40

V.

violent arm of overpowering force. Before Clement's CHAP. death, it had become manifest, that for maintaining the whole mass of artificial faith and worship, with all its good and evil, nothing but destructive violence would avail. Both the objections to the Romish system, and the dissidents from it, had been increasing from the time that Luther had raised his voice against it. Almost every one who loved pure religion, and thought impartially on the subject, became, to a greater or more confined extent, a Luther in his heart and mind: altho the love of their worldly influence, property, or enjoyments, made many hostile in conduct to criticisms which their reason could not think unfounded, but which alarmed them with the foresight of the personal subtractions and inconveniences which would follow from their further diffusion. In private life, all individual reformation requires individual sacrifices, privations, and self-denial: it is therefore angrily listened to, long resisted, never welcomed, and rarely adopted.

But no military force could be moved, either against England or against the German Protestants, unless the emperor and the king of France could be drawn into peace and co-operating union. Hence Pole had so assiduously exhorted the emperor to it, and at various periods of his treasonable life, after he

40 The emperor had in 1532 made temporary arrangements with the Protestant princes at Nuremberg, which kept the disputed questions in a state of suspension and of possible compromise, and averted war about them, and which were again promulgated at Ratisbon. But Paul III. condemns what he calls the Truces, and orders his legate, in 1541, to remonstrate with the emperor on the 'quot et quanta mala' which had followed from them, and to urge him not to confirm them. See his instructions to C. Contarini, of 28th January 1541, in Quir.

BOOK

II.

had become an outlaw from his country, had stre-
nuously endeavored to bring Francis and Charles
into political concord;" and for the same purpose
Paul III., as soon as he was seated on the papal
throne, exerted his diplomatic activity. He states
himself that he did so. It was the first part of his
plan to reduce the protesting Germans to their obe-
dience to the Roman see; and he sent letters and
nuncios very frequently to the contending sovereigns,
to exhort them, not merely to amity, but to a true
peace;
42 because it was manifest that a cordial union
alone would produce an effective confederacy to
suppress the obnoxious principles and their connected
power.

The ambition and jealousy of both Charles and Francis prevented that league between them, which might have been so fatal to the progression of the human mind, and to the existence of those who then exhibited it. As this became apparent, and as all solicitations to effect it failed, the pope next turned his thoughts to a council; not a fair and full council of all the clerical mind of Europe, as represented by its appointed dignitaries, because that would have led to the second of the alternatives which we have noticed; but to such an assembly of prelates, whose necessary majority would be manageable by

41 See his earnest Oratio de Pace to Charles V. in Quirini's Ed. of his Ep. v. 4. p. 405-27. He reminds the emperor, that it was from these wars not only that the Turks had so prevailed, but also that the teterrima factio tantas vires cepit.' p. 410.

42 He says, From the beginning of our pontificate we have, by our letters and nuncios, sæpissime,' exhorted the Christian princes to true peace and conduct, ut facilius hoc religionis dissidium in pristinam concordiam reduceremus.' 3 Quir. p. 293.

V.

the papal see; and which, under the name and forms CHAP. of a general council, would carefully maintain the papal supremacy, and all the connected hierarchy and system, unshaken in every part, and whose managed decrees might be made text books to all the Romish clergy in every kingdom. These would compose a body of religious tenets for the civil powers of every country, to enforce with all their intimidating means of privation and terror, whenever any prince could be persuaded by the court of Rome to put them in action against his subjects or dependents. All these consequences have been the experienced results of the council which he procured and commenced, and which his successors concluded.

In execution of this plan, Paul appointed a council to meet at Mantua. He issued his official mandates, and sent his legates to attend it. But he was disappointed; neither of the hostile princes favored it, and scarcely any bishops appeared.**

In 1537 he made another effort. He procured a concession from the Venetian senate, to make Vicenza the place for it; and he again called the great clergy to compose it, and especially desired such good and qualified persons as would deserve his favor. But here again he failed. Tho he made his legates wait six months at Vicenza, while he

44 Fere nulli.' So his responsio to the emperor in 1548 states. Quir. v. 4. p. 389.

45 On 6th November 1537, cardinal Cornelio informed Contarini of the grant, and that he was waiting to attend the meeting, knowing the great desire his holiness has to effect it, as by the things past he has been able to see the expediency of it.' Quir. v. 3. p. 275.

46 Our Lord desires to place in his council persons qualified by learning, judgment, and good life. He makes diligent inquiry after such as deserve the favor of his holiness (che meritano la gratia di sua

BOOK

IL

49

wrote to the bishops whom he wished to attend, and
sent his nuncios to the princes to obtain leave for
their attendance," yet few came.
48 He ascribes the
failure to the wars; the emperor, to the place; not
however really meaning the local inconveniences,
which were the verbal pretext: but because the
Germans and he wanted the council to be held in
Germany, that it might not be under the command
of the pope, who had thus fixed it twice in Italy, that
he might not lose this desired control.

50

While Paul III. was laboring thus ineffectually for his councils, the emperor was holding his diets.52

51

47 Responsio, p. 389.

48 Pauci prælati.' ib. It was on 8th April 1538, that Henry VIII. published his declaration (Harl. Mis. 1. p. 170) against the last of these projected councils, as he had done against that appointed for Mantua in the preceding May. He remarks, Our fathers invented nothing more holy than general councils, used as they ought to be;' but that Rome was now, by subtlety and craft, inventing ways to mock the world by new pretensed general councils.' His observation, We suppose that that ought not to be called a general council, where alonely these men are heard which are determined for ever, in all points, to defend the popish part, and to arm themselves to fight in the bishop of Rome's quarrel,' may be justly applied to the council of Trent, as some of the facts in this and the next chapter sufficiently indicate.

49 His cardinals angrily stated to the imperial ambassador, if there was notulla frequentia' of the prelates at Mantua or Vicenza, it was not as you affirm, that these cities were minime aptas,' but the 'bella' between Christian princes.' ib. 389.

50 Paul III. thus himself expresses his sentiments to Contarini: "If his majesty should permit this General Council to be held only in Germany, which has been for so many years required by the Germans, all must see how absurd this would be and foreign to reason, and with what injury to our authority; for, if such a council were held in Germany, the Lutherans would easily defend their heresies against the dogmas and laudable rites of the universal church, and easily obtain its approbation in their favor, which evils you are to prohibit. Quir. v. 3. p. 293.

5 He thus expresses his failure in 1539: 'It being the opinion of his majesty and other Christian princes, that, by the bad disposition of the times, a General Council cannot now be celebrated, tho his holiness has already so often appointed one, and used every labor and means to assemble it.' Justr. Quir. 3. P. 304.

52 The diet of Frankfort in 1539 was particularly obnoxious to the pope, from its relinquishing his supremacy. See the following note, 86.

V.

He had one meeting with the Protestant chieftains CHAP. at Hagenau, and another at Worms. The pontiff sent anxiously his most able men to be nuncios there; and for the diet at Ratisbon in 1541, more alarming because more likely to be decisive, he selected the amiable, the accomplished, and the enlightened Contarini.

To the assembly at Hagenau in June 1540, the papal advisers had been decidedly hostile; 53 but as they could not prevent the meeting, a nuncio was sent to it." The emperor there requested the advice of the catholic princes; but they desired first to know his opinion, as they were much divided among themselves, some wishing to have recourse to arms," while others, especially the bishops, were running towards agreement, full of fears from all sides.' The pontifical envoy was apprehensive that the result would be a concordia half Lutheran, by which the reformers would obtain some articles to their wishes,

He complained, thro Montepulciano, to the emperor, of the prelate of
Lunden consenting there alle domande injusti de Lutherani con gran-
dissimo prejudizio della sede apostolica." He accuses the bishop of
being induced to consent to its capitola by gifts and promises; by a
gift of the communita d'Augusta of 2,500 gold florins, and by a promise
of 4,000 such florins every year from the fruits of his see, which a
Lutheran king had seized; and that he was trying, with the queen of
Hungary, to be appointed governor of her territories there; and, O mon-
strum horrendum! the consummation of his iniquity! was actually
thinking of taking a wife, pensi pigliar moglia.' Quir. v. 3. p. 301.
53 So the bishop of Modena affirms in his letter from Hagenau,
19th June 1540. This meeting, at the commencement, was made
against the will of Farnese, their legate in Flanders, and of all the
ministers of his holiness, because they saw its dangers.' Quir. 3.
p. 263. Yet in the preceding year the pope directed Montepulciano to
urge the emperor to have an Imperial Diet. 'It appears to his beati~
tudine che sarebbe che sua majesta pensasse alla celebratione d'una
Dieta Imperiale.' 304.

6

5 Paul III. Instructions. Q. 3. p. 288.

55As more convenienti a ridurre li disviati.' Bishop. Mod. Lett. p. 263. 56 Ib.