of being a cardinal, or perhaps pope." What a thought! Luther a pope! And what a temptation, after all the cares and perplexities through which he had passed!

The Reformer replied with the vehemence which was natural to him. He said he made no account of the esteem which came from the court of Rome. He feared not their hatred, nor regarded their good-will, but applied himself to the service of God as much as he could, though when he had done all he was but an unprofitable servant; that he saw not how the services of God were joined with those of the papacy, but as darkness with light; that nothing in all his life was more profitable to him than the rigor of Leo and Cajetan, which he could not ascribe to them, but to the providence of God. For not being as yet in those times illuminated in all the truth of Christian faith, but having only discovered the abuses of indulgences, he was ready to have kept silence in case his adversaries had done the like. But the writings of the master of the holy palace, the insulting of Cajetan, and the rigor of Leo constrained him to study and to descry many other less tolerable abuses and errors of the papacy, which he could not, with a good conscience, refrain from declaring to the world. That the nuncio had ingenuously confessed that he understood not divinity, which appeared clearly by what he said; because as to its doctrine being new no one could call it so but he that believed that Christ, the apostles, and the holy fathers lived as now the pope, cardinals, and bishops do. Neither can any argument be drawn against the doctrine from the seditions happened in Germany, but by him that hath not read the Scriptures, and knoweth not that this is proper to the word of God and the Gospel, that it stirreth up troubles

and tumults even to the separation of the father from the son wheresoever it is preached. That this was the virtue of it-to give life to them that hearken to it, and to bring greater damnation to whosoever rejecteth it.

Many other things Luther said in his reply,* asserting at the close that the nuncio, yea, the pope himself would sooner embrace his faith than he would abandon it. Vergerius tried some of the other Protestant preachers, but met with the same result from them.

We may judge it was not a hasty or partial attempt which the nuncio made to move the Reformers, for he did not return to Rome until the year 1536. Then he gave an account of his embassage to the pope, assuring him that there was no hope at all of Luther and his accomplices, except to oppress them with war. The pope sent him to the emperor to incite him to that righteous work, but the latter was not ready yet to proceed to extremities.

THROUGH Various vicissitudes the Reformers struggled without coming to open hostilities with their adversaries until the year 1546. This was an eventful year. It witnessed Luther's death. It witnessed the famous Council of Trent fully organized, having formally opened in 1545; and resulting from it, the commencement of a bloody war between the Protestants and their relentless foes.

* Council of Trent.

The religious hero of Germany had grown infirm. Though but sixty-three years of age, cares beyond the ordinary lot of men had fallen to his share. Study, toil, and anxiety had made great inroads upon a constitution once so strong.

Early in 1546 he came to Eisleben, his native place, to settle some disputes between the noblemen of that place. Here he was received with great pomp, but was soon taken sick, and it became evident to others and to himself that his recovery was doubtful. On the 16th of February he said to one of his friends:

"Here I was born and baptized; what if I should remain to die here also."

On the 18th of the same month, only two days afterward, he died. Just before he lost his speech he prayed aloud in these words:

"O my heavenly Father, God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all consolation, I thank thee for having revealed to me thy well-beloved Son, in whom I trust, whom I have acknowledged and preached and loved; but whom the pope, and they who have no religion, persecute and oppose. To thee, O Jesus Christ, I commend my soul. I am casting off this earthly body and passing from this life; but I know that with thee I shall abide eternally."

Death approached, finding in him the same firm faith which he had preached, and a sure and steadfast hope of eternal life.

He then repeated three times the words:

"Into thy hands I commit my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, O God of truth!"

One said to him:

"Dearest father, do you verily confess Jesus Christ the Son of God, our Saviour and Redeemer ?"

Making a great effort, he replied in a tone loud enough to be heard by all around him:

"Yes."

This was his last word. In the language of an eloquent writer: "The coldness of death gathered on his face and forehead; his breath came heavily, and with eyes closed and his hands clasped, he remained apparently unconscious of what passed around him, until, between two and three o'clock, the tide of mortal life ebbed back, leaving the mighty spirit landed in eternity."

Perhaps no one felt Luther's death more than Melancthon, who has been called the greatest of his surviving associates. He burst into tears when the sad tidings were conveyed to him, exclaiming, in the language of Elisha: "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof."

CHAPTER XVI.

THE COUNCIL OF TRENT-BATTLE OF INSPRUCKTREATY OF PASSAU.

In the year 1545 a council of the Church assembled to settle the differences of opinion which agitated the world. The Protestants refused to participate in it because it was to be held at Trent, a place within the jurisdiction of the pope. They had insisted upon its being held in some other city. Long had a general council been talked of, and now it was to be seen whether peace should come from it, as was antici'pated, or not. Almost as soon as it met, decrees were promulgated against the Reformers, and the

pope and the emperor resolved on the utter extirpation of all who refused conformity to them, and an army was raised to reduce them to obedience.

The Protestant princes flew to arms. It was their only remaining refuge. They attacked the emperor's camp at Ingoldstadt; but in consequence of divisions, and the failure of France in paying the subsidy which she had promised, they were soon obliged to abandon their position. The heroic John Frederic, Elector of Saxony, betrayed by his nephew Maurice, Duke of Saxony, was obliged to direct his march homeward. The emperor, Charles V., pursued him closely, so that he might destroy his army before he could recover his vigor. He overtook him near Muhlberg, on the Elbe; and on the 24th day of April, 1547, a bloody action took place between them. The Protestant army was completely routed, and the Elector of Saxony, who had so long and ably defended their cause, was taken prisoner. The brave and courageous Landgrave of Hesse, the other principal Protestant leader, was persuaded to throw himself on the mercy of the emperor, and to implore his pardon. Charles had promised that if he did so he should be restored to liberty; but notwithstanding his promise, he was basely detained a prisoner.

Maurice was declared Elector of Saxony.

The prospects of true religion were now gloomy enough. The Protestants seemed to be subdued, and their enemies triumphed.

Relief came, however, from a quarter which was not expected. Maurice, now Elector of Saxony, began to think that the Emperor Charles had conceived designs against the liberties of the German princes. He determined to take effectual measures to crush them; and entering into an alliance with the King