VI. nothing should be done till their ambassador, and the CHAP. bishops of their nation, should arrive. But the legates thought this an extravagant demand, and appointed a general meeting of the council,37 in which an answer was conveyed to the Gallic application, which gave a temporary satisfaction.38 In January 1546, the pope sent them his orders to begin with matters of faith; but they replied to him that they had found out that the intention of the greater part was to do the contrary. Reformation was the subject which the council meant to begin with, as heresy had sprung principally from the want of it.30 But to this his legates assure him that they would never consent; 40 and they suggested, that it might be most expedient to treat of the three main topics altogether-heresy, reform, and the peace; but they promised firmly to maintain that the reform should not be confined to ecclesiastics; it should be made universal, and extended to all, and therefore to the princes themselves." This ingenious idea was a happy invention to save the hierarchy from the dreaded innovation. An universal reformation at once, was the most likely plan to excite every endangered person to prevent any melioration, By the 9th January, they had got together fiftyeight members; 42 but found in them great obstinacy 37 Lett. 19 December. 228. 38 Lett. 22 December. 228. 39 Per esser nata l'Eresia principalmente dalla deformazione.' Lett. 5 January 1546. p. 231. 40Ma a questo non esser per acconsentir mai.' ib. "Lett. 5 January. 231. 42 They are thus enumerated: 'Besides the cardinal of Trent, there were at the session, 29 archbishops and bishops, 3 abbots, 5 generals, and about 20 learned theologians, part Italians and part ultra-montani.' Lett. 9 January. p. 232. II. BOOK in requiring that the reforms should be first discussed; and they intreated the pontiff's decision on this point.43 Five days afterwards they informed him, that the emperor had directed seven of his Spanish bishops to hasten to Trent; and the legates, to secure a majority, or to prevent their being out-voted, urged the pope to select ten or twelve prelates whom he could trust, to send there also; because as the number of the 'oltramontani,' who were distinguished for learning and exemplary life, was increasing, they wanted some of the same character to confront, in some measure, against them. They sounded those who were there, and found that the smaller number wished to begin with the dogmas, and postpone the reform; that the majority wished the two topics to be simultaneous; while the French were chiefly anxious that the council should interfere to effectuate peace between their nation and the emperor. 45 The presiding legates made it a careful point, that every thing which was done in the council should originate with themselves, and therefore procured its meetings to be fixed for the Monday and Friday in every week.46 But they soon apprised their chief, 43 Lett. 9 January. p. 232. 44 Che sua santita elegga dieci o dodeci prelati, de' quali si possa fidare: e mandare a Trento: perche, crescendosi il numero degl' oltramontani, per dottrini et esemplarita de vita rari, si trovino da stare in confronto in qualche parte.' Lett. 14 January. p. 233. They also inform the pope, that Luther's books had been then forbidden, by public proclamation, to be read in England. 45 Lett. 19 January. 233. On this last point the cardinals reported, that the Lutherans had offered the emperor to help him against France, at their own expense, if he would separate himself from it and from the council. p. 232. 46 They thus expressed their own reasons for this appointment, to the pope: To keep the prelates in exercise, and not to give them occasions to make them of themselves.' p. 234. VI. that they had great difficulties to encounter, from CHAP. the opposition of those who wished to begin with reform, and to defer the dogmas. Much impression had been made by the emperor's communication to the diet at Worms, that he would stay a little to see what progress the council should make, both in the dogmas and in the reform, and if he saw nothing done, that he would hold another diet; and there have their religious differences harmonized, and all abuses corrected. Hence the legates inferred, that to avoid canonizing this future diet, which was to meet at Ratisbon, both topics should be taken up, but with an equal step, as they were alike desired by the whole world, and deemed indispensable. They apprised their master, that a great and rich prelate had, in a premeditated oration, made earnest exertion that the council should now treat only of the reform, in order to trample down all disorders; adding this far-reaching remark, that if they did not cleanse their vessels, the Holy Spirit would not inhabit them, and in that case they could not hope to have a right judgment on matters of faith. To a preacher so dangerous, the papal cardinals immediately answered with a watchful and close logic, that as this assembly only was to decide, the observation did not apply beyond the members who composed it: and each of these could put speedily into execution whatever reform was necessary to himself, which then might be afterwards extended to the rest of the world.48 The beneficial effect to Rome, of this political reply, in creating BOOK II. 49 a personal bias against any innovation, was visible at the moment. To the advantage and joy of the Holy See-strange matter of exultation—it made all reformation less popular in this holy synod. The legates were ordered to thank the pontiff for the opening of the council, and to write to all the Catholic sovereigns of Europe to preserve peace, and to send their ambassadors to the assembly.50 But altho they succeeded in warding off direct propositions for ecclesiastical amendments; yet, a few days afterwards, they announced to the Vatican, that they had been under the necessity of agreeing to proceed jointly on each subject; as both the great and middling prelates were stubborn, in thinking that they ought, in every way, not only to begin, but to hasten first the reforms, from the necessity of the existing circumstances; and because there were busy friends, who had suggested, that they ought to dread some wind coming from Germany, which might blow more impetuously than it had done all the summer, to make them attend to reform alone. If they betrayed a design to discuss dogmas without meddling with the abuses, the rest of Germany would be speedily lost." Thus forced to notice what they wished to forget, the legates proposed to divide this unpalatable subject of correction into two heads-the general church; and what they call the house or the papal perquisites and prerogatives. On the latter, 49The prelates will so much the more put the dogmas forward as the reform displeases them; from which will issue a day, happy for the honor and estimation of his holiness and of the apostolic see.' ib. 235. 50 Ib. They appointed on the following Monday to consider in what way they should treat. 51 Lett. 27 Jan. p. 236. VI. they would not presume to go further than to remind CHAP. and advise; 52 and on the other they felt that it would be a most difficult business, to make the bishops and the religious orders come to any agreement about confessing, communicating, preaching-of itself a mighty sea of contest-ordinations of clergy and priests, ceremonies, indecent paintings, rites, and the many other errors which were reckoned among the ecclesiastical abuses. Still greater loss might also result from altering that penitenziera,' the penitentiary court, which was scandalizing the world, and especially Spain. They purposed to turn their attention to these things, before the House' was meddled with, and to go on settling the dogmas commensurately with purging the abuses of the church.'54 But they desired the pope to consider well all the consequences of these things, and to apprise them of his pleasure upon them with a little more celerity, that they might know what to do; remembering that accidents were liable every hour to occur suddenly, on which there would not be time to refer to him to advise.55 Their settled plan would be, that every time they sought to establish or purify a dogma on faith, they would also debate on some practical abuse that was connected with it.56 This ingenious device obviously insured as little 52 Lett. 27 Jan. p. 236. 4 Lett. 27 Jan. 236. 53 Mare magno.' ib. 36 Lett. 30 Jan. 237. A disturbance at this juncture arose on princely etiquette. The French prelates insisted on always going side by side with the imperial ones, which these would not allow; and the legates desire the pontiff to send them an authoritative order how they should |