently a smile glided across his features. "Is 
 that it?" he said. "You think Albrecht of Mainz 
 will take the advice, because Albrecht of Konigsberg 
 has taken it ! " 
 
 But as he continued reading, the smile vanished in 
 the gloom of wrath, the hot glow again and again 
 rising to his brow. 
 
 He put down the letter and sat thinking. A wrench 
 at the bell, and the valet was despatched to command 
 Doctor Eiihel's imnjediate attendance. 
 
POSSIBILITIES. 
 
 249 
 
 The Cardinal had collected himself, and received the 
 official with dignity. " I have desired your presence," 
 he said ; " Luther seems of a mind with yourself" 
 
 " Yes, I know," replied the councillor, somewhat 
 hastily, " he has written to me himself." 
 
 " Then you know the contents of his letter to me ? " 
 
 " I do." 
 
 " We desire to hear your opinion." 
 
 Riihel hesitated, but said after a while : " Though it 
 is Luther's advice, he has not written as an enemy to 
 your grace, but is anxious for your real advantage." 
 
 The Cardinal smiled artfully. "Doctor Martin is 
 likely to outwit the rest of us, and he can see from 
 Wittenberg to Halle, even into the Cardinal's inmost 
 thoughts." 
 
 Riihel felt ready to triumph, and added rather 
 rashly : " The Grand Master of the Teutonic Order is 
 Duke of Prussia now, and is not likely to forget what 
 he owes to Luther. Doctor Martin trusts your electoral 
 grace will not spurn his counsel ; indeed, he has begged 
 me to have that letter printed, as soon as your grace 
 has resolved upon accepting the advice." 
 
 " Has he ? " cried the Cardinal, with kindling eyes. 
 " Does he imagine it is his opinion I have been waiting 
 for ? that he need but pipe, and the Cardinal Archbishop 
 Elector will straightway dance ! " 
 
 Riihel bit his lips, he saw he had gone too far, and 
 had spoiled what hopes there might have been. 
 
 The Cardinal dismissed him coldly, exclaiming wrath- 
 fully, as soon as the door had closed upon the councillor : 
 " Fool of a monk, must thou needs again try to lecture 
 
 the Cardinal ? this time thou shalt be outwitted 
 
 But I thank thee, thou hast helped me to shake off the 
 
250 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 last of uncertainty. I know my mind now, I shall 
 continue Archbishop Cardinal, if only for thy sake 
 sweet Margaret, for I should lose thee did I part with 
 the mitre; the daughter of a baker may be the- 
 Cardinal's companion, but never the wife of a prince of 
 the realm ! . . . And for other reasons I have to thank 
 thee, Luther. Thy letter will be useful; let it be 
 printed by all means, foolish Riihel; let Pope and 
 Emperor see what brilliant prospects the Elector Arch- 
 bishop of Mainz and Magdeburg has known how to 
 refuse ! Both Pope and Emperor will owe me thanks, 
 they will vie with each other to propitiate me, I shall 
 be sure of my reward ! Hast thou lessened my revenues, 
 Luther ? thou hast tried to make up for it now ! The 
 Emperor has plenty of money, and more still has the 
 Pope — it is easy for them to fill the empty coffers of 
 the poverty-stricken Primate of Germany." 
 
 The Cardinal touched his bell, Doctor Rtihel was 
 sent for. The defeated councillor entered bashfully, 
 "but with shining eyes he walked away presently. " The 
 Lord be praised ! " he cried, " the storm has passed over. 
 How pleasantly he has spoken — I may print the letter ! 
 Then I was iiot mistaken after all — he will do it. Oh, 
 I must let Luther know immediately ; he mwsif know 
 it, and sure I am he will do what he can to strengthen 
 this happy resolution, even if he should have to trot 
 ahead, as he put it, that the Cardinal might follow." 
 
 Poor Riihel ! his fingers trembled for delight as he 
 tried to pen the wonderful news. Could he have cast 
 a look into the electoral closet, his delight would have 
 been drowned in disappointment. For the Cardinal was 
 pacing the floor, proudly conscious that for once he had 
 outwitted the Augustinian to the length even of victory. 
 
I'UISSIBILITIES. 25 1 
 
 And presently, as the news startled Christendom 
 that Martin Luther had married a runaway nun, his 
 enemies made it a grand occasion for venting their 
 venom upon him ; hut the Cardinal burst into laughter. 
 "Behold the monk !" he cried; "behold him trotting 
 ahead, and looking for the Cardinal to follow ! " 
 
 And turning to his cash-box, he despatched twenty 
 gold gulden as a wedding present to Wittenberg. 
 
 Luther perceived the irony of the gift, and returned 
 it. But for all that the Cardinal gloried in having 
 derided his enemy, and was flushed in the thought of 
 having outwitted him. 
 
 Fair Margaret marvelled in her heart at the new tide 
 of affection that was showered upon her. Little she 
 knew how near she had come to being thrust from 
 her height, to quitting the princely splendour for the 
 obscurity of her father's house. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE PROMISE BROKEN. 
 
 It had been a cheap triumph after all. If Albrecht 
 believed Luther had entered upon marriage solely for 
 the purpose of setting an example to him, the 
 Cardinal, he was mistaken. The Reformer had seen 
 that celibacy, a mere invention of popery, was a sin 
 against nature, even against God Himself, who had 
 instituted matrimony as an honourable estate ; that it 
 was meet and right therefore to be found in that estate ; 
 and believing his death not far distant, he resolved upon 
 a step which he considered his Christian duty, and a 
 testimony to his teaching. 
 
 Public events also tended to undeceive his 
 eminence. The news was abroad that the new Duke 
 of Prussia had not only accepted the Gospel for himself, 
 but had opened his dominions to the truth, that his 
 very bishops were zealous in assisting him in the good 
 work. 
 
 Nor was this all. The eyes of men were directed to 
 Electoral Saxony. How would the new ruler deport him- 
 self with regard to the religious question ? It appeared 
 speedily that Elector John intended to stand by the 
 
THE PROMISE BROKEN. 253 
 
 Gospel even more boldly than his late brother had done. 
 The Papists were dismayed. 
 
 But even this was not all. Intelligence had been 
 received from Hesse which must shake the very heart 
 of popery ; Landgrave Philip had joined the Lutheran 
 camp. That was good news to all who were zealous for 
 the Reformation. This prince ruled no important 
 realm, but his mind was great, his understanding clear, 
 his heart warm, and unbendable his will. Nor had he 
 accepted the Gospel merely because others had set 
 him the example ; but, perceiving the evils of popery, 
 he had searched the Scriptures to judge for himself 
 what truth there might be in the Wittenberg teaching 
 and having satisfied himself that Luther stood upon the 
 Bible, the enthusiastic and high-minded young man 
 had joined the Reformer with all his heart, declaring to 
 his father-in-law, Duke George of Saxony, that he 
 would rather lose life and land than depart from the 
 Word of God. 
 
 Luther's enemies were alarmed : the Reformation had 
 gained a champion of champions. Landgrave Philip 
 would prove a patron who might not only stand side by 
 side with Luther in faith, fearlessness and self-surrender, 
 but who, as a political or military leader, had not his 
 equal among the princes of the empire. And what if 
 he were to gain over his father-in-law, that pillar of 
 Rome ! 
 
 The Roman Catholic Estates had formed a league at 
 Regensburg for the suppression of the Wittenberg 
 movement ; there was a power now on the Lutheran 
 side which they could not but acknowledge. Land- 
 grave Philip of Hesse, Elector John of Saxony, Duke 
 Albrecht of Prussia these three alone might suffice to 
 
 E 
 
254 LUTHER AND THE CAKUJIVAI.. 
 
 deprive the Eomish confederates of their fondest 
 hopes. 
 
 Cardinal Albrecht saw it, and his spirits sank accord- 
 ingly, nor did he conceal his doubts, as together with 
 his brother, Elector Joachim of Brandenburg, and both 
 the Dukes of Brunswick, he sat ia consultation at 
 Dessau. " It is a matter of deepest apprehension," he 
 said, "that Philip of Hesse should have joined the 
 Lutheran side ; I know him, he has an indomitable 
 spirit, and will soon be the soul of the whole movement. 
 Hitherto the Lutheran princes were disunited, but now, 
 with the Landgrave among them, there will soon be a 
 counter-league opposing our own alliance. It is all very 
 well for the Emperor, elated as he is by his victory over 
 France, to send us word that he means to return now, 
 and speedily root out this miserable heresy, that 
 Germany once more may be at peace. He will be 
 surprised to find that the weeds, in his absence, have 
 grown to the power of forest trees." 
 
 The truth must be told that his grace returned to 
 Halle in no pleasant frame of mind. As he drove 
 along with his chancellor, he suddenly turned upon 
 the latter, saying : " Yes, the time has come now, when 
 we mean to pay out the citizens for the affront they 
 have put upon us with their articles of complaint, which 
 in those days of distress we were forced to accept. It 
 was with a heavy heart that we agreed to their de- 
 mands, quite against our own conscience ; and we deem 
 that our promise, not being a free one, can scarcely be 
 binding. We expect of you, our chancellor, to find out 
 for us which of the citizens have had a hand in the 
 framing of those articles. We will give them their 
 due!" 
 
THE PROMISE BROKEN. 255 
 
 But Turk shook his head. " This would be a most 
 hazardous enterprise," he said. " They would accuse 
 your grace of having broken the archiepiscopal promise, 
 and they will hold out for their rights." 
 
 The Elector frowned. " There are means," he said, 
 " for getting over refractory spirits ; hot that I share 
 your white-livered apprehension ! Recollection of how 
 the peasants fared must still be fresh with the 
 citizens. " 
 
 "Then what are your grace's intentions?" inquired 
 Turk humbly. 
 
 " Those who took an active part shall rue it in the 
 stocks," decided the Cardinal. " And now we expect 
 you to do your duty ; we desire to know their names." 
 
 The chancellor felt real mortification, but he dared 
 not show it. 
 
 Just beyond the town, close by the river Saale, stood 
 the vine-covered cottage which was the home of Kaspar 
 Verdigris, with his wife and five children ; but poverty 
 dwelt in the house since Kaspar, in consequence of some 
 dishonesty, had been discharged from the archiepis- 
 copal service. 
 
 The family were sitting at table, it being supper time, 
 the children looking wistfully into the empty platter, 
 and the customary returning of thanks by no means 
 coming from the little ones' hearts. It was same time 
 since they had enjoyed a sufficient meal. 
 
 They were rising from table, when following imme- 
 diately upon a knock at the door, a short, puny figure 
 made its appearance. 
 
 " His worship the chancellor ! " cried both Kaspar 
 and his wife, dismayed. 
 
 E 2 
 
256 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 " If you have finished supper, send the children 
 away, and your wife too ; I have come to speak to you, 
 Kaspar." 
 
 The desire having been obeyed, the Chancellor Turk 
 took his seat upon a wooden stool. 
 
 " And how are you getting on, Kaspar ? " he inquired 
 sympathisingly. 
 
 " Poorly, sir, poorly ; my good days are past." 
 
 " I trust not, Kaspar. It remains with yourself, I 
 expect, whether you are to be received back to the 
 service. A man after all must carve out his own 
 fortune." 
 
 Kaspar was all eyes and ears, but knew not what to 
 say ; the chancellor proceeded, " It is only cowards 
 who hang the tail in the hail-storm. A man who 
 knows what is what, bears the brunt, and is the better 
 for it afterwards." 
 
 " Surely I am not a coward," said Kaspar. " How 
 would you have me show it ? " 
 
 " I did not think you were," rejoined Doctor Turk. 
 " You may prove your fitness to his grace himself, 
 and you may be sure of your reward. It lies with 
 you to oblige the Elector greatly, if you like." 
 
 " With all my heart ! " gasped the hungry Kaspar. 
 " But what is it — no impossibility ? " 
 
 " Don't be foolish," returned the chancellor ; " it is 
 the simplest matter imaginable. You are only to find 
 out which of the citizens framed those articles granted 
 by his grace just before peace was restored. You don't 
 call that an impossibility, do you ? " 
 
 Kaspar grinned, holding out his hand. "You shall 
 
 have them, but " he looked as though he were 
 
 doubtful of recompense. 
 
THE PROMISE BROKEN. 257 
 
 Whereupon the chancellor, putting on an expression 
 of severest virtue, " This is doubting his grace and 
 doubting myself. Do your duty, and you shall have 
 your meed." 
 
 Kaspar was profuse in thanks, but the little chan- 
 cellor escaped them, highly satisfied with his evening's 
 work. 
 
 When three days had passed the town was thrown 
 into a ferment. Everywhere the excited women put 
 their heads together, the men gathered in alarm, the 
 salt-pans were left unheeded, there was an asking and 
 no answer, "Is it possible ? can it be true ? " 
 
 People would not believe their ears ; it could not be 
 true that such a high-born prince and prelate had 
 broken his word, the solemn promise given to his 
 people of Halle. 
 
 But true it was ; four of the citizens who had been 
 chiefly instrumental in framing the articles were im- 
 prisoned ia the Temnitz, as though guilty of crime. 
 They had been seized at nightfall, and, in spite of all 
 protestation, in spite of the prayers and tears of their 
 families, they had been dragged away as common felons. 
 Three others, Gabriel Burkhardt among them, were 
 confined within their own houses, forbidden to leave 
 them under pain of further punishment. 
 
 The first excitement yielded to a silence akin to the 
 lull before the bursting storm. 
 
 It quite oppressed the chancellor ; he took opportunity 
 to warn the Cardinal. 
 
 " The peasant war has proved it," he said, " that we 
 have more foes than friends, if once the people are 
 roused. We ought not to anger them needlessly." 
 
 " Needlessly ! " exclaimed the Cardinal. " But it is 
 
258 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 very necessary, and I am determined that the town 
 shall pay now for past insolence. How can we rule 
 our diocese if a single town can dare to oppose us ? It 
 is necessary, I say, to prove our authority." 
 
 At this moment an attendant announced a deputation 
 from the town council. 
 
 "I knew it," groaned the chancellor; and turning to 
 the Cardinal he added, not without a touch of bitterness, 
 " The town seems anxious to submit to authority." 
 
 Albrecht turned a wrathful brow upon his chancellor, 
 startling the servant with a " Tell them to come some 
 other day." 
 
 The man vanished and returned. The deputation 
 was determined not to leave the palace without seeing 
 his grace. 
 
 The chancellor smiled sarcastically ; the Cardinal, 
 perceiving it, gave a passionate stamp on the floor. 
 " They are a stubborn race, but I wiU show them who 
 is niaster ! Bring them in." 
 
 There was a pause, and the deputation was ushered 
 into his presence, three members of the town council, 
 bowing with cold deference. " We plead forgiveness," 
 said the spokesman, "if the present hour be incon- 
 venient to your electoral grace, but our mission is 
 too important to admit of delay. We have come, 
 humbly praying for explanation why four honourable 
 citizens have been cast into prison at your grace's 
 command, as though they were common malefactors. 
 We would gladly believe that there is some mistake. " 
 
 The Cardinal's eyes shot fire. " What is this I hear ? 
 Since when is it the subject's part to inquire into 
 the ruler's reasons ? Asking for explanation, forsooth ! 
 These twelve years might have taught you that one 
 
THE PROMISE BROKEN. 259 
 
 thing at least — that yours is a just and well-intentioned 
 ruler, if so be that you do your duty and obey the law." 
 
 But unflinchingly the spokesman made answer, " We 
 crave leave to dissent, electoral grace. Those who 
 have been made prisoners have done their duty, 
 and did so even at the archiepiscopal behest. Your 
 grace requested the township to draw up in writing 
 what might be our grievances ; those men did so in 
 our name and in obedience to your desire. Shall 
 they suffer punishment for doing so, and are we to 
 consider this your grace's just and well-intentioned 
 government ? " 
 
 The Cardinal shook with resentment, unable to 
 speak for a moment. When the power returned, it 
 came with a roar as of thunder ; " Hapless mortal ! " 
 he cried, " have you come hither to be their fellow 
 in disgrace ? " 
 
 His eye sought the chancellor, who, understanding, 
 quitted the apartment, returning after a moment with 
 five of the body-guard. 
 
 The unexpected appearance dumbfounded the depu- 
 tation ; they offered no resistance, rot a word even of 
 protest. The spokesman was handcuffed, the others 
 looking on with a petrified stare. 
 
 " In the name of heaven," stammered the chancellor, 
 left alone with the Cardinal, " can your grace be 
 aware — ^it is daring the utmost ! " 
 
 The Cardinal laughed harshly. " The utmost indeed 
 — we will dare it. We dare put a bridle upon the 
 restive horse ; we will dare even to drive the spur 
 into its flanks. We mean to ride it, and we mean to 
 be master. Our citizens of Halle shall perceive that 
 our forbearance has its limits if they dare require 
 
26o LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 explanation at our hands. To-morrow morning the 
 thumbscrews are to be used ; you shall take the 
 prisoners' depositions." 
 
 Turk retired horror-struck ; he had never seen the 
 Cardinal in such a towering passion. 
 
 And on the following morning the Archbishop left 
 for' his see of Magdeburg, where he was expected to 
 arbitrate in a lawsuit between the Chapter and the 
 township. 
 
 Returning at the end of a week, he took the chan- 
 cellor's report. " The town is astonishingly quiet," said 
 the official. " There was some attempt at disturbance 
 when it transpired that torture was beiag applied, but 
 the constabulary, together with the garrison of the 
 Burg, soon quelled the riot." 
 
 The Cardinal smiled proudly. " We knew what we 
 were about. One need but make front, and the dis- 
 contented are as mice flying for their holes. But what 
 of confession has the thumbscrew elicited ? " 
 
 "Nothing of importance," replied Turk, "except 
 a statement that an emissary of Thomas Miinzer had 
 been in the town, secretly attempting to gain over the 
 people to the revolutionary movement, urging them to 
 admit the rebels into the well-fortified city." 
 
 The Cardinal's lips quivered as he exclaimed : " And 
 what of your advice now, sir chancellor ? where would 
 we be if we had taken it ? We perceive we have 
 judged aright, and we will pursue the path we have 
 chosen. Too long have we allowed our leniency to be 
 abused; but we will proceed with severity now, nay, 
 with relentless rigour ! And we mean to bring one 
 to judgment who has long deserved punishment, who 
 has indeed incurred our most just displeasure, with 
 
THE PROMISE BROKEN. 26 1 
 
 whom we have borne hitherto on account of the un- 
 settled times. The measure is full now, and he shall 
 have his meed. I do not intend to quit Halle or the 
 diocese of Magdeburg until I have dealt with that 
 mole. You know whom I mean — Magister Winkler 
 our court preacher — he shall be silenced now. Most 
 shamefully has he abused our confidence. We received 
 him back into favour after those objectionable sermons 
 of his, exhorting him carefully to study the fathers ; 
 but he has added new sermons to the old ones, and 
 has even dared in our absence to administer the cup 
 to the laity. Many of the citizens, we hear, have 
 availed themselves of the opportunity — men even 
 whom otherwise one would hardly Uke to impugn. 
 The very cloisters are not free of the taint of heresy, 
 and scarcely a monk is left at Convent Neuwerk. We 
 have remonstrated with him in all kindness and con- 
 fidence, pointing out the effects of his preaching ; but 
 a strange spirit of contradiction possesses the man who 
 was all meekness before ; he has dared to say to our 
 face that he cannot obey us, being constrained by the 
 truth. The magister will have to take his reward 
 now ! " 
 
 The chancellor agreed with the Cardinal : " He has 
 deserved it, no doubt, for it is most grievous to behold 
 the state of distraction raised by his preaching within 
 the town. My advice has of late not enjoyed much of 
 your grace's approval, yet I must venture to submit the 
 extreme necessity of setting about this matter with all 
 manner of prudence ; for those of the citizens who 
 favour heresy simply adore the man, and resorting to 
 violence against him might provoke an outbreak among 
 the people. The flame of resentment is barely kept 
 
262 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 under as it is. For this reason I would conjure your 
 grace not to bring him to judgment here at Halle, but 
 to take the matter to your western diocese, and refrain 
 from passing sentence yourself, referring the case 
 entirely to the High Chapter of Mainz." 
 
 The Cardinal considered for a moment, nodding his 
 head presently. " We approve of your advice ; but 
 before we set out for Mainz we must take counsel 
 with Canon Hoffmann of the new foundation ; doubt- 
 less his information will be of use to the Chapter." 
 
 This Canon Hoffmann was the very man to incense 
 the Cardinal against the court chaplain, if this were 
 needed ; for his jealous hatred of the popular magister 
 stopped short of no falsehood, and he took dehght in 
 calumniating him to the utmost. 
 
 Cardinal Albrecht quitted HaUe with a splendid 
 retinue, to take up his residence in the archiepiscopal 
 electorate. 
 
CHAPTEE XXIV. 
 
 A DEED OF DARKNESS. 
 
 One lovely sun-lit day in June, 1527, the dwelling 
 of the court chaplain Winkler was surrounded hymen 
 and women with expectation in their eyes. The house 
 door was wreathed with flowers and garlands of oak- 
 leaves, and the chamber within was bright, a presenta- 
 tion gift of wrought silver awaiting the return of him 
 whom the people loved and delighted to honour. The 
 brave confessor had decided upon another step in 
 testimony of the truth he preached, not heeding the 
 scorn of those whose hearts were at Rome. He had 
 made up his mind to enter upon the holy estate of 
 marriage, and the wife he had chosen was fully worthy 
 to be joined to him in blessed love. For the Lady 
 Adelaide of the noble house of Raben was not only a 
 pattern of beauty and loveliness, but hers were the 
 higher gifts and graces which are more to be desired 
 than mere bodily charms, and many a noble knight 
 might envy the plain magister who had won so sweet 
 a companion. As for him, his eyes had been directed to 
 the lady chiefly by the holy enthusiasm with which 
 she had accepted the Gospel. Whenever he stood in 
 
264 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 his pulpit, the upturned face had met his vision, un- 
 conscious of aught else but the deep fervour burning 
 within her soul. He had not sought her intentionally, 
 but opportunity bringing them together one day, the 
 hearts of both opened to one another, and they knew 
 that they could join hands for life. 
 
 And now the magister was coming home with his 
 espoused wife, and the people were anxious to grace 
 their return. 
 
 Nor were they kept waiting long ; the sounds of 
 wheels were heard : another minute and the newly 
 married couple had alighted. Cheer after cheer broke 
 upon the sunny air, loving words of sympathy bid 
 them welcome home, and the happy couple hardly 
 knew how to return thanks for so much affection. 
 
 Left to themselves at last, the magister drew closer 
 his wife. " My Adelaide," he said, "how full of love 
 and promise is this happy time ! The people in this 
 place are prepared for the Gospel ; we may indeed say 
 the Lord is adding to His Church daily : soon the whole 
 town will come forth to confess Him, and the Caxdiaal 
 himself cannot prevent it. Who knows but the Lord 
 may yet turn even his heart, that he will no longer 
 kick against the pricks, but be brought to accept the 
 truth?" 
 
 The happy young wife, nestling within her husband's 
 embrace, looked up at him saying : " This is indeed my 
 hope, else I could never cease trembling for your safety. 
 I believe in the power of the Gospel, and that the work 
 will prevail which Luther, the man of God, has begun." 
 
 Winkler with happy pride gazed into the face so fall 
 of trust and sweetest surrender, saying : " Let us 
 rejoice, then, in hope which maketh not ashamed." 
 
A DEED OF DARKNESS. 26$ 
 
 Restful and happy were the days, that sunny month 
 of June. The roses and lilies were abloom, the larks 
 and nightingales sent forth their jubilant song, all 
 nature shed abroad her treasures, and in the humble 
 dwelling two noble God-fearing souls drank in the 
 fulness of His favour, who in the beginning had made 
 man, male and female, and put them into a garden, and 
 blessed them. 
 
 There was a blessing, too, upon the magister's 
 renewed labour ; the people more and more seemed 
 ready for the Gospel, the convent churches grew emptier 
 day by day, and before long another witness arose, for 
 in a chapel of the ' Holy Ghost's ' the Word was 
 being preached also. 
 
 Yet this was not all, a special joy was being given to 
 the faithful confessor. Of all his enemies none had 
 been more rancorous than a certain canon, Conrad 
 Hoffmann by name, and even this man was seemingly 
 turned by the Lord ; he met the chaplain with invari- 
 able kindness now, repeatedly attending his preaching, 
 and occasionally calling upon him, when he would be 
 specially attentive to the Lady Adelaide. True, he 
 anxiously avoided any religious topic, but this might be 
 the shyness of new-born conviction. Winkler took it 
 as such, and carefully refrained offering human assist- 
 ance to what he gladly believed might be the work of 
 the Spirit, remembering the canon all the more 
 diligently in prayer. 
 
 At Aschaffenburg, in the castle. Cardinal Albrecht 
 was sitting surrounded by the Chapter of Mainz, which 
 had come to that town by special command. 
 
 His grace opened the sitting. 
 
266 LUTHER AND THE CAEDIJSIAL. 
 
 " Keverend brethren," he began, " it may at first sight 
 surprise you that we have called you hither on behalf 
 of a matter which, nowise concerning our archbishopric 
 of Mainz, should rather be settled at Magdeburg, as 
 referring to Magister George Winkler, our court 
 preacher of HaUe. But let it not dismay you, seeing 
 that we act upon careful consideration. This man has 
 repaid us good with evil, shamefully deceiving our 
 unsuspecting confidence. Quite forgetful of his oath, he 
 has ventured upon all manner of mischief during our 
 absence; more especially has he dared to administer 
 baptism without the use of the chrism, and to admit 
 the laity to the sacramental cup ; entirely neglectful of 
 holy mass, he has directed, moreover, all his efforts to 
 pulpit ministry, misleading the people with all manner 
 of heresy. And not only this, his influence has reached 
 the very convents, actually lessening the number of 
 our friars. But worst of all, since we have left Halle, 
 he has not stopped short of breaking his vow of celibacy ; 
 he has married a wife ! All these things bear testi- 
 mony against him, calling aloud for h^s punishment. 
 We greatly regret that we have delayed it so long, 
 thereby leaving him free for the committing of his 
 last and most shocking offence. But all the more 
 needful is it now to show our entire disapprobation . 
 by speedy action ; and it is to your judgment, most 
 worthy Chapter, that we have decided to pass over the 
 case. There is another of our preachers at Halle who 
 has begun to follow his example, but with him we 
 have dealt already, commanding our captain of the 
 Moritzburg to turn that miscreant from his cure at once, 
 forbidding him the town. But this matter of Magister 
 Winkler we do not care to touch with our own hands, 
 
yt UMKIJ OF DARKNESS. 267 
 
 desiring you to act in our stead, well aware that yoa 
 will judge him according to his deserts and for the well- 
 being of Holy Church." 
 
 The prebends were indeed surprised that the Elector 
 should draw them into a case so entirely foreign to 
 their own jurisdiction, seeing they had more than 
 enough to do to prevent the spread of heresy within 
 their own domain ; however, the Archbishop having 
 spoken, they could not but express their subservience. 
 
 Three days later the Chapter met for deliberation; 
 there was difference of opinion, but a resolution was 
 carried at last that the heretical court preacher should 
 be immured for life within some monastery. 
 
 The meeting was about to rise when an underling 
 announced the arrival of one who craved immediate 
 admittance. The reverend members were tired of long 
 consultation, and would far rather have gone to solace 
 themselves with meat and drink, but the request 
 was urgent, and the stranger was suffered to enter. 
 He was no other than Conrad Hoffmann, canon 
 of the new foundation of Halle, who prayed for a 
 hearing. 
 
 The prebends reseating themselves, Hoffmann began : 
 " Having been secretly informed by the captain of the 
 Moritzburg, that his grace's court preacher is to be 
 judged by the reverend High Chapter of Mainz, I have 
 come hither to offer my most humble information, well 
 knowing how difficult it is to arrive at a correct estimate 
 of one not personally known. Magister Winkler is no 
 stranger to me, I have had opportunity of sounding his 
 evil-working heart. He goes about in sheep's clothing, 
 but he is a ravening wolf disturbing the flock of Chrat. 
 Far too mildly has his grace dealt with him, not 
 
268 luthek anu thm, cardinal. 
 
 suspecting in his pious mind the court chaplain's desper- 
 ate wickedness. Far too long, also, has he delayed punish- 
 ment ; for if this man had been brought to judgment 
 sooner, great offence might have been prevented. My 
 humble advice, therefore, is this : that the High Chapter 
 should nowise spare the miscreant, seeing that forbear- 
 ance towards such a one is actual sin." 
 
 The provost waved his hand : " Tou might have 
 saved yourself the trouble, brother canon, seeing that 
 the Chapter has arrived at a sentence- without you, 
 and the punishment methinks is sufficient; the court 
 preacher will be rendered harmless by lifelong detention 
 in a convent prison." 
 
 The canon bit his lips, silent a while, and then he 
 resumed : " I respect the wisdom of the High Chapter, 
 but I crave leave to say the punishment is not sufficient, 
 since it cannot render the man harmless ! If the 
 reverend prebends knew him as I do, they would know 
 that in wickedness and evil intent he is nowise behind 
 Luther himself, wherefore he is justly guilty of a like 
 punishment." 
 
 " What ! " cried the provost, amazed, " shall we ask 
 both Pope and Emperor to fulminate the ban against 
 a nameless chaplain ? " 
 
 " Perhaps not," said the wily tempter. " May it 
 please the Chapter to let me finish ! I was going to 
 add that such men should be got rid of. You little 
 guess how the town of Halle, ay, the whole arch- 
 bishopric of Magdeburg, is endangered by Winkler's 
 influence, else you would not hesitate one moment. 
 Convent walls and prison bars are no safe keeping for 
 a man of such perversity ; think ye he would not find 
 a way out in spite of your watchfulness? Better by 
 
A DEED OF DARKNESS. 269 
 
 fax to think of another expedient. I would propose 
 that the magister he cited hither to appear before his 
 grace and your reverence ; let him off with a reproof ; 
 there is no reason why he should not meet with an 
 accident on the road, and his face be seen at Halle 
 no more." 
 
 The prebends started from their seat. " Assassin ! " 
 cried some. " Euthless rascal ! " another. 
 
 But the canon, immovable, continued blandly, " I 
 crave your pardon ; is he an assassin who would free 
 the Church of a heretic ? Were they assassins who 
 brought John Huss to the stake ? Is it not rather our 
 bounden duty to extirpate heresy, no matter by what 
 means ? " 
 
 The provost, who was known for his zeal in this latter 
 respect, left the chair now, taking the canon aside 
 to confer with him privately. Returning to the table 
 after a while, he said, " Our brother's advice is not 
 altogether to be despised, the rather that he is prepared 
 himself to take the avenger's part, if we provide him 
 with some men-at-arms. I request the reverend 
 members to reconsider the resolution arrived at ; I 
 move acceptance of the canon's offer.'' 
 
 The prebends remained silent, but eventually eight 
 rose for " Ayes," four only keeping their seats in token 
 of " No ! " Winkler's mortal enemy had triumphed. 
 Jealousy, wearing the mask of zeal for the Church, 
 had whetted the dagger, and was ready to plunge it 
 into the chaplain's faithful heart. 
 
 On the 19th of August, 1527, two travellers on 
 horseback entered the ' town of Aschaffenburg. 
 
 " God be praised that we have reached our journey's 
 
 s 
 
270 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 end ! " said the one who evidently stood in the rela- 
 tion of master to his companion. "I am tired to death. 
 The air is sultry and oppressive ; ever since yesterday 
 the horizon is heavy with thunder-clouds, the very look 
 of which is a weight to one's weariness." 
 
 "It is well we are under shelter now," responded 
 the servant. " The storm is about to break, methinks ; 
 see how low the swallows are flying, piping timorously, 
 and I noticed a lurid flash of lightning but a minute 
 si ace." 
 
 The two were passing beneath the archway leading 
 to the Elector's castle, and dismounting, left the bridle 
 to some attendant grooms. 
 
 "I fancy you had better make sure of the horses' 
 comfort, Nicholas," muttered the gentleman; "these 
 fellows don't look over-anxious to bestir themselves." 
 
 " Never fear about the horses, sir," returned Nicholas. 
 " I wish I could be as easy concerning yourself. God 
 save your reverence ! " 
 
 Shaking the dust from his mantle, the former replied 
 with a sigh, " I own I am oppressed, yet I will not fear, 
 for the Lord is my defence. If He holds me safe, men 
 cannot harm me." 
 
 Nicholas was left alone, and waited a long time for 
 his master's return ; there was a positive foreboding of 
 trouble weighing upon the faithful servant's heart, 
 which he tried to shake off, entering into conversation 
 with the electoral grooms. They were anxious enough 
 to learn all about him, and he saw no reason to hide 
 the fact that he was in attendance on his master, the 
 court-preacher, Magister Winkler of Halle, who had 
 come hither at his grace's desire on important busi- 
 ness. Concerning the nature of this business, however, 
 
A DEED OF DARKNESS. 2/1 
 
 he was silent, and was glad to withdraw presently, 
 preferring a lonely saunter about the town. 
 
 Returning, he recognised his master's figure in the 
 courtyard, and hastened up to him. " Oh, sir, how did 
 you fare ? " he asked. 
 
 The court chaplain looked another man, holding 
 out his hand to the faithful creature with a reassuring 
 smile. " All is well ! " he said. " His electoral grace 
 has received me most condescendingly, speaking to me 
 in aU kindness ; I have been desired to refrain from 
 preaching for the present, but it scarcely amounted 
 to a reproof. Nor has there been any reference to 
 my marriage — the fact may not be known here yet. 
 After to-morrow we will turn our horses' heads 
 homeward, I hope." 
 
 But Nicholas looked full of diffidence, remaining 
 silent. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " asked Winkler. " I thought 
 thou wouldest rejoice at the good news ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, I do," replied the man, absently. " I feel 
 strangely heavy at heart." 
 
 " It is the thunder, Nicholas ; a refreshing rain would 
 do us good." 
 
 "Yes, yes," said Nicholas, casting a troubled look 
 about him, adding, after a pause, "might the canon, 
 Conrad Hoffmann, be here too ? " 
 
 Winkler looked up surprised, " Hoffmann of Halle ? 
 How should he ? Why, he saw us off on our journey, 
 wishing us God speed ! Nor do I know what could 
 bring him hither." 
 
 " Neither do I, sir. But as I strolled about the town 
 just now I caught sight of a figure in the distance so 
 like the canon, but it vanished." 
 
 s 2 
 
272 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 " Does that trouble you ? even if it had been friend 
 Hofifmann ; however, it is scarcely probable." 
 
 " But " replied the man, a tremendous flash 
 
 of lightning cutting him short ; the courtyard seemed 
 enveloped in flames, an uproarious clap of thunder 
 burst overhead, master and servant running for shelter 
 within doors. 
 
 All through the night Winkler lay restless on his 
 couch. The events of the day kept passing and re- 
 passing through his mind, holding sleep aloof. His 
 thoughts grew anxious and troubled; his gladdened 
 hopes had fled; there seemed other things to be set 
 over against the unexpected leniency of his reception. 
 If Nicholas had seen right, if Conrad Hoffmann, the 
 canon of Halle, had really followed his footsteps, 
 arriving before him, what could it mean ? What busi- 
 ness had he here, of which he had not hinted a word 
 at their parting ? And again, the Elector's clemency, 
 the more than mildness of treatment he had met with at 
 the hands of the Chapter, how was he to take it ? If 
 that was all they desired his presence for, what need 
 was there to summon him to Aschaffenburg ? Was 
 it possible that all this was mere disguise, could more 
 and worse be behind ? 
 
 The more he thought over these things, the less 
 chance of rest he found ; his veins throbbed, his 
 heart beat anxiously, he could not shake off the feeling 
 of some unknown fear. 
 
 Towards morning he slept, but only that dreams 
 might add to his distress, vision chasing vision through 
 his soul ; at one time he saw his wife putting on her 
 mournful weeds ; and looking closer, it was not she, but 
 the canon in knightly accoutrements, and baring the 
 
A DEED OF DARKNESS. 273 
 
 sword; and then he felt as though fleeing for life 
 from threatening danger, but attempting to run, he 
 was rooted to the ground ; wanting to cry for help, he 
 could not produce a sound. Bathed in anguish, he 
 started up at last, and was thankful to see the morning. 
 
 Towards noon a Dominican friar came, requesting 
 his attendance in the provost's cell. 
 
 Complying on the spot, he found his reverence and 
 three of the prebends seated with bottles of wine. 
 Invited to join the jovial company, he could not but 
 sit down, but the fiery Cyprian of the electoral cellars 
 was as poison to his lips. Nevertheless, the merry 
 brethren knew how to draw him out, talking of this 
 and that, quite getting the better of his dejection. 
 
 It struck him to ask what they knew as to the 
 canon's presence in the town. But the provost shook 
 his head with all possible unconcern. " Who did you 
 say ? I know no one of this name." 
 
 Honest Winkler was misled. " I have wronged 
 them, after all," he said, and felt ready to ask their 
 forgiveness. 
 
 They inquired when he intended to quit the neigh- 
 bourhood, and learning that he hoped to set out the 
 following morning, they tried to dissuade him. " He 
 had better enjoy a little rest with them," they said ; 
 meeting his objection that he was being expected at 
 home by saying " Then let your servant ride in advance 
 of you and announce your coming." 
 
 He did not like the proposal, but somehow they 
 managed to prevail. 
 
 -They kept him all that day, making their company 
 as pleasant as possible. Again he thought : " Surely 
 I have wronged them in my heart ! '' But looking 
 
274 LUTHER AND FHE CARDINAL. 
 
 for his servant in the evening, the same strange 
 apprehension haunted him, needing an effort to 
 master it. 
 
 "Get thyself ready for the morning, Nicholas, to 
 return to Halle," he said. 
 
 " Myself ? " echoed Nicholas, looking up wondering. 
 "And what ahout yourself, sir ? " 
 
 " You may ride in advance of me," returned his 
 master. 
 
 " What is the matter, your reverence ? You look 
 sadly put out !■" 
 
 " I hardly can tell you ; depression wiU get the better 
 of one sometimes, you know ! " 
 
 " But why should you part with me ? Let me remain 
 ■ — let us journey together." 
 
 "Are you afraid to ride by yourself?" 
 
 " Do not make it a matter of jest ! It is not about 
 myself I am fearful — but you, sir, you ! " 
 
 " Set thyself at ease about me; one of the Elector's 
 men is to see me home." 
 
 " The Elector's men are not your Nicholas." 
 
 " Yes, yes, thou faithful soul, but let it be. It seems 
 a settled matter ; go thy way then, and take a greeting 
 to my wife." 
 
 The chaplain turned quickly like one not certain of 
 himself and walked away. 
 
 Nicholas with drooping arms gazed after him. " I 
 do not like that ; there is more behind. I do feel badly. 
 It can't be the thunder, for that is passed, and the sky 
 is blue enough. I wish we were safe at Halle, both 
 of us." 
 
 The honest servant heaved a great sigh, and went 
 to look after his horses. 
 
A DEED OF DARKNESS. 275 
 
 The following morning, mounted and ready to start, 
 he lingered in the courtyard, looking wistfully at his 
 master's window, anxious for a parting sign. The 
 magister, as though sensible of the gaze in the depth 
 of his chamber, came to the casement, waving his 
 hand. 
 
 And slowly Nicholas rode from the town — speed 
 seemed not his desire. 
 
 How happy looked the world at early dawn, each 
 little flower sparkled with laughter, though tearful with 
 the dew of conquered night. Nicholas saw it, but no 
 brightness rose within him ; trouble gathered at his 
 eyelids, and he cared not to brush away the glistening 
 tear. 
 
 Two days later there was again a departure at early 
 dawn. He who now rode forth from the electoral 
 archway at Aschaffenburg turned his horse's head in 
 the same direction as Nicholas had done. He rode 
 alone, but was followed at some distance by one of 
 his grace's grooms. 
 
 The traveller seemed anxious to gain ground ; the 
 day proved hot, but he thought not of saving his 
 horse, and the man behind him kept cursing his hurry. 
 
 At noon a wayside inn offered refreshment, but the 
 halt was of the shortest possible duration. 
 
 At sunset the churlish groom rode up alongside, say- 
 ing: "Lessen your speed, sir, for there is need to 
 think of the night's lodging. There is neither town 
 nor village within reach now, and I know of no inn 
 within miles; but a keeper's cottage must be here- 
 abouts, where we might find shelter, this being 
 electoral forest." 
 
276 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 " Thou art mistaken, friend," returned the traveller. 
 " I rode this way but shortly, though in opposite 
 direction; we cannot be far of a certain village. I 
 was the vicar's guest coming hither, and promised 
 him to avail myself of his hospitality on my return. 
 He will be glad to take us in, I know." 
 
 The groom gave a growl. "If you are so certain 
 of the way, sir chaplain, my attendance could have 
 been dispensed with." 
 
 Winkler pulled up, saying after a while, "Well, 
 then, take the lead." 
 
 The groom spurred his horse, the two riders dis- 
 appearing in the dark of the crime-haunted Spessart. 
 
 The moon stole up the sky, casting quivering beams 
 through the pine-wood, the shadows gliding like spectres 
 between the boles. On and on they rode, but no keeper's 
 cottage beckoned welcome through the dismal night. 
 
 " I seem to have missed my way," muttered the 
 menial at last. " We must make the best of it ! " 
 
 "But I had rather not camp out," returned the 
 court chaplain, plainly. "I can still hold out — let 
 us push on." 
 
 " I follow your pleasure," said the groom, " I am 
 not tired ; " and he pulled his horse's rein. 
 
 There was a sound as of breaking brushwood, sending 
 a shiver through the chaplain's frame. 
 
 It was but a deer, startled from its lair, bounding 
 across their path. 
 
 Another minute and the same noise was repeated — 
 not by a dappled fugitive this time ; there were sounds 
 of horses' hoofs and a clanking of armour. Three 
 horsemen broke from the underwood, the fitful moon- 
 light giving but uncertain outlines. 
 
A DEED OF DARKNESS 2/7 
 
 M agister Winkler peered at the shadowy apparitions ; 
 they were upon him, and pierced by their swords he 
 sank to the ground. 
 
 One of the murderers, jumping from his horse, bent 
 over him, hissing, " God's justice confound thee, hateful 
 heretic ! " 
 
 " Ah, is it you, Conrad Hoffman ? " gasped the bleeding 
 chaplain. " May He have mercy on your soul ! " 
 
 Another thrust, and the martyred confessor was with 
 his Lord. 
 
 Silence was left to guard the spot — the tree-tops 
 bending their heads to the wind, the moonlight casting 
 a glory on the forsaken corpse. 
 
 The Lady Adelaide, the magister's newly-wedded 
 wife, sat lonely in her chamber awaiting her husband's 
 return. Day after day passed, and the minutes were as 
 hours to her longing love. 
 
 At last, on the tenth day after her lord's departure, 
 she beheld Nicholas riding up the street. 
 
 She started in happy delight. But what can be the 
 matter ? It is Nicholas by himself, comLug slowly, not 
 raising his head. 
 
 A cry of anguish burst from her lips, she dared not 
 run to meet the messenger, although the latter seemed 
 hours iu ascending the stairs. 
 
 At last he entered ; a terrible fear clutched at hei 
 heart, overspreading her face with a ghastly pallor. 
 
 " Where is your master — my husband ? " she gasped. 
 
 The faithful servant could but cover his face, sobbiag 
 like a child. 
 
 But he must not give way to his own grief, the 
 
278 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 poor young wife had to be thought of who lay fainting 
 at his feet. 
 
 It was long before she recovered. Her sorrow-boding 
 heart had guessed the worst before the servant found 
 strength to open his mouth. But no — his account, 
 given at last amid sobs and tears, was far beyond 
 her most fearful apprehension. 
 
 " Unwillingly I did his bidding," said Nicholas, " when 
 he commanded me to ride in advance, to return without 
 him. My horse made way but slowly, I did not care to 
 spur it on. Having arrived at the second night's 
 quarters, I resolved not to proceed further, but to* abide 
 his coming — he had said he would come after me 
 shortly. But a day passed, and another day, and he 
 came not. On the third morning I could rest no 
 longer, T returned on my steps ; and behold, at no 
 great distance, where the gloomy forest skirts the high 
 road, I came upon a crowd of villagers : ' A man has 
 been found murdered in the wood ! ' they cried — ' look, 
 where they bring him ! ' I went nearer — and looked 
 him in the face — and " 
 
 Adelaide gave a heart-rending cry : " My husband — 
 murdered — ah me ! " A merciful swoon enveloped the 
 broken heart. 
 
CHAPTEE XXV. 
 
 CONSCIENCE. 
 
 " What news is this, provost ? Is it thus you mis- 
 understood and abused our trust ? An honest verdict 
 I requested from the High Chapter, a straightforward 
 judgment, however severe, but not secret assassination. 
 All the world will point at the Elector of Mainz. 
 Luther especially will roar louder than ever — methinks 
 I hear him already." 
 
 With these words, and feeling anxious not a little. 
 Cardinal Albrecht burst into the apartment of the 
 provost of his cathedral at Mainz. 
 
 This latter worthy must have been prepared for 
 some such greeting, for he was not in the least discon- 
 certed by the sudden reproach, answering blandly : 
 "Your electoral grace wrongs me, surely, and enter- 
 tains most needless anxiety. I have not decided on the 
 matter by myself, the whole Chapter did sit in judg- 
 ment, and the verdict was not given without fullest 
 consideration. Indeed, our first resolution had been to 
 the effect that the heretic should be immured for life in 
 some convent, when a canon of Halle arrived, Conrad 
 Hoffmann by name, who made us view things differently, 
 
28o LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 offering himself to carry out the sentence. Your grace 
 is right in this, that it was done in the dead of night ; 
 but, I would ask, has not the Vehm itself again and 
 again made use of the secret dagger, nor ever lifting 
 the veil from her jurisdiction ? And yet the people 
 call it the holy Vehm. Supposing a hue and cry were 
 raised concerning the matter, suspicion would never 
 touch your electoral grace ! All the world knows that 
 the High Chapter of Maiuz was intrusted with the 
 business. If any have to bear the brunt, it is we, and 
 not your grace. But who will dare to attack even the 
 Chapter ? Can we not prove that the accused left us 
 unscathed to return to his home ? People will have to 
 be satisfied with the apparent fact that the good man 
 fell a victim to some murderous highwayman of the 
 Spessart, or, it might have been, to private revenge. 
 The Lady Adelaide whom he wedded has brothers, wo 
 hear, who hated him for the marriage, seeing that they 
 are of ancient nobility, and he was a nobody. There 
 are all sorts of possibilities, you see, why the man who 
 had left us should never reach home." 
 
 The Elector was not exactly satisfied with this argu- 
 mentation, nor could it allay his fears. People most 
 probably would point to him, he repeated, and Doctor 
 Martin would do so for a certainty. 
 
 He retired to his innermost chambers, communing 
 with solitude. Margaret only dared venture near 
 him, and it added to his oppression that even she had 
 no comfort in his strait. 
 
 His nights offered no solace, for sleep was troubled, 
 and dreams were alarming. He tried to quiet his con- 
 science with all manner of subterfuge, but conscience 
 spoke with a voice of its own and took no denial : 
 
cur^aciMNCE. 281 
 
 " Thou art guilty of this man's death," it said, '' or at 
 least thou hast brought him to it ! Why wouldest thou 
 not judge him in his own place ? why didst thou call 
 him to Aschaffenhurg ? Yes, why ? " 
 
 His distress only increased, his courage forsook him. 
 "Send for Doctor Rtihel," he said one morning; "I 
 want him." 
 
 He could hardly await the councillor's arrival, and no 
 sooner was he present than the Elector plunged into 
 matters. " You must write a letter to Martin Luther, 
 in order to anticipate the storm he will most certainly 
 raise ; he will he sure to attack me all the more un- 
 sparingly, now he has the semblance of right on his 
 side. Write forthwith, and despatch our fleetest 
 messenger ! " 
 
 Riihel obeyed the behest. He was glad to hear the 
 Elector assert his innocence ; and being himself on a 
 friendly footing with Luther he hoped the best of the 
 letter in question. But all at once the thought struck 
 him as strange that the Elector should take matters so 
 quietly and do nothing towards bringing the murderei 
 to justice. He was courageous, or, as it might be, 
 audacious enough, to express his doubts to Albrecht. 
 
 The Elector was taken aback, but said, after a 
 moment's reflection : " Do not imagine that we are 
 inactive, though it should appear so. We believe to be 
 more certain of results by means of secret investigation." 
 
 Riihel was satisfied, although he might have noticed 
 the Elector's diffidence. The latter, however, took the 
 councillor's hint, and determined to cite the Canon 
 Hoffmann to his presence, in order to take his deposition 
 himself, feeling somehow distrustful of the provost's 
 account. 
 
282 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 That same day an arctiiepiscopal messenger was 
 despatched to Halle. 
 
 He must have been well mounted, for as early as 
 the sixth day he returned, presenting himself to the 
 Elector. 
 
 "Where is the canon ? " demanded Albrecht hastily. 
 
 The messenger with an obeisance made answer : 
 "So please your grace, I could not but come without 
 him. For learning your desire, the canon grew white, 
 but promised to prepare himself for the journey with- 
 out delay. But on the following morning, as I stood 
 waiting for him to join me, I perceived a sudden com- 
 motion among the people, there was a running to and 
 fro, and terror spoke from all faces. Presently one of 
 them came to me saying : ' You must return by your- 
 self, master. Canon Hoffmann has just been found 
 with a broken neck.' " 
 
 The Elector shook perceptibly, his lips blanching. 
 But Margaret held up her hands, exclaiming : " God's 
 justice in heaven ! The world will know now who 
 murdered the chaplain ! " 
 
 The Elector gave her a half-smile, but seemed hardly 
 to share her satisfaction. The shadow was not lifted 
 from his brow when he retired to his solitude. 
 
 The whole of Halle was overcast with sorrow at the 
 news of the ruthless deed. The hoiise of the murdered 
 man seemed a very place of pilgrimage ; all were 
 anxious to express their sympathy to the widow, tears 
 flowed abundantly, and the cry of mourning went up 
 to heaven. The flock who loved the Gospel had lost 
 their shepherd, their stay on whom they leaned, and 
 reproachful words were spoken of the Cardinal. Even 
 
{sujsaciENCE. 283 
 
 such of the citizens who remained in the bonds of 
 popery felt aggrieved and walked in silence. 
 
 It was towards the end of September when the 
 people pressed to the " Ratskeller," women and chil- 
 dren even joining the gathering of men, for it had 
 become known that there had arrived from Doctor 
 Martin a " Consolation to the Christian People of Halle 
 concerning the death of Magister George, their 
 Preacher." 
 
 The assembly listened in breathless silence when the 
 venerable clerk of the council read the letter with 
 ringing voice. 
 
 " Grace and peace in Christ Jesus, our Lord and 
 Saviour. Amen. 
 
 " I have intended for some time to write to your love, 
 exhortation, and comfort against the trouble which 
 Satan hath done to you by the murderous death to 
 which he brought the good and pious Magister George, 
 robbing you thereby of your faithful minister, and of 
 the Word of God. I have been prevented hitherto by 
 various reasons, more especially by my weakness, and 
 although I have hardly got over it, I cannot delay 
 further. And albeit we would not console ourselves 
 concerning such matter, it would on the other hand be 
 most unrighteous to pass in silence this infamous and 
 treacherous murder, to bury as it were the blood that 
 was spilt which is a witness for the Word of God. 
 Therefore I will put it into writ, helping it to call and 
 raise up a cry to heaven, that such deed of murder be 
 never suppressed until God, the Merciful Father and 
 righteous Judge, hath heard the cry as He heard the 
 blood of Abel, and until He hath righted the cause, 
 avenging it on the murderer and corrupter, the old 
 
284 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 enemy who hath done this; and until He hath so 
 ordered it that the blood of Magister George be a Divine 
 seed bringing fruit an hundred-fold, so that in the 
 place of the one murdered George there be a hundred 
 preachers of righteousness, who will do a thousand 
 times more grief and hurt to Satan than the one 
 magister has been able. 
 
 " But to you, and all of us, dear friends, shall be this 
 comfort : firstly, that we should nowise be surprised 
 concerning such murder and evil deed upon earth, for 
 the devU is a murderer and a liar from the beginning. 
 Let this be the first part of our consolation : that we do 
 know who is the real murderer, although we cannot 
 know for certain who are the men that commanded it, 
 or whose are the fists and weapons which did it. For 
 I hear much talking concerning the innocence of the 
 Archbishop of Mainz, which I heartily desire may be 
 true, and will so accept it. Indeed, I rather believe it 
 is the Chapter of Mainz which brought about this 
 murder ; seeing that they have had in their mind 
 much greater murd^er, intending in their deadly counsel 
 to set the German princes at one another, by means 
 of the Emperor Charles, drowning the whole of 
 Germany in murder and in blood. Now those who 
 would not hesitate to bring a whole country to murder 
 and bloodshed, will take it lightly that a poor magister 
 should be brought to death. Such are they, those 
 ghostly holy folk, who with their masses and prayers 
 will keep up Christianity, and yet are able to sacrifice 
 the whole world to the devil, who is the murderer of 
 old. It was by the work of such assassins, I deem, 
 that many priests have been found drowned in the 
 Rhine, no man knowing who did it. Continue your 
 
CONSCIENCE. 285 
 
 work, then, ye murderers and assassins, ye follow a 
 righteous road, even as Cain did ! Was his deed sup- 
 pressed in silence ? It will be with you then, as it was 
 with him, whoever you be, your murder will be kept 
 dark and secret, known by no one save those who now 
 know the murderer of righteous Abel. Well then, this 
 I mention, it is Satan who hath done it ; the Chapter of - 
 Mainz I cannot accuse for a certainty ; but I will say 
 this : unless they do their utmost that the true murderer 
 be looked for and brought to justice, they will be guilty 
 of the deed, if they have not actually commanded it. 
 Let them laugh at it if they can. They shall be called 
 assassins and murderous thieves ; villains they are who 
 have broken the public peace, if they let a man be 
 murdered without trial and judgment, and do nothing 
 to avenge it. 
 
 " We have comfort, secondly, in this : that the pious 
 Magister George fell a victim to his obedience to 
 authority. It was his master who had summoned him 
 away from Halle, and he counted not his life, although 
 evil forebodings would dissuade him ; in this we may say 
 that he followed his true Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and like Him was obedient even unto death. Yea, not 
 only was he obedient, but he loved and honoured his 
 earthly master faithfully with body and life ; for I have 
 heard tell how wondrously true he was to his bishop in 
 the peasants' rebellion, and that he, the Archbishop, 
 fairly loved him for it. This then is the good man's 
 reward ! 
 
 " But, thirdly, he hath been murdered not only in 
 obedient service of his earthly ruler, but hath died 
 for the Gospel, for that part of it chiefly which would 
 have the sacrament administered as the Lord hath 
 
286 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 commanded, not forbidding the cup. A great fire must 
 flare up at this, for Satan and all his murderers see the 
 need of stopping such proceeding ; so they enticed him 
 away beyond his own diocese of Magdeburg, into another 
 to whose jurisdiction he nowise belonged, and not only 
 this, but have him murdered secretly and treacherously 
 on the way. 
 
 " I pray you, therefore, and exhort you, to commit this 
 matter, for which you justly grieve and are troubled, 
 to Him who judges right, even as St. Peter saith that 
 Christ Himself hath done ; bear ill-will or hatred to no 
 one, speak no evil, curse not, and desire not revenge, but 
 pray ye for the murderers. 
 
 " Let your love accept this exhortation in good part 
 as I give it ; Christ surely will direct your hearts and 
 advise you by His Holy Spirit, teaching you what to do 
 now and alway. For it cannot be otherwise than what 
 saith the Scripture : ' We must through much tribulation 
 enter the kingdom of God.' It cannot be that our Lord 
 Christ should die on the cross and wear the crown of 
 thorns, and we be saved straightway in sheer pleasure 
 and delight. Christ, our Lord and Saviour, be with you 
 with His grace ! Amen." 
 
 " Amen ! " responded the assembly, separating in 
 silence. Doctor Martin's comfort accompanying them 
 to their homes. 
 
 But if the Christian people of Halle were cheered by 
 this letter of Martin Luther, it nowise tended to edify 
 ■the great Cardinal, who heard of it ; yet in his heart he 
 ■could not but be thankful that Luther had not dealt 
 worse with him ; and Councillor Eiihel was taken into 
 special favour. 
 
CONSCIENCE. 287 
 
 But the Cardinal's lightness of heart would not come 
 back to him — it was a lingering shadow which the 
 dreadful deed trailed behind it. 
 
 What bodes the light in the castle of Aschaffenburg, 
 gleaming from the chamber where she sleeps who is 
 Albrecht's darling ? Why step her women so fearfully ? 
 What is it they whisper of the dread in their hearts ? 
 What is it that has hushed those halls, where joy and 
 pleasure dwelt, and trouble seemed forbidden to enter ? 
 Margaret has been struck down in the freshness of life, 
 suddenly and without a warning ; the fire has gone out 
 from those eyes, the roses have faded from her lips ; on 
 her cheeks they linger, adding bloom to bloom ; but the 
 physicians do not like that brightness, watching the 
 fever in helpless despair, yet showing the face of hope 
 to the anxious Cardinal. But two days since she was 
 in the very flower of youth and happiness, Albrecht's 
 delight, smoothing away care and trouble from his 
 forehead by her sparkling gaiety, ever ready to enfold 
 him in the sweetness of her charms — and now ? What 
 is life, indeed, and the beauty and power thereof ? 
 
 The Cardinal held by the falsest of hopes, he would 
 not, he could not think that it might be an illness 
 unto death. Yet so it was — early in the morning the 
 dreaded spectre broke upon his slumbers — " She is 
 gone," they said. 
 
 He tried to rouse from what he believed a fearful 
 dream. " She is dead ! " they repeated. 
 
 Albrecht was terribly shaken ; the strong man could 
 scarcely summon strength to go to her chamber. In 
 silence and with bloodless cheeks he sat by the couch 
 of death ; none dared approach him, none dared offer 
 
 T 2 
 
288 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 a word of comfort. Part of the following night, too, he 
 spent in a lonely watch by the dead. With myrtles 
 they had decked her, and the lonesome light of 
 consecrated tapers lit up her shroud. 
 
 " How he must have loved her ! " his people whispered. 
 " How pitiful to see the strong man cast down with 
 grief!" 
 
 But little they guessed what was the sorest sting of 
 his grief ! Little they knew that there was more than 
 the loss of her he had loved ; that the heart could not bear 
 up under its trouble, because conscience stood by his 
 dead, showing him the loss in the light of punishment — 
 he was overtaken, the voice said, by the Avenger of 
 blood. 
 
 Sadly the bearers had clothed themselves in the garb 
 of mourning, the last of autumnal leaves fell slowly 
 to the ground, some few remaining flowerets of the 
 season stood shrivelled by the wayside — fit witnesses of 
 the sorrowful procession on its way from Aschaffenburg 
 to Halle. Slowly and sadly they bore her through 
 field and forest, whence the glory had departed. Once 
 more and for the last time the Cardinal took her the 
 well-known way to his eastern residence. More splendid 
 than ever was the pride of her surroundings, but the 
 golden shell was a coffin, the costly silks a shroud ; her 
 eye saw nothing of it all, she was gone, and for ever. 
 
 Mournfully the procession moved through the streets 
 of HaUe towards the magnificent cathedral. The 
 citizens stood aloof, silent and thoughtful. The vener- 
 able clerk of the council, meeting a like-minded friend, 
 said reverently, "He that hath ears to hear, let him 
 hear, for the Lord hath spoken." 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 FRESH ENDEAVOURS. 
 
 Two years had passed. During the Cardinal's pro- 
 longed absence the good seed had grown and multiplied 
 at Halle. The murdered witness of the Gospel had not 
 found a successor in the city itself, but round about the 
 Word was being preached ; at Eisleben, at Brehna and 
 other villages, the glad tidings could be heard, and 
 thither went those whose hearts were prepared for the 
 truth. 
 
 The Cardinal perceived the increase, and again he 
 determined with spiritual weapons to fight the Reform- 
 ation ; he had first made the effort when the collegiate 
 foundation was called to life. 
 
 At the hostelry of the " Golden Lamb " one hot July 
 day of 1529, two worthy citizens of Halle were sitting 
 on the window bench, looking abroad through the 
 lozenge panes. The eye commanded a considerable 
 prospect, from the new cathedral in the foreground 
 to the gloomy walls of the hospital of St. Cyriace 
 beyond. 
 
 " There, you see now that they are going to do it," 
 said the one, a stocking-weaver, to his companion, a 
 
290 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 blacksmith. '•' They are beginning to pull down the 
 hospital. Surely the building might have served a 
 decent purpose for many a year to come. But, since 
 the Cardinal has procured the Emperor's patent of 
 nobility for Schonitz, appointing him his lord chamber- 
 lain besides, a desperate spirit has taken possession of 
 the trader ; he must aye be pulling down, and building 
 anew, not by any means to the certain gain of the 
 city." 
 
 " Yes, yes," replied the blacksmith. " Schonitz is the 
 incarnate wandering Jew of late, he cannot rest for a 
 moment. I dare say the Cardinal finds him useful, 
 for he is ever ready to procure money ; and he has a 
 knack of pleasing his master, pandering to all sorts of 
 amusements which one had better not mention. Many 
 of our people have taken a dislike to Schonitz, and he 
 has made himself downright enemies by his wheedling 
 St. Lambart's out of the Cardinal, turning the ancient 
 chapel into a dwelling-house for himself The Lords 
 of Hagedorn and Gumprecht especially hate him for it, 
 for they loved the little chapel which had been endowed 
 by their ancestors. It is a shame, too, that the very 
 place which once echoed with pious chanting should 
 now be the all-powerful chamberlain's residence — a 
 proud residence, forsooth, to which he has added a 
 secret entrance for the Cardinal, leading to a private 
 chamber of surpassing splendour, they say. Heaven 
 knows what that may be for, and why his grace should 
 need a secret entrance ! The people have taken offence 
 too that the Cardinal will no longer have the dead 
 buried in the time-honoured churchyards within the 
 city, but has ordered a cemetery to be erected right 
 away on the Martinsberg. The dear old churchyards of 
 
FRESH ENDEA VOURS. 291 
 
 St. Mary's, St. Gertrude's, St. Ulricli's, and St. Maurice's 
 have actually been levelled, the town's traffic now 
 passing over the resting-place of her departed children. 
 It is sacrilege, I say." 
 
 Master Isaac, the stocking-weaver, shook his head. 
 " No, I would not blame that," he said. " I have been 
 told, and can well believe it, that it is bad for the living 
 to have the dead buried in their midst. Those which 
 are gone care little where they sleep ; they are very 
 peaceful, methinks, in the new cemetery.. But I agree 
 with you concerning that business of St. Lambaxt's. It 
 is not well that his grace thus deals with consecrated 
 ground. I have heard it rumoured that Schonitz is to 
 have St. Nicholas's as well." 
 
 Simon, the blacksmith, struck his fist upon the 
 window-sill, so that the panes quivered and the mortar 
 crumbled from the walls. " This is beyond endurance ! " 
 he cried ; " the town council must interfere ! " 
 
 " Much interference there will be," interposed Master 
 Isaac, " while Peter Silktail is in the chair ; he is too 
 anxious to please the Cardinal, I know." 
 
 " Then the citizens must interfere," continued the 
 blacksmith angrily. 
 
 The stocking- weaver smiled grimly. " It will be no 
 use, I tell you. How should the Cardinal reward his 
 faithful servant ? Money is scarce, so he pays him in 
 chapels." 
 
 A tremendous crash here disturbed the speaker. 
 
 " Look there ! " he cried, " the roof will be down in 
 a minute." 
 
 A man entered the room, asking for a drink of beer. 
 
 " We make you welcome, Master Builder ! " exclaimed 
 the smith sarcastically ; " Master Puller-down, we should 
 
292 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 say. I suppose it is warm work, and you find you are 
 getting dry ? " 
 
 " To be sure," returned the builder ; " one has to 
 swallow a good deal of dust when such walls are 
 giving way." 
 
 " And why should they give way ? " queried Simon 
 sharply. "They would have stood well enough but 
 for your crowbars." 
 
 " I dare say," said the work-master, paying attention 
 to his beer. • 
 
 " I should like to know," continued the smith, " what 
 will be the upshot. Is the foundation going to be 
 enlarged ? " 
 
 " Indeed it is," was the answer ; " a university is 
 to be added. I understand it is a pet plan of his 
 grace's." 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! " laughed Master Simon. " I see ! I see ! 
 My Lord Cardinal thinks it a pity that the lecture 
 halls at Wittenberg are fuU to overflowing; he would 
 kindly make room for some of the students here. Is 
 that it ? " 
 
 " That is not my business," returned the builder 
 testily ; " my duty is to see to the work being done." 
 
 " Yes, yes ; build away ! " sneered Simon. " The owls 
 and crows will thank you for a place they can haunt." 
 
 But now the work-master rose in a passion. " Take 
 care of your tongue ! " he cried. " You might rue it 
 if his grace came to know." 
 
 He emptied his jug and walked away without taking 
 further notice. 
 
 "Indeed you had better be warned," remarked the 
 stocking-weaver ; " it is unwise to say all one thinks. 
 Look, there goes the lord chamberlain and the work- 
 
FRESH ENDEA VOURS. 293 
 
 master at his elbow ; see if he does not repeat to him 
 every word you said ! " 
 
 " I dou't care ! " cried the smith. " I don't care a fig 
 for Schonitz ! " 
 
 The two men left the hostelry. 
 
 They directed their steps towards the market-place. 
 Arriving near the lord chamberlain's house, they came 
 upon a crowd of people gazing at the roof of St. Mary's. 
 Astride on the backbone of the church sat some men 
 beginning to take off the tiles. 
 
 " The foul fiend fetch them ! " cried Simon, with 
 terrific intonation. " Is the whole town to come down, 
 or what is it ? Is it possible that they are pulling 
 down St. Mary's as well ? " 
 
 " It would seem so," said Isaac quietly ; " and sure it 
 is a pity. What can his grace be thinking of to destroy 
 so fine a church ? " 
 
 " What is it to him," returned the smith petulantly, 
 " so long as it pleases his fancy ? " 
 
 The two men joined the crowd at the base of the 
 building. The mass of the people were of the smith's 
 mind, and were loud in disapprobation, those of the 
 Elector's party not daring to raise a word of contra- 
 diction, there being many among the dissatisfied whose 
 position entitled them to 'respect. 
 
 At an upper window of the lord chamberlain's 
 house sat Dame Magdalen Schonitz, the wife of the 
 Elector's favourite, a lovely woman with auburn hair, 
 and large, wondrously thoughtful eyes. Her gar- 
 ment was of the simplest kind, a white lace ruffle 
 brightening the plain woollen tire, a neat little cap 
 confining the wavy tresses. She had her youngest 
 
294 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 child on her lap and gazed dreamily upon the market- 
 place. 
 
 " Look, mother, there are men upon the roof," said 
 the curly-headed boy, " what are they doing ? " 
 
 "They are beginning to pull down the church," 
 replied the mother. 
 
 " But why ? " asked the little fellow wonderingly. 
 
 " Mother cannot tell you, my child," said Dame 
 Magdalen wistfully ; " you must ask your father." 
 
 Schonitz had just entered the room, smiling upon wife 
 and child. 
 
 " Did you hear the question ? " asked the young 
 wife. " I should like you to tell us both, dear husband. 
 How can the Elector pull down the church which is an 
 ornament to the town ? It makes one's heart ache 
 to see it." 
 
 " Don't let it ache, wifie," said Hans von Schonitz 
 pleasantly. " Enough that it is the Cardinal's desire ; 
 no doubt he knows what he is about. See how 
 the two churches, St. Mary's and St. Gertrude's, are 
 standing in a row, separated by a passage merely, as 
 though they had been shot out of a double-barrelled 
 gun ; it is surprising that those who built them could 
 do such a foolish thing. One of them must go. Our 
 Lady's is to make room for St. Gertrude's enlargement. 
 You will be satisfied presently." 
 
 But Dame Magdalen shook her head. " St. Gertrude's 
 is far more fit to give way, decrepit with age as it 
 is. Why don't they rather think of enlarging that 
 beautiful church of Our Lady's ? " 
 
 " How should women understand ? " said Schonitz 
 impatiently. 
 
 But Dame Magdalen would have her say. " Look at 
 
FRESH ENDEA VOURS. 295 
 
 the people," she went on, pointing to the crowd beneath, 
 " they do not seem to like it any more than I. And 
 it is not only the plain citizens; I perceive there 
 are magistrates and members of the nobility among 
 them. I see the venerable Lord of Hagedorn, who 
 still is aggrieved concerning St. Lambart's, and 
 there " 
 
 " Do leave them alone," interrupted Schonitz, showing 
 annoyance. " We all know that HaUe is full of people 
 ready to take umbrage at anything the Cardinal might 
 decide upon." 
 
 But still Dame Magdalen continued : " That may be 
 so, and yet I cannot approve the Cardinal's action. 
 Is it wise to be pulling down when the old faith every- 
 where is shaking on its foundation ? St. Maurice's has 
 been despoiled of its riches, Cloister Neuwerk has been 
 forced to yield its authority, a number of chapels have 
 been demolished, St. Mary's is in a like damnation, 
 St. Ulrich's to all appearance too. Whither are we 
 going ? " 
 
 " You talk as a foolish woman," said Schonitz rudely. 
 "Better keep to your own concerns, and tell me 
 whether my commands have been obeyed, and whether 
 the private chamber is quite ready now. Have the 
 Flemish carpets been laid down ? " 
 
 " Not yet, my husband," replied the lady, somewhat 
 embarrassed. " Surely the Elector is not thinking of 
 returning just yet." 
 
 " But I desire my behests to be carried into effect 
 without delay," said the chamberlain overbearingly. 
 " Follow me ; you will see to it at once. I am anxious 
 to have the place completed." 
 
 Husband and wife, through a long dark passage, 
 
296 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 reached the side wing of their dwelling and entered a 
 spacious apartment, the splendour of which outshone 
 every other room in the house, although there was no 
 lack of comfort or even luxury in the whilom chapel. 
 The ceiling was richly carved, a deep red crystal 
 chandelier hanging suspended from the centre. The 
 walls were covered with frescoes, Bacchus and Aphro- 
 dite being the ever-recurring theme. There was a 
 table in the midst, with twelve chairs of finely carved 
 oak, soft velvet ottomans filling every available space, 
 white damask curtains half hiding the entrance to a 
 smaller apartment. 
 
 Two servants now brought the Flemish carpets in- 
 tended to add comfort to the floor, which consisted of 
 square flags, blue and white. 
 
 Dame Magdalen viewed the preparations silently, 
 casting shy glances at her husband, who seemed to 
 enjoy the prospect. " The Cardinal will take pleasure 
 in the sanctuary raised for him by, the hand of his 
 servant," he said, quite elated. 
 
 But the wife answered, with a sigh : " Do you call 
 that a sanctuary, where the Lord in heaven can never 
 be worshipped, since it is destined to the lusts of the 
 flesh ? " 
 
 Schonitz frowned. " You seem particularly bent on 
 annoying me ! " he cried. " There are sanctuaries of all 
 kinds ; Bacchus and Venus have theirs. And if great 
 rulers delight in aught, it is not the business of such 
 as you and I to inquire too closely. If there is a 
 responsibility, let it be theirs." 
 
 " True," replied the wife, " we need not be responsible. 
 But how if we pander to their desires ? And there is 
 another thing troubling me — that the Elector should 
 
FRESH ENDEA VO URS. 297 
 
 make an instrument of you for the filling of his 
 pockets ; that he is deep in your debt is the lesser 
 grief, but the constant taxation you have recourse to 
 has gained you much ill-will, and I doubt me how you 
 may fare, if ever the Estates should demand a render- 
 ing of accounts. Supposing they thought of examining 
 the exchequer ; and if there should be discrepancies, 
 whose do you think would be the blame ? Oh, my 
 husband, great is the favour you have attained, but do 
 not lay it to your soul too fondly ! The love of princes 
 is no enviable possession ; how many a favoured one 
 has lived to rue it ! " 
 
 But that did not serve to smooth the husband's 
 ruffled temper. " Leave me alone ! " he cried ; " your 
 head is full of maggots to-day. I tell you the Cardinal 
 is a gracious master, and just to boot. The world would 
 come to an end before he proves false to his trusted 
 servant. And moreover, he has too often taken me 
 into his secret, he owes me too much too, to be able 
 to cast me off. That alone is a safeguard." 
 
 Dame Magdalen could but sigh, and presently left 
 the chamber to return to her children. 
 
 /Hans von Schonitz continued in thought. His wife's 
 warning had made a deeper impression than he cared 
 to own. He felt oppressed, the room seemed stifling. 
 " What if there were a danger after all ? " he solilo- 
 quised; "is it not written somewhere, 'Put not thy 
 trust in princes'? But no, this is foolish woman's 
 prate. Art become a woman too, Hans von Schonitz ? " 
 He shook, holding forth his hands, as though to ward off 
 the imagined catastrophe, and left the chamber quickly. 
 At a front window he stood presently, watching the 
 workpeople dismantling St. Mary's. The crowd had 
 
298 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 dispersed, a few loiterers only remained in the market- 
 place. 
 
 " The populace is easily moved," he said to himself, 
 " but their excitement is as a straw-fire, which is soon 
 burnt out. We will hurry on matters now, and begin 
 to improve St. Gertrude's, that the Cardinal may 
 delight in returning to Halle, and praise his faithful 
 chamberlain." 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 TIGHTENING THE REIN, 
 
 The Cardinal's had been a prolonged absence, and 
 great things had happened. The Imperial Diet had sat 
 at Spires and again at Augsburg, the Gospel at both 
 gaining ground. At Spires the popish princes demanded 
 of the Lutherans to abstain from all further attempts at 
 reformation ; but the lovers of the Gospel came forward 
 with a solemn protestation, whence the appellation Pro- 
 testants, Their enemies meant it in sarcasm, but they 
 themselves accepted the designation as their badge of 
 honour. The document was signed by Elector John of 
 Saxony, Landgrave Philip of Hesse, Markgrave George 
 of Brandenburg, Prince Wolfgang of Anhalt, both the 
 Dukes of Liineburg and fourteen towns. 
 
 The Emperor imprisoned the deputation sent to him 
 with the memorable document ; but he was mistaken if 
 he believed thereby to intimidate the Protestants. They 
 repeated boldly that they had bound themselves to- 
 gether as one man to stand by the truth for better or 
 for worse. 
 
 The rescript inviting the princes and Estates to meet 
 at Augsburg in 1530 struck a note of conciliation ; once 
 
300 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 more the Emperor would try to come to terms with the 
 Protestants, Whereupon the Elector of Saxony called 
 his theologians to Torgau, that they should draw up a 
 set of clear, concise articles giving the chief points of 
 Protestant faith and longing : the Emperor should know 
 plainly that the Lutherans were not guilty of the black 
 wickedness imputed to them, but men who cared for 
 religion truly. Thus originated the Articles of Torgau ; 
 and as the Emperor delayed his arrival, Melancthon 
 worked them out further, producing a full confession 
 which should be read at the Diet of Augsburg. 
 
 The Emperor, however, meanwhile had yielded to the 
 instigations of those about him ; he began by refusing 
 a hearing of the said articles; the Protestants should 
 be satisfied with his arbitration. But they were not 
 satisfied, and the Imperial Majesty was obliged to give 
 way. 
 
 On the 25th of June the famous confession was read, 
 not, however, in the great hall of the Diet, but in the 
 chapter-room, which was not large enough to admit 
 many of the estates. The two chancellors of Electoral 
 Saxony, Doctor Beier and Doctor Briick, stood up at the 
 bar, the one with a German, the other with a Latin copj 
 of the document. The Emperor desired a reading in 
 Latin, which the Elector of Saxony opposed with the 
 courageous words : " We are Germans on German soil, 
 and hope your Majesty will allow us to speak in our 
 own tongue." 
 
 The confession being read, the Emperor took both 
 copies into his keeping, not a safe keeping, since they 
 were lost, and not a trace of them coiild afterwards be 
 found. 
 
 Those present had listened attentively, many a frown 
 
CHAELES V. 
 
 .■irtir Tilinn. 
 
TIGHTENING THE REIN. 303 
 
 giving way to an expression of relief, for Melancthon, 
 the prudent man wlio could step so gently, had framed 
 the articles of Protestant belief in such a manner that 
 only those could be offended whose hatred sought for 
 offence. There were many who owned it openly that 
 they had lost much of their prejudice against the 
 Lutheran faith, William of Nassau joining the Protes- 
 tants on the spot. This confessing of their faith in 
 ■ common greatly tended to strengthen and uphold the 
 Protestant princes ; they felt they had spoken, had shown 
 to the Emperor and the assembled Estates that they 
 were no rebels and no heathen, but faithful subjects and 
 true-hearted followers of the Gospel. That fearless 
 confession, moreover, reacted as a power of growth on 
 the Protestants ; it created a bond of brotherhood among 
 them, and a feeling in each individual believer that he 
 was personally bound to the great cause, at any cost, at 
 any sacrifice. 
 
 For the present their courage bad gained them the 
 Emperor's unwilling respect ; he did not venture to 
 break with them openly. 
 
 Charles V. indeed was anxious to arrive at a com- 
 promise ; but efforts in this direction remained abortive, 
 the matter being finally dismissed with the decision that 
 the Protestant rulers should have time for consideration 
 until the 15th of April ensuing ; that meanwhile they 
 should not permit further books to be printed, they should 
 not prohibit the mass in their dominions, and should 
 give up all Church property. The Edict of Worms, it 
 was plain, should be carried out to the full now, and the 
 disobedient must expect to be dealt with accordingly. 
 
 Most of the Protestant princes had quitted Augsburg, 
 not waiting for any final decision, showing thereby that 
 
 U 
 
304 LUTHER AND THE CAJiLlIJMAl.. 
 
 whatever conclusion might be arrived at, it could not 
 hinder them from doing what their conscience and the 
 Word of God demanded. 
 
 The Emperor went his way nowise rejoicing, the 
 Catholic princes too looked glum. But the Protestants 
 everywhere, in church and market-place, sang a song 
 to the Lord their God, the great battle-song of the 
 Keformation, which Martin Luther, absent from the 
 Diet, though present with his spirit, had written at Castle 
 Coburg to cheer the confessors, the hymn which has 
 ever since been the key-note of Protestant praise and 
 thanksgiving — Ein feste Burg is unser Gott. 
 
 a • ■ > • 
 
 It was on the Friday before the Fifth Sunday in Lent, 
 1531, that Cardinal Albrecht, after an absence of nearly 
 two years, returned to his town of Halle. 
 
 Solemn was his reception, far more solemn, indeed, 
 than he could have expected from the reports which 
 had reached him at various times concerning his well- 
 beloved citizens. Yet, nevertheless, here they were 
 meeting him in due procession, amid the ringing of 
 bells and the singing of songs, accompanying him to 
 his very Burg, where the town council had gathered 
 to offer him with the expression of their submissive 
 attachment a large golden tankard filled to the brim with 
 four hundred gold gulden. 
 
 The Cardinal was positively startled by these obedient 
 advances, and turned questioning looks upon the coun- 
 cillors. But only when they had left, his eyes were 
 opened by the shrewd chancellor. " Your grace should 
 remember the time-honoured saying," remarked Doctor 
 Turk, " that bacon is useful for the catching of mice. 
 That well-filled tankard is to save the citizens from the 
 
TIGHTENING THE REIN. 305 
 
 consequences of their misJeeds, for much has hajDpened 
 in your absence. They know it, and are humble 
 accordingly. They know that they have furthered 
 heresy in every possible way, and have long trembled 
 at your coming. If I may offer advice to your electoral 
 grace, it will be" well to show them the high hand, 
 and call back the recreants peremptorily to the forsaken 
 Church." 
 
 The Cardinal approved, and Doctor Turk was charged 
 to draw up a declaration which in the great hall of the 
 Moritzburg, should be read to the magistrates the very 
 next day. Meanwhile the provost of the foundation 
 should attend, his grace being anxious to learn what 
 progress had been achieved by the new university. 
 
 The dignitary in question appeared, greatly satisfying 
 the Cardinal by his report : " With all speed the structure 
 arose which is intended to be a nursery of true theology 
 and Christian learning. Four spacious buildings lift 
 their front, forming a noble quadrangle, where, in the 
 shadow of growing lindens, thedisciplesof knowledge shall 
 dwell. All is ready, awaiting the papal sanction. Yet, 
 sure of the same, I have already entered upon a course 
 of studies with a number of undergraduates ; we are 
 at work even now upon St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, 
 Canon Crotus, my colleague, lecturing upon the doctrine 
 of Christian faith." 
 
 The Cardinal gave vent to his delighted satisfaction^ 
 expressing the hope that the time was not far distant 
 when those at Wittenberg would raise the cry, " Alas^ 
 that Halle should have supplanted us ! " And he 
 added : " We are quite certain of the papal privileges ; 
 indeed, we have the sure promise of the nuncio Cam- 
 peggio that they shall be granted speedily. We have^ 
 
 u 2 
 
306 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 resolved, therefore, forthwith to elect a Chancellor for 
 our new university, and we know of none more capable 
 or more worthy than yourself, who are a pattern of 
 learning and wisdom, and of that fidelity which fears 
 no sacrifice. As soon then as the Pope's privileges have 
 been obtained, you shall be invested with the dignity." 
 
 The provost expressed his deepest sensibility of this 
 mark of favour, sincerely anxious to meet the great 
 trust. The choice indeed could be called a good one, 
 and if there were any hopes for the prosperity of the 
 rising college, the conciliatory Doctor Vehe, as learned 
 as he was good, was the very man to ensure fulfilment. 
 
 On the followiag day twelve members of the town 
 council arrived at the Moritzburg, in obedience to a 
 special summons to take^ the great Cardinal's opinion, 
 given by his chancellor's mouth. 
 
 Doctor Turk received the deputation with freezing 
 gravity, and read to them what he had been careful to 
 put to paper : " His electoral grace," the manifesto 
 ran, "has been pleased to accept the present offered 
 by the worshipful councU, taking the same as a voucher 
 of dutiful submission ; his grace is anxious to continue 
 a merciful ruler, if so be that the city will show itself 
 deserving of such good will. The Elector desires the 
 worshipful council to take note, firstly : Whereas it has 
 been resolved by the Diet of Augsburg that in matters 
 of reUgion the old usage and papal institutions of Holy 
 Church are to be followed, such decree has been duly 
 made known to the worshipful council of Halle, his 
 grace looking to the same for ready obedience. It is a 
 matter of sorrow therefore to our electoral ruler to 
 perceive that nothing as yet has been done to justify 
 his expectation, but that the citizens of Halle seem 
 
TIGHTENING THE REIN. 307 
 
 bent upon their own wilful course. They have laid 
 themselves open to well-merited punishment. But my 
 Lord Cardinal is anxious to let grace guide the hand of 
 justice, that the citizens might accept his fatherly ex- 
 hortation, and, desisting from their unchristian ways, no 
 longer run after strange doctrine, nor take the sacrament 
 after the fashion of heretics. You shall prove your 
 subjection to the old faith in these coming Easter days, 
 you shall take your places in the cathedral, and receive 
 the host at the hands of the Cardinal himself None 
 of you shall be absent, the rather that the magistrates 
 shall be willing to be an example to the citizens. Such 
 compliance will tend not only to your eternal salvation, 
 but also to your temporal welfare, since all disobedience 
 up to the present shall in that case be forgiven and 
 forgotten ; whereas if you continue in the same 
 punishment will meet you unsparingly. 
 
 " Secondly : Since it has been decided by his electoral 
 grace to hold a solemn procession on Palm Sunday, it 
 has -also been decided that the worshipful council take 
 a part in it to the honour of God. 
 
 " Thirdly : The worshipful council shall appoint some 
 wardens to see that the clergy suffer no insult at the 
 hands of the populace. 
 
 " Fourthly : The worshipful council shall further 
 appoint six citizens of good standing to carry the 
 canopy over the host. Barely three have appeared of 
 late, and these only of the commonest among the salt- 
 workers or other disreputable folk, who showed little 
 reverence for the sacrament, but treated it with con- 
 tumely. I have now informed the deputation of my 
 lord's the Archbishop Cardinal's desires." 
 
 The delegates had listened. They declared their 
 
308 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 readiness to be the council's faithful reporters, adding 
 the assurance that each member would act as their 
 conscience would justify before God, before the Cardinal 
 and to all the world. 
 
 The next meeting of council was stormy in the 
 highest degree. The deputation had reported. A 
 certain Jonas Berbig fought hard for the Cardinal's 
 claims, and did his utmost in reviling the Lutherans. 
 His eloquence prevailed with a great part of the council, 
 and upon division it became apparent that more than 
 half of the magisterial body was yielding to pressure, 
 and ready to stand by the Cardinal. But all the more 
 boldly the opposition held its ground, declaring them- 
 selves wronged, if they were accused of disobedience 
 for refusing to do aught against their conscience. 
 
 A second deputation, about to be despatched, was 
 anticipated by an archiepiscopal official with a further 
 and more urgent demand for obedience. Some of the 
 Cardinal's adherents had forwarded a report of the 
 council's proceedings. Indignation at their treachery 
 ran high, and his grace received no further answer but 
 a repetition of the assurance already given : that no 
 one could be constrained to act against the voice of 
 conscience. 
 
 Palm Sunday arrived. It was a clear, promising 
 spring day ; the s^in smiled brilliantly on the city, 
 casting a wealth of light on the gorgeous train on 
 its way from the cathedral to the market-place. The 
 procession was headed by the great Cardinal himself 
 in the archiepiscopal robe ; he was followed by the 
 dignitaries of the cathedral and all the monks and 
 nuns of the place— £( goodly number still, but nothing 
 like the show of former times. 
 
TIGHTENING THE REIN. 309 
 
 On the market-place the secular clergy, together 
 with the school-children and a great crowd of people, 
 surrounded a tabernacle of painted boards which con- 
 tained a life-sized image of the crucified Saviour lying 
 on the ground. On the platform of the town hall 
 stood the pipers and trumpeters giving forth a solemn 
 strain. 
 
 The procession arranged itself in front of the taber- 
 nacle, the whole assembly chanting the Gloria laus ; 
 whereupon the Archbishop advanced to the crucifix,, 
 and after the customary genuflection, lay down flat on 
 the ground, covering the image. Two priests now 
 struck him with slight batons, reciting the while, " I 
 will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock 
 shall be scattered abroad '' (Matt. xxvi. 31 ; Zech. 
 xiii. 7). 
 
 During this remarkable proceeding a voice rose from 
 the crowd, an irreverent salt-worker crying, " Better 
 take a flail instead of them little sticks ! " 
 
 The Cardinal himself had not heard it, but ofiicious 
 tale-bearers were not wanting, and the occurrence did 
 not tend to smooth his feelings of resentment against 
 the citizens. 
 
 The chancellor tried to point out that it was but 
 a low salt-worker who had made the wicked remark ; 
 but the Cardinal wrought himself up to the belief fhat 
 the man's sentiment echoed the secret wishes of all 
 the Lutherans, and retired sullenly to his chambers, 
 hiding his face till the Thursday when the great Passion 
 should begin. 
 
 He had determined to conduct everything himself, 
 and he did so. 
 
 With great solemnity he consecrated the chrism 
 
3IO LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 on Holy Thursday, beginning as early as four o'clock 
 in the morning, continuing for five hours. At ten 
 he distributed the sacred oil to the clergy of Magdeburg, 
 Halberstadt, Meissen, Merseburg, and Naumburg, for 
 all these were in the habit of coining to Halle for their 
 supply of baptismal ointment. It cost the town two 
 barrels of olive oil every year. In the afternoon he 
 performed the emblematical washing. Girt with a 
 towel and carrying a basin, he appeared in the cathe- 
 dral, washing the feet of all the canons, but the hands 
 only of the lower clergy. 
 
 On Good Friday he conducted an elaborate service. 
 Behind the high altar an artificial cave had been con- 
 structed representing the holy sepulchre. A procession 
 advanced towards it, singing with hushed voices, the 
 Cardinal, carrying the Saviour's image, taking the lead. 
 Several times he sank beneath his burden, apparently 
 mindful of the approach to Calvary, and arriving at 
 the place of burial his eyes quite glistened with pious 
 emotion. 
 
 On the Saturday there was high mass. He was 
 assisted by no less than sixteen priests and acolytes, 
 adding greatly to the show of solemnity. 
 
 The town council had appeared in full force, 
 Albrecht's devotion not preventing his counting heads ; 
 he was glad to see there was thus much of obedience. 
 
 The sacrament was reserved for Sunday, a great 
 crowd approaching to receive it at the Archbishop's 
 hand. But his eye was watchful ; he knew that some 
 eight or ten of the council refrained from partaking. 
 He looked across to the magisterial pews, but the 
 absentees were not there, they seemed to have given 
 the slip to the cathedral altogether. 
 
TIGHTENING THE REIN. 3 1 1 
 
 On Easter Monday the recorder of the city was 
 admitted by the Cardinal to a secret audience. This 
 man, having received the communion at various times 
 according to Protestant rite, had incurred the archi- 
 episcopal displeasure, and was deposed in consequence 
 from his honours as saltgrave. * But having at the late 
 occasion returned to the sacrament of Romish institution, 
 the Archbishop now smiled graciously upon the repentant 
 sheep. 
 
 " It has been well pleasing to us," began his grace, 
 "to see you breaking the fetters of heresy and come 
 back to the bosom of Holy Church. You shall have 
 your reward. We will reinvest you with the saltgrave- 
 ship, which had been forfeited by your former forsaking. 
 And we will moreover appoint you president of the 
 council at the coming election." 
 
 The recorder did his utmost in bowing his thanks for 
 such gracious forgiveness ; it was beyond his most ardent 
 hopes ; yet, his humility suggested, no saltgrave bad ever 
 aspired to the magisterial presidentship. 
 
 " Let the ruler decide ! " interrupted the Elector 
 grandly ; "" the archiepiscopal desire may supersede usage. 
 We shall do as we see fit. The council shall know who 
 is lord paramount. But we look to you to try and keep 
 those from office to whom we have reason to object. 
 We desire to have as many of our adherents in the 
 council as possible. You can help us in this." 
 
 And, intoxicated by the newly-gained favour, the 
 turncoat of a recorder threw into the balance all the 
 power of his eloquence, influencing the election con- 
 siderably. Before long he could inform the Cardinal 
 
 ^ Inspector-general of the salt works. 
 
312 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 that his grace had more adherents now than opposers 
 on the magisterial benches. 
 
 Albrecht's spirit rose high, and the very next day fol- 
 lowing the election an archiepiscopal official announced 
 from the balcony of the town hall that his electoral 
 grace had decided to act according to the decision of 
 the late Diet in strict pursuance of the Edict of Worms. 
 
 A sound arose from the market-place as of distant 
 thunder, flashes of lightning too forking up here and 
 there, threatening speeches reaching the ears of the 
 official, who, when stones began to fly, hastily withdrew 
 from sight. Nor could be venture to show himself in 
 the public thoroughfares, but, protected by the beadles, 
 returned on by-ways to the Moritzburg. 
 
 The citizens showed their further intentions by going 
 aU the more diligently where they could hear the 
 Gospel preached, great masses Sunday after Sunday 
 filling the village churches round about in the 
 Mansfeld and the Saxon districts. 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 BEHIND THE SCENES. 
 
 MoEE than a year had passed, again it was autumn. 
 Dame Magdalen gazed absently through the window. 
 She was alone, save for the little boy, who looked at her 
 wistfully. " When will father be back ? " the child 
 asked, breaking the silence. " How long must we wait 
 for the sweet honey-cakes he has promised to bring us 
 from Niirnberg ? " 
 
 " I cannot tell thee, my child ; he has never stayed 
 so long, not even in visiting the more distant Nether- 
 lands. I grieve lest anything have happened to him ! " 
 
 " Do not look sad, little mother," entreated the child. 
 " If you cry, I must cry too." 
 
 " You are mother's own little boy,'' she said, smiling 
 brightly. " What will little Charley be when he grows 
 to be a-'man ? " 
 
 " What father is ! " cried the boy, unhesitatingly. 
 
 But Dame Magdalen shook her head. " No, child, 
 no ! You will think differently by-and-by. Go now 
 and play with your brothers." 
 
 The poor wife was left to herself But the quiet she 
 had longed for soon grew oppressive, and with a sigh 
 
314 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 of relief she welcomed Mistress Kunigonde, the wife of 
 the captain of the Moritzburg, who looked in presently. 
 
 " I thought you might be lonely, and have come to 
 cheer you," said the visitor. 
 
 " I am truly glad to see you, I sadly need a little 
 company,'' owned Dame Magdalen. 
 
 " But what is the matter ? you look quite worn," 
 inquired the friend, sympathisingly. 
 
 " I am anxious about my husband." 
 
 " Has aught happened to him ? " 
 
 " I caimot tell — that uncertainty adds to my trouble. 
 These five weeks he has been gone, and there is no sign 
 of his returning. He has journeyed to Ntirnberg, as 
 you are aware, to procure a loan for the Cardinal from 
 some Jew. He went but unwillingly, for he begins to 
 feel matters irksome. The Estates have come to hate 
 him, believing him to be a bloodsucker ; nor is it a 
 pleasant thing to have to do with Jews, for they are an 
 artful people, full of wicked wiles, and greatly despised. 
 Again and again my husband has prayed the Cardinal 
 to relieve him of his service, that he might return to 
 his former vocation and live more for his family ; but 
 his grace will not hear of it. He cannot do without 
 Hans von Schonitz, it seems, who has come to be his right 
 hand in most things. Nor could his grace easily repay 
 the sums of money he owes to my husband — some ninety 
 thousand gulden, I think. I am full of anxiety at this 
 prolonged absence." 
 
 Mistress Kunigonde gave an odd look at her friend, 
 saying, after a pause : " You speak of Niirnberg only, 
 as if he had not gone farther ; are you not aware " 
 
 " What ! " cried the wife, alarmed. " He has only 
 spoken to me of Ntirnberg ! " 
 
HJiiilNO -IHK SCENES. 315 
 
 The friend was sorry to have betrayed what evidently 
 was not supposed to be known. But how could she 
 guess that Schonitz had any secrets from the wife for 
 whom he had an honest affection ? But the word, 
 however, having slipped her tongue, she could not keep 
 the truth from the anxious dame, but was obliged to 
 tell her that her husband had gone across the Alps on 
 the Cardinal's special business. 
 
 " Across the Alps ! " repeated Magdalen, with widen- 
 ing eyes. " And what for ? Has he gone to sue the 
 Pope himself for money ? " 
 
 Mistress Kunigonde smiled at the harmless suggestion, 
 taking refuge in allegory, " When a.n evil spirit troubled 
 Saul," she said, "the fair son of Jesse was sent for to 
 stand before the king with an harp." 
 
 " Yes, yes, but what of it ? I do not understand ! " 
 
 And hesitatingly the visitor continued, " The Cardi- 
 nal too has his times when the evil spirit is upon him. 
 For hours he will sit alone, nursing his gloomy 
 thoughts. He has failed in many things, his opponents 
 are victorious, and he is grievously disappointed. In 
 his struggle with Luther, the heretic, he has suffered 
 defeat after defeat, and the knowledge of it eats into 
 his very soul. The citizens too get more and more un- 
 ruly, not heeding his desires, the number of Lutherans, 
 or Protestants, as they caU them now, increasing daily. 
 The very council is fast becoming Lutheran, there are not 
 many of the Cardinal's friends on the bench now, and 
 those who remain are ill-fitted to bear up against the 
 growing influence. The Cardinal's hopes of the new 
 university also have been sadly dispelled ; the number 
 of students is small, not likely to win great battles 
 against the heretics of Wittenberg. His grace hoped 
 
3l6 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 the Wittenberg students would come pouring into 
 Halle, but he was mistaken, and it weighs upon his 
 spirits. Your husband has been sent to Italy therefore to 
 fetch hither the fair musician who shall stand before his 
 grace with song and lute. It seems that at the Diet of 
 Augsburg the Cardinal fell in with a lovely Italian, 
 who has wondrous charms, they say, and a voice like 
 a nightingale; and in order to gain her my lord 
 chamberlain has crossed the Alps." 
 
 But the chamberlain's wife heaved a groan, covering 
 her face with her pure white hands. " Alas ! " she 
 cried, "has it come to this ? Shall my husband be 
 known and hated as the willing pander to his master's 
 sin ? It has always grieved me to hear the Cardinal's 
 evil passions spoken of; all good people abhor it, and 
 the others laugh at it. Is he not a spiritual lord, 
 a very head of those who are appointed by the Church 
 to stand between God and man, and who should be far 
 above the weakness of earth-born humanity ? His pre- 
 decessors knew how to keep themselves unspotted. 
 And look at the Lutheran clergy about us ! Call them 
 heretics if you like, but their fair fame in this matter 
 is beyond reproach." 
 
 Mistress Kunigonde looked virtuous. "No doubt, 
 dear Magdalen, no doubt ; but you must judge men 
 by their equals. His grace of Halle is not singular in 
 this respect ; and I say it is not he that is to blame, but 
 the wicked institution of celibacy itself. It is nature's 
 revenge upon a foolish vow." 
 
 But Dame Magdalen kept to her own view. The 
 ladies continued a while in serious conversation till the 
 hour of evensong reminded the visitor it was time to 
 take her leave. 
 
BEHIND THE SCENES. 317- 
 
 The anxious wife had another week of cruel uncer- 
 tainty before her husband returned, safe and sound, it is 
 true, but -with gloomy brow ; and the children found he 
 had not thought of the honey-cakes. He seemed 
 irritable, and Magdalen dared not inquire into the results 
 of his mission. 
 
 The following day he had an interview with the 
 Cardinal, who was away at Magdeburg when Schonitz 
 returned. 
 
 Albrecht's face beamed with satisfaction, and he 
 showered praise upon praise upon his faithful servant. 
 "What a treasure you are, Schonitz mine," said his 
 grace good-humouredly. " You are worth your weight 
 in gold, I declare ! I shall be rid of all my cares now 
 in the delight of beholding the signora, and listening 
 to the charm of her voice. The shade of poor Margaret 
 even will yield her the palm." He quite forgot to in- 
 quire into the more important mission to the Jew of 
 Niirnberg. 
 
 Schonitz reported concerning the Italian acquisition, 
 and continued : " But if I was successful at Milan, 
 not so at Niirnberg. I have managed the money, 
 that is to say ; but the Jew is a worse usurer than 
 most of his race." 
 
 This remark roused the Cardinal ; he took revenge in 
 reviling the children of Israel : a very thorn they were 
 in the nation's side ! 
 
 " May I crave a favour of your electoral highness ? " 
 asked Schonitz, when the outburst had subsided. 
 
 " To be sure," said the Cardinal pleasantly. 
 
 But the chamberlain seemed embarrassed; humming 
 and hawing a little ; presently he said : 
 
 " It is nothing new. I have repeatedly prayed for 
 
3l8 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 release from the electoral service. I trust your grace 
 will at last turn a favourable ear to my humble request. 
 I cannot keep up to the duties any longer." 
 
 The Cardinal looked annoyed. "Have I been mis- 
 taken in you, Schonitz? I believed you to be my 
 faithful servant. But is that true fidelity which is 
 ready to quit me at a moment when more than ever 
 I am hedged in by difiBculties ? What is it that makes 
 you desire a change of our relationship ? " 
 
 Schonitz looked gloomily to the groimd and said : 
 " Things have reached a terrible pass, accounts axe 
 hopelessly entangled, debts and liabilities are beyond 
 one's grasp. Again and again I have begged your 
 electoral grace to command a general overhauling of 
 affairs, but you have never believed in the necessity of 
 following such advice. And the worst for myself is 
 this : I have received a warning from the Estates — 
 I pray your grace to excuse my speaking thus plainly, 
 but I had better say it — Schonitz, they say, look where 
 you tread : if there is a smash, it is you who will have 
 to bear the brunt." 
 
 " Who dared say this ? " exclaimed Albrecht, flushing 
 purple. " It is vile calumny ! Here is my hand, dearest 
 Schonitz ; your fate shall never be separated from mine. 
 Whatever there might be to bear the brunt of, we will 
 bear it together. But it is nonsense ! Am I not strong 
 enough to shield my trusted servant ? You and I, we 
 have got into the muddle together ; let us come out of 
 it together ; none shall say that we separated ! It is 
 adversity that tries men, and friends too. Let me make 
 sure of it, then, that I can trust thee in all things, and 
 at all times, and see if I faU thee ! " 
 
 The Cardinal spoke with such a vehemence of 
 
BEHIND THE SCENES. 319 
 
 persuasion that Schonitz found it impossible to resist. 
 And if his master meant all he said, he need not fear. 
 " We have got into it together ; let us come out of it 
 together ; " these words kept ringing in his brain, acting 
 as a sort of moral narcotic. And he declared, tamely 
 enough, he was sorry he had spoken, and was anxious 
 to continue his grace's reliable servant. 
 
 On the evening of that day, the high windows of 
 the secret state-room in the chamberlain's house were 
 lit up, the strains of music being heard in the streets. 
 People took little note of it ; it was known well enough 
 that the Cardinal, when he had borne the burden and 
 heat of his day, thought fit to live for his pleasures, 
 throwing a veil over it forsooth ! 
 
 The hidden chamber harboured select company. A 
 few of the Cardinal's most favoured officials were there, 
 together with some of the neighbouring nobility ; and, 
 that fair flowerets might not be wanting, there were 
 present in silks and satins, decked with plumes and, 
 pearls, those whom the luxurious hierarch loved to look 
 upon. Nor was he himself the centre of attraction to- 
 day, but all eyes were drawn to the stranger by his 
 side. 
 
 Deep into the night they sat, and when the party 
 broke up his grace felt flattered with success. 
 
 But Dame Magdalen in her modest chamber courted 
 sleep in vain, lying awake and troubled. She heard 
 the sounds of music, and they were as daggers stabbing 
 her to the soul. She was deeply incensed that her 
 house must offer shelter to the Cardinal's voluptuous 
 delights, yea, that her own husband assisted him in 
 satisfying his dishonourable tastes. He had become a 
 
320 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 slave to the Cardinal — a stranger almost to wife and 
 children. And yet how they loved him ; how gladly 
 they would have tried to please him, if they knew but 
 how ! Even the little ones perceived that the father 
 did not give them what he might, ay, should have 
 given. Little Magdalen cherished it in her baby heart 
 as the rare.st of treats when he took her to his knees 
 or fondled her curly head — not often, indeed. Poor 
 Schonitz seemed to have no time now for such delights. 
 
 Midnight had long passed when the sounds of her 
 husband's approach at last broke upon Magdalen's ear. 
 She had aU ready what she meant to say ; but when 
 he came her heart closed with anguish, and not a word 
 could she find. 
 
 At breakfast only she met him with the saddest of 
 looks; he understood her well enough, and took her 
 hand. " Never mind, wife ; it cannot be helped. Nor 
 can I explain very well, and you would not understand 
 if I could. Let be, then, and take it not to heart." 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 CHASTISING WITH SCORPIONS. 
 
 It was early in the morning on the first Saturday in 
 Lent, 1534. The newly-elected town council was being 
 sworn in ; crowds of citizens meanwhile stood waiting 
 about the market-place, anxious to learn how far the 
 Cardinal might have succeeded in packing the bench. 
 The ninth hour pealed at last from the belfries, and 
 according to usage the clerk of the council made his 
 appearance on the balcony to give out the names of 
 the newly-elected members, recommending them to the 
 prayers of the community. 
 
 Great was the people's applause on learning the 
 welcome result : five only of the Cardinal's adherents 
 were on the board, all the rest, more than three times 
 their number, were known to be for the Lutheran 
 faith. 
 
 The people hoped great things, since the adversaries 
 were so few in number. Perhaps the mind of the 
 Cardinal himself was being changed, perhaps he would 
 give up now kicking against the pricks. 
 
 But that hope was vain : his grace did not hide his 
 annoyance on learning the defeat. The religious peace 
 
 X 2 
 
322 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 which two years previous had been concluded between 
 the Catholic and Protestant princes of the empire had 
 displeased him from the first, since it only tended 
 towards the increase of the new faith. In bis own 
 town of Halle even the number of heretics augmented 
 daily, their courage, or defiance, as he considered it, 
 growing in proportion. Twice he had attempted to 
 assert himself by issuing a peremptory mandate, order- 
 ing the sacrament to be taken according to Eomish 
 rite, and forbidding the town to Lutheran preachers ; 
 but on both occasions the effort had served only to add 
 fuel to the fire. For the third time now the command 
 should be repeated, as the very utmost of the Cardinal's 
 forbearance. 
 
 The newly-elected council was yet sitting when the 
 archiepiscopal official appeared demanding a hearing, 
 that he might inform the members of his grace's 
 desires. 
 
 The council hesitated, but could not refuse to listen, 
 whereupon the official read with pungent voice : 
 
 " It is our pleasure that each one of the newly- 
 elected councillors present himself on Easter day, to 
 take the sacrament according to the way approved of 
 by the Romish Church, showing thereby his opposition 
 to corrupt Lutheran practices ; for surely we know that 
 the old way is the right way, for the which we pledge 
 ourselves and our life. We desire and command therefore 
 that each of you return to the rites of the old Church, 
 and be willing to hold the faith we ourselves hold." 
 
 Deep silence ensued, the Catholic members casting 
 gloomy eyes upon their Protestant colleagues ; one of 
 whom, Hans Wahle by name, presently broke the 
 silence : " We acknowledge it to be our duty to obey 
 
CHASTISING WITH SCORPIONS. 323 
 
 his grace in aught we are able and see right; but 
 since we have been in the habit to partake of the 
 communion as appointed by the Lord Christ Himself, 
 we consider ourselves pledged to God in this matter, 
 and it would be against our conscience to return to the 
 practice of Romish institution. I speak not for myself 
 alone, but for most of those here present, although we 
 have not as yet consulted together. I call upon them 
 to give their opinion." 
 
 Unanimously the friends of Protestantism cried : 
 " Hans Wahle has spoken the truth, we support him ! " 
 
 " Then I prepare you for his electoral grace's direful 
 wrath ! " said the official, and left the hall. 
 
 There was no great perturbation, the Protestant 
 councillors hoping that consequences in the present 
 instance would be no worse than upon the two previous 
 occasions. Hans Wahle, however, requested the chair- 
 man, who was of the Cardinal's faction, to convoke 
 a special meeting for debating on the withholding of 
 obedience in the matter. The presiding magistrate 
 could but yield. 
 
 The very next morning the sitting took place, Hans 
 Wahle again taking the word. " We hold there are 
 three points in our favour. In the first place, it is a ■ 
 fact that the Cardinal some years ago allowed the 
 preaching of the Gospel by the late Magister George 
 Winkler in the new cathedral, even in his very own 
 presence, his electoral grace having upon various 
 occasions listened to such preaching, dismissing the 
 congregation with his blessing. By the grace of God 
 many citizens of this town of Halle have accepted 
 that preaching, recognizing it as the truth ; they are 
 unable therefore to deny it, but will stand by it in life 
 
324 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 or death. Secondly, an Imperial mandate has heen 
 placarded at this very town hall, clearly announcing 
 that each to each, from the highest to the lowest, 
 in matters of faith, should keep the peace, abiding 
 an oecumenical council. We intend to keep such peace, 
 looking to his electoral grace's protection until the 
 aforenamed general council. Thirdly, each one of us 
 acknowledges himself in duty bound in all temporal 
 things humbly to obey his electoral grace, as the 
 ruler set over us by the Lord Himself; but in 
 matters concerning our conscience and the salvation 
 of our souls we hold we must obey God rather than 
 men. We request the chairman to inform his grace 
 of this our well-considered and immovable opinion.'' 
 
 A painful quiet brooded over the town, when day 
 after day passed without an answer from the Moritz- 
 burg. Rumours were current calculated to discourage 
 the councillors; but they thought not of yielding, 
 strengthening one another by brave example. 
 
 A full fortnight had elapsed when they were called 
 together again, the chairman meeting them with a 
 declaration in the Archbishop's name. 
 
 " His electoral grace does not admit," the statement 
 ran, " that the late Magister George Winkler preached 
 Lutheran heresy in his hearing, although he did at 
 times hold forth concerning the sacrament in a fashion 
 unapproved of by the Church. His grace upon those 
 occasions did not consider it meet to object to such 
 pulpit oratory in the presence of the congregation, but 
 the magister, nevertheless, was taken to task, and 
 received strict warning to desist from such preaching. 
 It became known afterwards that he disregarded such 
 
CHASTISING WITH SCORPIONS. '325 
 
 ■warning, going upon Lutheran lines more and more, 
 yet never in the Archbishop's presence, and still less 
 with his sanction. His grace therefore considers the 
 first point disposed of. As for the second point, con- 
 cerning the Imperial mandate, you have misunderstood 
 its import, which applies not to subjects but to 
 those in authority. And you will scarcely arrogate 
 to yourselves the duty of explaining the same for his 
 grace's acceptance. Eegarding the third point, and 
 that you consider yourselves in duty bound humbly 
 to obey his electoral grace save in matters concerning 
 the salvation of souls and involving your conscience, 
 when you would obey God rather than men, his grace 
 invites no one to do aught against conscience, advising 
 you rather to flee your present abode, seeking for places 
 where you may be free entirely. The Cardinal, how- 
 ever, will not be hindered in conscience either, which 
 tells him that the old faith is right; and since he is 
 the shepherd and bishop of your souls, he will not 
 allow a departing from the faith. His electoral grace is 
 glad to remember that you have in all other things 
 been peaceable and well-behaved citizens hitherto; 
 feeling loth therefore to bring you to account in this 
 matter, and pitying you, would rather be able to 
 retain you and your children, than bring separation 
 upon his dear town of Halle ; yet he too feels con- 
 strained by conscience. Withdraw now, and consult 
 amongst yourselves what answer you desire to make to 
 this gracious exhortation." 
 
 The councillors retired, remaining in deep silence, 
 till Hans Wahle lent expression to their feelings : " We 
 are brought to a serious decision, my friends," he said. 
 " Who hath ears to hear, will have understood from the 
 
326 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Cardinars message that he intends to banish us from 
 our town of Halle. Indeed he knows how to punish us 
 grievously ! To be banished from house and home means 
 to be shut out from happiness. Here we were born, 
 our life is rooted fast in the soil of this place ; here alone 
 our days can prosper — baoishment will be a slow 
 death to each one of us. The Cardinal knows this, he 
 has hit upon the most exquisite means of coercion. But 
 what think ye, my men? Is there one among you who 
 for fear of the punishment will turn from his faith, let 
 him speak now ; but who can be true to the Gospel in 
 the face even of sorrow and tribulation, let them show 
 it by stepping to my side." 
 
 And one after another the men pressed round the 
 speaker, clasping hands in token of a common vow. 
 One only, a weaver, Laurence Faust by name, hesitated, 
 but he too followed the example, giving his right hand 
 to Hans Wahle in affirmation of good resolve. 
 
 With heads erect they returned to the hall. Hans 
 Wahle declaring in unflinching courage : " Since we 
 know, and faithfully believe it, that the teaching called 
 Luther's doctrine is the true Gospel and the Word of 
 God indeed, we will not depart from the same, and 
 having received Christ, we will not deny Him." 
 
 Whereupon the Cardinal's final decision was made 
 known. Thus it ran : 
 
 " Since you choose to continue in your rebellious 
 demeanour, it has been resolved upon by his electoral 
 grace, that by Whitsuntide you shall sell your goods 
 and houses and depart from this place. If you desist 
 from your evil intention, and will prove it by presenting 
 yourselves at the sacrament upon Easter day, as appointed, 
 his grace will not withhold his forgiveness." 
 
CHASTISING WITH SCORPIONS. 327 
 
 The chairman added that he, as representing the 
 council, would do his best towards moving the Cardinal 
 to leniency. 
 
 But Hans Wahle stood silent, all eyes were upon him 
 awaiting his reply ; he had none to make. And finally 
 one of the opposition requested the chairman to intercede 
 with the Cardinal, as he had promised. 
 
 The meeting rose, the Protestant members shaking 
 hands once more in the firm resolve to stand manfully 
 by their conviction, and suffer hardship if need be. 
 
 The occurrence soon spread about the town, producing 
 a passionate outburst among the citizens. Threatening 
 speeches were heard, some not refraining from accusing 
 the Cardinal of tyranny openly. 
 
 But this only tended to aggravate matters. 
 
 " I will teach them how to speak of me ! " thundered 
 Albrecht, on learning the frame of mind of his citizens. 
 " Have they called me a tyrant ? then I will be one ! 
 They shall know that the time of mercy is at an end ; 
 rebels they are, and I will chastise them accordingly ! " 
 
 That selfsame day it was made known, that not only 
 the offending councillors, but their wives and children 
 even, should be banished from the town. If, on the one 
 hand, this was a lessening of sorrow, since they were 
 spared the grief of separation, it added to their trouble, 
 on the other hand ; for they were obliged now at any 
 consideration to sell their houses and goods, which 
 might have been obviated by the wives continuing at 
 their homes, hoping that their husbands might be 
 pardoned and return some day. 
 
 The order was couched in words inexorably hard ; yet 
 they prayed for that much of mercy that the families 
 of the banished men might remain until they had 
 
328 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 succeeded in disposing of their property ; and a respite 
 was granted till midsummer. 
 
 Sadly Whitsuntide approached. The time when all 
 nature is filled with gladness, when trees and meadows 
 are abloom with joy, was a time of sorrow for the town 
 of Halle ; tears were her portion, and she cried to the 
 Lord her God. SiKteen of her most respected houses 
 were not wreathed with the boughs of rejoicing, for 
 there the little ones pressed round their fathers, and the 
 wives clung to their husbands. The strong men even 
 broke down. A man driven from the home of his youth, 
 from the natural soU of his growth, is as a flower torn 
 from her parent stem ; you may put it into water, it 
 may live a while, but the hand of death has plucked it, 
 it fades and never yields fruit. 
 
 Great was the sympathy of the town, people looked 
 upon them with awe, for martyrs they were to their 
 faith, and they stood firm to the last, willing to bear 
 the cross. 
 
 The Moritzburg seemed prepared to quell a rebellion, 
 for her men were under arms, reinforced by the con- 
 stabulary; but that was needless precaution, the banished 
 councillors themselves endeavouring to quiet the people 
 both by their pious submission and by reminding them 
 of St. Peter's injunction : "Be subject to your 
 masters, not only to the good and gentle, but also 
 to the froward." 
 
 The Tuesday in Whitsun-week brought the final 
 wrench. In a body the banished men walked from 
 the town ; fellows in sorrow, they would be fellows in 
 bearing it. 
 
 The Cardinal that afternoon sat with his chancellor 
 and the captain of the palace, recapitulating recent 
 
CHASTISING WITH SCORPIONS. 329 
 
 events. " We feel relieved," he said, " and are satisfied 
 with ourselves for having set an example. Let us hope 
 for good results ; since we could not succeed with forbear- 
 ance, we mean to proceed with strictness now." 
 
 " Who are those coming hither ? " exclaimed the 
 captain, sitting near the window and overlooking the 
 approach to the Burg. 
 
 Both the Cardinal and the chancellor hastily came to 
 his side ; a number of women in the garb of mourning 
 were seen moving slowly up the palace yard. 
 
 " What the devil are they about ? " cried Doctor 
 Turk, savagely. " I recognise the wives of the banished 
 men; they will expect your grace to listen to their 
 whimpering." 
 
 " Certainly not ! " growled the Cardinal, with hardening 
 features. " I shall not receive them. Go down, captain, 
 and show them the way. You, Turk, may tell them 
 to-morrow that the punishment shall be carried out 
 to the last." 
 
 The captain met the women at the entrance. They 
 fell upon their knees and lifted their hands in mute 
 anguish. 
 
 The captain's heart was more pitiful than his master's, 
 but, in obedience to that master, he turned them away 
 rathlessly, telling them they might come the following 
 morning to hear the Cardinal's pleasure. 
 
 With bowed heads the women walked away, scarcely 
 hoping that the morrow would lessen their grief. But 
 they came to receive at the chancellor's hands the 
 Cardinal's' final decision : They need not have hoped 
 by supplication to alter the sentence, they were told, 
 the electoral grace had been wantonly played with, 
 and there was every reason to suspect that they had 
 
330 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 encouraged their husbands in rebellion. The men 
 should never return, and the women had amply de- 
 served to share the punishment. In consideration of 
 his grace's mercy and pity, however, they might defei' 
 their departure until the eve of St. Bartholomew, after 
 ■which they should follow their husbands, and not show 
 their faces again at Halle. 
 
 The women turned, not uttering a groan — they had 
 done crying — commending their trouble to God; they 
 sold their houses, and with their children went to share 
 their husbands' banishment. 
 
 The Elector of Saxony and Prince Wolfgang of 
 Anhalt personally interceded with Albrecht for the 
 troubled families, but in vain. The poor people appealed 
 to the Chapter of Magdeburg, and to the Estates of the 
 diocese, but all the answer they received was : " Ke- 
 nounce your heresy, and we will see what can be done." 
 
 One of the banished councillors, Laurence Faust, 
 secretly returned to Halle, did penance and recanted ; 
 whereupon he received forty strokes with the rod, and 
 was taken back to favour. AU the others remained 
 true to their conviction, three of them dying before 
 ong of a broken heart. 
 
CHAPTEE XXX. 
 
 EUPTUEE. 
 
 "There is no help for it, we must sue the Estates 
 for a fresh tax," said the Elector to his confidant, the 
 chamberlain, one day in August that same year. 
 " Michael, the Jew, is getting quite intractable, he in- 
 sists on having his loans back, the rascal ! as if he 
 could get better interest anywhere than we have to pay 
 him. He has doubled his moneys with us, I should 
 say, in sheer usury. And now the Count of Mansfeld 
 and the Markgrave of Brandenburg are also pressing 
 for payment, there is no way out of the difficulty, if it 
 be not that we manage another tax." 
 
 Hans von Schonitz moved uneasily, answering after 
 a while : " The Estates have little pleasure in beholding 
 your grace's chamberlain, to judge from the expression 
 of their faces whenever they see him ! It will be an 
 unpleasant task to confront them once again ; but I will 
 try it, since it seems the only expedient. I must pray, 
 however, for your grace's written warrant." 
 
 " You shall have it this very day, dear Schonitz," 
 said the Cardinal, quickly; "let us lose no time, and 
 good fortune speed thee ! 
 
332 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 At the archiepiscopal castle of Kalbe on the Saale 
 the Estates of the diocese were gathered for the usual 
 session. They were deep in debate when Hans von 
 Schonitz presented himself, praying for a hearing in 
 behalf of his master. The matter in hand was 
 broken off; but it was not with good grace that the 
 Estates prepared to listen, for they knew what to 
 expect whenever the Archbishop's favourite made his 
 appearance. 
 
 "I have come hither, authorised by his electoral 
 grace, to submit to the honourable Estates an archi- 
 episcopal request." 
 
 Speaking thus, Schonitz handed up to the chair his 
 master's writ. 
 
 The document was accepted with ill-suppressed 
 aversion, and having been cursorily examined, the 
 president said to Schonitz, "It needs little guessing 
 what will be the nature of this present demand, since 
 we have been used to the like year after year ! " And, 
 turning to the assembly, he continued, " The question 
 is. Shall a new tax be granted to his grace? Will 
 the Estates deliver their opinion in presence of the 
 electoral envoy ? " 
 
 A deep murmur arose, members exchanging their 
 views with bated breath ; one of their number rising 
 at last to give expression to what appeared to be a 
 general feeling — " Since to the demand of unbearable 
 imposts there is no end, I move that the present 
 request be not granted until a clear statement of 
 accounts be laid before this house concerning the 
 revenues of the two latest taxes ; we may be forgiven 
 if we desire to know to what use the money has been 
 applied." 
 
RUPTURE. 333 
 
 Several others added their opinion, and when the ques- 
 tion was put to the vote, it was found that the assembly 
 was unanimous in desiring a rendering of accounts. 
 
 Schonitz was charged with a message to the Elector 
 to this effect. 
 
 Troubled at heart the Cardinal's favourite had set 
 out upon his mission, more troubled still he returned. 
 The idea that an account at last must be given was not 
 a comforting one. He had dreaded the possibility for 
 months — how shoiild he manage it ? " How can I 
 unravel the muddle ? How can I speak the truth 
 without exposing his grace ? Shall I reveal to the 
 Estates what incredible sums have been swallowed up 
 in the recent embellishments of the Moritzburg ? Shall 
 I tell them how much money alone I carried across the 
 Alps to pay for the acquisition of that Italian songstress? 
 Shall I tell them how money is wasted and eaten up 
 
 in the kitchen department? Shall I but no, 
 
 I cannot ; it is too shameful, too terrible ! It would 
 be betraying my master, for after all he trusts me, and 
 I should despise myself. But if not, no further tax 
 will be granted, and we shall get deeper and deeper into 
 the mire of distress. Shall I make up false accounts ? — 
 good God ! I cannot — what shall I do ? I cannot 
 unburden my heavy heart, not to my wife, not to any 
 one ! God help me, and show me the way I can go ! " 
 
 The Cardinal was pacing his apartment; his face 
 was flushed, the veins of his forehead were swollen. The 
 result of his chamberlain's mission had alarmed him 
 greatly. What ! he, the Archbishop, should be asked to 
 give an account, to let aU the world see to what use 
 great sums had been put ! What was this but expecting 
 him to publish his own disgrace ? 
 
334 LUTHER AND TBE CARDINAL. 
 
 The room seemed to go round with him, he felt 
 utterly lost and undone. With a sudden thought he 
 remembered Luther, and the flush faded from his 
 countenance, giving way to a deadly pallor — he fancied 
 he heard the voice of judgment in the distance. 
 
 He panted for breath, he staggered on his feet, and at 
 last sank down on a chair in helpless despondence. 
 
 But not for long : at length he jumped up with dis- 
 torted features, a terrible light burning in his eyes. It 
 was a fearfal aspect, if any one could have seen him, 
 standing erect with staring eyes, groaning hoarsely, " He 
 or I, there is no other way. One of us must fall ! Fare- 
 well, Schonitz ! I am sorry for thee, Schonitz, for thou 
 hast been a faithful servant to me in many things, and 
 I owe thee thanks. But only thou canst save me from 
 utter disgrace even at the cost of thyself ; bear the brunt 
 of that which weighs upon us both, though thou art 
 the less guilty. I am sorry, poor Schonitz, but after all 
 I must think of myself first. If I am to continue the 
 Archbishop Cardinal, thou must — there is no other 
 way. . . ." He could not put it all into words, shaking 
 as one in a fit of ague. 
 
 On a Saturday early in September the special com- 
 mittee appointed by the Estates for the examining of 
 the archiepiscopal exchequer arrived at the new palace, 
 ther building, that is, where his grace's most recent 
 creation, the university, should flourish. 
 
 The gentlemen were ushered into a comfortable 
 chamber, where a board was spread with the most 
 exquisite fare : they should appease their hunger and 
 slacken their thirst before attacking the labour of sifting 
 unsatisfactory accounts. 
 
RUPTURE. 335 
 
 The Cardinal himself appeared, a picture of benignity, 
 to discharge the duties of an amiable host, urging the 
 committee to taste his most precious wines, and quite 
 oblivious, to all appearance, of the object which gathered 
 them under his roof 
 
 Yet presently the chairman of the select committee 
 remembered the duty they had come to perform, begging 
 the Cardinal to send for his chamberlain and privy- 
 councillor, Hans von Schonitz. 
 
 Albrecht paled, but conquering himself with an effort 
 he expressed his willingness to assist the committee to 
 the best of his ability. 
 
 The gentlemen retired to an adjoining room, where a 
 long table, piled with papers, seemed to await their 
 inspection. 
 
 Half an hour had passed when Schonitz made his 
 appearance. The Cardinal took his place beside him, 
 considering his presence needful, lest the chamberlain 
 should entangle himself in suspicious statements. 
 
 Matters at first ran more smoothly than the Cardinal 
 had anticipated ; the committee was not nearly so 
 intractable as might have been expected — thanks to the 
 electoral malmsey perhaps, or the venison, so deliciously 
 choice. 
 
 Presently, however, confusion supervened, the ex- 
 aminers of expenditure before long finding themselves 
 in the muddle hinted at by the Cardinal on a previous 
 occasion ; one thing only appearing to stand out clear 
 
 some fifty-three thousand gulden were missing, and 
 
 could not be accounted for. 
 
 The Cardinal fixed a piercing look on his chamber- 
 lain. Schonitz understood, and assisted not in unravelling 
 the mystery. 
 
336 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 " Your attendance is no further required," said the 
 chairman, presently ; " you may retire, sir chamberlain-. ' 
 
 Schonitz only too gladly availed himself of the per- 
 mission, breathing more freely when the door had 
 closed upon him : " The saints be praised ! " he 
 ejaculated fervently, " it might have been worse ! 
 About a miserable matter of fifty-three thousand 
 gulden they will make no fuss, when hundreds of 
 thousands had to be accounted for. And at the worst 
 — have I not his grace's promise that he will not 
 leave me to battle it through alone ! " 
 
 Schonitz was very cheerful that evening, quite 
 enjoying his wife's society and intercourse with his 
 little ones ; they had not been used to much notice 
 from him lately, they had seen the cloud on his 
 forehead, and had scarcely dared look up in his face. 
 
 Dame Magdalen felt the change with a grateful 
 heart. She asked for no explanation, since her hus- 
 band had not thought fit to let, her be privy to his 
 trouble. She had known with the instinct of love 
 that trouble was upon him, and had taken refuge in 
 prayer that it might be averted. It seemed as though 
 an answer had been given; her husband had not 
 appeared so light-hearted for many a day. 
 
 The following morning, it being Sunday, Hans 
 accompanied his family to service, offering up thanks 
 not less fervently than his wife. 
 
 In the afternoon, still mindful of pleasing the 
 children, he proposed an expedition along the river to 
 enjoy the fields aglow with the warm tints of early 
 autumn. Sunset saw them home, and supper was 
 welcome to the little ones. 
 
 They were about to return thanks when heavy steps 
 
RUPTURE. 337 
 
 resounded in the vestibule. The door was opened, 
 admitting the well-known figure of the bailiff of Castle 
 Giebichenstein, followed by three warders. 
 
 Parents and children started dismayed, little Mag- 
 dalen running for shelter to the folds of her mother's 
 dress. 
 
 "There is no occasion for alarm," said the bailiff, 
 looking unconcerned ; " my appearance may frighten 
 you, and my commission may seem scarcely pleasant, 
 since I have come to take you, sir chamberlain, a 
 prisoner to the stronghold of Giebichenstein : yet be 
 assured that such arrest shall nowise aggrieve you in 
 body or estate, the rather that it is intended as a 
 safeguard to your honour." 
 
 " You speak in riddles, master bailiff ! " cried Schonitz 
 hoarsely. " At whose command axe you here ? Have 
 the Estates despatched you on this mission ? " 
 
 " By no means," returned the officer, blandly ; " the 
 Archbishop himself has resolved upon this expedient 
 yet not in anger, but in loving care of you, anxious you 
 should be taken to a sure place, where no one shall 
 trouble you, just as Frederick the Wise, of blessed 
 memory, carried his beloved Luther a prisoner to the 
 Wartburg." 
 
 Schonitz smiled a smile of relief, and, going up to 
 his wife presently, who sat in her chair as one turned' 
 to stone, he stroked her hair lovingly, and said : " Fear 
 nothing, dear Magdalen ; there is nothing to be afraid 
 of. If I am carried off at the Cardinal's behest, it will 
 be well, I know." 
 
 He kissed his wife, who remained motionless ; he 
 kissed the children, who cried, " Good-bye, papa ! " and 
 followed his captors with a trusting heart. 
 
 T 2 
 
CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 COMING TO HIMSELF. 
 
 The excitement in the town was great when the 
 occurrence was known. People did not know what to 
 make of it. If the Moritzburg herself had given way 
 on her foundation, it would have surprised them less 
 than to see the chamberlain fall from the Cardinal's 
 favour. What crime could he have committed to bring 
 him to such dire judgment ? 
 
 The chamberlain's kindred, two lawyers among them, 
 sought the presence of the all-powerfal ruler, praying 
 earnestly that the disgrace of jail might be taken from 
 the family ; let Schbnitz be held a prisoner within his 
 own house, and they would all go baU for him, and 
 answer for any deficiency of accounts. 
 
 But the Cardinal received them ungraciously. The 
 case must run its course, he said. If the prisoner were 
 innocent, his innocence would free him speedily, and no 
 one need go bail for him. 
 
 Therewith he dismissed the petitioners, who in the 
 antechamber gave vent to their just indignation. 
 
 The Cardinal was informed of this by an officious 
 valet, but he could scarcely find fault with the suppli- 
 
COMING TO HIMSELF. 339 
 
 cants, since that very day more weighty intercession 
 was made in behalf of the chamberlain, both the 
 Counts of Mansfeld, together with Count Barby, sending 
 a special embassy to urge his release, but in vain. 
 
 Albrecht felt himself driven to a corner, public 
 opinion on the one hand and his conscience on the 
 other ; but he met both with defiance, making an effort 
 to silence, at any rate, the voice within. He gave strict 
 orders that no one should be admitted to the prisoner. 
 " No mortal man shall see him again," he said to 
 himself; " it is the only way now for saving my reputa- 
 tion ; even if the accounts could be brought right, 
 Hans von Schonitz must be silenced." 
 
 The Moritzburg after this seemed the centre of a 
 very whirl of pleasure, visitors upon visitors at the 
 invitation of the Cardinal assisting him to keep up the 
 excitement. The Archbishop seemed to thirst for 
 excitement, for the noise of pleasure about him ; quiet 
 and loneliness being insupportable. And yet he had to 
 face his seasons of quiet — those silent hours when the 
 stifled voice would still be heard ; sleep fled his couch 
 at night when conscience strove with his soul, but he 
 had lost the power of turning upon his sin, he lay 
 awake and groaned. 
 
 And what of that other one lying wakeful many a 
 night, innocently imprisoned, yet face to face with 
 the consciousness of sin ? Alas, what sorrow he had 
 come to— cruel walls about him, mouldering straw his 
 couch, impenetrable darkness his coverlet ! How should 
 he sleep, not knowing when he might see the fair 
 daylight again, not knowing what avengement of wrong 
 was upon him ? He was a victim of the cowardly 
 
340 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 selfishness of the great Cardinal, truly he was; but 
 what of his deeper innocence, or rather his guilt, in the 
 face of the searching Judge above 1 As he lay day 
 after day, and night after night, alone with himselfc 
 with the conscience bearing witness and the thoughts 
 accusing one another, the voice within again and again 
 would cry, " Thou sufferest rightfully ! " If not guilty 
 of great wickedness in the eyes of men, was he not 
 guilty of having pandered to the wickedness of another 
 — dragged deeper perhaps than he had intended, yet 
 unable to turn back on the slippery incline, though he 
 had made weak efforts to do so ! For the sake of 
 worldly gain, even the great man's favour, he had been 
 the willing servant of his master's iniquity, all these 
 years since first he had yielded himself to provide the 
 means for sinful luxury by assisting the setting up of 
 the idol for the worship of misguided men. And if the 
 punishment had fallen to him, who had the lesser guilt, 
 was it not because perchance he had yet a soul to save ? 
 Might it not be the Good Shepherd bringing him thus 
 low for very love's sake ? Poor Schbnitz came to see 
 he had deserved it all ; but how grievously, how thirstily 
 he longed for release ! 
 
 His sorrow truly was great. Who shall realise the 
 misery of one sitting day and night, or rather in con- 
 tinuous night, in a dungeon deep below the surface 
 of the earth, not knowing whether the fair sun is 
 shining or storms are raging, whether it is the season of 
 violets or of the ripening corn, whether men are plying 
 their weekly labour, or meet with folded hands in the 
 Sabbath sanctuary ? And what poignant grief to the 
 poor prisoner to think of his dear ones, of the faithful 
 wife and the little children who would be longing for 
 
COMING TO HIMSELF. 34 1 
 
 him as he longs for them ! He would fain send them 
 messages of love, write them a letter ; but how should 
 he ? he has neither pen nor ink ; and if he had, the 
 pitiless gaoler would never let the missive' go on 
 its way. 
 
 The dungeon was a very grave, full of sadness, almost 
 of despair. Hope would raise her shining front at 
 first, at times at least. " It cannot last long ; the Cardinal 
 is my friend, he will never break his promise, he will 
 stand by me ! " But days passed, weeks passed, and no 
 one came to say. Thou art free ! 
 
 A little light was allowed him presently, more sad 
 almost in its ghostly glimmer than the hiding night 
 had been. And one day the bailiff appeared, followed 
 by two caitiffs carrying dismal implements. Poor 
 Schonitz, who had jumped to his feet, sank back 
 dismayed, hope fading from his soul. 
 
 What did they come for ? The bailiff never once 
 pronounced the sweet word of Hberty, but with all 
 manner of wiles tried to gain the confession that was 
 needed by the Cardinal in order to satisfy the Estates 
 and clear himself to boot. Wiles availed not, let cruel 
 force do her part ! The thumbscrews were applied. 
 
 Hast thou hidden thy face, Justice, that a man 
 should be cruelly tortured to confess himself guilty 
 against his knowledge ! 
 
 The bones cracked, but the unhappy victim opened 
 not his mouth — at least he said not what his tormentors 
 were anxious to hear, and they left him after a while. 
 
 Again they appeared after a couple of days, and 
 again they put him to the cruel test, eliciting no 
 confession, Schonitz protesting his innocence as before. 
 
 There are wondrous tales of poor prisoners who, in 
 
42 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 spite of pitiless walls, in spite of doubly closed doors, 
 yet find ways and means of communicating with the 
 outer world. In a hard and cruel sense, too, necessity is 
 the mother of invention. 
 
 Schbnitz, then, found the possibility of exchanging 
 letters with his wife — he writing his with a bit of red 
 chalk, and hiding them in the bundle of linen he sent 
 home at stated intervals. 
 
 Several times he had thus despatched news and 
 received answers in return. His faithful Magdalen had 
 informed him that the Cardinal's party sought hard 
 for a cause against him, accusing him of all manner of 
 fraud, but that his own brother Antony zealously strove 
 to vindicate him, that he had even dared to attack the 
 electoral councillors with the question — Whether the 
 Cardinal had power to imprison and hang all those 
 who had grown rich in his service ? For if this were 
 the case his brother Hans would have many a fellow in 
 grief. Was it not rather a patent fact that the Cardinal 
 expected high living of his servants, that by their very 
 appearance they might show forth his greatness ? His 
 brother had been a rich man originally, but he had 
 often complained of late how dearly he had paid, even 
 as a matter of money, for the favour he enjoyed. And 
 concerning that deficit of fifty-three thousand gulden — 
 why did they not ask his grace himself for an explana- 
 tion ? In all probability he knew best how the money 
 had been spent ! 
 
 The poor chamberlain rejoiced in having so bold 
 and loving a brother, hoping much of his courage; 
 but fresh clouds of sorrow descended on his buoyant 
 expectation — his wife's letters ceased. 
 
 Bundle after bundle arrived, but, anxiously as he 
 
COMING TO HIMSELF. 343 
 
 examined the linen, there was nowhere a vestige of 
 news. Had the secret correspondence been discovered ? 
 
 Necessity again taught him invention. He tore a 
 strip from a linen shirt, writing upon it with his bit of 
 red chalk : " My own wife, I suffer agony for absence of 
 news. They intercept our letters. Let us be more 
 cunning still. Examine the sleeves. If you find a red 
 cross send n'o news. If you find two crosses it purports 
 I cannot write. A rent crossways shall inform thee 
 that they- apply cruel force to extgrt confession. A 
 rent- lengthways shall say I am dangerously iU. Three 
 crosses are as good news as I can give in my sorrow." 
 
 This strip the prisoner fixed within the folds of a 
 sleeve, and despatched the bundle in hopes. 
 
 Nor was he disappointed, receiving an answer in 
 a similar manner from the hands of Dame Magdalen, 
 telling him that his signs would be understood. 
 
 Correspondence was resumed, and growing bold by 
 success he from time to time added more complete 
 communication. 
 
 " The bailiff has been here," he wrote one day, 
 " urging me to appeal to the Cardinal for pardon and 
 grace ; but I shall not do it, since it would be owning 
 myself guilty. I need no man's pardon — not the 
 Cardinal's — but God's alone. I know now what stuff 
 the Cardinal is made of; I know now his mind and 
 heart. He trusts in the power of his arm, and thinks 
 he can crush me. The Lord knows I am innocent of 
 what they accuse me — yet not innocent in His sight. 
 May He have mercy on me in my deep distress ! " 
 
 But mercy was stayed ; week after week passed, 
 month after month. Winter came, and was succeeded 
 by spring ; the violets bloomed, the larks rose on joyous 
 
344 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 wing, but the prisoner continued in the mouldering 
 dungeon. Hope forsook him, and the strong heart 
 grew faint. 
 
 Once again he wrote to his wife, with a message to 
 his brother Antony : " I demand an open trial ; I will 
 render account to the best of my knowledge before the 
 Cardinal himself, to the town council or to the Estates. 
 But not to adversaries alone ; I must have some friends 
 to try me — some just men at least, if right and justice 
 shall not be wronged. If I cannot gain a heariug by 
 trial I shall never leave this place of death ! Woe is 
 me, my sorrows are grievous ; more merciful it were to 
 let me die,! The Lord has brought me to such ignominy 
 that my innocent children even will suffer for it ! " 
 
 A mercy it was that his poor wife could not see him ; 
 she would scarcely have known him again, for he was 
 but a living skeleton to look at. The bailiff himself 
 shook with compassion at the pitiful sight : hoUow-eyed 
 despair seemed all that was left of the man whom he had 
 brought thither in the strength and beauty of life — ^he 
 was but six-and-thirty when they took him. If right 
 should not yield to might, if liberty once more should 
 smile on him, it must be soon — it would be too late ere 
 long. In the meantime the nearness of death worked 
 upon the chamberlain's soul — he was coming to himself. 
 
CHAPTEE XXXII. 
 
 BEOUGHT TO THE GALLOWS. 
 
 At the bar of the Imperial Chamber stood a man 
 who had come to accuse a great prince of the realm — 
 a hierarch of the Church. Eight is trodden under foot, 
 and those in power think they can sin with impunity. 
 Yet the high court of the Holy Eoman Empire of the 
 German nation will lend an ear when the oppressed one 
 shall be pleaded for. Hope smiled upon the benches. 
 
 " Let the plaintiff lodge his complaint." 
 
 And the man raised his voice : " Against the Cardinal 
 Elector Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg I have 
 come to cry for mercy. The four-and-twentieth tax he 
 has imposed upon his diocese, plundering his people as 
 pitilessly as the invading Turks might do. And now, to 
 cover a discrepancy of accounts, he has thrown into 
 prison his former chamberlain and favourite, submitting 
 him to torture, since he cannot own himself guilty 
 of the imputed fraud. I humbly pray the Imperial 
 Chamber to command that the said prisoner, Hans von 
 Schonitz, be set at liberty and allowed to take his trial 
 in due course of law, lest he perish and be silenced for 
 ever in the dungeon." 
 
 " The matter shall be considered," said the president 
 And the man retired. 
 
346 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Within two days from this Cardinal Albrecht, in a 
 high state of alarm, was holding consultation with his 
 confidant and familiar, Doctor Turk. A courier had 
 arrived with a behest he had never anticipated: the 
 prisoner Schonitz should be released within three days, 
 the Imperial Chamber demanding his trial at law. 
 
 " What shall we do ? " groaned the Cardinal. " Who 
 can have dared to sue the high court against the Prince 
 Primate of Germany ? " 
 
 "Who else- but -Antony Schonitz?" replied the 
 chancellor bitterly; "it might have been expected." 
 
 " But what shall we do ? " repeated the Cardinal. 
 
 " Do ? We must defy the Chamber ! " returned the 
 chancellor unmoved. 
 
 " Must we ? " echoed the Archbishop helplessly. 
 
 "Indeed we must," reiterated the relentless Turk. 
 " Hans von Schonitz must on no account leave his place 
 of confinement. Let me see to it, your grace." 
 
 And without awaiting the stricken hierarch's consent 
 the chancellor went forth on his mission ; the Cardinal 
 knew it, and did not call him back. 
 
 Hans von Schonitz crouched on the miserable straw, 
 and was just trying to write to his wife — a real labour, 
 in spite of the prompting desire, when the door opened, 
 admitting two hangman's assistants with new imple ■ 
 ments of torture. The bailiff remained outside. He 
 was not a soft-hearted man, but he could not witness 
 the renewed agony, giving over the prisoner to those 
 who were more cruel than he. 
 
 He heard his cries of anguish, growing more faint at 
 last, and dying away in a pitiful moan. 
 
 When the servants of torture returned to the day- 
 
BROUGHT TO THE GALLOWS. 347 
 
 light, the one remarked : " He will have had enough of 
 it now, unless he be more than human." 
 
 But he had not enough. Nature had not come to 
 her last ; he woke from his swoon, though the prayer had 
 been loud in his heart for death to release him. 
 
 Four weeks had passed. Again the Cardinal was hold- 
 ing consultation with his chancellor, in still greater 
 dismay, if possible, and even Turk seemed ready to lose 
 his head,. A second courier had arrived with more 
 peremptory orders : unless Hans von Schonitz were set 
 at liberty, and allowed to take his trial without delay, 
 the Emperor himself should be appealed to. 
 
 How indeed might the Elector's reputation be saved ! 
 But, strange to say, now that the wily chancellor was 
 ready to despair, his master found a cruel courage, to 
 which even the hard-hearted Turk did not reach. 
 Bursting from his seat, he cried with a voice hoarse 
 with the inward emotion : " Has he strength to with- 
 stand the torture, then let him try the gallows ! If he 
 cannot confess, he must be silenced, there is no other 
 way ! " The cold drops stood on his forehead. 
 
 But the chancellor shook his head. " Who shall pass 
 sentence ? " he queried. 
 
 The Cardinal was disconcerted. In his madness of 
 self-preservation he had not thought of that. Of course 
 no properly constituted jury would sanctio'n the pro- 
 ceeding, yet some show of justice must be preserved. 
 " The peasants shall sit in judgment ! " he cried. 
 
 "It is not the peasants' business," returned Turk 
 gloomily. 
 
 " It shall be then for the nonce ! " exclaimed the ex- 
 asperated hierarch. "Have I asked you" to make more 
 
348 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 difl&culties than there are 1 Hans Schonitz shall die 
 before the Emperor can hear him ! " 
 
 " It will be an evil [hour ! " groaned the chancellor ; 
 but Albrecht quitted the apartment. 
 
 It was on the Monday after St. Vitus's, the 21st of 
 June, 1535, at three o'clock in the morning, that the 
 bailiff entered the prison cell, followed by a warder 
 bearing a pail of water and a brush and a comb. 
 
 " Make yourself tidy, Hans von Schonitz, and follow 
 me to the daylight." 
 
 The prisoner stood as one spellbound, unable to take 
 in the news. " God in heaven, is it true ? " he cried at 
 last. " Is the hour of release at hand ? " 
 
 "It is at hand," returned the bailiff significantly; 
 and poor Schonitz clasped him in a transport of 
 gratitude. 
 
 The officer pushed him away, not unkindly, urging 
 him to make ready at once. This- done, the warder pro- 
 duced a pair of handcuffs, to manacle the prisoner. 
 
 " What are you about ? " cried Schonitz, trying to 
 free himself. " What is going to be done to me now ? " 
 
 " You are going to be brought to judgment," explained 
 the bailiff. 
 
 The fettered man followed his guide, stair after stair, 
 for his prison was deep under ground. 
 
 At last the daylight appeared, and Schonitz closed his 
 eyes — ^the long night had unfitted them for the sun. 
 
 In the castle yard about a hundred peasants stood 
 waiting in a circle ; they had come at the axchiepiscopal 
 behest to pass sentence on Hans von Schonitz. A couple 
 of lawyers were present in behalf of the Cardinal. 
 
 The hangman was called, and with bared hatchet he 
 
ISkUUUHX TO THE GALLOWS. 349 
 
 accused the chamterlain of delinquency guilty of death, 
 the prisoner interrupting him. 
 
 " What is it ? " he cried ; " are you about to murder 
 me?" 
 
 He was seized and dragged to the rack. There was 
 little power of resistance after months of cruelty, but 
 his shrieks for pity were heartrending. And in the 
 agony of most exquisite torture his would-be judges 
 closed round him, urging a confession of his guilt. 
 Schonitz gave a groan ; they averred he had said " yes." 
 
 The peasant jury was asked whether they found the 
 prisoner guilty. 
 
 f" Guilty of death ! " they echoed, in awful chorus. 
 
 " It is murder ! " cried Schonitz. " I have not confessed 
 — I have nothing to confess — I ask a proper trial, these 
 cannot judge me." 
 
 " You are judged, and you shall die ! " yelled the 
 ruthless cohort, the hangman and his fellows preparing 
 to take him to the gallows. 
 
 To men he looked in vain for pity, but a power not of 
 man's giving upheld him at the last. He folded his 
 hands, his lips moved in prayer. " Lord Christ ! " he 
 said, " hast Thou gone to Calvary ? let me follow Thee, 
 and have mercy on my soul ! " And gazing upward he 
 repeated the fifty-seventh Psalm with steady voice. 
 
 The executioners were more humane than the 
 Cardinal ; they were not long about their dismal duty. 
 Within a quarter of an hour the silence of death had 
 settled on the yard ; of men only the bailiff was left, 
 who, in accordance with ancient usage, muttered a 
 paternoster beneath the gallows for the soul they had 
 sent to its account. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 LUTHER RISING IN JUDGMENT. 
 
 Cardinal Albrecht was absent from Halle on that 
 fatal Monday ; he had seen fit to travel to Halberstadt, 
 although nothing in particular had called him thither. 
 
 Eeturning on the fourth day, his eye from afar 
 sought the Giehichenstein : the black flag was hoisted, 
 he saw that the work had been done, that the mouth 
 was silenced which, had it spoken, might have cost him 
 both cardinalate and electorship. 
 
 But entering his town of Halle, he perceived at once 
 that no peace awaited him. In the first place, pubHc 
 jurisdiction felt itself aggrieved by the recent lawless 
 proceeding, and threatened to lodge complaint with the 
 Imperial Chamber. In the second place, and that was 
 more alarming still, Antony Schonitz had taken 
 forcible possession of his murdered brother's papers, 
 containing compromising letters from the Cardinal to 
 his former favourite, accounts, too, of doubtful nature ; 
 while Hans lived they had been under seal at the 
 electoral ofiice, now they should be published and 
 his grace should be sued. 
 
 How might he escape it, if it were not by dealing 
 with Antony as Hans had been dealt with ? 
 
LUTHER RISING IN JUDGMENT. 35 1 
 
 One sin is the parent of another ; this is pai-t of 
 its curse, and who has done the first wrong -vvill do 
 the second more easily. 
 
 Antony's movements were watched. One day, as he 
 rode to the Count of Mansfeld, three men-at-arms fol- 
 lowing him placed themselves in ambush against his 
 return; but their intention was foiled, he went back 
 by another road. 
 
 The Cardinal meanwhile put on the mask of in- 
 nocence, and, by way of proving to the world that his 
 late chamberlain had received the wages of iniquity, 
 he confiscated his every possession, Antony appearing 
 at the Eatskeller one evening in a fury of indignation. 
 " The knavery is beyond conception ! " he cried ; " not 
 satisfied with having made the poor wife a widow and 
 the children fatherless, the rapacious Cardinal now 
 takes their sustenance, the very playthings of the little 
 ones — everything is carried from the house ! People 
 are to believe this is because Hans Schonitz owed great 
 sums to his grace, whereas it is the very contrary : 
 I hold written proof that the Cardinal was deep in my 
 brother's debt. Yet wait. Cardinal, justice shall mete 
 thee with her measure ! I know the man who before 
 now has been able to pull off the mask of virtue 
 from thy face ; he shall do it again — he shall light 
 a fire that may prove hotter than thou wouldst 
 expect ! " 
 
 And that selfsame day Antony Schonitz, followed by 
 -well-armed servants, rode towards Wittenberg. 
 
 In his heart's excitement he never thought that the 
 'xpedition might have to be paid for with his life ; for 
 he plague raged at Wittenberg to such a degree that 
 sven the university had quitted the place, taking 
 
352 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 refuge at Jena. Luther, however, stood manfully by 
 his post, upholding his people through terrible days. 
 
 Antony entered the dea.th-stricken town, the streets 
 were deserted, scarcely a sound was to be heard. 
 
 Not till he entered the cloister yard of the Augus- 
 tinians, a human voice fell on his ear ; it was Mistress 
 Kate busy with her chickens. 
 
 " Is Doctor Martin at home ? " he inquired, hastily ; 
 " can I see him ? " 
 
 "To be sure, dear sir," replied Luther's helpmeet, 
 pleasantly; "you will find him in his little study — 
 this way." 
 
 Antony's heart beat loudly as through the long dark 
 passage he approached the chamber of the great one, 
 a stranger to him in more ways than one. His hand 
 even trembled as he knocked at the door, yet Luther 
 was his only hope. 
 
 "Who are you, my friend, and what brings you 
 hither ? " inquired Luther of the stranger who stood 
 reverently by the door. " Come nearer, you are 
 welcome." 
 
 "Antony von Schonitz is my name," replied the 
 visitor. 
 
 " Ha ! " cried Luther, starting, " that is the name of 
 the unhappy victim whose story has been told by 
 Ludwig Eabe at my table this very day. Are you 
 one of the family ? " 
 
 " His own brother," replied Schonitz eagerly, " and I 
 have come to you, much honoured Doctor, to pray for 
 your help against the murderer." 
 
 " Sit down, dear friend, and tell me all. My Kate 
 shall give you a drink, for you must have had a hot 
 time coming hither.'' 
 
LUTHER RISING IN -JUDGMENT. 353 
 
 Before Schonitz could answer, the hospitable Doctor 
 had disappeared, returning with his wife presently, who 
 carried a silver tankard with foaming Torgaii beer, 
 which she offered with a courtesy, prettily foretasting 
 the beverage, after the fashion of those days. 
 
 " Take and enjoy it," said Luther, kindly ; " it is my 
 own Elector's gift." 
 
 A film overspread Antony's eyes as he looked at the 
 Doctor, and his heart went out to meet him ; was this the 
 man of whom the world was full ? How simply human 
 he was, how loving withal, nay, a man as the prophet of 
 old described it, who might be as an hiding-place from 
 the wind, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary 
 land. 
 
 It is wonderful, yet very natural, how those whose 
 utter trust rests in the Lord their God, invariably inspire 
 their fellow-men with confidence in themselves. Antony 
 had come prepared to unbosom his sorrow to Luther, 
 but he did not expect he could do it so fully, that he 
 could lay open his heart so entirely as to a brother. 
 
 When he left Wittenberg his soul could rest in 
 trust. 
 
 Not many days, and a broadside startled the world, 
 startled the great man at Halle whom no one dared 
 accuse, though many in their secret hearts believed him 
 guilty of innocent blood. The ■ fearless Luther once 
 more opened his mouth, every word bursting like 
 thunder over the head of the Prince Primate of Ger- 
 many ; aU the country heard it, and stood breathless, 
 waiting what might follow. 
 
 This was the letter : — 
 
 ■'Repentance and forgiveness of sin to you, most 
 
 z 2 
 
354 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 noble Elector, most gracious Lord. I am constrained 
 to address this to your Cardinal Holiness, not for the 
 hope of doing good to yourself, but to satisfy my own 
 conscience. For Ludwig Rabe has shown me a missive 
 in which your Cardinal Holiness threatens him for having 
 spread certaia news concerning Hans von Schomtz. 
 Now since that same Ludwig Eabe is my table-feUow, 
 it seems to me that your Cardinal Holiness intends 
 that letter as a stab at myself, for sheer annoyance 
 that I and other good people must hear such news 
 I can testify to it with a bold conscience that Ludwig 
 Rabe sits at my table bashful as a maiden, and is 
 not likely therefore to spread vicious tales of his own 
 invention. Indeed, the town was fuU of it before I 
 learnt from Ludwig Eabe what I could not believe 
 my ears to be true, that Hans Schonitz, the much- 
 loved servant of the Cardinal's Holiness, had been 
 suddenly brought to the gallows by yourself. Nay, 
 Ludwig Rabe has not made up such tale, and my Lord 
 Cardinal's name was spit at and desecrated barring 
 our invention. If then that missive was a hit at 
 myself, I pray your Cardinal Holiness to leave those 
 unmolested who sit at my table. Indeed, I will be 
 free to hear and believe what honest people tell me 
 concerning that same Hans, and I will venture to 
 speak of such things as I hear. Surely I have not 
 been called to Wittenberg to hush up all those who 
 dare speak good of Hans Schonitz and evil of the 
 Cardinal's grace, and indeed I trust you will not bring 
 me to the gallows, as you did Schonitz, for holding 
 such views. I will be free therefore to think and 
 believe what is true. In sooth, if your Cardinal Holi- 
 ness felt inclined to hang all those who ventiire to 
 
L UTHER RISING IN JUDGMENT. 355 
 
 speak evil of the hell-deserving bishop, there might 
 not he ropes enough in all Germany. However, not 
 many might be hanged so easily as poor Hans was 
 hanged. If Schonitz had been judged anywhere but 
 under his Archbishop's auspices, he would be free and 
 alive this day. And if the Archbishop had our Ludwig 
 Rabe at Halle he would no doubt hang him, and silence 
 him, as Hans Schonitz was silenced. But if the Cardinal's 
 Holiness is anxious to know the goodly reports current 
 about him in German lands, I beg to remind him of 
 things done fifteen years ago, meaning the indulgence 
 and other stories, although one would hardly advise 
 your grace to stir up the muck which we trust is 
 covered, though not forgotten. If your Cardinal 
 Holiness would stifle such reports anywhere out of 
 Halle, the very ban-bull of the Pope might not do it. 
 At Halle these things are smothered under pain of 
 death, but that cannot hurt Hans Schonitz, neither his 
 name nor his cause ; and the Cardinal's evil report is 
 added to daily by a calling and crying for vengeance ; 
 even as the blood of Magister George — which at the 
 time I was anxious to turn away from the Bishop of 
 Mainz, laying it rather at other doors — is crying the 
 longer the louder, and I for one will not be silenced till 
 it be heard and avenged. 
 
 " This letter I have writ to your Cardinal Holiness, 
 even as Elijah the prophet wrote to Jehoram in the 
 Second of Chronicles, chapter the twenty-first, holding 
 myself excused thereby before God and all the world. 
 And I take comfort to myself that ye wrathful saints, 
 cardinals and others, will not hang every one who 
 opposes you, but that you will spare the knocker at least 
 at the Lord Almighty's church door, and that some few of 
 
3S6 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 US may escape till the great hangman confound you 
 at the last. So be it. 
 
 " Given at Wittenberg, this 31st of July, 1535. 
 
 " Doctor Martin Luther." 
 
 As carried by invisible hands, this letter sped through 
 the length and breadth of the land, and the people 
 read it. 
 
 And what was the Cardinal's reply ? Silence. He 
 took it all, not uttering a sound. " lie is guilty," said 
 the people. 
 
 But Luther was not put off so easily. " He takes no 
 notice, hoping to drown it in oblivion ; but he shall not 
 succeed this time, if he succeeded before ! " 
 
 And again Doctor Martin took his inkstand, filling it 
 deeper still. 
 
 " Grace and peace in Christ our Lord, and my poor 
 paternoster for mercy. It has come to my knowledge, 
 most gracious Cardinal, how your electoral grace is 
 trying hard to cover up the blood of poor Hans, as you 
 did cover up the innocent blood of Magister George, for 
 the which even I lent you my foolish service, thinking 
 too well of the Bishop of Mainz, and laying that blood 
 at the door of the Chapter. But I see now that your 
 electoral grace relies on this, that haply you might 
 escape unscathed and honourably from both cases, heap- 
 ing all disgrace upon the dead ; I send tidings therefore 
 herewith inclosed, from which your electoral grace 
 may gather that the blood that was spilt is not so 
 silent in German lands as it may be beneath your 
 grace's roof among the pickthanks. I trust your grace 
 will have to say yea and amen, if much against your 
 will. However, I know apart from these tidings that 
 
LUTHER RISING IN JUDGMENT. 357 
 
 your Cardinal Holiness is guilty of having hanged Hans 
 Schonitz, without the knowledge of his family or of 
 the town of Halle — moreover without granting to the 
 poor man just trial or defence, as had been doubly meet 
 in his position. People speak the truth surely when 
 they say that because your grace could not make good 
 the deficit, poor Hans had to pay for it with his death ; 
 and yet no bishop has power to take life. Again, I 
 have read that your electoral grace is trying to put the 
 blame upon the murdered man's own relatives. Now 
 for a certainty, and though I have heard tell many an 
 evil deed of cardinals, I could never have believed your 
 grace to be such a vicious worm as to be able to mock 
 and insult the very people against whom you have 
 sinned. And since your grace defies the Imperial 
 Chamber, and has robbed the town of Halle of her 
 right of the sword, the Lord God will hear our prayer 
 and cause the Cardinal's Holiness to sweep out the dirt 
 himself. If Hans Schonitz had been a thief (which I 
 do not believe), the Cardinal of Mainz would have to 
 be hanged ten times over upon a gallows thrice the 
 height of the Giebichenstein, for who like he has so 
 shamefully wasted St. Maurice's, draining the diocese 
 with riotous living, continually robbing his people ? Is 
 there not Elsa von Kolze, of unhappy memory, who has 
 lost fair fame and riches for him ? are there not the 
 churches and convents he has spoiled, the citizens of 
 Halle he has driven from house and home ? and the 
 like praiseworthy deeds untold ? I will announce to 
 you then what I mean to do, as one who rues his foolish 
 writing concerning the death of Magister George, more 
 especially as I have given cause to the Chapter of 
 Mainz to accuse me of having wronged them. I will 
 
3S8 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 make known to all the world the dying cry of the 
 murdered Hans, when he called aloud for mercy against 
 violence. I will do so, and make a merry Shrovetide for 
 your electoral grace, so help me God ! 
 
 ''Doctor Martin Luther." 
 
 Albrecht was furious. If he had met Luther face 
 to face, who knows but what he had not carried out 
 upon him the Edict of Worms with his own hand ? 
 
 Turk urged him to go to law for libel; but the 
 Cardinal moved not. 
 
 " Where shall we get to, if your electoral grace takes 
 it all in silence ? " cried the impassioned chancellor. 
 " It must not be, indeed not ! An appeal to the House 
 of Brandenburg might stop the calumny. Your august 
 relatives may apply pressure to the Elector of Saxony, 
 and the slanderer will have to yield." 
 
 The Cardinal caught at this. "You are right," he 
 said. "The princes of my house will stand by me, 
 where the common people blacken my name. They will 
 resent it, that a mere churl of a faithless monk dares 
 lift his unmannerly fist against the Cardinal who is a 
 born Markgrave of Brandenburg." 
 
 Messengers then were dispatched to Berlin and 
 Konigsberg, finding a willing ear at both courts. The 
 Elector of Saxony was appealed to to use his influence 
 with Luther. 
 
 And he did so, powerfully supported by Albrecht of 
 Konigsberg, the whilom Grand Master, now Duke of 
 Prussia, who had some weight with Luther — but not in 
 this matter : the sturdy Reformer insisted on his right, 
 nay, duty, of upbraiding the sinner, if no one else 
 did it. 
 
LUTHER RISING IN JUDGMENT. 359 
 
 They tried to find out from him what further writing 
 he intended to fulminate against the Cardinal ; but the 
 only answer they could elicit from Wittenberg was to 
 this effect : " What is that to you ? The Cardinal has 
 been allowed far too long to scorn the Lord Christ, and 
 vex poor people ; it would be a more praiseworthy 
 attempt to try and improve him than to inquire into 
 my writing. It is not I, but he, the Cardinal, who 
 disgraces your princely house. I have done nothing 
 but told the truth to an arrant knave. No house 
 so royal but it may bring forth an evil scion. Go 
 to law with me, an you please. I will not fail to 
 appear. I have already put in writing what shall 
 justify me. Two letters have I writ : that which 
 I now hope to send forth will not fall dead, please 
 God." 
 
 Upon this information, Albrecht of Konigsberg per- 
 sonally reasoned with Doctor Martin : he was right, no 
 doubt, but let him not judge too harshly. Abuse of 
 spiritual power was an open sore ; one could but hope 
 for better times with patience ; he prayed urgently 
 Luther should put by the intended pamphlet — the need 
 of its publication might lessen, perhaps. 
 
 Said Luther : " I do not blame your cousinly sym- 
 pathy for taking the part of the Bishop of Mainz ; but' 
 even your princely grace could not think well of him. 
 far less speak for him, if you knew all I know against 
 him. He is surpassingly wicked and froward. Your 
 princely grace may remember that at the recent meeting 
 of Brandenburghers with the Elector of Saxony, one of 
 the former remarked : ' Would to God the Cardinal 
 were not a prince of Brandenburg ! / I can only repeat 
 my former request to your grace : get the prelate to 
 
360 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 go to law with Luther. I wish him no harm, but he 
 shall have his due." 
 
 A more urgent appeal was returned from Konigsberg : 
 let Luther remember that there were broken pots 
 everywhere ! 
 
 Doctor Martin was brought to consider : " Well," he 
 said, " I will put by what I have writ ; the time will 
 come to send it forth." 
 
 And behold before long the Cardinal found courage 
 to move. There appeared an archiepiscopal oflScial at 
 the Augustinian monastery at Wittenberg, delivering a 
 request from the Cardinal that Doctor Martin himself 
 should act as arbiter. 
 
 Luther for a moment was puzzled ; but he soon 
 perceived the trick of the wily hierarch. " Indeed," 
 thought he to himself, " and does the Cardinal ask that 
 of me which he knows I cannot do ? If I send a 
 refusal, he will imagine be has done his duty, and be 
 rid of the matter." 
 
 And turning to the messenger he said : " Tell him 
 who sent you that he has mistaken his man : Luther is 
 unable to arbitrate, since it is unheard of that the 
 accuser should at the same time be judge." 
 
 When the ofiScial had departed Luther turned to his 
 cupboard : " Come forth, my little book,'' he said, " come 
 forth to the light ; the time has come to dispatch thee. 
 .... Yet no ! Once more I will make the attempt and 
 preach repentance to the Cardinal. If he does not 
 hear me now, the little book shall go its way." 
 
 And with all speed he wrote a letter, sending it after 
 the messenger. 
 
 The Cardinal lay sick on his bed when that exhorta- 
 tion reached him. lUness had wrought a change, his 
 
LUTHER RISING IN JUDGMENT. 361 
 
 spirit was broken, a wave of contrition swept his soul 
 moistening his very eyes with emotion. Conscience 
 was at work, holding up the past. " I will meet his 
 advice," he murmured, " I will show him that I have 
 yielded to brotherly counsel. I will take up the bones' 
 of him who was buried beneath the gallows, and will 
 entomb them with all honours in my own cathedral. I 
 cannot do more — but surely that will be enough ! " 
 
 The proud man had laboured to come to this resolu- 
 tion, but the idea quite cheered him ; he rose from his 
 sick bed, hoping that surely now Luther would hold 
 his tongue. 
 
 Vain hope ! How should the honest-hearted Luther 
 be satisfied with such poverty-stricken repentance — 
 unmanly, not to say unchristian ? So far from buying 
 silence, it broke the last tie that withheld the little 
 book. 
 
 And the" third thunderbolt struck deeper than anything 
 that had gone before. 
 
 " A cry goes up from earth to heaven," it said, " the 
 cry of innocent blood. I am not his judge, but a messenger 
 I am of the great Judge : it is not I who call him a 
 murderer and thief, but the Judge above does so. To 
 the light, Bishop ! — Nay, the Bishop shuns the light. 
 He could not permit his chamberlain to render full 
 account, but hang him he could ! Aha, Bishop ! It is 
 better to die on the gallows than to be thrust into hell. 
 .... A rich man, that Cardinal ! but let him have a 
 hundred thousand advocates, honest lawyers or petti- 
 ■ foggers, to help him to clatter and spatter, we owe it to 
 God to hear another man. Where is that man ? On 
 the gallows. Righteous God, who has hanged him? 
 The Bishop. And for why ? The Bishop would have 
 
362 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 tlie field to himself, none should stand up against him, 
 the Bishop will preach to fools. And what does the 
 Lord say to it ? The Cardinal representing the one side 
 shall not he helieved, until he produce the man who can 
 
 stand for the other side Where is the natural law ? 
 
 Why, his princely grace has offered to face the law at 
 the Imperial Chamber. Has he ? When Hans Schonitz 
 was alive and could have confronted the Cardinal, his 
 grace shunned the light ; now that Hans is dead, he is 
 willing to come to the Chamber, and make fools of all 
 who will hear him. Such wily wisdom the Lord has 
 known how to confound ; the living Cardinal must hold 
 his tongue ; and dead Hans speaketh by the blood- 
 right of Abel, crying vengeance on his murderer. 
 Behold the holy folk of popedom : they like to be 
 Cardinal, they like to rule the Church, but they despise 
 the Word of God, and would fain overthrow it. Very 
 right and meet it is that they come to grief to their 
 own hurt, like the Cardinal with his sycophants. Would 
 I could touch his conscience to righteous repentance ! 
 Would to God that the Cardinal could be brought to 
 know himself, to kneel for God's mercy, then I should 
 have gained a great and happy end by my harsh and 
 scolding writ. But if he wiU not hear me, I have at 
 least done my duty by Hans Schonitz according to 
 Christian charity ; and after my death my testimony will 
 be worth more than the Cardinal's, who even in his 
 lifetime is falling into unsavoury repute. One more 
 true and faithful counsel I would give him, if so be that 
 his majesty wiU stoop to take it. What saith the Lord 
 in the fifth of St. Matthew : Be reconciled to thy Irother ! 
 The Cardinal then should go to the wife and mother of 
 Schonitz, humbling himself and praying them for God's 
 
LUTHER RISING IN JUDGMENT. 363 
 
 sake to forgive him all the sorrow, grief, and loss he 
 has brought upon them, and which he would like to 
 make good. This is fine counsel, which the Lord Christ 
 Himself hath given, yea, a command it is which He, 
 Christ, puts upon all. The Word of Christ will remain, 
 not one jot or tittle shall pass from it, but the Cardinal 
 and we all shall pass away. God knows we have all 
 of us our grievous weight of sin, and should not make 
 Him a liar and a cover for our wickedness who is willing 
 to forgive sin. That would be blaspheming the Holy 
 Ghost, for the which there is no forgiveness. Lord help 
 us to be pious sinners and not holy blasphemers ! 
 Amen." 
 
 The word was spoken, the people heard it, and so did 
 the Cardinal. God once more thereby knocked at his 
 heart ; but he had hardened his heart, and it was more 
 hardened still. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 THE LAST STRUGGLE. 
 
 Once again distress in the archiepiscopal exchequer 
 had reached its height, once again no hope remained 
 but suing the Estates for a tax. 
 
 The Chancellor Turk himself undertook the mission, 
 prepared to do his best in matter of management, and, 
 strange to say, he was successful. The assembly granted 
 five hundred thousand gulden, to be raised by an extra- 
 ordinary impost throughout the diocese. The town 
 of Halle came in for twenty-two thousand gulden. 
 
 On the Monday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent, 
 1541, the town council called together a meeting 
 of citizens to announce to them the decision arrived at. 
 
 A deep murmur arose when the fact was known, and 
 the citizens requested time for consideration. 
 
 There was nothing to consider, said the recorder ; and 
 since it was a settled matter, it behoved the people 
 simply to obey ; but they insisted on their right, and 
 time was granted. 
 
 The citizens thereupon went into committee, each of 
 the four parishes on its own account, to consult about 
 the proposed tax and in the name of the township to 
 treat with the council. 
 
THE LAST STRUGGLE. 365 
 
 Excitement ran highest in the parish of Our Lady. 
 There the venerable Wolf Steinbach stood up with all 
 the weight of his influence, and this is what he said : 
 " The time has come now, ye men of Halle, when we 
 may obtain what we have prayed for this many a year, 
 the pure Word of God. Let us stand firm, and refuse 
 the tax until the council grant us a Protestant preacher 
 and schoolmaster. Then we will submit to the Cardinal 
 as dutiful citizens. Listen to me, my brethren! I 
 am an old man : I have watched from the first the 
 great struggle between Albrecht the Cardinal, Prince 
 Primate of Germany, and Luther, the prophet of the 
 High God. Hot indeed has been the battle, and many 
 a blow has fallen. The Cardinal at first believed he 
 could look down with a supercilious smile upon the 
 humble barefooted friar; he brandished his sword, 
 thinking he could never be vanquished — he, the most 
 powerful of German princes. Yet see, even he had to 
 accept it that the Word is a power, stronger than aught 
 besides ; that swords and crowns even must yield it the 
 victory. Step by step the Primate lost ground to the 
 monk. As the Gospel has spread victoriously throughout 
 the length and breadth and beyond the confines of the 
 land, so it has entered the diocese of Magdeburg, and 
 the Cardinal could not forbid it. Town after town, 
 vUIage after village, has fallen away from him. His 
 steps have been uncertain ; and since he has soiled his 
 hands with the blood of Schonitz, an evil conscience 
 has led him into much folly. It was upon that occasion 
 that Luther dealt him the heaviest blow, shivering his 
 proud sword to pieces. He can but fight with the 
 broken weapon now, and he does it with an obstinate, 
 desperate defiance: if aught fails, he will keep one 
 
366 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 shred of his power, one stronghold of popery within 
 the diocese — he thinks he is sure of his residence at 
 Halle. You know how, again and again, with a hard 
 heart, he has refused to give us what he has been 
 obliged to yield to other towns of the archbishopric — 
 the preaching of the Gospel. Year after year he has 
 succeeded in getting those into the town council who 
 assisted him effectively; and ever since we lost our 
 beloved Magister George we have been obliged to 
 worship away from our own t3wn. Now at last the 
 hour has come when we may force him to give us what 
 from the first he should not have denied. Let us 
 refuse the tax, then, till he has heard our prayer. It 
 will not be quite easy, since now also the president and 
 sub-president of the town council are his creatures ; 
 but if the citizens are of one mind we may gain the 
 victory. Let those who agree with me step to my 
 side." 
 
 The committee of Our Lady's parish was unanimous, 
 solemnly vowing to stand by each other, and stand 
 by the faith. 
 
 And upon inquiry it was found that of the other 
 three parishes, all, some few excepted, were of a similar 
 mind. 
 
 A deputation then waited upon the council to an- 
 nounce the citizens' desire and intention ; and having 
 done so, they were told to await decision in the 
 lobby. 
 
 More than an hour they were kept waiting, and 
 began to be fearful of the result. To their surprise, 
 however, the recorder made answer : "A well-instructed 
 Gospel preacher you have asked for, and a Protestant 
 schoolmaster besides. This is a request both needful 
 
THE LAST STRUGGLE. 367 
 
 and redounding to the honour of God. The worshipful 
 council has agreed, therefore, speedily to look for a 
 preacher who is well-mannered, pious and learned, and 
 firmly planted in the Gospel, as you desire. An able 
 schoolmaster also shall be inquired for. It is not m«et, 
 however, for the Council to act arbitrarily in this most 
 important matter; it has been resolved, therefore, to 
 appeal to the Cardinal, who, as you know, is even now 
 assisting at the Diet of Regensburg." 
 
 But Wolf Steinbach interposed : " Not so, your 
 worship ! The citizens cannot accept such conditions. 
 There is no need to appeal for the Word of God to any 
 one but to the Lord Himself, who is the Word. We have 
 often prayed the Cardinal for a Protestant preacher 
 since the days of Magister George, but in vain. Let 
 the worshipful council remember how many poor 
 people have since been left to hunger for the Gospel ! " 
 The council retired to consider, and again the recorder 
 spoke forth : " It shall be done as you would have it ; 
 but if the council thereby should incur the Cardinal's 
 displeasure, you shall promise that the citizens will 
 bear us out." 
 
 This assurance was given, and after some further 
 debate it was agreed that Doctor John PfefSnger, a 
 Protestant divine of Leipzig, should be waited upon 
 with a call to Halle. 
 
 The joy in the town was great that the council should 
 have yielded so readily. Wolf Steinbach, however, 
 shook his head, expressing grave doubts to his friends : 
 " I distrust this willingness of the council," he said ; " I 
 fear me there is knavery beliind ! What if they are 
 reporting to the Cardinal behind our backs ? If such 
 were indeed the case, we must keep our eyes open, lest 
 
 A A 
 
368 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 the second Protestant preacher of Halle share the fate 
 of the first one. Since Hans Schonitz was brought to 
 the gaUows.the Cardinal might be capable of anything." 
 
 People thought that was going too far in suspicion, 
 the Cardinal was at a great distance, moreover ; but the 
 venerable Steinbach kept to his own opinion : " Sleep 
 if you like," he said ; " I shall watch." 
 
 On the following Sunday, with the early dawn, an 
 open chaise drove from the Gallowgate, taking the 
 high road to Leipzig. The occupants were two town 
 councillors and two of the committee of Our Lady's ; 
 an outrider led the way. The horses were kept at 
 a quick pace, the little party being anxious to arrive at 
 Leipzig in time for morning service. The deputation 
 wished to hear a sermon from the preacher they were 
 about to invite to Halle. 
 
 But untoward interruption was at hand ; they had 
 not proceeded far when the outrider puUed up sharp : 
 " Look yonder ! " he exclaimed, pointing to a copse 
 at a little distance. " I see the ghtter of arms through 
 the underwood — there is a man on horseback, and 
 another. Good heavens, it is the garrison from the 
 Giebichenstein ! " 
 
 " Treason ! " cried one of the deputies. " They have 
 broken their word, they have betrayed us to the 
 Cardinal ! " 
 
 It was indeed the bailiff from the Giebichenstein, 
 with twelve horsemen. Those in the chaise heard him 
 interrogate the outrider as to who was in the vehicle 
 and what might be the object of their journey. 
 
 The little party bravely resolved to drive on, nor were 
 they hindered ; the outrider was released, having given 
 his information. 
 
THE LAST STRUGGLE. 369 
 
 Wolf Steinbach that same morning, about breakfast 
 time, was startled by a ponderous knocking at his door. 
 Two of the salt-workers had come, anxious to see their 
 master. 
 
 " Important news, though little pleasing ! " cried the 
 men, as soon as admitted. " The bailiff of the 
 Giebichenstein with his men has been seen stopping 
 the deputation." 
 
 The old man received the news with dismay. " I 
 knew it — I expected it ! " he cried, " You shall be 
 rewarded for your watchfulness." 
 
 But the men declined ; they had not done it for gain, 
 they said. 
 
 That same evening Wolf Steinbach convened the 
 committee and other leading citizens, to inform them 
 of the occurrence, the evident treacherous intent calling 
 up not a little wrath. Measures were resolved upon to 
 anticipate any evil designs, the people guarding their 
 suspicions and preparations strictly. 
 
 In the night of the following Thursday a band of 
 salt-workers, with halberds and truncheons, gathered 
 quietly round the springs, a body of citizens armed in 
 a like manner collecting about the Gallowgate. And 
 presently, in the dead of night, the united force, some 
 two hundred stalwart. feUows, moved from the town 
 with faces set towards Leipzig. The gate-keeper tried 
 to refuse passage, but was forced to give way. 
 
 The town council being informed, forthwith summoned 
 the committee, taxing the citizens with insulting 
 distrust, as though the presiding magistrates themselves 
 had ordered abroad the garrison of the Giebichenstein. 
 
 The charge was quietly accepted, leaving each and 
 all free to think as they pleased. 
 
370 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 The excitement in the town was great ; no one thought 
 of work. Old and young, rich and poor, men and 
 women pressed about the Gallowgate, anxiously peering 
 towards Leipzig. 
 
 It was noon, and nothing was to be seen. The 
 afternoon waned, and many of the watchers had retired 
 to their homes when a body of armed men became 
 visible through the rising dust. The citizens of Halle 
 returned from their expedition ; they had met nothing 
 suspicious, they said ; but neither had they fallen in 
 with the deputation. 
 
 Fears and surmisings passed about the town, the 
 presiding magistrates being reviled freely for whatever 
 of underhand designs they might be guilty of. 
 
 The following day only, at nightfall, the deputation 
 returned, safe and sound, but without the expected 
 preacher. 
 
 They repaired at once to the town hall to report; 
 Doctor Pfeffinger truly was a learned man, with a heart 
 in the right place, and a tongue that could speak ; he 
 was of the Gospel faith, and much respected by the good 
 folk of Leipzig, who no doubt would not care to part 
 with him. The reverend Doctor, however, was of a 
 fearful mind. Upon learning that he might have to go 
 through much tribulation at Halle, he had prayed the 
 delegates to take their offer to one more fit than he. 
 
 The town council accepted the information in silence ; 
 but not so the citizens, who hesitated not to hint very 
 broadly that the magistrates apparently knew before- 
 hand what result to expect of the deputation. 
 
 The people of Halle before long, however, found 
 reason to calm their ire, as the news was passed from 
 house to house that the deputation had more to tell 
 
THE LAST STRUGGLE. 37 1 
 
 than they thought well to impart to the adverse 
 magistrates. This is what they reported further !• since 
 Doctor Pfeffinger had declined, they had driven straight 
 to Wittenberg, and had been received most warmly by 
 Doctor Martin. "Indeed, and you shall have a 
 preacher," he had said : " I will send you one who not 
 only has a tongue to speak like an angel, but teeth 
 wherewith to bite, and the heart of a lion as a true 
 champion of the Gospel ; he will not fear the Cardinal. 
 I make a real sacrifice in parting with him, since he is 
 one of my truest friends and fellow labourers at 
 Wittenberg. But I delight in sending him to the town 
 of Halle. Return to your own, and the Lord be with 
 you ! I will lose no time in sending you the man who 
 may serve you — my beloved Doctor Justus Jonas." 
 
 And the town of Halle lifted her face with thanks- 
 giving, many of her children kneeling to their Father 
 in heaven with a song of praise on their lips, that after 
 many days of darkness He had made His sun to rise — 
 the Sun of Eighteousness, with healing in His wings. 
 The true Gospel henceforth would illumine the 
 believer's heart. 
 
CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 CONQTTEEED. 
 
 The Diet of Regensburg was over. It had need to 
 sit long. Much had to be seen to, and lengthy had 
 been the debates about Church and religion. The 
 Emperor longed earnestly for peace and for a settling of 
 those matters of faith which so long had troubled ^the 
 realm. Not heeding, therefore, the opposition of Catholic 
 princes, he had commanded a religious disputation, him- 
 self appointing the theologians who should carry it on. 
 And very careful he had been on both sides to select 
 men of charity rather than contention, hoping thus to 
 arrive at the desired result. Indeed, it appeared for 
 a time as though the Imperial wishes should be realised, 
 on several points of doctrine an agreement being 
 seemingly arrived at. But when they came to dispute 
 about the Church, a common understanding appeared 
 anything but possible, the question of the sacraments 
 entirely rending the bridge of concord so anxiously con- 
 trived. On that ground the theologians parted company, 
 and eventually the princes and hierarchs returned to 
 their people. 
 
 Cardinal Albrecht set his face towards his town of 
 
CONQUERED. 373 
 
 Mainz, where his presence was urgently required. But 
 remembering Halle on the road, and the reports that had 
 reached him from that place, he changed his course. 
 "Let the good folk of Mainz possess their souls in 
 patience ; methinks I am more needed at Halle, lest the 
 last of my diocese of Magdeburg be wrenched from my 
 hands." Yes, Albrecht had need to return to Halle. 
 
 The folds of night were mantling the place as he 
 reached it, and he was well satisfied it should be so. 
 He felt averse to be received by the citizens with a 
 show of homage. Quietly he entered his Moritzburg, 
 and, weary with the journey, he at once sought his 
 couch. 
 
 But the following morning the sun lit up his chamber. 
 The windows looked south, and commanded a view of 
 the collegiate foundation. 
 
 He walked to the casement, became pale, and stag- 
 gered. Ye saints ! what is the matter with the steeples 
 of my cathedral ? " 
 
 He pulled his bell passionately, inquiring almost with 
 a scream of the valet who hastily appeared, " What are 
 they doing ? Dismantling my towers ! " 
 
 " So please your electoral grace," said the man, half 
 frightened ; " they are taking down the belfries, the 
 foundation is giving way." 
 
 The Cardinal could only wave his hand; the man 
 retired. Albrecht sank into a chair, covering his face. 
 " Woe is me, my towers ! " he groaned ; " my towers, in 
 which I beheld an emblem of the invincible glory of the 
 Church, a token of her victory over heresy ! The 
 foundation is giving. Give way then, my hopes ! " 
 
 He sat as one petrified, motionless, overwhelmed 
 with thought. 
 
374 LUTHER AND THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Rising at last, he again neared the window, the tears 
 of disappointment in his eyes. His own cathedral ! 
 The people in festive apparel were running to and fro. 
 The Cardinal saw it, yet somehow he did not seem 
 to take it in till after a while, when the sight, as it 
 were, struck his soul. " What is it ? " he cried, " what 
 solemnity moves the people ? " 
 
 Again the valet was rung for, and hoarsely the 
 Cardinal inquired : " What is it that moves the town ? " 
 
 The valet trembled at the question, and answered 
 slowly, " Justus Jonas has arrived to preach the Gospel." 
 
 The Cardinal's face grew ashy, and scarcely master of 
 himself he burst upon the harmless valet : " Get thee 
 gone, wretched menial ! Is that all thy news ? " 
 
 With beating heart Albrecht paced his room. There 
 was a conflict in his soul, and he fought it out on the 
 spot. He stood still presently, stretching forth his 
 hands. " Fare thee well, Halle ! " he murmured ; 
 "thou shalt see my face no more. Old things are 
 passing away, new things are bursting to life — wnd 
 thou hast cong^iiered, Augustinian ! " 
 
 THE END. 
 
 LONDON : B. CLAY, SONS. AND TAYLOR, PfilNTERa. 
 
F^m^^^MA' 
 
 !!i^-r-^*r^