L U T 
fiferent meetings. The legate, however, would not con- 
defcend to enter into a formal difpute with a perfon of 
fuch inferior rank; and even difdained to refort to any 
jother methods of perfuafion, than the arrogant dictates of 
mere authority. In a high and overbearing tone, he re¬ 
quired Luther, by virtue of the apoftolic powers with 
■which he was inverted, to retraCl the opinions which he 
had advanced, humbly to confefs his fault in publirtiing 
them, and to fubmit refpeClfully to the judgment of the 
Roman pontiff. But the intrepid fpirit of Luther was 
not to be daunted by fuch a haughty and violent manner 
of proceeding. Though furprifed at the abrupt mention 
of a recantation, before any endeavours had been ufed to 
convince him that he was miftaken, his prefence of mind 
.did not forfake him, and he declared, with the utmoft 
■firmnefs, that he could not, with a fafe confcience, re¬ 
nounce opinions which he believed to be true ; nor Ihould 
.any confideration induce him to do what would be fo bafe 
in itfelf, and fo offenfive to God. At the fame time he 
expreffed the fame refpeft as formerly for the papal au¬ 
thority, and declared his readinefs to fubmit to the lawful 
determination of the church. He alfo expreffed.his vvil- 
■lingnefs to refer the controverfy to certain univerfities 
which he named ; and promifed neither to write nor preach 
-concerning indulgences, provided the fame filence with 
refpeft to them were enjoined on his adverfaries. Thefe 
declarations and offers Cajetan difregarded or rejetted, 
and ftill peremptorily infilled on Luther’s fimple recanta¬ 
tion ; threatening him with the cenfures of the church, 
and forbidding him to appear in his prefence any more, 
unlefs he came prepared to comply with what he required. 
This imperious and imprudent manner of proceeding, as 
well as other circumftances, gave Luther reai'on to fufpeft 
that his perfon was in danger from the legate’s power and 
refentment, natwithllanding the emperor’s fafe-condutl j 
and he determined, by the advice of his friends, to with¬ 
draw fuddenly and fecretly from Augfburg. But, before 
his departure, he prepared a formal and folemn appeal, 
from the pope, ill-informed as he then was concerning his 
caufe, to the pope when he fhould receive more full infor¬ 
mation with refpeft to it. 
Luther’s fudden departure from Augfburg, and the 
-publication of bis appeal, enraged the papal legate, who 
wrote to the ele&or of Saxony, complaining of both ; and 
requiring him, as he regarded the peace of the church, to 
withdraw his protection from that feditious monk, and 
cither to fend him a prifoner to Rome, or to baniili him 
from his territories. The elector, however, declined com¬ 
plying with either of thefe requerts, under various pre¬ 
texts, .and with many profeffions of efteem for the cardi¬ 
nal, as well as of reverence for the pope ; and he alfo 
gave aflurances to Luther that he would not defert him. 
Thus fupported, that reformer continued to vindicate his 
own opinions, and to inveigh againrt thofe of his adver¬ 
faries, with more freedom and vehemence than ever ; and 
he gave a challenge to all the inquifitors to come and dif. 
pute with him at Wittemberg, promifing them not only 
a fafe conduCl from the eleCtor, but liberal entertain¬ 
ment, free from any expenfe, while they continued at that 
place. 
In the mean time, Leo’s ambition and defpotifm urged 
him to iffue a bull, in the month of November 1518, by 
which he attempted, by his own decifion, to put an end 
to the difpute about indulgences. In this bull he mag¬ 
nified the virtue and efficacy of indulgences, in terms as 
extravagant as any of his predecefl'ors had ventured to 
life in the darkeft ages ; and commanded all Chriftians to 
affent to what he delivered as the doCtrine of the catholic 
church, under the penalty of the heavieft ecclefiaftical 
cenfures. No fooner did Luther receive information of 
this inconfiderate and violent meafure, than he was con¬ 
vinced that the pope would foon proceed to extremities 
againrt him ; and therefore’ had recourfe to the only ex¬ 
pedient in his power for preventing the effeCl of the 
papal cenfures, by appealing from the pontiff to a gene- 
Vol. XIII. No. 94.5. 
FI E R. 
ral council, which he affirmed to be fuperior in authority 
to the pope. The death of the emperor, however, in Ja¬ 
nuary 1519, rendered it expedient for the court of Rome 
to fufpend any difeCl proceedings againrt Luther: for, 
by that event, the vicariat of that part of Germany which 
is governed by the Saxon laws devolved to the eleCtor of 
Saxony,and was executed by him during the interregnum 
which preceded the election of the emperor Charles V. 
Under his adminirtration Luther enjoyed tranquillity ; 
and his opinions were fuffered to take root in different 
places, and to grow up to fome degree of ftrength and 
firmnefs. At the' fame time Leo, who was much inte- 
refted in the fucceflion to the empire, that he might avoid 
irritating a prince who had fuch influence in the electoral 
college as Frederic, thought it expedient to have recourfe 
to uegociation, that he might bring back our reformer to 
fubmiflion and obedience. For this purpofe he fixed upon 
Charles Miltitz, a Saxon knight, who belonged to his 
court, and was a perfon of great prudence, penetration, 
and dexterity, and in every refpeCl qualified for fuch a 
delicate commifiion. This perfon Leo fent as his legate 
into Saxony, to prefent to Frederic a golden confecrated 
role, fuch as the popes had heen accuftomed to bellow, 
as a peculiar mark oi diftinCtion, on thofe princes for 
whom they profefled an uncommon friendfhip and eileem ; 
and alfo to treat with Luther about the means of recon¬ 
ciling him to the court of Rome. Miltitz artfully com¬ 
menced the bufinefs of his legation, by loading Tetzel 
with the bittereft reproaches, on account of the irregular 
and fuperftitious means which he had employed for pro¬ 
moting the fale of indulgences, and attributed to him all 
the abufes that Luther had complained of. This incen¬ 
diary having been facrificed as a victim to cover the Ro¬ 
man pontiff from reproach, Miltitz entered into a parti¬ 
cular conference with Luther j and, by the conceflions 
which he made, his encomiums on Luther’s charafler, 
capacity, and talents, his foothing language, and his pa¬ 
thetic expoftulations in favour of union and concord in 
an afflicted and divided church, produced a confiderable 
impreflion on Luther’s mind. Upon this occafion he led 
him to make fubmiflions, which fliowed that his views 
were not, as yet, very extenfive, his former prejudices 
quite expelled, nor his reforming principles (leadily fixed. 
For he not only offered to obferve a profound filence in 
future on the fubjeCt of indulgences, provided that the 
fame conditions were impofed upon his adverfaries, but 
he wrote an humble and l’ubmilfive letter to the pope, ac¬ 
knowledging that he had carried his zeal and animolity 
too far ; and he even contented to publilh a circular let¬ 
ter, exhorting all his followers to reverence and obey the 
dictates of the holy Roman church : a meafure which 
could fcarcely have been expelled from a man who had 
already appealed from the pope to a general council. 
Had the court of Rome been prudent enough to have 
been fatisfied with the fubmiflion of Luther, and reprefled 
the forwardnefs of its champions to appear in the field of 
theological controverfy, the caufe of the reformation 
would have been almoit nipped in its bud; at lealt its 
growth and progrefs would have been confiderably re¬ 
tarded. But the exceflive zeal of fome inconfiderate bi¬ 
gots, renewed the divifions which were fo near being 
healed, and animated Luther and his followers to examine 
deeper into the enormities which prevailed in the papal 
hierarchy, as well as the doCtrines of the church of Rome, 
One of the circumftances that contributed principally, at 
lealt by its confequences, to render the legation of Miltitz 
ineffectual for the relloration of peace, was a famous con¬ 
troverfy carried on at Leipfic in the year 1519. It origi¬ 
nated in a challenge from Eckius, who had before drawn 
his pen againrt Luther, to Carloftadt, his colleague and 
companion, to a public difpute concerning the freedom 
of the will; and to Luther, to enter the lifts with him, 
while he defended the authority and fupremacy of the 
Roman pontiff. The challenge was accepted ■, and on the 
appointed day the three champions appeared ia the field. 
9 K The 
