XIX. CHAP. despatched his messenger, Gaspar Sturmius, with letters addressed to Luther, in terms sufficiently A. D. 1521. respectful, (a) and accompanied them by an imA.Pont.IX. perial safe-conduct, which was confirmed by the princes through whose territories it was necessary that Luther should pass. A. Et. 46. He proceeds to Worms. On receiving the imperial mandate, Luther lost no time in preparing for his journey. To the remonstrances of his friends, who endeavoured to deter him from this expedition by reminding him of the examples of John Huss and Jerome of Prague, who by the shameless violation of a similar passport were betrayed to their destruction, he firmly replied, that if there were as many devils at Worms as there were tiles on the houses, he would not be deterred from his purpose. (b) He arrived at Worms on the sixteenth day of April. On his journey he was accompanied by his zealous adherent Amsdorff and several other friends, and preceded by the imperial messenger in his official habit. (c) On passing through Erfurt he was met by the inhabitants and honourably received. By the connivance of the messenger, who had orders to prevent his preaching on the journey, Luther (a) Appendix, No. CLXXXVIII. (b)" Oppenheimii autem ab amicis, ipsoque Spalatino, ne veniret per literas monitus respondit, 'Si tot Diaboli Wormatia essent, quot in domibus lateritiæ tegulæ, se tamen intrepide eo venturum esse. ""Lutheri Ep. ap. Seckend. lib. i. p. 152. (c) Maimburg asserts that Luther travelled in a magnificent carriage, with an escort of honour of 100 horse; but Seckendorf has shewn that these accounts were exaggerated by his enemies for the purpose of charging him with ostentation. His appearance at Worms was, however, sufficiently respectable. v. Seckend. lib. i. p. 152. XIX. A.Et. 46. harangued the populace in this city and other CHAP. places. The papists, as they now began to be called, having flattered themselves with the expec- A. D. 1521. tation that he would have refused to make his ap- A.Pont.IX. pearance at Worms, and thereby have afforded a sufficient pretext for his condemnation, were alarmed and mortified at his approach with so respectable a retinue. On his arrival at that city he was surrounded by upwards of two thousand persons, many of them attached to his opinions, and all of them desirous of seeing a man who had rendered himself so famous throughout Europe. (a) pearance In the afternoon of the following day Luther His first ap was introduced to the diet, by the marshal count before the Pappenheim, who informed him that he was not assembly. to be allowed to address the assembly, but was merely expected to reply to the questions which might be proposed to him. The person appointed to interrogate him was John ab Eyk, or Eccius, not his avowed adversary, but another person of the same name, chancellor or official to the archbishop of Treves. The first question proposed to Luther was, whether he acknowledged himself to be the author of the books published in his name. The second, whether he was ready to retract what had been condemned in those books. To the first question he answered, after hearing the titles of the books read, that he was the author of them, and should never deny them. But in reply to the second, he observed, that as it was a question concerning faith and the salvation of souls, and as it involved the divine word, than which nothing is (a) v. Viti Warbeccii Relationem de itinere et adventu Lutheri; ap. Seckendorf. lib. i. p. 152, addit. XIX. A. t. 46. CHAP. greater in heaven or on earth, it would be rash and dangerous in him to give an unpremeditated A. D. 1521. answer, which might either fall short of the digA.Pont.XI. nity of his cause, or exceed the bounds of truth; and might subject him to the sentence pronounced by Christ, whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I deny before my father who is in heaven. He therefore entreated that he might be allowed time to deliberate, so that he might answer without injury to the divine word, or danger to his own soul. The emperor, having advised with the members of the diet, complied with his request, and directed that he should appear again on the following day to deliver his final answer, which he was informed would not be allowed to be in writing. (a) Circum tending it. On this first interview, some circumstances ocstances at curred which deserve particular notice. Whilst Luther was passing to the assembly, he was surrounded with immense crowds, and even the roofs of the houses were almost covered with spectators. Among these, and even when he stood in the presence of the diet, he had the satisfaction to hear frequent exhortations addressed to him to keep up his courage, to act like a man, accompanied with passages from scripture, Not to fear those who can kill the body only, but to fear him who can cast both body and soul into hell, And again, When ye shall stand before kings, think not how you shall speak; for it shall be given to you in that same hour. (b) His adversaries were, however, gratified to find, that instead of replying, he had (a) These particulars are given by Luther himself, Op. vol. ii. p. 412. (b) Lutheri op. vol. i. p. 412, &c. XIX. thought it necessary to ask time to deliberate; and CHAP. the apologists of the Roman see have affected to consider it as a proof that he possessed no portion A. D. 1521. of the divine spirit; otherwise he would not, by A. Pont.IX. his delay, have given rise to a doubt whether he meant to retract his opinions. (a) We are also informed, that his conduct on this occasion fell so far short of what was expected from him, that the emperor said, This man will certainly never induce me to become a heretic. (b) To observations of this kind the friends of Luther might have replied, that the prohibition imposed upon him before the assembly, prevented him from entering into a general vindication either of his opinions or his conduct. That with respect to his having exhibited no symptoms of divine inspiration, he had never asserted any pretensions to such an endowment; but, on the contrary, had represented himself as a fallible mortal, anxious only to discharge his duty, and to consult the safety of his own soul. And that, as to the remark of the emperor, if in fact such an assertion escaped him, it proved no more than that he had been already prejudiced against Luther; and that by a youthful impatience, which he ought to have restrained, he had already anticipated his condemnation. appearance. On the following day, Luther again appeared His second before the diet, and being called upon to answer whether he meant to retract the opinions asserted in his writings, in reply, he first observed, that (a) "Hæc profecto responsio non sapiebat genium Prophetæ divinitus inspirati, cum ex ea spes appareret, retractaturum ipsum dogmata sua esse.' Maimb. ap. Seckend. lib. i. p. 153. (b) Pallavicini, lib i. cap. xxvi. p. 160. XIX. A. Æt. 46. CHAP. these writings were of different kinds and on different subjects. That some related only to the A.D. 1521. inculcation of piety and morality, which his eneA. Pont.IX. mies must confess to be innocent and even useful; and that he could not therefore retract these, without condemning what both his friends and his foes must equally approve. That others were written against the papacy and the doctrines of the papists, which had been so generally complained of, particularly in Germany, and by which the consciences of the faithful had been so long ensnared and tormented. That he could not retract these writings without adding new strength to the cause of tyranny, sanctioning and perpetuating that impiety which he had hitherto so firmly opposed, and betraying the cause which he had undertaken to defend. That among his writings there was a third kind, in which he had inveighed against those who had undertaken to defend the tyranny of Rome, and attacked his own opinions, in which he confessed that he had been more severe than became his religion and profession. That however, he did not consider himself as a saint, but as a man liable to error, and that he could only say, in the words of Jesus Christ, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil. That he was at all times ready to defend his opinions, and equally ready to retract any of them which might be proved from reason and scripture, and not from authority, to be erroneous; and would even, in such case, be the first to commit his own books to the flames. That with respect to the dissensions which it had been said would be occasioned in the world by his doctrines, it was of all things the most pleasant |