case, hence it is especially important that you should make every effort to learn what can be done to gain the favor and assistance of Germany in case of the continuance of the war.

It must always be kept in mind that the division in Germany is at bottom entirely due to the controversy in regard to our holy religion. This prevents Germany from being united as it should be in obedience to us and the holy Empire. This encourages the king of France, moreever, to persist in the war, and furnishes him an obvious excuse for impeding, in a most unwarrantable fashion, the meeting of the council. The confusion may even become worse in view of the said king's favorable attitude towards the Turks, should no means be found to restore peace. This point must be emphasized in Germany, and some agreement ought to be reached as to the measures which should be adopted in case the pope, through the influence of the said king of France or through fear on the part of the Holy Father of losing his authority in the kingdom of France,' should refuse to consent to the calling of the council, on the ground of the war between us and the king of France, or for other reasons. To say the truth it would seem, in spite of the evil deeds of the king of France, which are notorious and proven beyond the chance of doubt, that the Holy Father does not care to take any measure against the king, but that he will, in a word, remain neutral until he discovers which is in the wrong, as if the king of France had committed no offences up to the present and our actions belonged in the same category as his. He would seem to excuse himself and escape responsibility on the ground that he ought to arbitrate between us as a father and that, especially, he fears the loss of his authority in France. He may in this way be simply disguising the partiality which he constantly showed towards France before he became pope.

It is, however, none the less true that, in spite of the anxiety caused by the attitude of the Holy Father and the obstinacy of the king of France, we do not wish to use our power in any way against the apostolic authority and dignity, or do anything prejudicial, directly or indirectly, to the essentials of our religion or the holy Catholic institutions. But we see clearly that should the pope continue to maintain his attitude of indifference or dissimulation, and not frankly consent to a council, it is all the more necessary that some means should be devised as soon as possible to prevent an increase of confusion in Germany, which will

1
1 Henry VIII. had but just thrown off the allegiance to the popes.

cause the destruction both of religion and the imperial authority. Owing to this disorder we are prevented from doing anything for Christianity itself or towards the defence against the Turks, whom the king of France is constantly encouraging. Our power is thus paralyzed to an extent which manifestly jeopardizes our realms and estates and those of our brother.

For these reasons, while maintaining the great secrecy which the affair demands, you should confer very particularly with my lord our brother, as to whether there be any way of celebrating the council, should Germany consent, even if the said pope and king of France should not agree to it, and as to how this may be done and with what certainty. This would seem to be a plan based upon perfect right and reason, and all the more, because the Holy Father has already promised a council and pledged himself expressly for the king of France. The principal need of a council is, moreover, for the German nation. The king of Portugal will consent to and support the plan, as will probably the king of Poland, and the most of the powers of Italy. As for England, since it is utterly schismatic, the pope and the king of France cannot validly allege against the legitimacy of the council the fact that that country was not included.

Should the resort to a council in Germany, with the approbation of all or the greater part of that nation, prove impracticable, it should be determined whether there is not some other expedient, for example, to assure those who have fallen from the faith that no further coercion will be used if they will but sincerely conform with the other members of Germany in maintaining peace at home and in coöperating with our said brother and ourselves, or might not the treaty of Nuremberg be modified, or such a new one drawn up as the change of times and altered circumstances might dictate. Or may it not be advisable to call a national assembly in Germany and adjust, or neglect (dissimuler2), such matters as may not be essential to our holy religion. Or let some other expedient be devised so that the imperial, Roman authority be not sacrificed, as well as our said brother and ourselves, even should it not supply a remedy in the matter of religion. For we can but wait until God grants such remedy as he shall judge fitting to his holy ser

1The editors cannot be sure that this is the proper rendering of the obscure passage in the original.

2 How much the Emperor meant frankly to concede cannot be inferred from his vague language.

"

34

vice, since he knows the regret with which our said brother and we behold the sad state of affairs, and that our aim and desire is to serve him and apply ourselves to cure the existing evils so soon as any means shall offer themselves.

encourage.

We are thus placed in a difficult and critical position, for we cannot have peace if our enemy does not consent, for, as it is well known, he is as obstinate as he is powerful, and regards neither God nor good faith, placing his chief hope in the division of Germany and the difference in religious matters which exists there, as well as in the approach of the Turk, whom, as it is reported, he spares no efforts to In view of this it behooves our brother to turn his attention to this matter, since everything is at stake, and to find some way of settling his difficulties in Hungary, and any other complications in which he may be involved. For it would be quite impossible for us to lend him any assistance, being, as we are, far in arrears for the outlays we have been forced to make in the past. Our kingdoms and countries This are so surcharged with burdens that we do not know where we are to look for the absolutely necessary means of continuing this war. is one of the chief motives which induces us to return to our Spanish kingdoms in order to take council there as to what may be done.1

TRENT.

From the Latin. Richter: Canones et Decreta Concil. Trid.

The formal codification of the doctrines and ordinances of the Roman Catholic Church was one of the most interesting and important results of the great schism of the sixteenth century. In spite of the protest of two catholic princes at least, Ferdinand I. and the King of France, who advocated some concessions to the demands of their subjects, the Council of Trent adhered to a strictly conservative policy. The method of codification took a positive and a negative form. When a matter had been sufficiently discussed the results were ratified in a solemn session in a series of chapters setting forth the accepted view of the church. Following these a series of canons were generally drawn up in which those holding various special opinions A few examples of these decrees are given below, illuswere declared accursed. trating the central dogmas upon which the sacerdotal and sacramental organization rests.

1 The concluding paragraphs here omitted relate to a truce with Saxony and the Danish affairs, and the document closes with a suggestion that the emissaries of the king of France in Germany be cautiously arrested.

Twenty-third Session, Chapter IV.-Inasmuch as in the sacrament of Orders, as also in Baptism and Confirmation, a character is imprinted which can neither be effaced nor taken away, this holy council with reason condemns the opinions of those who assert that the priests of the New Testament have only a temporary power; and that those who have once been properly ordained can again become laymen, if they do not exercise the ministry of God. And if anyone affirm that all Christians indiscriminately are priests of the New Testament, or that they are all mutually endowed with an equal spiritual power, he clearly does nothing but confound the ecclesiastical hierarchy,-which is "as an army set in array;"-as if, contrary to the doctrine of blessed Paul, "all were apostles, all prophets, all evangelists, all pastors, all doctors." Wherefore this holy Synod declares that, besides the other ecclesiastical degrees, bishops, who have succeeded to the place of the apostles, especially belong to this hierarchical order; that they are placed, as the same apostle says, "by the Holy Ghost, to rule the Church of God," that they are superior to priests, administer the sacrament of Confirmation, ordain the ministers of the Church; and that they can perform very many other things, over which functions others of an inferior order have no power. Furthermore, the sacred and holy synod teaches that, in the ordination of bishops, priests, and of the other orders, neither the consent, nor vocation, nor authority, whether of the people or of any civil power or magistrate whatsoever, is required in such wise that, without this, the ordination is invalid: nay, rather doth it decree that all those who being once called and instituted by the people, or by the civil power and magistrate, ascend to the exercise of the ministrations, and those who of their own rashness assume them to themselves, are not ministers of the Church, but are to be looked upon as "thieves and robbers, who have not entered by the door."

Twenty-third Session, Canon I.-If any one shall say that the New Testament does not provide for a distinct, visible priesthood, or that this priesthood has no power to consecrate and offer up the true body and blood of the Lord, or remit or refuse to remit sins, but that its sole function is that of preaching the Gospel, and that those who do not preach are not priests, let him be anathema.

Twenty-third Session, Canon IV.-If any one shall say that the Holy Spirit is not given by holy ordination and that consequently the Bishops say in vain "Receive ye the Holy Spirit," and that certain characteristics are not thereby conferred, or that he who has once been

Seventh Session, Of the Sacraments, Canon I.—If any one saith that the sacraments of the New Law were not all instituted by Jesus Christ, our Lord; or that they are more or less than seven, to-wit, Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Orders and Matrimony; or even that any one of these seven is not truly and properly a sacrament, let him be anathema.

Canon VI,-If anyone saith that the sacraments of the New Law do not contain the grace which they signify; or that they do not confer that grace on those who do not place an obstacle thereunto; as though they were merely outward signs of grace or justice received through faith, and certain marks of the Christian profession, whereby believers are distinguished amongst men from unbelievers, let him be anathema.

Canon VIII.-If anyone saith that by the said sacraments of the New Law grace is not conferred through the very performance of the act [ex opere operato], but that faith alone in the divine promise suffices for the obtaining of grace, let him be anathema.

Canon IX.-If anyone saith that in the three sacraments, to-wit, Baptism, Confirmation, and Orders, there is not imprinted in the soul a character, that is, a spiritual and indelible sign, on account of which they cannot be repeated, let him be anathema.

Canon X.-If anyone saith that all christians have power to administer the word and all the sacraments, let him be anathema.

Canon XII.-If anyone saith that a minister, being in mortal sinif so be that he observe all the essentials which belong to the effecting or conferring of the sacrament-neither effects nor confers the sacraments, let him be anathema.

Thirteenth Session, Chapter IV. Since Christ our Redeemer declared that it was truly his body which he offered up in the form [sub specie] of bread, and since the Church has moreover always accepted this belief, this holy council declares once more that by the consecration of the bread and the wine the whole substance of the bread is converted into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord, and the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood, which change is aptly and properly termed transubstantiation by the Catholic Church.

Thirteenth Session, Canon I.-If any one shall deny that the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ together with his spirit and divinity, to-wit, Christ all in all, are not truly, really and materially contained in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist, and shall assert that the Eucharist is but a symbol or figure, let him be anathema.