132 



THEODORE ROBERTS, ESQ., ON 



on the table, and. secondly, " ^Vas he prepared to retract and 

 disavow the opinions he had advanced in them? " To the first 

 question he repHed, after their titles had been read, that the books 

 were his, and as to the second he asked for time for a reply, which 

 was granted until the morrow. I have often thought that crowned 

 heads have less of the gift of discerning character than the rest 

 of mankind, and Charles, though the ablest man since the 

 Christian era who has reigned by hereditary* right, except Charle- 

 magne and Frederick the Great, proved no exception to this obser- 

 vation. He had not taken his eyes off Luther during the whole 

 time that he was before him, but his opinion was unfavourable, he 

 said : " Certainly that monk will never make a heretic of me." 



On the following day, after a night spent in prayer, Luther 

 again appeared before the Diet and spoke for about an hour in 

 German, repeating it in Latin for the emperor's benefit, as he 

 knew not the tongue of the great nation over which he ruled. In 

 substance he defended what he had written, though expressing 

 great readiness to be shown where he was wrong, and before he 

 closed he added a word of warning which must have sounded 

 strange to that glittering throng of kings and princes. He told 

 them they were on their trial, and referred to the great monarchies 

 of ancient time, which, he said, by fighting against God, had 

 brought upon themselves utter ruin, and counselled them to take 

 warning by these examples. When he ceased to speak the 

 Chancellor of Treves, Dr. Eck, pressed for a direct answer: 

 ' ' ^Yould he or would he not retract ? 



Undismayed, Luther replied: ' Since your most Serene 

 Majesty, and your High Mightiness, require from me a direct and 

 precise answer, I will give you one, and it is this. I cannot 

 submit my faith either to the Pope or to the Councils, because 

 it is clear as day they have frequently erred and contradicted each 

 other. Unless, therefore, I am convinced by the testimony of 

 Scripture, or on plain and clear grounds of reason, so that con- 

 science shall bind me to make acknowledgment of error, / can 

 and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything 

 contrary to conscience." And then, looking round on the 

 Council, he said — and the words are among the sublimest in 

 history — " Here I stand. I can do no other. May God help me. 

 Amen." 



These words still move us after four centuries. The impression 

 which they made on the princes was overpowering, and a murmur 

 of applause, as emphatic as the respect due to the Emperor's 

 presence permitted, burst out in the Diet. 



Luther then retired and was allowed to leave the city unharmed, 

 The awakened public opinion of Europe, aroused chiefly by his 

 writings, would not permit the violation of his safe conduct. 



