1521. CHA P. ous frauds, which his predeceffors, the most ignorant and XXIX. credulous, had always, under plaufible pretences, made ufe of for their felfish purposes. He published the sale of a general indulgence B; and as his expences had not only exhaufted his ufual revenue, but even anticipated the income of this extraordinary expedient, the several branches of it were openly given away to particular perfons, who were entitled to levy the impofition. The. produce particularly, of Saxony and the countries bordering on the Baltic, was afligned to his fifter, Magdalene, married to Cibo, natural fon of Innocent the eighth; and fhe, in order to enhance her profit, had farmed out the revenue to one Arcemboldi, a Genoefe, now a bishop, formerly a merchant, who ftill retained all the lucrative arts of his former profeffion . The Austin friars had ufually been employed in Saxony to preach the indulgences, and from this truft had derived both profit and confideration: But Arcemboldi, fearing, left practice might have taught them means to fecret the money D, and expecting no extraordinary fuccefs from the ordinary methods of collection, gave this occupation to the Dominicans. These monks, in order to prove themselves worthy of the diftinction conferred on them, exaggerated the benefit of indulgences by the moft unbounded panegyrics; and advanced doctrines on that head, which, though not more ridiculous than those already received, were fuch as the ears of the people were not yet fully accustomed to. To add to the scandal, the collectors of this revenue are faid to have lived very licentious lives, and to have spent in taverns, gaming houses, and places ftill more infamous, the money, which devout perfons had faved from their usual expences, in order to purchase a remiffion of their fins E. Martin ALL thefe circumftances might have given offence, but would have been attended with no event of any importance, had there not arisen a man, qualified to take advantage of the incident. Martin Luther, an Austin friar, profeffor in the univerfity of Wirtemberg, refenting the affront put upon his order, began to preach against thefe abuses in the fale of indulgences; and being naturally of a fiery temper, and being provoked by oppofition, he proceeded even to decry indulgences themselves; and B In 1517. he C Father Paul, Sleidan. D Father Paul, was thence carried, by the heat of difpute, to queftion CHAP the authority of the pope, from which his adverfaries XXIX. derived their chief arguments against him F. Still as he enlarged his reading, in order to fupport thefe tenets, he 1521. discovered fome new abuse or error in the church of Rome; and finding his opinions greedily hearkened to, he promulgated them by writing, difcourfe, fermon, conference; and daily encreafed the number of his difciples. All Saxony, all Germany, all Europe were, in a very littime, filled with the voice of this daring innovator; and men, roufed from that lethargy, in which they had fo long flept, began to call in question the most antient and most received opinions. The elector of Saxony, favourable to Luther's doctrine, protected him from the violence of the papal jurifdiction: The republic of Zuric even reformed their church according to the new model: Many fovereigns of the empire, and the imperial diet itself, fhewed a favourable difpofition towards it: And Luther, a man naturally inflexible, vehement, opinionative, was become incapable, either from promifes of advancement, or terrors of feverity, to relinquish a fect, of which he was himself the founder, and which brought him a glory, fuperior to all others, the glory of di&ating the religious faith and principles of multitudes. THE rumour of thefe innovations foon reached England; and as there ftill fubfifted in that kingdom great remains of the Lollards, whofe principles refembled those of Luther, the new doctrines gained fecretly many partizans among the laity of all ranks and denominations. But Henry had been educated in a ftri& attachment to the church of Rome, and he bore a particular prejudice against Luther, who, in his writings, fpoke with con. tempt of Thomas Aquinas, the King's favourite author: He opposed himself therefore to the progrefs of the Latheran tenets, by all the influence which his extenfive and almost abfolute authority conferred upon him: He even undertook to combat them with weapons not ufually employed by monarchs, especially thofe in the flower of their age, and force of their paffions. He wrote a book in Latin against the principles of Luther; a performance, which, if allowance be made for the fubject and the age, does no difcredit to his capacity. He fent a copy of it to Leo, who received fo magnificent a prefent with great testimony F Father Paul, Sleidan, CHA P. teftimony of regard; and conferred on him, the title of XXIX. defender of the faith; an appellation ftill retained by the kings of England. Luther, who was in the heat of con1521. troverfy, foon wrote an answer to Henry; and without Henry re- regard to the dignity of his antagonist, treated him with ceives the all the acrimony of style, to which, in the course of his title of defender of polemics, he had fo long been accuftomed. The king, the faith. by this ill ufage, was ftill more prejudiced against the new doctrines; but the public, who naturally favour the weaker party, were inclined to attribute to Luther the victory in the difpute G. And as the controverfy became more illuftrious, by Henry's entering the lifts, it drew ftill more the attention of mankind; and the Lutheran doctrine acquired daily new converts in every part of. Europe. Caufes of THE quick and furprizing progrefs of this bold fe&t the pro- may juftly in part be afcribed to the late invention of grefs of the printing, and revival of learning: Not that reafon borg reformati- any confiderable fhare, in opening men's eyes with re on. gard to the impoftures of the Romish church: For of all branches of literature, philofophy had, as yet, and till long afterwards, made the most inconfiderable progrefs; neither is there any inftance where argument has been able to free the people from that enormous load of abfurdity, with which fuperftition has every where overwhelmed them: Not to mention, that the rapid advance of the Lutheran doctrine, and the violence, with which it was embraced, prove fufficiently, that it owed not its fuccefs to reafon and reflection. The art of printing and the revival of learning forwarded its progrefs in another manner. By means of that art, the books of Luther and his fectaries, full of vehemence, declamation, and a rude eloquence, were propagated more quickly, and in greater numbers. The minds of men, fomewhat awakened from a profound fleep of fo many centuries, were prepared for every novelty, and fcrupled lefs to tread in any unusual path, which was opened to them. And as copies of the Scriptures and other antient monuments of the Chriftian faith became more common, men perceived the innovations, which were introduced after the first centuries; and though argument and reafoning could not give conviation, an hiftorical fact, well fupported, was able to make impreffion on their understandings. Many of the G Father Paul, lib. 1. powers, powers, indeed, affumed by the church of Rome, were CHA P. very antient, and were prior to almost every political go- XXIX. vernment established in Europe: But as the ecclefiaftics would not agree to poffefs their privileges as matters of 1521. civil right, which time could render valid, but appealed ftill to a divine origin, men were tempted to look into their primitive charter; and they could, without much difficulty, perceive its defect in truth and authenticity. IN order to beftow on this topic the greater influence, Luther and his followers, not fatisfied with oppofing the pretended divinity of the Romish church, and difplaying the temporal inconveniencies of that establishment, carried matters much farther, and treated the religion of their ancestors as abominable, deteftable, damnable; foretold by facred writ itfelf as the fource of all wickednefs and pollution. They denominated the pope antichrift, called his communion the fcarlet whore, and gave to Rome the appellation of Babylon; expreffiohs, which, however applied, were to be found in Scripture, and which were better calculated to operate on the multitude than the most folid arguments. Excited by conteft and erfecution on the one hand, by fuccefs and applaufe on he other, many of the reformers carried to the greatest extremity their oppofition against the church of Rome; and in contradiction to the multiplied fuperftitions, with which that communion was loaded, they adopted an enthufiaftic ftrain of devotion, which admitted of no obfervances, rites or ceremonies, but placed all merit in a myfterious fpecies of faith, in inward vifion, rapture, and extacy. The new fectaries, feized with this fpirit, were indefatigable in the propagation of their doctrine, and fet at defiance all the anathemas and punishments, with which the Roman pontiff endeavoured to overwhelm them. THAT the civil power, however, might afford them protection against the ecclefiaftical jurifdi&tion, the Lutherans advanced doctrines favourable, in fome refpects, to the temporal authority of fovereigns. They inveighed against the abufes of the court of Rome, with which men were at that time generally difcontented; and exhorted princes to reinftate themselves in thofe powers, of which the encroaching spirit of the ecclefiaftics, and especially of the fovereign pontiff, had fo long bereaved them. They condemned celibacy and monaftic vows, and thereby opened the doors of the convents to those who were eiVOL. IV. D ther 1521. CHA P. ther tired of the obedience and chastity, or disgusted with XXIX. the licence, in which they had hitherto lived. They blamed the exceffive riches, the idleness, the libertinism of the clergy; and pointed out their treafures and revenues as lawful fpoil to the first invader. And as the ecclefiaftics had hitherto conducted a willing and a stupid audience, and were totally unacquainted with controversy, much more with every fpecies of true literature; they were unable to defend themselves against men, armed with authorities, citations, and popular topics, and qualified to triumph in every altercation or debate. Such were the advantages, with which the reformers began their attack of the Roman hierarchy; and fuch were the causes of their rapid and astonishing fuccefs. ift Dec. LEO the tenth, whofe overfights and too fupine trust in the profound ignorance of the people had given rise to this fect, but whofe found judgment, moderation and temper were well qualified to retard its progrefs, died in the flower of his age, a little after he received the king's book against Luther; and he was fucceeded in the papal chair by Adrian, a Fleming, who had been tutor to the emperor Charles. This man was fitted to gain on the reformers by the integrity, candour, and fimplicity of manners, which distinguished his character; but, fo vioTent were their prejudices against the church, he rather hurt the caufe by his imprudent exercise of those virtues. He frankly confeffed that many abominable and detestable practices prevailed in the court of Rome; and by this fincere avowal, he gave occafion of much triumph to the Lutherans. This pontiff also, whose penetration was not equal to his good intentions, was feduced to concur in that league, which Charles and Henry had formed against France H; and he thereby augmented the fcandal, occafioned by the practice of fo many preceding popes, who ftill made their spiritual arms fubfervient to political purpofes. THE emperor, Charles, who knew, that Wolfey had received a disappointment in his ambitious hopes by the election of Adrian, and who dreaded the refentment of that haughty minifter, was folicitous to repair the breach 26th May. made in their friendship by this incident. He paid a new vifit to England, and befides flattering the vanity of the king and the cardinal, he renewed to Wolfey all the pro Guicciardini, lib. 14. mises, |